The Switch Hitter (GxG)

Chapter 12

I slammed my locker shut, leaving behind all of my textbooks, binders, and notebooks. My backpack felt wonderfully empty as I turned and made my way towards the front of the school. All around me people were talking, laughing and joking with their friends. The semester was finally over, and now we had eighteen days of no school, no homework, no nothing. I exhaled a relieved breath that I had been holding since October. Christmas was next week, and I still had to work out Anna's present, but outside of that I was free to do anything I wanted. And now that I had my truck back, anything was possible.

Grinning, I walked through the parking lot. The weather seemed to reflect the happy times as well; the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was a good 50 degrees out. Typical Ohio weather. 

I shook my head in disbelief as I had the thought. The week before it had been 20 degrees, and about two inches of snow had fallen, which was pretty good for this close to Columbus. But as of noon today, the snow was gone and the sun was warm on my face. Not that I was surprised, of course.

This was Ohio.

I found my Ford and climbed up behind the wheel. Turning my key in the ignition and pressing hard on the gas, I peeled out of the school, beating the traffic as other kids got the hell out of there. I sped down the road, rolling down the windows to feel the rush of the semi-cold air. Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot was on the radio, which for some reason made me think of Ari. I wanted us to get closer, and every day I still felt a longing for chance, stolen moments with her. That seemed to be the only downside to this break.

There was no chance for me to see Ari.

I parked outside Anna's house, my good mood slightly deflated. I used my opener to put up the garage door, then I cut the engine and locked my truck. When I walked in, I noticed that Anna wasn't home. It had been like that a lot lately; her hours at the hospital usually increased around the holidays.  

I wandered over to my room, still thinking about Ari. It wasn't like I needed to see her, but it made my days so much better when I did. Part of that was the fact that I waited and hoped to see her all the time, but another was the massive tension I would feel between us. It felt like we were opposite ends on a magnet, physically drawn to one another whenever we were nearby. And every time we would end up close enough, the pull felt stronger and more difficult to resist.

I sighed. My heart was aching with desire; I wanted to feel her against me. I wanted to know what her lips would feel like on mine. 

But unfortunately, I didn't think I would get to know anytime soon. 

I sat down at my desk, opening my laptop. I threw my empty backpack into the corner of the room. I pulled up Amazon, looking for a Christmas present for Anna. But I was terrible at gifts, and I searched for forty-five minutes before I gave up, closing the lid of my computer and burying my head in my arms. This was always the thing that stressed me out the most. Inevitably, the gifts I got for people were never as good as the ones people gave me.

I closed my eyes and relaxed in my chair. I didn't have to worry about that right now. The stress of school had faded from my mind, and right now I didn't need to worry about anything. I was more calm than I had been in a long time, and soon I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

Ari and I were alone in a random classroom of the empty school building. The lights were off, causing the room to be dark but still tinged slightly blue from the light that filtered through the blinds on the windows. The tension was palpable; it weighed down on me, constricting my chest. I found it harder and harder to breathe. 

She shut the classroom door carefully and turned to me. Every one of her movements was slow and calculated. She took her time walking over to me, torturing me with her sultry gaze. I could see a slight glimmer of nerves in her eyes, but somehow that made her all the more sexy.