When the Clock Struck Midnight

When the Clock Struck Midnight-8

Chapter 8

          By the time we’d gotten to the resort, my butt had gone numb. We reached our cabin and Rodney and I checked everyone in. We would all be staying in a cabin together. Van, Amber and I would share a room while Rodney and Jordan roomed together.

          “Alright guys,” said Jordan as we approached the others at Rodney’s car. “Take your bags and let’s head on inside. I’m tired.” Van raised her eyebrows and we all knew she didn’t like what he’d just said. Oh boy.

          “What’re you going on about? You’re going to help us take our stuff inside.” She pointed to Jordan and Rodney then at us. Amber and I laughed as they made a face and reluctantly did as they were told.

          “What’re you laughing at?” Jordan glared at me, which only made me laugh harder.

          “Let’s just go,” I said.

          The cabin looked like a typical cabin, but bigger and more modern looking, if that made sense. It had two bathrooms and two bedrooms, each with two beds. The living room had two sofas, a coffee table, a TV, and a big lit up Christmas tree in the corner. The kitchen was probably the second biggest room, the living room being the first. The kitchen consisted of a stove, a fancy fridge, a microwave, an island, and a lot of counter space.

          We unpacked and refreshed ourselves. We’d decided early on Amber and I would share a bed and Van would take the other. It was for the best, really. Van tended to smack people in the face while she slept. It’d be funny the first couple of times, but after the tenth time, one tended to smack her back…not that I would ever do that. We showered and changed while we waited for the boys to finish unpacking and showering. We joined them once they were done.

          “What are we going to do now,” Amber asked.

          “Can we go eat something? I’m starving,” Jordan said.

          “I told you to eat something before, but no,” I dragged on my no, so it sounded like noooo. “You just had to not listen to me. Now you have to listen to me say ‘I told you so’…I told you so,” I finished smugly.

          Jordan rolled his eyes. Things felt like they were back to normal between us. There weren’t any butterflies anymore. I breathed a sigh of relief. We were back to being best friends…right?

          “Yeah, I’m pretty hungry, too. After all, I only had Pringles,” Van said.

          “Alright, let’s go,” Rodney said, putting his wallet in his pocket and grabbing his car keys.

          “Leave them there,” said Jordan. “There’s more space in my car.” Rodney and Jordan climbed in the front and us girls sat in the back.

          “Do you even know where we’re going?” Amber asked Jordan as he drove on.

          “Yeah, we’re going to go eat.”

          “Well I realize that, but do you know where?” Jordan sighed.

          “Oh Amber. Sweet, sweet Amber. Always into the details.” Amber raised an eyebrow, but it was wasted, since Jordan couldn’t see. “I guess we’ll find out.” We ended up going to a nearby diner. Conversations were ongoing at our table. We laughed and talked about the trip so far. I told everyone how Jordan got emotional over The Notebook, and, of course, he denied everything. Rodney complained more about Amber’s and Van’s singing, which, apparently, had gone on non-stop since our pit stop. Van slapped him on the shoulder and glared as Amber laughed. I felt it was a great way to end the day.

          Back at our cabin, we changed, brushed our teeth, and then headed to the boys’ room. We hung out some more and watched some TV, until we had to go to bed.

          By the time Van fell asleep, it was one o’clock. I took it as the perfect opportunity to start interrogating Amber.

          “So,” I said casually. “You never told me who you wanted to ask you to the dance.”

          “You’re supposed to figure it out,” she said.

          “I think I already know who it is,” I said smugly.

          “Who?”

          “Rodney.” There was a long silence as I watched her reaction. She was glancing from side to side, swallowing as her smile turned into a frown.

          “What makes you think that?”

          “Oh, come on. The way you two have been acting says it all. What exactly happened at the dance?”

          “Nothing, we just danced."

          “Right and I just turned into a butterfly. Seriously, tell me. Van sleeps like a rock. She won’t hear a thing.” I heard her sigh.

          “I don’t know what happened. I’ve always hidden the way I felt, maybe a little too well. I always thought he wasn’t interested, so I didn’t bother. Then all of a sudden, he asks me to dance,” she said, as if it were the strangest thing ever. “It was….” I waited for her to find the right word. “I don’t know. It was amazing. For the first time, I felt like there was an actual possibility that he might feel the same way.”

          “And after…?” She shook her head slightly.

          “I think I was scared that I might’ve been wrong. I told him this morning that I only wanted to be friends.”

          “Why?”

          “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to feel like I was in control. I think I wanted him to know that he didn’t have the upper hand, that he couldn’t play with my feelings.” I shook my head at her.

          “No, Amber. You know Rodney would never do that, even if he didn’t feel the same way. He’s not like the other guys you’ve dated.”

          “I know that now. The worst part is that it’s too late. He wouldn’t want me now.”

          “Rodney’s in love with you. I can’t believe you never noticed.”

          “Th-that’s not possible,” she stammered.

          “Why not?”

          “I don’t know! It just can’t!” I grinned.

          “You should tell him how you feel. You guys are long overdue,” I said and she laughed.

          “We’ll see,” she said. I rolled my eyes at her and turned over on my stomach.

          “Goodnight, Mrs. Surry,” I whispered Rodney’s last name. I could practically hear her smile, as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.