“I’m not good with driving like you are. Have some patience,” I growled, my hands tightening on the wheel.
“In order to get this right, you’ll have to get a good feel for the car first,” he explained.
“I have a good feel for the car,” I countered indignantly.
“Listen, Eddy isn’t the best big brother in the world. He’s supposed to be teaching you this stuff, but you’re lucky I am taking the time off work.”
I rolled my eyes. “You mean your job where you only make like five bucks an hour in tips?”
“Hey. At least I have a job,” he said proudly. “That’s more than I can say for any other guy my age.”
“Sorry,” I said, trying to change the subject. I felt embarrassed about being ungrateful. “Let’s just get this done. I want to go home to watch the season finale of Weapons.”
Shane shook his head, and we continued parallel parking until I was tired of gripping the steering wheel. Later, he dropped me off at my house. I lingered near the window a moment.
“Thanks. I can’t wait until I can finally take the test,” I told him.
“You’ll pass. You’re getting better,” he assured.
“What are you doing later?” I blurted, not even sure why I was asking.
“I’m hanging out with your brother and some other guys. Don’t bore yourself to death with homework, nerd,” he teased.
I sighed and stepped away, waving goodbye. “Later.”
I watched him drive away, some intrigue pulling at my heart—and some jealousy. He was the bad-boy type, and my brother always had girls over. The ladies loved him. Could I really blame them?
---------
I screeched as the water from the squirt gun hit me head-on. There was a blurry blindness, a rush of water running into my ears, but I regained my footing. I held my own squirt gun firmly, looking for the perpetrator. We were on a family vacation in the Poconos, and I wasn’t used to all the trees. There were so many places for him to hide, and boy, was he good at hiding.
Shane grinned from ear to ear, muscular and tanned from the sun. “Got ya!” he yelled, laughing. He ran away from me, the shade of the trees decorating his body as he appeared in and out of the sun. I chased after him in wild pursuit, trying to take aim for some sweet, watery revenge.
“You’re gonna get it!” I yelled, increasing my speed. He was so fast! He dodged every one of my attempts. I couldn’t get close enough, and I soon lost sight of him. I didn’t know where my brother was either. He was also hiding in the woods somewhere. Damn them, I thought.
The sun vanished behind the clouds, and the tall trees looked more threatening. I slowed down, alert, looking around intently. Just then, I felt someone grab me from behind, and I yelled loudly. Shane laughed and took a water balloon from his satchel, hitting me in the chest. Water burst all over my neck. I squirted him in the face at close range, and we both laughed. Then silence descended.
We stood a moment, the dark of the shadows framing his gorgeous face. He still held me, a smile lingering. I looked at his many piercings and his shaggy hair that had grown long during his rebellion. My heart hammered so hard in my chest that I could feel it in my head.
Then, splash. A water balloon hit us both from the front. Eddy yelled, “Gotcha, fuckfaces!”
Shane pulled away from me, looking determined. “Let’s get him.”
He ran after my brother, leaving me in his wake, blushing and startled by the electricity running through my body.
……….
It was the last day of high school, and I was leaving to go to school in Philly soon. This would be my only chance to let him know he had broken my heart. Anger consumed me like never before. I saw him talking to her near his locker—the blonde girl from study hall. I’d seen them talking a lot. Now I knew something was going on. Eddy had stupidly told me during dinner last night. I charged over to him, tears streaming down my face.
“Hey, bro,” I spat, spite and tears colliding in a colossal wave of agony.
Shane turned around. The blonde girl looked at me with wide eyes, slowly backing away. He muttered something to her and kissed her on the cheek. It felt like poison—the rush of hurt that spread over me was nearly enough to knock me to my knees.
“So you taking me to the prom meant nothing?” I blurted.
“Sasha, calm down…” he said gently. He grabbed my shoulders, steadying me, and looked deeply into my eyes. “What is going on?”
“You know very damn well what’s going on!” I yelled. By now, people were staring at us, some of them laughing, some of them concerned.
“No. I don’t.”
“It’s so obvious that I like you.” My voice sounded sad and weak. I looked down, not able to meet his eyes because it was too painful.
“Oh… God.” He took a step back, deep in thought. “I’m an idiot. I really am.” He shook his head and looked at me with concern.
“You mean to tell me you had no idea? I mean—we grew up together.”
“Look, Sasha,” he said, a serious expression on his face. “You’re amazing. But you’re also my best friend’s little sister. That would not be cool.”
I liked that he was such a loyal and caring person, but right then, all I wanted to do was slap him in the face. I wiped some of the tears from my eyes, knowing that when I walked down this hallway, it would be one of the last times I would ever see him. I was beginning classes that summer and would be far away.
“Is that so?” I asked, and—hard as it was—I broke our gaze and walked away.
SHANE
She sauntered down the stairs, looking just as beautiful as ever. I was great when it came to keeping my cool—usually. I had to be during tough real estate deals. Memories rushed back to me, memories of our younger years and the time we’d spent together. I was an idiot then, a kid. I wanted her to see that I had matured. I mean, I still liked to party and still considered myself a bad-ass, but I wasn’t a jerk anymore.
When we had gone to prom together, I hadn’t realized that she’d had feelings for me, partially because I didn’t want to. Eddy was my best bro and very protective of Sasha. If he knew I wanted her, it could ruin our friendship. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I could be an asshole, but I prided myself on being loyal to my friends.
I took a bite of banana cream pie. Eddy’s mom, Jenn, was the best baker. “It’s very good, Jenn.”
“Thank you!” she beamed.
Sasha sat on the same couch as far away from me as possible. Her mom handed her some pie. “Thanks, Mom.” Her voice was still sweet but blended with a sexy, womanly edge.
Paul, Eddy and Sasha’s dad blathered on and on about some negotiation. He was also in real estate, and I’d learned a lot from his ramblings. I tried to focus on him, but I was too aware of her beautiful body closer to mine than it had been in years.
“So! When are we gonna take our bikes up to the Poconos and ride?” Eddy asked.
I grinned. “I have this weekend off. Maybe we can go after some of the planning?”
“That sounds like a fun idea,” Jenn said, clasping her hands together. “You can take Sasha with you, Eddy!”