Authors: Sarah Schofield
"Hold on tight, Eliana."
"Don't worry about that."
We took off slowly on a bumpy ride. After what seemed to be an hour, we finally came to a stop. Lucas got off and helped me down.
"Can I take this off yet?"
"Not yet, give me a minute." His voice seemed a little distant.
I listened to the surroundings. A familiar sound echoed. I could hear water.
"Almost there," Lucas said, taking my hand and leading me a few more steps. He took off the blindfold. "Surprise!"
I blinked rapidly, focusing my eyes. We were at the creek where we'd had our first kiss. There was a blanket laid out with two citronella candles and Chinese take-out. "This is so much better than a movie," I whispered, and placed my hand on his cheek. "This is perfect."
"I'm glad you like it." He wrapped his arms around me. "Needless to say, we'll be here for the sunset."
We sat on the blanket. "I'm so glad you won today."
He smiled. "Just enjoy your General Tso Chicken."
"How did you know I like General Tso? Never mind, I'm sure my mom helped with that."
"O' wise one, you're catching on."
I breathed deep. "I really like your spot. You have the better skyline."
He reached over to brush a stray hair behind my ear. "I don't mind sharing."
"Thanks. Don't be shocked if you show up and find me reading or something."
"I don't think shocked is the right word; more like thrilled."
We lounged on the blanket taking turns talking about our past and future. I told him stories from my years growing up as a military brat; going into detail about some of the places I'd traveled, along with my most memorable experiences.
"I can't believe you actually went bungee jumping." He shook is head in awe.
"Yeah. Twice. I guess you could call me an adrenaline junkie. I get it from my dad."
Lucas said he'd never been out of Oregon, other than a few road trips to California or Washington with his dad to deliver horses.
"Maybe we could do a road trip this summer," I suggested.
"Maybe. I'll have to think about it. I usually help out at the clinic during summer."
Our conversation drifted to the colleges we wanted to attend and what our majors would be.
"I plan to attend the University of Oregon. I want to be close enough to come home on the weekends," Lucas shared.
"That surprises me; most people want to get as far away from home as possible when they go off to college."
"I like living here. Like I said, I want to follow in my mom's footsteps and become a veterinarian." He ran his fingers through my hair. "I want to be a vet in my mom's clinic. What are your plans after graduation?"
"Well, my dream is to attend one of the major institutes of dance. Then I want to open my own studio. I want to spend my life teaching dance."
We both stopped talking. I assumed he was thinking the same thing I was—how different our goals were. Anyway, I would be gone next year when he went off to college.
At some point, either because of the soothing surroundings or exhaustion from the game, I drifted to sleep. The dim glow from the citronella candle was the first thing I saw when I woke up. I jumped upright and looked at the time. It was eleven forty-five. Lucas was asleep next to me. I bypassed the gentle nudge and went straight for the hard shake. "Lucas, we fell asleep." I kept shaking him.
Startled, he jumped to his feet. "What time is it?
"It's almost midnight. I'm going to be late."
We gathered everything and dashed back to the stables on the four-wheeler. I tried to get a cell phone signal, but we were too far out. I wasn't sure what Mom would think—just what I needed the weekend before prom.
Lucas parked the four-wheeler in the stables while I called Mom's cell. By the sound of her voice, I knew she'd been sleeping.
"Mom, I know I'm late, but we fell asleep waiting for the sunset. I'm on my way right now."
"Calm down. It's fine. Just wake me when you get in." Mom yawned before hanging up the phone.
I tried to collect my erratic thoughts. Mom's calmness had surprised me and I figured it had something to do with the conversation she'd overheard between me and Lucas about prom night.
Lucas walked out of the stables talking on his cell. I assumed he was talking to his parents letting them know he'd be home after dropping me off. He hung up the phone as he reached the truck. "I'm so sorry about this."
"Don't worry, I called my mom. She isn't mad."
"I don't even remember falling asleep."
"Me either. Did you get to see the sunset?"
He laughed. "No, did you?"
"No. So much for our romantic night."
"We'll have to try again. It had to be the Chinese."
"Um, or the flag football game this afternoon."
"Or that," he agreed.
We didn't talk much on the way to my grandparents' house. I think we were still sleepy. I asked him to turn the headlights off so they wouldn't shine in the house when he pulled in the driveway. The last thing I wanted was for my grandmother to wake up and drill me about getting home so late.
Lucas stopped at the beginning of the driveway so my grandparents wouldn't hear the truck. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay," I whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" he whispered. "They can't hear you."
"I'm preparing myself."
He laughed and leaned over to give me a quick peck on the cheek. "Good night."
"Night." I ran through the darkness to the kitchen door. Tip-toeing up the back stairs, I tried to avoid the two steps that creaked. I peeked through my mom's door and whispered that I was back. She barely lifted her head, and said, "Okay," before rolling over and falling back to sleep.
If I hadn't awakened in Lucas' sweatpants, I would have thought the whole night was a dream. I barely remembered coming in.
I stared at the ceiling focusing on my talent routine. There were only two and a half weeks before the show, meaning
absolutely
no more procrastination. Prom would be my only reprieve. I should have started working on my performance sooner. In California, I was so disciplined nothing could distract me from practice. Therein lay the problem. I'd never had a distraction like Lucas.
I rolled out of bed and shuffled to my dresser. Grabbing a tank top and shorts, I headed to the bathroom. After showering, I wound my hair into a tight, controlled bun. That hairstyle always seemed to put me into recital mode. Today I was on a mission to choreograph my entire routine. Perfection would come later. First, I had to figure out the direction I wanted to go.
I went back to my room and dug through my box of recital costumes, hoping one would jump out and inspire me. I didn't expect the wave of emotions. Each piece held a distinct memory. Toward the bottom, I had my
Eureka
moment. My eyes widened when I grabbed my phone to look at the sunset picture. Last year's leotard and tutu had the same radiant colors as the setting of my first kiss. What could be better than that? Inspiration hit. All I needed was my meadow to work on the specifics.
I jammed into my shoes, grabbed my bag off a chair and headed to the kitchen. Mom came in as I loaded three bottles of water in my bag.
"Hiking today?" she asked.
"No, I'm going to work on my routine for the talent show with no distractions. I found a quiet place on my last run."
"Aren't you tired?"
"I'm exhausted, but I can't put this off any longer. I have my phone. Call if you need something. I probably won't be back until evening."
"Well, take something to eat. I'll save your dinner if you're not back by six-thirty."
"I'm hoping to be here by dinner. The sooner I get this routine hashed out, the sooner I'll be back." I grabbed some energy bars to take with me.
"What if Lucas stops by? What do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him I'm working on my routine and I'll call him tonight." I didn't tell Mom that Lucas knew exactly where to find me. She didn't need to know that.
"All right. Have a good day. Let me rephrase that; have a productive day."
"Thanks. I love you." I gave her a quick hug and rushed out the door.
"Love you too," she hollered.
On the way to my meadow, I put my dance song on repeat. I calculated the counts, determining how much of the song I'd use before it was mixed with the other track. The combination was priceless. I just needed to contact my friend Quinton. He was the best mixer I knew. He had helped me in the past with my recital music. But the real question was, would he get it back to me before the talent show?
Anxious to begin, I made it to the meadow in record time. I started with the most difficult part, my gymnastics' sequence. I only had so much space to perform a composition. It had to be precise.
All afternoon I tumbled, making each pass more difficult than the last. I wouldn't have enough room for a long sequence so it had to be powerful with only a few movements. I narrowed the gymnastics down to six movements. Delighted, I grabbed one of the waters out of my bag and paced back and forth, catching my breath. Unexpectedly, Lucas came through the trees, waving.
"Hey there." I took off my iPod.
"Hey, how's it going?"
"It's going." I shrugged.
"It looks like you're getting it down."
"How long have you been watching?"
"About fifteen minutes. I didn't want to startle you while you were in the air. That would have been messy."
"Ah—yeah."
"How long have you been practicing?"
I looked at my phone. "Almost four hours—and three more to go."
"Geez, you don't mess around when it comes to this stuff, do you?"
"This stuff
is my passion. I don't take it lightly."
"Do you mind if I stay and watch?"
"Sure, under one condition."
"Name it."
"All you can do is sit and look pretty. No talking allowed. Can you handle that?" I smiled to soften my words.
"I'll try."
"Okay, I've got to start working on my ballet. If you get thirsty, there are bottles of water in my bag."
"Thanks."
Putting my ear buds back in, I selected the track I had memorized. I dedicated the next three hours to practicing the same eight counts over...and over—a section from my solo in California. Even though I'd had it down pat before I moved here, I was rusty now.
To my surprise, Lucas stayed the entire time and never once looked bored. I stop around seven-thirty because my legs were on overload. "All right I'm done for today."
"I don't get how you have so much stamina. I would be dying by now."
"Years of practice."
Lucas carried my bag as we walked through the forest. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"
"I've grounded myself until the talent show. I can't keep getting sidetracked."
"Oh, okay."
"Why? What did you want to do?"
"My mom wants you to have dinner with us. I told her I'd ask."
"Can it wait until later this week? Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. I don't want to lose a good afternoon practicing my solo."
"Sure, it can wait. How about Wednesday? Would that work?"
"Okay, tell your mom I'll be there Wednesday."
"Great!"
Before I could react, Lucas picked me up by my waist and swung me around. He leaned in to kiss the side of my neck. "Salty." He grinned.
I felt my cheeks burn. "Put me down, I've been sweating all day." I playfully smacked his arm.
He didn't let me go. "That's okay; I'll take any opportunity I can to be close to you."
"Lucas Andrews, put me down right now," I scolded.
He laughed at my pathetic attempt to appear threatening, but lowered me back to the ground. "You're really cute when you try to be mean."
"Hey, I can be mean. Really, I can."
"I hate to tell you this, but statements like that tell me otherwise."
"Ugh! Are you trying to provoke me?" I playfully stomped through the trees.
He caught up and pulled me back toward him. "I'm not trying to provoke you. I just find you so amusing sometimes. Please take it as a compliment." He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Do you want a ride?"
"No, I don't think that's a good idea. My mom would think I was with you all day and not working on my routine like I told her."
"Are you sure? It's almost eight."
"I'm positive. I'll call you when I get to my grandparents' house."
When we came to the edge of the tree line, I took my bag from Lucas and gave him a kiss on the cheek before taking off down the road. He turned and walked the other way to his truck.