Seeds of Tomorrow

17

To say he was nervous was an understatement. Rocco couldn't stop thinking about all the what-ifs and things that could go wrong or wind up embarrassing for him. He'd considered calling Mark the night before to get advice however chose not to given the recent events for his uncle. They'd talked before about all of Rocco's worries. Mark had simply told him to stop being a pussy and just fuck her already, adding "She ain't got shit to compare it to anyway."

That should have been reassurance for him but what if her friends shared stories about all the bomb sex they had and then Evie realizes Rocco was just whack as hell?

School drug on for eternity even though it was only a four-period day. Rocco had made sure to shower after gym class that day afraid he'd have vinegar balls or some shit. He hadn't told anyone the plan for the afternoon because it wasn't their business and also if he pussed out, he didn't want to have to admit to any of his friends that it happened. Again.

Evie had spent some extra time on her appearance that day, not that she needed it. She'd curled her chestnut-colored hair and wore a little extra makeup. That day she'd dressed in a light cotton sun dress with a peach flower pattern with cowboy boots. Rocco couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was.

They met near her locker once the final bell rang, walking hand in hand to her little green Volkswagen Bug that had flower decals and eyelashes. It was girly as fuck, just like her.

"You want to get something to eat?" Rocco asked as he'd gotten paid that morning. He wasn't hungry simply too nervous to immediately head back to his house and possibly disappoint her.

"Not really, I had a granola bar and yogurt during last period."

"Dutch bros?"

A smile spread across her face, "Yes, let's get Dutch!"

Since school had just let out the line was out the driveway and onto the street. Rocco found himself feeling both relieved and annoyed about the wait, not that he was the one driving. They gossiped about the Mark-Bryn-Olivia love triangle and rumored pregnancy.

Mark hadn't replied to his texts the previous day so Rocco could only assume what the outcome was. He hoped for everyone's sake that Olivia wasn't pregnant. She was sixteen and a grade below them, a sophomore, and Mark was a dropout with no job. And kind of a fuck up already. It didn't seem fair to bring a baby into the middle of their drama.

Rocco waved to Jeordie across the driveway as they got out of Evie's little car. He knew Jeordie wasn't going to say anything to his parents about him having her there when they weren't home, Jeordie was always hella chill about stuff.

The house was completely silent as they entered, quietly making the climb upstairs as if they were cat burglars. It wasn't that Evie wasn't allowed over, it was just preferred that when she was there be someone home, a rule his parents had for all of the kids' guests. Safety reasons were the explanation. It made sense but he and Evie were both months away from adulthood, not dumb ass thirteen-year-olds like Gabe and his friends who still did stupid shit they saw on TikTok.

Once inside the bedroom, Rocco closed the door and locked it quietly behind him as if someone would hear and know what he was doing. Evie sat down on his bed as he pulled off his sneakers, setting them neatly on the shoe rack next to the door.

"You're so much more organized and clean than I am," she giggled nervously.

"My dad," he rolled his eyes, "Is all OCD about that shit and would shit his pants if I had a messy room."

"You already know my mom is practically a hoarder, he would probably die if he saw our house," Evie said.

It was true, except for Evie and her sister's bedrooms the house was filled with clutter and boxes to the extent they had cleared walking paths through the house. It wasn't trash just way too much stuff that they couldn't part with.