He stood for everything she was against and he wouldn't be caught dead befriending someone like her, but when the worst happens and they find themselves in a similar situation, only then will they realize they need each other to discover the anatomy...
We walked slowly, careful not to slip on the icy sidewalk. He didn't mention anything, but I could tell he was brimming with questions. I waited for him to ask them, but he never did. Not even as he kissed me goodbye and his eyes lingered worriedly on my face.
"I'm fine," I said, pulling away. His arms held me firmly in place, so I tried my best not to look at him while my face was two inches from his.
"I know," he said. "I just don't really wanna let go yet."
"You cheese ball." I rolled my eyes, pretending that wasn't exactly how I felt too. If I were anyone else, I'd gag at myself.
When I got home, Dad and Maria were having dinner. I heated myself a plate of stew and sat at the table with them. The spoons clinked against the ceramic bowls as we scooped up the warm broth. It fell hot into my belly, warming me up from the inside out. We talked about nothing, filling the silence with familiar voices. I felt good. Good like I hadn't felt in a long time.
And then my phone rang.
The buzzing was louder than the patter of rain which had begun to fall outside the window. Maria and Dad looked at me, waiting. I pretended I couldn't hear or feel the vibrating phone next to me on the dining table. I already knew who it was and thankfully, my phone was face down so they couldn't see my mom's name displayed on the screen like a scream.
The buzzing stopped, then started again.
"Someone's calling you," Dad said obviously. He was trying to hide a smirk, which ridiculously made me smirk too.
"Oh, is that what that is?"
"I'd say so."
"Well, aren't you going to answer?" Maria chirped up, curious like always.
I sighed and grabbed the stupid phone.
"Come over," was her greeting. I walked to the foot of the stairs, hopefully far away enough that my family wouldn't hear me.
"What are you, a fifteen-year-old boy?"
She scoffed. "I need to see you tonight." "Well, I don't have any money, so there's no reason I should even bother to drive all the way down there." "Do you want me to go over there instead?"
"Don't be an asshole!" I hissed. At that moment, Maria popped out of the kitchen and stole the phone away from my hand.
I stopped dead, staring at my sister as she brought the phone up to her ear.
"Listen, you jerk!" she fumed into the mouthpiece. "My sister doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. She's happy with her new boyfriend," her little voice stretched the word out forcefully, "and doesn't need your creepy ass calling her all the time!"
It was over. Everything I had worked so hard to conceal, to protect her from, was falling apart in front of me as I saw her frozen features listen to the voice on the other side of the line. She blinked twice and pulled the cell away from her ear. She tossed it to me and I caught it before I could catch my breath.
"He hung up." She shrugged and walked back into the kitchen.
The phone buzzed in my hand and I mechanically looked down at it.
You're welcome, read my mother's text message.
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