While She's 15

Chapter Douze - Three Very Long Weeks

  Three weeks go very slow, very slowly

  I’m ignored. Whenever I text her she opens them and doesn’t respond. Her status on Facebook says ‘Complicated’ and she posts pictures of her and Kevin kissing

  When I look up Kevin he’s posting pictures of Elodine and Manny doing fun things. There’s a video of Manny laughing so hard she snots and then spreading paint across Elodine’s forehead

  I’ve tried to call her but it goes to voicemail every time

  It’s June 24th

  “I know she dumped you”

  I looked up at him “I don’t know what you’re talking about”

  Ashton leaned back into the conch, his arms folded “you don’t have to play dumb, I know about you were seeing Elodine”

  I bit my lip “do you hate me for it?”

  He leaned forward and picked up his drink “I don’t hate anything but the fact that you lied to me about it” there’s an edge to his voice

  I nodded “yeah, I should have told you”

  Ashton placed the bottle down “the fact that you guys like each other, that’s cool, but at some point you have to stop playing the hard-to-get game with her”

  I took a drink “I realized that, just a little too late”

  Ashton looked over at me “even though your crush on my sister is weird, I respect you. I feel like, benefit of the doubt you kept it from me for a good reason. The same way you didn’t tell Elodine that I’ve been with her best friend”

  I sighed “I didn’t tell Elodine because I knew it would mess up everything with you and Manny”

  “Manny told Elodine that she was with me…apparently she didn’t take it very well”

  “I’m sorry man”

  Ashton stood up; tossing his car keys onto my lap “I don’t need you to be sorry, I need you to go to the airport with me to pick them up”

  Elodine drags her suitcase across the brown tiled flooring of the airport. She has a short crop top on that says ‘Wild Beauty’ and a skirt that’s short in the front and flares out in the back. Her belly buttoned is pierced…one red little heart. She has sunglasses on, her hair tied up into a bun, I can see hints of blond. She has brown heels on and as she walks she turns to Manny and laughs hysterically about something

  Ashton pulled off his sunglasses “damn….”

  Manny playfully smacked Elodine. She had on an oversized shirt that falls off one shoulder. A bit of her stomach shows, she has on tight white shorts and pink heels. Her usually brown hair has white highlights, her bangs entirely blond. Her legs for days look even longer in her white shorts and when she raises up her arm I can see that her belly buttoned is pierced too

  Ashton shook his head “…lucky Kevin”

  Elodine and Manny stop to hug Kevin, there’s another guy with Kevin and that guy talks to Manny for a long time

  The guy and Kevin start walking to their car. We take that as our cue to go after the girls. We walk up behind them, my arms wrap around Elodine’s waist and Ashton picks up Manny

  When Ashton set Manny back down her swooped down and kisses her. Elodine scowls, “Ashton, I’m gonna say this once. If you hurt my best friend I will hurt you…physically” she pouted

  Ashton pecked Elodine on the cheek “seems fair enough to me” he turned to me “and Kennett, if you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you…simple as that”

  I turned to look at Elodine “I don’t think you have to worry about that”

  Elodine pushed on my chest, backing me up until I was pressed against the wall “give me one reason why I should let you kiss me right now”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist “one, because it’s been three very long weeks, two, because you should kiss your boyfriend, and three, because I really want to kiss you…it’s been three very long weeks”

  She folded her arms “now who said I was your girlfriend?”

  “Elodine, you and I are going to be together, whether it’s right now or later. But, honestly…I’d like it to be right now…”

  She leaned against me “I know I’m a day early…but happy birthday”

  She was a day early. But on June 25th when it actually was my birthday I woke up next to her. She smelled sweet like pomegranates and she kissed me over and over until my lips were swollen

  “Kennett, can I ask you a question?”

  I grinned “do I love you? Well…the answer is yes”

  She laughed “No, actually…can you hand me the remote. I hate this show”

   I sighed, “here’s the remote your highness”

  When she had the remote I pulled her against me, the warmth of her back against my chest. She sighs “I love you too Kennett”