Oddball

Chapter Eight

On the way to the house, Willow is eager and excited. She rambles on and on about how she's never seen any place so beautiful. Even though it is pouring down rain and thunder keeps booming. She also continues to talk about the plane ride and how much fun it was.

My mom laughs and suggests we stop to get some dinner. We settle on a fast meal from Burger King and then we drive another hour to the house. By the time we arrive, it's nearly dark out, but it has stopped raining. We pull into the driveway and Mom tosses me the keys. She begins unloading the luggage and Willow follows me up the front steps. I unlock the door and it creaks open, allowing us inside.

I lead Willow into the living room and she looks around, awestruck. Her gaze is cast to the high ceilings and then back down to the dark wood floor. She skips over to the furniture, examining the white couch and the matching recliner. She then shifts to the little stone fireplace beside the TV stand, smiling wide.

"This place is amazing!" Willow exclaims as Mom bursts through the door with all of our luggage.

"Mom!" I laugh, grabbing some bags off of her.

"I just wanted to make one trip." She sighs in relief as Willow takes hold of her backpack and suitcase.

"Thank you so much." Willow grins.

"Of course. Now, Pay, you go upstairs and get your room set up. I'll be down here." Mom says, wheeling her suitcase off towards the master bedroom next to the kitchen.

"C'mon." I nod, beginning the climb to the second floor.

We get upstairs and I open the single door in front of us. Willow gasps as she sets her suitcase down. A large, clear window covers a majority of the wall beside our bed. She presses her hands to the glass and stares out at the beach.

"I've never been to the beach before." She murmurs.

"Really?" I look down at my watch, "Well, it's only 8... And we haven't adjusted to the time yet. Do you wanna walk down?"

"You mean it?" Willow beams.

"Why not?" I chuckle, grabbing a jacket and throwing it on.

I switch my Vans with a pair of sandals and Willow does the same. She grabs a baggy, gray beanie and a hoodie and walks into the bathroom. She emerges with the beanie on and the hood pulled up over it. We walk back downstairs and see Mom asleep on the couch.

"Already?" Willow whispers.

"She likes to get adjusted. The woman can sleep anywhere," I inform her, snatching a pair of keys off the key hook and sliding open the glass door.

We step out onto the back porch and then race down the stairs. Willow tears into the sand, kicking up clouds of it behind her. I laugh and chase after her as she approaches the water front. She halts at the edge and I come to a stop beside her. I pant heavily and she coughs a few times.

"Are you okay?" I ask, wiping at my nose.

"Yeah. I just... It's so pretty here." She looks out at the water and then closes her eyes.

The ocean breeze kicks up a little bit, bringing goosebumps to my legs. "Let's walk."

We stroll along the shore in silence. Willow takes deep, even breaths and exhales quietly. I feel the stress from school and Milo and everything else roll off of my shoulders. I'm finally relaxed, finally at peace. Something about Willow and her aura are unbelievably relaxing.

"What made your parents decide to let you come along?" I ask, referring to the difficulties we had planning the trip earlier.

"I pleaded with them. I told them that going with you to the beach was really my only wish." Willow says with a content sigh, "They don't like letting me out of their sight, much."

"But, surely they can't always be keeping an eye on you. I mean, you must have your driver's license, right?"

"No. I'm not allowed to get it. So I don't have it."

"I've known you for, what? 4 months? And I'm still learning new things about you." I chuckle, stepping on a piece of seaweed.

Willow comes to another stop and digs her toes into the sand. "There's a lot to learn."

"Really?" I wiggle my eyebrows at her and she reaches out to poke the rings in my brow.

I grab her hand before she can reach them and lace my fingers through hers. Something about holding her hand brings me a ridiculous amount of comfort. This girl does strange things to me.

I lead her further down the beach. By the time we decide to head back, it's pitch black outside. We stumble across the sand, laughing and kicking sand at each other. When we're within reasonable distance of the house, Willow stops. She tells me to slow down and I laugh.

"Come on. I'll race you." I challenge, getting into a runner's stance.

Willow sits down on the sand and puts her head between her knees.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I ask, hurrying to her side.

"Yeah. I'm okay, just tired. A little dizzy." She looks up at me and I see a glint of light on the crimson streak flowing from her nose.

"Oh, shit. Come on. We're almost to the house." I help her up and after a few steps, I just pick her up.

I carry her back to the house and up the stairs. I set her in the bed, racing downstairs. I bring up a glass of water and a small plate of crackers and two cookies. When I return, Willow is sitting up. She dabs her nose with a tissue. The bleeding has finally stopped.

"What happened?"

"It's normal. Sometimes I just get tired." Willow explains, feebly bringing a cracker to her lips.

"Oh... Well do you need anything else?" I ask, removing my hoodie.

"No... I'm okay. Thank you..." She says quietly, taking a sip of water.

I nod, "Don't mention it. Now... Let's get some sleep. We have a long day of relaxation ahead of us."

She giggles and I hand her her suitcase.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I hesitate.

"I'm going to be okay." Willow says with a soft laugh.

"Alright, alright..."

"Goodnight, Payton. Thank you, again." She says.

"Goodnight, Willow."