Against Nana's recommendations, I return to school the very next day. Snake drops me off at school in the morning, and he promises me he'll pick me up later, when school ends. The entire day goes by slowly, as does the rest of the week. When I get to lunch, Brandon's friend dumps a container of fries down my shirt, and another squirt a ketchup packet on my pants. When I'm heading out to the car when the day ends, someone trips me, and another spit in my hair. Michelle gives me a dirty look. Brandon calls me names. I finally reach the car, and I can't even open the door to get in. I collapse onto the pavement and throw up, and scrape my knees in the landing. Jesse's to my rescue in an instant, angry at my assailants, yet compassionate for me. "This has got to fucking end." He mumbles, helping me into the car. I assure him that it's fine, in which he replies, "no, it's not! They're fucking harassing you, with no regards of the fact that the last time they did this, you tried to..." He bites his lip.
"I tried to kill myself, Jess," I finish his sentence, "and they all think I'm a fucking freak for it. They think I'm a disgusting whore because I'm with you."
"And why would they think that?" He asks, offended. I sigh, knowing I shouldn't have said that. "It's just, you're older and to them, it's some whacky taboo shit."
His shoulders slump, and he seems upset. "Is that what you think of me, too?"
"No! Jess, come on," I beg, "please, you know I love you. I don't care how old you are. Besides, it's only two years, almost three."
Snake looks over at Brandon and his group, who're all invested in laughing and pointing over at me. He's never been this angry before, and I'm honestly terrified for them. But, this is what they want. Brandon's sick intentions to get inside Snake's head are pitiful, and I wish he would just leave us alone, but I know he craves the attention, and he won't stop until Jesse breaks. "Jesse, let's just go home." I say, gently grabbing his arm. A fool would be able to see how badly he wants to go over there. "Someone needs to give them a piece of their mind." He says, standing now, from the kneeling position he was in. I slide my hand down and grab onto his, and slide my thumb across his knuckles. "Baby, I'm okay. If you go over there, we won't be able to go to prom. They'll ban you." I say, attempting to calm him down. His shoulders start to relax and he takes a deep breath. "Okay. But I swear to God, if they do any shit like this again..."
"You won't do anything, because I told you not to," I interrupt, "please."
Nana's waiting for us at home, with a surprise. She's made cookies, which I find taste sad. Nobody likes a sad cookie. She leads us upstairs and to her bedroom, where she pulls two garments out of what was Grandpa's closet. "I was looking through your grandfather's stuff, Matty," she says, laying the two dress bags on the bed carefully, "and I couldn't help but stumble upon these two suits." I'm shaking as she speaks, and Jesse, standing behind me, wraps his arms around me, making me relaxed again. Did he know about this? This is confirmed when Nana adds, "I consulted with your Jesse earlier today, and he thinks it's a lovely idea." I look at him and he smiles, but I don't know how to react to this. I watch, nearly horrified, as Nana unzips the bags, and reveals the two suits. They're nice suits, and she's offered to pay for any altering we need done. My grandfather was tall, so I'll need the most work done. Nana leaves us to our own, and Jesse releases me from his arms so I can get a closer look. He stands back and lets me take it in. "I know this is a lot, but I think it's really nice of her to do this for you." He says. I ignore him and lightly brush my fingers over the collar of one of the suits. Obviously, I'm going to take the gift from Nana, because I really want to go to prom with Jesse, and no one else. "I don't really have a choice, do i?" I ask, crossing my arms, suddenly chilled. "No, you don't." Jesse laughs. Great.
Tonight, Jesse offers to make dinner, which is the most terrifying agreement I have ever seen Nana make. She never, and I mean never, lets anyone cook in her kitchen besides herself. Maybe Jesse's finally warming up to her, snarky remarks and all. I watch from a fair distance, in the living room with Nana, as Jesse makes his way around the kitchen, as if he owns it. He wouldn't tell us what he's making, so this should be good. As time progresses, the familiar smell of spaghetti floats into the living room, and after a bit more time, Nana and I move to the table, and we eat. Once again, I'm shocked. This is the greatest spaghetti I have ever eaten; I think it even beats Nana's recipe. I really want to kiss him right now. He never ceases to amaze me. Now, he looks more beautiful than ever. Under the light of the chandelier above the table, he looks human. When I first saw him, he seemed like a mysterious reptile, but now, he's human. He's my human, and I love him so fucking much. I want to reach out and touch him, but I don't want to ruin his dinner. He looks so soft, so delicate, so perfect. Nana compliments him on the meal, and she seems pleased, genuinely. So pleased, she says she'll do the dishes tonight, so Jesse and I go out to the porch for our nightly cigarette.
