Chapter Nine

35 2 1
                                    

Back at school Monday, the boys were having another game. Caleb told me that I had to go—“as my date”—so I decided I’d go. The game wasn’t until six-ish so I had time to go home and do stuff—unimportant stuff, of course.  I mostly texted Caleb while doing homework. So, really, I was mostly texting Caleb.

He told me that his mom had to go on a business trip. He said that after I left Saturday morning, “she wouldn’t shut up about you! It was cute at first but it got old.”

Even though I only knew Ari less than thirty-eight hours, I was already in love with her.

At five forty, I left my house. I was at the school by five forty five, and sitting by Caleb at five forty six. He smiled when he saw me and we cheered, and we stood up, almost never sitting down. And we did what normal high schoolers do at varsity games.

After, we went to a diner and ate cheap, delious, and worth the grease burgers. And to be honest, I never felt happier to be in North Dakota. I’m sure this would never have happened in California. My school had a terrible basketball team so no one ever went to the games.

After we ate—and laughed, and smile, and forgot about our problems—Caleb and I went back to my house.  I sat on my counter in the kitchen as Caleb sat on the cold tile. We just talked. “Do you have a favorite memory yet?” He asked.

I was thrown off for a second. “That’s random,”

“Not really. One of our first conversations in your house was about favorite memories. Do you have a favorite yet?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Friday night was fun.”

Caleb smiled and stood up and walked over to me, draping his arms around my shoulders. “It was, was it?”

I nodded. “It was. Falling asleep on Ari’s couch, stepping on you…” I shrugged again. “Okay, maybe stepping on you wasn’t the best.”

Caleb leaned his forehead to mine, holding my chin in his hand. “I could have done without the stepping on me too, but, hey, whatever.”

I smiled at Caleb, out lips less than an inch apart. Caleb smiled back. “Are you going to kiss me or will I have to lie to my diary?”

Caleb smiled and kissed me. I smiled under his lips.

He pulled away sooner than I would have liked. “Wait, you have a diary?”

I shook my head. “No, I got that off of the internet. Why? Would you want to read my diary?”

“It’d tell me more about you than you would.”

“You’re right.” I looked at the time on my microwave. “Caleb, it’s getting late. You should go home.”

“I don’t want to. Here is so much better.”

“I know. But you have to go home.”

Caleb ran his hand over my jaw line. “Okay, fine. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure.” I got off of the counter and walked Caleb to my door. I watched as he walked backwards down my sidewalk to his car. He opened his car door. “Good night, Gwen.”

“Good night, Caleb.”

He got in his car and backed down my driveway. Once he was out of my line of sight, I went back in my house. I locked my front door and walked up the stairs to my room. I plopped into my bed, asleep in seconds.

. . .

I sat down on the bottom step of my wooden stairs, waiting. I watched my front door, waiting. I held my breath, waiting. I glanced at the clock, waiting. Where is he? He’s late. Where’s mom? I looked back at the door, waiting.

One Minute Till TomorrowWhere stories live. Discover now