A Summer of Discovery

Chapter Fourteen

2006

Everything had been back to normal for almost a year, we were finally eighteen and Lilly had been sneaking over every night, sleeping and then stealthily she crept back over through the tree every morning so her mom wouldn't figure it out. We were as intimate as we had ever been if not more so, I couldn't get enough of her, I was intoxicated by her, everything about her, the way she walked, talked, the smell of her detergent on the fabric of her clothes, the soft swells of flesh under her top, the taste of her lips as they met mine, the way she loved so deeply, the way her lips softly brushed the sensitive parts of my breasts, her teeth nibbling my neck and the waves of heat that rose inside me with every stroke of her hand. It wasn't just about her body or mine, I wanted her, all of her, the good and the bad and the in between. I wanted to be the first person she woke up thinking about and the reason she couldn't sleep, her mind, her soul, her entity was what I craved but in the most innocent of ways. I didn't want Lilly to myself, I wanted to watch her grow and become better, happier and stronger. After the hell Lilly had endured in her short years I wanted her to fly, to be free, no I wouldn't ever cage her, I would set her free for the world to see just how beautiful a tortured soul can become, to show that even through pain, through heartache, through abuse can shine a light so bright. It was my mission to show Lilly what I saw in her. My entire world, she in return had shown me, that I was hers.
...
It was the morning that the school was being set up for the football season finale, Lilly was busy with the cheer squad on the field as they practised their final cheer routine. I watched from my locker through the window as she did three backward somersaults and got thrown to the top of a triangle formation of girls, she looked cute, hell she looked hot.

"Whatcha looking at" Sam said approaching from behind. I felt his hands on my shoulders as he looked towards where my eyes were fixed.

"Ah the good ole cheer squad" he said sarcastically. "Kristin asked me out again at that party this weekend. I can't seem to shake her off"

I turned away from the window and looked up at Sam. "She asked you again" I asked "I expect she wants you to take her to prom" I continued as I placed a stack of books into my locker and retrieved my biology papers for next period.

"Well that's the thing, I was wondering if you would go with me" He asked. I closed my locker door slowly and looked at him as my eyebrows knotted together on my brow in surprise. He swept his thick hair back over his head in a perfect side swipe, his blue eyes creased up in anticipation of my sarcasm.

"Is that a no?" He finally asked with a laugh. I pulled open the locker, grabbed my lunch bag and locked it back up. I moved towards the lunch hall and he followed quickly catching up and wrapping his arms around my shoulder. "Come on Miss Emery don't you play hard to get who else you going with"

I smiled. "If you must know" I pushed his arm away as it sat heavily on my shoulders. "I'm inviting someone" I continued. "And it's not you before you ask"

"Wait a sec" he said slowing down and pulling me onto the nearest empty table. I unravelled my brown bag and pulled out an apple. I bit a chunk off. "Uh huh" I returned with a full mouth. Sam scooted over so he was sat opposite me.

"Who is he" He asked with urgency.

The past year Lilly and I had made a pact to keep our relationship private and not tell a soul, not until we left for college, so Sam was confused when I was busy all the time, he assumed I had a secret guy and had been teasing me about it all semester. I hated lying to him but if it was the only way Lilly and I could be together, I would take it, for now. I hated the walls Lilly and I had to build around our relationship, the hiding was slowly starting to get to me. We only had to wait until we graduated and I had the date memorised, we would leave this town together and no one would ever know.