hi Phil fans. It's been ages since I've had time to write anything that wasn't school related. But the term's almost over, thank God... Here's my latest. Hope you like the beginning.
School's out for Summer
Chapter 1
"Keely's a Cuddler"
The Saturday after H. G. Wells' graduation, Keely and Phil had planned to take a picnic out to Pickford Lake. Keely had stayed up late making sandwiches and baking cookies. She had read somewhere that the key to a man's heart was through his stomach. But besides that, Keely just simply adored doing things for Phil. Something between them had changed over the last couple of weeks of their senior year of high school, Keely could tell. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant or how to deal with it, but it was there. Some kind of electricity. It started with little things: holding hands on the walk home in the afternoons; warm smiles shared during the morning report. Keelyeven haddreamsof Phil and a future together. While she studied in the evenings her thoughts wandered to their lives beyondhigh schooland Pickford. She didn't know where she'd be in five years, or ten, but she knew who she wanted to be with. After four years, Keely and Phil had become closer than either of them had ever imagined,butthey somehownever got around to stating their intentions even though they knew what was going on. They were just so comfortable in the roles they were playing, that a step forward was scary for both of them, even though each one wanted the other desperately.
A week ago, Phil and Keely had planned a summer-long drive across the country. "All fifty states, Phil," Keely had proclaimed. Phil reminded her that since they couldn't exactly drive to Hawaii, it was really only forty-nine, so they'd have to Skyak there. Keely had marked their route on a road atlas in eyeliner. Once they returned to Pickford in September, both Phil and Keely would be starting their freshman year at the prestigious Handsometown College.
Keely's mother, Mandy, was supportive of the trip: she trusted no one more with her daughter than Phil Diffy. Though Mandy was somewhat unclear about the nature of their friendship, she was certain that Phil's feelings for Keely were sincere. The two had been inseparable for the past four years, and Phil had shown remarkable maturity for an eighteen-year-old. They had managed to stay out of trouble, and Mandy believed this had everything to do with Phil. Barb Diffy felt exactly the same way about Keely. Somehow Keely Teslow had been the one to guide Phil through the turbulent years of high school unscathed. It was a miracle. (They had not been as lucky with Pim.) Thus, the trip across America was settled. And Phil and Keely would even be allowed to share a motel room (to keep the cost down), granted there were two beds. Mandy, Lloyd, and Barb all figured that if something were meant to happen between the two friends, it surely would have by now.
But, back to the picnic.
Keely finished packing the basket and met Phil outside.
"Hey, kid. Where's your car?" Keely asked when she spotted Phil, who was grinning at her.
"Well, put it this way. The time machine is in better shape than my car. And the Wizard isn't programmed to fix something so old, so we'll either have to walk or…" Phil looked at her nervously.
"Or?" Keely said. One hand rested on her hip and her flip-flopped foot tapped on the sidewalk.
"Or we'll have to hitch a ride with someone else," Phil said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his swim trunks and shrugging.
"Well, like who?" she said, pouting. Phil could tell she was annoyed. But it wasn't his fault. Pim did something to the car. He had seen her walking toward the garage earlier with a chainsaw.
"How 'bout we call Owen and Via and see if they want to come along," Phil said, wishing he could bat his eyes like Keely did and automatically get his way.
"Well, if we must," Keely said. "But I was hoping we would be alone so we could do a little last-minute preparing for our trip. You know how it is with Owen around. We'll have to play with him. Honestly, you'd think he was eight, not eighteen," then she looked up at Phil with a panic-stricken expression. "Oh no, Phil. Your car! Our trip!"
"Relax, Keel. I already thought of that. I thought we could replicate one from a magazine," Phil said.
"But if we can replicate one for our trip, why not for the picnic?" Keely asked.
"I knew you'd ask that, Teslow. You're pretty quick," Phil said, winking at her. She smiled. "It'll be three whole months before we see Owen and Via again. Don't you want to hang out with them a little?"
Keely nodded. "You're right, as usual. I'm just so excited about the trip, Phil. I mean, I've only left California once in my entire life. And that was just to Las Vegas," Keely said, referring to the time she and Phil had to chase after Owen and Via who had threatened to get married at the Little White Wedding Chapel on the Vegas Strip.
"God, that was a disaster," Phil said, remembering the whole ordeal. Ever since Owen and Via had finally started going out junior year, they'd been planning the rest of their lives together: marriage, children—number of (six) and names (Oliver, Oscar, Otto, Olive, Oprah, and Orlando)—houses, and cars. It was incredible. In the nick of time Phil and Keely had convinced them to finish college before tying the knot. At the very least, graduate from high school.
Phil and Keely, on the other hand, had been playing it safe. Some (Owen, for instance) might say too safe. Phil recalled a conversation he had with Owen recently.
"Dude," Owen had said at lunch one day last week before Keely and Via came to the table. "You know what's going on here? You have the whole relationship: the girl who's obviously into you or she would have gone out with someone else by now, the hand-holding, the flirting, everything. But something's missing."
"Yeah, Owen, and what's that?" Phil said. He knew what Owen was about to say.
"What's missing, Philly Cheese Steak, is the sex," Owen said.
"Stop it, Owen. Don't say anything else," Phil said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I don't mean sex, sex," Owen said. "I mean it like as in the basics. The fundamentals. I take it you're not very experienced?"
Phil was mortified. "Wait, Owen. How would you know anything about Keely and me and sex and what's going on with us?"
"Trust me, Diffo. I know," Owen said, smiling.
Phil couldn't believe that he was getting relationship advice from Owen. "It's that obvious?" he asked.
"Well, it is to me. Probably not to anyone else since no guys ever ask Keely out and no girls ever ask you out," Owen said. "Am I right?"
Phil just sighed. Truth was, he was confused and afraid. They were perfect. He knew that. And he was pretty sure she did, too. They did everything together and he never got tired of her. She was the right amount of everything. Phil had never had such a close friend who was a girl before. That's what made it weird. Because with a guy friend there was nothing else to consider beyond friendship. But with Keely… Where to even begin? When had he not wanted more with Keely? Had he liked her more than a friend before he even knew her? It was all so confusing. Which is why he hadn't really done anything about it. They were attached at the hip, never dated anyone else, but still didn't call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. It was bizarre. "You're right," Phil said.
"So what's stopping you, Diffo?" Owen asked.
"I don't know. Maybe, Owen, I'm afraid I'll screw it up," Phil said. "Keely's such a dreamer. She always talks about the future and what she wants. She wants a life of excitement and wonder and action. And Owen, I'm none of the above. I'm just plain old Phil Diffy. I can't give her anything more than what I have. Which is just me. I don't know what I want to do or where I want to be. And if things got, you know… physical… it would be even more complicated, don't you think?"
"Phil, you're heavy, man," Owen said. "And you mean to tell me you've never even once a little bit kissed Keely? 'Cause I could have sworn that you were making out at Bruno's after-prom party a few weekends ago."
"I wish," Phil said.
"Well, what was going on up in Bruno's parents room, Diffo? 'Cause I saw you two go upstairs and never come back. And the only other room up there is Bruno's, and he was definitely occupied with Alice Deluca. If you catch my drift," Owen said, winking and jabbing Phil in the ribs with his elbow.
"We were snuggling," Phil said, visibly embarrassed.
"Snuggling?" Owen asked. "Is that like cuddling?"
"Snuggling. Cuddling… whatever," Phil said.
"Keely's a cuddler," Owen said, grinning. "So how come no action, Diffo?"
"Well, I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere quiet, you know, which is like the worst cliché in the book, but it was all I could come up with. And so we walked upstairs. There was something going on with her that night, like she was a little preoccupied, almost a little sad, and she went up to the window in Bruno's parents' room and was looking out at the stars—she loves looking at stars, by the way—and I stood next to her and even got my arm around her," Phil looked at Owen to make sure he was following.
"Go on, Diffo, I'm listening," Owen said. "So far, so good."
"So—and the thing is, I was kind of hoping she would make the first move—and she sort of had this look in her eyes like she wanted something to happen. And I thought I was, you know, giving her the right expression. We looked at each other in the face and she said, 'Phil, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me.' So we lay down on the bed, and I just held her, like she was a little girl or something. I can't figure out this weird protective feeling I have for her. I mean, is that normal?" Phil said. Owen shrugged. "Owen, she's just this perfect, beautiful girl and I don't want to mess that up." Phil stopped talking for a moment, and sort of stared into space. "I just don't know if she's ready for this."
"Ready for what?" Owen asked.
"Ready for, you know, like you said before. The basics," Phil said. It sounded so dumb now. Who did he think he was, deciding what she was ready for? But Phil felt guilty even considering his impulses with Keely. It just felt as though he'd be taking advantage of a girl who trusted him unconditionally. Phil Diffy was afraid that he'd get carried away with Keely. And if he got carried away, what if he hurt her? Or made her feel uncomfortable? But on the other hand, if he never acted, would they ever be anything but friends?
"Diffo, man, you think too much," Owen said. "I mean, Keely's got it for you. She told you herself. And you're not doing anything. And I know girls. They can go forever without any action. She's eighteen years old, brother. She's a big girl. You two need to get on with it. And I don't mean going out there and messing around for the hell of it. Do it because you love her. And I don't mean it, because you're obviously not ready for that yet, but just grab her and kiss her and see how it feels, man," Owen patted Phil on the shoulder. "Less talk, more action."
"Thanks, Owen, for hearing me out," Phil said.
"Well, let's just not make a habit out of these heart-to-hearts. I don't want people to think anything about us…" Owen said.
"Don't worry, Owen," Phil said. He was determined to make this summer the summer of Phil and Keely. Somehow.
Phil called Owen and Via and invited them to come on the picnic. Keely fixed six more turkey sandwiches and grabbed a few apples, the cookies, and a big thermos of lemonade, knowing that no amount of food would be enough for Owen. But, it was all she had. She was still a little disappointed Owen and Via were coming along. As much as she enjoyed spending time with them, she had wanted some time alone with Phil. She thought maybe she could find the courage somewhere to ask him what he thought of the two of them making it official and dating like normal people. She had all summer though. No doubt they'd have many hours of driving time to discuss what this relationship was really going to be about. All alone with Phil for three months. And then college for four years. No parents. No curfews. Just Phil.
When Owen and Via pulled up in his dad's pickup truck, Keely's heart sank.
"I thought we'd be taking your mom's convertible, Owen. Your dad's fishing truck is all you could manage?" Keely asked.
"Yep. Mom and Dad took the convertible to San Francisco for the weekend. Just me and Gus at home these days," he said.
"Gus?" Phil asked.
"It's what he calls the truck. I know. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Via said, rolling her eyes at Owen. "But it'll get us to the lake. Are you guys ready?"
Phil hoisted the picnic basket into the back of the truck and opened the passenger-side door. There wasn't room for all four of them.
"Uh, Keels, looks like you're in my lap," Phil said. "You mind?" He climbed in next to Via, who was in the middle of the bench seat.
Keely smiled. "Of course not," she said, and hopped up into the truck and onto Phil's lap.
Keely faced forward and started fooling with the radio tuner. Gus only had radio—no CD player. As Owen backed the truck out of the Diffy's driveway, Keely wobbled a little on Phil's lap, and she eventually hooked one flip-flopped foot around Phil's leg to brace herself. She was wearing a pale blue sundress with a halter-neck, and when she leaned back, Phil's nose and mouth touched the bare skin of her back.
"Sorry if I smashed your face in, Philly Willy," Keel said with a giggle. She twisted around and faced him, smiling. "But you're really pretty comfy."
"It's fine," Phil said. He was unsure what to do with his hands. He put his right arm up in the rolled-down window and the left one just lay there like a dead fish in the little bit of space between his leg and Via. But Owen hit a pothole at that exact moment, so Phil used the bump as an excuse to quickly wrap his left arm snuggly around Keely's waist. As he did it, he felt her body relax a little more, but she didn't say or do anything. He took this as a good sign. Knowing Keely, if she thought it was weird, she would have said something.
The drive to Pickford Lake was about twenty minutes. But Phil wouldn't have minded if it had taken hours. The two girls sang along with the oldies station Keely has selected. All the windows were down and Keely's hair flew around Phil's face and in his mouth. He smiled to himself. Could life get much better? School's out and it's summertime and I'm riding in a pickup truck with a beautiful girl in my lap, singing at the top of her lungs, and leaning into me, Phil thought. With a jolt of courage, Phil moved his right arm from the window and wrapped it around Keely's waist with his left one. Then he hugged her and pulled her down closer to his chest, so that her head rested on his shoulder. She was still singing and laughing along with Via, and Phil wondered if she really even noticed. But it felt so good, the heft of her on his lap, against his chest. Then Phil, in perhaps the boldest move of his life until that point, his heart racing, his cheeks blazing, nuzzled his face into the crook of Keely's neck and kissed the warm skin there softly.