Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 21 - Lynn

Jamie has invited me to go swimming with him and his friends. I said yes, though I can't figure out why. I don't even know them, and I don't do well in groups of people I don't know. At least I'll have Clarice and Jamie by my side. I don't know Clarice well, but we're acquainted, and sometimes that's all a person needs.

It's just Jamie and me making the forty minute drive to Apple River Canyon State Park since the rest of the group is already there. They camped out there last night—without Jamie, might I add—and then requested he join them for swimming—which he can't do. From what he's told me, he has to get fitted for a prosthesis that is specifically designed for swimming. He can't just jump in the water with any old prosthesis on.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it seems like his friends are purposely trying to shut him out. I can't figure out why. It's not like Jamie lost his personality when he lost his leg. Sure, he's struggling with a few things, mentally, but he's still the same guy. Just because of this, my opinion of his friends has dropped to somewhere in the negatives. I find them all to be selfish and heartless. So, I'm partially curious to see if my assumptions of them are correct or if there's more to his friends than what can be seen from a distance.

We don't talk the entire ride there, mostly because we're both singing too loudly to bother with conversation, but also because the music is blasting so loud we can barely hear ourselves think.We've got the windows down, letting the sizzling summer air join the orchestra of noise inside the vehicle.

When we finally turn into the state park, my hair is a mess. I'd guess it probably resembles something close to a wad of tangled fishing line or a box of Christmas lights. Like, I'm pretty sure the only way to get rid of some of the tangles will be to chop my hair off. But, whatever, I'm due for a haircut anyway. Plus, the wind and the music and the company made the after effects totally worth it.

I glance over at Jamie as we pull to a stop and he puts the car in park. He looks so relaxed, an unconscious smile tugging at his lips slightly. I like seeing him this way. I'd grown so used to his scowl that I nearly forgot what his natural, resting face looked like. His permanent smile reassures me that he's still got some happy inside of him and it's no longer buried beneath the rubble of his recent past.

"You checking me out?" he asks, turning his head to look directly at me as he pulls the keys from the ignition.

"Yep." I nod once, unashamed. "I mean, what's there not to look at. You're a beaut!"

"That's gross," he mutters, swinging his door open.

"But it was a compliment," I holler after him, watching as he slides from the car and shuts the door in my face.

He bends slightly to peer at me through the window, smiling coyly as he waves his fingers at me. I stumble from the vehicle, slamming the door dramatically and rounding the hood of the car until I'm standing directly in front of him.

"Now listen here buddy," I say, poking him in the chest. "You best learn how to take a compliment, or you won't be getting them anymore."

"And you best learn how to give them," he counters, sidestepping around me and leading the way up a narrow path a few meters away.

"I called you beautiful," I yell after him, exasperated. "That's, like, the ultimate compliment."

"Yeah," he agrees, and then diverges, "for a girl."

"So, you don't like being called beautiful?" I ask, seeking clarification.

He pauses his stride to ponder my question for a moment before continuing on. "Depends on how it's said, and by who."