Jailbird

It's not an easy thing to find a real friend – one that will accept you for the good and the bad; especially when the bad is unchangeable.

But Kevin, it turned out, was just such a friend.

From the very beginnin' he just accepted me. We made no mistake of makin' promises we couldn't keep. Sometimes, we would find ourselves enmeshed in each others' arms, while other times he watched laughin' as I caught someone else off-guard.

I wanted to feel guilty, but he assured me, there wasn't call for it.

“Don't worry,” he'd say, “I've got your back.”

We quickly mastered ridin' the cusp of friends over lovers. But (well, I'll admit I use the term “mastered” loosely) sometimes we fell off the precipice, tryin' the next day to tow the line again.

Obviously, we had to rely on his ability to rationalize over mine, which he laughed, “was quite unfair,” him bein' “the guy and all.”

I was lucky to have found him.

We were like kindred spirits – all knowin' and all acceptin' of one another. It's amazing how quickly you can get to know a person when there is no time lost in explanation.

We were attached at the hip from the very start. And my parents were only too glad that I had me “such a responsible look-out” most times. They were “exhausted.”

And I was too really. (Happy, I mean.) Kevin had a charm about him that helped me get out of a few, um, situations.

Let's say, last night, for example...

I suppose you've heard of the new fad “planking.”

Let me tell you ahead of time what is NOT a good combination for a girl with no impulse control: a case of beer, a beach, and a game of truth or dare with a “plankin'” anchor rule.

Kevin tried to do his best to keep his buddies from takin' advantage of my “condition.” Naturally, the boys wanted to tempt me with sexually charged dares, while the girls were more interested in my embarrassment.

But, when dared to complete a plank on a raised set of boogie-boards, naked, over the incoming tide...I don't know. I guess the idea of feelin' the waves crash against my nude body in the moonlight struck a chord.

It was goin' pretty well at first. I'd managed to appease the guys and stifle the girls – seein' as how I was more adept at the balancin' act than they'd expected me to be. But when a larger than usual wave crashed onto my butt and made the crutch beneath me shift, I fell into the water.

It probably would have been okay were it not for the friggin' Cleaver family walkin' our way. (Seriously, who takes a walk with their kids on the beach at that time of night anyways?)

Lord forgive the dad, for I didn't do him any favors. Risin' from the water at just that moment, my nipples hard enough to cut glass from the cold water and constant winds, I was only highlighted further by the direct line of moonlight cascadin' over me.

His wife did her best to duck the children behind her, coverin' their eyes with a shriek and cryin' “Dear Lord John! Would you quite starin' already! My God help me with the children! What's wrong with you?” She screeched slappin' his arm.

Before I knew it, the police arrived and were questionin' my drunk ass about “a concerned report of public nudity or possible satanic rituals.” Only in Texas, I couldn't help but think.

Luckily for me, Kevin had gone to high-school with one of the officers (the satanic ritual concern bein' quickly eliminated) and did his best to talk me out of trouble for the public nudity charge.

“It was our fault really. We shouldn't have let her go through with the dare. You know how it is...New girl and all. I'll get her home, there's really no need to report this is there?”

Sittin' in the back seat of the patrol car, I listened as Kevin convinced the cops not to cite me. “How about a beer Mitch?” he asked. “Your shift is about up isn't it?”

I was swingin' my legs out the open door, lettin' the sand run through my toes when I heard the scratch and crackle precedin' the woman officer's voice from the radio in front.

I think it was around the moment I heard her say “All units, please respond,” that I started to picture myself all dressed in blue; ready to protect and serve; behind the wheel of the patrol car; sirens screamin'; tearin' through the streets in a high-speed chase.

The cops had removed their hats, had beers in hand, and were no longer even lookin' my direction.

I slipped off the back seat and tip-toed around the door. Openin' the front, I slid behind the wheel without bein' noticed. That was until, of course, they heard the click of the door shut, just as I turned the key to the ignition.

As the car roared to life, I revved the engine and squealed with giggles. It was like my foot had a mind of its own as I slammed on the gas, spittin' sand behind the tires. One of the cops tried to leap into the back seat where the door still hung open, but as the wheels caught traction, I sped off, leavin' him coughin' in my dust.

I think I heard Kevin shout my name, but my conscious has started to take up a tone similar to his own, and it could have very well been in my head. Either way, it wasn't enough to stop me.

Needless to say, I didn't make it very far. It's a small town with one strip, and a lot of cops. It wasn't long before I had a slew of blue, white and red lights in my rear-view mirror. That, was enough to stop me. An urge too cliché to pass up was one thing, but I'm not stupid. I know when to call it quits...usually.

As I sat in the cell at the local jailhouse, I had one of those moments, that for most people would have brought clarity followed by change.

Kevin had put himself on the line for me, and I'd done him no favors in return. It would only be a matter of time before he would want nothin' to do with me. Hell, I'd given him no reason to stick around, and I was sure I was more trouble than I was worth.

Within minutes, I was in tears; resigned to the fact that he was probably already cuttin' his losses.

I heard the clang of keys then, and a curt, “Made bail,” from the officer.

Ready to throw myself at the mercy of my parents' feet, I jumped up.

But, when those always amused eyes and a matchin' smile turned the corner, I nearly chocked on another round of sobs.

Laughin', Kevin put his arm around my shoulders leadin' the way.

“I've got your back.”