Nash The water tower was a place I hadn’t gone in years. You could see the football field from here. I used to watch the older guys play from this spot and dream of the day I could play. Since I had been on that field, I hadn’t been back here. “Nash,” Tallulah said hesitantly as she stared at the water tower in front of us. I opened my door to climb out with the dinner I’d gotten us in my hand. “Grab the waters. I’ll stick them in my pockets,” I said, then got out. She didn’t follow immediately. I grinned as I waited for her to join me. When she finally got out of the Escalade, she had the bottles in her hand, and a frown wrinkled the space between her eyebrows. “Are we... are we going up that?” she asked, looking up at the water tower. “I thought you said you weren’t scared of heights,” I reminded her, enjoying this. Seeing her battle with herself over doing this. “Heights I’m not scared of... however, the police I would rather not piss off.” That made me chuckle. “The cops won’t come after us.” She didn’t look convinced. “Climbing the water tower is illegal.” “Technically, yes. But all the cops in town are already at the football field.
Probably all having a burger, fries, and some nachos compliments of the Booster Club. None of them are worried about teens climbing water towers.” With a sigh, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.” That was easy. “You go first. I’ll come up behind you in case you slip.” She shot me an annoyed glare. “Not a comforting thought.” “What? I might have a limp, but I haven’t lost the strength in these bad boys,” I said, flexing my arms. She laughed, and the tension in her eyes faded. “My life and criminal record are in your hands.” “Noted.” She walked toward the tower. Still hesitant in her st eps, but she was doing it. As a kid, I never considered the cops or danger of this. It was just my quiet place to dream. A dream that was now gone. I gave my head a hard shake. I wasn’t going to think about that. Not now. I would later, while on the field, as I watched my teammates play the first game of our senior year. My former teammates. Tallulah came to the bottom of the ladder, and she tilted her head back to look up. The way her wavy blond hair blew gently in the breeze. Her waist small but her hips flared just enough. She wasn’t too thin. I liked that. She had curves. She also knew how to dress her curves. Tonight wasn’t going to be easy for me. But being with her made it better. Easier. She didn’t know that. Maybe I’d tell her. Maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe I’d just
enjoy this. Be thankful she was here, that she forgave me. “Should I take off these boots? Seems like it would be hard to climb this with boots.” I hadn’t thought of that, but she had a point. Barefoot would be better. “Yeah. Go barefoot. It’ll be easier.” She bent down and slipped a foot out of each boot, then stood back up and gave me a small grin before turning back to the ladder. Our burgers were going to get cold by the time we got up there with all these delays. Not that I cared. I was enjoying myself. “Okay, here I go,” she announced without looking back. “I’m right behind you,” I assured her. “You better be. If I get arrested, you are going with me.” “Would make for a great story at school on Monday.” She laughed loudly. That sound. It always made me smile. Climbing up the tower, I tried to stay focused on making sure she was steady. Be alert. But she was wearing a skirt. It was hard not to look up. I was fighting it. “Are you looking up my skirt?” she called down to me as if she could read my thoughts. “No. I thought about it. Considered it, but I’m being a gentleman. It’s a rare thing. Make a note of it.” “I’ll be sure to put it in my diary,” she shot back. It was the longest amount of time I had ever taken to climb the tower. But we made it finally. Tallulah went to the railing and stared out at the town beneath us. It was a view
most people never saw of Lawton. “You can see the field so good from here,” she said when her gaze landed on our school. “Yeah,” I agreed, not saying anything more. I had come up here to face this without my friends watching me first. To deal with the fact I’m not on that field tonight warming up. But knowing Tallulah was here to observe me suddenly made me nervous. I didn’t want to appear weak to her. “This isn’t going to be easy, is it?” she asked, not beating around the bush. “Nope,” I r eplied. I gave in and looked out at the field all my childhood dreams had re volved around. My friends and former teammates were out there. Fans were already filling the stadium. The band was practicing. The drums could be heard all the way up here. Tallulah moved and sat down, her feet dangling over the edge. “If my momma knew I was up here, she’d have a fit, possibly never recover. Cardiac arrest, even.” I took the waters from my pockets and handed her one, then sat down beside her. “Probably shouldn’t tell her.” “If the cops take me in for breaking the law, she’s gonna know. Then I’ll be grounded until I’m thirty.” “That would suck but sounds a little dramatic.” She held out her hand. “You don’t know my momma. Give me a burger. I’m starving.” I pulled out the burgers and left the fries in the bag to sit between us. “Might be cold since it took so long to get you up here.” She smirked. “This is the first time I’ve been asked to do something illegal.”
That made me forget about the football field and my not being on it. The drums in the background faded, and I threw my head back and laughed. The weight on my chest eased. I didn’t care about what I was missing. I had this. And this was turning out to be better. “What’s so funny?” she asked, then took a big bite of her burger. “You. We aren’t smuggling cocaine, or breaking and entering. This is not that big of a deal. If we were caught, they’d give us a slap on the wrist and a lecture on safety.” She swallowed her food, then shrugged. “Probably. But it’s more exciting to think we’re rebels breaking the law.” “Is it, now?” I r eplied. She nodded and took another bite. Tallulah wasn’t like any other girl I had dated. She wasn’t flirting or trying to control me with the promise of sex. She was... real. Fun. And damned if I didn’t regret all the years I had missed out not getting to know her.