The Rocky Road Pact

Chapter 20: Patience

"What are you, a vampire?"

Panicking, I opened the window and Tommy swung himself inside of my room.

Was it happening now? Was I about to have sex for the first time? I was in a faded, oversize nightgown with Snoopy on it, my hair was a rat's next and I had the worst case of morning breath in the history of the world. I felt annoyed and embarrassed. And I wasn't ready.

"Why don't you use the front door like everyone else?"

He sat on my bed and looked around. I kicked a bra under the dresser and searched for other embarrassing items that might be strewn about.

"Oh sure. Do you think your parents would let me in if I rolled up looking like this?" With his shoulder-length, shaggy blond hair, black jeans and ripped Iron Maiden shirt with its signature grinning macabre skeleton icon, holding a bloodstained axe, he had a point. I couldn't see my Dad happily escorting him to my bedroom.

"Still, ever hear of the phone? Jeez, give a girl a call before you come over—"

"Get dressed. We're going out."

I stopped mid-sentence. "Out? Where?"

He rolled his eyes. "The ice cream thing. Remember? This was your idea. Cone number one happens now. Come on, I don't got all day."

My mouth hung open. "No, that's not the way it's supposed to work." I folded my arms mainly because I wasn't wearing a bra and also because I was irritated. This was all wrong. He was supposed to make plans to meet in some secret, clandestine location, or pick me up in a nice car, sweep me off my feet. This was..... What was this?

"I—I have plans," I stammered. I wasn't having him thinking he could swing on in here through my window and that I'd drop everything and follow him to god knows where. Probably some heavy metal dive with bikers in the parking lot, followed by a romp in his bedroom at the trailer park. Everything about him screamed "danger" and "bad idea." 

What did I get myself into with this stupid pact?

"Okay," he said, with a shrug. He made his way to the window.

"Wait!" Well, that wasn't fair. Now he was leaving without a fight. 

"Make up your mind, chick. You wanna come with me or not? Your choice. I'm not making. you go anywhere."

I thought about it, foot tapping. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of saying yes. But what the hell else did I have to do? Plus despite his impatient tone, he was looking at me in that nice way, the way that made me tingle a bit, right down to my toes.

"Give me five," I said finally. "And don't touch anything!" The idea of leaving him in my room all alone made me ill. I looked around the way to the bathroom to make sure there wasn't a journal left out, open to a particularly embarrassing passage, or a pair of underwear on the floor that missed the hamper. 

"I'll be outside on my bike. It's down the street and around the corner. If you're not there by quarter to, I'm leaving." With that he was gone.

I fumed in the shower. Who did he think he was, anyway? Busting in here like that. What if I had a guy in here? Unlikely, but possible. And where was he dragging me to? Nervousness twisted in my belly. And I still felt like a hag, I only had time for a quick shower, no time to do my hair or makeup properly. I had to settle for some electric blue mascara and hot pink lipstick, and twisting my hair into a banana clip after teasing up the bangs. It would have to do. 

"I'm going out with Creegan, I'll see you all later, bye!" I yelled as I raced out the door, hearing mom and dad call after me with questions. I was wearing jean shorts and a pink t-shirt, a white sweater tied around my waist. It was a gorgeous day, I could see every leaf stand out on the trees as they swayed in the warm wind. It was the kind of July Saturday where anything was possible, and the fear and anxiety in my belly turned to anticipation when I saw Tommy's face light up as I ran around the corner as fast as my white cheerleading sneakers could take me.