Turning Tides

7. I Got His Hat, He Got My Heart, We Got Our Meetcute

The police car drove off into the night after failing to discover us. Hopefully, he was going to find wherever Drew was hiding. I was a bit sad because the cop leaving meant that Jayden would remove his hand from my mouth. I cherished the final moments. A warm buzz tingled down my body. I was on fire. I could certainly get used to this feeling... in another life where the boy touching me was gay and not just a victim of circumstances. 

He released his hand, and said, "I'm so sorry about that, bro, but It was life or death." Distracted by his deep voice and Southern accent, I could only muster a giggle as a response. My hand was still underneath his stomach. I could feel his happy trail on my middle finger. Fuck. Jayden pulled himself up and offered me his hand. Of course, I took it with my left hand that wasn't numb so that I could feel his hand in its entirety. His hand was bigger and rougher than mine, and that drove me wild. He talked more to the crowd as he helped me up, "Y'all tryna go to PCs to finish what we started?" The crowd responded emphatically to their leader. Did this mean I was invited too? Jayden hit my shoulder with the back of his hand and asked, "I don't think I recognize the tiny bit of your face I can see. Are you the new kid living in that white house out on the marsh?" 

Wait, he knew about me? Jayden Kingsley knew about me?  I replied, "Yeah. Guilty I guess. I know it's small." I realized how that could've sounded. "The house is small...I'm Ellison." 

Jayden chuckled. "I knew you meant your house, bro. I'm Jayden. I'm responsible for this party which means I'm also responsible for you being covered in pluff mud and for that, my sincerest apologies." I almost replied before he interjected, "Wait what's your last name? I think my friend Drew told me he saw you getting a tour of the school. You have a really cool last name, right?"

"It's Castaway. Ellison Castaway. Pretty dope." I hated myself for using that word, oh my God. I should've stopped using it the second Ol' Man Frank questioned it.

"Yea. That's it. I like it. You're lucky."

"Mhm. It fits the island theme, I guess."

"It also fits your  theme. You're the new kid thrown onto this fuckin' island right before your senior year. You're like a castaway on a desert island. It's gotta suck." I see he wasn't much one for subtlety. He continued, "Yo, come with us to PCs. Its fried chicken is God-tier. I can introduce you to my best friend, Drew."

Oh, you have to be kidding me. How did he not witness what Drew did to me? And, how did I not notice that Drew was the tall boy in almost all of his posts? I must've glanced over that when looking at his Instagram because I was too focused on Jayden. I had enough of meeting Drew for the night, and it was getting close to 1 AM. I couldn't break the one rule Dad enforced. "I'm alright. I have to get home if I wanna make curfew." 

"I gotchu. Maybe we can meet in the light one day," He laughed. Was he flir- "My friends are halfway down the road, so I should bounce. Good to meet you, Ellison Castaway." 

My stomach fluttered and I felt the blood rush into my cheeks as he said my name. I watched him climb out of the pit we found refuge in and disappear into the darkness. His muddy feet hitting the asphalt matched the fluttering of my awe-struck heart. He called me by my name and tried to read into my life with his stupid Castaway metaphor. He even knew where I lived. 

I pulled my feet out of the foul-smelling mud. As I walked out of the pit, I stepped on something. It was the same hat I had seen him wearing at Ol' Frank's. Is this a sign from the universe? I picked it up out of the mud and felt that I had creased the hat right across the Kinglsey Shrimp Co. logo. He would have no use for a hat that is creased, so I decided that I should keep it for myself. If a million things fell into place correctly, then maybe he could get it back one day. 

I used my phone to route myself back home. I could see there was still a light on in the living room. It's 12:58 A.M. I hoped Dad didn't stay up all night worrying about me. When I finally got into the porch light, I saw how covered in mud I truly was. I left my flip-flops on the porch so that they could dry, and tried to sneak inside. 

My dad looked up from his laptop and exclaimed, "Oh my God, El, are you okay? Y-you're filthy, you're late... what happened?"

"Relax Dad, I'm alright, seriously. It was just a fun game we were playing. This wasn't anything. I promise."

"You promise? When you come home like this and don't communicate with me as often as you do, you make me feel like I failed as a father." He whisper-yelled. 

"I'm really sorry, but you have to trust me. I promise," The wave of emotions from the night took control of my mouth. "You ever thought that the reason I used to not talk to you much is because I thought you would hate me? I cataloged every single time you said something bad about gay people, so I just figured I was just another person in the group you hated."

"Enough, Ellison. We clearly aren't going to make progress. You should go to bed."

I didn't feel he deserved a response. I shook my head and stomped to my room. Thankfully, I made it to my room as quickly as I did because I couldn't hold back the river of tears that rushed from my eyes. I was prone to snapping, and I hated every time I did it. I knew he was trying. I found myself lying on the floor so as to not get my bed muddy with Jayden's hat on the ground opposite of me. I stared at the hat through a tearful lens until I drifted into the good kind of sleep that only a good cry can give someone.