Dismantling Evan (23 page)

“Approximately twenty-eight feet at its deepest level in the center of the spherical pool. The pool used to be an underground river that collapsed, thus creating the natural rock grotto hanging over the top of the pool?”

“Really? I didn’t know that,” Lia responds.

Brody adds, “The water is colder than cold because it is spring-fed.”

The air is still too hot for my liking and a cold, spring-fed pool sounds great right about now.

I’m surprised to see sand next to the luminous jade pool. There are already a handful of people sitting on their towels soaking up the sun and another group, wading waist deep in the water.

Kind of astounded, I remark, “It’s like a mini-beach.”

“Yeah, it is.” Brody places the bag of sodas in an open area and Lia spreads out the towels. I walk across and lay my camera bag, tote, and plastic bag of food down as I unfold my towel.

Gavin stands above me, blotting out the sun. “Evan, let’s get in!”

He sounds like an over eager five year old in a teenager’s body. “Okay, just a second.”

He starts rocking side to side. “Okay it’s been a second.... and another....and another. Let’s go!”

His grin is contagious as he continues to beg, “C’mon Evan! Brody, let’s go! Lia!”

Lia starts walking toward the shore line and Gavin lumbers to be by Lia’s side. She dips her toe in and squeaks a little before giggling and looking up at Gavin. She wears a long sleeve top with her bathing suit underneath. Gavin walks beside her and she talks to him in a low tone. I wonder why she is leaving her shirt on. I pull my cover up over my head and toss it onto my towel, watching Gavin creep into the water, laughing heartily. I can’t help but smile.

As I pull off my cover-up, Brody takes off his shirt and my partial undetectable look turns into a full on gawk-a-thon as his shirt clears his tan abs, chest, then biceps. It is suddenly very hot and I need to get into the water quickly. Before Brody peers over and notices me eyeballing his manly muscles, I make my way toward the shore and step into the water.

“Ooh.” I suck in my breath. “Cold, cold, cold.” I start to turn around, exiting the clarion pool, when two strong hands stop me mid-step and turn me back to the water.

“Where are you going?” Brody’s husky voice is right by my side.

I laugh off the goosebumps he has given rise to on top of the ones from the cold water, “Out.”

“Uh, uh,” is the only comment he delivers before lifting and running with me into the water.

“Feel better?” Brody asks, wading neck deep in front of me. It was freezing cold for the first few minutes, then my body adjusted.

I smile. “Yes, much!”

I examine the rock ledge that meets the blue sky above us and follow the showering water fall as it breaks the jade water below. A flat rock reflects the water in a white misty spray that brushes my face. The echoing sound of bouncing water gives me such peace and a happiness I haven’t felt since I was a little girl. I look back at Brody just before he dives under the water. Maybe the peace and happiness I feel isn’t down to the waterfall after all.

Sitting on the warm towel, my toes resting on the sand, I think about how close I lived to the beaches in California and how I never wanted to go to them. I never really had anyone to go to them with other than my parents... until now. I look over at Brody sitting cross legged next to me, watching Gavin who is determined to stay in the water and swim and Lia who is ringing her hair out over the sand. They are the reasons I’m here on a beach all the way in Texas... who would have thought it possible?

“I’m going to swim with Gavin for a little while longer,” Brody says as he rises from his towel and heads to the shore.

“K,” Lia and I both answer him.

Lia’s shirt sticks to her skin so I ask, “Hey why don’t you take that off and let it dry out a bit?”

She pulls her shirt away from her skin and chuckles lightly. “Yeah, I should.”

She doesn’t take it off though. Maybe I’m making her self-conscious.

I remember my cover up just then. “Here, how about you take it off and wear my cover up. When your shirt dries a little I will wear your shirt.”

I think it’s a good compromise, and Lia does too, apparently; she nods at me, “Okay.”

I dig my cover up out of my tote and toss it over to her and notice my camera bag.

“Thanks,” she says, sweetly.

“Sure,” I say mindlessly as I open my camera case and comment, “I need to take some pictures of this place. It is so beautiful and unique.”

“Yes, it is.” Lia says and just as she is pulling her arms from her sleeves I notice the small tick mark like cuts along the inside of her arm. Correction; both arms.

I stop breathing for a second and just gaze at them; some red, some pink, some silver; newest to oldest. I think of last night; the itch she couldn’t scratch just before she got out of the car. Asher’s and Nikki’s cryptic comments about the situation Lia was in last year and now. Lia quickly pulls my cover up over her head and covers her arms, and I take a much needed breath as I look down at my camera and remove the lens cover.

Cuts, she has cut herself. I’ve heard about cutting and how people do it to cope with their own stress and pain. I glance at Lia as she looks out at Brody and Gavin. She giggles suddenly at something they are doing and I look out to see Gavin splashing Brody, then Brody doing the same back to him. I want to smile but the weight of what I just saw subdues me.

I lift my camera up to my wide open eye and take in the grotto, jade water, and blue sky peppered with fluffy, full white clouds.

Snap.

Twist, twist, twist.

“Hey Lia.”

“Yeah?”

I raise the view finder to my eye again before I go any further. “I know what happened last year.”

I aim my lens at Brody and Gavin splashing each other.

Snap.

Twist, twist, twist.

I don’t wait for her to say anything. “I just want you to know I care about you and you remind me a lot of me.”

I point my lens to the waterfall.

Snap.

Twist, twist, twist.

“I guess I just want you to know if you need to talk about...” I drop my camera into my lap and look at her, “Just know I am here. I have never been good at making friends. Hell, I have never had friends until you guys.”

I look at her, frozen in fear, and know I’m not getting my point across fast enough. I shake my head. “I know you think doing things will stop the pain. I have had pain so strong too Lia, I swear to you, I have. But please, for God’s sake, don’t. Don’t do those things, Lia. Please promise me you won’t do those things ever again. You are priceless, Lia. To Gavin, and Nikki, Asher, Brody, and me.”

I am staring down at the girl and I’m not sure whether she will run and cry or tell me to go straight to hell.

Gavin yells out then laughs wildly as Brody splashes him more, distracting us from our stare down.

In silence, I sit there wondering if what I have said means anything or if she is thinking that I’m just some know-it-all that really has no clue about her pain and hurt and anxiety, some clueless teenage girl who hasn’t experienced bullying, hate and judgment.  

“Thank you, Evan.” Her voice is small and cracked, but genuine and gracious.

I don’t look at her because just the sound of her voice has my throat constricting with sorrow. I swallow it down and focus on the waterfall, the peaceful waterfall, and answer her. “Anytime, Lia. Anytime.”

Gavin and Brody’s splashing stops and Brody emerges from the water with Gavin drudging behind him. “C’mon Gav. We have to go,” Brody calls back to him.

Gavin asks him, “Why do we have to go?” but Brody ignores his question as his eyes meet mine.

“We should probably get going,” he says cuttingly as he pulls his towel up from the sandy ground and starts drying himself.

Gavin flops down on his towel next to Lia who asks, “Why are we leaving so soon?”

Brody ignores her question and barks at Gavin, “Gav, get your shirt on and let’s start packing up.”

Brody drops his towel to the ground and pulls his t-shirt over his head angrily. Why is he angry?

“You okay?” I ask him as Lia rises up and starts collecting the towels into her arms.

His eyes dart from me to something in the immediate distance behind us.

“Ferguson!” Spencer’s arrogant and loud voice instantly explains Brody’s darting eyes and angry demeanor.

Seriously? Does this guy have to be everywhere we are?

“Shit,” Brody says under his breath as he grabs one of the plastic bags with half eaten chips and things.

Brody looks down at Gavin who is still sitting on his towel eating his bag of chips. “Gavin! We need to go man!”

Gavin talks while munching. “I don’t want to go yet.”

“Damn it, Gav.” Brody says as he runs both his hand through his hair.

I look back at Spencer and notice Chad is with him .They both make their way toward us. I think quick. “Hey, Gav.”

He looks at me.

“Hey, I noticed there is a Hamilton Pool park area.” I rise and start folding my towel down.

He quickly responds, “Yes, there is. Hamilton Pool Preserve is over 200 acres and there are many trails. Brody and I have been on a few.”

I meet Brody’s eyes. “Let’s go on a hike then. We don’t have to leave yet.”

Brody realizes I am trying to help. “Yeah, let’s do it. We can show Evan and Lia the trail by Hamilton creek on our way back up to the park.”

This gets Gavin moving. He picks up his towel, crumbles it in his arms, and slips on his camouflaged Crocs.

Unfortunately for us, we don’t move fast enough to escape the onslaught of Spencer and Chad. Hey where are ya’ll going?” Chad asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Spencer takes off his Hurley tank top shirt and purposefully flexes every chest and arm muscle he can to put on a show. “Come swim with us.”

I look down at my camera, attach the lens cover and place it in the camera bag. “Um, I think we have other plans.”

“Lia. How are you babe?” Chad asks as he invades her space and runs his Neanderthal hand down her small arm. She inches away from him just as Gavin steps in front of her protectively, possessively.

“Gavin, it’s okay,” Lia says quietly as she stands behind him.

Chad and Spence both take notice of Gavin and close in on him, challenging his attempt at chivalry.

Brody steps in before Spencer and Chad can get any closer to Gavin. “We are leaving. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Spencer, Chad, and Brody are in a stand down and I quickly pull Lia’s oversized t-shirt over my head to cover up.

“No, don’t cover up,” Spencer says in a fake whining voice.

I don’t look up at him once I have the t-shirt on. I take hold of the tote, the plastic bag and my camera bag and walk around them, taking Lia by the hand and pulling her along with me. “C’mon, let’s go.” I call out to Brody and Gavin, hoping they move away from the fight Spencer and Chad are itching for.

I glance back only to make sure Gavin and Brody are following us.

“Bye Evan,” Spencer’s slick voice calls out.

Irritated, I say, “What the hell is up with that asshole?”

I release Lia’s hand and stand on the mulch and gravel waiting for Brody and Gavin to surface from the beach.

Lia shrugs, “Which one? There were two of them.”

She smiles at me and I can’t help but smile back at her attempt at a joke. “Good point.”

Gavin is the first to catch up to us. Lia walks back to him, stopping him from moving past her. “What were you doing, Gavin? Standing up for me almost caused a lot of trouble. You can’t do that!”

Gavin sways from side to side, looking down at the half drank bottle of Dr. Pepper he is clutching. “He can’t talk to you, Lia.” He shakes his head and pinches his eyes closed like he is trying to forget a memory. I wonder how much he knows or understands.

“What?” Lia asks questioningly. She angles back to Brody, “I don’t know what he is saying Brody.”

Brody comes to Gavin’s side. “Look Gav. I know you are trying to protect Lia and that is good. It is really good of you...” Gavin is looking at Brody now, as his brother explains, “...but you can’t get into a fight over it, and that is what Spencer and Chad were wanting.”

Gavin doesn’t respond one way or another. Instead, he turns rigidly and walks up the incline that leads out of the canyon and back to the car. Lia follows behind him, then Brody starts to move, when I catch his arm. Not having touched his arm before, I pull away just as he pauses and turns to me, questioningly. He was back there with Spencer and Chad longer than he should have and I wanted to know what went down.

“What did you say to him?” I ask.

Brody shrugs like it is nothing, but his worried eyes glance back down in the direction of the beach. “Nothing.”

I don’t believe him, but I don’t want to tell him. He is hiding what happened between them for a reason and the only one I can think of is to protect me. Yeah, Spence has it out for Brody and Gavin. Hell, it might be the entire family. It for sure includes the people that associate with them. Spencer’s nonreciprocal and rather disgusting display of flirtation freaked me out, but mostly got under Brody’s skin. I mean, did he really think I might swoon over him? What an asshole. Did he say something to Spencer about his comment about not covering up?