"Ray, baby, are we going anywhere in particular?" Sheridan asked.
She wasn't exactly sure where they were, just that they weren't too far
from town, headed towards Hayfield. Coach would have a fit if she went to
Hayfield without permission. She really wasn't supposed to go anywhere but
to the party and back home. Yeah, she knew he was kind of strict, but with
half of her mother's family looking over his shoulder waiting for her or
Sheryl to get in trouble, he had good reason to be strict.
"Yeah, I want to show you something," he answered. "It's just up ahead."
She nodded.
He pulled down a dirt driveway, and followed it until it came to a clearing around a small pond.
"Where are we?" She had never even noticed the road they were on before, much less knew this place was back there.
"My Grandpa owns this place. Pretty,ain't it?"
"Yeah." It was. It was like something out of Tom Sawyer or some other children's story.
"When I was a kid, he would bring me out here to go fishing and camping, sometimes just to talk. Now I come up here to think and figure things out. It's so peaceful and quiet." He toyed with his class ring.
Sheri couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her throat. The image of a young Ray running around just completed the Tom Sawyer picture.
"What's so funny?" He asked, flirtatiously.
"Nothing." Ray wouldn't understand, and if he did, he probably wouldn't like to be called Tom Sawyer.
"Come on," he hopped out of the truck and grabbed a blanket from the back.
"Okay," Sheridan thought. "If you think I'll believe you ever intended on staying at that party, Mr. Budds, you got another thought coming."
He walked around and opened her door, then after she got out, he walked down to the water's edge and spread the blanket out. "Sit down." He caught her hand and pulled her towards him.
"I'm not sitting down there. There's probably snakes and bugs, and who knows what else down there," she replied, pulling her hand away.
He laughed, "Since when are YOU afraid of bugs?"
"I have never liked creepy-crawly things." She folded her arms across her chest and took a few small steps closer to him.
"Well, I promise not to let ANY creepy-crawly things get to you." He wrapped his arms around her knees, causing them to buckle and her to fall forward.
"Whoops" He caught her and twisted her around until she was sitting beside him. "Now, is that so bad?"
"I'll answer that when I'm sure there are no creepy-crawlies down here," she smiled. It was nice actually, but she wasn't going to admit it. She leaned back on her elbows. "So, Mr. Budds, how long have you been planning this?"
"I haven't been," he fiegned innocence.
"Everybody who believes that, stand on your head," she replied, not moving. "Come on it's all just a little too coincedental. You just happen to have a blanket in the back of your truck, when we were supposed to be going to a party? Come on, I'm not that stupid."
"Okay, okay, " he smiled. "You caught me. I surrender."
She laughed. "So, tell me how many other girls you've brought out here?"
"None," he lied, easily.
"Uh-huh."
"What's with the twenty questions?" He asked.
"Nothing, just curious." She looked up and changed the subject. "I love to look at the stars. Don't you?"
"You're prettier to look at," Ray answered. Then he kissed her.
"Ray."
Another kiss.
"Ray."
Another kiss.
She managed to sit up. She put her hands on his chest and shoved him back.
"RAY! STOP! NOW!"
"Sheridan, would you just relax for once in your life? You ain't got to be so good all the time." He caught her hands and pulled them down.
Gerry was being no fun. When Ray and Sheri left, his brain left with them. Julius couldn't even get him to hold a conversation for more than a few seconds. Finally, tired of being ignored, Julius said, "Look, Man, if you're that worried about her, then do something about it."
"What do you mean? Go after her?"
"Yeah."
"I can't do that. Man, she on a date. She'll think I'm crazy if I go chasing after her!" Gerry exclaimed.
"Dude, you ARE crazy," Julius replied. "She already knows that, I'm sure, and you'll know that she's okay, and she just might see how much you care about her."
"OR, she could get mad becuase I didn't think she could take care of herself, believe me she's already pretty much told me to butt out. I don't thinks she's going to be too happy to see me," he answered.
"Fine, then why are you so worried about her?"
"If I know Ray, he'll take her somewhere secluded and try to be all over her, and if I know Sheri, she ain't go for it, she'll get mad and at least tell him off, if not more, then he'll get mad, and she'll be walking home. Don't think he wouldn't do it, he's done it before. Not to her, but he HAS done it before." Gerry explianed.
"And you think that she'd rather walk home from God knows where than have you go after her?"
Gerry thinks about this. "She probably would appreciate a ride, IF Ray does what I think he's going to do."
"Do you know where he'd take her?"
"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea."
"Good, then let's go" Julius replied. "And on the way, you can tell me why you ever let her go in the first place."
Gerry rolled his eyes. "How do you know I did?"
"Any fool can see you two have a history," Julius answered.
"Yeah, well that's a long story." He said, heading out to his car with Julius following him.
"Yeah, well, we got plenty of time." Julius slid into the passenger seat and shut the door.
(Yep. I'm gonna make you wait one more chapter to find that out. LOL. DOn't you just love the rescueing the damsel in distress routine? More coming soon. I promise this time.)
"Yeah, I want to show you something," he answered. "It's just up ahead."
She nodded.
He pulled down a dirt driveway, and followed it until it came to a clearing around a small pond.
"Where are we?" She had never even noticed the road they were on before, much less knew this place was back there.
"My Grandpa owns this place. Pretty,ain't it?"
"Yeah." It was. It was like something out of Tom Sawyer or some other children's story.
"When I was a kid, he would bring me out here to go fishing and camping, sometimes just to talk. Now I come up here to think and figure things out. It's so peaceful and quiet." He toyed with his class ring.
Sheri couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her throat. The image of a young Ray running around just completed the Tom Sawyer picture.
"What's so funny?" He asked, flirtatiously.
"Nothing." Ray wouldn't understand, and if he did, he probably wouldn't like to be called Tom Sawyer.
"Come on," he hopped out of the truck and grabbed a blanket from the back.
"Okay," Sheridan thought. "If you think I'll believe you ever intended on staying at that party, Mr. Budds, you got another thought coming."
He walked around and opened her door, then after she got out, he walked down to the water's edge and spread the blanket out. "Sit down." He caught her hand and pulled her towards him.
"I'm not sitting down there. There's probably snakes and bugs, and who knows what else down there," she replied, pulling her hand away.
He laughed, "Since when are YOU afraid of bugs?"
"I have never liked creepy-crawly things." She folded her arms across her chest and took a few small steps closer to him.
"Well, I promise not to let ANY creepy-crawly things get to you." He wrapped his arms around her knees, causing them to buckle and her to fall forward.
"Whoops" He caught her and twisted her around until she was sitting beside him. "Now, is that so bad?"
"I'll answer that when I'm sure there are no creepy-crawlies down here," she smiled. It was nice actually, but she wasn't going to admit it. She leaned back on her elbows. "So, Mr. Budds, how long have you been planning this?"
"I haven't been," he fiegned innocence.
"Everybody who believes that, stand on your head," she replied, not moving. "Come on it's all just a little too coincedental. You just happen to have a blanket in the back of your truck, when we were supposed to be going to a party? Come on, I'm not that stupid."
"Okay, okay, " he smiled. "You caught me. I surrender."
She laughed. "So, tell me how many other girls you've brought out here?"
"None," he lied, easily.
"Uh-huh."
"What's with the twenty questions?" He asked.
"Nothing, just curious." She looked up and changed the subject. "I love to look at the stars. Don't you?"
"You're prettier to look at," Ray answered. Then he kissed her.
"Ray."
Another kiss.
"Ray."
Another kiss.
She managed to sit up. She put her hands on his chest and shoved him back.
"RAY! STOP! NOW!"
"Sheridan, would you just relax for once in your life? You ain't got to be so good all the time." He caught her hands and pulled them down.
Gerry was being no fun. When Ray and Sheri left, his brain left with them. Julius couldn't even get him to hold a conversation for more than a few seconds. Finally, tired of being ignored, Julius said, "Look, Man, if you're that worried about her, then do something about it."
"What do you mean? Go after her?"
"Yeah."
"I can't do that. Man, she on a date. She'll think I'm crazy if I go chasing after her!" Gerry exclaimed.
"Dude, you ARE crazy," Julius replied. "She already knows that, I'm sure, and you'll know that she's okay, and she just might see how much you care about her."
"OR, she could get mad becuase I didn't think she could take care of herself, believe me she's already pretty much told me to butt out. I don't thinks she's going to be too happy to see me," he answered.
"Fine, then why are you so worried about her?"
"If I know Ray, he'll take her somewhere secluded and try to be all over her, and if I know Sheri, she ain't go for it, she'll get mad and at least tell him off, if not more, then he'll get mad, and she'll be walking home. Don't think he wouldn't do it, he's done it before. Not to her, but he HAS done it before." Gerry explianed.
"And you think that she'd rather walk home from God knows where than have you go after her?"
Gerry thinks about this. "She probably would appreciate a ride, IF Ray does what I think he's going to do."
"Do you know where he'd take her?"
"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea."
"Good, then let's go" Julius replied. "And on the way, you can tell me why you ever let her go in the first place."
Gerry rolled his eyes. "How do you know I did?"
"Any fool can see you two have a history," Julius answered.
"Yeah, well that's a long story." He said, heading out to his car with Julius following him.
"Yeah, well, we got plenty of time." Julius slid into the passenger seat and shut the door.
(Yep. I'm gonna make you wait one more chapter to find that out. LOL. DOn't you just love the rescueing the damsel in distress routine? More coming soon. I promise this time.)