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Despite the cool breeze in the air, it was still warm in the sun. “Eddie, can I get you some water or lemonade?”
He paused his weed-whacking and nodded. “Lemonade would be great, sweetie.”
Other than the pet names, he had been friendly and helpful today. After gathering icy drinks for us, I headed back outside into the flowery air. When I handed Eddie one, we sat on the front steps to take a break.
“I haven’t noticed your boyfriend around in a while,” he said, his gray eyes darting over to me.
Swallowing my drink, my neck tensed about where the conversation would lead. Piper knew not to mention him. Maybe Eddie would get the hint, too. “No, we broke up.”
“Oh. You lonely? Need some comfort?”
“Uh, no, I think I need to learn to do things on my own. I appreciate your concern,” I snapped.
Eddie chuckled. “It’s not a concern. You’re a hot little piece, sweetheart. We all have needs. No need to be ashamed of them. If you need to have yours met, you come to see ol’ Eddie, okay?” Bumping my shoulder with his sweaty one, he peeled off his tank top, revealing his beer gut and silver-haired chest.
“I should get back to mowing,” I said, standing up and downing my lemonade.
“Can you start it on your own?”
“I’ll try.” Just to get some distance, I pushed the mower to the backyard and pulled the cord, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
“Here. Let me.” Eddie had followed me, then put his arms around me and onto the handles, trapping me. As he bent over to grab the cord, his face perched on my neck. When he stood up, he thrust his erection between my butt cheeks. Squirming to get space, I twisted around, but he found my ear and whispered, “Shh, shh. It’s okay. Ol’ Eddie can take care of you.”
Screaming, I pushed back against him. He laughed, dropping the cage of his arms. When I whipped around to face him, he backed up from me with his hands in the air.
“Okay, okay. I’ll be over there if you need anything. I do meananything.” Eyeing him suspiciously, Eddie walked backwards to his yard. Then, he turned around and gathered his trimmer and shirt before meandering into his garden.
If Eli had been here, Eddie would never have approached me. Instead of wallowing over my loneliness at the loss of my protector, I put all my feelings of disgust, betrayal, and anguish into the mower, and tugged the cord with everything I had. It started, and I let out a victory yell.
My triumph sparked a drive within me to get more done around the house. By the end of spring break, my hedges were neatly trimmed, the lawn was edged and mowed, and the garage was organized. Glenda thanked me with something called ambrosia salad that I had to throw out once I tasted it.
Each project I completed made me feel like I could do life independently. I didn’t need Eli. I would be okay on my own.
Saturday night, I was invited to a house party on campus with Piper. Apparently, she met a few college men while she was shopping at the liquor store. Without saying it directly, I knew she wanted me to get my mind off a certain man.
“They bought bottled beer, so it seems like a classy party. They said there’d be kegs, too. So, if those guys turn out to be annoying, we can always blend in with the crowd.”
“My first college party! I’m down.” And I was. It was time to move on and do “normal” college girl things. Of course, in the back of my mind, all I could think about was Eli being proud of me for doing something so mature. But I tried to shove thoughts of his approval, or his disapproval, from my mind. If I was going to be independent, I needed to think about what I wanted first.
Piper and I went shopping for new clothes after she told me my closet was “too plain.” I bought a cherry-printed sundress and wore my old denim jacket over it with my white sneakers. It was all Piper approved with a nod and a smile.
The night of the party, she picked me up in a full lime-green sequined jumpsuit with bell bottoms. It suited her pink hair well, but it always stunned me how she had no issue with everyone staring at her. I admired her for it. Shaking my head, I told her, “You look amazing.”
“Wait, wait! I have something for you.” Piper pulled out lipstick from her purse. “Here,” she said while applying some to my lips, then handed me the tube when she was done. “Put that in your bag. Let’s go!”
In her car, I checked my face in the visor mirror. Bright red lipstick blared on my pouty lips, but matched my dress. Piper’s makeup job from earlier in the day made my baby face almost pass for twenty-one.
Pulling up to the address we’d been given, the party did not appear as “classy” as Piper presumed. Northview University students poured out of every inch of space from the bungalow. My ass was grabbed at least three times as Piper tugged me toward the keg. When we eventually found it, the beer was gone, but a guy who eyed my tiny cleavage grabbed a cold bottle from the refrigerator and handed it to me.
“What’s your name?” he said, leaning over to speak in my ear. His dirty blonde hair fell into his eyes as he did.
I tried to unscrew the lid, but it was a pop top. “Essa.”
“Melissa?” The music was blaring from the living room, making it almost impossible to hear anyone. My ears felt full, like they were stuffed with cotton. Shouts rang out from another room as someone shattered something glass.
“No, Essa.”
“Hey, Melissa. I’m Tim.” Tim dug into his pocket, then pulled out a bottle opener and loosened my top with a smirk.
