3. Bad Ideas
1655 Words
3
Bad Ideas
Savannah’s flight touched down at Nashville International Airport early Friday morning. She clutched her second coffee for the day and headed out of the terminal with her oversize purse and a rolling carry-on.
She was still not happy about this whole thing.
And she had no idea why she hadn’t just told her mother to f**k off.
She didn’t need to be here. She didn’t need to see Lucas graduate. She loved the Atwoods, but when was she going to finally stand up and say enough was enough? Soon. Very soon.
Leaving Easton in DC their first weekend moving in together wasn’t her idea of a good time. They’d had an excellent couple of days together, exploring the city and breaking the apartment in, but it had ended too quickly. Monday morning, she would start her new job, and she knew that she’d be super busy. She was really kicking herself for this.
After she exited out to the pickup line, she tugged on her enormous sunglasses and finished her coffee. She tossed it into the nearest bin before taking out her phone to text her mom.
Where are you? Landed and waiting outside.
Before she received a response, a horn honked from the street in front of her. She peeked up, wondering who the hell was being so obnoxious, and found a large silver truck with its window rolled down.
Lucas Atwood waved exaggeratedly at her. “Savi, over here.”
She looked up at the sky and prayed that she wouldn’t kill someone this weekend.
Lucas hopped out of the cab. He raced around to the passenger side and popped open the front door. “I’ll take that.”
She handed him her bag without complaint. She didn’t see much point. Was this her mother’s doing? Was she plotting? Or was Savannah really just this unlucky?
He loaded up her bag and then swished his head to the side to swipe his hair out of his face. She still wasn’t used to his hair being this short. His blue eyes were somehow bigger and brighter. His smile megawatt. How was he so happy to see her? Didn’t he remember their conversation last weekend?
“Need help?” he asked.
“I got it.” Then, she reached for the handle and hoisted herself up into his giant truck.
Lucas snapped the door closed behind her and returned to the driver’s seat.
“By your face, I’m going to hazard a guess that no one told you I was picking you up,” he said.
Savannah’s phone beeped. It was a message from her mom.
Lucas is on his way. He should be there soon.
Savannah held her phone up to Lucas. Her voice was dry. “You’re on your way.”
He glanced at the phone and then guffawed. “Your mom, I swear.”
“Tell me about it.”
She leaned back against the plush seat, kicked off her flip-flops, and crossed her legs pretzel-style.
“How’s DC?”
She shrugged. “Wasn’t there very long before my mom sprang this trip on me.”
Lucas cringed. “She means well?” It was definitely more of a question than a statement.
Savannah didn’t reply. What could she say? Her mother did mean well. But Savannah was living with Easton. Either her mother was being nice and trying to salvage a friendship or she was playing matchmaker with Lucas’s mom…again.
As much as Savannah didn’t want to, she fell into an easy rhythm with Lucas. You couldn’t grow up with someone your entire life and not find the quiet comfortable. He turned on his favorite radio station, and soon, they were both singing along. Twenty minutes later, they were parked outside of his apartment in Green Hills, near the Vanderbilt campus.
“Uh…this isn’t the hotel,” she said.
“Yeah. I have a spare room. Your mom said you were crashing with me.” Then, it seemed to dawn on him. “Well, s**t. Do you want me to find you a hotel?”
She ground her teeth together. “I might kill my mother.”
“That seems fair. I thought it seemed strange that you were okay with this, but I figured she knew.”
Savannah really needed to have a talk with her mom. Staying at Lucas’s apartment was probably not smart. But, God, she was tired of arguing with her mom. She’d have to talk to her soon enough about it. Doing it right now just did not seem ideal.
“My own room?”
“Uh…yes.”
“With a door and a lock?”
He chuckled. “Also yes.”
“Fine. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, I’m going to move.”
“All right,” Lucas said, not arguing with her.
He took her bag out of the backseat and carried it into the apartment. It was decent-sized. Bigger than the apartment she shared with Easton back in DC but with all sleek, modern amenities.
“Basketball team puts us up in these. My roommate is already gone for the semester. So, it’s just us.”
“Peachy,” she drawled.
“Your room is second on the right. Bathroom is at the end of the hallway. Graduation is on campus tonight, but we’re pretty much free until then. There’s a party afterward for the basketball team if you want to join, and then I think my mom has dinner plans tomorrow. Just so…you have all the logistics down and don’t feel like people are unexpectedly throwing more s**t at you.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
Lucas turned to walk down the hallway, presumably to his bedroom. Then, he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. “It’s really good to have you here, Savi.”
She watched him walk away with an ache in her chest that she couldn’t explain. It was good to be here. Even if she’d complained repeatedly about attending. Now that she was here, she was glad that she hadn’t backed out.
Savannah took his advice and found the spare bedroom. The room was bare bones. Just an extra-long bed and a dresser with an alarm clock on it. She dropped her bag off, quickly unpacked her clothes to keep them from wrinkling, and then sent Easton a quick text.
Made it safe. Miss you.
Miss you too. How’s the hotel?
Savannah nearly choked on the question. Yeah, telling him that she was staying with Lucas was probably not a great idea. She knew that she should tell, but it would just cause him undo heartache.
It’s a hotel. Mom is already driving me crazy.
Sounds right. Call me later and tell me how graduation goes.
Will do. xoxo
Savannah spent the rest of the day wandering around Nashville with Lucas. They didn’t meet up with their families until right before graduation. She’d changed into a Carolina blue dress for the occasion. Lucas had rolled his eyes when he saw it, but she’d just shrugged. Basketball was a religion as far as she was concerned.
Lucas disappeared to take his seat in front of the stage.
“Have fun?” her mother asked as they were walking into the alumni lawn together.
“Oodles.”
Her mother shot her a skeptical look, but Savannah kept her face forward.
They found their reserved seats next to the Atwoods. Lucas’s older brother, Chris, sat next to Brady and Clay. His younger sister, Alice, had her hair dyed black and swept across her forehead in a way that screamed emo. She stared down at her phone the entire time. Savannah’s father took the seat next to Lucas’s parents, and then Savannah sat next to her mother.
Before the ceremony got started, Savannah put her hand on her mother’s shoulder. She faced Savannah in surprise.
“Don’t ever do this again,” she told her mother. “You may not believe that I’m an adult, but I can make my own decisions. I don’t appreciate you forcing me to be here or forcing me to stay with Lucas. If you want me to do something, ask me. Don’t make me. I’m not going to put up with it any longer.”
Whatever Marilyn saw in Savannah’s eyes must have said how serious she was because she simply nodded and turned back to face front.
That was good enough for her.
Everyone finally quieted down as the ceremony began. The sun slowly fell behind them as each student walked across the stage and had their name formally called. When the announcer said Lucas Atwood, it wasn’t just their family who screamed in excitement. It was basically the entire student body. Long speeches and cheers and hats thrown, and then suddenly, it was over.
It was probably another half hour before Savannah located Lucas on the lawn amid an array of friends or possibly fans. He was taking pictures with about a dozen pretty girls. She rolled her eyes at the show and crossed her arms. Typical.
When he saw her though, a smile jumped onto his face, and he waved her over.
“Your family is looking for you,” she said. “They sent me to hunt you down.”
“Sorry, kind of got held up.”
“Lucas, one more picture?” a girl asked, thrusting her phone in Savannah’s direction.
She bobbled it in her hands and narrowed her eyes.
“Do you mind?” Lucas asked politely.
“Sure.” Savannah quickly snapped the shot and handed the phone back to the girl.
“See you at the party tonight!” the girl said with big doe eyes.
“Well, that was subtle,” Savannah muttered as they finally disappeared through the crowd, back toward their families.
“Tell me about it. That kind of s**t happens all the time. It’s exhausting.”
“I’m sure it is,” she said on a laugh. “Having pretty girls fawn all over you. How horrible!”
“Is that jealousy, Savannah Maxwell?”
“Hardly.”
He grinned and pinched her side. “Don’t worry. You’re still my girl.”
She opened her mouth to disagree with him, but by then, they were back with their families, and everyone was congratulating him. Pictures came next. His mother insisted on individuals and group shots of him in his cap and gown. After she was pushed into a picture with him, she carefully stepped out of the way and allowed the family to do their thing.
And then she just watched him.
His easy smile. His short curls. The way those blue eyes lit up around his family. The sheer size of him.
For a second, just a split second, she wished that they hadn’t ruined everything four years ago. That things were easier between them. That she could forget the taste of his lips…and just have her best friend back.
- Writer
