Sundee's into Sunday Morning

Todd and his friends end up spending the day together. Keres and Todd attempt to go home but he wakes up in the woods after spending the night with her with her not in sight and his brother calling.

Lacey barked in the back seat as we rode through town in my old black jeep, the kind with the black bar’s and the ugly green top just barely covering the back two seats. Still clearly made for army combat. It was my dad before he gave it to me, though he’s always said denied it I’m pretty sure it was my grandpa’s at some point.

Keres’s window was open eyes scanning all the shops, eyeing the people chatting calmly all the while with the music softly playing. “So who are we getting?”

“No one, we’re going to meet up with my friend Austin and Max.” She nodded, “So do you live here or are you just here for the summer?”

“People visit here just for the summer? Like you actually get tourists?”

I laughed, “Hey we get tourists during our Summer Nights Festival. It’s pretty popular y’know. Has a fair, games and good food and stuff.”

“What school do you go to?”

“What does it matter, it’s summer?”

“Yet another good point. But I mean you are going to meet my friends, I should know more about you than your name.”

“I like shiny things.”

I smiled, “How old are you?”

She looked at me and grinned those disproportionate lips with the two silver dots, “Sixteen turning seventeen this July.”

“Well at least you’re our age.” I smiled, I turned into my driveway. “I’m going to let Lacey in the house. Do you want to come in?”

“No.” She said softly, “Thank you.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.” Lacey jumped over the seats and followed me out the front door. I lived in a two story house, our basement was empty and generally a scary place to go into so I didn’t go down there unless I had to. I put Laceys leash on the coat rack and she ran into the kitchen to get some water. “Mom? Brian?” Brian was my older brother he was going to be a senior. He would have been in college but he got a late start in school.

“What?” His head popped out from behind the couch, he was playing some video game.

“I’m going out with Austin and Max, probably going to play basketball and then get something to eat from Sundee’s.” Sundee’s was the best summer food place, greasy to the point where it was just ridiculous, cheap with ice cream  from God’s hands himself.

I grabbed my jacket and my wallet. “Who’s the weird looking chick in the car?”

“Her name is Keres. I met her at the park, she’s going to hang out with us.”

“You need a condom?”

I thought about it for a second, “I don’t think so.”

“Better safe than sorry.” He reminded me as I shut the door behind me.

“Sorry that took longer than I thought it would, I was talking to my brother.” I looked at her lips as I spoke I wanted to kiss her again very badly but I had to wait. I pulled out of the driveway.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t notice. You’re flowers are very nice.”

“Oh, yea my mom did those. She loved to garden before she had to go back to work.”

I started to sing along to the song on the radio, she began to laugh at me. “You suck.”

“Alright, let’s hear you. Go ahead no need to be shy.” I turned the corner that led to the community center.

She sang out the last few notes laughing, she was worse than me. It wasn’t that she was tone deaf, she was on pitch but her voice was raspy and crackled. She couldn’t remain on pitch for long. “Oh dear god.” I parked and grabbed my ears, “Bloody murder stop.”

She laughed and stuck her tongue out, “I’m still better than you.”

“I don’t think so.” I checked my phone I had gotten a few messages. One from both Max and Austin, one from my mom telling me to be home in time for dinner and then a few from some other friends asking me what I was up to.

“They’re inside.” I pulled her close to me, my hand around her waist. She very coolly put her hands in her sweater pockets. I realized that we were both still wet from our swim despite the great amount of heat drying us. “Did you want to swing by your place so you can change?”

She smiled, she was very pretty her eyes sparkled. “No, I’m OK. It’s warm out.”

“Well we’re going to be inside and it can be cold in there.”

“I’m fine.” I pushed open the doors. It was a small welcome area and then down the right hallway that lead to the basketball courts, if we had continued down further we would have been in the pool where most of the children were. There were still a lot of people in the gym playing in the courts, their squeaks and pounding on the gym floor mixed in a grand sports symphony. Austin and Max were in their shorts ready to go.

“Hey.” Austin was an irregularly tall kid, at least six feet, with straight tan hair and bangs that covered part of his brown eyes.

Max had blond choppy hair and blue eyes. He hugged me. “Who is this?” He asked with a kind smile.

“Oh damn, what’s up with your eyes. Those are wicked.” He slumped down close to her face and examined those rainbow, gold ringed eyes.

“The rainbow, yea I thought so too. They’re contacts I got them at a store in California.”

“You live in California?” I asked.

“No, I was just visiting.” She said with a laugh. “I have some with smiley faces on them too.”

“Woah that’s so cool.”

I smiled, “Well the one in your face is Austin. That’s Max, whatever you do don’t ask about his girlfriend.”

“Hey! My girlfriend is wonderful and there isn’t anything wrong with me talking about her.”

“There is when you won’t stop!” I replied. “Anyways this is Olivia.”

“Call me Keres.”

“Nice to meet you.” Austin smiled.

“Want to see a picture of my girlfriend?”

“No, I might get jealous of her.” She giggled and her eyes shined.

“So are we going to play basketball, or just sit here and make small chat?” I turned and got a ball. Other people were using the court but we kind enough to let us have half of the court. “OK I want Austin on my team.”

“No way man, that’s just unfair. You stick to short people together and you play basketball.”

Keres just laughed, “No, it’s fine. I’ve played basketball before.” She took the ball from me and dribbled it a few times. Max moaned softly. “We get ball first.”

I agreed and Austin set up behind me, not to worried about defending. She tossed the ball to Max, who watched her. Austin told me she was coming to my right for a pick, but somehow she got to my left. Hip checked me and received in pass. She turned to go up for the shot but Austin put his hand off and took the ball.

“Nice try.” He laughed and dribbled back up to the top of the court. In a bright red flash she had the ball in her hand again.

“Woah!” Max cried. “Damn.” The ball went up into the air and bounced off the backboard. When we finally figured it out what happened and got down she already had gotten the rebound and scored.

Her speed was amazing, as the game continued, she could jump higher than Austin was tall and get the ball from him. Run faster than all of us, block shots and steal balls. Max was hardly helping her, basically just another body on offense when Austin stepped in and scared her into retreat.

Game point, she held the ball panting heavier than me. Back on my front, knowing what her body was doing as I attempted to play defense on her. “Do you play basketball at your school?”

She tried to back me up, but that didn’t work and only succeeded in making me happy that I was wearing sports shorts. I decided to focus on the game and that helped. “No, I’ve thought about it though. How about you?”

“Yea, I’m the point guard.” I tapped the ball out of her hand. She scrambled to get it as I chased it. Tripping over one another to grab the orange sphere we crossed the half court line, “Heads.” Someone called out letting the college students know that we were out of control. Tumbling over one another trying to get the ball.

I got the ball turned and chucked it down the court back to Austin to tossed it up into the net. “Whoo hoo! Two points!” He cheered.

I whooped and hollered running back to him jumped and gave him a double high five. Keres came back in a slow stroll giggled, “Nice job. Now you only need six more points to tie us.”

They scored on the next play, Keres putting up a vengeful 3 point shot. The game ended with 20 to 14. I lost. “You’re right, I don’t think the teams were very fair.” She winked.

“Alright guys.” I checked my phone, it was about four. Not too late. “Let’s get some lunch at Sundees.”

“As long as you’re driving.” Max shot the ball into the metal container that held an assortment of other balls. Coming out of the loud gym the silence outside was staggering, not that it was silent at all but compared to the sound of pounding feet, balls and shouts from the players it was.

“This reminds me of me and Rachel’s anniversary. You know it was eight months last week? Did I tell you guys what I did?”

“Yes!” We both shouted hopping into the jeep.

“Oh well, Keres doesn’t know.” She laughed and I sighed. Turning up the radio he shouted over it and hit the off button, “Stop, it’s a cool story. So, I had spent months planning this.”

“Literal months, he has a thing for the number eight. He’s weird like that.” I added.

“Yea he told us every little detail and change he made to the damn thing.” Austin chimed in.

“Anyways! So she loves the beach but we don’t have a beach here and she’s been to lakes enough times. So I rented a shack near a lake, I poured sand all over the ground and painted a beach scene.”

“Actually he printed it off the computer. Don’t ask how the hell he managed it because I’m not sure he even knows.” I took the right. Sundee’s was close, downtown was filled with kids our age wandering around pretending to shop when they were really just wasting time. Not that anyone minded much.

Max’s voice bounced as we drove along the brick road reserved for the old part of downtown, “So I blindfold her and take her there. You know I think I’m going to wine and dine her, maybe get lucky. So here’s the scene. Dark shack with a single lightbulb some candles, it’s getting dark around six at night. My painting on the right side of the room, sand everywhere a bed on the left corner.”

“We’re here.” I announced hoping to end the story I’d only heard about ten times a day since it happened.

But there was no distracting him, he was mid story there was no stopping him. I held Keres’s hand as we walked into the shop. “So I lead her in whispering sweet stuff into her ear, getting her in the mood you know. And she we slip on the sand, fall on picnic basket food goes everywhere, mostly on us the candles fall and go out. So it’s mostly dark. And at this point her blind fold has been taken off by the fall. We just laid there laughing all night, talking and picking food off each other.”

“Did you get laid?” She asked with a giggle that had started as soon as he said the word slip.

Her high pitched giggle with random pauses to breathe made me laugh, and my ugly, snorty laugh made Austin laugh until we were all laughing. “Nah I didn’t get laid that night, but that was Ok. I think it was better that I didn’t. I think she’s going to be the one I marry, like for real!” He exploded in a fury of emotion and took out his phone.

“He’ll be back in a few minutes, let’s just order. He gets the same thing anyways.” Austin said calming down.

I nodded. Sundee’s wasn’t big, average sized. For those it couldn’t hold they’d just take the food on the move. Red booths right out of an 80’s movie with off white tables with black and white tiles. It was so tacky it made the modern, touch screen jukebox seem unreal.

Our curly headed waitress bounced up to us, she was a teen older than us by a few years but still a teenager. “What can I get you guys?”

I looked at Keres to help her decide as Austin ordered for both himself and Max. Her rainbow eyes were darting around the whole place, dancing lightly on everyone’s plate gleaming. “I want one of those burgers, and one of those.” She pointed to each plate as she said, “A sunday of every color-” She cut herself off seeing the looks she was getting. She paused reasoning things out in her head, “One bacon burger all the works please.” Another short pause, “Wait and um I do want those sundays though. I heard you had the greatest ones in town.”

The waitress just shook her head, “What’ll you be having?”

“Just an ice cream cone, vanilla.” I laughed.

She didn’t say anything just walked away before Keres could change her mind. “Damn girl,” Austin laughed, “Can you finish all of that.”

A wicked grin spread across her face, “That won’t even fill me up.”

I smiled, “How do you manage to stay thin. Don’t tell me you’re secretly fat.” I laughed.

“You know what they say, the bigger the body the more fun.”

“I’ve never heard that.” Max said sliding back into the booth. “I would love Rachel no matter her size.” He grinned, “I just got off the phone with her.”

“I don’t know how she puts up with you.” I laughed, “Wait, I just remembered, she’s just as bad as you!”

“Just mad because you don’t have a girlfriend anymore.” He snapped back with a smile.

“Anymore?” Keres asked.

I rolled my eyes, Austin chuckled and let me have the floor. “My girlfriend broke up with me just before summer started.”

“That’s sucks more than you’re singing.” She smiled, “Hope you weren’t looking for a rebound girlfriend.”

“No, just a fun night out with a pretty lady.” I smoothly slid in closer.

“Good because what I want changes very quickly.” She smiled softly her daring eyes stared back into mine.

“What do you want right now?”

She leaned up and kissed me, right in front of them. In the whole restaurant, strong and greedily we kissed. But she pulled away with a smile, the gold rings around her contacts we bright and bold. Daring me to try again.

I pulled her in, “Can we get a censor bar over here?” Austin laughed, “Keep that stuff in your bedroom.”

I grinned feeling very manly, “The lady just can’t keep her hands off me.”

She held up my wallet, “Or this.” She handed it back and laughed. “Ah men always less clever than we think they are.” She winked at me, but I wasn’t mad or even offended as I normally might have been. I just chuckled.

“B***h.”

“W***e.” She replied with a cool smile as our food was brought out. “Yum.” She dug in and took some big bites. Swallowing more than I thought possible.

“Try to chew your food.” Max laughed taking a bite of his own burger.

“You’re both disgusting.” Austin said.

“Oh get your vegetarian morals out of here.” I said licking my cone. I looked over at Keres who was already on her sundays, inhaling them more than eating them. Eyes still searching the room.

I shifted my weight away from her, she slowed down. Wiping her face she let out a belch, “Excuse me. I didn’t see that one coming.”

We laughed and let out burps of our own, “I think I won.” Max grinned.

“Yea just like you won the basketball game?”

“She got you there.” Max laughed.

Soon we finished but we remained there talking and laughing wasting time like high schoolers do. Fighting over who was paying even though we all knew that I was since I was the one with the job, by the time we left it was a little past six. Austin and Max found their own way home knowing full and well I wanted to be left alone with Keres. The sun was falling as we rode around in my jeep. “So where do you live? Can I drop you off.”

“Just leave me where you found me.” She smiled. Hand in hand we walked to Lake Marley, listening to the crickets and frogs, and birds. The fireflys lazily rose and fell in the heat of the night. As we reached the lake I looked at her. The gold of her contacts seemed to be burning brighter than the fireflies.

I lifted her chin and kissed her once more, her tongue rolled in my mouth. My hands danced around her shirt. Slowly clothing was lost. Half naked she tugged me away from the lake and into the trees, laughing like some forest nymph that I read about in school, she twirled and kissed me up and down.She wasn’t secretly fat, she was hippy but in the right way. The night progressed powerfully, magically, hungrily. We moved as one, feeding off of one another's energy.

A whisper woke me the next morning. If I could call it morning, the sun wasn’t out. But I knew it was past midnight. My phone was buzzing. My brother called asking where I was. Covered in dirt and leave with Keres nowhere to be found, I brushed myself off and crawled around slowly finding my clothes. He ordered me to come home, mom was still up wondering where I was. She hadn’t called Austin yet and that I should use him as an excuse.

I texted Austin and told him what I would tell my mom and he agreed. I drove home, nervously. Butterflies grew to monstrous sizes in my belly as I got to closer to home and I realized that I had lost Keres. She could be dead for all I knew.

I didn’t get her number there was no way that I could call her to find if she was alright. I would have to find her tomorrow. Right now I needed to stay out of trouble with my parents.

Author's Note

Please let me know about grammar. Is it too long? Do you like Austin and Max? Oh and by the way I promise they didn't have sex! But they are teenagers so yea you can figure it out. I tried to keep it to a minimum but it is actually, believe it or not, important to the story. Thank you hoped you liked it!

Reviews

[A. H. Pinley]

Did the brother end up going? You went from asking him if he wanted to go to pulling out of the driveway. When describing the noise in the gym don't forget to mention the squeaks the shoes make on the hardwood court. Good teenage story. Need to reread and correct word usage. Nice work!

[Imara]

Thank you for the review. I will look into the brother thing and fix your corrections on my next draft

[Rhianne Ney]

I agree with AH Pinley, there are some wrong words but nonetheless, this was out of my expectations. I was hoping for Todd to meet a stranger who won't reveal her real name. anyways, I'll continue reading this promise

[Imara]

Thank you for your review and I'm even more thankful that you will keep reading. I don't want to spoil anything for you about Keres, but this is a fantasy story, I'll remind you of that ;)

[Rhianne Ney]

Oh, I see, something with power?

[Rhianne Ney]

I mean, magic?

[Imara]

More like mythological creatures. ;)

[Rhianne Ney]

Oh, I see