Killing Carter

Chapter Six - Teenage Boys

Chapter 6

I slowly turned the door knob pushing hard on the door frame to get it to open before looking back.  He was standing just a step from me and my front door smiling at me, our eyes now level.  The sun had begun to set, the golds, pinks and reds blending together in the sky and reflecting in his eyes.  In that moment I saw a glimpse of the beauty in the world, the beauty that I had forgotten existed.  He smiled that smile at me the one that gave me butterflies in my stomach and that made me grin stupidly back.  I didn’t want to be friends with this guy.

“I had a great time.  Thank you.”  I said really meaning it.  For the first time in over six months I had fun, I laughed and I smiled.  I know I didn’t deserve to do all those things after what I had done but it felt nice to feel that way again.  He made me feel...nice.

“You’re welcome.”  He replied leaning closer to me so that I could feel his warm breath on my face and see the scar above his eyebrow.  At that moment I wanted to trace it with my fingertips to see if it felt as smooth as it looked but I stopped myself clutching onto the door knob instead.  “Anytime.”  He said his smooth voice getting lower giving me shivers.  I turned back to the door pushing it open further the stiff hinges fighting against my force.  For as long as I can remember the door has always been stiff and now no matter how annoying it is we would never fix it.  With another kick it swung open hitting against the wall.

“Kimmy!  Is that you?  What have I told you about kicking that door?”  My mum called from the kitchen.  I sighed and rolled my eyes causing Kale to chuckle.

“Well that’s my cue to go.”  I smiled at him stepping over the threshold.

“Kimberly?”  He said lightly touching my arm to stop me from leaving.  I looked at him and saw that all the cockiness was gone and he looked almost shy.  That made me nervous.  I dumped my bag in the hallway before turning to face him.  He looked so cute standing there looking back at me and my hormones went spiralling out of control.  If he had asked me out then and there I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from saying yes.  Thankfully he didn’t.

“Can I have your number?”  He asked carefully.  When I didn’t answer straight away he continued talking as if to fill the silence.  “Friends have each other’s phone numbers and I know we agreed to be friends so it would make sense to give each other our numbers.  It just means I don’t have to hang about the gym hoping that I get to see you or talk to you.”  He would have kept rambling on and on like that if I hadn’t laughed at him.  He looked puzzled for a moment before he smiled.

“Yeah you can have my number.”  I replied like a love struck giggling teenager.  I took his phone from him and began typing in my number feeling his eyes on me the whole time.

“Are you talking to someone out there?”  My mum called bringing me dive bombing back to reality.

“I better go.”  I said handing his phone back to him the giggling teenager gone along with the moment.

“Ok.”  He smiled tapping away at his phone.  Suddenly the phone in my pocket rung and his eyes twinkled mischievously.  “Just checking you didn’t give me a fake number.”  He smirked ending the call and putting it back into his shorts pocket.

“Bye Kale.” 

“Bye Kimberly.”  I watched him turn and begin walking down the path, his hands stuffed into his pockets before shoving the door shut behind me.

“Who was that Kimmy?”  My mum asked as I entered the kitchen to check on the progress of tea.

“Just a friend mum.”  I replied unable to keep the stupid grin off my face but luckily she was too engrossed in cooking that she didn’t notice.  A quick assessment of the room showed that she had just started making mince and mash potato so I had almost an hour to try and keep myself busy.  I wanted to stay in this happy place for as long as possible as I didn’t know when I was going to feel this way again so to keep my mind off that night I took a long shower, changed into my jammy bottoms and my dad’s old Metallica t-shirt, then went downstairs to join him in the living room.