The Summer I Met Her (GirlxGirl)

15- Chance

Once we were both inside, Jay pushed the front door closed behind us, silencing the consistent song of rain almost entirely. She kicked off her square toed cowboy boots in the entryway; I did the same with my lace-up boots, peeling my damp socks off my cold, shining skin.

"Mama?" Jaycee called. "I'm back," she yelled, with no reply. "Must be upstairs." Jay said, discarding her socks with the rest of the shoes. "Follow me."

We met her mother, ready for bed at the bottom of the stairs. We stood to the side to let her pass. "Hi honey," she sighed, hugging herself. "You get to fixin' that car?"

I shivered a little, hugging myself as well. "She sure did."

The poor woman blinked as if trying to decipher whether or not I was really there with her daughter. "Is that Fianna I see! What on earth are you doin' here?" I couldn't tell if she was scolding me or greeting me.

"Yeah, Fi." Jay teased, side eyeing me.

"I came here to bring you your phone." I pat my empty back pocket. "Which I don't have."

It was obvious Jay wasn't buying it. "Uh huh." She said, nodding along, rolling her tongue along the inside of her lower lip.

Her mom smiled, her dimples showing. "Well that's awful sweet of you. And stupid." Her kindness faded and she went right to waving her hand at us to leave. "I can't hardly stand lookin' at you two. You're makin' me cold. Go on upstairs, get out of my sight." She shoed us both upstairs.

"Alright, alright we're going!" Jay called with a playful grin, skipping a few steps.

Jay pointed out a room at the end of the hall with a closed white door. "This one's mine," she pushed it open and gestured for me to go in first.

I treaded carefully inside. Jay flicked the lights on.

My frozen, weary feet welcomed her cream colored nylon carpet. To my left sat a full size bed beside the windows, covers and sheets twisted in an unmade heap with a full length mirror tucked between the bed and the wall, an American flag draped above the headboard. A closet door was slightly ajar in the corner, diagonal from the doorway; with a dresser and single shelf mounted on the wall to my right. The white slat of wood upheld all kinds of varying trophies, awards, and ribbons. Medals dangled from the taller cups. There was no shortage of Shania Twain posters plastered across any available wall space- in some she was singing live, others posing in crop tops and scooped necklines.

Jay tossed her hat and aviators on the dresser. I noticed a guitar case leaning against the side.

Standing in the middle of the room, I examined my own outfit. I looked like I just came out of the pool. "God, all of my clothes are soaked. All of them- bra, underwear, too. God this is so embarrassing- can I borrow your clothes?" I laughed nervously, hugging myself with a pleading smile.

Jaycee turned to me after digging through a dresser drawer, her eyebrows furrowed downward. "Course. No way I'm lettin' you freeze in that." She was already holding out a set of clothes- a neatly folded t-shirt and black basketball shorts. "I should prolly get to changin' too, my jeans are soaked all the way through."

"Okay." I claimed the space between her bed and the wall, facing the curtain-covered windows. "Don't look at me, I'm changing." I teased, trying to grasp the hem of my shirt.

"Bathroom's just down the hall if you're uncomfortable." I heard her say.

The fabric being so wet and weighty, my shirt stuck to my skin and did not want to come off. "I don't care if you don't care. We're both girls."

A beat passed. "Yeah, sure, whatever's fine."

The last time I had changed in front of other girls was in the locker room in gym class. The athletes always impressed me. I didn't really want to look like them, but still I admired their figures. I felt nostalgic for that aspect of school, in a weird way.

Jay reminded me of those girls, the ones with strong arms and tall frames.

I stared back at myself in the mirror as I fiddled with my shirt. Paying me no mind, Jaycee did the same with her own outfit.

After ridding myself of my shirt, I watched her reflection move to undress. Behind me, Jay threw her soaked shirt to the floor. She slipped out of her jeans. I stopped unbuttoning my pants to watch, ignoring the icy feeling of air conditioning against my exposed upper half.

Darkened with the rain, her long, wet hair sticking to her back caught my eye. Her skin beneath her shirt was as tan as her muscled arms and legs. There were no noticeable lines.

Does she work without a shirt when no one's around?

I couldn't stop staring at the curvature of her spine- until her fingers dug underneath her bra.

I ripped my gaze from the mirror and glued it to the floor as she pulled the sports bra off. While I waited for her to put on a shirt, I pushed my jeans down my legs and kicked them off my feet.

A part of me felt dejected, disappointed she didn't turn around to look at me like I had to her. I wanted to scream, look at me, I'm pretty too!

I resolved to unclasp my bra. It too, had been hit by the downpour. It had been making me cold for a while. Despite being a girl all my life, I was never very good at getting myself out of these things. It always took me a little longer than it should.

The stormy weather persisted; the steady sound of rainfall outside Jay's window filling my ears as I struggled.

My eyes wandered to the mirror yet again. Jaycee had turned around, in an oversized black tee and boxers, facing the mirror. Facing me.

I froze. My hands continued to hold the back of my bra.

I watched her reflection draw closer.

"Let me." Jay said over my shoulder. Her warm hands enveloped my own. She directed them to my sides.

Jaycee gathered all of my hair to one side, resting it across one shoulder.

The anxiety in my chest spiked... for whatever reason.

With a quick flick, my bra was undone. The garment hung awkwardly on my shoulders.

Jay stepped back. "I'm heading downstairs." She wouldn't look at me, like I'd done something wrong.

I held my unhooked bra to my chest. Her sudden shift in demeanor made me uneasy. "Okay." I replied, keeping my gaze low. "I'll meet you down there in a bit."

Jay exited her room without a word. The door didn't slam or make any kind of unusual noise, but the sound of it closing gave me an inexplicable urge to cry alone in Jaycee's room.

I felt like I had missed some sort of opportunity. To do what, I didn't even know.

I swallowed back my emotions as I got dressed.