As Zeke stares at his father, the color drains from his face."Does this look like your girlfriend?"I notice he's staring at me. "No, no. Marnie here, his babysitter."He smiles and looks at Zeke, who is silent. "Do you need a babysitter right now?" He appears to be laughing at him.He doesn't look much like Zeke; they only share a hair color, but his brown hair is pulled back with hair gel. He's dressed casually in a white t-shirt tucked into brown jeans, with an expensive-looking watch on his wrist."My name is Paul, and it's a pleasure to meet you. You can address me as Mr. Blakely."Okay, then, sir."What exactly are you doing here?" Zeke appears agitated."Please, Ezekiel, close the door. You're allowing a draft to enter, "Paul says this while ignoring him.Yes, in my head, I'm going to call him Paul."Why are you here?" Zeke asks as he closes the door."I decided to come home for the weekend," he begins to look around the room, "Where is your sister?""At a friend's place.""Wh
Mason chuckles as I again toss an M&M at his mouth and it misses by a considerable distance, saying, "You suck at this.""I believe I finally understand. Keep away from me, "I add, aiming for a different M&M.M&Ms were all around us as we were seated on opposite ends of my couch in the living room.When he says, "Alright, boss," I aim and miss once more.It's rigged, this game.Let me try," chuckles Mason.I start speaking as I give him the bag. He shoots, and the M&M lands in my mouth without any delay.While I scowl at him, he smiles innocently.I'm somewhat competitive.He moves closer and hands the bag to me, saying, "Don't be sad, darling. Try again."With one eye closed and full focus, I aim the M&M towards him, and when I toss it, something miraculous occurs.It enters!"God, oh God! God, oh God! I finished! I'm an authority!"Mason is giggling uncontrollably as I encircle him, and he gives me a hug in return. He reclines on the couch, and I am on top of him. I feel like we are
Oh God.The day has come.I'm anxious but also thrilled. Just hoping things won't get weird on this trip because of what happened with Zeke.I literally slide out of bed and onto the floor before entering my bathroom and turning on the shower. I remove my clothing and take a fast shower.I choose to wear denim shorts and a black and white striped t-shirt with my bikini underneath since we would be outside in the heat all day.It's currently 9:20 a.m. I make sure everything is packed in my backpack and go downstairs because Cole said he would pick us all up in his Dad's minivan at 10.I enter the kitchen, grab the package of Reese's puffs, and dump them into a dish while I say, "Hello Mom, hey Charlie.""Greetings, sweetheart. Are you anticipating today?"I reply, sounding less than thrilled, "Uh, yeah."You sound nothing like that.I fill the bowl with milk and then sit across from them."I am, but in school, something happened. I got into a fight with Zeke.""How about that?"I choos
In a happy tone, Zoey utters, "Oh my gosh."Cole whispers, "Honey, you gotta keep it down.""But it's so nice,""I understand, but if you keep making those noises, people will think you're acting strangely."Well, Zoey's eyes suddenly open.We finally settled on The Sailing Trumpet after having a protracted discussion on where to eat. The name turned Zoey and I off, but the males assured us it was fantastic. It is, too. Particularly Zoey was enjoying it.Cole wipes his hands with his napkin and continues, "Well Marnie, we have some excellent news.""What?"Tonight I'm having a threesome with Zoe, Isaac, and myself. So, you two are sharing a bed.Isaac rolls his eyes and says, "Dude, what's really going on is that i'm watching over them to make sure they don't have unprotected sex since i'll wind up having to take care of the baby.""No unprotected sex is being engaged in. or any sex "With a mouthful of pasta, Zoey explains.Cole motions with a hand "I guess whatever. You guys are havi
Zeke waves and says, "Good morning, Princess." As I enter his vehicle.Zeke promised to take me to school this morning because Zoey had a dentist appointment.I murmur, "Don't drive too quickly," and fasten my seatbelt."I can tell you're in a good mood this morning,"It's Monday, I say as I give him a blank stare.Yeah," he says with an understanding nod.He then begins driving erratically while blasting music so loud that I begin to fear for my life.He drives into a parking space at the school, and I exhale."It is done."I exit the vehicle, sling my bag over my shoulder, and make my way to the school's entrance."Are you trying to flee from me without saying goodbye? I'm wounded. " Zeke catches up to her.I'm sorry, but I just want to get away from that thing."Jared, are you sure? He's so amiable; how could you say something like that?""Jared," you ask. We enter the building, and I proceed with Zeke to my locker.Of course, "my automobile."You gave your car a name.He is my bes
One of the girls in front of me exclaims, "Oh my gosh," as she peers at something behind me. "See," she nudges her pal.I turn around to see what the fuss is because I'm an inquisitive person. And almost gasp myself when I do.Zeke is having sex with a brunette.Blondes have always been his type. They have finer legs, he claims. Yet, he is present with a brunette.It irritates me to some degree. He can call me, a close friend of his, and push his tongue in her mouth even though he probably doesn't even like her.Suddenly, our English teacher says, "Zeke Blakely."He withdraws from the girl and asks, "What? I wasn't the only one. Barbara was also participating," he says, pointing at the woman he just kissed.She sneers, "My name is Brittany.""You two should both continue working!" shouts Mrs. Taylor.After turning around to face the front, everyone resumes their task. Ezekiel briefly looks into my eyes before I hastily glance away.+++"Marnie?" I'm brought back to reality by Zoey."Y
Mason parks the car in my driveway and says, "So," clearing his throat as he takes the keys out of the ignition.What do you want to do right now? He gives me a strange look in his eyes when he looks at me.We recently watched the newest passenger film together. It was incredible, at least in my opinion. Mason considered it to be noisy and foolish. He finds it too idealistic.That said, I adore films like that. movies where the unthinkable occurs. They're the one thing that lets us escape reality and see what an other world might be like, aren't they?I enquire, "Do you want to come in?"He asks, biting his lip, "And do what?""Watch N*****x?" I shrug.He smiles and goes in closer to me, putting his lips on mine as he says, "Alright," nodding, "But first."I return the kiss by placing my hands on either side of his face. In search of more, he pulls my body into his lap.His hands tangle up my hair as they run through it. Someone knocks on the window while one of his hands sneaks under
Z E K E B L A K E L YI didn't realize what I was doing for a time.30 days. This has been going on for a month.It has been a month since I last gave a blonde a sexual glance. Brown-haired women with brown eyes that have a tinge of black around the edges have been the norm. I've been trying to find her in others.However, it appears that she is unique among people. Nowhere near. I have been looking for her in empty eyes that I have peered into. They don't convey emotion the way she does. They might, but I fail to see it. Moreover, their hair has never been the ideal hue. Also, the shape of their lips has changed. Nevertheless, despite my urgent glances at them, they didn't make my heart race. They didn't even make my heart race when I only glanced at them in an effort to feel them on me.In an effort to feel something from it, I try to picture the female who is currently sitting on my lap and kissing my neck as being her. So that I may at least somewhat appreciate it. Yet it's ineff
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