“Get out!” Andrew begged, pressing his face against the window and making kissing faces. I giggled, kissing back, separated by just the one layer of cold glass. We had parked under some large trees, and while the rest of the boys had gotted out right away I felt comfortable in my seat, and didn't mind seeing Andrew show an expression aside from aloof. I pulled away and breathed on the surface, scrawling a sloppy heart onto the fog before it faded away. I unlocked the door finally, and Andrew saw the chance, quickly opening the door before I could lock it again.
“I’m not getting out,” I laughed, closing my eyes and leaning the chair all the way back down.
“Watch your head Taylor,” he warned, leaning over to unbuckle my seatbelt and cradling me in his arms as he lifted me out of the van. He left the door wide open as he stumbled down to the river, almost losing his footing a few times but surely making his way all the same. It took me a few moments to realize that I was in water as he gently set me down, and even then I didn’t fully comprehend how freezing it was as it rushed over my boots and through my hair, slowly absorbed by my sweatshirt as I reclined back, feeling like I weighed little to nothing as I did so.
I rested my eyes for a few moments, relaxed by the sound of the river. It was vicious, slowing down for nothing and mercilessly dragging anything that got in its way along with it, but also calm and peaceful in ways. It was a solace for me in the midst of the frenzy that I had seamlessy become a part of. I watched as Andrew rid himself of his tee shirt, kicking off his converse and stepping out of his tight jeans, leaving nothing but his boxers, bandana, and sunglasses. He acted no different as he slowly sat down next to me, deeply breathing in the night air and holding out his arms as if he was soaring above the world.
“Take off your sunglasses,” I blurted out, wanting to see his eyes, wanting to at least have a familiar face to look at. He slid them off without question before folding them and hooking them onto the collar of my sweatshirt. We locked eyes after he did so, and though I tried to read expression it appeared as though he was just pondering - looking at a “what’s wrong with this picture” puzzle, trying to figure out the oddity.
I really enjoyed that moment, just looking at each other – the simplicity of it was nice. I marveled in it, but it was short lived; it’s what made that night magical I figured, and I savored each passing second like Andrew savored his last hit. It felt like it lasted a while, but the whooping call of Will made me aware of my surroundings all over again.
“The Adventures of Taylor Jacobs!” He declared in a strong southern drawl, mimicking the way all sophomores were forced to read aloud when reading any work of Mark Twain. I laughed at the way this sounded, how I thought I would never be able to relate to those books but here I was, sneaking away from society for a chance to be with the river. I watched as the other boys stepped in, walking past me and Andrew and going much further, fearlessly venturing all the way to the middle, shrieking from the cold and laughing the entire time.
“Let’s go,” I smiled, leaning up before following in their steps. I trotted along mindlessly before almost being pulled under by the current that apparently got much stronger as the water got deeper.
“Woah,” Andrew said, catching me and holding me up until I could get on my own feet again. My grin made another appearance right away, and with my next step I almost fell again. “Here,” he offered, reaching out his arm which I thankfully took, letting him lead the way. We all lay down, allowing the water to fully take over every inch of our bodies, roaring with laughter and hollering as we floated along smoothly. Andrew’s fingers were laced with mine, and though I couldn’t remember when that had started, I didn’t mind it. His hands were rough and cold, but enjoyable none the less. The sky was a gorgeous, simple dark, deep indigo, completely rid of its usual stars – I could only think of one explanation aside from the obvious fog, but really, it had to be because it was our time to shine that night. Though I was sure that was a cheesy cliché from somewhere, it was true. I felt like we were on top of the world as he and I eventually drifted apart from the others, the silence taking over again.
