the divine feminine (fezco au)

3

Note: Hi everybody!! I hope you are liking the story so far. This story is going to start incorporating flashbacks of Fez and Theresa's childhood, and their time together before Theresa moved away last year. I will indicate whenever a flashback is about to occur. 

Theresa lay on her bed, surrounded by her fluffy pink pillows and stuffed animal collection, staring up at the ceiling. She was overwhelmed with anxiety about seeing Fez yesterday. She felt like an awkward, bumbling idiot. When did it get so hard to talk to him? She glanced over at her phone. He wanted her to text her while she was away last year. But she didn't. When did everything get so complicated?

Flashback

12 year old Theresa was riding her bike home from Cassie's house, where she had spent the entire day hanging out. The late spring sun was setting into a dark orange glow, and crickets were chirping. She had one hand on the handlebars, another hand holding her iPod touch. Super Bass by Nicki Minaj was blasting through her earbuds, her reddish-brown hair blowing in the wind as she pedaled quickly. She was only 5 minutes away from her street when suddenly, she saw a group of boys walking down the sidewalk. She didn't know their names, but she recognized them from school. They were in 8th grade, a grade above her. Some of the boys started shouting at her and waving their arms to get her attention. Theresa stopped her bike and removed her earbuds, to hear what they were saying to her. Even from just a few feet away, Theresa could smell alcohol on them. She was shocked to realize that people in her middle school were drinking. 

"Aye, girl!" One of the boys shouted. Theresa suddenly started to get nervous. 

"Please leave me alone," she said quietly. She tried to start pedaling away, but one of the boys walked in front of her bike. He was tall for an 8th grader and had curly blonde hair and dark eyes. Theresa recognized the scent of beer on him. It smelled like the beer her mom would drink. He towered over her, an evil smirk on his face. Theresa was terrified. 

"Look at this little kid," he laughed. He ripped Theresa's iPod touch out of her small hand. "This is a nice iPod, it looks pretty new," he said dauntingly. Another one of the boys came over to her, this time standing on the other side of her bike. He was even taller than the other boy, and his breath reeked of alcohol. 

"It comes with free earbuds too!" he laughed, taking Theresa's earbuds. 

Theresa teared up out of anger. They were stealing her stuff, and all she could do was sit there quietly in fear.

Suddenly, as Theresa began to cry, another boy from the group walked over to them. He was shorter than the other two, with orange hair and bright blue eyes. He didn't smell like beer at all. 

"Jack, Cayden, leave the kid alone, you hear me?" The orange-haired boy said calmly. 

"Oh shut the fuck up Fez," the blonde laughed. "We're just joking around with her, see?"

Tears streamed down Theresa's face. 

"I said leave her the fuck alone man," the boy named Fez said, looking straight into the blonde boys eyes. "She just a fucking kid." 

The blonde stared angrily at Fez, then dropped Theresa's iPod on the ground. The other kid dropped her earbuds as well. 

"I'm gettin the fuck outta here," the blonde spat. The two boys began to walk away. The orange haired boy named Fez, however, stayed next to Theresa. 

"Um, are you okay?" he asked slowly. He picked her iPod and earbuds off of the ground and handed them over to her. Theresa wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"Thanks for standing up for me," she wimpered. "I got really scared." 

Fez looked at the boys walking down the street. 

"Lemme walk you home," he said. 

The pair walked down the street as the sun continued to set. The boy walked slowly, as if he was in no rush to get anywhere at all. Theresa held tight to her pink bike, which she walked slowly beside her. 

"I'm Fezco, by the way," he said. 

Theresa smiled faintly. "I'm Theresa. Theresa Valentina O' Connell. I think we go to the same middle school. I'm in 7th grade." 

The boy slowly nodded. He clearly had no idea who Theresa was. 

"7th grade," he said. "So you like 12? Don't your mama care you out alone right now? It's almost dark."

"Oh she doesn't really care," Theresa responded. "She works night shifts, she's a nurse. Shes already left for work by now. And my dad is away on a work trip. He does sales. I'm not exactly sure what salespeople do on work trips, but that's what he's doing. The babysitter is watching my little brother Jonah." 

Fez smiled. "You talk way too much. And yo name is way too long by the way. Imma just call you T." 

Theresa blushed. This was her first time ever talking to a boy, much less an 8th grader. And she had never been given a nickname before. 

"So, those boys," she asked shyly, "Are those guys your friends?"

Fez shook his head. 

"I mean its complicated bro," he replied. "Those are my cousins. They rude as hell, and I try to keep them straight. I'm sorry they did that to you. I don't hang wit them much, but you know, its hard to get away from family." 

Theresa nodded, taking in every word this boy had to say. The gold chain he wore glistened in the dim light of the sunset. His eyes were piercing blue. 

They finally reached Theresa's house a few minutes later. She lived in a small ranch, white, like so many others in her neighborhood. 

"Um, do you live close by?" Theresa asked. 

"Yea, I live a block or two away," he responded.

"Um, thanks for walking me home. And standing up for me."

Fez smiled faintly. "Look I know schools almost over, but I'll say hey if I see you there, aight?"

Theresa smiled back. "Deal."

She walked her bike into her dark garage as the mysterious boy began to walk home.