From the Sea: Eleven

“Hey, how’d you get to school?” Aylin asked Shana as he leaned against the lockers at her own locker.
“I hitched a ride with Travis.” She said nonchalantly.
Aylin frowned and moved the locker door to look at her.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Nope.” She said with a wicked grin.
“Are you crazy? He might have killed you or something.”
“Oh, save it, Aylin. Like Travis is like that…”
“Have you seen him lately? He looks like a Gothic killer… The Crow or something.”
“I like Brandon Lee.” She said, slamming the door closed. “Besides, he was gentlemanly, unlike some people I know.”
Aylin followed her down the hall.
“Look, you know I don’t like it when he looks at you like that and I don’t like that you place yourself in situations that make him do so. I mean, seriously? Why do you have to show so much skin?”
“I dress the way I like to dress and I can’t help it if where I am he is. Sheesh, Aylin, it’s not like he’s stalking me. If he was, I wouldn’t even be talking to him and I would be agreeing with you all the time. There’s no reason to beat him up all the time anyway. You beat him up so much he had to have braces, you ass.” She hissed.
“That-“
“That was your fault and you know it. It knocked his teeth out prematurely and he had to get braces because they all came in crooked.”
Aylin had to admit that if that was the case then his sister was right.
“Well, I still don’t like it. I wouldn’t tell Craig you rode with him either. I won’t touch him this time, but Craig will.”
Shana made a face and went to her class. She knew that Aylin was right but she still didn’t understand what the big deal about Travis was. Sure, her brother could give her petty excuses but nothing was ever really solid about them. It had always been about Travis’ clothes or demeanor but never a real, official reason. In all honesty, Shana felt sorry for Travis and had wanted to befriend him many a time but every time she did something, Aylin took it upon himself to beat up Travis, no matter how many times Shana tried to get him not to.
As the class started, Shana began to daydream about everything that had happened between her and Travis. He had saved her before, though Aylin didn’t know it. It was when they were in middle school and she was walking to the store with a friend like she wasn’t supposed to. She was talking and walking at the same time, not paying attention and walked into the street. When she turned, a car was coming right at her but she suddenly felt herself being pulled back onto the sidewalk. She had lost her balance and found that Travis was over her, his hands hovering and asking if she was alright. She had said she was alright and that was the first time Travis had ever cussed her out for being so stupid.
Shana giggled. It had been kind of funny to see the shy boy get in such a rage over her. It also felt kind of good because she hadn’t been fussed over in a long time. She also secretly went to the grocery store where Travis worked so she could watch him and at least say hello without him getting beat up.
The teacher called on her to answer a question and she snapped out of her daydream.

When school ended, Travis got in his car to go to work and sniffed the air. It smelled like girly perfume and he sniffed his passenger seat where Shana had been sitting and smiled to himself. Besides Ruth, she’d been the only other girl to be in his car. He smiled at himself again and put the car in gear when all of a sudden the passenger door opened and Shana was there again.
“What the hell?!” he yelled.
“Drive, drive!” she yelled.
Travis stomped pulled out and began to drive down the road.
“What are you doing in my car?!”
“I was running.”
“And?! Jesus, Aylin and your boyfriend will kill me if they know you’re here!”
“Stop freaking out, Travis.” She hissed, watching as they stopped at the stop sign.
She turned and gasped, looking out his window. Travis turned and saw her boyfriend, Craig, tromping towards them and he glared at her.
“Woman, what have you gotten me into?”
“We had a fight about something (not you) and I told him that I wasn’t going to ride home with him. When he asked who I was supposed to get a ride with, I said you. Now he’s pissed.”
“I can see that!!!” Travis shrieked with an uncharacteristically high voice. “Dammit, Shana, he’ll literally kill me!”
“Just drive, Travis.” Shana hissed, throwing her foot over the console that housed the automatic shift and pressed his foot on the accelerator.
They sped forward at an alarming speed and Travis smacked her leg so she would get off of his foot.
“Move your leg!”
She moved it and the car went to a normal speed. He was breathing heavily and Shana turned her head at him.
“Calm down, Travis…”
“Calm down? Calm down?! You’re asking me to calm down when a guy who absolutely hates me’s girlfriend just hopped into my car and I just sped away like I was stealing her? The same guy who beats me up just because I happen to look in the same direction as you! Shana, you’ve killed me!”
“No I haven’t. I’ll talk to him later-“
“No, you don’t understand. Get out of my car. Now.”
“Trav-“
“OUT!” he yelled, slamming on breaks and stopping.
Shana looked at him as he stared at her. When she didn’t move, he leaned over her and opened the door for her.
“Get.”
“Are you really-“
“Yes.”
And the look on his face told her he was not joking. Shana slowly got out of the car and he slammed the car door. She looked around, wondering how in the world she was going to get home when the car backed up and he stopped in front of her again. He rolled the window down and glared at her angrily.
“I’ll drive you home.” He hissed.
“But I thought-“
“I’m not going to leave a pretty girl out here on this side of town by herself. Jeez, you’re so stupid.”
Shana climbed back into the car and they zoomed off.
“Thank you.” She said softly.
Travis just grumbled.

Shana sat in the passenger seat of the Mustang, her arms crossed and silence in the air. Her boyfriend, Craig Hart, drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
“I’m so mad at you I could scream. How could you just run off with him?”
“I didn’t. I was running away from you. I didn’t want to talk about it.”
“But with him.”
“Travis wouldn’t do anything. Don’t hurt him… He had nothing to do with this, I promise. Please don’t hurt him.”
Craig turned to her.
“You have feelings for the little creep.”
“He’s my friend.”
“What kind of friend?”
“See? This is why you piss me off. Every time I talk to a boy you think I’m like all the other cheerleaders and am just looking for the next one night stand. I’m not like that, Craig, and you know that. I’m still a virgin and plan to stay that way.”
He drummed his hands on the steering wheel again.
“Promise me that you won’t hurt him.”
“I won’t.” he said, not looking at her.
“Craig.”
“I’m not. Sheesh.”
Shana really didn’t believe him but that was all she had at the moment. He dropped her off at her house, having picked her up from the store, and she went inside.

Travis walked in and found Ruth and Josh at the dinner table.
“Hello, Travis.” Josh said.
“Hey.”
“You hungry?” Ruth asked.
In response, his stomach grumbled and Ruth smiled at him. He put his stuff down and walked in to sit at the table.
“How’s things been going with you?” Josh asked.
“Okay… a little better but not by much. I think I might get beat up again soon.” He said, putting some salad on a plate.
“Why?” Ruth asked rudely.
“Shana jumped in my car today to run away from a fight with her boyfriend. Craig hates me more than Aylin so… I have a feeling I will get beat up.”
“Maybe we should-“
“Now, Ruth, not reason to ruin it… Travis, your mother and I are going to go on a little trip tomorrow.”
“A date or something?” he said discursively.
“No, no…” Ruth said quickly.
Travis made a devious smile to his mother.
“Ah, getting it on?”
“TRAVIS!” Ruth screamed as he laughed at her.
“Business?” he asked Joshua.
He nodded. “Yes. I am allowed to bring a guest to the lecture hall and it happened to be a subject your mother was interested in. There will be no ‘getting it on’, I’m afraid.”
“Aw, a little lonely in the sack, Josh?”
“Travis, I will kill you if you don’t stop talking.” Ruth hissed.
Travis chuckled at her. “I’ll be good, Ma.”
Besides, he couldn’t imagine his mother and Josh doing anything at their age. The thought made him shudder and Ruth smacked him.
“Stop thinking.”
“Whatever… So you guys are going on a business trip. For how long?”
“Three days.”
“Okay. Awesome. Works for me.”
“Will you be alright?” Ruth asked with a worried expression.
“Perfect.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. What can go wrong?”