Halle Clark

The List A Novel By Halle Rae **Ren's POV** I stare wearily at the last drop of tea left in my mug. My laptop sits open on the counter, my latest social media post dancing at the top of the dashboard. I'm fading in and out of an uneasy sleep, being awoken each time by the distant rumble of the washing machine. "Ren?" Mom's faraway voice sounds. I pop my head up from the crevice of my elbow, Mom's comforting smile staring back at me. "Ren, you need to get more sleep," she coos. The honey oats I had been eating are now soggy, and a drop of milk has jumped out of my bowl and onto the counter. Staying up until three am every night is starting to catch up to me. I sigh and offer an apologetic smile. "Sorry Mom," I say sincerely. Mom hands me a paper towel to wipe up the spill. Then, she grabs a plate from the counter and places it in front of me. I eye the saran wrap with "Welcome to the neighborhood" written on top in sharpie. "The Lesley's finally sold their house. The buyers just got in last night, and I baked them some last minute cookies as a little gift. It's your job to take it to them," she explains. I arch an eyebrow at the statement. "Is there any particular reason you want me to take them?" I inquire. Mom's devilish smile hints an obvious motive. "I may have seen a handsome young man there this morning." I roll my eyes. "Mom you have to stop trying to set me up. I will date again when I'm ready," I argue. She sighs and leans against the counter. "You've just been so sad since you and Eric broke up. I figure a few casual dates could help." Eric was my high school sweetheart. We were both planning on going to UCLA until he got contacted by a recruiter from Notre Dame. They had seen some of his star Middleton High quarterback moments and offered a scholarship that was too good to pass up. After some heavy contemplation, we decided to end things. I haven't seen him since the break up. He leaves in a little over two months, so there's no point in reconnecting for such a short time. Besides, I head to UCLA in the same amount of time to pursue a degree in forensic science. Life just has other plans for us. I smile and shake my head. "I appreciate the effort Mom, but I'm heading to college soon. The last thing I want is to start something I can't finish. " Mom makes her way over to me and plants a kiss on my forehead. "I just want you to be happy, honey. I also want you to take those cookies over, and I won't take no for an answer." I eye the plate again. "Fine," I agree. I ring the door bell and wait awkwardly for the door to open. Before I can overthink the situation, it swings inward and I match the stare of two bright blue eyes. Now I understand what my mom meant. The boy in front of me has curly brown hair and a grey tank top that exposes broad muscular shoulders. I take in a breath and offer a warm smile. "Hi there. My mom just wanted me to bring these cookies over as a welcoming gift. We're over at 2564!" I explain, pointing to our house. My enthusiasm doesn't go unnoticed and the boy smiles back. That's when I realize he has these breathtaking dimples. "That's really sweet. My parents are grabbing a few things from the store but I'll be sure to let them know you stopped by," he replies. I manage to stare past him for a split second and catch the few family photos framed on the wall. They look so happy in every picture. After a moment, I tune back into the conversation. "Perfect. Well I won't keep you, but welcome to the neighborhood," I say. I turn to walk back down the oak porch steps when the boy's familiar voice stops me. "What name should I use to describe you to my parents when they get back?" I fight the smile that pulls at my lips and glance behind me again. "Ren, Ren Parker," I answer. He looks from the plate of cookies and back up to me. "Well Ren, it's nice to meet you. I'm Xavier." I shift my stare from him to the motorcycle parked right beside the garage. It's a 2001 Harley. My dad used to ride when he was alive. "Is it yours?" I ask casually, pointing to the vehicle. Xavier leans against the door jamb and nods. "It is. I've been riding since I was sixteen." A cute boy next door who completely feeds the cliché by riding a motorcycle... It's going to be a long summer. I shift my gaze back to the handsome boy and nod. "I'll see you around, Xavier," I state. Without another word, I head back to my house and try to ignore his lingering stare the entire way there. *** Elliot, my best friend since middle school, applies bold red lipstick and cat liner as I lay on my bed watching. Her focus makes me chuckle. Putting makeup on is a serious skill of Elle's, which is why she does both of ours before every party. "So, you think he was flirting earlier?" I ask. Elle stops what she's doing and looks at me with an arched eyebrow. "If how you describe it is accurate, then I think it's a means for marriage," she replies. I roll my eyes and throw a nearby pillow at the girl. "Ha-ha, very funny." She chuckles and returns to the task at hand. "Seriously, though. He's extremely good looking. Like I got butterflies just because he smiled at me. It was gross," I continue. I don't have to look to know that Elle is intrigued. The last time I felt this way was sophomore year when I first met Eric. I haven't been with anybody since we broke up four months ago. . "Look, don't get ahead of yourself. You're leaving in two months, so just see what happens with the hot neighbor boy until then. Like your mom said, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun and casually dating." Before the conversation can continue, Elle waves me over to do my makeup. She puts together a burgundy lip to match my hair and a smokey eye to compliment my olive complexion. That's what she tells me, anyway. I settle on a crop top with a black leather skirt for the outfit, and soon we're walking through the doors of Max Green's huge house. His parents never care if he throws ragers when they're gone as long as we clean up after ourselves, which we do 99% of the time. "Ren and Elle, back again I see!" Max's familiar voice sounds. We've been friends with Max since middle school too, so we're more like family than anything. He throws an arm around both of us and guides us through the crowd of kids to the kitchen. This is where I make the ultimate choice between a fruity wine cooler and a beer. I settle for the strawberry drink and take the first sip. "So, in a few months, you'll leave us all behind and go to way cooler frat parties. How does it feel Ren?" Max asks. I roll my eyes and shove the boy playfully. "Hey, you could have gone to UCLA with me. You just chose community college to be close to your girlfriend because you're in love," I say in a sing-song voice. Elle chuckles and sips her Coors Lite. "Where is Maddie anyway?" I ask, looking around. Max and her have been dating for two years, but he's one grade above Maddie so he decided to attend the local school to stay close for her senior year. "She's around here somewhere," he replies nonchalantly. I glance over the crowd of people and make out a few familiar faces. My one goal for the night is to avoid Eric at all costs. I grab Elle's hand and guide her to the living room, where the majority of the party is happening. I find us an open spot, and we begin to move along to the music. Of course, like most teenage girls, we are dancing for both ourselves and everybody watching. I grab her waist and pull her close, proceeding to sway our bodies in perfect harmony. Elle laughs and loses herself in the music like always. I close my eyes and follow suit. The thing they don't tell you when you start high school is that four years happen in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, you're saying goodbye to people and relationships that you thought would last forever. These moments -the ones spent in pure euphoria- disappear if you let them. That is why I hold every party, laugh, and tear shared with these people immeasurably close to my heart. After a few songs, I make my way to the kitchen for a second drink. This is when I see him. I can be civil with Eric because we ended on really good terms, but seeing him isn't the hard part. It's seeing him with her. "Ren, hey," Allison says softly. She pulls me in for a hug and I wrap my arms around her despite the knot in my stomach. Allison and I have lived on the same block since we were little kids. She's two years older than me, so sometimes we don't see each other as often as planned, but we always stay pretty close. That is why my heart broke when I found out three weeks ago that she was back for the summer from college and in a new, blossoming relationship with no one other than Eric Miller. Him and I exchange a quick glance before I focus in on Allison. "How have you been? Only two years left of school and then you'll actually be a teacher. It has to be exciting," I start. She smiles that gorgeous smile Allison always had. "It's going great. I actually switched majors and I'm a political science nerd now," she replies. My eyes widen slightly as I process the information. "Following in your mom's footsteps I see," I acknowledge. "Well, I figure she shouldn't be the only Rodriguez to work in a senator's office," Allison says. I nod and glance around awkwardly. I manage to steal Eric's attention once or twice before deciding to take myself out of the equation. "Well, have fun," I say. I grab another strawberry wine and head for the backyard to get some air. My vision goes blurry from a few tears, but I wipe them away before they get the chance to fall. I inhale a much needed breath and lean against the patio. "Ren Evans?" I find the source of the familiar voice and feel my heartbeat quicken. "Xavier, hey. Do you know somebody here?" I ask. He shrugs and assumes the spot beside me. "I go to school with a few of these guys over in Colorado. I'm just visiting my parents and helping them move during the break. What about you?" I look around at all the kids and nod. "Yeah, I've gone to school with most of these people since I was just learning how to walk," I explain. Xavier's lips pull into a gorgeous smile. "So, a small town girl born and raised. California's going to be a completely different world. Are you nervous?" My eyebrows furrow instantly. "I never told you about UCLA," I counter. I see the slightest blush appear on Xavier's cheeks as he shrugs. "I may have asked around about you tonight," he explains. Cue the stomach somersaults and butterflies. I laugh in disbelief and find the courage to match Xavier's stare. "Why would you do that?" I ask lowly. Xavier moves in a little closer, and now our shoulders are brushing together. "You intrigue me, Ren Evans," he says in a husky voice. Internally I'm screaming, but on the outside I play it cool. "How so?" I continue. Xavier's stare falls to my lips for a split second before finding its way back to my eyes. "I'm not sure yet," he says honestly. I bite my bottom lip as we maintain eye contact. I heard once that two people in love can maintain eye contact for more than three minutes and actually synchronize their heartbeats together. I wonder what it would be like to experience that with Xavier: the falling in love and the synchronization. "Are you having fun?" Xavier asks finally. I glance down at my drink and realize it's almost gone. "I was," I admit, taking another sip to speed up the process. Xavier tilts his head to study me. "What changed?" Something else they fail to tell you about high school is that your first love is never your last. When Eric and I started dating two years ago, I was completely infatuated with him. We did everything together, from pairing up for school projects to having dinner with each others' families. I found a home inside our relationship, and that wasn't easy to let go of. When we broke up I lost a friend, which almost hurts worse. I sigh and look back at Xavier. "My ex is here with his new girlfriend, and despite telling myself I'm fine, I'm not sure I actually am." Xavier's expression softens. "Was he your first real boyfriend?" he asks. "My only boyfriend," I correct him. Those big blue eyes widen at the information, and I take another drink while he processes it. "You're about to go to college, and you've only had one boyfriend?" he asks. I roll my eyes. "That's what everybody says, but what we had was real. It didn't feel like a stupid high school crush. It felt like first love," I explain. We stand in silence for a moment. Then, Xavier puts his lips close to my ear. "You know what's better than first love?" he asks in a low tone. I ignore the chill that runs down my spine. "What?" I play along. "The rebound love you fall into after," he says. The butterflies swarm in my stomach once again. Whoever taught this man how to be so smooth was a master at the art. "Does that always work for you?" I counter, turning my face so our lips are only centimeters apart. Xavier's minty breath fans my face as he offers a short chuckle. "Only when I really want it to."