Dear Ex-Girlfriend (Lesbian, Girlxg... - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Darkness has fallen on Bear Creek when Gene and I made it out of Mac's house. We had to wait for a few more minutes in the closet, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then we snuck through the window.
I tried to make sense of what I was feeling as we walked down the poorly lit street. My heart was a choo-choo train chugging on my chest. And whenever I looked at Gene, the locomotive inside me would speed up, skid out of control, and whistle like crazy. I was only waiting for it to get derailed.
Somewhere along the way, she took a contact lens case from her pocket, twisted it open, and wore a pair after rubbing her fingers with the clear water. They must be her spare.
"Did your eye sight become bad?" I asked.
She replaced the cap and shook her head. "No. The lenses are for decoration."
"Why? You don't need them. The natural colors of your eyes are beautiful. I've always lov—"
"I hate them," she cut off. "I don't like looking at them on the mirror."
"Genesis. . ."
"Destiny." She sighed and looked at me. "Destiny. . . Destiny Jones. . ."
"Y-yes?"
She shoved her hand in her pocket together with the container. "Let's go back to the twins."
Her light switch was turned off again.
Ester and Spencer were still by themselves when we went to their backyard. Their parents, as with mine and Gene, were prone to working late. That's what I thought about the Governor anyway. He seemed like the workaholic type, and I haven't gotten around to asking Genesis those questions yet. They could wait.
"Look who's back," Spencer said. He'd been pitching a football on the air when we came in. Ester was by the table reading a book.
"Here's your proof." Genesis handed the soap to Spencer. Like the other one we left in Mac's house, it was rounded and small. There was another number to it though, and Spencer's small signature underneath the logo. Ironically, we found it sitting near the window before leaving.
Spencer scrutinized the soap for authenticity. "Seems legit." He turned it over a couple of times on his hands, while the football was tucked under his arm. "Well done, girls. I didn't think you had it in you." His eyes strayed to Genesis. "Especially you."
I folded my arms. "Are you happy now? Is she your friend again?"
My voice was loud, carrying all the way to Ester. She looked up from her book and gave me a nod.
"Good." I turned to Spencer. "You could have really gotten us in trouble back there."
"But you didn't." He grinned. "Not even a scratch on you."
I punched him lightly on the chest. "You'd have to answer to the Governor if we did. What do you have to say about that?"
His eyes gleamed as he gave a half-shrug. "I'm prepared to piss him more."
Before I could ask what was up, he took a step back and pivoted. Spencer's voice was excited but low. I had to strain my ears to hear what he said. "Wait till you see this."
He dropped his football on the grass before reaching the other side of the yard. There, he stood beside a huge clump, with a sheet over it. I remembered him covering it earlier. Way before the dare happened.
Ester had placed her book down and was watching us from her seat. That made me look back at Spencer quizzically. What were these two up to?
"We've been planning it for years," Spencer began. "Budget has been short, but with the help of Genesis' contributions, finding scraps here and there, and a little elbow grease from this hunk." He pointed to himself. "I'm talking about me, by the way." His hand went to the sheet. "Behold, the labor of our love."
I gulped when the cover was removed. "No way."
Genesis pushed me from behind so both of us could see up close. The motorcycles gleamed under the light of the twin's backyard, black and impressive like a mare. Once we were near enough to touch, I trailed my fingers on the solid body, the leather seat, the stable throttle.
My fingers stopped when it collided with Genesis'. I heard her exhale before she withdrew her hand.
I swallowed the lump on my throat and addressed Spencer. "Does it run?"
His nose twitched. "Does it run? Does. It. Run?" His head reared back. "Ha! Ha! Ha! It can fly!"
Ester thwacked the back of Spencer's head playfully. She'd made it to us without me noticing. "You forgot your medicine again," she teased. But I could see it on her face. She was excited and happy too. "It's a fine work of machinery, with a 4-cylinder supercharge engine. It can also go over 250 miles per hour. This time I had to agree with him. Our toys can fly."
Spencer bent over the motorcycles and wrapped his arm around them possessively. "These babies are not toys, squids. They're our life."
"When are we going to test them?" Genesis said.
My stomach flipped with worry and anticipation. "We will?"
"What else will we use them for?" Spencer said. He straightened and stretched, but his eyes were still locked to the rides. "I was planning to ask you girls if you wanted to go tomorrow. Ester and I can drive."
"That's so cool," I said. "You fixed your licenses?"
I knew the answer when Ester turned around. Spencer didn't look fazed by it. "We're going to try it early," he said.
"Define early."
"Early enough." He scratched his nose. "We're sticking to the edge of the woods where no one can see us. It's going to be great."
The worry echoing in my head wasn't for me. With us four, it was Genesis who could get the most serious punishment. I was just turning to her when she said, "I'm in."
"But your dad."
"He won't find out," she insisted.
Spencer clapped a hand on my back. "See you guys at five o'clock then. Be there, or be square."
"So 90's," Ester murmured.
I snuck out of my room before the crack of dawn. The lights on the hallway were still closed, as with the one in dad's room. Onward I went, down the stairs, to the living room. I've never felt more alive than when I opened the door and saw Genesis standing outside my house. It was just like the old times.
"Are you cold?" I said, as we continued to the twin's house. There was a chill in the air, a whisper on the wind. Genesis' hair was ruffling behind her, dazzling even in the shadows.
"No. Are you?" Her brows were cocked up to me.
"A little," I admitted.
Her arm brushed on mine as she went closer. "Better?"
"Lots. Thanks."
The shivers increased, but I couldn't complain anymore.
A red pick-up truck was sitting idly in front of the twin's house when we got there. At the back were the motorcycles, locked, loaded, and covered by sheets again. They must have worked on it while waiting.
Spencer leaned away from the truck and beamed at us. "Ester's on the driver's seat. We're ready to go."
"Alright," Genesis said. "Destiny and I will ride on the back. We can't all squeeze in front."
Spencer mouth curved downward. "Are you sure you don't want to sit with Es? Destiny and I can manage the back."
I looked from one to the other. What's with me going to the back?
"Ester will feel lonely without you, Spence," I said. "Besides, she needs your superior directional skills. Gene and I will be fine."
"Are you sure?"
Genesis and I nodded.
"Alright then," he said. "We'll holler if we spot anyone. Hide if you can."
Genesis hoisted herself on the truck when Spencer went on his way. I was going to ask her to lower the door, but then she offered her hand and tilted her head. "I got you."
With the help of her hand, a little climbing, grabbing on to my waist, and more sweat than necessary, I was soon beside her on the truck, grinning like an idiot. "This feels like a field trip," I said.
Spencer knocked on the mirror that separated us. "You guys okay back there?"
"Stop being a dad and go," I joked.
The engine started. Genesis and I squeezed into one side, sat, our knees grazing against each other. With such a position, Ester got us moving.
The main ride hasn't even started yet, and already, I was beyond thrilled. The sights, sounds, and smells hit my nose with every corner we turned. Even though I could only see much of Bear Creek from where we sat in the truck, I knew exactly where we were because of the sensations. The mouthwatering smell of Bertha's rolls as we passed. The sound of people waking up inside their homes. The feel of Genesis beside me, silent but awake, sharing what I was experiencing. Nothing was better than this.
"We're almost there," Spencer's muffled voice said.
"Okay," I said, not really sure if he could hear me.
A few minutes more, the truck came to a full stop. We've made it.
"Was there enough room?" Ester said as she lowered the door. Her cheeks were pink from the morning air.
"Plenty." I crawled to the exit, with Genesis right behind me. Once I made it down, the pins and needles started to attack my legs, punishment for not moving for so long. I massaged it while everyone else worked on getting the bikes off.
"Hooooo, boy!" Spencer exclaimed. We were on the edge of the forest so no one could hear him. Too bad it wasn't on the path that I usually take to go to the Ruins. It would be fun to visit before we started.
"Who rides with who?" Ester asked. Good question.
Spencer climbed a bike before anyone could object, and motioned to me. "Since Ester and I are the only ones who know how to drive, Destiny, you ride behind me. Genesis, you go with Ester."
To everyone's surprise, Genesis went to the other bike and hitched her leg over the seat. "I don't think so," she said.
"I haven't seen that coming," Ester stated.
"Neither have I," I said. "Where'd you learn?"
"Does no one want to ride behind me?" Spencer complained.
Ester sighed and turned to him. "I will."
He groaned. "Why do I always have to get stuck with you? Who are you anyway?"
"You have it the other way around," Ester said as she climbed behind Spencer. "I was born first. I got stuck with you."
"Whatever," Spencer muttered.
My insides did a full 360-degree flip as I faced Genesis. She took a hair tie from her pocket, and began to fix her locks with it. "Scared to ride?" she said.
I had so many questions about her right then. Painting. Riding. Sometimes even lying. Who did she do these with before?
As if sensing my hesitation, she turned to me over her shoulders and smiled. It was a smile I remembered. It was a smile that reached her eyes. "I'll drive safe, I promise. I'll get hurt before you do."
Her words were reassuring and bothering at the same time. I couldn't quite explain it. Nevertheless, I went to her back, hooked my legs on the proper places, and wrapped my arms around her.
In front, Spencer started his bike. "This is so going to be wicked!" he said.
Back on our seat, Genesis whispered, "Closer."
"Won't you get uncomfortable?" I mumbled.
"Just come closer."
My palms were sweaty as I wiggled to her back. She was warm, soft, like the way she was when I used to hold her. Back when I could.
I closed my eyes just when she released the clutch. "You still smell like everything I love," I said.
"Same with you."
The bike lurched forward.
How could I begin to explain riding a motorcycle? Fun? Exciting? Knock your breath out exhilarating?
Riding a motorcycle was like getting drunk without the need to puke. It was dizzying, electrifying, like I'd suddenly grown a pair of wings. Behind Genesis, everything else vanished. The questions, the problems, the messy past. What was important was here and now, with my hands clasped on her, my front pressed to her back. It was freedom.
"Wooohoooo!" Spencer screamed somewhere to our right.
"Wooohoooo!" Ester answered.
Should I scream too?
"Go on." Genesis' voice went above the noise.
My hands tightened on her. I braced my chest for a yell. "Don't leave me again!"
Genesis stiffened.
"I forgive you!" I screamed again. "For everything!"
It felt so good to say it out loud that I bowed my head to her back. She was breathing hard. I couldn't hear her breaths over the engine, but I could feel her shaking against me.
"I'm sorry!" she suddenly shouted. "I can't help it!"
Spencer's bike almost collided with us. "Race you," he said, before whizzing past us.
The sun was scorching when we agreed to go home. After having breakfast on the grass, the bikes parked near to shield us from the heat, we loaded then back to the truck.
All the bitterness I've kept inside over the past years were totally gone. What was left was a different kind of happiness. The one that would stay long after the smile had left.
Genesis and I boarded the truck again, sitting side by side on the space that wasn't taken by the motorcycle. With a confirmation from Spencer, who has now taken the driver's seat, we went on our way.
It wasn't long before the truck sped to the main road of Bear Creek. By then I was overflowing with feel good hormones, that I didn't even notice the truck stopping until Spencer said, "Shit!"
"What's going on?" I said.
"Hide," Ester ordered.
Genesis and I were wide-eyed at each other as we ducked even lower. Why did we stop? Did the sheriff see us?
Pretty soon, Ester was speaking again. "Your car is in the way."
"I know. I placed it there."
I clamped a hand over my mouth when I heard who it was. Gaby, Gene's sister.
"We're not looking for trouble, okay?" Spencer reasoned. I'd never heard him this polite. He was doing it for Genesis' sake. "If you can please move your car, we can both go on our way."
"Not yet," Gaby said. "Make my sister come down first. I know she's at the back."
"Are you sure about that?" Spencer challenged.
Gaby's laugh was low. "Don't get yourself in trouble, big guy. I know how your mind works. I've dated your lot before."
The way she said it, you'd have thought she was talking about a specific kind of food or clothes. It was nauseating.
A tap sounded on the side of the truck. "Get down, Genesis. Daddy's looking for you."
"No," I mouthed to Gene, but she wasn't looking at me anymore. She'd began to stand, dust herself off, and looked at her sister from the other side.
"Will they get in trouble?" she asked.
"Nah. I'll ask daddy to ignore them."
Genesis' jaw relaxed. "Okay." Her eyes flitted to me before she placed a foot on the side of the truck. "Bye," she said.