I walked inside the house, the air becoming thicker the further i ventured inside. my mother looked up at me from where she sat at the kitchen table, the only sound between us was the ceiling fan spinning. i imagined it falling on the table, finally breaking, glass flying everywhere, cutting into my arms, scratching my eyes. When it broke it would hurt everything around it, it had hung in a weird way for years, as if only one wire kept it hanging on, it was begging to be let go.
"How was school?"
"Fine." I said crossing my arms waiting for her to say something more. After what had felt like hours, she stood, grabbed her pocketbook and without looking at me walked toward the door
"I'm going to pick up your brother."
"Okay" i replied my eyes scanning the room around us, awkwardly waiting for her to leave.
"When I come back, why don't we take a walk?"
"Okay" I replied again. It seemed that was the only word I could muster
"Honey talk to me," we had walked around the block three times already in complete silence, I wasn't going to offer up any information myself. If she wanted to know what was going on, she could come out and ask herself.
"You've never been like this, so reserved. We used to share everything." she sighed, and I was nervous that if I didn't come up with anything to say, she would start crying.
"Mom, what do you want to know?"
"What is going on with you?"
"I don't know exactly, I just know I'm not the same."
"Are you doing drugs?"
"Are you?" I said giggling,
"Faith it's not funny we are very worried."
"No, I promise I'm not," I couldn't stop laughing "Mom it's just I'm finally happy." I said smiling, the sun peeking out from behind a cloud.
"Is it Matt?" she said tentatively
"Why do you sound so worried about him?"
"Because, all this time I thought you hated him. I mean if I could count on one boy you'd never bring home, I would've placed all my money on him."
"Well, all I can say is that things are just... different. He's not what I thought."
"Just, be careful. You know you're very naive."
"Mom, you know Matt. You know his family, we've known the Sullivans forever, what are you so scared for?" she stopped short and I realized we had walked around the neighborhood another full circle, we were back in front of our driveway.
"Because, you're my baby girl, and the thought of anyone hurting you makes me hurt. Just promise me you'll be strong no matter what?"
"I'll be strong, just like my mama." I said hugging her. When we came back inside, the house didn't feel as heavy as before.
The conversation when my father came home wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Though my punishment was quite the opposite
"No going out, no phone," he said as he picked it out of my hands "You'll be home everyday after school on time, a month Faith Anne, understood?" I couldn't argue. I mean, a part of me knew what was coming, and this was less than I had expected, so I took it in stride.
"Yeah, I got it."
For the next few weeks I made school my main focus. I ended up finishing the project alone, and as per usual, I got an A. I obviously didn't see Matt as much, but our honeymoon stage still seemed to be in full swing. I didn't have my cell phone, but he had come by the house a few times a week, just dropping by, and more than often my parents allowed us to spend some time together, supervised of course. Every time he held my hand, or gave me a quick kiss goodnight on the front porch, I felt electrified. I never knew I could long for someone this bad, and at the end of the month when the chains that kept me attached to the house were finally cut, Matt told me he had a surprise for me.
I knew Eastport like the back of my hand, where every single road led, the fastest way to cut through anywhere using a back road, pluck me at the corner of any street, the middle of any woods here and I could direct you blindfolded. But as soon as I crossed the EastCounty line, it was like a foreign country.
"Where are we going?" I said suddenly confused as we ventured out of Eastport. Matt had told me to wear something nice. I curled my hair, pinning it back with the diamond encrusted clip I had bought in Greece the summer before. I wore a dress that fell just above my knee, it was emerald green, and matched perfectly with the gold birthstone earrings that glittered on my ears.
"Somewhere." He said staring straightforward at the road
"Somewhere where?" I said teasing, this was the first time we'd been in private for what felt like too long of a time. We hadn't had a conversation in weeks that wasn't overhead by everyone in either my house or at school.
"Will you ever just be patient?"
"Oh Sullivan, you must not know me at all." I said leaning over kissing his cheek.
I had no idea where we were, and as Matt pulled into a lot, shifting the car into park, he looked at me,
"You ready?"
"Sure." He came around the other side of the car, and opened the door for me, I stepped down on the ground and for the first time that night took a good look at him. He was dressed in a button down and khakis, his hair freshly cut. I promised myself that when I was old, grey, out of shape, and taking a pill to soothe the pain in my heart, that I'd remember this night.
Matt took my hand and led me down a boardwalk, lit on both sides by dim lampposts. Others were out, as the weather was finally starting to break. After one of the harshest winters we'd ever seen, everyone was dying for fresh air, and tonight was the perfect night. We walked toward a marina and I saw that the dock was ending. There was a handful of boats docked, and Matt still holding my hand led me to the second one in the row. It was dimly lit with strings of twinkle lights, and bobbed gracefully in the water, waiting for us.
He jumped onto the boat and held his hand out beckoning me to join him. We laughed as I almost lost my balance and I held onto him to steady myself.
"Is this yours?" I said, taking in the romantic scene around us
"Yup, well my family's, bet you didn't know I could sail." He said smirking. I leaned over kissing him
"I'm beginning to think there's a lot I still don't know about you." I said smiling up at him.
YOU ARE READING
This Kiss
Teen Fiction“Okay, I could be wrong because I only saw him for a second, but I think, I think it was Matt Sullivan.” The music was loud and the floor of the club was crowded with people, at a concert that would soon become the talk of the year. Straight A stude...
