AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kimberly
Out of all the stunts they could have pulled, this was one of the worst. The cold brisk air wrapped itself around me as I pushed the door open and entered the quiet and dimly lit street. Crossing my arms, trying to keep some heat in. I started to walk as fast as my legs would take me, it would take a while to get home, but I’d get there. Eventually.
“Kimberly!”
Anger bellowed in the pit of my stomach as his voice rang through the air. I wanted to punch him. I was trying to get away from my past, but it was always trying to run up and attack me. Luke was still meant to be here and if he was, I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this. I wouldn’t need to find a date for my brother’s wedding. He was meant to be my date till the day I died.
“Go away, Sam!” I shouted, picking up my pace.
“You will freeze if you walk home. Come on, let me drive you, my car is just across the road and I only had one beer.”
“Look.”
Stopping and turning to him suddenly, my voice caught in my throat as I looked at him, helpless as he held out his jacket to me.
“Sam, you don’t have to pretend to be nice to me. You don’t have to be my date either, I will do just fine on my own.”
“I have no doubt you will do ‘just fine’, but honestly let me at least help you by taking you home. I will even drop you off at the end of your street if you don’t want me to know which house is yours.”
He sounded slightly desperate and as if he was clinging to something. The anger in the pit of my stomach turned to flutters. Luke’s face flashed in my mind as I reached out for Sam’s jacket. I was cold, and he didn’t seem to mind it. Hockey players very rarely felt the cold; lucky them.
“Please, Kim, I don’t want you to walk home and plus if I go back in there, your friends will probably murder me.”
I laughed a little knowing full well, they’d tell him off for letting me get away. I could understand his hesitation as they could be scary, especially when all four of them were coming at you like banshees.
Putting his much larger jacket on, it almost drowned me. And I saw he was trying not to laugh at me. He still smelled of Hugo Boss aftershave and peppermint toothpaste. Some things never changed.
“Alright, fine, you can give me a ride home.”
“Great! Stay here, I will bring the car round.”
Rushing off then, he disappears across the street and down a side street. For a few minutes I was alone, until the roar of an engine filled the quiet street. A brand-new silver Mercedes came to a halt. Getting out from his driver’s side, he rushed around and opened the passenger door for me, attempting to be a gentleman. The heat was already blowing and he buckled himself in. We sat there for a moment in silence.
“Eh, where’d you live?”
“Just off Bailey and Brook Road. Number twenty-two.”
“Oh! That’s the pink house, isn’t it?”
“That’s my neighbor, I’m the boring white one with the wrap-around porch.”
We sat in silence again, feeling awkward; I was unsure of what to say or if I should even say anything. The radio was on low, and I'm pretty sure "Teenage Dirtbag" was playing. Then as if he read my mind, he slowly turned up the volume.
“Ahaha! Do you remember this song? God, that was a long time ago.”
“Early 2000s I think. And I’m pretty sure I still remember all the words.”
This was the only song I would stand that Samuel would often blast during our study sessions. Pretending to play air guitar and no matter how many times I would have told him to get off the table, he continued and would always attempt to get me up with him to sing.
“OH, WEEEEEE YEAHHHH!! DIRTBAG!!”
He started to sing loudly, and I shook my head in second-hand embarrassment for him.
“Come on, Kimmy!”
Rubbing my hand on my face, I laughed listening to him sing out of tune as he started the verse about prom and Iron Maiden. I always pictured this song playing during our prom and he, my date, would have sung this to me.
It was then I realized, this was the first time I had heard the song since he broke up with me. Even during mine and Luke’s wedding day, I had banned it from our DJ list. Music always had a way of playing with your emotions and bringing you back to moments in your life you’d forgotten. It was the the power of music, Luke would have said.
