#17 You and Me

Mackenzie

I stare up at the familiar front of my family’s vacation home, its blue siding faded from years of coastal weather. The beach access path is windswept and covered in sand. A warm sea breeze catches my light blonde hair and I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. It’s stifling here in mid July but at least the breeze makes it less intense.

Welcome to the Galveston, Texas coast.

It used to feel so magical coming down here every summer with my parents when I was little, not a care in the world. Back when the house felt huge and the world felt even bigger. Back when mom and dad loved each other. Back when they didn’t fight all the time. Back when we were a family. Back when things were normal.

Nothing feels normal anymore, but yet this is my new normal, and I may as well get used to it. I do still love it here, the peaceful small town energy rejuvenating my soul after a very long few months. I take another deep breath of the warm salty air, a small smile creeping on my face for the first time in what feels like forever.

“Earth to Mackenzie,” my dad shouts breaking me out of my trance. “Are you gonna help me or not?” A slight chuckle in his voice.

“Sorry! Coming!” I jog over to where he’s standing at our small uhaul trailer filled with boxes.

He hands me one labeled with my name and I adjust it in my arms before bringing it inside and up to what will be my room for the foreseeable future.

The walls are a pale pink. Stereotypical I know. I’ll have to ask dad about repainting, I think to myself. The roofline is dormered out so the room feels a little bigger. I put the box I was carrying down on the bed and trace my fingers over the residue from the unicorn stickers I decided to decorate my bed frame with when I was six. Mom was livid when she saw them, claiming I was ruining the furniture. Dad just smiled and said he liked the artistic design.

I push the sheer white curtains away and open the glass French doors that lead to my small balcony overlooking the beach. The sun is starting to make its slow descent towards the horizon. The sound of ocean waves and seagulls fills the air.

There’s a few people out on the beach, definitely not as many as there will be on the weekend. A couple people laying out on towels tanning, a few older boys playing football, someone’s throwing a frisbee to their dog. I decide to stop lallygagging and help dad finish getting everything inside, putting my hair up in a quick ponytail so I don’t sweat too much before heading back downstairs.

“Sooo what should we do for dinner?” My dad asks as he brings in the last of the boxes. He places them down on the living room floor and stretches his back.

“Hmm. Chinese?” I suggest, feeling my stomach rumble just thinking about some crab Rangoon.

“Sounds good to me. Madame Woo’s? You want your usual fried rice?” He gets his phone out of his pocket, already dialing the number.

I nod excitedly. “Crab Rangoon and potstickers too please. All that moving has me starving.”

He gives a thumbs up before heading into the kitchen as he greets the person on the other end of the phone, ready to take our order. I plop down on the couch with a sigh and grab the tv remote off the glass coffee table. The local news turns on just as dad walks back into the room.

“Did you tell Nikki we’re back yet?” He asks me, referring to my childhood best friend. She lives down here with her family so we only have gotten to hang out over summers but it feels like we never leave each other.

“Not yet. I don’t really know what to say,” I admit, glancing down at my phone on the cushion next to me.

I don’t want to explain my parents separating to any more people, even my best friend. When I told my friends back home I was moving with my dad and the reason, they were sympathetic but looked at me with pity which made me feel worse.

“You know she’ll make you feel better.” My dad gives me a small smile, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Let her know we’re back. Think about the rest.”

“I will,” I say, looking up at him leaning on the back of the couch when something on the tv brings my attention back to it.

‘And in more exciting local news, our high school varsity football team, the BHS Tornadoes, are looking to finish what they started last season and bring home the state championship title. Starting quarterback, Carson Knox, is looking for revenge. He has been working hard during the off season to get the team in shape. We got a sneak peek at what the team is bringing to the field this fall during one of their summer training camps. Let’s take a look.’

The newscaster cuts to footage from the teams practice where a rather tall, muscular boy in a black #17 practice jersey and helmet hikes the ball, drops back in the pocket and delivers a gorgeous throw halfway downfield to a receiver in the end zone.

Another snippet shows the same boy faking a handoff and running the ball in himself. Watching football growing up with dad all the time, I’ve picked up a few things and Carson seems really good.

The broadcast cuts back to the newscaster who wishes the team good luck on the upcoming season as they put a picture of Carson onscreen. I have to stop my jaw from dropping. He’s gorgeous. Dark brown curls fall onto his forehead. He has a strong jawline, soft looking lips, and those eyes. They’re a beautiful ocean blue, and even in the typical serious football picture, you can see the light in them.

“Carson Knox?” My dad’s voice suddenly pulls me away from staring at the picture. “That’s Jerry and Lisa’s boy. Do you remember him? You two would play together all the time when you were little. He sure grew up, huh?”

Yes dad, yes he sure has. I haven’t seen him in what feels like forever. I try to picture the boy growing up with the mop of brown curls, a lot shorter, always smiling. He seems so serious now. His parents always were a little strict.

Our Chinese arrives and my dad goes to the door. Turning back to the tv, I’m disappointed it’s gone to commercial, still remembering Carson’s blue eyes. I quickly grab my phone to text Nikki. Maybe she can give me the details on him tomorrow.