I greet everyone as I take a seat on the couch next to Zeke's normal location."Um, hi," he says as he raises his head from his phone.Have you finished your chemistry homework? I try to start a conversation by asking.He stands up and says, "No, I'm going to go take a nap." He then clears his throat.I sigh as I stand up "Really, Zeke? Every time I've watched you this week, you've stated that."He shrugs, "I'm exhausted."He's back to doing what he does. the incident where he abruptly ends our conversation. avoiding me while I babysit him and ignoring me at school. Since the incident involving Isaac, he and Cole haven't even joined us for lunch because Cole and Zoey aren't talking and Zeke is upset with me for an unidentified reason. A week has passed. And I'm sick to my frickin' teeth of it.I demand, "Tell me what I've done.""What?""Explain your anger at me.""I'm not furious at you," he sighs."What is happening then? Why do you continue to avoid me?"He strokes his hair with hi
Z E K E B L A K E L YThe adorable young woman sprints out of the library doors. a girl who would never do anyone harm. the young lady who derives joy from others' joy. The selfless, obstinate, overly analytical, and damaged girl flees from the man she trusted."Marnie! Please halt!" A tiny brunette girl appears behind Mason as he chases after her.No.I find myself trailing after him as I watch him try to catch up to Marnie.I'll be fucking fucked if he touches her.She is turned around by his shoulder grasp.No.I grab the jerk and throw him against the wall while holding onto his neck.What the hell did you just do? I scream, and it's the loudest, most obnoxious voice I've ever heard.Mason pulls my hand, attempting to free himself from my hold as he gasps for air. Ze... Ke... I... Ca... Nt is all he can manage to utter. He should make more of an effort.Zeke, cut it out! I immediately release Mason when Marnie yells and turn to face her.I feel like a dog with her as my master, d
"Hello, my love! Did you enjoy your time in school today?" As she returns home from work, my mother queries.I tell a falsehood, "Yes, it was fine. It took a lot of effort for me to pretend that Mason cheating on me doesn't affect me."Well, get dressed in something nice. Charlie and I will be joining Evelyn for a supper to celebrate. Not bad, is it not?"Oh God."Yeah." The timing of everything at this point is terrible. I simply want some peace and quiet right now so I can eat some chocolate and reflect on how miserable life is.I search my closet upstairs for anything to wear. I don't feel like I have anything that my mother would find pleasant. I decide to wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt my mother gave me for my birthday because I don't have anything good that I feel comfortable wearing.beckoned, "Come on in!" We are greeted by Evelyn at her front door. She's really upbeat. It is hurtful.My mother gives Evelyn a big embrace and says, "I really appreciate you having us here.
Cole scoffs, "I can do relationships.Zoey shakes her head and says, "No you can't."I can. Want put me to the test?"Sure. How?""Seduce me."She squints and says, "No."How come not?I don't believe in you."Then begin to believe in me.""No."All through lunch, this conversation has been going on. On our Friday night out as a group, Cole began returning to our table and resuming their conversation with Zoey.When eating, Zeke, Isaac, and I are silent, as are we. Ezekiel is on the verge of losing his patience, but we're simply letting this go on.How can I establish my credibility with you?"Cole, every night you sleep with a different person. Whatever you might believe, you couldn't maintain a relationship without cheating, and our friendship would collapse as a result."I can alter—"I wouldn't date you even if you climbed up on top of this table and declared your love for me, Zoey snaps, "No, you can't."What do you know? That's a wise decision. Cole rises from his chair and clam
How about that? A purple garment from my closet is raised by Zoey."No, I wore that to my cousin's birthday celebration who is eight years old."I got into Zoey's car yesterday after seeing Mason and told her I was going to the party. If Zoe isn't too preoccupied with Cole, I want to forget about him and have fun with her.How about that? She displays a silver one after that. While my mother gave it to me for my birthday one year, I have never worn it. It is held up by a few slender straps and has silver glitter all over it."I'm not sure,"We've been doing this for thirty minutes, she sighs. You have to select one. Silver or the black necklace you wore to Mason's birthday, in my opinion.Mason makes me frown. I want to forget about him. I want a peaceful, Mason-free night without any trouble.Zoey notices my discomfort and says, "Sorry.So I turn my focus back to the dresses and say, "It's fine." "I believe I will choose the silver.""Finally! Excellent decision. You're going to look
I would probably be the happiest person alive right now if she hadn't been using me to make Mason envious.Possibly, I still am.It's not at all like Hollie's kiss. I have a sensation. I am quite sensitive. I expected her lips to be soft on mine, and they are. I completely lose track of the flavor of the booze as my tongue gets entangled in hers and I concentrate on her. relating to the strong feeling she is giving me. Never before when kissing have I felt this strongly. Ever.I feel cold when we separate because the fire she sparked inside of me has been extinguished. All we do is share a brief moment of eye contact. I wonder if she experienced something similar to how I felt.She looks away and adds, "He's gone.I say in the most pitiful voice I've ever used, "You used me."Her hand rests on my lower arm as her eyes once more contact mine. "I apologize." I ought to tell her to fuck off and leave. I've previously allowed people to use me to annoy their ex-partners, and I did so becau
Give it to me, screw you! Zeke yells in Isaac's face while holding him by the collar.I heard him shouting from across the corner as I was retrieving my chemistry textbooks from my locker. So I'm listening in right now. I detest having to do that, and I want to yell at Zeke for holding Isaac in that position, but if they see me, he won't tell me what he wants.He needs to receive some support for his rage. So now, for instance, he never handles things well. The fact that Isaac and Cole are aware of his lack of malice and understanding is a wonderful thing."You'll regret it, man," I said. Isaac makes an unsuccessful attempt to free Zeke from his grip. Others are observing and trying to figure out what is happening."I could care less. I require it."Isaac says, "Fuck off," and tries to shove Zeke away once more, but Zeke only pushes Isaac's back against the wall.You desire that I beat you till I have what I want?Oh God. He wouldn't act in that manner, would he? He would?Just go ahe
Brandon chuckles, "He's a keeper."I put my purse on correctly and move toward the entrance. I'll likely just go for a walk. Even if I wanted to, what Zeke said is just annoying. When I step outside, Zeke's automobile is already on the move. Asshole.Come on," says Brandon. I was completely unaware that he was standing next to me. He starts to make his way through the parking lot."Where from?" I adhere to him.If you like, on my face.What?"What?"Wait.Oh.I sigh, "Gross," and he laughs, turning around to face me.Finally, he announces, "I'm taking you home."I halt at this point. "Thanks, but no. Walking is ok with me.He does as well. I'm not going to rape you, Marnie. I'm a good person who is doing a good thing. Also, Blakely will be furious if he finds out I drove his child home.Baby? I am not his child. Why am I smiling so widely, I wonder.He laughs when he sees my reaction, "You like him."'I don't,'He doesn't deserve a girl like you, but the guys have undergone significan
Brandon says, "I hear it's your birthday," revealing all of his arm tattoos thanks to today's sleeveless shirt."That's accurate. In fact, today marks the day I was born, which was eighteen years ago. Oh my god! I'm 18 years old. The news finally clicks. My age, oh my."Are you addressing yourself or me?" His bright silver ear piercings become visible as he tilts his head. Do all those tattoos and piercings hurt? They certainly hurt. Brandon, perhaps not, though. He resembles a mutant who is incapable of feeling pain. Should I punch him, I wonder.What did that serve? I hit him, and he rubs his arm.I began laughing out loud. Lord, why am I acting this way?"I really liked you when you were moody and depressed over Zeke.""I never felt depressed or moody over Zeke!"You shouldn't assume something is true just because you say it in strange, intelligent words.Is he referencing the word "nor"?The person behind me catches Brandon's attention. "Uh-oh. You'd better back off of me.Zeke an
I watch my lovely mother and my granddad enter the church from the front, standing next to my aunt, Joey, and Charlie's best friend.She walks with a stunning white dress trailing behind her, gazing excitedly at Charlie. The thought of how content she is and will be with Charlie in her life makes my heart smile. I eagerly await the day when I meet my true love at the end of the aisle.My chest constricts as soon as my eyes land on Zeke. Now that I'm evicting him from my life, will it ever be this painful to look at him? I'm good at forgetting people, as you may know, but not with him. I've been thinking about our time together as I wait for the wedding to start, acquiring ice cream collectively, observing him battle those men after we had ice cream dances alongside him, and a game of FIFA. watching his lunchtime conversations with Cole and Isaac. embracing him, kissing him...When his eyes turn to look at me, I experience sadness. I wish things could be the same again. But it was neve
One month laterMy hand runs along the silk material of my bridesmaids' gown, allowing the baby pink bottom half of the gown to slip through my fingers. I exhaled a sigh. Not a sad sigh, but a moving I'm on to a new chapter in my life, sigh.So, it's a new chapter in my mind. My mother and Charlie are getting married today. We'll be moving in with Charlie after they return from their honeymoon in Scotland, which my mother has always wanted to visit.The good news is that Charlie lives about twenty minutes away, which means I'll be twenty minutes away from Zeke.Zeke.The person with whom I haven't spoken since the night of the party.I believe it is for the best. I've managed to get back on track with my schoolwork, go out less, and reconnect with old chess club friends, and I haven't cried once about him. It hurt so much, but I had to force myself to forget about him and stop thinking about what-ifs. What if Zeke didn't act like that, that night because I told him how I felt? What if
Just as Zeke disappears down the stairwell, I notice the back of his head. When did he arrive?"I have to leave. It was a pleasure speaking with you, "Mason, I say. We had run into each other and began chatting. I'd rather not waste my time talking to him because I still feel awkward around him, even if he doesn't.I decided that hating him was pointless because I no longer felt the same way about him. I'm too preoccupied with Zeke. The thought of him with anyone else doesn't bother me, but what he did still irritates me. Even if I haven't forgiven him completely, life is too short to hate people."All right," he says, looking down at his feet. "I'll be around then."I say goodbye and head downstairs, hoping to find Zeke. I've given it some thought, and I think I'll take Zoey's advice and just tell him how I feel. What could possibly go wrong?"Marnie!" Zoey emerges from a crowd and runs over to me, knocking someone's drink out of their hand in the process. "I just saw Zeke," she me
I open the front door to a squealing Zoey, who rushes in, grabs my arm, and drags me upstairs and into my bedroom."Would you mind telling me what's going on right now?" As I collapse onto my bed, I inquire. Zoey freaked out and called me half an hour ago, saying she needed to talk to me about something, so I told her to come over. And now she's closing the door and inspecting the outside of my windows for dramatic effect.Finally, she sits beside me on my bed and takes a deep breath. "Last night, Cole and I had sex."My pupils dilate. "Really? You finally succumbed to him.""I didn't give in to him; I wanted to.""... How did it go?" I inquire, surprised that I'm even interested in learning about this topic."Surprisingly effective. Cole is something "With a laugh, she says. "He knew I wasn't a virgin, but he asked me a hundred times if I was okay and sure.""Aww, that's lovely." Cole is perfect boyfriend material, which is surprising given that he has never been in a real relationsh
Zeke's warm hand in mine warms my entire body when the chilly air hits my skin like ice. I can see his unconcerned face when I look up at him while we stroll across the city.As he realizes he's just caught me watching, his head twists and he smiles. "You could just tell me that I'm attractive,"I shrug and say, "You're hot.He grins. Likewise, Ms. Jones.Unfortunately, I am still at the stage where the little things, like his calling me hot, make me blush.He squeals, "Awww," mocking me. Your blush is very sweet.I roll my eyes, yank my hand away from his, and huddle myself up by crossing my arms over my chest.Ezekiel halts his progress and scowls. "Baby, that was harsh."What was it?"removing your hand. I feel hurt "I'm not sure if he's joking when he puts his hand to his chest.Sorry, little one.He furrows his brow. If you do, I might be willing to pardon you.I interrupted him and glared at him, "Don't say blowjob.I was going to say if you embrace me," he chuckles.I bite my li
As we enter the building for school, Zoey exclaims, "Thank Jesus, it's Friday."Similar," I respond with a chuckle. A walking meme, she is. Particularly today, when her hair is up in a messy bun, her face is unmade up, and she appears to be wearing pajamas.She murmurs, "See you in math," as she passes by my locker as I stop at mine.I unlock my locker with the code and pull my arithmetic book out. Then I realize that my nicely arranged row of books has something orange resting on top of it. A package of Reese's peanut butter cups is one of my all-time favorites, and I immediately recognize it as such.How on earth did something get inside of this? I didn't place it there because, if it had been in my hands, it would never have survived long enough to go to my locker.I pick it up confused to discover that the front has text scrawled in black marker.I'm sorry, baby.The short sentences written make my heart beat faster. Sorry. He did not mean to imply that he was sorry.He also refer
"Get the hell away from her."Zeke is standing there with his fists clenched and his death glare fixed on Jordan. Jordan and I both turn to face him.Jordan grinned, "See who chose to show up," but didn't move.Jordan is pushed back by Zeke as he approaches us and says, "I said stay away from her."Jordan falters and his smirk disappears. He moves in his direction and prepares to hit him, but Zeke grabs him by the collar and throws him against the wall.You had better avoid her like the plague. You know, I can still go to the police.What?Zeke is easily pushed back by Jordan. You shouldn't be saying that, because I can still follow along, in my opinion. I don't think it's appropriate for you to say things like that because I still stand by what I said."Don't even consider it."Keep your lips quiet and don't mess with me, I say. After giving me one more glance, Jordan turns to leave, bumping Zeke on the shoulder as he goes.Ezekiel carefully circles around and gives me a scorching st
Did you learn about the altercation?They were all suspended.Zeke apparently has a hospital stay."Someone got arrested," I heard.I think I'm going to get sick. I've been hearing things like this all day at school.Evidently involved in a significant altercation, Zeke, Isaac, Jordan, and a few of his pals were all suspended.I'm curious as to why as well as the well-being of Zeke and Isaac. In a hospital, he is. One of the several rumors that have circulated during the last few hours is that. But, the majority of the girls in this room also want to know if he's okay.his father Oh my God, I sincerely hope his father doesn't learn about this.I spot a recognizable individual with tattoos running up his arms as he stands at his locker. "Is it real? " I put to Brandon. "The battle?"Brandon says with a small smile, "Sure is."You weren't a part of it?""No. I was occupied eating.Is Zeke all right?Why don't you ask him, he shrugs.We're not really buddies anymore, she said.Brandon lau