Tear You Apart

Rebel Yell

The frigid air stung as I pulled up near a familiar house, the yard and symmetrical foliage that lined the front were frosted white. Apparently after tonight, the snow would really start falling but for now, the roads were dry despite the icy air that froze in my lungs. I stopped several houses down and checked the time. The digital clock on my dashboard signaled it was a few minutes past midnight. Perfect. A single window shone in the otherwise dark house, a bulletin board advertising the high I was fiending for. A jolt of electricity shot through me as I killed the engine, pulled my beanie further down over my ears as I slipped out into the wintery night.

The front door opened before I even made it to the porch and a figure slipped out, silently shutting the door behind him. He was dressed in a heavy black canvas jacket, dark jeans, and a matching knit hat. His Everglade eyes were evident even in the inky night.

"Change of plans." He was giving me a devilish smile as he pulled me to him by the hem of my coat and planted a feverish kiss on my lips, making my knees go weak. 

"Oh? You tired of sneaking me into your bedroom?" I gave him a suggestive smirk as we broke apart. I was mildly disappointed we weren't spending the evening in his room; I'd even shaved for the occasion.

"Never," he flashed me another a toothy grin and a wink as he glanced around before fishing out his car keys. "Where are you parked?"

"Yeah Judd, I know it's still a secret," I rolled my eyes at the question. I'd been parking four houses down for almost three weeks. He didn't want to tell his family about us, not that we were an official thing anyway, but it bothered me to keep it from Leah. It wasn't easy to crawl into Judd's bed the night before and then face Leah the next day at school, even for me. I knew it was based solely on the fact he was afraid I would change my mind again but that didn't stop the sting of feeling like I was just a secret.

He gave me a skeptical glance, a frown pulling his mouth down at the edges as we walked towards his car.

"I don't want my parents to see your Jeep here and mine gone numb-nuts. My parents will be up in a few hours to go Black Friday shopping." He grimaced as if the idea left a bad taste in his mouth. "Do you mind driving? I just need to grab something." He crawled into the backseat and grabbed something from under the seat as I watched him with a curious look. He emerged with a beat-up baseball bat and slung it lazily over his shoulders and looked me up and down with that same smirk from earlier.

"Ooh are we busting somebody's kneecaps?" I suggested as we made our way to my own vehicle, the frozen grass crunching beneath our shoes as we crossed the neighboring yards. Judd tossed the metal slugger into the back and it landed somewhere on the floor with a metallic clang.

"I want you to meet some friends of mine. But who knows, the night is still young," He chuckled as he fiddled with the radio, settling on some rock n roll station. He wanted me to meet his friends. Surely that meant something right? A small part of me whined about avoiding human contact but I drowned it out. This was a good thing. We weren't together but I knew he wanted to be. I was constantly going back and forth due to my own insecurities, but he was willing to give me all the space I wanted as long as I was still willing to stay and cuddle for awhile after our midnight escapades.

He gave me directions and relaxed into the seat, his left hand slipping to my denim-clad thigh, squeezing it experimentally before settling along the material, content to run the length of my Rectus muscle.

"How was your Thanksgiving?" I began as we drove into the night, ignoring the fluttering in my chest at the friction his actions were causing on my skin.

"Stupid. My mom always goes all out and family we never talk to shows up and everyone acts all buddy buddy for a few hours as they stuff themselves like pigs and then everyone goes back to ignoring each other for another year. How was yours?"