A Little Time to Get to You

miss moving on

Ricky lies me back on the bed, supporting my head gently as he continues to kiss down my neck.

We were definitely putting off our final assignments of the year, fully accepting the fact that our junior years would end with very little attention being paid to it. Truly we were just focused on one another. My best friend since I could talk, my boyfriend as of five months prior, and the person deliciously pressing himself against me. 

I shudder and my hands travel up the back of his shirt, raking my fingers up and down his bare back. He tilts my chin up so that he has better access to my skin. I breathe out when I feel Ricky's teeth graze the area and I moan quietly when one of his hands travels to my chest, groping one of my breasts gently but forcefully. 

Ricky finally pulls himself away from my neck, glancing up at me so that our eyes meet. He gives me a smile before pressing his mouth firmly against mine. "God I love you so much Ricky." I whisper against his lips. 

Ricky's body stills. The color drains from his face. He pulls away, wide eyes meeting my nervous ones. "You... you what?" He asks and I sit up quickly, and reaching a hand out to grasp one of his. "I... I don't know. I love you." I say and he looks as though he's running every possible thought through his mind. He slides off of my body and sits near the edge of my bed. "Ricky?" I ask and he opens and closes his mouth. "Oh" he says and I furrow my eyebrows. "Oh?" I whisper and he slides off of my bed completely, reaching for his sweatshirt that he had thrown off earlier in haste. 

"Look, um. You're going away for that theater festival this summer. You leave in a couple days." He says very matter-of-factly. I nod once, trying to stop the tears from pricking my eyes. "So maybe we should take a break Nins. Like a temporary pause while you're away." I betray myself and a single tear slips from my eyes. "A break." I whisper and he nods, looking down at his sweatshirt. "I uh, I have to get home to my dad. You know my mom will be home from Chicago soon so..." he trails off and I watch as gauges me for my reaction. He looks torn, almost heartbroken if I could even believe that. I nod again, slipping off of my bed. "Go" I whisper, turning away from him and sliding into my desk chair. 

I only allow the tears to fall when I hear my bedroom door shut. 

That was four months ago. And we haven't spoken since. 

*** 

I feel a warm pair of arms wrap around me as I stand at my locker at East High, the first day of school already coming around. The summer was much too speedy for my liking, my time at the theater festival I attended cheering me up and restoring my energy completely. Not to mention another aspect of the summer that cleared my mind and boosted my confidence. 

"Hey you" that aspect mumbles against my hair and my eyes widen in shock before I grin, turning in the familiar arms of my boyfriend. The bright green eyes of the raven-haired boy that was holding me gleam with happiness. "EJ!" I laugh in surprise and he grins, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "How are you here right now?" I whisper yell happily, completely thrown off with his presence in the high school. Especially considering the fact that he was a freshman at Utah State. "You know my cousin Ashlyn babe, she's starting off her junior year here and my parents needed me to accompany her to the school office for her first day." I grin and shake my head. "You're serious? She's starting here?" EJ laughs and gives me a nod. "Completely. I think she'll recognize you from the final performance at camp so I told her to find you at lunch. Is that good with you?" I nod eagerly and squeeze his arm. "I'm going to have two Caswells in my life, I consider myself very lucky." I giggle before leaning up on my tippy toes to press a kiss to mouth. I feel his lips turn up in a smile before his hand finds the back of my neck, deepening the kiss just a little before pulling away. "I've gotta head before the principal kicks my ass for being here. He never did like me." I smile and lean away from him to close my locker. "Yeah that's because he couldn't kick out the smartest kid in school no matter how irritating he was." EJ mocks offense and squeezes the side of my waste. "I'll see you later baby." He says laughing, leaning in to press a kiss to my temple before looking around the hallway and booking it for the school entrance. 

He didn't notice the guy staring at us from across the hallway. I suppose neither did I. 

*** 

"Nini oh my fucking god, the bell rung before I could say anything to you but WAS THAT EJ CASWELL THIS MORNING?" My best friend half yells as we walk through the hallway after all of our classes to get to the auditorium. We were auditioning for the school musical as per our usual, and I cover my mouth as I laugh. "Kourtney, please I don't need the whole school knowing." I say as we reach the school auditorium and walk to find our yearly places on the stage. Kourtney rolls her eyes. "Open your eyes babe. The school already knows. Like EVERYONE was talking about it all damn day." My head whips in her direction. "Wait are you for real?" 

We hear more students bounding through the auditorium but I keep my attention on my best friend who was beginning to fix her makeup in the pocket mirror she carries around. "Yeah, are you worried about a someone special finding out?" She asks and I scoff. "No. I couldn't care less about him. I'm over him. Like completely." I say and she raises an eyebrow. "Convincing girlie. But that's really good. Because speak of the devil." 

The sound of someone clearing their throat gets my attention and I turn my head slowly, meeting the eyes of none other than my ex boyfriend. "Nini" he mumbles and I shake my head, jumping onto my feet in shock. "Ricky what the hell are you doing here?" I ask, suddenly feeling a little smaller as I stand in front of him for the first time in months.

 He looked different. He had bulked up considerably and he had grown out his hair just a little, stubble also adorning his face slightly. He seemed to have grown another inch or two as well, but that could've just been my nerves making things up. 

"I'm here because I couldn't find time to talk to you today and I knew you'd be here. You aren't answering my texts and then I saw you... I saw you..." He stumbles on his words and I almost think I'm imagining the emotions clouding his vision. "We broke up. So there isn't much to talk about." I conclude and Ricky opens his mouth, shaking his head. "No we took a break. I thought you were ignoring my texts so that we could smooth things over today and regroup." He clarifies and I laugh dryly. "Ricky we broke up. I know you thought of it like a breakup too so don't try to save yourself. Kourtney said she saw you this summer with another girl." I say and I hear Kourtney groan. "Thanks for bringing me into this." She mumbles and I smile just a little. 

"You were the one kissing a guy in the hallway this morning." He defends, ignoring my own accusations. "Yeah because once I heard that you were fully done with me I wasn't going to wallow in self pity. Near the end of my theater festival EJ asked me-" Ricky cuts me off quickly. "EJ Caswell?" He whispers and I nod, confused on how he knows the name. "The valedictorian of last year's graduating class and the former captain of the water polo team?" I nod slowly, now understanding how Ricky knew of him. "You're dating him?" His voice breaks and I fight the urge to get emotional with him as well. "Yes" I answer quietly but suddenly feeling the need to explain. "You broke up with me so-" Ricky cuts me off again. "It was a break Nini." I scoff and before I can answer as hostile as I'd like to, we're cut off by a singsongy voice, no doubt our theater teacher, Miss Jen. 

"Students! Take a seat! It's time for the auditions for none another than our High School Musical!" Miss Jen announces and cheers erupt from the large group of theater kids, already expecting the musical knowing Miss Jen had intentions of doing it after getting acquainted with her job at the end of the year. 

I plop back down on the stage next to Kourtney, not giving Ricky another look nor another word. That is until I notice him drop down near me, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. My  eyes widen and I look at him fully. "What the hell are you doing?" I whisper aggressively and he shrugs. "I'm auditioning." He says simply. "But you hate musicals." I say and he shrugs again. "Huh." He says before turning to Miss Jen obliviously. 

I'm left completely unable to speak anyway.