✺ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ✺- Josh Kiszka

Part 3

Third and Fourth periods came and went, and the final bell of the day rang to let us know it was time to leave. The hordes of kids ran down the halls trying to get out of the school's parking lot, and home before the traffic began to build up. I walked out to my Honda and unlocked the side door to put my bags in the back before hopping into the driver's seat. I turned on the car's stereo, and Dreams by Fleetwood Mac filled the car's quietness. I backed out of my spot and left the campus. On the way home, Violet called me.

"Hey, what's up?" I said into the receiver.

"What time should I come over tonight?" She replied

"Whenever you'd like. I have a shirt I think you would like for your date you can try on if you want."

"Oh, thank God. I have a good pair of flare jeans, but I was having trouble picking out a shirt."

"Ok, just come over when you're ready. If you're staying the night, remember to bring anything you need for tomorrow."

"Ok," she replied. "Oh, and guess what? Sam wants me to come by his house before he drives us to Detroit to meet his mom."

"That's awesome", I replied

"No! That's terrifying. I'm so bad at talking to adults, especially the mom of a boy I'm about to go on a date with. I'll stumble over my words and look silly. His siblings will be there too. That's four times more stress."

"Josh is going to be there?" I said a bit more eagerly than I had intended.

"I mean, yeah, he is Sam's brother." She laughed

"Yeah, duh," I said, trying to sound less stupid. "But don't worry, they'll love you. Everyone does."

"Thanks," she said in a sweet tone. "I'll be over around four."

"Ok sounds good," I said before we hung up and continued the route home. The whole way, I couldn't get the conversation Josh and I had earlier out of my head. The way he genuinely talked with me and acted as if what I was saying was worth listening to. How he would smile at me when I said something that amused him and how he just couldn't get out of my head with his stupid mannerisms and unique way of talking.

Ugh stop

I pulled into my driveway at 3:50 and made my way inside. No one was home, so it was dead silent except for the soft hum of the air conditioning coming from the living room.

I stepped into my room, and the strong smell of the incense Violet and I had burned the night before was still wafting in the air. I set my bag down on the floor and then jumped into my bed and checked my phone.

A few minutes later, I jumped to the sound of my window next to my bed sliding open quickly, and cold air hitting my legs as Violet climbed through and onto my bed.

"Jesus Christ, you know you can just use the door when you're not sneaking in, right? My mom knows you're here."

"Ok boring ass. What's the fun in doors?" She replied. I just rolled my eyes and stood up off of the bed.

"Here's the shirt I was telling you about," I added as I walked to my closet and grabbed it off the hanger.

It was a long sleeve that flared at the ends of the arms that tied into a v-neck in the front, made of a soft velvet material in shades of pale orange, browns and greens.

"I love it," Violet answered as I handed it to her.

"Go try it on in the bathroom and see if you like the fit of it," I said, smiling at her enthusiasm.

A few minutes later, she walked out with the shirt on. It was perfect. The sleeves were just long enough, and the neck cut went down just enough to be flattering, but not something that Sam's mom would question when she goes to meet her.

"It's perfect," we said in unison.

"I'll put it on the hanger and hang it on the bathroom hook for tomorrow." She remarked, walking back to the bathroom while putting it back on the hanger.

When she came back into the room, Violet had a huge grin plastered on her face.

"What?" I asked as I saw her dig into her bag. I then saw her pull out a little jar with four rolled blunts and a lighter inside.

"You're an angel sent from above." I jeered as she laughed and walked over to the bed.

A couple of hours later, we were laughing our asses off, stoned out of our minds.

"And then Sam tells me-" Violet starts but cuts off her story busting out laughing. "He tells me that when they were younger, a tornado was passing their house, and all his family went down to the basement for cover, and-" She rolls over laughing, which gets me bending over laughing as well, as she tries to finish her story. "He's in the fucking shower and walked out, towel around his waist, whistling to himself wondering where all of them went because they just forgot about him." She wheezes out the last couple of words before rolling sideways and falling off the side of the bed, which makes me holler in laughter.

The heavy amounts of laughing continue as we keep going back and forth with different stories and jokes to keep us cracking up.

"No, because remember that time in fourth grade when your favorite water bottle with the butterflies on it disappeared?" I asked, still breathing heavily from laughter

"Yeah?" Violet responded.

"I actually sat on it and broke it into like ten cracked up pieces and got so scared you would beat my ass so buried it in the backyard-" I said, faltering back into deep laughter.

Violet shot up from the floor and smacked my leg while I was still in tears from laughing.

"You piece of shit!" she yell-laughed. "I was looking for that for a solid year because I wouldn't drink out of anything else." She added.

I threw my head back in laughter, and she smacked me in the face with a pillow.

"Yeah, well wanna hear something funnier?" She said smartly. "Sam told me when I mentioned you that he remembered you from middle school as the girl who fell walking UP the stairs trying to get to class."

"Oh my god, I did that one time," I replied

"That's not what Sam told me." She laughed

"Well, I heard that Sam took almost a month to even work up the balls to ask you on a date."

"Oh yeah? At least I'm going on a date with someone I have feelings for. When was the last time you actually had a crush or went on a date?" She retorted playfully

"Oh, you're so funny V, jokes on you. I have feelings for Josh."

As soon as those words left my tongue, our laughter came to a quick halt.