“No,” he says. “Why do you ask that?”
I fidget in my seat, debating whether I should tell him why I feel this way.
“B…” he urges.
“It’s just that…” I pause, trying to think of what to say. I don’t want to make myself sound so childish. I doubt he thinks I am, but still. I don’t know why I feel so intimidated by the things he has and can do at his age. “You’re able to go out whenever you want. You have a job and a car that you’re able to use sometimes. And then there is me…I have to ask my mom if I can go to the movies. I don’t have a car, and I have to sneak out just to go party.”
He runs his hands through his hair, leans back into the booth, and sighs. “Even though we are both being raised by single moms, mine checked out a long time ago. When things between her and my dad got bad, she stopped taking care of us and herself. Kevin and I had to raise ourselves. My dad would always be off getting drunk somewhere, and my mom would be depressed. Sometimes I wish my mom would be like yours and care more.”
Waves of regret pass through me. I shouldn’t have asked that. With every word he said, I feel his heart breaking. Even just talking about the situation must hurt.
You never know what you have until you hear someone else’s story.
Kai groansat the movie I chose.
“Come on, it will be fine.” I grab his hand, and we walk side by side into the theater.
I readTwilightby Stephenie Meyer during the summer. It’s the hit book everyone has been raving about. I was a little intimidated at first to read it since it was a book that was double the size of the usual books I read. They’ve made it into a movie now, too. I’ve been dying to watch it, but the movie has been sold out for weeks. Now that it’s been out for a little while, it’s finally easier to get tickets.
We walk into a dimmed theater, and so far, I only see a couple of people scattered around. Kai walks us up to the very top of the theater and to the farthest corner. We didn’t get any popcorn because we were both full from dinner. I wish I wouldn’t have eaten those pancakes, because it feels weird to be in a movie theater with no popcorn. That’s part of the experience of going to a theater! Eating popcorn while you watch a movie.
The lights dim a bit more, and the last commercial on the screen says to silence our phones. I’m overjoyed with excitement because I’ve been dying to see this movie. Kai is laughing at my excitement, but I can’t help wiggling in my seat.
Kai leans in closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I reciprocate, leaning in toward him and resting my head against his shoulder. His warmth envelops me, instantlymaking me feel more at ease in his presence. I relax into him, wishing that the annoying armrest wasn’t separating us.
Midway through the movie, Kai’s actions catch me off guard. He lowers his hand toward my center, his touch causing a blush to spread across my cheeks. I uncross my legs, allowing him access. He cups my center with his hand, moving it up and down. My heart rate increases with each stroke. I reach down and place my hand over his pants, feeling around. I jerk my hand back when I come across something hard. He must be turned on. He has a boner. I reach back, rubbing him on top of his pants. Am I doing this right?
He leans in and stares at my lips. A rush of heat courses through me. He places his lips on top of mine, and I open my mouth to allow him inside. Our tongues collide. My whole body is pounding from my racing heart. I’ve never felt this way before. A warm sensation takes over my center. I spread my legs a little more. Our breaths deepen with every kiss and every rub. Kai groans as he lifts his hips. This feeling is drawing us closer together, and we’re moving in a rhythm that feels natural.
Kai’s body tenses up. With both our foreheads connected, Kai whispers, “We should stop. You’re turning me on.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to finish in my pants and walk out with a wet spot.”
I giggle and take my hand off of him.
“Did it feel good to you?”
“Yeah.”
We both lean back into our chairs, and Kai places his arm around me again. I fall into his hold. Somehow, I feel even more connected to him now. I’m starting to like him a lot more. The things we do together connect me to him, making it easier for me to trust him.
Someone shakes my shoulders, and the sound of shuffling around me awakens me.
“B, let’s go. The bell rang.”
Realizing I dozed off during class, I abruptly sit up and acclimate myself to my surroundings. Paige leads the way out of the classroom as I grab my backpack. I must have fallen into a deep sleep. I’m trying to gather my bearings as I walk out of the classroom. I squint as we walk into the hallway; the lights are brighter out here. The sounds around me are muffled. I shake my head, trying to wake myself up more.
“Did you sneak out again?”
“Yeah,” I say.
After Kai dropped me off last night, I waited for my mom to fall asleep so I could sneak out and be with him again. This time we couldn’t let each other go, and I didn’t get home until six in the morning, which only gave me an hour to sleep.
My stomach rumbles the closer we get to the cafeteria. I slept through my alarm, leaving me with no time to eat breakfast. My mom had to wake me. When Paige picked me up, I ran out the door so my mom couldn’t see my face. I’m sure I look like I haven’t slept in a week—and I feel like it, too.
“Paige. Can we go out for lunch and eat in your car? I don’t feel like being around all this noise.” My head always throbsfrom the lack of sleep. My body just isn’t used to it. It’s making it harder for me to deal with the pain.
