**Chapter Six**
Saturday finally showed itself to me and I was very nervous. Rolling toward the skate park, I was fascinated by how many people come here. It was packed and everyone was amazing. The tricks they were pulling off I could only dream of doing. All I could do was sit and watch in awe. No wonder he wanted me to meet him here. This was fantastic!
Scanning the area, I didn’t spot Drew anywhere. Admittedly, I was a little late, but not to where he would have just left. I thought he didn’t show up since he was nowhere to be found. However, my heart leaped out of my chest once I heard his beautiful voice. It was music to my ears when he called my name.
“Annabelle, you made it!” He yelled.
I turned around, smiling at his face. He was smiling and wide-eyed. I couldn’t help but feel giddy inside watching him run up to me. His hair was bouncing with every step he took. His green eyes were bright and vibrant. It was a whole different Drew I was seeing. Not the person who’s been ignoring me recently for whatever reason. I was getting the Drew I grew to have a crush on. It’s also worth mentioning that Cam wasn’t here with me, either.
Making it in front of me, Drew smiled intently, looking down at me. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. With the way things transpired this week, he had me a bit confused. Or Cam was just getting into my head with what he was saying. Either way, it wasn’t clear where we stood as far as our relationship goes. It was strange, but great that he was indulging me.
His eyes averted, looking at everyone in the park. “So, are you ready to skate?” He questioned, looking back down.
I shifted nervously. “Sure, but I’m really not that good,” I warn him.
He laughed. “It’s not about being good, it’s about having fun,” he says before taking off.
Giggling to myself, it wasn’t long before I followed behind him. He was going pretty fast, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. My pleated skirt blew against the breeze as we zoomed around the park. There weren’t many girls here, maybe two or three. The attention we got was quite a lot as Drew turned this into a race. He definitely cheated, as he had a head start, but it didn’t take long for me to catch up to him.
Cutting between everyone and everything was the most fun part. Compared to Drew, I was a weak skater. The tricks he pulled out of his back pocket amazed me. He was advanced in the craft I never knew he took part in. It didn’t make me give up on the race, though.
Speeding past others, we almost made it back to the entrance of the park, as we were neck and neck. It was hard to tell who made it first, but I’d say Drew won by a millisecond. In all fairness, though, he had a head start, which aided him in winning. This certainly was the most fun I’ve had with someone who also boarded. When was the last time I did this with anyone?
Smiling, we fist-bumped to a good race. If I knew how to do more on my board, I would’ve won, but sadly, that’s not the case. Drew took note and decided he would be the one to teach me some tricks. I was happy about that because we’ll be able to spend more time getting to know each other. Though Juliana might not like that.
“We’re going to come here once a week for you to learn something new,” he said. He wasn’t joking, either.
I giggle, not opposed to this idea. “Are-are you sure about that?” I question.
He nods. “Hell yeah, now I want you to practice spinning this board on the ground with your foot.”
Shrugging, I practiced doing what he said for at least 5 minutes. It was a lot more complicated than expected. You would think flipping the board with your foot would be simple. However, it was wonky at first and when I got it; he picked up the pace. Now he expected me to turn the board while jumping and landing on it.
My confidence was not where it needed to be for me to execute this. Especially when I kept missing. Then, if I got it, I would lose my balance and almost fall off. The only good thing being Drew was there to catch me every time. It’s the first time I’ve felt his arms wrap around me. I almost wanted to keep failing on purpose just for him to grab me. The thought is stupid, but being so close to him made me swoon.
I had to remember that he had a girlfriend through all this. As much as this was nice, it could go no further. We were two friends having a fun time together. At least that’s what I was telling myself.
An hour had passed, and it seemed like I would never get this trick down. The many times I fell or lost balance were countless. So much so that the last time I did it, my life flashed before my eyes as the ground was going to be my enemy. With no hesitation, Drew acted quickly by grabbing my shirt to pull me into him. This time, I was a lot closer to him than any other time. My hand was on his chest and his hands wrapped tightly around me. The look in his emerald orbs left me stunned. My cheeks were red not only from embarrassment but from simply looking into his eyes. If he couldn’t feel my heart beating before, he certainly could now.
Catching my gaze, it’s almost as if he lost himself staring back at me. When in reality, he should have let me go. If Juliana were here, would we be having this moment like we are now?
Looking away, Drew helped me stand up before suggesting we take a break. “You’ve almost got it! We can start again in a bit,” he said, walking toward the grass patch.
I followed behind him, sitting down with the right amount of space between us. We sat silently for a few minutes, watching the others skate around us. Things couldn’t have been more awkward than right now. Did it have something to do with what just happened a moment ago? There were so many things running through my mind, I could only imagine what he must be thinking.
The awkwardness settled as my phone vibrated once again out of nowhere. It caused me to jump and then roll my eyes once I saw it was my dad again. This man never took the hint. I’ve been hanging up his calls for the past few months now. Yet he still felt the need to ring me. One day I may regret ignoring his calls, but the anger inside of me wouldn’t let up. Sometimes, I just wanted to chug my phone every time I saw his name pop up. Instead, I opted to just squeeze the life out of it until my body calmed itself. Not enough to the point I’d break it, though. I did still need a phone.
Drew peaked over, noticing my change in demeanor. I’m sure he saw who called me, otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked this question.
“How’s your mom holding up?” He asked in a gentle tone.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew what was going on with my family. My mom and his mother had become decent enough friends over the years. Sometimes they’ll even hang out when Dillon and I aren’t around. Their friendship started solely because of Dillon and me. My mom is like me, and it’s hard for us to make friends. But she found a good person in Mrs. Tate.
Sighing, I continued to look down, as this topic always soured my mood. “Oh, um yeah, she’s doing fine,” I say, not confident in my answer.
Drew picked up on that. “It’s ok if she isn’t, Annabelle. Who would be in that situation?” His understanding made me want him more. “Are you ok?”
It’s a simple question, but it felt like a mouthful to me. Was I okay? I like to think I’ve been handling things well, but if I couldn’t muster the courage to speak to my father, then surely my emotions weren’t under control. They were the opposite, and I didn’t want to admit that. Especially not to Drew. I didn’t want him to think that I was weak.
“I-I’m sorry. I’m not comfortable talking about this right now,” I apologized. This was his chance to get to know me better, and I blew it.
Drew nodded. “That’s fine too,” he left it at that. “Here, have some water.” He took two bottles out of his baggy pants, throwing one at me.
I gladly accepted it, chugging it halfway down. Glancing back over at Drew, my eyes couldn’t help but wonder at all the tattoos on his body. They were up both arms and there looked to be some on his chest from what was peaking out of his shirt. I could only imagine what his legs looked like. It’s clear he had a thing for tattoos and looking at them made me curious if there was any meaning behind them.
“So...um, you like tattoos,” the nerves got the best of me.
He chuckled. “I love treating my body like the ultimate canvas.” He said proudly. “Do you have any?”
I shake my head, still quite nervous to be speaking with him. “No, I could never. Don’t they hurt?”
“Pain is beauty,” he joked. “Yeah, it does hurt, but it turns out so beautiful in the end. It’s part of the reason I’m taking up graphic design. Finding an artistic outlet really can change someone’s life.”
He had a point there, though it led to me having even more questions about Drew. From the outside, it seems he has matured a lot over the years. Just because you see something on the outside doesn’t always mean it’s the same on the inside. It was hard getting a clear reading on him, but one thing was for certain. I’ve never been more interested in a guy before.
Hiding my face, Drew stood up, deciding we should continue practicing. I hadn’t got the hang of the trick yet, but once we come back we were going to work on it some more. I wasn’t too sure how our meeting once a week would go down with Juliana. Only time will tell what her reaction would be. However, my gut told me this was going to be one long semester.