Crossing the Line

Chapter 22: Just Wanted You

The week passed in a blur. Soon, it was time for school already. I wasn’t ready for it. I would’ve rather lounged with Tristan on his couch all day and night in the lazy days of summer, but the time wouldn’t allow it. Tristan dropped me off with a smile, my first day of school. Alyssa immediately found me. She hugged me with a smile and said hi before we shuffled off to grab our schedules. It felt like waking up from a wonderful dream; being with Tristan, to school. A few more of my friends who I haven’t seen since summer started came up to me and asked me about my summer. I said as much as was allowed. I ran into Eric on my way to my first period. He stopped and apologized softly. I shrugged and looked at my feet.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything… about Tristan and I. We’re just friends, and I should have told you about it. We are still friends, right?” I asked. He smiled and nodded.

“Of course,” he smiled. I hugged him gently. He pulled away and touched my cheek gently. “And I’ll always be here for you, whenever you need me. To tell you the truth, you were my first,” he said quietly. I looked at him shocked. He blushed and shrugged. I couldn’t help it; I reached forward and kissed him. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. I pulled away and looked at him sadly.

“I’m sorry… I know this is probably confusing you; it’s confusing me too… it’s a lot more complicated. I’m sorry,” I whispered. He shook his head and smiled sadly.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “We can be complicated,” he said gently. I nodded and smiled gently. He kissed me softly.

“I’ll see you later,” I said quietly. I walked off to my class and slipped into my seat. My friend Stephanie walked up to me smiling.

“Did my eyes deceive me, or did I actually see you kissing Eric, the quarterback of the football team and pitcher of the baseball team?” she asked. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

“No, you saw me kissing Eric Hurtz, my employee and friend,” I corrected. She giggled and sat next to me.

“Do I see the results of a summer romance?” she asked. I shook my head and looked at my desk.

“More like the results of a summer catastrophe,” I mumbled. She didn’t hear me as she reached into her backpack. The class started and we all quieted down. Mr. Swen, our English teacher, stood in front of our class and got straight to work. Straight off the bat, he started talking about college; even though we were still a year away from college. Our English teacher started talking about how different college students would visit us in the next three weeks. The day moved on fairly smoothly. During lunch, I got a text from Tristan. Following his instructions, I met him outside. He took me to Chick-Fil-A for lunch; something I was happy to agree to. The day dragged on slowly after that. Finally, it was time to go. I made my way towards the front parking lot. Eric caught up to me though. He smiled and hugged me gently.

“Hey Holly; need a ride?” he asked. I shook my head and looked to where I could see Tristan waiting, leaned again his car. I looked back to Eric.

“No thanks. I kind of already arranged a ride, and he’s here already. But thanks for the offer,” I declined gently. He turned off towards his car while I went to Tristan. He looked at me curiously.

“What did Eric want?” he asked, opening the door for me. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I got in the car. I waited while Tristan got in on the other side and started the car.

“He just asked me if I needed a ride home,” I explained. “It’s not about him, remember?” I said. He shrugged as he drove on. Finally we made it to his house where we were alone. He smiled and wrapped his arms around me before he kissed me.

“I missed you,” he muttered against my lips. I smiled and pulled away.

“Me too,” I breathed. “But we don’t have much time; I have to get back home before Crystal starts acting weird again.” I said. He nodded. I smiled as he sat me down at the kitchen table. He made spaghetti for us. I laughed as I took a bite. It was actually good. I was expecting him to be a horrible cook, but it was very good. After seconds, we made out on the couch for a while before he took me back to my house. I saw Crystal watching from the kitchen window. Tristan turned the car off and walked inside with me. He went to the restroom while Crystal stared at me. Crystal smiled curiously.

“Hey Holls. Why did Tristan drive you today?” she asked. I smiled fakely and shrugged.

“My car needed gas this morning and I didn’t want to wake you. Tristan came by this morning to see you, but you were asleep, so he offered to take me and bring me back,” I lied. She seemed satisfied with it and walked away to find Tristan. I went to my room. I sighed and laid out my homework on my desk. I couldn't even do it. I ended up staring at the papers. A knock disturbed my not thinking. I opened the door to see Eric. I looked at him surprised.

“Eric, you really shouldn't be here,” I said, looking over his shoulder. “Crystal's got her boyfriend over and it-” my words were cut off with a kiss. My eyes fluttered before I gently pushed him back.

“I just wanted to see you,” he said. I sighed and leaned against the door frame.

“Why didn't you call me first? I have a ton of homework and I have no idea where to even start,” I said. He smiled.

“Perfect, I can help,” he smiled. I allowed him to walk past me into my room before I closed the door. I knew Tristan was probably irritated and upset right now if he saw Eric walk in. Eric sat on my bed and pulled a book onto his lap. I sat across from him on the bed and opened a different book. I spread the paperwork out in between us. Eric was actually good at schoolwork. We ended up finishing my work in half an hour. I put everything back in their proper folders and sat back down on the bed.

“So what up with Tristan and Crystal?” Eric asked. I looked at him curiously.

“What do you mean?” I asked. He shrugged and laid back, looking up at the ceiling. “When I went to the bathroom earlier, they were sitting on the couch and Tristan looked pissed,” Eric said. I sighed and shook my head.

“They're just going through a bit of a rough patch,” I lied. And by them, I meant we. Eric smiled at me suggestively and scooted closer to me.

“Oh,” was all he said. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me eagerly.

“Eric,” I muttered against his lips. His hand ran up my side. I tangled my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and bit his lip lightly. This wasn't Tristan; I needed to stop, but thinking about him downstairs with Crystal made me jealous. I wanted to get him back for everything, right here above his head. It was wrong- right- wrong- right. If I should be doing this with anyone, it should have been Eric to start with. He was the one who was my age; he was the one I could be seen in public with; he was the one who wasn't dating my sister; he was the one I didn't love. I stopped and slid off of him. I ran my fingers through my hair and caught my breath.

“I-I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that,” I whispered. Eric caught his breath too before he looked at me and shrugged. He was trying to blow it off but I could see that I hurt him. “I keep leading you on and it's not right. My life is a bit complicated right now and I'm just not ready for a relationship,” I said. He grabbed my hand and kissed it.

“It's okay,” he whispered. He stood and walked to the door. “I'll see you at school tomorrow.” he said before he left. I sighed and straightened my clothing. I felt terrible. I walked to my bathroom and ran the water. I splashed some on my face before I grabbed some pills and swallowed them. I wiped the water off my face and looked at myself in the mirror. What was I doing?