Volleyball

Chapter Twenty

The storm went pretty bad. We handled it pretty well, except Kim. She had tried to sleep curling up under the covers but she couldn't. So I stayed with her under the covers until she fell asleep. As much as I had wanted to be by Valerie's side right now, I'd had to take care of my sister first. Family is always the first. And Kim couldn't sleep for like two hours. The thunder kept coming and it sure scared little kids. Sometimes, I hummed a lullaby song for her and played her hair and that's when she fell asleep nicely. I went out of the covers and breathed the air satisfiedly. I got up from the bed and nicely placed Kim's head on the pillow and let her head peek out of the covers. She wiggled a little but she still was sleeping.

  I went towards Valerie on the other bed. She was smiling. I got on the bed, being next to her, and she pulled up the covers around us. My body was close to her. I lay my body on the bed while she was elbowing her head.

  "She feared the thunder," I said to her quietly, almost whispered.

  She smiled. "Why so?"

  "Long story." It was an embarrassing moment and I hope I didn't have to talk about that.

  "We've got plenty of time," she replied and I sighed aloud. She laughed. "Why? I figured this one was going to be embarrassing." She knows me too well.

  "Just don't laugh," I said and she replied, "I can try," but her face signed that she was holding back her laugh, trying so hard not to let it out.

  However, I still would tell her, though. She's my girlfriend. I could always tell her my deeply embarrassing story that made my sister scared of the thunder. I sighed aloud and looked up at the white ceiling while she looked at me.

   "I was thirteen," I started off. "I was at school, playing soccer with my friends under the pouring rain. Dad and Kim came to pick me up right the time when I scored a goal. I ran happily around the field with my index finger held high." A smile came across Valerie's face and I didn't feel like continuing. "And you know what had happened," I said finally.

 "No, no. Continue it. I'm not laughing. I'm just smiling."

  I sighed again. "The thunder came and hit my sharpest highest part." I meant my index finger. "Then, I passed out." And Valerie burst into laughter. I couldn't help but join her laughing. And when she stopped, I continued, "Kim and Dad saw the entire accident. Kim was completely scared. And I was all black with my weird awful strike hair. It was awfully bad. That's why Kim feared the thunder."

  Valerie shook her head, laughing. "Oh, Ben."

  I smiled, squeezing a pillow onto my face. "Don't laugh at me."

  "Silly silly boy."

  "I was thirteen."

  "And silly." We laughed.

  "You said you wouldn't laugh," I said, still laughing

  "Well, I said I can try," she answered. "But I failed." And she laughed.

  Then, she lay down next to me. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. She nuzzled her head into my chest. "Are you sure you're going to sleep here? With me?" she asked, mumbling.

  "I don't know," I whispered. "We have Kim and she's scared." The wind knocks on the glass door hard but I had closed all the curtains so we couldn't look out.

  "Next time?" she asked.

  I shrugged. "I hate future words."

  She smiled and kissed me.