—TEN YEARS LATER—
I wake up to warm breath on the back of my neck. My eyes stay closed but I'm aware of Jace kissing my neck and jaw. His arm tightens around my waist and he pulls me closer to him. His breath is warm against my ea
Bruce Wayne; by day he was a normal guy, by night he was a crime fighting Batman. I wished that I was just like him. Who didn't? He was a billionaire, co-owner of a company, and always looked out for others. He was my hero, my idol.
You think that it's easy being popular. You think that it's easy having everyone either drool over you or curse your name before they sleep. You think that it's easy having everyone have huge expectations for you.
I stared at the gray undergarment, studying the yellow Batman symbol on it. My mind was bouncing around one thought: Jace Storme liked my underwear. Or at least he'd said. My mind was dancing happily—Jace Storme had liked my underwear!—but my heart was telling me that he was just joking. Nobody, especially not Jace Storme, could like anything I owned. I was a nobody.
I will admit that kissing Maxxie was terrifying. You'd think that me of all people would be mighty and fearless. Usually, I was. But I'd had my eye on Maxxie since the beginning of freshman year. I'd never talked to him until this year because I was scared--yeah, the popular kid was scared--and I didn't want to mess anything up. To me he was perfect in his own geeky way.
As I sauntered into school on Monday, I had no idea what to expect. I wondered if Jace would talk to me or if he would give me the cold shoulder. I set my expectations low, that way I wouldn't get my heart broken. But remembering the way that Jace had looked at me after he'd kissed me, I had a strong feeling that he would at least talk to me.
"Since when the fuck are you gay?" John demanded.
At the end of the day on a Friday, Jace was leaning against my locker, a smile on his gorgeous face. You'd think that since I had been dating him for about a week now I'd be used to him smiling at me. But this was a huge step for me; the most popular boy in the tenth grade was my
Maxxie's lips still lingered on mine as I walked into the school on Monday. Friday night had been one of the best of my life. I had gotten to know Maxxie so well and I shared things with him that I had never shared with anybody before, not even my best friends. Being around him, I didn't have to be careful with what I said. I could be myself without feeling the need to be cautious with my words so they wouldn't backfire at me.