Of course! Nicholas Atkins is hot meat for most girls.
This girl looked pretty and sexy—in a respectable kind of way. Unlike Saucy, who had a big neon sign on her forehead that spelled a four-letter word, starting with an ‘s’ and ending with a ‘t.’
“She’s hot,” I whispered under my breath.
Nicholas glanced over at the girl again, who was still looking at him.
“I guess,” he said.
“Not your type?”
He stared at me for a long moment. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but somehow, when he studied my face, he looked thoughtful. Then he sighed and looked away from me. “I must be out of my mind.”
I raised a brow at him, not quite sure what he meant by that, but he looked genuinely uninterested in the hot chick across the court.
Music blasted from the elevated space in the corner of the court. I noticed they had made a stage out of it. There was a drum kit, some guitars, and other musical instruments.
“They teach these kids how to play music here sometimes. There’s also a hip-hop dance club that uses the space to practice once in a while. They like to keep their kids out of the streets. They do all sorts of activities to keep them busy.”
“Smart,” I commented.
I watched as carrot-top went behind the drums and started hitting the cymbals relentlessly. If I was not so used to the sound of it, I would have covered my ears instantly. He kept hitting the drums in a pattern that I could only describe as chaotic. Finally, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I stood up from the bench and called his attention.
“Hey, carrot-top!” I called loud enough to catch his attention. “Give the drum kit a break, will you?”
The boy stopped hitting the drums, stood from his seat, and shouted at me, “What? Do you think you can do better? If you can’t, then shut up and mind your own business!”
I raised a brow at him.
Did he just challenge me?
“Oh, boy! You shouldn’t have said that, Johnson!” Nicholas shouted at the boy.
I walked in long strides to reach the stage. I looked down at the carrot-top kid. “What’s in it for me? Besides you being my bitch for a week, of course.”
The look on his face was unfathomable. His face was so flushed. I never thought orange could turn red so fast.
“Anything you ask,” he managed to say.
I smiled and took the drum sticks from his hands. I took the seat behind the drum kit.
“I gotta have something to play along with, right?” I asked the other kids.
One of the kids turned on the radio and played a song. I listened for the first five seconds while gently tapping on the cymbals. I recognized the song “Payphone.”
When I did the first roll, I winked at the carrot-top kid. I played as if my audience were the patrons of Rhythemes instead of a bunch of teenagers from the side of town that my father would never imagine his child to step into. I twirled the sticks in between my fingers and tossed them in the air before hitting the snare and the cymbals.
When I finished the song, I realized there were other people who came to watch me play. I got applause after I was done.
“You rock!” I heard somebody shout and I realized that it was Nicholas. I stuck my tongue out at him, and then I smiled shyly at the others.
I approached the carrot-top kid. “Now, how do we settle this?”
He looked up at me shyly, but I could also see admiration on his face.
“If you’re nice, then perhaps I’ll teach you how to play like I do.”
His face lit up. “Will you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” I smiled at him. “Tell me your name so I can stop calling you carrot kid.”
“John,” he whispered.
I nodded. “Okay, John. You’d do whatever I say, right?”
He nodded hesitantly.
“Good. Now, why don’t you go home, take a shower and cook dinner for your folks?”
“That’s it?” he asked, his face quite shocked.
I nodded. “That’s it. For now.”
I waved at the other kids, and then I walked toward Nicholas, who was saying goodbye to his friends.
While we walked toward the exit, I could feel eyes following us.
“Is there any place you go to that you do not end up becoming a celebrity by the time you leave it?” Nicholas asked. This time, he didn’t try to look unimpressed. I could see admiration all over his face.
“Yeah, of course, there is,” I said in a sober tone. “My house.”
He smiled at me apologetically. “I’m sure your father will come around and realize what a wonderful creature you really are.” He took a deep breath and added, “You are amazing… inside and out.”
I was stunned by his words. No one had ever said those words about me. At least not to my face because they knew I don’t take compliments well. I found compliments too cheesy and superficial. But somehow, it sounded genuine hearing them from Nicholas Atkins.
We walked in silence toward his jeep. We didn’t talk much on the way to Rhythemes. Nicholas’ phone kept ringing, but he ignored it, whoever it was. I couldn’t care less.
I, on the other hand, have not received any phone call or message from Jen. It was like my efforts in making her miss me had gone unnoticed as if she didn’t care at all that I was MIA for almost forty-eight hours.
I sighed as I looked at the streets leading to Rhythemes.
Do I care? Yes.
But surprisingly, I was not as affected as I thought I would be. This whole morning, I haven’t even thought about Jen. I was too busy competing with Nicholas. For the first time, I didn’t miss Jen at all.
Nicholas parked beside my car in front of Rhythemes. I hopped off his jeep and walked to my car without another glance. I knew he wouldn’t judge me. If he did, do I really care about what he thought?
Nope. Not really.
When I started my engine, I saw that Nicholas was still there, waiting. I rolled down my window and asked, “What are you waiting for?”
“You.”
“Why? I’m in my car. That’s it for the day. Thanks for… whatever.”
He grinned. “You’re welcome. You know… for whatever.” He sounded genuinely amused.
“What are you still doing here then?”
“Making sure you get home safely,” he responded matter-of-factly. “If you end up lifeless in a gutter somewhere in town, I want to make sure I wouldn’t be implicated by your death.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, dude.”
I rolled my window up and sped off, leaving him behind. I turned on my stereo as loud as my ears could tolerate. I couldn’t wait to get home and take another shower. I looked at the clock and was quite shocked to see that it was already two in the afternoon.
The day flew by quickly. I couldn’t believe I spent almost eighteen hours with Nicholas Atkins. The most I spent with Brett was twelve hours, and I had never spent the night in another person’s bed. Now, I ended up sleeping in Nicholas Atkins’ bed and then spent half a day in his world, which was not bad at all.
I parked in front of my house. I seriously hoped I do not see my father today. He’d ask me where I was last night, and I didn’t intend to let anybody find out I was with Atkins the whole night.
As I stepped out of my car, I saw Nicholas’ jeep drive by.
What the hell?
He seriously followed me home? To make sure I got home safely? Is this guy for real? Does he have a superhero complex, thinking that he has a moral obligation to take care of each human being he meets? Or was this some sort of a put-on? Did he want to win me over so he could be free to crawl into Jen’s pants?
I made Nicholas Atkins my enemy, and I swore to bring him down to the ground, on his knees, in ashes, if possible. But somehow, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the things I learned about him. He wasn’t rich, but he worked his way to get his degree. And from the looks of his house and Grandma’s diner, he was a damn good architect.
He must be brilliant with poker to be able to generate enough money to renovate Grandma’s diner, but according to Margaret, he didn’t like gambling. He only gambled when he needed to, and he made sure to put the money to good use. Community service was supposed to be his punishment, but he paid for the crime a long time ago. Yet, he still comes to that part of town because he wants to keep those kids out of trouble.
His house was truly amazing. The design was extraordinary. Every piece of furniture, bookcase, painting, or chair was placed with precision to compose a harmonious ensemble of a cozy home. I wouldn’t mind living in a house like that. It looked peaceful. The location was perfect, too, just outside the city, without neighbors within a half-mile radius. I could keep to myself there, be who I really am.
After taking a long hot bath, I dressed up in my overalls and went to the balcony, where I stacked my canvas and acrylic paints. I always find the time to paint, especially when I am not too busy practicing with the band, when staying out of my father’s way or when taking care of Jen.
I spent the whole evening painting. For a while, my thoughts left my room and flew to that beautiful house outside of town. I stared back at my finished painting. I had drawn Nicholas’ house exactly as I remembered it.
Suddenly, I saw a glimpse of how I wanted my future to be. It used to be bleak before. My father wanted me to settle in this town, and Jen wanted to move to New York, possibly Manhattan. I was uncertain which way I would take. At first, I was keen to move to New York with Jen. She would need me beside her. She may not be able to handle the pressure of a big city. I wanted to be there for her.
Do I fancy living in a fast-paced city?
Before, it didn’t matter.
But now…
For the first time, I really thought about what I wanted in the future. After I graduate and find a stable job, I will work my way out of my father’s house, find a place outside the city and build my home overlooking the beach.
I haven’t planned something for myself for a very long time without considering my father or Jen in the equation. Right now, I really thought about how I wanted my future to be if the choice was up to me.
It wouldn’t be bad at all, would it? If I left my father behind and gave up trying to earn his respect and his love? If I didn’t have Jen to worry about?
It was the first time I asked myself those questions and really thought about my life without having to consider somebody else first.
My thoughts were heavy when I went to bed that night. For the first time, my intellect was taking a back seat, and something inside my chest was waking up. And now, something was telling me an alternate future for myself… maybe a better one.
When I drifted off into a deep slumber that night, it was also the first time I dreamed about Nicholas.