I'm so so sorry that I've taken so long with this! School's been hectic lately. Well, I know you've all been waiting for this for about 2 months, so I decided to write about some small scenes before Tucker's birthday (sorry to leave you hanging… (not really). Enjoy and review! X)P
I picked Carrots up at her place to go to Yellowstone. I couldn't stop sneaking glances at her. I think she's the only girl in the world who could make a t-shirt, shorts, and old tennis shoes a fashion statement. I spent the time talking about what I wanted to show her and where she wanted to go.
"So, you want to hike to Old Faithful first?" I ask after we get our passes out. She looks at me and scoffs.
"I thought that was the whole point of this park," she says. She's smirking at me. I smirk back. This is going to be great.
It's awfully noisy here. I turn my head and Carrots does the same. We see a middle age Asian woman frantically speaking to a park ranger behind us. I couldn't understand her since most of it was in Korean (I think). I turn my head to Carrots and see her looking at the woman intently. What's wrong?
"Let's go over there and see if we can help," she says all of a sudden.
"Sure," I say without really thinking about it. She gives me a smile and starts walking toward the Asian woman. I follow her like a puppy. Can we help? I don't know any Korean and I don't think Carrots knows Korean either…
"Hi," Carrots says the ranger and the Asian woman. The Asian woman glares at us but doesn't say anything and the ranger looks exasperated. I see Carrots blush a little and I inch closer to her. She glances up at me for a second then takes a breath.
Alright, I expected us to help, but I didn't think Carrots would speak fluent Korean and fix the problem.
Carrots and the agitated Asian woman had a conversation. I looked at them back and forth as they each said something. This was absolutely mind-blowing. Eventually I just stare at Carrots as she translates for the park ranger. One part of my brain is gazing at her in awe. She's incredible. But I can't shake off this feeling. I feel as if this is nothing compared to what she can really do. I mean, how many red-headed (well, orange-headed) 17-year-old Californians do you know who can speak fluent Korean. One. Fair point well-made brain.
About half an hour passes and they locate a little Asian boy about five-years-old.
After she's done, Carrots looks at me then looks away and blushes. She's so beautiful when she blushes.
"Sorry about that," she says. I could barely hear her since if came out in a whisper. She looks up at me again and clears her throat.
"Sorry about that," she says a little more loudly. "I umm… heard her frustration and thought could help. She apparently lost track of her son and couldn't find him."
I don't say anything and she continues to talk.
"I umm… have a Korean friend back in California," she tells me. "And I'm good with languages."
I feel myself nod at her response and there's a moment of silence that hangs between us. Carrots looks at her feet as I continue to stare her. She looks so normal but there's so many things that I know she's hiding.
I clear my throat this time. "So, should we go have a look at Old Faithful?" She looks up with relief clear in her eyes. I smile at her and hike through Yellow Stone.
We had a great rest of the day. I might have been a little distracted with the earlier events but I couldn't help but tease Carrots about her tripping fifteen times on our hike. The day was worth it when I saw her face as she gazed at Old Faithful. I'd seen this geyser a million times, and it was beautiful and all, but seeing her eyes light up in wonder made the geyser seem breathtaking.
I drove her back home a little after sunset. I didn't want the day to end; I loved spending time with her. Of course I'll see her tomorrow. There's nothing in heaven, hell, or Mother Earth that could keep me away from her now.
She got out the car and turned around to look at me and old Bluebell.
"Goodnight, Tucker," she says.
"Goodnight, Carrots," I say and tip my hat.
She gives me a sad smile. One that I haven't seen since prom. My heart starts to ache a little. Did I do something wrong? Was today not good enough?
"Today was amazing," she tells me, her voice laced with sincerity. "Thank you, for everything." With that, she shuts the door and waves at me as I pull out of her driveway.
I replay the day's events and think about how little I know Carrots but I already love her. What if she's hiding something major? Something I could never forget? What if she pushes me away because of it? I shake my head. Shut up, Tuck. Do you really think you would stop loving her if she did have a secret? If she does push you away? I knew that answer before I thought of the question. I look out my window and see the moon peaking for the cloud. I picture her smiling and blushing, her eyes as bright as the stars. I'll never stop loving her. I smile at my image of her in my mind. But she sure is something special.
I walked up her porch with more confidence this time. A guy could get use to this. I knock on the door and a minute later, Carrots opens it in her sweatpants and black tee glory. Her eyes widen and I wonder for a minute if she thought I wouldn't want to hang out with her after seeing her speak Korean. I give her a smile. Nice try, Carrots, but it's going to take a lot more than that to get me screaming out the door.
An hour later we're on an inflated river raft with a bunch of tourists and me being the wonderful tour guide that I am, rowing the boat. We're all wearing neon orange life jackets with blue and yellow straps on them but I can't stop suppressing a laugh every time I look at Carrots. She's so adorable but that life jacket looks huge on her (it's not, I checked… twice).
When we hit the first set of rapids and the boat lurches, splashing water everywhere. I remember on my first day, I was nearly thrown off the boat. You get used to it though. I turn to grin at her while the tourists scream and hoot as if they were on a roller coaster. She grins back.
After the tour I take her to Ava's house. If Ava Peters can do anything in the world, it's throwing an awesome party. I stay close to Carrots. I don't want her to get lost. Liar, you don't want other guys making a move on her. Don't want that either.
I introduce her to all my rodeo buddies like Michael Thompson, Natalie DeGreene, and Johnny Shmoeker. I watch the entire time. She looks so happy. Her eyes are lighting up and she's smiling and laughing. I've never really seen her like this. It's a joy to watch.
The guys yell "Fry!" from across the room and fist bump me and Stephanie and her group of girls come up to hug me hello. They say their hellos to Carrots too and give her welcoming smiles and it makes me smile too. Now that I think about it, she never got the chance to make many friends at Jackson Hole High. Sure, she was popular gossip and the stories about why she transferred to Jackson Hole High are hilarious (except the one about her seducing her gym coach).
I glance at her and see that she's flushed. It's pretty hot in here.
"Hey, I'll go get us something to drink," I tell her. She smiles up at me, gratitude in her eyes.
"Thanks, that would be great," she says. I smile in response and head for the kitchen.
I tense up a little. What if another guy makes a move on her while I'm gone. I mentally shake my head. Lighten up, Tuck. No one's going to make a move on her. She's perfectly safe and I bet the guys can see how smitten you are. I feel my ears heat up.
When I get to the kitchen, I debate whether or not I should give her a spiked drink or just soda. I've had a spiked drink before, it's not too bad, but I'm driving and I don't plan on dying tonight. Carrots doesn't look like she's experienced with parties like this… Non-spiked it is. I pour two cups of Coca-cola.
When I cross the kitchen counter, I see Carrots with someone by her side. I tense up again but relax when I see it's just Ava. I hurry over none-the-less. Yup, smitten.
When I get to Carrots' side, I hear Ava say, "Sorry, I thought…" Curiosity gets the better of me.
"You thought what?" I ask. Carrots jumps and whirls around to look at me. I can see her blushing furiously. She's so adorable, but why is she blushing so much?
"I thought you two were an item," Ava says. Oh, I get it now. I want to tell her that Carrots is my girlfriend. I want everyone to know that she's mine. But unfortunately, we haven't gotten that far yet. I hope we do get there soon.
"We're just friends," I say. I meet Carrots' startling blue-gray eyes to my blue and then hand her her drink.
"What is this?" she asks.
"Rum and Coke," I tell her. Darn it, tongue! "I hope you like coconut rum."
She looks at her drink cautiously. I sigh a little on the inside. I'm glad I didn't actually spike it. She looks back up at me and smiles. I smile back and we chink plastic cups. She takes a sip. I hold my breathe. She's going to be so mad when she finds out there's no alcohol in that drink.
"It's good," she says. Wait, what? "thank you." SHE DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD LIED?! I turn to Ava before I start rolling on the floor laughing till tears come.
"Nice party, Ava," I say. The laughter subsides for now. "You really pulled out all the stops."
"Thanks," she says serenely. "I'm glad you made it. You, too, Clara. Good to finally get to know you."
My ears heat up again and I catch Ava's eye and I know she knows about how much I like Carrots. Well, it's not really like, its love.
I look at Carrots.
"Yeah, "she says. She gives Ava a kind smile. "It's good to be known." She looks up at me and I smile at her. I see her smile widen. I think we will get to be together someday. And we enjoy the party.
"What are you thinking about?" I ask. Carrots hasn't said anything in a while and it's making me a little self-conscious.
"You're different than I thought you were," she says. She's thought about me?
I keep my eyes on the road but smile at her response. "What did you think I was?" I ask her.
"A rude hick," she says with a hint of laughter at the edge of her voice. I burst out laughing.
"Geez, blunt much?" I manage to ask through my laughing.
"It's not like you didn't know," she says. I glance at her and see she's pouting. "You wanted me to think that."
I stop laughing and don't answer her. I never wanted you to think I was rude, Carrots. I was such a jerk then. I hope that I've changed now.
Silence ebbs in the car and I take a breath.
"You're different than I thought you were too," I say.
"You thought I was this spoiled California chick," she says. But I hear relief in her voice. I guess the silence made her nervous too.
"I still think you're a spoiled California chick," I say. She punches me. Hard. "Ow. See?"
"How am I different?" she asks. I look at her but she's starring out the window, her arm dangling out as we drive through the trees toward her house. Everything around us sharpens. I can feel the summer air caressing my skin, see every drop of moonlight on the trees, smell the pine in the scented breeze, and hear the crickets chirp even louder as the night goes on as we sit nervous and serious in the car.
"Come on, how am I different?" she asks again. Alright, I'll tell her.
"It's hard to explain," I say. I rub the back of my neck and think peanut butter. Did I mention that it makes me focus? "There's just so much to you that's under the surface." Like you skiing like a pro the first time you were on the slopes, and how you looked as if you'd been riding for years with Old Sassy, and when you spoke fluent Korean yesterday. And how you've captured my heart.
"Hmm," she says a little quietly. "How mysterious."
"Yep, you're like an iceberg," I say. I mentally smack my hand. Very flattering, Tuck.
"Gee, thanks," she says more lightly.
"I think the problem is that you always underestimate me."
I hadn't thought about that. But I know that I haven't. I expected her to be great. But the things she's done, they're just not natural. It's almost as if she's not… human. But that's insane. Of course she's human. What else would she be? Don't answer that question, Tuck.
We pull up to Carrots' place and it looks dark and empty. She doesn't immediately get out. She hesitates and when I look at her, she's chewing her lip.
"Nope," I say, answering to the "I think you underestimate me" comment and put the truck in park. "I wouldn't be surprised if you could fly to the moon." Well, I would, but this is a metaphor.
She sucks in a breath and shifts in her seat. Seeing that she's uncomfortable, I change the subject. But this isn't over. What are you hiding, Carrots?
"You want to pick huckleberries with me tomorrow?" I ask.
"Huckleberries?"
"They sell in town for fifty bucks a gallon," I tell her. It may be strawberries everywhere else, but it's huckleberries for Jackson Hole. "I know this spot where there are like a hundred bushes. I go out there a few times a summer. It's early in the season, but there should be some berries because it's been so hot lately. It's good money." Shut up now, Tucker.
"Okay," she says, sitting up straighter. "I'll go." I can hear her excitement and I smile at her.
I jump out of Bluebell and circle around to open the door for her. Wouldn't be me if I didn't have my manners. I hold out my hand and help her climb down from Bluebell. When I let go, my hand feels cold and shivers and running up and down my back. Peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter.
"Thanks," she murmurs.
"Night, Carrots," I say almost breathlessly.
"Night, Tuck," she says.
I lean against my truck and wait, watching her go inside. When her orange hair is behind the door, I hop back into Bluebell and drive away. She's very mysterious. She'll tell me someday, I'll just have to wait for that day to come. I start whistling "Danny Boy". And we had a good time today. I grin at the road ahead. Strike that, we had a great time. And I drive home with her and only her on my mind.