Mediocre Boulevard

f o u r t e e n

    Cloud was my boyfriend. He was the person I could go to with any of my problems.

Cloud had asked me to be his girlfriend a few days after telling me he loved me and I had no reason to say no. That thing I was afraid of was no longer an obstacle. Cloud loved me for me. For every single melancholy thing about me.

He never did stop reminding me. Sometimes he would call and say it before hanging up and calling again to do the same thing. He reminded me that he loved me no matter how much I hated living in this shitty town. No matter how filthy my mouth was. No matter how many times I told the housewives in town to fuck off.

My mother had noticed what she liked to call a glow after I'd lost my virginity and since then she hadn't stopped asking me how Cloud was treating me. When I told her that I loved him but he'd said it first she laughed like I'd never seen her laugh before. It wasn't one of those fabricated laughs she'd been giving the housewives in her book club. It was a laugh full of joy and happiness. She was happy that someone loved me. That I loved someone.

Bryce had been coming around a lot more since he'd told his mother he was moving out at the end of summer. Of course she'd thrown a fit and smoked about a pack and half before she cried for him to stay. However Bryce kept his plans and even sat on the curb next to Cloud and I as we watched his mother scream from their front porch.

Caroline hadn't been around and Bryce explained to us that his mother had sent her to live in Portland with their grandparents. That according to Mrs. Holt, Caroline was being a hussy and needed to learn proper behavior from the woman she'd learned from. I laughed at the thought of Mrs. Holt's mother. She was probably just an older version of her daughter and old women tended to be bigger bitches than their bitchy protégés.

Jason was charged with assault and aggravated battery and sentenced to two years in jail and three years of parole. His father had tried to confront Fox about the situation but Mr. St. James ended up punching the red faced man in the nose. The sheriff didn't see a reason to arrest Fox and simply dismissed Jason's father off of the St. James' front lawn.

Cloud and I were sitting next to Bryce when a moving truck pulled up at the house next to the Holt's. A blonde girl stepped out in a pair of daisy dukes and a cropped tank top. Cloud showed no interest, unlike Bryce who ogled her. I figured it was good for him. I knew he still favored me but he was respectful to Cloud.

"Seems like a new neighbor. I'll see you guys later. Gonna see if she needs any help," he said before getting up to jog to the girl. They hit if off quickly and disappeared into her new home. I was pretty sure they were fucking.

"I love you," Cloud whispered as he leaned down to kiss my head. I hummed in contentment and mumbled that I loved him too. It was still awkward but at least knew I loved him.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we sat watching the usual bullshit that happen in the neighborhood. The plastic people doing their routines. Washing the family dog. Watering the garden. Gossiping over lemonade and lemon squares.

I knew that I would never be one of those people and I found comfort in that fact that Cloud was alright with that. That he wasn't affected by the aesthetic of this shitty town. That he didn't want a perfect person.

We sat on the curb a little while longer before I dragged him up to my room. I wasn't embarrassed at how messy it was because Cloud loved me and a messy floor wouldn't change that.

"We should take a nap," he suggested as he began stripping down to his boxers. My mother wouldn't be home for the day considering she was at work. She worked three days out of the week and rest she relaxed. A check from my grandmother came in the mail faithfully every Friday afternoon so there was nothing to worry about. She was sitting on more money than she could spend.

"Okay," I agreed before stripping down to my underwear except I threw on one of the large shirts sitting on top of a pile on the floor.

I laid on Cloud's chest and watched the ceiling fan whirl around over and over again. It was calming. The sound of his heartbeat and the cycle of the fan.

I found rest soon enough and slept. We slept for a few hours only to be woken up by my mother who was blushing at our wardrobe. I could tell she had a lot of questions for me but was holding back.

"I made dinner if either of you is hungry," she informed us before walking out of my room. I rubbed at my eyes and rested my head on Cloud's chest.

"Hey, baby," he mumbled in a groggy voice. It was sexy. I ran my hand along his cheek and rubbed at his neck. "Hi," I whispered back.

We remained quiet for a few minutes before Cloud decided to kiss me. He pecked my lips sweetly before coming closer so that our noses were touching. "This is worth it. Everything that happened. The drama. It lead us to this moment. Us loving each other with no hesitation. This is what I wanted," he smiled as I looked into his eyes.

Cloud was everything. He was my one exception and damn it he was the love I didn't know I was searching for. He made me feel. Actually, accept my emotions rather than locking them away. He made me feel beautiful, worthy, and altogether in love.

He loved me with no conditions. He loved me because he wanted to. I was his choice. His first choice.

"I love you, asshole," I whispered before connecting our lips. I loved this fair-skinned dumbass more than I cared to admit out loud.