Any Time At All

Chapter Four

You walk down the school hall, it's the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. All you can think about is getting away from this hell hole for a good week, at least. Slowly you walk over to your locker. It's a cold and cloudy day and it somehow makes you feel down. You work on your combination and open the blue metal door. Suddenly, as you're putting away your last class's materials, a pair of arms wrap around your waist. You smile and place your hands on his face when you turn around to see that it's Steve.

"Hi there," You feel extremely comfortable in his grasp. He leans in and kisses you ever so softly.

"Hey, beautiful," He stares into your eyes and presses his forehead to yours. "I have a surprise for you," Steve smiles and you mirror it.

"Is that so?" Turning away from him, you shut your locker door and he presses you against it. He puts his lips on yours, it's more aggressive than the last kiss. Before you know it, the two of you are practically making out in front of everyone in the hallway. You put your hands on his chest and pull away to take a breath. You blush a deep shade of red when you notice people staring.

You pull away from every part of him except his left hand, in which you hold with your right, and walk down the hall and out of the school doors.

Halfway to your house, you look over at Steve with a suspicious expression. "So, what is my surprise?" You tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"Well, why would I say 'it's a surprise' if I am just going to tell you?" He lifts one of his eyebrows, not expecting an answer back.

"Come on, Steve!" You whine. "I wanna know," you drag out the last word like a little kid.

"Fine, you want to know? I'll tell you," He shoves his hand through his hair and lays it on his shoulder. Steve stays like that for a while, contemplating whether or not he's going to tell you.

"And...?" You ask, waiting for your answer. Annoyed, you give up, "Okay, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"Good, I wasn't going to tell you anyways," You both smile and realize that you've arrived at Steve's house. You walk inside and see Steve's mother. She has her long brown coat on, her designer purse on her shoulder and keys in hand.

"Oh, Steve, (Y/N)," Mrs. Harrington looks at the both of us without a single trace of emotion on her face. She pushes past us and yells back to us that she and Mr. Harrington will return in a few weeks.

The front door slams shut. You look back at Steve and his arms are crossed over his chest. A single tear slips down from his eye and you catch it with your thumb before he can. You put hands on his face and look at his embarrassed face.

"It's okay, Steve. I'm here for you," you bring him in for a hug and you can hear sobs rip from his throat. You have known for a long time that Steve's parents not being here for him makes him miserable. Lucky for him, he has your shoulder to cry on.

He looks up at you with blotchy, red eyes and smiles. Your shirt is a little wet but that's alright. You drag him up to his room and cheer him up with music and some dancing. Steve loves to dance and sing. It works every time.

Later that night, you sit on the living room couch, your head against Steve's chest. He plays with your hair and it makes you feel giddy. You have an intense feeling for Steve that you haven't expressed yet, you can't bring yourself to tell him. Steve feels the same way and has for a long time.

"Come on, get up. We have to go somewhere," Steve moves from his spot on the couch and walks over to the stairs. "Go home, get something nice but casual on, and I will come by in a half hour to pick you up," he gives you a wink and runs up the stairs.