Hiding From Us

1. shain

‘‘You did something to your hair,’’ Erick said. 

     I grinned at him and twirled, just a bit. ‘‘Yeah, I did. Are you surprised?’’

     ‘‘I’m . . . sad? It was growing out beautifully. Why’d you cut it?’’ 

     ‘‘It’s summer, silly boy. It got hot.’’

     He laughed. ‘‘Says the girl wearing the freaking toque.’’

     ‘‘Whatever.’’ I shrugged on my hoody and moved closer to him, glancing down at his lips and then back at his lush green eyes. Erick, being the smart boy that he was, smirked and moved toward to close the gap between us. As we kissed, I reached up and knotted my fingers in his hair, which was actually longer than mine now. 

     We broke apart, but I kept my eyes closed, inhaling his green apple smell.

     ‘‘How was France?’’ I asked. 

     ‘’It was tres bon,’’ he replied. ‘‘J’ai mangé des escargots.’’

     I translated, ‘‘You ate snails. You know you can get those for seven-fifty at Zallas’s in Revelstoke?’’ 

     ‘‘But it isn’t a true experience until you eat them in France, mon cheri.’’

     I suppressed a smile. ‘‘Your voice is really hot now.’’

     ‘‘God, I know! It finally changed! I’m a man now. I have a deep voice and I can drive.’’

     ‘‘Speaking of driving,’’ I said, pulling on my Chuck Taylors, ‘’we should go.’’

     Erick took my hand and pulled me outside. ‘‘You are so right. Let’s run away now while the night is young and free. Let’s be animals!’’

     ‘‘You’re a puppy, then.’’

     ‘‘Woof, woof.’’

     I kissed him quickly, mumbling ‘‘You’re adorable’’ into his mouth, and got into his car. Well, it wasn’t Erick’s car, it was his dad’s: a 1981 Toyota Tercel, almost as faded as my Chuck Taylors and even more decayed. 

     He put on Angel in Blue Jeans, by Train, because he knew I liked it, and I struggled to pitch in invisible harmonies as we cruised through the quaint little streets that I loved to call ‘home’. The peaks of the mountains sharpened as the sun set quietly, and I noticed the temperature dropping. September meant less warmth and the promise of snow. 

     ‘‘Are we going to Jita’s?’’ I asked. 

     Erick said, ‘‘We’re stopping at Jita’s for drinks. It’s a bit of a drive.’’ 

     ‘’Oh, we’re going on a road trip?’’

     ‘’I checked with your parents first. It’s not like we’ll be camping in the wilderness, although that would be fun.’’

     ‘‘We’re in bear country,’’ I reminded him as he parked beside Jita’s Café. 

     ‘’I need coffee,’’ Erick said. ‘‘Chai, right?’’

     ‘‘Yup.’’

     ‘‘Cool.’’ He kissed my cheek. ‘‘Back in a minute.’’

     So I sat in the Tercel as Erick disappeared into the café. We’d been dating for almost three months now. I remembered introducing him to my parents; going out for an incredibly romantic dinner on our one-month anniversary; him tossing me into the lake on my fifteenth birthday, and then me doing the same to him three weeks later. I remembered the late night Skype calls we’d had while he was away in France for two weeks. Now, with school only days away, I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could before our separate grades carried us away.