West Wind - Two

         Lost in the sea of billowing emerald grass was the best place for Hailey to be that day. Contrary to what her mother, teachers, classmates said, she knew she could talk to everything around her and tell them her heart. She spoke to the sun, whistled with the wind, and heard every bird drop its sweet notes like honey into summer air. Sometimes she opened her mouth and made noise, sometimes she did not and held a silent symphony. Whichever way it happened, she sang joyfully to and with everything around her, and her heart swelled as she basked on her back in the swell of the mid-morning sun. She was possibly the most alive person in the world, but no one else realized this but her. No one else, that is, except for the dark boy walking on the green water of her ocean.

         First came the sound of light footsteps greeting her ears. The sun made her able to see her veins inside her closed, relaxed eyelids.

         Next came the indentations in the grass. She did not have to look to know that the indentations were created by oversized, thick black gym shoes with thick black laces that she would recognize anywhere. She kept her eyes closed and sank into the turf, a faint smile on her face. A slight figure plopped down beside her amiably. At first the figure was upright with his legs crossed, but Hailey soon heard him settling down on his back beside her in the kind of comfortable you gain with a friend you’ve known for many, many years. She felt him tuck his hands under his head.

         She peeked at him sneakily, stifling a giggle. So he was imitating her. That was okay. Smiling, Hailey obscured her vision once more, and thought about how wonderful of a day it truly was shaping out to be.

         “Hello, Dustie.”

         She felt him smile with her eyes still shut. The shape beside her shifted.

         “Hello, Scaly-Hailey.”

         Hailey, who had not been drinking two glasses of milk a day for her entire life in vain, pulled up his black long-sleeve and bit him soundly on the arm.

         “Oow-tch! Hailey!”

         Dustie’s shocked voice pleased Hailey. She knew it was mostly for her benefit and that he was not in any real pain. Besides, he knew better. She hated that name, and he knew it.

         Looking at how he nursed his wound, she decided that she had won this match by far; there were two small indentations on his arm. Hailey dissolved into a temporary fit of giggles, during which the boy reached over and tossed her onto a larger tuft of grass. With laugh-tears in her eyes, Hailey smoothed her grass-laden hair and inspected the young man she approved of so much.

         Dustie was a long, wiry sort of a boy, the kind who was normal height and size (except for being a bit skinny) but who seemed to have more arms and legs than he knew what to do with. He had shaggy dark chocolate hair, dark eyes to match, curly black lashes (that she coated with mascara once much to her delight but not his), and naturally tan skin that she envied so much. The only thing that she did not understand about him was his odd habit of always wearing black even when he complained that it was oh-so-hot, but she overlooked this because he smiled a lot and always made her feel important. As Hailey considered him, he rolled over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, chin in hand.

         He gave a signature Dustie smirk.

         “So, no new nickname for the lady.”

         “NO.” Hailey could not make it clearer.

         “Oh, no? Are you sure?” Dustie raised one eyebrow.

         They had played this game many times before, and Hailey knew what she was supposed to say.

         “I am rainbow sherbert-sure! No new nickname!” she screeched.

         Dustie’s half-grin broke out into a full-on smile, as it was so often apt to do, and he gave a tenor laugh.

         “Okay, okay, Hail’s. Sheesh. You got Gulley ants up your pants or something?”

         Hailey scrunched her nose at him. She tried her best to look indignant, but she knew from the sudden case of hiccups rocking her insides that she was not doing a very good job.

         He stood up quickly, brushing yard debris off of his dark pants and shaking his messy hair. “SINCE you are choosing to be such a bug today…”

         She gazed up at him in innocent adoration and wondered if her eight-year-old self would someday be old enough to be the same age as him.

         “…I ser’pose I shall just have to bug your sister. Is she in?”

         Hailey shrugged.

         “Hailey.”

         She made her eyes round and deathly serious for dramatic effect. She gave Dustie three slow, deliberate head nods, making sure that her mouth was formed in a perfect “O”. Dustie scrunched his eyebrows down.

         “Is this a new kind of sign language?”

         Shrug.

         “Are you trying out for Corinthiam, the musical?”

         Shrug.

         “Planning on getting surgery to stay that way?”

         Hailey sucked in a deep breath. Dustie braced himself.

         “YES, MY SISTER IS IN! SHE IS IN THE HOUSE! SHE IS HERE, AND SHE IS IN OUR LOVELY HOUSE, AND SHE IS IN HER BEDROOM, AND SHE IS IN A VERY BAD MOOD!”

         Dustie mocked being attacked by a hurricane, holding up his arms and flailing away from the whirlwind of her loud, mock-angry words. After her miniature assault, he peeked over his arms at her, gauging whether it was safe to speak or not.

         She smiled.

         “Stay with me?” She made her smile as sweet as can be.

         “No can do.”

         Hailey gave a genuine pout. He started to stride past her with his long teenage-boy legs. It was time for emergency attention-
seeking action. She gave a severe crossing of her arms and lifted her chin towards him.

         “You just do not love me nearly as much as you love my sister, Dustie.”

         Dustie’s gaze turned warm and serious, and as he walked past her, he ruffled her hair affectionately.

         “I could never love you less than anyone else, Hailey. For now, though, I have someone I need to love a little quicker.”

         He took his stroll up to a lope, and called over his shoulder.

         “Honestly, Hailey, I mean it –“

         Her ears perked up.

         “You really need to watch those Gulley ants.”

         She stuck her tongue out at him, then flopped back on the grass contentedly. The clouds were making amazing shapes today, as they always did before a storm.