Blue Letter Night

25. Beth is left out

Saying goodbye to my family so they could all do family things without me made me a little sad. I hadn't really expected that it would make me feel anything until they were all getting in the car and waving goodbye, while I stood on the porch with the Carter's. I was being left behind. Again.

It wasn't fair of me to think like that, it wasn't their fault Lisa hadn't asked me to be a bridesmaid with Machelle and Anne, and it wasn't even Lisa's fault for not including me; she should've felt no obligation to— I wasn't really family— and clearly she didn't. Still I couldn't help but feel the little pang of rejection and isolation I often avoided feeling. I hugged my arms around myself as they drove away and out of sight.

Macy must've noticed how I was feeling because she put her hand on my shoulder, "Why don't you show me the dress you got?" she suggested, "I've heard it's quite the dress," she might've glanced towards Mason who was behind me tentatively monitoring me, but I wasn't sure. Some part of me was hoping she did, the same part of me that hoped I hadn't imagined the way I caught Mason looking at me for brief moments. It had made my heart swell in a way it hadn't before, at least, not around Mason. I quickly pushed the thoughts away and told myself I was being silly.

"Sure," I told her in an attempt to push away my feelings , "Anne picked it out for me,"

And so Macy followed me upstairs to my room, which felt like a musty greenhouse because of the heat wave. She turned around while I slipped out of my regular jean shorts and tank top and into the dress. I had thanked Max after we got home from the mall, it was a really nice thing of him to come out to Mason and Anne just so I could get the ten dollars.

"Had to be done anyways," he told me.

The dress was a pale sky blue colour with a flowing skirt that ended in just the right place that didn't make me look too short. The top was a simple off the shoulder neckline. A simple dress, but it somehow suited me better than any dress I had ever worn before, and everyone agreed, including Macy who turned around when signalled, went wide eyed, and sat down on the bed.

"Beth! You look absolutely gorgeous! Just like your mom you know," I didn't like compliments, they made me feel awkward and too seen, but every time I heard someone say I looked like my Mom, I felt like I could jump for joy. She stayed looking at me for a couple seconds more before she snapped back to reality.

"Hey, why don't I give you a hair cut like old times?" She offered with a caring smile. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Uh, Sure that sounds nice. Just no side bangs," I laughed at the memories of those god forsaken side bangs and Macy laughed.

"Deal— no side bangs,"

And so, Macy sat me in the kitchen, hair cutting scissors at the ready, a towel draped around my shoulders, nd I watched pieces of my damp hair fall to the ground.

I got flashes to my childhood. Normally during a hair cut Anne would cry, she was afraid it would hurt. But every single time I sat in the chair for my turn I would sit dead pan and expressionless until the side bangs came into play. At that point, my Mom would hold my hand and tell me it would be over soon. Even though I didn't need it as a seventeen-year-old , I wanted more than anything for Mom to hold my hand.

Macy dried my hair and gave me a mirror. My hair now sat just above my shoulders in uniform waves. I wasn't sure how Macy had wrangle my hair, but she did a good job.

I gave Macy a sentimental smile, "Thank you,"

"It's no problem. Now sorry to burst the bubble but, Machelle said you've got to do some yard work," I groaned in response.

"Right," I glanced outside into the scolding heat.

"Go get Mason, tell him I told him he has to help you," she suggested, so I did. Mason wasn't exactly thrilled, and maybe it was selfish of me, but it would make things go quickly, and the sooner we were done the sooner we could hang out.

"So what do we have to do?" He trudged behind me out in the yard as the sun beat down on us. As soon as we stepped outside I began to sweat buckets.

"We just have to water the grass and plant some flowers and stuff," I explained.

So we divided and conquered. He grabbed the hose and sprayed the lawn, though it was so hot the water might've evaporated before it even hit the ground. I grabbed a small gardening shovel and began planting the flowers in and amongst the other plants around the lawn.

"Man, it's really hot out here," Mason remarked after a long silence.

"I know; I can feel the skin cancer,"

I heard a hum of agreement before the freezing water hit my back. I gasped, startled by the sudden feeling. It was so hot out I really didn't mind, but it was the principle of things that made me shout, "Mason! Mason, no! come on," I was laughing and so was he.

"What? Im cooling you down," he swirled the hose over me, making sure my clothes were fully soaked.

"You're being obnoxious is what you're doing," I said it with such an laugh that Mason knew I wasn't really serious.

"What are you going do Beth? I have the power, I have the hose," I smiled a devilish smile and picked up a wad of mud from the garden and threw it at him. It splatted on his shirt and he gasped

"Hey!" His voice squeaked a little when he said it.

I threw some more while he still sprayed me and tried to shield himself with his hand, but soon his shirt was a muddy brown.

"And what are you gonna do about it Mason? I have the power, I have the mud," I teased.

Then he ran at me, his arms spread open for a hug.

"No! I don't want to do laundry today!" I shouted as I made a hard turn so I didn't run straight into the fence.

"Fair is fair," he was gaining on me fast and I considered running inside. Macy would probably kill us if I did. I didn't have time to consider another option because he had caught me and rubbed his messy shirt on the back of mine, all the leaves and dirt that was on his shirt was now on mine. As we were laughing and I was trying to scramble out of his grasp, we slipped on the wet grass and fell with a splash side by side.

"This is karma," I said between laughs.

"No way! I shouldn't have been punished!" Mason argued while grabbing my hands to help me up and I hoped he couldn't tell that a very involuntary blush crept to my cheeks as he did.

"You're the one who started it!" I pointed accusingly. He playfully hit my pointed finger away with his own.

"And you're the one who retaliated! Your point?" he snickered.

"Whatever. What I do know is your mom is going to kill us if we go in the house like this," Mason nodded and strolled up to the house.

"Mom or Dad!" He shouted in the door. It took a minute but his dad sauntered down the stairs and laughed when he saw us.

"What happened to you two?"

"Asks Mason: master of the hose," I replied. Robert looked to Mason.

"Not important," he told his dad, "What is important is that Mom doesn't kill us for tracking mud in the house. Can you get us towels pleeeease," he said it so sickly sweet his dad rolled his eyes and came back with two towels.