But anyway, we'll get as far as we can. We have a hockey game to attend!" "What?

" I
rubbed my temples again. None of this was making any sense. "You said last time
that it
would be 'great' if we actually hung out in a normal setting and got to know each
other as
people instead of running around with ghosts and scaring our panties off each
other."
It's true. I did say that. Not the panties part but I did mention, offhand by the
way, that
it would be nice if we could just hang out like normal people did. Like friends.
But I didn't
see where this was going. He read the confusion on my face. It wasn't hard.
"There's a
Canucks hockey game against the Rangers tomorrow night. I got us tickets. We have
to go to
Vancouver anyway, to talk to someone about the filming. So you know, I was just
trying to be
a good guy and please you." "Phhff," I sniffed. "Please me? What if I said I hated
hockey?"
"I'd never speak to you again," he said, narrowing his eyes. It was hard to see how
serious
he was. He hadn't really mentioned hockey before, at least not when I was
listening, but
he also took the weirdest things very seriously. "Is it TRUE?"
"No." I didn't have anything against the sport, I just didn't know anything about
hockey.
Understandable, since we had no NHL teams in Oregon, just the minor league Portland
Winterhawks. "Good," he said, still watching me carefully. "Then we can still be
friends."
"So, we leave tonight... go to the island on Friday?" "Correct-a-mundo. Then we
come back on
Sunday, just in time for your birthday on Monday." "You know when my birthday is?"
I was
sorta touched by that. It was sad that I was so easily Impressed. He tapped his
head. "I'm more
observant than you think. Now, without any more jerking off from you, I suggest you
get
packing as fast as you can. I'll help. Where are your bras and underwear?"
I rolled my eyes, pulled out my overnight bag and started cramming crap in there.
I don't think I 've ever packed so fast in my life- I Abviously needed to get out
of that house
more than I knew. With Dex at my side it also kept any exchanges with my parents at
a Polite
distance. My dad even helped us rummage through the garage to find me a sleeping
bag. Staying
on the island did not involve staying in any fancy cabins. We would be camping the
entire Time.
Yeah, in November. In Canada. Fun times. I could tell my parents were having a hard
time
coming to terms with the situation. They were still mad at my lies, disappointed in
my choices
but at the same time they understood where Dex was coming from. As much as they
Hated the
Idea that I had involved another person in my problem, they had no choice but to
accept it.
And having Dex there, an accomplished (sorta) and mature (again, sorta) man there
Probably
helped. And Ada... well, I knew how Ada felt about the whole thing. Just as we were
coming out of the garage, she yanked me aside. "You're totally going to sleep with
him now,"
she hissed roughly in my ear. I ignored her. There was no way I was going to get
caught in that
argument again, not with the subject slinking around in front of me. Luckily we
made it out of the
house in record time and were soon cruising through the darkness on the J-5,
heading north.
Dex's black Highlander was packed with everyhing from filmmaking equipment to a
tent
and camping gear. Dex is one of those people who prefers to blast the music loudly
and keep
chit-chat down to a minimum. This trip was no exception. I found a strange comfort
in our
shared silence now, just hearing the music and the sound of his toothpick as it
flitted against
his teeth. When we first met I was so nervous being alone with him, I just needed
to blab
about anything to fill the air. I felt just a teeny bit proud that I knew Dex
enough now that
if we needed to talk, he'd be the one bringing it up. Which is what happened an
hour into our
journey. I was in the midst of checking my emails on my phone when I felt him give
me a
curious look. It sounds stupid but you can always tell when Dex is looking at you.
At
least I could, even from miles away. Something about those eyes..." So I've seen
you've got
your fair share of haters on the blog already," he said. "Good job." I sighed
loudly. I had
wanted to talk about this for so long. "You're telling me," I said, giving him a
pained and
drawn-out look. He seemed to think on that for a moment; a hint of gentleness
graced