Midnight Rose (completed)

Chapter 3

The rest of the week was uneventful, if you didn't count Kendra asking Donny to the Sadie Hawkins dance, becoming Natalie's newest target of hatred while simultaneously putting Kendra back on every guy's radar. Donny accepted, of course, dispersing the line of guys at our lunch table.

"Hey, so I heard those kids are being homeschooled. They were just here on the first day to meet with the counselor."

Kendra studied my reaction that I tried so hard to keep steady. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about the news. I was relieved I wouldn't have to see them at every corner, but I was also disappointed because I wouldn't see him at every corner.

"Ready to spill yet?" Patience waned.

                                         ***

The weather had let up, so Kendra and I were back to our traditional walk home from school. We made it to Friday, and I promised her a sleepover full of wild tales and unrequited love. She laughed at my attempt to make light of an obviously difficult predicament for me.

My dad finally returned home from out of the country, so he and my mom went out for the evening. Nervous about confessing my deepest and darkest secrets to my best friend, I set up our usual spot on the couch with a blanket, sodas, too much candy, and popcorn. She wouldn't be here for another thirty minutes, and I had run out of things to keep me busy, having already folded my laundry and cleaned the kitchen. I really wanted to tell Kendra the whole truth, but I didn't know how. Not to mention how terrified I was that reliving all of that would force me back into a place I didn't want to be. She still wouldn't be here for another twenty-nine minutes, and the anxious energy made me pace erratically.

A light tap on the front door brought a huge sigh of relief. 

Before I had completely opened the door, I was already greeting her. "Kendra, I'm so glad you came early—" And then my heart jumped out of my throat and took a nosedive at Wes' feet. Wide-eyed and stunned, I was paralyzed, half in the present and half two years in the past.

"Hey." Wes smiled coyly.

His eyes were still the unique iridescent I remembered, changing colors slightly depending on the angle and light, and still mesmerizing even after all this time. He watched me carefully, standing poised and confident, the light catching every breathtaking feature his face had to offer. I hated him for being so...so...him. Once the initial shock of him standing in front of me passed, I slammed the door in his face, only his shoe caught it.

"I can see you're mad." He pushed the door open slowly, being careful against the weight I still had on it.

"And I can see you're still observant," I snapped, trying to kick his foot out of the way, only bruising my socked toes in the process. I threw my hands up in defeat. "Fine." I took a few steps back, letting trouble walk back into my life.

When he stepped inside, I took in his mature look. He was no longer the skinny boy I had been so infatuated with. He was a young man. Taller and had gained muscle mass. If it weren't for his eyes, I should hardly recognize him on the street. But I had, even from the convertible at the red light. I had, because my body would never forget how I felt whenever he was around. It was as if my insides were drawn to him out of necessity. Much like they screamed now, my body heating up and my hands shaking.

"You've changed," he said, a seducing smile tugging at his mouth.

"Funny how two years can do that to a person." I shoved my hands into my sweats pockets to hide the effect he was having on me. Sweats. No, no, no. First the drowned cat look, and now a depressed teenager look. Not how I envisioned looking when I saw him.  And to further my humiliation, my hair was in a messy knot on top of my head. This is fantastic, I thought sarcastically.