Slammed(6)

I look at the cup before taking another sip and notice the big letters emblazoned on the side. World's Greatest Dad. It's the exact same cup my father used to drink coffee from.

"I'll be okay," I say as I head toward the front door. "I think I've got the whole walking erect thing down now."

He follows me outside and shuts his front door behind him, insisting I take his jacket with me. I pull it on over my shoulders, thank him again, then head across the street.

“Layken!” he yells just as I'm about to walk back inside my house. I turn back toward him and he's standing in his driveway.

“May the force be with you!" He laughs and hops into his car and backs out of the driveway as I stand there, staring down at the Darth Vader house shoes I'm still sporting. Classic.

***

The coffee helps. I locate the thermostat and by lunch the house has finally started to warm up. Mom and Kel are gone to the utility company to get everything switched into her name and I’m left with the last of the boxes, if you don't count what’s still in the jeep. I get a few more things unpacked and decide it's high time for a shower. I'm pretty sure I'm closing in on day three of my granola girl look.

I get out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel; flipping my hair forward as I brush it out and blow dry it. When it's dry, I point the blow dryer at the fogged up mirror, forming a clear circular area so that I can apply a little makeup. I notice my tan has started to fade. There won't be much laying out here so I might as well get used to a slightly paler complexion.

I brush my hair and pull it back into a ponytail and put on some lip-gloss and mascara. I forego the blush since there no longer seems to be a need for it anymore. Between the weather and my brief encounters with Will my cheeks seem to stay red.

I search my closet and find a long sleeved shirt and throw it on with some jeans and the socks I wasn't able to find this morning. The only shoes I find that are weather appropriate are a pair of thin black boots. I slide them on and zip them up over my pant legs.

Mom and Kel have already come and gone while I was in the shower. There is a note from her informing me she and Kel are following her friend Brenda into the city to return the U-Haul. Three twenty-dollar bills are on the counter next to the car keys and a grocery list. I snatch them up and head to the jeep, reaching it successfully this time.

I realize as I'm putting the car into reverse that I have absolutely no idea where I'm going. I know nothing about this town, much less whether I need to turn left or right off of my own street. Will's little brother is in their front yard so I pull the car up parallel to their curb and roll down my passenger window.

“Hey, come here for a sec!” I yell at him.

He looks at me and hesitates. Maybe he thinks I'm going to bust out in Zombie mode again. He walks toward the car, but stops three feet short of the window.

"How do I get to the closest grocery store?" I ask him.

He rolls his eyes. “Seriously? I'm nine."

Okay. So the resemblance to his brother is only skin deep.

"Well, thanks for nothing," I say. "What's your name anyway?"

He smiles at me mischievously and yells, “Darth Vader!” He’s laughing as he runs in the opposite direction of the car.

Darth Vader? I realize the significance of his response. He's making a crack at the house shoes I had on this morning. Not a big deal. The big deal is that Will must have been talking about me to him. I can't help but try to imagine the conversation between them, and what Will thinks about me. If he even thinks about me. For some reason, I've been thinking about him more than I'm comfortable with. I keep wondering how old he is, what his major is, if he's single.

Luckily, I didn't leave any boyfriends behind in Texas. I haven't dated anyone in almost a year. Between High School, my part time job, and helping out with Kel's sports, I hadn't had much time for boys. I realize it's going to be an adjustment, going from a person with absolutely no free time to a person with absolutely nothing to do.

I reach into the glove box to retrieve my GPS.

"That's not a good idea," Will says.

I look up to see him walking toward the car. I make my best attempt to stifle the smile that is involuntarily trying to take over my face. "What's not a good idea?" I ask as I insert the GPS into its holder and power it on.

He crosses his arms as he leans in the window of the car.

"There's quite a bit of construction going on right now. That thing will get you lost."