Poems For Daniel

Twenty-Two

It was a Friday night, and Christmas was right around the corner. My mother had finally decided to let me off my leash. I'm still not allowed to see Jeremiah, but I'm not complaining. Tonight is all about living. "You look stunning," Serene smiled at me while putting finishing touches to my makeup. "I guess so," I half-shrugged. "I don't really have anyone to impress," I sighed. "Didn't you say that you heard that Jeremiah was going to be there?" she asked. "Yeah, but--." "Boom. There's the person you need to impress right there. But, remember... This isn't about Jeremiah. This is about having fun and making friends," she reminded me. I sighed. "I guess," I half-shrugged again. "Now, stand up. Let me take a look at you," she said. I did so, straightening my skirt in the process. "Don't you look daring," she smirked, forcing me to face the mirror...

Since Christmas was coming up, the party was Christmas themed. I, for one, was dressed as "sexy" elf. "Make sure you have plenty of fun tonight. Not too much though," she smiled. I made my way for the door. "Okay, Mom. I'm gone!" I called. "Be back by midnight," she called back before I left. I drove up to the party, taking a deep breath once my car was shut off. I was nervous about stepping into this party alone seeing as though I usually step in with Jeremy. "Everything'll be fine," I told myself before making my way out of my car. I walked up the steps, making a group of guys look at me. "Damn," one whispered to another. I smirked at the boy, letting him know I heard him. I walked into the building, a lot of heads turning as I passed them. I found the table where the punch and food was and poured myself a cup of punch. "You know the punch is spiked, right?" a voice spoke into my ear. I turned to see someone who was easy on the eyes from what I could see in the dark. He was dressed in all white. I smiled slightly. "And, how would you know?" I asked. He smiled and chuckled lightly. "I have my way of knowing things, Safaree," he smirked. "So, you know my name?" I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I've had my eye on you for a while now," he licked his lips oh so attractively. "How long is a while?" I asked. "Since a year or so ago," he answered. "The lies," I smirked before sipping the punch. He chuckled. "So, what are you supposed to be?" I asked him what Christmas-y character he was. "I'm an angel," he smiled slightly while putting his hands together as if he were praying. I laughed slightly. "What's an angel doing at a party like this?" I inquired. "Everybody's got a wild side, right?" he raised an eyebrow flirtatiously. "I guess so," I bit my bottom lip before sipping my punch again...

We stood for a moment before the song that was playing changed to "3005" by: Childish Gambino. "Do you want to dance?" he asked. I began to cringe at the thought of dancing with him, but before I could even fully cringe, Serene's voice popped into my head. "Tonight is about having fun."  Besides, I love this song. I sighed. "I guess one little dance couldn't hurt," I smirked. He took my hand into his before leading me to a clear spot where we could dance. The hand he was previously holding ended up on his shoulder as his hands placed themselves on my hips. I looked up at him, his eyes gazing deeply into mine. I bit my bottom lip as my hips swayed. He smirked as I began to rap and sing along to the song. "I'll be right by your side 'til 3005," I sung with a slight smile. "I'm assuming you like this song," he said into my ear. "Wrong. I love this song," I replied as he smiled at me. He got more into the song and our dancing, his hands slowly moving lower than where they belonged. I ignored it seeing as though I was becoming slightly tipsy. The song soon ended, and the guy took my hand into his again. He began leading me up a staircase and then led me into a room...

"I wanted somewhere quieter to talk," he said while sitting me on the bed and kneeling in front of me. I nodded as he took my drink from me. He placed it down on the nightstand before looking into my eyes. "So, is there anything you wanted to talk about in partic--." His lips met mine. It wasn't forceful or anything. It was a three second peck. "Sorry about that... I've been wanting to do that since I first saw you here... All the other guys were too much of punks to approach you," he smiled bashfully. I gazed into his eyes and caressed the side of his face. "Something's so familiar about you, but I know you don't go to my school. I would've noticed you," I spoke, my vision slightly blurred. He smiled slightly, taking my hand into his. "I wish I wasn't drunk right now so I could see straight and know who you are," I smiled slightly before leaning to kiss him. He dodged my kiss, turning his face to the side so I kissed his cheek. "Wh-what's wrong?" I asked. "I don't want to take advantage of you," he answered. An easy smile slipped onto my face. "Tonight's all about having fun, Baby... You know, I spent most of my life being a stick in a mud, and tonight marked the night where I finally let go. Now that I think about it, I should've waited until my senior year, but that's a whole year away. There's no difference," I laughed. The boy smiled slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yeah, sure... I've never been more sure in my life, Whatever your name is," I replied. He smiled before kissing my lips.

Next thing I know, his lips were trailing my body. I giggled, my fingers running through his hair. "If we're going to do this, I've got to be home by midnight," I told him. He looked at the time before sighing. "We might as well not do this then because I need at least three hours," he smirked. "But, Baby... We can j--." I shut my mouth, stopping my own sentence. "What? What's wrong?" the boy asked. I rushed to the bathroom which was less that ten feet away. I closed the door behind me before ending up hunched over the toilet. I emptied everything that was in my stomach, including my dinner that I had earlier that night. "Yo, are you okay in there?" the guy asked, knocking on the closed door. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," I managed to say before puking again. Once it had finally stopped, I flushed the toilet and fixed myself. I eventually made my way out of the bathroom and toward my purse. I popped about ten mints before beginning to chew minty gum. "Yo, you good?" the guy asked, his arms wrapping around my waist from behind. "I'm sorry I killed the mood," I pouted. "You good, Ma... We can just do this next time," he left a kiss on my neck. "Oh, you're so nice and sweet. How are you single?" I turned toward him and hugged his torso. His aroma was so familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.. "Come on... Let's get you home," he told me...

We made our way outside and I was put into the passenger seat of a car. I'm not completely sure if it was my car or not. I was dozing in and out of sleepiness before the car finally stopped. "Is this you?" he pointed to a house that seemed familiar enough through my blurry vision. "Yeah, sure," I nodded, taking my keys out of my purse. He assisted me with getting out of the car and took my keys from me. He helped me into my home before I began babbling. "Thanks for helping me with this, Whatever your name is... You're such a sweetheart," I smiled before kissing his lips. Serene then tiptoed into the living room. "Is she drunk?" she asked. The guy nodded. "Oh, God," she sighed. "Hey, Serene," I touched her face. "You know, you are so pretty. Josh is a lucky guy," I smiled. "Go lay her down," she commanded the guy. With that, my feet were off the floor. "Safaree, this is really serious, okay? You have to be quiet," he said. I kissed his lips. "Okay, Baby," I smiled, my head resting on his shoulder. I was carried into my room and laid onto my bed. He began to leave, but I grabbed his hand. "Stay," I told him. "I can't," he shook his head. "Please," I pleaded. He sighed before cradling me in his arms. "It feels good to be held again," I confessed, my words probably sounded more slurred than I pictured...

I don't remember much after that. I know I asked what his name was, and his reply either began with a "D" or a "J". I know that I kissed his lips and tried to force him out of his shirt, but he quietly chuckled and pried my hands away from him. I know that he looked deeply into my eyes like he had been doing the whole night, and I know that I still couldn't put my finger on who this was. The last thing I remember was him tucking me into bed and kissing my lips sweetly. I giggled before he wrote a few things on a sheet of paper. He kissed my forehead before leaving the note on the nightstand...

"I love you." he lastly stated before leaving the room.

I looked at the note and read what I could make out of the blurry words.

"Hopefully, we'll see each other again, and hopefully we'll both be sober and in better lighting.

See you around, Baby.

-D."