Remembrance (The Transcend Time Saga) (7 page)

“Jeremy!” Warren yelled from across the field. “We’re leaving soon!”

“Be there in a sec!” he shouted back. He looked down at me again, his eyes flashing with irritation. “Are you coming or not?”

“I can’t,” I said, steadying my voice so I wouldn’t cry. “I promised her.”

“Fine.” He scowled, taking a few steps back. “I have to go to the party though. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” He turned his back to me, running towards where Warren and a few other guys waited for him without even bothering to ask how I was getting home.

CHAPTER 11

Walking to the main parking lot by myself was strange. It felt like someone was watching me, but everyone else was probably too consumed with their own plans to worry about why I wasn’t with a group of people, piling into a car to head over to the party. I scanned the area, confirming that I was right. Everyone was too worried about leaving before it rained to bother looking in my direction.

I flipped my phone open and pressed the number four, followed by the green send button. Chelsea was fourth on my speed dial, preceded by my dad’s cell, mom’s cell, and home number. Jeremy was number five. The phone rang three times, and I quickened my pace, nervous that she wouldn’t pick up. She probably drove to the game with Drew, but an awkward car ride with the two of them again was better than being stuck at school with no way of getting home.

I listened to the phone ring, looking up at the sky as the storm clouds I spotted earlier passed over the sun. A flash of lighting shone overhead, followed by a rumbling thunder. I ran a hand through my hair in irritation. The last thing I needed was to be stuck in the rain without a jacket.

“Hey Lizzie.” Chelsea finally answered the phone. “Are you going to Warren’s party?”

“No,” I said, pacing in a small circle as a louder burst of thunder growled through the air. I brought her up to speed on everything that happened as quickly as possible, hoping the rain would hold off. A few drops fell on my arm and I opened my palm, confirming the imminent storm.

“Jeremy left without making sure you had a ride home?” she asked when I finished, even though that was what I had just told her.

“Yeah.” I gathered my hair over my shoulder, which was starting to frizz in the humidity. “I was actually wondering if you could drive me home so I can get my car. Shannon drove me here and she went to the party, so I’m stuck at school.”

“I would,” she started, “but I’m on the way to my grandparents house, and I’m already late because of the game. It’s their fiftieth anniversary, so they’re having a party to celebrate.”

I bit my lip, looking up at the darkening clouds. “No problem—I can just call my mom.”

“You know I would come get you if I could,” she said, pausing in thought. “There’s no one else there to give you a ride?”

I glanced around the parking lot again, double-checking to see if anyone was there. The last of the players were heading to their cars after showering, but everyone else must have left after the game to escape the storm. “Only some players from the team, but they’re going to Warren’s,” I answered, ducking under a nearby tree as the rain came down a bit harder. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help,” she apologized. “But call me when you get home.”

A flash of lighting split the sky in two as I snapped my phone shut, followed by a long roar of thunder. Buckets of rain started falling from the sky a moment later, and in only seconds my hair was so wet that if I’d told someone I’d just gotten out of the shower, they would have believed me. I put my phone in my pocket and sprinted towards the front of the school where the roof covered the sidewalk, soaking the bottoms of my jeans in the process. Once under cover, I leaned against the brick wall and took out my phone again to dial my mom. She didn’t answer at home, so I tried her cell, hoping she’d remembered to charge it the night before.

She picked up after two rings. “Lizzie?” she questioned, sounding confused about why I was calling.

I gave her the short version of the story, and she listened without interrupting. “Can you come pick me up?” I asked when finished.

She took a moment to absorb what I’d said. “I’m at dinner in town right now…” She paused in thought, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth before continuing. “But we’re waiting for the check. I can be there in a little over a half hour. Is that okay?”

“I guess,” I said, squeezing my hair to get rid of the excess water. Thunder boomed through the air again, much louder than before.

“Is that thunder?” she asked, her voice ringing with concern. “Can you go inside so you’re not waiting in the rain?”

I knew the doors to the school were locked, but didn’t want to worry her. “Yeah,” I said, figuring the white lie wouldn’t hurt anyone. “I’ll see you soon.”

It wasn’t long before the wind picked up, blowing the rain sideways and under the covered area where I was standing. If there was anything worse than regular rain, it was sideways rain. The best umbrella couldn’t defend against it, and neither could the overhanging roof. I sat on a bench as close to the wall as possible and pulled my legs towards my chest in a futile attempt to shield myself from the downpour. It was hopeless, and my jeans became so drenched that they looked like they were a few shades darker than their original medium-blue color. The freezing rain felt like thousands of tiny razor blades cutting into my skin at once, and my entire body shook from the cold.

Trying not to cry, I looked down at the sidewalk, which brought back a memory from middle school when Chelsea and I drew hopscotch boards with sidewalk chalk while waiting for our parents to arrive in the carpool line. Then I realized that as much as I didn’t want to be, I was angry with Chelsea. Every time I passed Drew and her walking down the halls of school, I wanted to tell her to get her hands off him. It was irrational, but ever since the first day I’d seen Drew, none of my thoughts made sense. My entire world had turned upside-down, and I had no explanation why.

The honking of a horn filled the air, and I lifted my head at the sound, surprised that my mom got to the school in such a short amount of time. However, it wasn’t my mother’s sandstone Chrysler Pacifica SUV pulling up to the curb. It was a metallic black BMW with tinted windows, making it impossible to see who was inside.

But I’d been in that car once before when he drove Chelsea and me home from the movies, so I knew it was Drew before he rolled down the window. I stared at him from my spot on the bench, wondering what he could want. He was clear enough when he let me know he didn’t want to spend time with me. He had no reason to care about me sitting alone freezing in the rain.

“Do you need a ride home?” he asked. The offer sounded forced.

“I’m fine,” I replied, curling up tighter as a gust of wind blew through the air.

“Just get in the car,” he said, gripping the steering wheel in frustration. “You’ll freeze if you stay out here, and your house is on the way to mine anyway.”

Deciding it was too cold to stay out in the rain anymore, I texted my mom to let her know I got a ride home and walked towards the BMW. Drew leaned across the passenger seat and opened the door before I could reach the handle. 

“Thanks,” I said, hoping my wet jeans wouldn’t ruin the black leather seats as I sat down.

His eyes filled with a concern that I wasn’t expecting. “I wasn’t about to leave you sitting in the rain,” he said, holding his gaze with mine before turning to look out the windshield. 

I put the seatbelt on and he pressed his foot to the pedal, sending the car into a smooth acceleration. “Why are you still here?” I asked, leaning my elbow on the armrest. “The game ended twenty minutes ago.”  

“I left my jacket at the field and had to get it,” he answered without a second thought.

I looked at his dry clothing. “And you managed to avoid the rain?”

“I have a good umbrella.” He chuckled, glancing at me before returning his focus to the road.

I tilted my head in confusion, knowing he couldn’t be telling the truth. “But it’s sideways rain.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Sideways rain?”

“Yeah,” I said, realizing that not everyone knew my term. “When the wind blows the rain sideways. It gets under the umbrella.” I motioned at my wet clothing. “But you’re dry.”

He held the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning a pale shade of white. “Fine,” he admitted. “Chelsea left to go to her grandparents house. Some people were telling me about Warren’s party, and then I saw you walk towards the parking lot without Jeremy. I wanted to make sure you got home without freezing to death.”

The explanation caught me by surprise. I leaned back in my seat, unsure of how to respond. “Why do you even care?” I finally asked, shaking my head in confusion.

He glanced over at me, his now gentle gaze convincing me that he really was concerned about making sure I got home okay. I wondered if he felt the same draw to me that I felt towards him, but told myself not to get my hopes up. 

“You’re my girlfriend’s best friend,” he said simply.

The words felt like darts thrown at my chest, and I looked out the window, hoping he didn’t notice how much the statement hurt me. Still freezing, and needing a distraction, I re-adjusted the vents in front of me to blow hot air in my direction. It only helped a little—the freezing rain that soaked my clothes felt like it went straight to my bones, and I reached forward to turn on the seat-heater in hopes that it would help me warm up further.

Apparently Drew had the same idea, because his hand collided with mine, sending a spark of electricity over my fingers. My hand was cold from the rain, but his touch warmed it up in an instant.

He pushed the button, refusing to look at me as he pulled his hand back to the steering wheel. “How come Jeremy left you out in the cold?” he asked, keeping his eyes focused on the road as he waited for me to answer.

“I was supposed to go to the party at Warren’s with him, but my friend Hannah had an emergency and needed me to come over,” I explained. “My mom said she would pick me up, but she wouldn’t have been here for another twenty minutes. I just texted her to let her know I got a ride.”

“Jeremy didn’t bother asking how you were getting home?” he asked, each word radiating with anger. “He ditched you in the rain?”

“I told him Chelsea was driving me home,” I said, not wanting to discuss it any further. “He didn’t ditch me.”

He shook his head. “It looks like he did.”

“He was excited about the celebration,” I said in defense, realizing that it wasn’t much of an explanation. “He made the winning goal.”

Drew paused before responding. “Clearly that’s more important than you.”

I looked over at him in shock. “You can’t just not talk to me for two weeks and then start criticizing my relationship with Jeremy,” I spurted, unable to contain my frustration.

“From what I’ve seen of your relationship, there’s nothing
not
to criticize.” His words were like ice.

“That’s not true.”

He glanced over at me, anger imminent in his eyes. “Really? Because that’s what it looks like. You deserve a whole lot better than Jeremy. Someone who doesn’t leave you freezing in the rain while he’s out partying with his friends.”

“Someone like you?” I asked, matching his earlier sarcasm. “Because pretending to be nice to me and then acting like I don’t exist is just
so
much better.”

His eyes flashed with pain. “You think I was pretending to be nice to you?”

“So you were pretending to not want to talk to me?” I asked, taking a breath to calm myself.

“Trust me,” he said tightly. “It’s not a good idea for us to be friends.”

“I can decide who I want to be friends with.”

He was silent for a moment. “And do you believe we could manage to just be friends?”

The question caught me by surprise. I knew the answer, but couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. So I slowly shook my head no, looking out the window as the car rolled to a stop in front of my house.

“That’s what I thought.” He turned his body towards me, his eyes blazing with intensity. “It’s better that we stay away from each other. That way no one will get hurt.”

My head spun with confusion. “What if that’s not what I want?”

“Do you want to hurt Chelsea? And Jeremy?” He sneered at his name.

“No,” I resolved, knowing he was right. “But can you answer one question?”

“Fine. One question.”

“The other day in class during the writing prompt, you said the moment that changed your life was when you moved here.” I took a breath, and he looked at me to continue. “Why?”

“Easy,” he said, holding his gaze with mine. “I met you.”

I tilted my head in confusion, repeating the words in my head to make sure I heard him correctly. “So how come you say we can’t be around each other?”

“You said one question.” He smirked. “That’s two.”

“It’s the second part of the same question.”

He laughed, looking out the windshield again. “Either way, it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” I insisted.

He didn’t answer, instead shrugging out of his leather jacket and handing it to me. “Wear this inside,” he instructed, looking at me as he held it out for me to take. “It’ll protect you from the cold.”

I didn’t look at him as I put on the jacket, which was still warm from his body heat. “Thanks,” I said, knowing from the determined look on his face that he wasn’t going to tell me any more. “And thanks for driving me home.”