Eleanor's Remarkable and Infinite Bucket List {2}

day 16 (summer 2013)

All things considered, New England summers are cold. In comparison to the rest of America, we get off easy. Even on the hottest day of the year, it was only 90 degrees out. That didn't stop the stuffy air from almost chocking me. I was sitting behind the desk, flipping through the pages of my well worn copy of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The smell of old books was calming, and I could almost fall asleep in the warm office lulled to sleep by the buzz of the fan that was doing nothing but lifting my papers off my desk. Before I could take my nap, however, the bell tinkled, and I looked up to see another teenager come in, dark hair shoved underneath a Red Sox baseball hat. The door slammed behind him, stirring a little bit of a breeze inside the little waiting room. He approached the desk, his brown eyes scanning my face before he broke into a wide smile. "Hi," he said, leaning casually against the desk, as though he'd been coming here all his life. "I'm Percy."
I sat up straight and sized him up, taking in the blue polo shirt and brown cargo shorts, the vans and lanyard hanging from his pocket from University of Michigan. "Eleanor."
I felt nervous, like I should be fixing my hair or fluttering my eye lashes. As if. "That's a beautiful name," he said, "very classic."
"I'm glad you approve." It came out more sarcastically than I meant it to, but it made him grin.
"I'm here to make an appointment for my dog."
"You know you can call and make appointments, right?"
"Yeah, but I wanted an excuse to get away from all the unpacking."
"Oh, so that's why I've never seen you. Where'd you move from?"
"Michigan."
"I've never been anywhere but here," I said. For some reason, his easy smile made me want to tell him my life story from the very beginning.
"Anywhere?"
"Just Cape Cod a few times for vacation."
"I've never been to Cape Cod, is it nice?"
I snorted. "If you think the smell of beer and sand is nice."
He shrugged. "I suppose it can be."
"Not really." I leaned my chair back to where it was sitting on it's back legs. "I applied for a scholarship though. Scotland for a year, no looking back."
"Sounds like a dream."
I nodded. "So, your dog. What's its name?"
"Bailey. She's a German Shepard."
"Is she well behaved?"
Percy laughed, a big laugh that echoed in the empty room. "Bailey? Well behaved? That'll be the day..."
I sighed, marking the appointment sheet. "At least you're honest. I've known people who get really offended when I ask that question."
"There's absolutely no denying the fact that Bailey doesn't behave."
"I just need your contact information." I said, handing him a clip board and leaning back in my chair.
He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. "It's hot in here, isn't it?"
"Angela doesn't believe in paying the air conditioning bill."
"Angela?"
"The lady who runs this place." I lifted my braid off the back of my neck, fanning with my other hand.
"Why doesn't she believe in air conditioning?"
"She likes to be 'one with nature' at all times. She thinks that air conditioning makes it harder to live in the moment or something."
'That's--"
"Angela."
He laughed and handed me my clipboard. "So, Eleanor. What's your story?"
"Don't you have somewhere to go?" I traced the edge of my book, the feel of the pages under my thumb oddly soothing. My heartbeat was so fast it felt like there was something in my chest trying to escape.
"No, please, I really don't want to go back to unpacking hell."
"I don't have a story."
"Everyone has a story."
"Well, mine is incredibly unremarkable and very boring."
He moved around the desk, leaning over to inspect the things sitting there. My book, my phone, and my blue leather notebook. "What's this?" he picked the notebook up, inspecting the cover.
I reached forward, but he held the notebook out of my reach. "For someone with a boring life, you certainly seem to have something hidden in this." He tapped the cover and grinned mischievously.
"Come on, give it back," I said jumping to try and reach it. Being a least a foot taller than me, he managed to hold it out of my reach easily. "You know, for someone I just met you seem to be very forward."
"What's forward about stealing your book?"
"Most people I meet settle for a handshake."
He looked own his nose. "If you think taking your notebook is forward, you're definitely going to think what I have to say next is forward."
I raised my eyebrow. "What's that?"
"If you want this mysterious book back, get coffee with me."
"You have to be kidding me."
"On the contrary, I'm completely and totally serious."
"I just met you! You could be an axe murderer or something."
He shrugged. "Could be, but probably not."
"Give me my book back an I'll let you live."
He laughed, his grin lighting up his face like a lamp. "Who's the axe murderer now? Come on, it's just coffee. Be nice to someone new in town in need of a friend."
"For someone who claims they want friends, you're not very good at making them. You've successfully pissed me off."
He shrugged. "It was a risk I had to take. Either you come get coffee with me, and tell me your unremarkable story, and get your book back, or--"
"Or you give me my book back and I don't kick you out on your ass."
"What's in here that's so important?"
"Nothing, it's just impolite to steal things. Didn't your mother ever teach you that?"
He made a face. "I make it a point to break rules."
"That's not safe."
"It hasn't failed me yet."
"Ah, but now you've met me." Checking the clock, I saw the hand move to the three. "And I don't go on dates with jerks who steal my things the day I meet them." I grabbed my phone off the desk and pushed past him. "Let me know when you wanna give me that back," I said, pointing at my notebook. "Then we'll discuss maybe trying this all again."
And with that, I walked out of the door, the bell tinkling behind me.

day 16, later... (summer 2013)

"You have to be kidding me." Nate looked absolutely incredulous, his taco half way to his mouth, mouth half way open. "You just left him there?"
"Yep."
"You're a fire cracker, I swear to God."
"He was being a jerk! I'd never met him before, and he acted like we'd been friends our entire life."
Nate rolled his eyes. "You like him."
"Why on earth would you say that?" I threw my fork down, staring at him in disbelief.
"As someone who spends the majority of their time in love, I can tell when someone else is in love, Eleanor."
"I most definitely am not in love with him. He was a jerk."
"He still has your notebook." Nate pointed out, shoving the last bite of his Chipotle into his mouth.
"I know."
"What if he reads it? You've never even let me read it."
"I'm starting to think it's kind of idiotic."
"You keep telling yourself that, maybe you'll believe it. Seriously, what's in there?"
"Nothing, it's stupid. And nothing I can finish now."
"What do you mean?"
"Well if I get that scholarship..."
"No, we're not talking about that." He stood up, carrying his tray to the trash can, dumping his wrappers and then coming back to the booth. "We're pretending that isn't happening till it happens."
"It's happening, Nate."
"You don't even know if you'll get it, Eleanor."
I fixed him with a 'you're kidding, right?' stare. "I have to get it."
"I know you do." He looked sad for a moment, staring at his hands. "I just don't want you to."
"That's kind of selfish, don't you think?"
"It's kind of selfish for you to leave me alone, Ellie. You're my best friend."
I smiled sadly, and pushed my bag of tortilla chips towards him. "And you're mine."
He winked, an evil grin spreading across his face. "That sappy stuff worked on you? I didn't think I'd get your chips that easily."
"Jerk."
"You love me."
"Yeah, I do. Now let's get out of here. I'm feeling some ice cream." I picked up my tray, and he followed, crunching my chips as loudly as possible.
"I'm not letting this go, by the way. This is the first boy I've ever heard you talk about with such passion. You likkeeee him."
"Shut up."
"Not happening, short stuff." He winked and pushed past me, opening the door with an exaggerated bow.

day 18 (summer 2013)

Rain makes me sleepy. It's a proven fact that Nate has tested time and time again by putting me in odd situations when it's raining and watched me fall asleep in the middle of whatever it was I was doing. So it'll come as no surprise that on day eighteen, I was fast asleep, my head on my desk, the cool breeze blowing in through the open window.

I also don't wake very easily. My mom says a class five hurricane could blow through town, and all I'd do is pull the covers up over my head. So it's also no surprise that Percy had to clear his throat for at least five minutes, and poke me multiple times before I finally woke up from my nap. "Hi," he said, looking slightly sheepish.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, I came to drop off Bailey for her appointment." he lifted his right hand slightly, showing me the pink sparkly leash he was holding. I stood up, looking over the edge of the desk to see a panting dog looking up at me with the sweetest smile on her face. "She doesn't look like she misbehaves," I cooed, reaching to pet the dog's ears. The dog's eyes closed in absolute contentment.
"She's an actress," he said dryly, shaking his head. Today, he was wearing a Nike base ball cap, black t-shirt advertising some soccer team in Michigan, and grey basket ball shorts. He looked me, still slightly sheepish. "I have something for you. Two somethings, actually."
I raised my eyebrow. "Yes?"
"First, I owe you this." he placed my book on top of the desk. "I didn't read it, or open it. I promise."
"Thank you." I picked the journal up, holding it against my chest.
"I also owe you an apology for being such an asshole."
"Yeah, you do."
"I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
"Well, you did return my journal. And I believe that you really didn't look in it, so maybe." He came around the desk, Bailey following behind him, and bent down on his knee. "Please forgive me for being irredeemable asshole."
I snorted, "If you think that's gonna work, you have another thing coming. I prefer sincerity to theatrics."
He sighed. "You're a hard one, Eleanor--what's your last name?"
"Monroe."
"You're a hard one, Monroe. But I'll crack you before this is over. We're going to be friends."
I rolled my eyes, "Okay Detective from a terrible cop show, just give me your dog. She'll be done in a few hours."
"Would you kill me if I stuck around until then?"
"Yes."
"Damn. I guess I'll be back later, then."
"I guess you will," I said, taking the leash from his hand and pulling the dog towards the back room.
"Bye, Monroe."
"My name is Eleanor."
"Monroe is more badass, and from the looks of you, you need help in that department."
"I'm plenty badass, thank you," I said, turning towards him, hand on hip.
"Sure you are, Monroe."
"Oh, just get out of here. And don't come back for a few hours."
"Yes ma'am." He mock bowed, an left, the bell slamming against the glass of the door. I looked down at Bailey, shaking my head. "Your owner is a jerk, Bailey. I hope you don't follow in his footsteps."