Page 8 of Between the Blue
He’ll be disappointed if I say no. He won’t tell me. And he’ll try to hide it. But I know him.
I have early practice tomorrow. But I know he does too.
His house is only ten minutes across town.
Fuck it.
“I’m down.”
Sutty’s house is packed by the time I get there.
I’m pretty sure he just leaves the front door unlocked anytime it’s just him home. Half these people probably got here while we were still playing our game.
I make my way inside. Stop just to say hi to Rhett and a few other guys I’ve played with before heading for the kitchen bar.
I’m not inside for more than five minutes before I already need a break.
It’s too loud, and there’s way too many people for me.
I get overwhelmed easily. Especially in a situation where I’m not in control. Crowds don’t make it easier.
Fucking hate it, but I can’t help it.
I push open the back door of the house and step out onto the deck.
Close my eyes. Let the brisk fall air hit my face. Then take a deep breath of it. I exhale. Open my eyes and see the fog of my breath in front of my face in the dark.
I expect it to clear after a couple seconds, and it does.
But then it’s immediately replaced with a new cloud.
Only, this one is different.
My nose twitches, and I realize it’s smoke.
I wave it away.
And my back straightens before I rear back.
Because, between the light coming from the dim porch and the pale moon, I suddenly register that I’m not alone out here.
And, when I get a closer look at her face, a random fact I learned long ago shoots to the forefront of my mind, reminding me of its truth.
The devil was actually an angel.
“Jesus,” I mutter, adjusting my baseball cap.
“Julia, actually,” the angel corrects me, taking another drag from her cigarette. “But close.”
She takes a step closer to me, and when she blows out the smoke this time, a mix of tobacco and mint hits my nose.
I glance down at the cigarette. Menthol, I guess. When I raise my eyes again, her head is tilted at me, making the light catch her hair.
I’ve never seen hair like that in my life. Not blonde but not completely red. Right in the middle, like it refuses to decide.
Reminds me of a sunset. Not just any, but the best one I’ve ever seen. Like one at Cherry Beach on a family vacation when I was a kid.
Her eyes are just as stubborn as her hair. Not green, but not brown. A hazel right in the middle. They kinda look like two little ponds with the way they shimmer in the moonlight.
