...It's where I drank my first beer...
Bianca woke early and looked out the window. Maggie's house was still. She didn't sleep much; she was too worried about her new friend. She looked at the clock. It was 5:30am. Bianca wanted to go back to sleep, but she knew it was know use. She got dressed and headed down stairs. Sitting at the porch ready to watch the sun rise. She threw a ball hard across the lawn watching Sandy chase after it. After a few more tosses she saw the sky explode in pinks and purples. She smiled. She loved watching the sun. She stood up and headed down to the barn to get a jumpstart on chores.
"Oh
shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Bianca yelled from the bucking horse.
"YEAH!
Ride him Binks!" Leo yelled from the fence.
Bianca
pulled the rains hard and the horse stopped. She very carefully
turned her in circles stopped her and got off. "Ohhh OW!" Bianca
said as she walked towards her friend since kindergarten.
"Oh
come on Bianca!" Leo slapped her back as they at on the fence post.
"You're the first person that could break her, even better than
your dad."
"Oh
now, I wouldn't say that!" Jackson said as he came up behind
them. "You got yourself a damn good horse there Bianca."
Bianca
nodded. Her grandmother had out done herself this time. She looked at
the tall paint. She had a sandy main and tail, one glass eye and one
brown. "I think I'll take her to the show next week end, just
walk her around, see how she does."
Jackson
nodded. "Well I have to get going over to Travis's. His roof is
leaking again. You two be good."
Bianca
looked at Leo who made a face. "Idiot."
"Moron!"
Bianca
pushed him off the fence into the water troff.
"You
are so dead Binky!"
Bianca
rolled her eyes, laughing she hopped off of the fence. She tied her
horse up to it leaving the saddle on and walked into her barn.
"What?
Your just going to leave me here?"
Bianca
laughed. "You bet!"
Leo
looked at his watch. "One thirty! I better get home and start
getting ready."
"Leo,
the dance isn't until 7:00 at night."
"Well,
I guy needs a lot of time to get his hair to stand up." He said
pointing to his now flat hair.
Bianca
laughed. "Go! And good luck."
"Remember
Binky! Pay back is a bitch!"
Bianca
trotted down the road with Little Jack. She stopped in front of
Maggie's house and got off running up to the door she pounded
loudly. The door opened and a pair of eyes looked out at her from a
dark room.
"Maggie?"
Bianca asked pushing the door open slightly.
"Bianca."
Maggie said breathing a sigh of relive. "What are you doing here?"
"I
wondered if you wanted to come up to my house or ride into town."
Maggie
smiled and opened the door wider. "Sure, just give me a minute."
Maggie quickly wrote her mom a note and headed out the door. "Only
one horse?"
Bianca
nodded. "I figured we could ride double...but if you don't want
to I can run home and get another one..."
"No,
its fine."
On
their way back from town Maggie held onto Bianca's back tightly.
Feeling their body's move in sync was such an awesome feeling.
"Hey?" Maggie asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"You
want to do something tonight? Go swimming down at lake...umm..."
"Willow
Lake?"
"Yeah."
Maggie said. She knew it would be too dark for Bianca to see her
bruise then.
"Alright.
I think it would be best not to take the horses though, it can get
really muddy down there."
"Alright,
Its not that far anyway is it?"
"No,
a few blocks." Bianca pulled the horse to a stop. Will you be okay
going in?"
"Yeah.
So...I'll see you about seven thirty?"
"Yeah
see you then."
"Bye."
"Bye
dad!" Bianca said as she ran down stairs.
"Bianca,
where are you going?" Erica asked as she saw her daughter in her
two-piece suit with jeans.
"Maggie
and I are going swimming in Willow Lake."
"At
this time?"
"Yeah,
we figured there would be many people there."
"Bianca,
its late, I don't think so."
"Mom!
Its 7:00. We will be fine."
"Erica."
Jackson said coming down the stars. "Its not that far away, she
will be fine."
"Thanks
daddy!" Bianca smiled. "Bye!" And with that she was out the
door running towards Maggie's.
Bianca
met Maggie half way. "Hey!" She smiled at her friend.
"Hey
Bianca." Maggie said. "You ready?"
"Yep.
What's in the cooler?" Bianca said eyeing it in Maggie's hand.
"Oh,
just some drinks. Lets go." She reached for Bianca's hand.
Bianca
was a bit confused but happily took it.
"See!
Told you it would be empty!" Bianca smiled as she set her stuff
down and ran towards the water. She took off her pants and shoes
throwing them at her friend. "Come on Maggie!" She yelled.
Maggie
was always embarrassed by her body, she took off her t-shirt and
jeans running towards Bianca and jumping in. "OH MY GOD! COLD!"
She yelled.
Bianca
laughed as she swam up to her. "Its not that bad."
Maggie
laughed. "Sure." She moved out farther.
"I
wouldn't do that!" Bianca warned.
"What?"
"The
Willow Lake monster might get you." Bianca said seriously.
"Oh
come on Bianca! You are too old to believe in that stuff."
"Its
true! Leo told me about it when I was about seven. Sometimes if you
go out too far at night he bites you on the ankles and sucks you
under!"
Maggie
started laughing. "Yeah right! Come on who is this Leo anyway?"
"He
is my best friend believe me he wouldn't lie to me about this
stuff."
Maggie
laughed. "Bianca, you can't believe this!"
"I'm
not kidding Maggie."
Maggie
just laughed and swam out farther. After a while she could only hear
Bianca calling her. She couldn't see her in the dark night.
Suddenly she felt something nip at her ankle. 'Just a fish.' She
told herself. Then it bit harder. She yelped and swam as fast as she
could towards Bianca's voice. "BIANCA! BIANCA!"
"Maggie?"
Bianca began to swim towards her plowing completely into her. "What's
wrong?"
"Its
after me!" Maggie yelled swimming to shore.
"What
is?"
"The
monster!"
Bianca
laughed following her. "Yeah sure."
Maggie
collapsed on the blanket they had laid out earlier. "Look at this!"
Maggie said showing Bianca her bleeding leg.
"Oh
my god!" Bianca said looking at it. The bite wasn't very big, but
it was still a bite.
"Maybe
you should go to the hospital."
"NO!"
Maggie snapped.
Bianca
shrank back, "Sorry."
"No,
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. Its just I don't like
hospital. I'm fine, its just a little bite from the big hairy scary
Monster of Willow Lake."
Bianca
laughed. "Well...is there anything I can get you?"
"Nope
I have the cure right here." Maggie opened the cooler and pulled
out two beers handing one to Bianca. "Here."
"Maggie...I...I
don't drink."
"Oh
come! One beer won't hurt you!"
One
beer later the girls were laughing at anything. Neither of then was
used to the alcohol and both were drunk. For no reason Bianca
attracted Maggie and began tickling her, "HEY!" Maggie squealed
rolling her over tickling her back.
"I
give! I give." Bianca finally surrendered laying back.
Maggie
smiled lying down on top of her, their lips an inch apart. "You are
so beautiful." Maggie whispered tracing Bianca's face. "Your
eyes, lips...wow." She breathed.
Bianca
knew it was wrong but she gently moved into Maggie's lips. They
were so soft, she felt her respond pushing her head back into the
blanket. They were interrupted from a voice in the bushes. "Hey?!
What's going on down here?"
TBC...