Obsession

Four

"I don't know what's going on with him Mari. He won't answer any of my phone calls, or reply to any text I send. I'm starting to worry." I voiced in a very sad tone, once again checking my phone for a reply from Chris. What Jayson did to him was cruel, humiliating, and uncalled for. Sighing, I closed my eyes thinking back to what happened Saturday. I used to always hear people say how bad of a temper he possessed, and I witnessed that Saturday. "Marisol are you listening to me?"

She sucked her teeth, "Why not go over to his house? I mean he lives across the street." She muttered with a shrug of her shoulders. She was currently being entertained by Kevin Harts Laugh at my pain which was unamusing to me at the moment.

Sitting up in the middle of my bed I got the strangest feeling as if someone was watching me. "I'm thinking about quitting the cheer leading team." I said at random.

Marisol tilted her head to the side to look at me. I knew that would get her attention. "Why? You've been doing this since freshmen year."

"Exactly. I want to try something different. Besides, I don't like the way Shannon and the other girls talk about Chris. Like the entire time during practice yesterday he was the topic of discussion."

"Sounds to me like someone has a crush."

"That's ridiculous." I waved her comment off. It's too soon for me to be catching feelings for him. Isn't it? I feel my phone vibrate against my thigh and it startles me. Chris had finally replied back. Furrowing my brows out of confusion I re-read the two-worded text not sure why he was apologizing. He hasn't done anything wrong. "Just go over there. You know you want to."

She was right I did. Something about Chris was a mystery and it was pulling me in.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow!" Marisol shouted as she backed out of the driveway. My parents weren't due home from work for another 3 hours so that gives me more than enough time to invite Chris over without them finding out. My parents have a strict rule about me having male company when they're not home. Even after knowing Jayson for almost 3 years he's still not allowed over if neither one of them is not here.

When I saw the front door open to the Givens' house, I knew he had agreed to my invitation. Walking at a moderate pace he crossed the street with his head held low, which was covered by the hood of his Michigan hoodie. And although his hands were tucked inside the pockets of his sweats, I was still able to see the white bandage that stopped right below his wrist.

I could see now why he had his hood on, there was a purplish bruise by the corner of his eye. "What happened?"

"Got into a fight with my pops."

---

The minute I said that her face softened. I didn't want her to feel sorry for me. My mom was already acting as if I had been in a car accident. When it was her sorry excuse of a husband that did this shit. He caught me off guard, and because of my fucked up hand I wasn't able to put up much of a fight. "I'm fine Leah. You don't have to stand there looking at me like that."

"Oh. Sorry. Do you wanna come in?" She pointed towards the door with her thumb and smiled. Honestly, I wasn't expecting her to contact me anymore after what happened Saturday. It's over for Jayson after my hand heals.

Walking inside the house Leah told me to head upstairs to her room while she made popcorn. I was finally going to be inside the room I've spent countless hours thinking about. Fantasizing about the things I would do to her if we were ever alone. I grabbed a bottle of perfume she had on top her dresser and placed it in the pocket of my hoodie. Before I even had the slightest chance to look through her drawers I heard her light footsteps against the hardwood flooring.

"Why are you still standing up. It's ok to sit down." She sat on her bed and motioned for me to come over. "Why did you send me a text apologizing?"

I sighed heavily, staring straight ahead, "I didn't want you to see me react like that. Sometimes, I'm mad to the point where I can't control my actions. I'll act on impulse. It's been that way since I was a kid."

"Did you fight a lot?"

"All the time. I was deemed as a "threat" in the 4th grade." I silently cursed under my breath after I realized I had told her that. I just can't stop fucking up around her. "You can talk to me Chris. I won't judge you."

"I rather watch a movie." I cleared my throat and walked over to the stack of DVD's that were arranged in alphabetical order next to her TV. I don't like to feel as if I'm being analyzed and that's exactly the kind of vibe the situation was giving off. "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"I might."

"Please come. It's been 4 days."

I turn to her with a smirk on my face, "Damn you got it bad." She tosses a pillow at my face. "I'll come I guess. And I need to ask you something. That day in the hallway when you stopped me from fighting Jayson how did you know I was on probation?"

"I overheard the principal talking about it the first day I volunteered to help out in the office. Something about you threaten the gym teacher and wrecked his office."

"If you know these things about me why do you want to be around me?" I was curious to hear her answer.

"Because I don't care Christopher. You're nice to me and that's all that matters." I swear she has me feeling like a bitch. I didn't want her to see me smile so I lowered my face towards the DVD's.

Hanging out with Leah for those 2 hours brought out a different side of me. I didn't feel angry, annoyed, or have the urge to snap. That almost made me dread having to go home. It was still early in the evening so I knew my parents weren't sleep.

When I got in the house I could hear them arguing inside their bedroom. Well, I heard my pops yelling at my mom. His ass can yell all he wants to as long as he doesn't put his hands on her.

Once inside my room I locked the door, and fell face first on to my bed. The bottle of perfume pierced my stomach reminding me I had put it there. It was some French shit I couldn't pronounce but it smells good as hell. It smells like her.

My phone rang interrupting my thoughts. "I told you. You got it bad."

Her laughter filled my ears. "Oh whatever Christopher. I just want to know what you're doing." I sprayed the perfume in the air. "I just left your house exactly 3 minutes ago."

"I don't care. You miss me too and you know it."

I laughed at how she sounded like a baby. I was a minute from falling asleep on her until what she said kicked in. Maybe there is a slim possibility of there being an us. Fuck that there will be an us, and I dare any damn body to try to interfere.