Simple To The Mind
Tyler
appeared over Val's shoulder on Friday afternoon after school, looking anxious.
He was carrying a pile of notebooks and textbooks—the majority of his teachers
evidently didn't believe in no work, all play.
"We're on for the
beach thing, right?" he inquired. Val turned and smiled, adjusting her headband
and pulling another book out of her locker.
"Sure. Of course. I
don't have much choice now, do I? My parents already accepted and the plans are
already made."
Tyler relaxed at the
words, though he soon found something else to tense up about. "You want to
come, though, right?"
"Connell." Val
closed her locker as she called him by his last name, something she hardly did,
though it had grown more common since the "accident". A smile tugged at lips
with pale pink lip gloss.
"Yeah?"
"Just… relax. Are
you always this uptight before vacation?" A notebook slipped from her arm.
"I try to build it
up so I can let it loose. Let me carry those," he offered, ignoring the ones in
his own arms.
"What about the
thirty-nine in your arms?"
"Actually, only
twenty-eight." He grinned at his comment, inviting her to share the joke. The
sort of horrible joke, but it drew a laugh as she handed half of her load to
him.
"Maybe this wasn't
such a good idea," whispered Tyler to himself as he struggled to balance his
books. Val restrained a giggle as she witnessed his futile efforts.
"Tyler, you can
remain being macho—"
"I am not being
macho!" he insisted. "I told you that… five weeks ago?"
"—But," she
continued, "there is an invention called the backpack. Now, you can use a
shoulder-bag or whatever you call it, but it has the same effect as a
backpack."
"It's already full,"
he told her with a pained expression. Val bit back another smile as they walked
out into the sunshine.
"What
do you have in here?" groaned Tyler as he loaded a suitcase into the trunk of
the car.
"That's yours," said
Val. "Mine's here."
"How much does that
weigh?" Tyler asked, tossing in another duffel bag.
"A lot less than
yours does."
"I packed my rock
collection," Tyler informed her, smiling as he picked up hers. "Whoa, this is
light." He threw it in the trunk and slammed the door.
"Thank
you."
"How
did you pack so light?" Tyler queried, doubting that teenage girls had that
little interest in clothes.
"Well,
shorts and tank tops don't weigh that much. Where's William?"
"Getting
my mom's suitcase," Tyler replied, motioning to the house. "And that's about
three point nine tons."
"Well,
go help him!"
"Why?"
Tyler asked. Val glared at him, a look reminiscent of teachers or mothers, and
he trudged into the house: "William? You need help?"
"Want
to play cards?" Val asked Tyler twenty minutes after their plane took off. "We
can bet peanuts."
"I
don't like those anyway."
"Pretzels?"
"Deal
me in."
Val
turned out to be very good at poker. Very good. Well, good enough to beat him,
which wasn't saying that much.
"Tyler?"
she asked, examining her cards.
"Uhm?"
he muttered distractedly, arranging his five cards and frowning.
"Why
does the king of spades have the same number of spades as the queen of spades?"
"Fold,"
Tyler groaned, putting his cards down. Val grinned wickedly and flashed her
cards, revealing the inevitable: no king—or queen—of spades.
"You
owe me five bags of pretzels and three bags of peanuts."
"And
nineteen peanuts," Tyler added, handing her the cards to shuffle. "Lunch!" he
cried, viewing the cart at the front of the aisle.
"Tyler,
it's just food."
"You
know the saying 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach'? I think that
something is getting very close to my heart," he said, leaning into the aisle.
Val
bit her lip as a sharp pang ran through her chest, reminding her of something
she couldn't have—someone who thought of her as a friend. Just a friend. The
thought ran through her head again, mockingly.
"Was
that a ploy to get me to give back your pretzels?" inquired Val, laughing.
"Not
quite," Tyler said, turning back from the lunch cart and settling into his seat
once more, "but you could consider it."
Val
smiled and handed him a bag of pretzels.
Looking
in your eyes
The
world for which I'd die
Doesn't
seem so important
Seeing
your eyes
Makes
me wonder why
Life's
so cruel
Let
me see your eyes
Tell
me how to die
Show
me
How
life works
"My
legs hurt," groaned Val as she got off the plane.
"I'll
carry you," Tyler volunteered.
"You
will?"
"No,"
said Tyler. He smiled. "But come on, I'll give you a hand." Tyler slung his arm
over her shoulders and helped her along. William and Mrs. Connell held back a
little, watching the couple.
Your
eyes
Ocean
blue
Open
them to me
Let
me love you
Sweet
blue
I
love you
Show
me how to make
You
love me
Tell
me
What
you see
In
my eyes
Teach
me how to die
Ocean
blue
Ocean
blue
"Nice
place," Val said under her breath to Tyler. He shrugged—but then, she guessed
he was used to it. Four stories, beachfront property—
"It's
been in my family since forever," he told her. "From, like, the Gold Rush or
something."
"Oh,"
Val said. "That's a… long time." She didn't mention that she had just moved a
while ago.
"Yeah,"
Tyler replied. He seemed distracted, so Val quieted.
Ocean
blue
I
love you
See
my eyes
I
wonder why
So
love me
Touch
the sky
Ocean
blue
Looking
in your eyes
Just
let me die
Looking
in your eyes
Just
let me cry
Looking
in ocean blue
Think
I'm falling for you
Sweet
blue eyes
Let
me die
Ocean
blue
I
love you
Ocean
blue
Ocean
blue