[iowa] In which Garrett and Lara look for luck.
There was something about the summer after graduating high school that made a person feel like they were on top of the world, especially when you were coming from a small town in Iowa. Three months from now, she was going to be out, gone, free of her parents rule and expectations. She would be free to make her own mistakes and learn in her own way, and she really couldn’t ask for much more than that. But for now, she was still going to play by the family rules, which was what led to her and Garrett hanging out in the back field of her family’s farm, stretched out under a tree with pairs of shoes hanging from the branches.
“Why do you guys do that?”
Lara glanced back over her shoulder at him with a grin, before checking the knot she tied her shoelaces in. She checked the weight in her hand for a moment, before tossing them up and over the branch. Each member of the family made their way out there every summer for the yearly Sorenson ritual. The shoes lopped over the branch with practiced ease, and once they were settled, Lara took a few steps backwards, flopping back onto the grass with her best friend.
The telltale signs of summer were just starting to slip through into the spring weather, the sun warming the ground so that you could feel it drift up through the dirt. The light caressed everything, almost, making the colors shine brighter than they usually did and making everything seem that much more intense. As she stretched out next to Garrett in the grass, she curled into him and shifted so that she fit against him more easily. He was taller than her, most people were, and she could slide along his side while he sprawled out and took up most of the space.
“It’s for good luck,” she replied, reaching to pull off her socks and let her toes dig into the dirt.
“Good luck to leave your shoes in trees.”
Lara gave him a look as she settled in. “Yes. We are superstitious. So sue us.”
Garrett smirked at her before sliding an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. As the sun started to peak out more between the clouds, covering them in so much warmth that it was sinking into their muscles and forcing them to relax, unwinding whatever stress and pressure they were under. Ever since graduation, Garrett had been carrying something around that she wasn’t sure she understood. She wasn’t sure she ever world-she and Garrett had had drastically different lives to deal with. She didn’t have to hide from her parents, for one. Still, she thought that Garrett would be happy to see summer coming. He had a full ride to the University of Iowa. He was getting out, getting away. He should be happy.
But he was acting like a man going to the gallows, and he didn’t understand it.
They stayed there in the fields for a while, a long silence soaking through them until Garrett shifted next to her. “I think I’m gonna tell my dad. About-you know.”
She opened her eyes to look at him, confused for a moment until she figured out what he was talking about. “Garrett-”
“I need to. I know it’s probably not the best idea-”
“Gar, he’ll kill you,” she said slowly. “You saw what he did-”
“To Sal? Yeah, I saw. I know. But.” He stopped. His eyes closed and she could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to process the right way to say this. “I can’t leave and not have him know. Because, if I leave-I’m not coming back. I can’t come back. And I need him to know why.”
Lara shifted next to him, resting her arm against his chest. “This is only going to hurt. This isn’t going to help.”
“Maybe that’s what I need. A clean break. A definite show of where I stand with all the cards on the table.”
She knew she wasn’t going to be able to stop him. And when he showed up later, with bruises on his face and his father’s words ringing in his ears, her family would take care of him, as they always had. She knew that he would be happier without the confrontation, but maybe that was what he needed. And she couldn’t argue with needs. She shifted closer to him, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Just be careful.”
He watched her for a moment, before reaching forward and starting to nudge his work boots off his feet. Lara watched as he reached forward to tie the laces together, then pushing himself up on his feet. He lobbed the shoes up over the tree branch, and once they were there, he turned back to her with a smile that was meant to be reassuring. She couldn’t say she was.
“For luck.”
“Yeah,” Lara nodded. “For luck.”
840 words
“Why do you guys do that?”
Lara glanced back over her shoulder at him with a grin, before checking the knot she tied her shoelaces in. She checked the weight in her hand for a moment, before tossing them up and over the branch. Each member of the family made their way out there every summer for the yearly Sorenson ritual. The shoes lopped over the branch with practiced ease, and once they were settled, Lara took a few steps backwards, flopping back onto the grass with her best friend.
The telltale signs of summer were just starting to slip through into the spring weather, the sun warming the ground so that you could feel it drift up through the dirt. The light caressed everything, almost, making the colors shine brighter than they usually did and making everything seem that much more intense. As she stretched out next to Garrett in the grass, she curled into him and shifted so that she fit against him more easily. He was taller than her, most people were, and she could slide along his side while he sprawled out and took up most of the space.
“It’s for good luck,” she replied, reaching to pull off her socks and let her toes dig into the dirt.
“Good luck to leave your shoes in trees.”
Lara gave him a look as she settled in. “Yes. We are superstitious. So sue us.”
Garrett smirked at her before sliding an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. As the sun started to peak out more between the clouds, covering them in so much warmth that it was sinking into their muscles and forcing them to relax, unwinding whatever stress and pressure they were under. Ever since graduation, Garrett had been carrying something around that she wasn’t sure she understood. She wasn’t sure she ever world-she and Garrett had had drastically different lives to deal with. She didn’t have to hide from her parents, for one. Still, she thought that Garrett would be happy to see summer coming. He had a full ride to the University of Iowa. He was getting out, getting away. He should be happy.
But he was acting like a man going to the gallows, and he didn’t understand it.
They stayed there in the fields for a while, a long silence soaking through them until Garrett shifted next to her. “I think I’m gonna tell my dad. About-you know.”
She opened her eyes to look at him, confused for a moment until she figured out what he was talking about. “Garrett-”
“I need to. I know it’s probably not the best idea-”
“Gar, he’ll kill you,” she said slowly. “You saw what he did-”
“To Sal? Yeah, I saw. I know. But.” He stopped. His eyes closed and she could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to process the right way to say this. “I can’t leave and not have him know. Because, if I leave-I’m not coming back. I can’t come back. And I need him to know why.”
Lara shifted next to him, resting her arm against his chest. “This is only going to hurt. This isn’t going to help.”
“Maybe that’s what I need. A clean break. A definite show of where I stand with all the cards on the table.”
She knew she wasn’t going to be able to stop him. And when he showed up later, with bruises on his face and his father’s words ringing in his ears, her family would take care of him, as they always had. She knew that he would be happier without the confrontation, but maybe that was what he needed. And she couldn’t argue with needs. She shifted closer to him, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Just be careful.”
He watched her for a moment, before reaching forward and starting to nudge his work boots off his feet. Lara watched as he reached forward to tie the laces together, then pushing himself up on his feet. He lobbed the shoes up over the tree branch, and once they were there, he turned back to her with a smile that was meant to be reassuring. She couldn’t say she was.
“For luck.”
“Yeah,” Lara nodded. “For luck.”
840 words