Page 83 of Trading Paint
“I see you had fun this summer.” Charlie remarked.
I slapped at his shoulder jolting him. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Have you thought about college?”
“Yes dad,” I sighed standing. “I’m going for a run before I need to roll myself out the door.”
He grabbed my shirt before I got two steps away. “You’re plans then?”
“Oh, yeah, dinner...hmmm,” I evaded. “Sounds good,”
“Though I’m happy we’re going to dinner, I was referring to college.”
“Yes dad, I start online classes after winter quarter.” My plan was for taking online courses because I thought for sure Emma or Alley would kill Jameson if left alone with him on the road. I seemed to be the only one that could tolerate his bullshit.
Charlie let me be after I promised I would be taking online classes so I continued on with my run. Jameson called asking where I was which then resulted in us going for a run together.
We ran in comfortable silence, both of us listening to our music, conversation wasn’t needed. After the five-mile run, I thought for sure I was going to die and collapsed in the street. I moved when I thought I would actually die when a car came and stumbled into the grass where Jameson fell next to me.
“Holly shit, I’m out of shape.” He panted fumbling with the hem of his t-shirt.
He lifted his shirt to wipe sweat from his face. I watched the muscles in his honed physique as they flexed with each breath.
I was becoming morbidly obsessed with him.
I felt like every other pit lizard out there but I knew there was more to my love for him. I didn’t see him as this idolized figure, I saw him as the boy I grew up with that over time, over the span of our summer together, and I discovered that I loved him.
Jameson sighed when his breathing returned to normal and sat up wrapping his arms around his knees to stretch. “What are you doing tonight?” he asked looking back at me; still sprawled out in the grass.
“Charlie and I are going to dinner.”
“Oh yeah,” he leaned back on his elbows beside me. “Let’s go have lunch then.”
“I could eat.”
And so we went to eat. That’s how simple it was with us. No questions, no awkward moments, just two friends. Sure, I was feeling something for him that I associated with love but it was awkward like you’d think it would be. I think he got that from Nancy. I just felt at ease around him.
Displacement – Jameson
My alarm clock blared loudly in my ear as my head was right next to it.
Sweet love of sleep, why did I ever purchase that thing?
I whacked my arm in the general direction I thought it would be; it fell to the floor, but continued making that obnoxious sound. I had to hang off the side of the bed to reach it but wasn’t successful so I just yanked hard on the cord and ripped the motherfucker out of the wall.
That wasn’t enough for my little temper tantrum so I chucked it across the room and it shattered against the wall. My first thought was holy shit, what a piece of shit was it that it shattered on impact but judging by the dent in the drywall, I may have thrown it a little too hard.
I rolled over on my back throwing my arms over my eyes, willing myself to go back to sleep. Alley assured me that didn’t happen when she threatened to send Spencer in my room if I missed my flight.
After showering and getting dressed, I let her in my room. I knew she meant business by the way her glasses were pushed up on her narrow nose, her yellow note pad in hand.
“Your flight leaves at nine tomorrow from SeaTac. Justin, Tyler and Ryder will meet you at gate C. From there you guys will pick up the rental car and head to the track.” Alley flipped her note pad over. “The track is located twenty-five minutes from Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley.”
I nodded and shoved a few t-shirts in my bag. “When do I come back?”
“Your flight leaves on Friday morning.”
I was attending the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway once again inIrwindale, California.
