Opposite Ends

six

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                      "What the hell is happening here?" Someone stood above me, flashing a light on my closed eyelids.

                      "Would you get lost." I mumbled as I rolled over. When I rolled over, I felt rough grainy sand against my cheeks and I sat up quickly, fluttering my eyes open.

                       I started to panic, not remembering where I was, and then memories of Isaiah and I kissing flashed in my mind. I looked beside me, but Isaiah wasn't there anymore, so I stood up quickly, wiping sand off the butt of my denim shorts.

                      "What were you doing passed out in the sand?" The guy with the flashlight asked.

                      I didn't recognize him or the three other people with him. There were two girls and another guy. They all looked like they were in their early twenties.

                      "I, um--" I stuttered. I was still half asleep and probably still half drunk.

                      "Get too wasted?" he asked, chuckling.

                      I shrugged. "Something like that."

                      "Well, are you okay?"

                      I nodded. "I'm fine. Where's Isaiah and Halley?"

                      "I'm pretty sure they're both passed out inside somewhere." He answered.

                      "Okay, thanks." I waved at him and made my way to the house.

                      How could Isaiah leave me laying there like that? I thought.

                      When I got inside, I saw Halley passed out on the sofa in the living room. The entire room was cluttered with beer cans and garbage.

                      I walked over to Halley's sleeping body and tried nudging her awake.

                      "Halley, wake up."

                      She opened her eyes sleepily. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

                      "Almost 5 am." I answered. "Where's Isaiah?"

                      "Why?" she asked.

                      "Because he's our ride home and I want to make sure he's not laying dead somewhere."

                      She laughed, in a sleepy way. "I think he went upstairs last night with Jasmin. I didn't see him since then so I just passed out down here."

                      My stomach lurched. "Jasmin?"

                      "Well, duh. He'll try to get with any living feminine thing. You know that."

                      Sadly I did, which also made me realize that I was probably another one of his many hookups.

                      "Okay, well I'm going upstairs to make sure Jasmin didn't kill him." I said, pretending that I wasn't affected at all.

                      "Well we all know she's a beast." Halley said, laughing. "Just shield your eyes when you enter bedrooms. Don't wanna see anything."

                      I nodded. "You going back to sleep?" I asked.

                      "I intend to." She answered.

                      "Well, good night."

×××

                      I found Isaiah passed out in one of the guest bedrooms. By himself. Somehow, I was relieved.

                      I walked over to the bed where he lay on top of the blankets, shirtless but still wearing jeans.

                      "Isaiah." I said, trying to wake him but not wanting to touch him. "Wake up."

                      He didn't stir.

                      I groaned and poked him a couple of times. "Isaiah."

                      He opened one eye. "Who is it and what do you want?" He asked in a gruff sleepy tone.

                      I breathed in quickly, in awe of how amazing his voice sounded when he was talking.

                      "Um, it's Jessa." I said dumbly.

                      He looked up at me. "Oh hey cutie."

                      I raised an eyebrow. "Don't call me that."

                      He chuckled. "Fine, but I'm not leaving right now. Come sleep."

                      "You left me on the beach Isaiah. By myself. And then you came in and hooked up with Jasmin."

                      He squinted his eyes at me. "I didn't hook up with Jasmin."

                      "That's not what Halley said. She saw you walk up here with Jasmin."

                      He groaned. "I was coming up here to go to sleep."

                      "You left me outside."

                      He chuckled. "How was it?"

                      I crossed my arms over my chest. "Not funny."

                      He breathed out loudly. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want people to think that we--"

                      "What, hooked up? We pretty much did, Isaiah." I said.

                      "Yeah, but do you want everyone knowing about that?" He asked.

                      He did have a point, but still. "You tell everyone about every other girl you've hooked up with. Are you ashamed that you--"

                      "No!" He stopped me. "Absolutely not. You were just different for me."

                      "Why?"

                      "Because we just kissed."

                      "Okay?" I was confused.

                      "I rarely do that little with a girl. I didn't want to go too quickly with you. I actually wanted to take my time. That's the first time I've been satisfied with just kissing."

                      "Oh." I was speechless.

                      He laughed. "Now come lay beside me. I'm tired."

                      I did so and we cuddled for a while before we both fell asleep..

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