Tomahawk'd Part 5

Her mother looked at her as if she'd sprouted two heads and repeated, "I just don't understand you."

"Well, that goes both ways." Erin slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Can I go now? I'll be back before dinner." Her eyes took on a rebellious stare. "I won't get dirty, either."

Walking in from the bedroom, Joe felt the tension in the air between his wife and daughter. "Who's getting dirty, Peanut?"

"No one, as I have told Mom. She thinks I'm eight years old and am gonna get all dirty in the boathouse."

Rolling his eyes at his wife, Joe tried to placate her. "Honey, she hasn't come back dirty from that place since our first time here. Just let her have some fun this summer before she starts high school, okay?"

"Fine, just go," she groused and stalked into the kitchen.

"Have fun, Peanut, okay?"

"I don't get it, Daddy. We get along fine until Jack or vacationing in Wisconsin comes up. I can't breathe one word about Jack without her ragging on me. I would think she'd want me to have someone to hang with while we're here. What did Jack ever do to her?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Joe opened his arms and Erin fell instantly into his warmth. He embraced his daughter and patted the sack on her back. "Don't you worry about your mom, just have some fun. Paint me a sunset, okay? You know they're my favorite." His chin rested on her head.

Nodding into the clean smell of her father's s.h.i.+rt, Erin gave him one last cuddle. "Okay, Daddy. I'm getting pretty good with the pastels now. I'll try one for you."

"That's my girl." He brushed her cheek with a callused thumb. "Go have fun."

"Is it true you're taking us to Bosaki's for dinner?"

"Yep, so don't be late."

"You got it."

Erin climbed up to the boathouse roof, following the sweet new sounds coming from Jackson's oboe. Reaching the top rung of the ladder, she watched as Jackson played, unaware of her arrival. Her eyes were still covered by sungla.s.ses, but Erin knew without question they were closed and she was lost in the melody she was playing. When the last note ended, Jackson rested the oboe across her lap.

"You can come up now, sneaky pants."

Jackson's words startled Erin. "I didn't think you'd heard me. I could've sworn you were someplace else while you were playing," she managed to get out while swinging her body over the ladder.

"I always know when you're near." She shrugged. "I always have." Erin's smile was contagious and Jackson found herself smiling back.

Pulling her pad of paper from the waistband of her shorts, Erin realized something aloud, "You know, ever since that first time up here, I always tuck my sketchbook into my pants if I need both hands for something. I can't help it."

Jackson laughed at the admission. "Well, I'm glad my advice has stuck with you for so long. I don't know many people who've listened to me and remembered what they heard."

"Like I told you before, I'm not just anybody."

Erin took a seat next to Jackson on the blanket spread out on the rooftop. Looking out over the water, awe washed over her anew. "It never fails. Every time I look out there, I'm just speechless. It's so...breathtaking."

Looking at the new instrument in Jackson's lap, she was instantly curious. "So, when did you start playing this? I know you were fiddling around with the flute and piccolo, but isn't this like a clarinet?"

"Excellent question, Ms. Hawkins. It just so happens that the flute, piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, recorder and oboe are all in the same family."

Erin marveled again at how much Jackson had grown up. Even though she was only sixteen, she knew a great deal about music. "You should teach music, Jack. You know so much about it."

Scrunching up her face, Jackson replied, "Yeah, but I don't know if I could do the teaching thing. Knowing what I know about kids, they're a.s.sholes, and I don't think I could handle not being able to smack them if they got out of line in my cla.s.s."

Laughing at her friend, who was normally a pacifist, Erin replied, "You would be fine and you know it. Once you get into something, you get everyone around you so hyped on it." Erin remembered an example. "Do you remember how crazy you were over that stupid potato salad from that convenience store across the lake? Soon after your outburst, my parents, your aunt and everyone else at the resort were cruising on their boats to get some. You could've written a prizewinning essay about it."

Laughing at the memory, Jackson agreed. "You're right. I can get pretty nuts over something I love." She turned to look at Erin and the air seemed to stop moving altogether.

Erin felt the s.h.i.+ft and swallowed hard. Neither of them heard the footfalls on the ladder.

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Molly's jealous voice broke the connection.

Jackson's head whirled around and met the c.o.c.ky smirk of her girlfriend. "Molly! What are you doing here?" Jackson blurted, her face flaming with surprise and instant nausea.

"You sounded like you really wanted me to meet the infamous Erin, so here I am." Reaching the top, she turned to look at the visitor. Coolly a.s.sessing the pretty, reddish-blond girl with the sky blue eyes, she extended her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Erin, feeling the tension radiating from Jackson's body, extended her hand carefully. She regarded the small, attractive blonde and felt that she was in unfamiliar territory. A little jealousy seeped into her heart. "It's nice to meet you, too, Molly."

The air crackled with Jackson's anxiety. She didn't know how to calm her racing heart. Trying to act as if she was under control, Jackson pointed to the blanket beside her. "Have a seat. Erin was just going to do some drawing and I was going to...um..." she lifted her oboe, "practice for a while."

Erin's eyes went wide as she listened to Jackson stumble over her words. She called me Erin? What is going on with her?

"You know, Erin, the way Jackson talks about you, I would've thought you were much older. You're just a kid." She was hoping to wipe the smile off of Jackson's face, and it worked...but not to her advantage.

"Hey! She's starting high school in the fall. She's not that much younger than I am. Or is being a senior this year making you forget that you have freshmen walking down the same hallways with you every day?"

"Jack, it's okay," Erin's small voice stopped her rant. "She doesn't know me yet. Perhaps by the end of the summer she'll change her mind." Erin smiled sweetly at Molly.

"Yes, Jack, maybe I'll change my mind," she repeated, ice dripping from her smile. "So, what are you playing? Are you working on that little thing you wrote? What was it called, 'Hawks in Flight' or something?" Jackson's cheeks flamed at Molly's words.

Erin's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You wrote a song?" She cleared her throat for emphasis. "About a hawk in flight?"

Jackson wanted to jump off the roof of the boathouse right then and there.

"It's really good, she should play it for you sometime," Molly added, touching Jackson's bare knee. Jackson jumped up and pretended to stretch. Molly looked at her angrily and stood as well. "What's wrong, Jack? Don't you want to play it for her?"

Erin watched the strange interaction and wondered why Jackson would bother being friends with someone like Molly. She's really bossy. Feeling like she was in the way, she stood with the other girls and started to make an excuse to leave when Molly opened her mouth again.

"Jack, look at me." Molly reached up and took off her sungla.s.ses, smiling when she saw two blue eyes looking at her. "Ahh, there are the blue eyes I love."

Erin's brow furrowed, her posture stiffening. Eyes wide, she cried, "What happened to your eyes?"

Before Jackson could answer, Molly piped up, "Colored contact lens. Doesn't she look so much better? Those different colored eyes really freaked me out."

Erin's anger at the girl almost overwhelmed her. Her voice was calm despite the maelstrom burning in her belly. "Actually, no, I don't think she does. Sorry, Jack, but I really loved your eyes before. They were unique and special." The "loved" slipped out before she could stop it.

Jackson was tired of being talked about like she wasn't in the vicinity. She grabbed her sungla.s.ses and put them back on, trying not to drop her oboe. "Look, Molly please don't talk about me like I'm not even here. I can speak for myself." Turning to Erin she said, "It was supposed to be a surprise. I didn't tell you so I could show you myself. I wanted to see what it was like to have two of the same colored eyes. Like everyone else."

But you're not everyone else. You're unique and special! "Well, if you like them then that's good. I do like your eyes the way they were without the contact lens, though." Feigning tardiness, Erin looked at her watch. "I gotta get going anyway. My mom has some stuff for me to do before dinner." Turning back to Molly, she spoke politely. "It was nice to meet you, Molly. I hope we see each other before I leave."

"I'm sure we will."

Jackson watched as Molly waved and smiled a saccharine smile that made her stomach roil. "I'll see you after dinner?" Jackson asked hopefully.

"Sure." Erin tried hard to smile as she picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder, then carefully made her way down the ladder. As she walked down to the loft window, she heard Molly's whisper. "They're so unique and special," she said mockingly. "I told you she was a kid." And Jackson's, "Knock it off, Molly. The show's over."

Trying to keep her emotions in check, she swung into the loft and down to the main boathouse. She was confused by Jackson's behavior and angry at how she was treated by Molly. Realizing she'd left her pad of paper on the roof, she debated whether to go back and get it. "Screw that," she said, knowing Jackson would take care of it, and she followed the small path that would lead her back to the cabin grounds.

Up on the roof, Molly and Jackson were still debating what had transpired.

"You owe her an apology, Molly. She didn't do anything to you and you attacked her like a jungle cat. What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?"

Eyes softening, Molly realized she'd hit a nerve and tried a peace offering. "I'm sorry, Jack. When I saw you two up here I got really jealous and my mouth kind of took over."

"You have nothing to be jealous of," Jackson lied. "We've been friends since we were like knee high. Every summer she and her folks come to stay with us. I love her like a sister and would really appreciate it if you were nicer to her next time."

"Okay, Jack. I really am sorry." She tried to give Jackson a kiss only to have the taller girl back away.

"Don't! I told you I didn't want to do that stuff while she was here."

"I don't see her anywhere, Jack, do you?" Blowing out a breath, she continued to rant. "Me coming over was just a bad idea. I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to step onto the ladder and stopped. "Unless that's no good for you either."

"It's fine, Mol. Just come tomorrow. We'll go skiing or something. Erin's never skied before, I'm sure she'd like to try something other than the tube."

"Great!" she snapped. "I can't wait to do everything Erin wants to do. See you later, Jack."

Molly flew down the ladder, leaving Jackson to ungracefully plop down on the roof, oboe in hand. She noticed Erin's sketchbook at the edge of the blanket. Shaking her head, she looked out over the water.

Oh, this isn't gonna be good, at all.

Chapter Five.

1990 The NorthwoodsIslandCity A few hours later Erin was sitting on the dock. Her stomach was upset after the afternoon she shared with Jack, and eating greasy fried fish for dinner hadn't helped her situation at all. With the sun starting to set, her fingers began to work in earnest. The colors coming off the water were incredible. Purples and pinks with a hard line of red on the horizon. It was just beautiful. Her pastel sticks were bringing out the colors as well as her matching mood.

What happened up on the roof was strange, if not a little unsettling. Molly and Jackson definitely had a history of which she knew nothing about. Jackson hadn't ever mentioned Molly, and when she'd found out that Molly knew of her, her thoughts were troubling.

Why would she hide that from me? It's obvious Molly doesn't like me for some reason. I just hope Jack will tell me what's going on. I don't like this one bit.

Hearing footsteps on the dock, her heart sped up. Speak of the devil. She didn't need to turn around to know who was approaching. Jackson sat down in the chair next to her and didn't say a word. Erin used her peripheral vision to watch her while she pretended to draw. Jackson sat quietly watching the sunset.

"So, what's up with Molly? Any idea why she hates me so much?" Erin asked flat out. And why didn't you tell me about her?

Jackson didn't answer right away. She was battling with so many emotions that she wasn't sure which ones she wanted to face. "Molly is a spoiled brat sometimes, Hawk. She can be the nicest person, but like today, she showed fangs I'm not too fond of."

"What's up with you not calling me Hawk around her? I feel like there is so much you haven't told me. I think you stopped writing to me because of her." Erin worked on, finis.h.i.+ng her drawing before the sun disappeared below the horizon.

If you only knew how much I haven't told you. "You're right. I was hanging out with Molly this summer and before I knew it," she snapped her fingers, "August was here and then so were you. I'm really sorry about that. You know how much I love your letters," Jackson said. "I'm so sorry about today. I really hated the whole thing." She ventured a hand on Erin's shoulder.

Erin's eyes met hers for the first time and she noticed the contact lens had been removed. Trying to hide her smile, she replied, "I didn't hate all of it. It was really nice before she showed up." She reached up and squeezed the hand on her shoulder, then resumed working her magic on the page. "Although, I don't think you should hang out with a person who wants you to change yourself." She pointed to her eyes. "Your eyes are unique and are a part of the awesome person you are. Don't let her take that from you. No one should be allowed to do that."

Jackson started to dispute the a.s.sertion, but Erin put her fingers on her mouth. "You know I'm right." Jackson smiled, and the fight was over before it began.

Jackson moved closer to look over Erin's shoulder. From the edge of the sh.o.r.e, Katie stood and watched the girls together, unable to suppress the discontent she felt. The closer Erin and Jackson got, the uneasier she felt. She knew there was more than friends.h.i.+p growing between them. It was a sinking feeling, and she would not allow it to happen if she could help it. No daughter of mine will act that way. "Erin, make sure you come in at dark!"

Erin, nearly jumping off her chair, turned around to face her mother on the waterfront. "Can I stay out until at least ten, Mom? I'm working on a great picture for Dad."

Trying not to be completely unreasonable, she compromised. "Ten o'clock, but no later."

Smiling with a brief wave, Erin called, "Thanks."

"Good night, Mrs. Hawkins."

"Good night, Jackson," she returned coolly, and then went back to her cottage.

"Hawk, what's up with you and your mom? She never used to give you a curfew while you were here."

Taking a deep breath, she stilled her fingers. "Jack, I wish I knew. She has been such a... G.o.d I don't even want to say it! Do you know she tried to get me to go to cheerleading camp instead of coming here this summer? I couldn't believe it. Like there was any way I'd choose not to come and see you if I could."

Jackson was at a loss. "I don't know, Hawk. What does your dad say about it?"

"He says not to mind her, but I do mind. It's like she doesn't want me to be friends with you or something. What the heck made her feel that way? You're my best friend in the world; how can she not want me to be around you?"

Jackson's arm went fully around Erin's shoulders and drew their bodies close. "I don't know, Hawk. I'll just try to be extra charming so she isn't so hard on you." Without thought, she kissed the top of Erin's head. Eyes closing, Erin let her head fall against the broad shoulder beside her.

"I love you, you know," Erin whispered.

Pressing her lips against her head again, Jackson replied, "I love you, too, Hawk."

"Promise me something?" Erin kept her voice low.

"Anything."

"Tell me about Molly when you're ready, okay?"

Not really wanting to think about her at the moment, Jackson agreed. "I will. I am sorry I didn't tell you about her. It might have been much more evenly matched this afternoon. She came out swinging, man. I didn't think she'd be so jealous of our friends.h.i.+p."

Feeling her face redden a little, Erin confessed, "I was a little jealous of her, too. She was acting like you were her possession. I did not like that one bit."

Jackson bit off her smile at Erin's admission, grateful Erin was so different from Molly. There was no comparison. If there ever was any reason she had to choose between the two, Erin would win hands down. For right now, she would relish the idea of having her girlfriend and her best friend in the same place. She felt extremely lucky indeed.

"Do you want to try water skiing tomorrow?"

A sudden fear washed over Erin. "I...I don't know. I'm kinda scared about it, really. Maybe I should just stick to tubing."

"Well, you can if you want. I think we're gonna take the boat out tomorrow and go skiing. You're always welcome to try, but we'll hitch up the tube to the boat if you'd rather do that."