When Julia left the house to go to Jay's, she spied her dad on their lawn talking to him. She walked the sidewalk to where the only guys in her life stood chatting. Tati stood at the glass front door, yelling, trying to get Jay's attention. Julia sat her backpack on the step and opened the door, hoisting Tatia on her hip. She squealed and laughed, her little hands clapping together with delight. Julia joined them on the sidewalk, cooing baby sounds at Tati. Tati reached and leaped from her arms to Jay's. "ZZZay" Tati giggled.
"She's calling your name." Julia laughed.
"She screams it all day long. And when I say all day long, I mean all day long." He reached into his pocket and pulled the lollipop out. Julia took it and removed the wrapper. Tati stuck it in her mouth.
"Julia, you have fun ok. I'll see you tomorrow when you get back."
They gave each other a quick hug. She went in the house with Jay and Tatia. Julia took the little girl and sat her in the pack n play with her toys. She jumped to her little feet and stared at them as she sucked on her lollipop. Alex sat on the floor, watching cartoons. Crayons and coloring books scattered around him. Grandmom was at the kitchen table, doing her puzzlebooks, drinking her morning coffee. Julia said hi and passed her as she followed Jay to the closed in back porch.
"What were you two talking about?" She asked, curious to hear.
Jay grabbed his gear off the floor by bed. "He apologized to me. For Karen. He told me he didn't mean to get me upset and if I ever needed to talk, he was two doors down. He did add that he would probably be working or sleeping when I knocked up, but I can bother him whenever."
"Cool, ok. " She said, leaving the porch. She didn't like it on his porch. Too many windows and the sun was blinding her.
They heard the van arrive. The horn honked, then Deb burst through the house. Julia swore the place shook like a SWAT team had just entered. Deb tackled Jay, knocking him back onto the bed. She held him down. "You owe me one." She warned. Her weight pinned him to the thin mattress. Julia heard the creaking of the bed frame, worried it would collapse under the weight of fat Deb and Jayson combined. Julia knew better to involve herself with Deb or she'd wind up under her too. Jay grabbed her and flipped her off the bed to the floor, setting her down as opposed to throwing her. He jumped to his feet, extended a hand a helped her up. He reached up on the shelf above his bed, handed her a bag of weed. "Here."
She hugged him in huge arms, gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You do love my ass." She laughed from the core of her person. Everything about Deb was huge, personality, her laugh, her brain, her body, her love for everyone. "Hi, Julia. S'up bitch?" Despite her foul mouth, Deb was a presence that was fierce and loving at the same time. No filter and no ladylike qualities at all. Deb was more like one of the guys and she had no feminine attributes at all whatsoever.
"Hi, Deb." Julia smiled, thinking how Deb made her uncomfortable. Julia tried hard not to be judgemental or shallow, but the overall size of her presence made her squeamish.
"Payment in full." She bellowed, palming the weed and stuffing it in her bra. "Get out before I change my mind and go instead of you."
"Language!" Grandmom yelled toward the porch. "Deb, the babies."
"Sorry, mamaw." Deb went in the kitchen and took a spot at the table. She picked up a deck of cards and started dealing to her grandmom who hadn't taken her eyes off the puzzle book yet.
Vans. Uncles. Friends. Family. They rode in two vans an hour west on the turnpike from home. They texted back and forth between the two vans as they drove. Jay and Julia sat in the back seat with Hayley. The girls played with their phones, scrolling through Hayley's itunes playlist and playing the songs they liked while Jay fell back to sleep for the ride.The van eventually pulled into a rest stop on the turnpike. They all piled out of the vans with their 10 minute warning. Jay hung back, sleeping. They went inside and hit the rest room. Hayley got them starbucks coffee with a gift card she had from her birthday.
"Hey, you're looking real pretty today, ladies." A voice from behind them called. A shiver went up Julia's spine and she immediately felt uncomfortable. She thought of Jay sleeping in the van. The girls, 3 of them turned to see a man, late twenties maybe. Cass was the one who responded, the others didn't respond to cat calls, but Cass did. "Hey, what's up?"
"Cass, let's go." Julia urged, tugging her jacket sleeve.
"Where you ladies headed today?" He asked, staring at Julia. She felt like his eyes were slicing into her.
Cass stepped in front of Julia. "A cabin up on Christmas Lake. You?" She answered, moving closer. Ever single and ever flirty, Cass was always interested in cute boys and a good time. But this wasn't a boy and he didn't fit into their weekend plans. She doubted Jay's uncles would like the idea of this guy hitting on the girls let alone hanging out with them.
"Cassidy, hey, he's a creeper." Hayley murmured in her ear.
"You girls up for some fun? I'm not far from Christmas Lake. Got a cabin up there myself."
Julia spied Chess looking for them. Cass grinned, "Maybe."
"Come on!" Chess hollered to them. Julia and Hayley separated from Cass and started walking away.
He started walking with them. "I'm Caleb. What's your name?" He stated, a sick smile on his face. Yeah, he was alright. Clean cut with light brown hair and a five o'clock shadow. Nice build in jeans and a flannel. But Julia got the creeps from him. Just a feeling. She wished Jay had been with her instead of asleep in the van. Chess called them again, started walking over to them. He saw the guy with them, talking to Julia and Hayley. He saw the way they stepped back, away from him. Cass had turned to the teenager at the Starbucks counter.
"Dude, leave us alone." Hayley said.
"I'm just making conversation."
"Conversation that we don't want."
Chess then stepped in between them. He looked around wishing Ray or Jay had come in with him after these girls. "You got a problem, man?" Chess said, raising his voice, puffing up that little chest of his.
"Little man, no. Just saying hi is all." Caleb answered, hovering over him. Chess stood all of 5 foot 1, skinny in oversized clothes and Vans on his feet. His sandy brown hair cropped close to his head, he still managed running a hand through his hair though as this looming man stood over the three of them.
Julia pulled her cell from her pocket. She wanted to leave. Chess was getting all riled up, Cass was across the way making googly eyes at the Starbucks kid and Julia was feeling intimidated. She dialed Jay's phone, and that was when Caleb backed off, but not down.
"Julia, we're waiting." He mumbled half asleep.
"Come in here." Julia said nervously.
The phone clicked off. Chess gave her a dirty look that said he was annoyed, but thankful. "Let's go." He said, "Cass, yo, now."
Cass ignored him, but the girls moved past Caleb with Chess. Jay was walking inside at that point, scanning the rest stop for Julia. His eyes settled on her as she head his way. "What's up? You alright?"
"No, go get Cass."
"Geeze, again? This was your idea bringing her with us, Chess."
Jay walked over to Cass as the girls stood alone by the door. Cass paid attention when Jay came after her. She said bye to her new friend as she input his number into her cell. When Jay passed by Caleb, he eyed him, knowing right away he didn't like him. He didn't loom over Jay as he did Chess. Jay was awkwardly long, thin and stood eye level with him. He flushed a bit beneath his light brown skin. He tucked an arm around julia and led her out, seeing she was put off by the guy.
They piled back into the vans with their coffees. It was then Jay got pissed off. He was told what went on with the Caleb. Julia played it off like it was no big deal. How often did that happen? She felt safer away from him though. As safe as Cass had felt fine right alongside side the barista flirting.
The cabin wasn't far away from there. Another half hour. The closer they got the further out of their minds the creeper was. They looked forward to their overnight as Cass sat in the rear van, texting her new friend.
The vans pulled up to the cabin. They wasted no time playing in the open expanse of woods around the Lake. Like when they were little, they played hide n seek till they boys brought out the kayaks and they wore out till near supper time paddling and looking at the fall scenery surrounding them. Jay and Julia took off to the spot that Jay liked the most, adjacent to the open field where his uncles hunted deer. The spot where they hauled the buck and posed for the pic holding up the points. It had been a big deal and a big day. It was Jay's favorite spot where he felt like a man when he was only a little boy all those years ago.
"You sure they can't see us from here?"Julia asked.
"I doubt it. Not over the grass." He answered. He pulled his camo hoodie over his head and laid it on the ground.
Julia lay down with her ass on the hoodie, she kicked off a sneaker and he pulled her jeans down, then snuggled between her legs. "You doubt it, huh?" Julia murmured as she felt him push his way inside of her.
"Nothing out here but animals, Julia." He reassured her. "I got you. You're covered."
"Jay, I feel like I am being watched." Julia said, after a while of uncomfortable fucking.
"You're not, Jules. Just by me. "
"I'm serious, Jay." She said. looking around at the trees, leaves, grass, a bird flying over head.
"Ok, Babe." He stopped, pulling out of her. She dressed quickly, glad to have her clothes back on straight. "Can you help me out here?" He asked, holding onto his crotch. Julia knelt in front of Jay, doubting that being watched doing this was any better than their previous activity.
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