Tainted Love

Chapter 2

"Vanessa, get up!" My mother yelled from the kitchen. I could smell her hangover from my room. She drank all night with her current boy toy Daren. She tried but most of the time I was the only adult between us two. 

"I'm up!" I looked in the mirror, disappointed. I pulled on black jeans, a large and loose nirvana shirt, and some black canvas shoes. My brown hair was thick and I never had the energy to do much but ponytails and messy buns. I had tan skin, brown eyes, fat thighs, and I hated everything about me. I slapped on some makeup and ran out the door before my mom could stop me. 

I liked walking to school, it was one of my coping techniques. The walk clears my head and lets me breathe. They seemed to work. 

Rounding the corner I saw him and I stopped in my tracks. Nick saw me before I could run the other way and in seconds we were walking in sync. 

"Hey, it's Vanessa, right?" He looked at me and took out his headphones. He looked good, he wore a tight tank top and basketball shorts. 

"Y-yeah" I looked down a little offended that he wasn't sure but then again I don't make much of an impression "Were you jogging?"

"Yeah, do you walk to school?" he said curiously

"Oh yeah it's not that far about 50 minutes" I looked back up at him

"50 minutes are you kidding, that's a lot." He looked ahead, his breaths were visible in the crisp morning air. It took a minute for me to stop looking at his muscles and reply.

"Yeah, I guess but I like it"I smiled feeling comfortable in his presence. 

"So I saw you at the assembly, is that guy you were sitting next to your boyfriend" He looked down and then straight forward. I could see his jaw clenching. "You guys seemed friendly"

"Derek? No were just friends, he's like my brother" I laughed trying to steer away from this awkward feeling. "Uh why, you want me to put a good word in for you"

He stopped and grabbed my arm. He grabbed my hips and position me in front of him, looking me in the eye he took a deep breathe "No, I want to ask you out. Will you go to the homecoming dance with me?"

He was nervous, it was adorable. I laughed. His smile dropped in a second. He was hurt, I didn't mean to-"Yes! Of course, I would love to" 

His smile returned and I could feel the pit in my stomach dissolve. He looked at me, kissed my forehead and started running again. I walked to school with a beaming smile. 

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"What! Oh my god, Vanessa!" Sophie hugged me, and we jumped up and down together squealing in the school bathroom.

"I am so excited-"

"Yes okay, so we are going to go shopping today. This time you are going to get something, no matter what" Sophie jumped up and down again.

                                                                                              -

"This is not the one, it doesn't fit right" I looked in the mirror, really, the price didn't fit right with my budget. I had thirty dollars on me and there was no way any of these stores had a dress in my price range. 

"What are you talking about!" Sophie huffed and walked out. A few minutes later she dragged in two racks full of beautiful dresses. "Here try these on"

It hurt because all of them were beautiful and better yet I felt beautiful in them, but all of them were above five-hundred dollars. An hour and a half into trying them on I walked up to the mirror in a Windsor Aria Satin Ruched Dress. 

"This is it, this is the one!" Sophie screeched with joy. I wanted it so bad, I wanted to hope that when I picked up the price tag it would say 29.99. It didn't, instead, it read 788.99. "come on were buying it right now!"

"I-I can't Sophie" She looked at me confused. "It's eight hundred dollars" 

"Oh, no babe, this is a gift"

"I can't ask you to pay that much"I sighed unzipping the back

"You are not asking, now give it here so I can go buy it" She waved her hands in a grabbing motion. I wanted to cry but instead, I unzipped the dress and handed it to her. 

"Thank you" I whispered as she headed out the door. 

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It was homecoming night and my stomach was in my throat. I stood in front of the mirror with the red dress on. Sophie had come over and curled my hair and Derek made sure I saved him a dance at the end of the night. There was a knock at the door and my mom answered. I could hear her talking his ear off about what time I was expected to be home and how she expects him to act like a gentleman or at least that what he told me when I came to the front and we got in his car. This is a beautiful car, Nick. It was a sleek black convertible Cadillac.

"Don't worry about my mom, the reality is she'll pass out drunk all over her boyfriend and forget she has a daughter" I realized how much information that was and I sunk a little lower in the seat blushing. He looked at me sympathetically and I wish I had never said anything. He placed his hand on my thigh and with one hand he drove in the opposite direction of the homecoming dance. "Uh, where are we going?"

"You don't seem to be in the school dance mood" But I was, I was completely ready. Sitting up I looked at him.

"Where are we going?" 

He chuckled, "Right, here" He pulled into this parking spot and I looked out to see the stars of our city lit up. It was beautiful, something you see in movies or in Instagram pictures but something you wouldn't see in real life. 

"It's beautiful, Nick, How did you find this area?" I looked at him in his Armani suit, he looked amazing. 

"Let's just say everyone needs a getaway once in a while, you have issues with your mom? I have issues with my dad" He turned on the radio and smiled at me grabbing my hand and leading me out of the car. He twirled me and in seconds he was holding me as we danced to All Of Me by John Legend. This was way better than any high school dance. 

After a couple of hours, the sky was pitch black.  He drove back to the city and stopped by a restaurant to eat. 

"Hear you seem cold" He handed me his suit jacket and I let it embrace me. Soon I was surrounded by the smell of his cologne. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to a table "This place is amazing, you'll love the chicken"

He ordered for both of us. I admired his smooth attitude and the charismatic personality he had. Everyone he came in contact with loved him. We talked for several hours like we had known each other for years. It felt like we were reconnecting after years apart. 

He told me about his dad and how he was absent and his mother left when he was five. I told him about my mom and it was refreshing, finally letting it all out. It was like tonight there was no barrier between us. I had someone in the world who understood and knew how I felt. He got what I went through. 

It was 2 a.m when he walked me to my door and kissed me. 

It was October 15th at 2 a.m in the morning when Nick Lockwood kissed me and asked me to be his girlfriend.