Page 5 of Always There Bayou
“Good,” she smiles. “I know it won’t change anything, but I thought it could maybe help a little bit.”
“Thank you, Corduroy,” I say, calling her by the name that has stuck even after all these years. “You’re the best.”
She just smiled and told me to pick a movie to watch together.
2008.
DennyHouston-May19th - 16 years old.
“Happy Half Birthday!” I shout as I shower Cory with confetti after she exits the gym.
Her teammates laugh in amusement, but I don’t pay them any mind. Cory shakes her head but smiles as she takes my hand in hers, pulling me away from the door.
“I should’ve known that you were going to want to celebrate my half birthday with how interested you were in it,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re something else, Denali. Who in the hell celebrates half birthdays?”
“So, you don’t want my gift, is what you’re saying?” I tease.
“Now, wait, I didn’t say all of that,” she quickly tried to backtrack, and I just giggled.
I tried to step around her, but she pulled me back by the waist and backed me up against the brick wall. I thought my heart was about to explode as I tried my best to keep my cheeks from turninga soft pink color. It was getting harder and harder to hide the feelings that I had for her, but I refused to admit anything first.
“You’re playing, Denny,” she says in a low voice, and it takes everything in me to push her back a bit instead of pulling her closer to me. She chuckles, giving me my space. “For real, what's the gift?”
“You’re so damn impatient,” I laugh, taking her hand in mine.
I pull her towards the parking lot, and she waves at a few friends as they speak. I’m talking a mile a minute about how excited I am for her to see the gift I made for her, and I don’t even realize that I’ve passed her car. So, she gently pulls me back.
“Oh, yeah, of course!”
“I swear, you’ve got too much energy for your own good,” she jokes. “You’re always bouncing around, excited like a little bunny. Not gonna like, you’re constantly making my head spin.”
“I’m sorry! I know I’m a lot, but I don’t mean it,” I say, suddenly a bit self-conscious. She takes my hands in hers and shakes her head.
“Hey, no, don’t apologize,” she says softly. “I like you just the way you are. Never apologize for being yourself. The people who love you will always love you regardless, okay?” I nodded. “I’m sorry if I offended you, though. I won’t call you a bunny anymore if you don’t want me to.”
“No, it’s okay!” I assure her. “Bunnies are cute anyway, so I don’t mind being compared to one.”
“Okay, Bunny,” she smirks, and I squeal, throwing my arms around her. She pulled back and looked at me with confusion. “Uh, what’s happening?”
“It’s such a sweet name, and I’m excited, and now webothhave cute nicknames for each other! Ah!”
“You are adorable,” she says, shaking her head. “Now, where’s my gift, Bunny?”
I chuckle before pulling the keys from my pocket and popping the trunk. Since I rode to school with her every day, she’d given me a set of keys to her car so I could store my stuff while I waited for her to finish practice. This was one of those times that I was grateful for that.
I gently pulled her around the back to where the large canvas is covered with a blanket. After counting down from three, I pulled the blanket away and revealed the painting I’d been working on for the last few months. Cory gasped beside me as she took it all in.
In the painting, I’d captured her in her element on the court. It was very detailed, and I’d started over a couple of times because I wanted to get it just right. It was done in different shades of pink, yellow, and orange to symbolize the light she brought into my life and the love I had for her. She was my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. So, I hoped I was able to capture that.
“This is beautiful, Denny,” she said, looking over at me. “I don’t…wow…you’re so damn talented.”
“So…I did good?”
“You didgreat,” she chuckled, pulling me in for a hug. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Cory,” I smile. “So, what do you wanna do to celebrate your half birthday?”
“You feel like giving me another tattoo?”
