Route
Twenty-Three To Nowhere
By:
S. Johnson
Maya James had to get home. Now. Her boyfriend/best
friend was coming home to Florida and she wanted to be there since she hadn’t
seen him in over a year. Jack Russet had been on an assignment in Africa. He
was a photojournalist. Myria was a reporter for a Los Angeles TV station. She
had to drive from Los Angeles to Miami in less than two days. She believed it
was possible; she’d done it before. She finished Friday night’s news broadcast
and hurried to the station’s underground garage. She got in and tried to start
her car. It made a whining and whirring sound as it tried to start.
“C’mon baby,” she said to her car, “you can do
this.” After about two minutes it started and with a satisfied “Yes!”, she
drove out of the lot. She went home and checked her messages (three) on her
answering machine as she packed an overnight bag.
The first one was from Jack: “Hey baby, I just got
to the airport here in Kenya. I’m going to be home sometime Saturday for an
entire week. I can’t wait to see you. God, I’ve missed you so much,” in the
background someone was announcing a flight, “oh, baby I gotta go get on that
plane. I’ll call as soon as I get to Miami. Love you.”
The second one was from her mother: “Maya, darling,
you need to call me urgently. We need to schedule some time for you to visit.
Oh, did you know that Jack is coming home for a week? Isn’t that nice? Well,
darling you call me back and we’ll compare schedules. All right? Goodbye dear.”
Maya shook her head. Her parents were the typical retired rich socially elite
full calendar couple. Myria had been pampered and, she wasn’t afraid to admit
it, spoiled since she was a child.
The third was from a telemarketer. She erased her
messages, called her best friend Tamayra Cole and made sure that Tamayra was
going to take care of her cat Fizzles for her, then left.
***********
Hours later, she was out of California and jutting
her way across the country when she spotted an exit that looked familiar. Route
23. Hmm, she thought, that looks like the right exit. She turned down the dusty
highway with the top of her convertible down, the radio blaring and Maya
enjoying the freedom of the country, singing along to the music.
“So I turned the radio on I turned the radio up
And this woman was singing my song
The lover's in love and the other's run away
The lover is crying cause the other won't stay
And some of us hover when we weep for the other who
was dying since the day they
Were born, well
Well this is not that
I think that I'm throwing but I'm thrown” Maya
smiled. She loved this song. She sang along to the music, dimly aware of the
rain clouds forming and the sunset approaching.
“You said, "You caught me cause you want me
And one day I'll let you go"
You try to give away a keeper or keep me cause you
know
You’re just too scared to lose
And you say, "stay"
You say I only hear what I want to.
You say I only hear what I want to.” (Parts of
‘Stay’ by Melissa Loeb) Maya was snapped out of her reverie by her car making a
really bad sounding noise. And dying. “Shit,” Maya muttered under breath as she
attempted to start her car again. “C’mon baby, you can do it.” No such luck.
“Damn,” she cursed, smacking her hand upon the steering wheel. “I knew I should
of got around to taking this heap to the mechanics.” She got out and took in
her surroundings carefully. Nothing but desolate plains surrounding her and the
setting sun in the west behind her.
“Great, I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere, without
a car and It’s getting dark,” Maya paused as she heard the unmistakable sound
of a howl. “Great, just fucking great. Things can’t get any worse now.” As soon
as the words were out of her mouth it started pouring rain. “Shit!” She pulled
the top down on her convertible and went to open the door to get her cell phone
and bag. She had locked herself in. Maya let out a long string of curses at the
car, ending with a curse to every Japanese person that touched the parts that
were in it. Maya stiffened her back and straightened her long black ponytail.
She put her glasses in their case and put the case back in the back pocket of
her jeans. Her shirt was clinging to her. Everything was soaking wet, even her
shoes. She started to walk down the highway in the direction she was going,
leaving her car and all of her stuff behind her.
************
Lance Bass was driving down Route 23 on his way
home from getting supplies. About ten minutes after he passed the abandoned green
convertible (strange thing to see in thus part of Nebraska, he’d thought) he
came upon a young woman walking resolutely in the direction of town. He slowed
his pickup truck down and looked at her face in the rain as she turned to face
him. He stopped and put the car into park and slid over to the passenger side
to roll down the window.
“Can I help you ma’am?” He took in her features: he
long black hair, her big blue eyes, and her pouty mouth and suddenly felt
nervous. Even when she was soaked to the bone and her teeth were chattering she
was beautiful.
“I, I, my car broke down and I need to find a place
to stay,” Maya stammered. She looked at the young stranger with his blonde hair
underneath a weather-beaten cowboy style hat, his deep voice and his beautiful
green eyes, and suddenly she felt calmer. He smiled and she felt herself return
it despite her condition.
“The nearest town is only about three miles down
the road. We don’t have a hotel or anything, but I’m sure someone will take you
in. If you have your stuff with you, I can take you into town and you can get
changed and freshened up. We have a mechanic but Earl won’t be back to town
until Monday.” Maya shook her head.
“My bag is in my car. I locked it in when it
started raining on accident. I can’t wait until Monday anyway. I need to be in
Florida tomorrow.” Lance looked incredulous.
“Florida! Ma’am, you sure are aways away from
Florida. This is the northern part of Nebraska. Besides, the nearest town other
than Nolan is more than half a day away going fifty-five.” Maya looked at him
with her brows creased in confusion.
“What’s the town’s name again?” She asked. Lance
smiled again and again, Maya returned it.
“Nolan,” he said simply. Maya laughed nervously.
“I’m in Nebraska! I thought I took Route 23 last
time I came to Florida. No wonder I have no clue where I am. So, this is
Nebraska. Sure as hell doesn’t look like Florida,” she laughed again and Lance
couldn’t help but join her. After a while in a comfortable silence, Lance spoke
up.
“Do you want to go to town with me and at least get
out of those wet clothes? My sister Stacy is about the same size as you, she
may be able to lend you some clothes.” Maya thought about it for a split second
before answering.
“All right.” Lance grinned and opened the door to
the truck and slid into the driver’s side. “By the way my name’s Lance Bass.”
Maya shook the hand he offered her.
“Maya James. Thank you for helping me Lance. There
aren’t many people I know who’d help a stranger in the middle of the desert.”
Lance bent his head down and blushed.
“Thank you ma’am. People around here are different,
I guess, than where you live.” They drove silently into town. Lance parked the
truck in front of the second farmhouse in the town. He hopped out of the truck dusting
off his pants and he went to Maya’s side of the truck. He grinned at her as she
looked at the house.
“This isn’t exactly an L.A. penthouse, but it’s
really nice inside and I’ve kept it in good enough shape on the outside. I’ll
take you inside and introduce you to my family and then I need to unload some
things that I picked up in Lowell. C’mon.” He put his hand on the small of her
back and guided her into the house before she could question him about the L.A.
remark. He pulled his hat of and called out, “Ma! Stacy! I’m home and I’ve got
someone I want you to meet.” Maya heard someone coming down the stairs and
smiled up at a young woman who looked enough like Lance that she had to be his
sister.
“Maya, this is my sister Stacy. Stacy this is Maya James.
I found her wandering around on Route 23. Her car broke down and I offered her
a place to stay,” Lance heard a sound from the hallway and turned. He smiled
and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “Mom this is Maya. Maya this is my
mother Diane Bass.” Maya shook hands with the woman and smiled.
“I really hope I’m not intruding on anyone. I’ll
only be staying for a couple of days until I get my car fixed. Then I’ll head
out,” Maya said sincerely. Diane judged her as a good person and smiled warmly.
“Let’s get you some warm clothes and a nice bath.
I’m afraid you’ll have to eat left-overs with Lance. It isn’t much, but I told
Lance I'd save him some of his favorite meal when he got back.” Lance smiled.
“Why don’t you wash up and get Stacy to loan you
some clothes while I tend to the horses and get that stuff out of the back of
my truck,” Lance said smiling. Maya found herself beginning to like his home
and his family. She returned his warm smile with one of her own and Lance
couldn’t help but notice the way her smile lit up her entire face.
“That sounds like a plan, Lance.” Maya smiled and
followed Stacy upstairs to the bathroom.
************
After Maya had a relaxing shower and got some clean
clothes on, she wandered around looking at old pictures of Lance and Stacy and
their mother and a man she’d never seen before. Must be Lance’s father, she
thought. He looks just like him.
“That’s my father in the corner picture there,”
Lance’s deep voice said behind her and she jumped slightly. She turned.
“You look just like him,” she said sincerely. “When
do I get to meet him?” Maya saw a flash of pain in Lance’s eyes before he
looked away.
“Dad was killed by a horse about three months ago.
The horse got scared by a rattlesnake and Dad was thrown off. Broke his neck.
Scared the horse to death too. Blackie had a heart attack and died right beside
Dad. Blackie was Dad’s horse. He wouldn’t let anyone near him except Dad.
That’s him and Dad there.” He pointed to a picture of a beautiful black
stallion and his father on the wall. Maya looked at Lance. His eyes were
glistening and there were tears in his voice as he spoke, his voice was lower
than Maya had ever heard it.
“Lance, Maya, the supper’s warmed up if you wanna
come down for it,” Lance’s mother called. Lance blinked back the tears and
smiled slightly at Maya. She returned it.
“Shall we?” He held his arm out to her and she
laughed and took it and allowed Lance to lead her down to the dinner table.
***********
The next day, Maya woke up near dawn. She stretched
and got up, careful not to disturb Stacy, who was graciously sharing her room
with Maya. Maya slept on the couch in Stacy’s attic bedroom. She walked over to
the window and watched the sunrise and enjoyed the breeze blowing from the
east. She stayed like that for a few minutes, until the sun had completely
risen, then she got dressed and headed down the two sets of stairs.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bass,” she said as she entered
the kitchen. Diane smiled as Maya sat down at the table next to Lance. She set
a plate of pancakes in front of Maya and sat down on Lance’s other side.
“Please, call me Diane,” she admonished. “You make
me feel like an old woman addressing me so formally.” Maya nodded instead of
answering because she had just taken a bite of her pancakes and she was staring
at her plate in wonder.
“Is something wrong,” Lance asked looking at her
with concern. Maya finished swallowing and smiled.
“That’s the best pancake I’ve ever tasted,” she
said earnestly. Diane smiled and blushed at the compliment, much the same way
her son does, Maya noted.
“Thank you, but really, they aren’t that great,”
Diane said modestly. She hastily changed the subject. “Lance, what are you
doing today?” Lance took a drink of his milk and swallowed.
“Well, I was going to go see about that saddle that
Judd wanted me to fix and then I was going to see about the paperwork needed
for the new horses that’ll be here in a week.” Maya smiled slightly.
“You work with horses?” she asked. Lance smiled
back and nodded.
“I break a few occasionally, but we mostly breed
them and sell them for other people to break and ride. The horses we’re getting
next week are green broke. I’ll have to get Joey and John to help me get them
saddle broke. I might even get Justin to help me.” Maya looked at him blankly.
“They’re my hands around here. Justin is the best
rider out of them and he can calm a horse quicker than anything. Joey is more
rough with them, but he get’s them broke quick enough. And John, oh, I forgot
John moved to Arkansas didn’t he Ma?” He turned to see his mother nod. “Anyway,
Justin and Joey are good help. I can take you to meet ‘em later today if you
want.” Diane saw this as the opportunity to say:
“Why don’t you show Maya around town today?
Introduce her to everyone and take the day off. Honey, you’ve been working
non-stop since your father…” she trailed off. “Take the day off. I’m sure Maya
would love to see the town.” Maya smiled and nodded.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I'd like that.” She
smiled at Lance and he felt a faint flutter in his chest.
“Umm, ok sure. If you want to. We can start with
Joey. His father owns the mercantile and I need to pick up a few things anyway.”
He smiled back at Maya. They finished their breakfast and left for the small
town.
***********
“Hey Joey? You in there?” Lance walked into the
mercantile with Maya behind him and smiled when Joey stepped out of the back of
the shop with his girlfriend on his arm.
“Hey, Lance. You remember Sara, right? She just
moved here from Alabama.” He smiled to Sara, who returned the smile.
“Hey Lance. How are you?” She asked.
“I’m doing ok. Joey, this is Maya. She got stranded
here yesterday and I just happened to find her.” Joey smiled at the beautiful
young lady.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Joey Fatone.” Maya
shook his hand.
“Maya James.” She smiled to Sara who was looking at
her with an indifferent _expression. Maya instinctively moved closer to Lance.
The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Lance. Joey and Lance talked for a few
moments and Lance grabbed a few things he needed and then they left the
mercantile. Their next stop was Justin’s house. It wasn’t far from Joey’s shop
so they decided to leave the truck and walk. All around her Maya saw people
walking around, stopping to talk with their neighbors. More than one person
stopped to talk to Lance and Lance introduced her to everyone they met. They
all treated her kindly and went on their way. Maya gazed at the cute shops, the
diner on the corner, the lovely houses and the church, the trees and the way
the sky seemed blue than it was in Los Angeles. Maya felt at peace with the
world for a while.
“Hello, Lance.” A soft voice behind them made Maya jump.
“Who’s your friend?” Maya turned and almost gasped at the physical beauty of
the man before her. The soft smile that played on his pouty, kissable lips, his
tousled curls framing his face like a halo, and his crystal clear blue eyes
were breath taking at first glance.
“Hey Justin, this is Maya James. Maya this is
Justin Timberlake.” They shook hands and Maya explained why she was in Nower.
Justin invited them in for a glass of lemonade. Lance and Maya accepted. Justin
showed Maya around his century old farmhouse and she took everything in. Then a
young man came out of the bedroom to her right while she was looking at an old
photograph of the original farmstead and scared her. Maya looked at this man
and immediately realized he was no relation of Justin Timberlake. He had dark
hair that was constantly in his face and dark blue eyes. He had a slight build
and he was sort of tall. Justin and Lance appeared beside her when they had
heard her scream. She was embarrassed that she was frightened so easily.
“I just didn’t expect anyone to just appear there,
that’s all,” she said grinning sheepishly like she did when she was
embarrassed. She turned to the young man. “I’m Maya James.” He shook her hand.
“How do you do? I’m Joshua Chasez. You can call me
JC,” he said breezily. He walked down the hallway and into the living room with
a catlike agility. Maya, Justin and Lance followed and sat in the living room.
Justin and JC sat down on a loveseat and Lance and Maya took the couch. Maya
watched the way Justin and JC interacted with each other; the subtle looks,
brief touches and she figured it out.
“Forgive JC, he always sleeps till about noon. I
can never get him out of bed before that because of his late nights writing,”
Justin said as they made small talk.
“How long have you two known each other?” Maya
asked. Justin and JC exchanged a look and Justin answered.
“I’ve known JC since I was about twelve. He moved
into the house about four years ago.” Maya smiled knowingly.
“Is that how long you’ve been together?” she asked
smoothly. Justin almost choked on his lemonade at the unexpected question. JC
smiled warmly at Maya and nodded.
“Yeah, we’ve been together for about four and a
half years, right J?” Justin stopped coughing and nodded. JC turned back to
Maya. “How’d you know?” Maya smiled.
“I’ve always been a good judge of other people. I
paid attention to your actions, the small touches and the looks and put it
together. It doesn’t bother me, if that’s what you’re wondering because I have
a really good friend named Chris who’s gay and I was fine with it then. In fact
he moved somewhere in Nebraska to be with his boyfriend about three years ago.
I haven’t talked to him in forever.” JC gave Justin a knowing look and asked
smoothly, “Chris Kirkpatrick?” Maya nodded.
“Yeah, how’d you know?” JC smiled again.
“He lives right across the street with his
boyfriend, Nick Carter.” Maya froze.
“Are you serious,” she asked. JC nodded. “Here, in
this town?” JC and Justin both nodded. “Now how much of a coincidence is that?”
They lapsed into a silence while Maya thought about her friend and JC and
Justin cuddled.
Finally, Maya broke the silence by asking, “Do the
townspeople accept you as a…couple?” JC and Justin didn’t look shocked by the
question. They merely smiled and interlaced their fingers together.
“From the beginning the people here have been
supportive and understanding. That’s why we stayed. I know if we’d gone
anywhere else we would have been shunned and probably even persecuted for who
we are. They don’t do that here in Nower. We are accepted, and so are Chris and
Nick. And my best friend Britney is accepted as being a lesbian. It doesn’t
matter to them. As long as we’re still good people, they love us just the
same,” Justin said. Maya was stunned. Had she stumbled upon a townful of crazy
people or had she found the last of the sane?
************
“I can’t believe that people just, accept them, you
know? I mean, if it were my hometown, they’d be run off on a rail. L.A. is a
little more lenient, but not too much that they’d be accepted and welcomed with
open arms,” Maya exclaimed as she and Lance made their way through town. Lance
looked at her and smiled, shaking his head.
“Where’s your hometown?” he asked. Maya shook her head,
still in disbelief and shrugged.
“A small town in Alabama. Winchester. One big
townful of homophobic hicks. They really did run Chris and his ex-boyfriend out
of town. They almost killed Daniel, he’s another gay guy I know, and the mayor
said his boys and their friends didn’t do it, but I know they killed Tim,
Chris’s first boyfriend, Danny’s boyfriend. Not very gay friendly, people in
Alabama.” Lance shook his head.
“People are never that bad around here, they all
get along with Justin, Josh, Chris and Nick. In fact, they have a get together
type thing every two weeks at Justin’s house and most of the town shows up
regularly. Do you want to go see your friend Chris?” Maya looked at him with an
_expression that reminded him of a kid in a candy store.
“Really?” she exclaimed excitedly. “Oh, Lance, that
would just make my day! Thank you so much!” She threw her arms around him and
gave him a big hug. He returned it and when she let go and composed herself, he
smiled warmly. She felt herself return it as she blushed.
“Let’s go.” They crossed the street, melting into
the flow of people walking around in the noonday sun.
**********
“MAY-LU!!” Chris flung his arms around his good
friend as soon as he opened the door. Maya returned the embrace and laughed.
“CHRISSY!” she exclaimed, mimicking his voice. He
laughed and stepped out onto the porch with his arm around her waist.
“You’re the last thing I expected to see when I
opened the door, Maniac. Where’d you come from?” Lance gave Maya a questioning look
when Chris called her ‘maniac’, but she shook her head.
“Honestly Chrissy, I wasn’t expecting to be here.
My car broke down yesterday and I was lucky enough to be found by Lance here,
or I'd be in the bellies of a few coyotes.” Maya smiled up at Lance, then
looked to the man that was coming out of the door. He yawned and stretched.
“Chris, what’s goin’ on out here?” Chris smiled and
walked to the young man who was obviously Nick Carter and kissed him briefly.
“Mornin’ sleepy. I was just talking to something
the cat finally dragged in. This is Maya, Nick. Maya, this is my boyfriend Nick
Carter.” Maya smiled and extended her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you Nick. Sorry if I woke
y’all up.” Lance tried to suppress a laugh as he heard Maya say ‘y’all’.
“It’s okay. Hello Lance, how are you?” Nick shook
Lance’s hand, then snaked his arm around Chris’s waist. Lance smiled.
“I’m doing alright. Nick, are you sure you don’t
want to come see my mom, she really wants to see you.” Nick blushed and shook
his head.
“Only if your sister isn’t there.” Maya looked at
Lance for an explanation, but Lance was looking at something else.
“Chris, I can’t stay. I’m sure Lance has some
things he needs to do. And I have to see about my car. I just wanted to see you
since it’s been three whole years since you called or wrote.” Maya smiled.
Chris grinned sheepishly. Then his face hardened.
“Your mother made it clear to me that you had went
off to Africa with that ass, oh, sorry Maya, with Jack, and that you were
totally unreachable for another couple of years,” Chris said through gritted
teeth. Maya looked shocked.
“Why would my mother say a thing like that? Of
course I didn’t go to Africa with Jack, I don’t just drop everything instantly
when he wants to do something. I was going to Florida to meet him cause I
hadn’t seen him for over a year and I wanted to see my boyfriend before…” Maya
trailed off looking at Lance’s suddenly unreadable _expression. “Before he
leaves for Africa, again.” Chris noticed the pause and looked from Lance to
Maya. There was an uncomfortable silence and then Chris said:
“Well, baby doll, I need to leave for work. Nick
needs some breakfast, so I’ll talk to you later. Who’re you staying with,
honey?” Maya looked at Chris gratefully.
“I’m staying with the Basses,” she said, purposely
leaving out the phrase ‘with Lance’. Chris smiled and promised to talk to her
before she left and they went on their way.
They walked down the street to the truck in
silence. Maya was watching Lance, his brow furrowed in thought, no longer
noticing the blue sky or the green of the leaves on the huge oaks they passed.
For some reason Lance’s opinion of her mattered. Even though she’d only known
him for a day or so, it still mattered.
“Penny for your thoughts?” She asked as they
reached the truck. Lance looked over and smiled and Maya returned it.
“They wouldn’t be worth that much,” Lance answered.
He took a breath and forced himself to look at her. Actually see her and not
her beauty. He looked in her eyes and saw that she was beautiful, inside and
out. And he couldn’t deny that he really, really liked her. ‘Snap out of it,
Bass,’ he told himself, ‘she’s not interested she has a boyfriend waiting for
her in Florida.’ He smiled to himself. ‘I bet I could take him.’
“So you have a boyfriend?” He asked. Maya nodded,
not willing herself to believe that this really mattered to him, this was just
a curious question. “All right.” He hopped into the truck and started the
engine. “I’ll take you down to the car shop and get a tow truck. We’ll bring
your car into the shop for you and wait until Earl gets back here to take a
look at it tomorrow. We’ll have you back on the road to your boyfriend in no
time.” His smile seemed sad for a moment, then it was as radiant as ever. Maya
couldn’t help but return it. I could fall in love with that smile and those
eyes, she found herself thinking on the ride to where her car was on Route 23.
************
“Well, I can tell ya, right now, I ain’t got the parts
for this here model. Your radiator’s shot. I’ll need to order a new one from
Lowell and that’ll take ‘bout a week or so. You’ll hafta wait till then,” Earl
Williams, the mechanic, said on Sunday, after he looked at the car. His slow
way of speaking was almost depressing to Maya. She had slept well and woke up
refreshed after dreaming about a brilliant smile and a pair of green eyes. She
couldn’t deny her attraction to Lance Bass, and she felt today that she would
save herself from temptation by getting out of Nolan.
“Thank you for looking at it, Earl. Can you open
the door so I can get my stuff please? I accidentally locked my keys in when it
started raining.” Earl smiled mischievously and pulled a thin needle out of his
pocket and stuck it in the keyhole, wiggling it around until Maya heard the
lock click open. She opened the door and grabbed her duffel bag.
“Now, don’t tell my old woman I did that, she’d
wring my neck,” he said smiling. Maya thanked him and went with Lance back to
his house.
On Monday, Maya woke up feeling better than she had
in a very long time. She took a shower and gave Stacy her clothes back. She
walked out onto the back porch, tugging her damp hair into a ponytail. She
looked over the barn and the corral and saw Lance working with a horse. He had
his shirt off and the sweat was glistening in the noonday sun on his muscled
chest and arms. The horse kept bucking and trying to throw him off of the
saddle, until Lance finally got it to calm down. He guided it around the corral
and, catching Maya’s gaze, smiled at her. Maya returned it. Lance was really
good with horses, and he looked incredible working with them.
“He’s really good with horses isn’t he?” Maya
jumped and looked at Diane sheepishly. She watched as Lance tried to break
another horse.
“Yeah,” she whispered hoarsely. She snapped out of
her trance and looked at the porch floor. “Yeah, he’s good with them. Reminds
me of my uncle William. Will was really good with horses to.” Maya made her
tone offhanded and casually but a glance at Diane’s knowing eyes made her
blush. His mother knew she was attracted to him. Maya’s cell phone rang, making
her jump again because she forgot she had it with her.
“Hello?” She asked.
“Oh my God, where have you been? Jack is so
worried; you haven’t picked up your phone in days. Your father and I have
almost run ourselves ragged trying to find you. Where are you?” Maya’s mother,
Elizabeth James, demanded in that soft cultured southern voice she used for
when she was especially upset over something.
“Mama, calm down. I’m in Nebraska. My–“ Elizabeth
interrupted her.
“Nebraska? What are you doing in Nebraska? Where in
Nebraska?” Her voice was loud and Maya held the phone from her ear. She glanced
at Diane and gave an apologetic look mouthing to her “My mother,” before
answering.
“My car broke down after I took a wrong turn and
I’m staying in this nice little town called Nolan waiting until I get it
fixed,” she paused and took a deep breath. “Mama, I saw Chris. Why didn’t you
tell me he tried to call me?” Maya almost smiled at the southern indignation in
her voice.
“Well, I didn’t know you actually wanted to see him
again. I mean, being what he is…” Maya interrupted her.
“What do you mean ‘what’ he is? Mama, do you mean
to tell me that you thought I wouldn’t want to see my own best friend because
he’s gay? For heaven’s sake Mama! Chris is my best friend. He had a right to
know that I was in Los Angeles and not in Africa with Jack. You had no right,
however, to tell him a complete lie! I can’t believe you would do this to
someone I care about whether he’s gay or not. Next you’ll be telling me I
should fire my personal assistant because he’s black! This is exactly the type
of thing Chris was trying to get away from Mama! Southern self-righteous rich snobs
like you who think he’s dirt because he doesn’t, and never has, liked women.
And here y’all come and shove it right back into his face,” Maya finally
finished her tirade against her mother, her voice becoming hoarse. She heard
someone clear their throat and saw Lance, Chris, JC and Justin standing behind
her (sans Nick) and she blushed. “Mama, I have to go. I’ll call you later. Tell
Daddy I love him and say hi to Jack for me. Tell Jack I’ll call him later too,
ok?” Her mother gave a quiet answer and hung up. Maya turned to her little
audience and saw Diane and Stacy had joined them.
“How long have y’all been standing there?” Lance
and Chris had identical grins on their faces.
“Only long enough to hear your entire conversation
with Elizabeth about me,” Chris said giving her a big hug. “Thanks for standing
up for me, May-lu. I owe you one.” Maya shook her head, angry tears threatening
to spill.
“No, I shouldn’t have had to Chris. My God, I
thought she was at least partially sane!” Maya turned to everyone else. “Sorry
about that. My mom just doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. Y’all should
have told me to shut up before I made her mad. She won’t forgive me for a whole
year I know it. Have any of you ever seen the movie, ‘Divine Secrets of The
YaYa Sisterhood’?” Diane, Chris, JC and Justin nodded; Lance and Stacy shook
their heads. “Well,” she continued, “that’s my mother to a ‘t’. Stubborn,
dramatic, and well… Southern.” She shook her head in disgust and sat down on
the porch swing.
“Well, do you boys want to join us for lunch?”
Diane asked Justin, Chris and JC. They accepted and everyone sat outside to
eat.
“Hey, Lance,” Stacy said to get her brother’s
attention. He turned and looked at her. “You remember Sara Barker saying something
at the church gathering last week about a dance?” He nodded and she continued.
“Well, Pastor Evans said they’re having a town ball in the auditorium at the
high school on Thursday.” Lance took a bite of his sandwich and shrugged.
“So?” He asked after swallowing. Stacy gave him an
exasperated look.
“Are you going?” Lance glanced not so discreetly at
Maya who was talking Diane and Chris and shook his head. ‘She won’t go with me
because of her boyfriend. The self-educated, self-righteous, asshole photojournalist
named Jack who left her three years ago for Africa according to Chris. Oh
well,’ he thought. She’s too sophisticated to want a stupid farm boy like me
anyway.’ He heard Stacy call his name and looked at her. “Huh?” Stacy rolled
her eyes.
“Why not? There are plenty of girls in town who
would love to dance with you. According to most of my friends, you’re hot
stuff. Though I don’t know why.” Lance blushed and grinned at his sister.
“I don’t like parties, you know that. Besides, what
girl am I going to take who isn’t already going with Joey?” Stacy laughed. She
looked over at Maya. Lance saw her and shook his head.
“She has a boyfriend. Besides, she’ll be gone
before then anyway,” Lance said, trying–and failing–at keeping the bitterness
out of his voice. Stacy looked at him strangely before he got up and walked off
the porch. He didn’t notice Maya’s eyes on him as he walked towards the copse
of trees where him and his father had built a sort of tree house years ago.
Maya turned at the sound of Chris’s voice.
“Follow him,” he said. Maya gave him a look, but
she stood up and went after him. She didn’t see Justin and JC exchange a smile,
or Diane’s knowing glance in their direction. She walked into the copse of
trees and looked around.
“Lance?” She couldn’t find him anywhere.
“Up here,” he called. Maya looked up and saw him
leaning over the railing of a platform that was built against the largest oak
she’d ever seen. “Come on up.” Maya smiled up at him and began to climb the
tree. The first branch was low to the ground, making it easy to climb up
without a ladder.
“Hey,” she said once she reached the platform. It
had a low ceiling, so she had to duck a bit. “Why’d you leave like that?” Lance
shrugged. The reason he left was because he really didn’t want her to know. He
didn’t want her to know his true feelings. He didn’t want her to know how much
he didn’t want her to leave. Lance sat down and leaned against the tree, his
legs spread out in front of him. Maya sat down beside him and turned so she faced
him.
“Tell me,” she said. “I want to know.” He looked at
his hands, then looked around at the place his father had built for him.
“Please, Lance.” Lance looked at her face for a moment, then looked back out at
the other trees.
“My father built this for me. When I was about six
or seven. He told me it was our secret place. When he was away, he went to
other farms and ranches to help people with their horses, I would camp out up
here and sit and think. Or I would do all of my homework up here and sit and
read. When he died, I came up here more often. Then I took over his business
and I came here less and less, until I just… stopped. It’s been about a year
since I’ve been up here,” Lance said in a soft voice. His eyes were shining from
tears he hadn’t shed. “I don’t really know why I came up here today. I guess I
just wanted to think for a while.” Maya smiled sympathetically.
“I had a place like this back home. I mean Alabama
and not L.A. My uncle Will, the one that worked with horses, had built it for
his boy James, but James died when him and me were six from leukemia. Anyway, I
was like a second daughter to Uncle Will, so he let me have it. I’d spend whole
summers up in that tree, just reading or writing, or talking with Chris and my
brother Jason,” Maya smiled at the warm memories. “Sometimes even Uncle Will
would join us and we’d imagine grand adventures, you know like knights and
slaying dragons and saving the princess, stuff like that. And I wasn’t always
the princess. Then my Uncle Will was killed and I came up there even more. It
was on my daddy’s property, so I could still go there, and then one day I
just…stopped. Just like you After that Daddy sold the farm and we moved to
Florida.” Maya’s face was dark as she remembered. Lance surprised both of them
by taking her hand.
“How did he die?” He asked softly. Maya felt the
tears fall onto her cheeks and she didn’t brush them off.
“He–he fell off of a horse he was trying to break
and broke his neck. He died in the hospital,” Maya felt more tears slide down
her cheeks and impatiently wiped them away. “He told me before he died that I
was the daughter he’d never had and he knew that I’d live my life happy. ‘Don’t
do what anyone else tells you to,’ he said. ‘Do what your heart tells you to.’
He said that and then he died. I was fifteen and the next year I graduated high
school and went to college in California, as far away from my parents as I
could get. I finished high school and went on to a job in a news station in
L.A. I met Jack and got to do evening broadcasts and then Jack went to Africa
and my brother Jason went to Hell. He drank himself to an early grave. He was
thirty.
“In all honesty I hate my job, I hate the fact that
I haven’t seen my boyfriend in over a year, I’m stuck in a town where I barely
know anyone, my mother hates my best friend, and I could really use a drink
right now.” Lance smiled.
“Sounds like a very, uh, hectic life. Mine isn’t
that bad. I have a good business, and a really happy home and I’m not complaining,”
he said. Maya studied him. “I do wish I had gone to college. I was going to
until my dad died. Then I just, took over the family business and college was
out of the question.” Maya looked sympathetic.
“You put your dreams on hold for your family,” she
said. Lance nodded wearily. Maya smiled. “And I put my family on hold for my
dreams. Isn’t that funny?” She laughed and Lance couldn’t help but join her.
Suddenly her cell phone rang again. Lance let go of her hand, She sighed from
the loss of his touch and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby, why haven’t you called me?” Maya glanced
at Lance and sighed wearily.
“I can’t talk right now, Jack.” Lance looked at
Maya when she said his name and Maya saw the shadow pass over Lance’s face. She
ignored it until later. She blotted out Jack’s protest.
“I just can’t talk right now, okay? I’m in the
middle of something.” She heard Jack laugh.
“What could possibly be so interesting in
Nebraska?” Maya heard the contempt in Jack’s voice and she became angry.
“Listen, Jack,” she spat, “just because it isn’t
Africa doesn’t mean that Nebraska is boring, ok? Maybe I’ve found someone who
actually listens to what I have to say.” Lance perked up at that and listened
to her side of the conversation discreetly. “Maybe people in this town are kind
to others. Maybe I like it here did you ever stop to think about that?” She
didn’t let him answer. “Maybe I’m glad that my car broke down here. Maybe I’m
glad that I’ve found people who don’t expect me to be anything other than
myself. Maybe I want to stay and maybe I don’t want to see your stupid face!”
She angrily pushed the off button on her cell phone and grinned sheepishly at
Lance. “Well… I think I want to take a walk. Am I allowed?”
“I guess if you want to,” Lance said, still in shock
at what she’d said to her boyfriend. ‘What had he said that pissed her off like
that,’ he wondered. She twisted herself over the rail and jumped down. She
grinned up at his surprised _expression.
“Are you comin’?” He shrugged and climbed down. They
walked around the entire field (six and a quarter acres) and to the large pond
that marked the east border of their property. Maya stopped and they skipped
some rocks and talked for well over an hour. Then Maya’s cell rang again.
Instead of answering it she took it in her hand and drew back, then chucked it
to the far bank of the water. Lance looked at her in shock.
“What?” she asked. “I didn’t feel like talking to
anyone but you,” she smiled sweetly and looked back over the water. “You don’t
know how tempting it is to stay here. This place, this town, is perfect. They
should rename it to Perfection.” Lance laughed. “What? Maya asked again looking
at him. “I mean it, they should. You don’t know how tempting it is to stay
here.” Lance shivered inwardly at the tone of Maya’s voice when she repeated
the phrase. A breeze blew through her hair and she lifted her head slightly, as
if listening to the breezes. ‘I could fall in love with her,’ he thought. ‘God,
I really think I could.’ The thought shocked Lance and made him uneasy. ‘She
had a boyfriend,’ he shouted to himself. ‘Get over her, Bass!’
“We should go back,” Lance said suddenly. “The
others are probably wondering where we are.” Maya turned and looked at Lance.
Really looked at him. His dirty blonde hair, his stunning eyes that were a
strange shade of green, his other facial features, his body, everything about
him was screaming good-looking. And he was more than that. He had ideas, he
knew things, he knew more about life than Maya would ever know. He seemed to be
genuinely interested in what Maya had to say and he wanted to get to know her.
‘Maybe I should stop thinking about what’s waiting for me in Florida, and think
about what’s waiting right here,’ she thought.
*************
She tried to dismiss the thought the next day when
she explored the town with Stacy and her friends and later that day when she
went to Earl’s and he told her it would be at least Wednesday before he would
get the parts for her car. She couldn’t help but be happy at that thought.
She’d have more time with Lance that way. She had dinner at Justin’s with Stacy
and JC, Justin, Chris, and much to his displeasure, Nick. Stacy was civil,
however, and everyone seemed to get along good. Until Chris asked Maya about
Lance.
“So, May-lu,” he said.
“Hmm?” she asked. Chris smiled deviously.
“What’s going on with you and Lance?” Maya’s head
shot up and she glared at her best friend.
“Nothing,” she said haughtily. “Whyever would you
think that something was?” Her tone was that of a southern belle, which she
reverted to when she was hiding something, or when she was nervous. Chris
laughed and Justin piped up.
“We’ve seen the way he looks at you, Maya,” Justin
said. Maya laughed nervously.
“Yeah, Maya. I wish some guy would look at me like
that someday,” Stacy said. “It’s like something out of a romance book.” She
smiled at the guys and they nodded.
“What is?” Maya asked, her interest peaked. She
looked from one guy to the next, then back to Stacy. “What is going on? Are
y’all conspiring against me?” Justin and Stacy giggled at Maya’s tone and Chris
and JC and Nick smiled.
“Are you going to the dance, Maya?” Chris asked.
Maya stared at him. “You know the dance that I was talking about yesterday?
It’s on Thursday. Two days. Are you going?” Maya shook her head.
“I plan to be gone by then. If not then the
answer’s still no. It’s not my dance to attend. I don’t live here, if you can
remember, Chrissy. What does this have to do with anything?” Maya was getting suspicious.
What were her friends up to?
Chris shrugged. “I just thought maybe you’d like to
go with Lance. I’ve heard he’s a really good dancer.” Nick playfully smacked
Chris on the arm.
“Chris! You know he’s straight,” He said. Chris
grinned at him and heaved an exaggerated sigh.
“I know, but I can dream, can’t I?” Nick playfully
smacked him again before Chris pulled him into a kiss. Maya laughed at them.
“Are they always like this?” Stacy asked. Maya
laughed harder when Chris (kidding, of course) flipped her off. They broke
their kiss.
“Chris was even worse at home, weren’t you Chris?”
She asked. “He’d sit in the middle of a restaurant and make out with his
boyfriend until someone said or did something.” Maya wished she hadn’t brought
up Winchester. Chris’s eyes filled with pain and his face darkened at the
memories. “Oh Chris, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” Maya said. He
shook his head and smiled weakly at her, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“It’s alright. You didn’t mean nothing by it.
Listen, me and Nick are gonna split. Maya, I want you to seriously consider
what I’ve said. Remember to listen to what your heart tells you, ok?” Maya
smiled sadly as they left.
“Well, guys. I’m going to head over to Marci’s.
Maya, do you think you can find your way back?” Stacy asked, breaking the
silence that accompanied Chris and Nick’s departure. Maya nodded absently.
Stacy left and then Maya thanked Justin and JC for the dinner, declining any
offers for a ride to the Bass household. She began the long walk home. “Home?”
She asked herself aloud. “I don’t live there. When did I start calling it
home?” She reached the house at about eight and instead of going into the
house, she walked across the property to the pond that Lance had taken her to the
day before. She picked up some stones and started angrily flinging them into
the water. She didn’t notice the tears that ran down her cheeks, she didn’t
hear Lance as her approached her silently. Finally she ran out of rocks and sat
down on the bank, brushing the tears off of her face. She was lost in her
memories and didn’t notice when Lance sat down beside her and pulled her to him
and let her cry into his chest.
“I–I didn’t realize you were here,” Maya said, the
surprise evident on her face, when she pulled back from Lance. “I’m sorry. I
just, I was thinking about everything and, just, forgot everything else.” Lance
smiled sympathetically.
“What made you so sad?” He asked softly, still
cradling her in his arms and relishing in the feeling. Maya blushed as she
realized she was still in his arms and she moved away slightly. Maya took a
steadying breath and sighed.
“I was remembering my junior high and high school
days, with Chris. The way they treated him because of who he was and my mom
telling me that my being friends with him made me a sinner and how I was
harassed in school for standing up for Chris and how much I hated everything
about that town after Uncle Will died and I got out of there. And I thought
about Chris’s life here and I kept thinking, if only he’d been born and raised
here, he wouldn’t be so hurt and maybe I wouldn’t be so hurt for him. Then I
started thinking about my uncle Will and how everything changed when he died.
And I keep thinking about my life in L.A. and how much I hate the city and how
much I wish I could stay here for the rest of my life, “she broke off for a
second and wiped her eyes. “I wish I could stay here, “ she repeated, “with
you.” Maya gently touched Lance’s cheek and smiled sadly. “But I can’t.” She
removed her hand and looked at the ground. “I can’t and I was crying, crying
for Chris, for Will, and me. Because I feel safe here and I like it here and I
want to stay, but I can’t.” Lance looked at Maya’s troubled face and sighed
inwardly.
“Why not?” Maya looked startled by the question.
“Why not?” She repeated. “B–because, I have a life
in L.A. and an apartment, a job and a cat. Because I think I still have a
boyfriend and I have family. And if I stay I’ll be leaving everything I’ve ever
known behind and I’m scared.” Maya looked Lance in the eyes. “I’m scared that
no one will want me to stay. To visit, yeah, but not to stay.” Lance shook his
head.
“I talked to the pastor and his wife and he told me
on Sunday church services everyone was sating such nice things about the lady
whose car broke down outside of town,” Lance smiled and Maya retuned it, “ and
they asked me if you’re going to stay all the time. Pastor Evans told me to
extend an invitation to the party Thursday. And I want you to go.” Lance
blushed and was grateful Maya couldn’t see. “I want you to stay. Would it make
a difference if I told you I wanted you to stay here, with me?” Lance reached
up and cupped Maya’s face. He looked into her blue eyes and smiled. “If it
would do any good, I’d beg you to go with me to the ball, to at least stay
until then.” He removed his hand and Maya instantly missed it.
“Lance,” Maya whispered. “Lance, I, I can’t.
Please, don’t ask me to.” Fresh tears glistened in her eyes and she dropped her
gaze from Lance’s green eyes.
“But,” He started to say, but Maya stopped him.
“Don’t. Please.” She stood up and began to walk
back to the house. “I think I’m going to go stay at Chris’s until I get my car
fixed. Tell your mother I said thank you for her hospitality.” She turned to
face him. “Thank you Lance. Thank you for picking me up and thank you for
letting a complete stranger stay in your home, and thank you for being my
friend.” She gave him a hug and a brief kiss on the cheek and then she was
gone. Lance took his time getting back to his house and by the time he came in,
she had left on Route 23.
**************
Thursday
“Thank you Mr. Williams. I really appreciate this,”
Maya said sincerely to the mechanic, who just finished working on her car..
Earl Williams actually blushed.
“Aw, it was no problem Miss James. Me and muh wife
really wish you would stay for the dance tonight. I’m sure Lance wouldn’t mind
bringin’ ya.” Maya shook her head.
“I can’t. I really have to get back to L.A.,” Maya
explained. She’d decided not to go see Jack, because what’s the point in being
with someone you don’t love. “I have to get back to my life now.” She gave Earl
and his wife, Mary, each a hug and started her car. She drove down the street
and parked in front of Chris’s house.
“Chris! Nick! I’m back!” She set her purse down and
sighed. As much as she wanted to stay, she couldn’t. Something kept telling her
that she didn’t belong there, she just needed to go back home. She went to the
guestroom and began packing her things.
“Lance!” Lance sighed and lifted another bale of
hay from his truck. “Lance!” He groaned and heaved it into the hayloft. “James
Lance Bass, you better acknowledge your mama’s presence!” Lance smiled to
himself and looked at his mother.
“Yeah Mom?” He asked grinning. Diane smiled despite
herself.
“Your going to the dance aren’t you?” Lance
shrugged.
“I don’t know. I don’t really have a reason to go.”
Diane stared at her son.
“Well, if you’re going, you better hurry with those
hay bales. It’s almost five and the dance starts at six and we need the truck.
Lance lifted another bale and heaved it into the loft.
“I’m almost finished,” he said grunting as he
lifted another heavy bale. Diane’s _expression softened.
“I talked to Christopher and Nicolas this morning
while I was in town. Maya has her car fixed.” Lance gave a dry smile. “She’s
leavin’ this evening.” Lance grunted a reply as he lifted the last bale into
the hayloft.
“I figured she’d leave as soon as Earl fixed it.”
Diane smiled sadly at the look on her son’s face. He was definitely a man in
love. She reached up and gently touched Lance’s hand.
“Why don’t you go talk to her?” Lance looked at his
mother, her face was soft and he realized just how much older his mother looked.
He squeezed her hand and dropped his gaze from her knowing eyes.
“I’ve tried, Mom,” he said, his voice lower than
usual. “She left after I tried to talk to her. I tried to tell her…” He broke
off and wiped the tear off of his cheek. He didn’t cry very often. “She didn’t
want to hear it, and now she’s leaving.” Diane nodded solemnly.
“Are you going to let her go without a fight?”
Lance shook his head slowly.
“There isn’t anything else I can do, Mom. She
doesn’t want me. She wants her asshole boyfriend.” Lance didn’t try to keep the
bitterness out of his voice. “She doesn’t want me,” he repeated softer. Diane
patted Lance’s hand.
“We’ll see. You talk to her before she leaves and
you’ll see how much she really cares.” She gave his head a final squeeze and
left. Lance sighed. Maybe I should go talk to her. A memory of what she said
before she left that night came to him and he shook his head. I’ll go to that
damn dance. He jumped off of the back of the truck and dusted himself off. He
walked to the house and went for a shower.
“Maya!” Maya sat, deep in thought. “Maya!” She
ignored the voice. “Victoria Maya James, you’d better acknowledge your best
friend if you want to live to see your twenty third birthday!” Maya laughed and
turned to Chris.
“What do you want Chrissy? And don’t call me
Victoria.” Chris stuck his tongue out at Maya.
“Are you going to the dance?” Maya sighed as she
packed her stuff up and zipped her bag.
“No Chris. I have to leave.” Chris’s smile faltered.
He looked at Maya with sad eyes.
“Why?” He asked softly. Maya sighed again and
turned to face him.
“Because I have nothing keeping me here, Chris.
You’re happy, and that makes me happy and I really need to get back because of
my news broadcast.” Chris knew she was just making excuses.
“Have you talked to him?” Maya knew who Chris was
talking about, but she decided not to answer. Chris repeated the question and
Maya groaned.
“No, Chris, I haven’t and I’m not going to,” she
snapped angrily. He looked taken aback and she regretted it. “I’m sorry Chris,
I just want to go home. Look, he doesn’t care, alright? And it doesn’t matter
anyway because I’m not staying.” Chris went to protest but she cut him off.
“No, Chris,” she said again, gentler. “I’m going. I love you.” She gave him a
hug and he returned it reluctantly. He felt tears soak the shoulder of his
shirt and he rubbed her back gently.
“I know that I’m doing the right thing. I just, my
heart feels like it’s breaking and I keep hearing my uncle’s last words to me:
‘Do what your heart tells you to do.’ What am I supposed to do? I want to stay
so much but I don’t know if Lance will forgive me for being the way I was to
him on Tuesday. I don’t think he’ll understand why I can’t stay. I have a life and
I was happy until I came here and thought about it. I don’t want to be in love
with him and move down here and then fall out of love and have nothing of my
old life!” Chris smiled sympathetically.
“You’re scared.” Maya pulled back, sniffed and
wiped her eyes, and nodded.
“Yes Chris, I’m scared. I’m scared that if it
doesn’t work out, I won’t have anything anymore. What if I can’t go back to
L.A.? What if I can’t go to my parent’s? What if we break up and I stay here
and every time we see each other its so damned awkward that I want to scream?
What if…” Chris shook his head.
“There’s so many what if’s you could go crazy
thinking of them all. You have to take a chance, sometime, Maya.” Maya shook
her head.
“This isn’t a chance I’m willing to take.” She
smiled at her old friend sadly and gave him another hug. Chris squeezed her to
him and then let go. She picked her bag and left.
“Lance, you look nice tonight,” Marci, Stacy’s
friend, commented as his family walked into the gymnasium. He smiled and thanked
her not really paying attention to anything. He spotted Chris look his way and
shake his head and Lance sighed. She left. He felt like his whole world was
crashing down around him. He’d never see her again. He’d never get to tell her
that she was the only thing he ever wanted. He sat down at a table and grabbed
a beer. Might as well have a drink before heading out.
Maya turned the radio station and stopped at a good
song. She had just gotten out of town and started down Route 23 and was
speeding. Oh well, she thought. It’s not like that town had a cop. A different
song came on and Maya went to turn the station when the lyrics began. She
slowed down and listened to the song:
Oh - thinkin' about all our younger years
There was only you and me
We were young and wild and free
Now nothin' can take you away from me
We've been down that road before
But that's over now
You keep me comin' back for more
Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
Oh - once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around?
Bring you up when you're feelin' down
Ya - nothin' could change what you mean to me
Oh there's lots that I could say
But just hold me now
Cause our love will light the way
Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
I've bin waitin' for so long
For somethin' to arrive
For love to come along
Now our dreams are comin' true
Through the good times and the bad
Ya - I'll be standin' there by you
Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
(Bryan Adams-Heaven)
For some reason the song touched Maya and she made
a decision. She slowed the car down and made a u-turn and headed back to town.
Lance had stepped outside for some fresh air. He was
in the back end, farthest away from the road, so he didn’t hear the car pull
up. Why did she have to leave? why didn’t I try to talk to her? He kept asking
himself the questions over and over again. He could hear the country music
blaring from the speakers in the gym.
Maya burst into the gymnasium unnoticed. She found
Mrs. Bass sitting at a table and went to her.
“Mrs. Bass, where’s Lance?” Diane looked at Maya,
visibly startled.
“Maya, I thought you left. He’s outside. I think
he’s right out there.” She pointed to the back doors and Maya ran to them, not
bothering with a thank you. She pulled open the doors and found Lance sitting
on the blacktop looking out at the stars. She smiled to herself, knowing she
made the right decision.
“Lance,” she said softly. Lance turned, startled by
the voice. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Maya?” He asked incredulously. She nodded. “I
thought you’d be halfway to L.A. by now.” Maya winced at the bitterness in his
voice.
“Lance,” she sighed. “I was almost halfway to the
end of Route 23 and then I realized what a mistake I’d made by leaving.” Lance
didn’t say anything for a moment then he spoke.
“So what? You’ve come back just to leave again? I
can’t do that.” Lance stood and faced Maya. “I wanted to tell you the night you
went to Chris’s, but I didn’t and you left and I never got to tell you that in
those few short days I got to know you and I fell in love with you and…” Maya
leaned forward and kissed Lance, breaking off whatever he was going to say. She
smiled when they parted.
“I know Lance. I kept telling myself that I didn’t
care and I couldn’t. I couldn’t fool myself anymore and I don’t want to. I love
you too, Lance.” Their lips met again with more passion, more love. Maya
revelled in the feel of it. The kiss was perfect; their lips seemed molded to
fit each other. Lance knew in that second kiss he’d found everything he’d ever
wanted. They broke apart when they heard someone clear their throat. Lance and
Maya both blushed when they saw Chris, Nick, JC, Justin, Diane and Stacy
watching them. They all had identical smiles on their faces and JC and Justin
were holding hands.
“That,” Chris said, “was the most romantic thing in
the world. Sappy, but very romantic.” JC and Justin nodded their agreement and
smiled at each other. Maya laughed.
“How long have y’all been there?” Lance smiled as
she took his hand in hers. Chris grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“Only long enough to hear both you stubborn asses,
sorry Mrs. Bass, get together and profess your love.” Maya shook her head.
“Chris you always did like to watch.” She grinned
sheepishly and blushed as her blue eyes met Diane’s. She surprised everyone by
exclaiming:
“It’s about damn time!” Lance and Stacy looked at their
mother incredulously while every one else burst out laughing. The ‘audience’
eventually left Maya and Lance alone and Maya smiled up at Lance.
“What are we going to do about Jack?” Lance asked,
“What about him? I don’t love him. I love you.”
Lance grinned and kissed her again.
“So, do you want to go to the dance?” She asked
grinning after they’d parted. Lance smiled and pulled her close.
“Nope,” he said right before he kissed her.
The End
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