The Whispers of Newt Denton

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Newt turned his head to look at the driver. Already, Kimberly had pulled out her phone and started scrolling. Grimacing, the teenager waited a moment before asking his question.

"Are we going in?"

"You go ahead, kid. I'm finally getting a good signal," the platinum blonde responded, waving a lazy hand in his direction while not looking up from the screen.

"Um, okay," Newt replied, unsure what to do. "Don't you have a list?"

A grunt sounded along with a folded slip of paper appearing between her fingers. Still, Kimberly did not look away from her phone. Scrunching up his face, Newt braved another question.

"And the money?"

"Jesus, kid," Kimberly spat out after an annoyed sigh. "Just go start! I'll meet you inside in like ten minutes."

Resigned to his fate, Newt opened up the door and got out. The short drive had been awkward enough. Ms. Goose had talked, but she hadn't entirely spoken to Newt. Instead, she gave more of a monologue over how Mrs. Lockett had excellent taste in cars. Of course, Ms. Goose added that Mrs. Lockett was almost forced to. Working as a realtor required putting on a good show for prospective buyers and sellers. The second part switched over to relief that the Locketts hadn't chosen to drive down in Mr. Lockett's pickup truck.

Now standing next to the luxury car, Newt peeked back in and saw Kimberly still ignoring him. Slamming the door shut, the teenager shook his head at her rudeness. I hope I don't come across like that when I'm busy on my phone or tablet. No, I think people that know me understand. Do they? Oh, man, I need to pay better attention, don't I?

Studying the mix-matched building, Newt headed in the direction of what he thought was the front door. The eighteen-year-old knew he'd visited Wirchies several times in the past. His father and uncle enjoyed the outdoors, a pastime they'd developed at a young age with their father. Vince had hoped to pass the same love onto his son, but Newt favored the indoors even as a young boy. Scanning the area as he crossed the parking lot, Newt's steps faltered as he recognized several benches and tables painted in a deep red. Instantly, his brain flashed to an old picture his mother took when Newt was four. The younger version of himself sat on his father's lap, struggling to eat an ice cream cone before it rapidly melted in the summer heat.

Blinking back the moisture in his eyes, Newt sought to block out the pain by remembering his last trip to Wirchie's, back when he was twelve. On that trip, he'd accompanied the Gibbles on a week of camping at Wasp Lake. Something of a reunion for the extended Gibble family; Newt had been grateful for all the people as it allowed him to blend into the background and hide how miserable he felt. Hating the idea of going camping, the boy had reluctantly agreed to go due to the excitement he saw in his mother. Samantha loved the idea of Newt getting out of the house and reliving old experiences he'd had with his father. And it was the thought of disappointing his mother that led Newt to put up with the sun, the heat, the lumpy, uncomfortable mat that he slept on, and the bugs--those damn bugs--that seemed to be everywhere.

Thinking that he hid his displeasure, Newt hadn't expected Mr. Gibble to reveal that he knew of the boy's boring vacation. Asking him to come along to Wirchie's for supplies, Mr. Gibble further surprised Newt inside the store when he told him to grab a couple of books or a stack of comic books. Happy at the offer, Newt chose the comic books as Wirchie's small rack didn't seem to sell out, leaving several months' worth of issues for multiple series. Still, Newt felt shame that he'd let down the Gibbles. For the last few days of the trip, he'd gone out of his way to try and enjoy--or at least be better at faking it--the few activities that he didn't mind. The happy smile on Mrs. Gibble's face led him to think he did a good job acting.

A sudden pick-up in the cold wind brought Newt out of his daydreams. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kimberly staring at him through the windshield in bewilderment with her hands up. Giving the woman back her lazy hand wave, he hurried the last steps. Entering the store, Newt stopped a couple of feet inside as déjá vu set in. Scanning the section that he stood in, the teen realized that not much had changed in the last six years. Even the dour woman behind the register and her glare seemed familiar.

"You better not even consider using a fake license to buy beer, sonny," the woman practically growled her challenge.

"N-No, I'm not."

"Keep it that way. I know how you punks like to drive out here and try and trick us. We don't need any fancy technology with these experienced eyes," the woman pointed at her eyes. "New Year's Eve is an evil holiday. Don't end up in handcuffs because of it."

"No, ma'am! I, um, just have a list to buy for our cabin stay," Newt meekly replied, holding up the piece of paper.

"Carts are staring right at you, boy," the woman curtly nodded. "No funny business. I'll be watching."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Grabbing a cart, Newt raced away from the store's front, taking a hard right turn to get away from the woman's view. The fast pace caused him to nearly slam into shelves of goods down the first narrow aisle he chose. Continuing his unlucky streak, the first aisle held various camping materials, such as charcoal, cooking utensils, matches, lighter fluids, etc. The next aisle had bug repellant, bug zappers, tiki torches, lotions, and balms. Newt's frustration started to mount as he faced a seemingly endless wall of fishing gear by the third aisle. Why don't these aisles have any basic descriptions?! Glancing down the fourth aisle, he saw rows of fishing rods. In his agitated mood, he raced around the corner and right into a man.

"Whoa!"

The teen's eyes went wide in fear as he partially speared a middle-aged blond man.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"I guess we better check," the man chuckled, patting his stomach, groin, and upper legs. "Everything checks out," he added with a friendly smile. "Now, what's the big rush?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Newt started after a deep sigh. "I need to grab the items off this list in a hurry, and I can't find anything but camping and fishing things. And the lady up in the front kind of scared me."

Newt expected the fellow customer to shrug off his explanation and tell him tough luck. The best he hoped for was that man knew Wirchie's enough to offer to point him in the right direction. What Newt didn't expect was for the man to laugh even harder and louder.

"Sorry, sorry," the man apologized. "It's only that Aunt Vera has bitterly complained a lot lately about your generation. She claims that they talk back instead of fearing her. This might put a rare non-frown on her face for the new year."

"She's your aunt?" Newt questioned in disbelief. The two people seemed radically different. "Do you own Wirchie's?"

"Own it? Kid, you're cracking me up today. No, my grandfather is still the longtime owner," the man explained, clearly amused by Newt's suggestion. Nodding to the paper in the teen's hand, he asked, "Is that your list?"

Nodding, Newt handed the list over. He watched as the man swiftly scanned the list, nodding to himself.

"Mostly everything here is grouped together. If you had continued straight from the cart rack, you would've found a few items easily enough. Taking a hard right sent you over to the bait shop side of our maze."

"Oh, thanks. I should be able to--"

"No, let me get you help. Cover your ears for a second." Newt followed his order, partially blocking out the man's loud whistle. Finished, he remembered to introduce himself. "I'm sorry I've been rude. I'm Alvin."

"I'm Newt," the teen responded, taking the hand held out over the cart.

Alvin's face scrunched up for a couple of seconds before he snapped two fingers together. "You're Vince's son!"

"Um, yeah."

"I knew you looked familiar but couldn't quite place it."

"Were you friends with my dad?" Newt asked, feeling those butterflies wake up in his stomach. They always woke up whenever he met a person that knew his father. It came from what his mother called an irrational fear of disappointing his father's legacy.

"In a way. Vince was much younger than me. I knew your uncle as he was only a few years behind in school, but they and your grandfather often came up here to fish. A few times after he got his license, your uncle brought your dad along on to join a few group outings we had deep into the forest."

"I heard about those outings," Newt remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"I see that your uncle's been running his mouth," Alvin commented with a grin. "We used to get pretty rowdy. How is he? I haven't seen him in years."

"Good. He calls every few weeks to check on us, but he doesn't like to come back here. Honey Hollow reminds him too much of my dad. It's hard for him to accept still," Newt revealed, sadness overtaking his face.

"I can understand that," Alvin stated, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. "I can't say I've ever seen a pair of brothers that were closer than the Denton boys."

"Daaad! You know I was busy," came the whiny high-pitched from behind Alvin. "And grandpappy wants to know what's taking so long."

"Well, I'm sorry, but this young man needs help. Your Aunt Vera spooked him."

"Aunt Vera scares me every single day," the girl that Newt couldn't see yet mumbled. "And you wonder why nobody else in the family wanted to help this week."

"Now, Winnie, let's not complain about the family in front of the customers," Alvin told his daughter but turned and winked at Newt. "We don't need to get a bad reputation."

"Sorry. I'll help."

"That's the spirit! And lucky for you, he has a small list," her father added, moving to the side to reveal Newt. "I think you'll be happy that I called you."

The Wirches continued to surprise Newt on this unexpected trip. Of all the reactions that Newt expected to his appearance, what came from the pretty blonde went beyond his imagination.

"Y-Yo-You-You're N-Ne-Newt Denton," the sixteen-year-old girl stammered. Her brown eyes bugged out before they rolled back.

"Win!" Alvin lunged forward, catching his daughter before she collapsed to the floor. Crouching down, the concerned father cradled his daughter in his arms until he moved one hand up to push her hair out of her face. "Winnie, you in there?"

"Huh, Dad? Oh, what happened?" Winnie questioned, blinking her eyes.

"You tell me, soda pop," Alvin encouraged, glancing over at Newt.

The teen stood paralyzed in terror at what happened. Never had his appearance caused a girl to pass out. Am I that terrifying?

"I dreamed of seeing the most wonderful vision. It was like out of a--Newt!" Winnie shot out of her father's arms. Standing awkwardly, she looked everywhere but at the other teenager.

"In case you didn't know, Newt, this is my daughter, Winifred Wirch," Alvin introduced, throwing his arm around his daughter's shoulder.

"Dad!" she hissed.

"Sorry! She prefers to be called Winnie."

Newt continued to stare at the father and daughter in shock overload.

"From what she and her friends tell me, you're quite the boy genius," Alvin continued, causing Winnie to turn her head even further from Newt in embarrassment. "Your father would be proud of you."

The mention of his father's feelings cracked Newt's paralysis. People at school call me a boy genius? GIRLS call me a boy genius??!!

"Now, I'll let you two work on that list. We can't keep him here all day, Win. Keep that in mind. I'll check back in on your two after I finish with grandpappy," Alvin informed his daughter. Taking a few steps away, Alvin paused when he remembered a point. "Sorry, I forgot to ask who you were staying with."

"Uh, the Diamonds," Newt managed to speak finally.

Pouncing like a cheetah, Winnie flung herself at Newt, gripping his shoulders with her hands.

"Is she alright?!" shrieked the slim blonde. Then, when her target didn't answer fast enough, she shook his shoulders hard. "Is Whitney going to live?"

"Yeah, I mean, yes, Whitney's going to be fine." Winnie sagged in relief, throwing her arms over his shoulders. Breaking into sobs, she hugged Newt tightly. "She's going to be back at the cabin in a few hours. That's what the list is for."

Watching his daughter's body language shift, Alvin swiftly cut off the suggestion that he knew was coming. "Don't get any ideas, honey. She doesn't need you there." Meeting Newt's gaze, he explained, "Winnie's looked up to Whitney for years. She's been worried sick since we heard the news. Our whole family will be happy to hear that she's going to be okay."

Newt nodded back as Mr. Wirch walked away.

Winnie still clung to Newt, who himself continued to be shocked at how the girl reacted to his appearance in the store. Unsure what to do, the older teenager patted the younger girl's back. That appeared to wake her up as she broke the hug and stepped back while wiping her face tears.

"I'm sorry. Aunt Vera heard the initial call on the scanner. We heard more from the rangers that first day but nothing after," Winnie explained, continuing to clean her face while attempting to hide it from Newt. Suddenly, the girl brightened up, snatching the list from Newt's hand. "What are you making for Whitney?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. Mrs. Stratton seems to be in charge," Newt admitted as Winnie pulled the shopping cart from the front, leading them to the other side of the store.

"Wow, you're friends with Lacey Stratton too!" Winnie glanced back at Newt in awe until she caught herself. "Not that it's surprising that you would hang out with the cool group. I should've known."

"Well, I'm not actually friends--Sean, my best friend, he got invited, and I came as his guest. So, I'm, uh, yeah, I guess you could say I'm friends with them," Newt fudged as he couldn't bear to let the younger teen down. Winnie had watched him with such yearning on her face for him to say yes that it confused Newt. After hearing him say what she wanted, she flashed a smile that gave him different stomach butterflies.

"Is it just the four of you?" the slim blonde asked with some trepidation.

"No, the cabin is pretty full, mostly with parents. Sean and Lana's older sisters are there, along with their friend, Finn Singer. Then there is Jared Lockett; he used to live here but moved to Rattle Ridge years ago. Uh, Ramsey Walker from school is there...oh, and Austin Rusk," Newt rattled off, nervous how Winnie seemed to hang on his every word.

"The newspaper girl? She once interviewed me about Wirchie's. She's nice," Winnie remarked as she pulled the cart around a corner at a sharp angle. "I didn't know you were friends with Austin."

"Um, I'm not. We've never gotten along." Winnie gasped. "Uh, it's bad enough that you could maybe say we're enemies."

Letting go of the cart, Winnie squealed while performing a full spin. "That is so cool!"

"It is?"

"Uh-uh, it's almost like a movie. High school quarterback versus high school genius." The blonde raised her hand in the air as if she wrote it on a theater marquee. "Everyone knows who wins that struggle."

"I'm not a genius," Newt attempted to point out, but the other teen merely giggled. "No, I think I'm fairly smart, but not that smart."

"Everyone knows that you are," Winnie countered, emphasizing the first word. She opened a glass refrigerator door and pulled out several cartons of eggs, placing them in the cart.

"Who?"

"Me and my friends, for one. We all see it!" Winnie insisted. "Don't your friends say the same?"

"JoJo!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I forgot that JoJo is also with us at the cabin," Newt said before adding further clarification. "I mean JoJo Gibble. I'm not sure if you know her."

"Know her? Oh, you're so funny, Newt. JoJo's awesome. She's always happy to drive us around."

"Drive...are you friends with Zoey?" Newt asked in surprise.

"Not super close. We live too far away from each other, but hopefully, we can start driving more now that we're sixteen," Winnie explained, placing two gallons of milk in the cart. "Zoey says that you're sweet."

"She does?" Newt repeated before another thought hit him. "Wait, do you girls talk about me?"

"Of course we do, silly," the teen girl giggled, yanking the cart down the aisle.

Newt stood in the spot that she left him for several long moments. His brain felt as if it were short-circuiting. Girls talk about me? When I'm not around? And it's not making fun of me? He might have sat there for hours struggling with this new reality if Winnie hadn't called his name from two aisles over. Hurrying to meet her, he saw her holding up a bag of walnuts.

"Whitney hates walnuts," the sixteen-year-old declared forcefully.

"Those are for Mr. Lockett," Newt informed her, checking the list that she held.

Nodding, his personal shopper, led them around another corner.

"So, you know Whitney pretty well?" Newt felt the need to ask something.

"Whitney's the best! She used to babysit me during the summer. I learned so many cool things from her," Winnie beamed.

The blonde quickly finished off the final items on the list. Although, Winnie wanted to know who got what. The bags of Gummy Bears, Twizzlers, and Skittles went to Peyton, Lana, and Finn, respectively. However, Winnie grew quiet and uncomfortable at the final item.

"Uh, we don't carry this last one," she informed him, handing the list over. "Do you want a different brand? They are for you, right?" Winnie asked in a mix of awe and disappointment.

Newt took the list and had no clue what Okamoto Crown meant. Who put this on here? Is that like that that Royal Crown liquor? I did see Nate adding an item. Newt looked over to Winnie to ask what the item was, but she bit her fingernail while staring at his groin. These are condoms! Dammit, Nate!

"No, they aren't for me. Let's just skip those, okay?"

"Okay!" Winnie answered loudly, her head swinging up to meet his face. "Let's head to the register."

Newt started to worry over how he would pay for the items if Ms. Goose hadn't come inside yet. However, he needn't be concerned as Kimberly stood in the front of the store, waving her ringless finger at Alvin. Winnie's father responded by holding up his ringed finger, leading the platinum blonde to roll her eyes.

"All done?" Alvin asked, appearing relieved for the interruption.

"Got everything, but...we got everything," Winnie responded brightly.

"Good. Now, hurry back to the diner. Your grandpappy has an item to send back for Whitney."

"Okay!" Winnie turned and dashed off.

"Didn't expect this one to be driving you, Newt," Alvin commented.

"I don't think anyone else was willing to go with her," the teen mumbled, but Kimberly heard the reply.

"Hilarious, kid. They sent the smart one with me so...well, I don't know why."

Alvin helped Newt place the items on the counter, where Vera alternated her glare from the teen to the newly arrived woman. Knowing his aunt, Alvin added in an extra word of advice.

"Now, you take good care of this young man, Aunt Vera. This is Vince Denton's son, Newt."

It took several long moments until the name rang a bell in Vera's brain, but a whole new side of Vera emerged when it did. An unnatural smile appeared on her face as she scurried around the counter. First, Vera grabbed a container, taking several cookies from the glass case of baked goods. Then she grabbed a pint of milk from the small fridge near the register. Placing both on the counter, she looked Newt in the eye, attempting another smile.

"Your father was a hero. Take the milk and cookies as a treat."

"Um, thank you," Newt replied, looking over at Alvin, who winked and held in a laugh.

Vera scanned the items, placing them into bags that Alvin moved back into the cart. Vera set a small bag personally aside with the milk and cookies for Newt. With the final price tallied, Kimberly groaned and grumbled at what the others forced her to pay.

"Dad, wait!"

Winnie came down the aisle with two mid-sized cartons with a bucket handle in her hands. Moving delicately, she attempted to walk fast while not spilling the contents of the cartons.

"Win, I don't think your grandpappy wanted to send that much," Alvin slightly admonished his daughter.

"I didn't add any, Dad!"

"Alvin, leave your little girl alone," said an elderly man that slowly followed Winnie from a distance. "I'm sending Whitney her favorite malt and milkshake. That poor girl has been through enough."

"Whatever you say, Grandpa," Alvin gave way to Old Man Wirchie's wishes. Behind him, Vera watched in curiosity.

"You," Arlo Wirch called out down the aisle, his finger pointing at Newt. "Are you the boy that saved her?"

Winnie's eyes went wide, and she almost stumbled as she, for the first time, considered the notion that Newt saved Whitney's life.

"No, that wasn't me, sir. It was my friend that saved Whitney. Sean Tarver," the teenager revealed.

"Bridget's son?" Alvin asked, getting a nod from Newt.

"I see," Arlo said as he reached his great-granddaughter. Leaning down, he whispered loudly, "You picked a fine young man. One can tell a person's character by looking at their friends."

Horrified, Winnie raced over to put the cartons in the cart. She worked to avoid making eye contact with Newt. Vera finally managed to put two and two together. Hissing the name "Diamond," she snatched the milk and cookies off the counter.

"Vera, give those back to the boy," Arlo sternly informed his daughter. Knowing that she would follow his wish, the elderly man turned his attention back to Newt. "Our whole family is relieved to hear that Whitney will be fine--yes, even you, Vera--and take this." Arlo grabbed Newt's hand, placing an envelope in its palm. "Give this to Harvey."

"Dad, can't we go see Whitney later today? Please?" Winnie begged her father. "Just for a few minutes."

"Honey, I'm sure it's going to be a hectic day for Whitney. She's probably going to be sleeping all--"

"No, she won't," Newt interrupted, immediately feeling rude. "Sorry, it's just that Whitney is insisting that she go to the New Year's Eve ball tonight."

"That sounds like the girl," Arlo chuckled, but Winnie didn't find it funny at all.

"That gives us even less time, Dad. We should be there to meet her!"

"Win, calm down--"

"No, I need to see her!" Winnie whined, nearly in tears. "She almost died."

"Dammit, Winifred! Stop it. You're going to see Whitney," Alvin snapped. "Your mother and I planned to surprise you, but the party we're going to tonight is the charity ball."

"WHAT?!" Winnie screeched. "Oh. My. Gawd! How can you wait until now to tell me?"

"That's what surprises are, honey."

"Dad! We need to leave now! I have to start getting ready. My hair needs to get done, and oh, my gawd, I need to find a dress!" Everyone watched as the blonde teenager ran off, likely headed to the office to get her coat.

"Uh, I'll see you later, Winnie," Newt called after her.

"What's wrong with you?" Kimberly couldn't stop from asking while she drove back to the cabin. Newt not talking she could take. Newt staring straight ahead she could take. It was the lop-sided grin on his face that drove her nuts.

"A girl."

"Jesus, kid! Please tell me that you didn't have a quickie with that girl," Kimberly demanded, taking her eyes off the road enough on a curve that the car nearly went into a ditch. "She doesn't even look old enough to drive."

"No, not that."

"What then?"

"She talked, I talked," Newt stated cryptically.

"You two just talked? Kid, you look like you got laid," Kimberly side-eyed Newt further. "Fuck, you're even more emotionally stunted than I thought if talking leaves you on cloud nine."

I talked to a pretty girl who I never met before and didn't run away.