Leather Kisses

Leather Kisses. 12

Monday morning marked the first day of December, also known as the day before my birthday. But that wasn't only the reason I loved the month of December.

No, I loved it because it was the last thirty-one days of the year, the beginning of the most beautiful season, winter, and the only month filled with true holiday cheer.

I spent the rest of my weekend trying to decipher the closing act of Saturday night. Endlessly, I tried to discover the meaning behind the kiss, as any teenage girl would. But as Lucy pointed out, a cheek peck could go both ways, as a friendly or romantic gesture. The only way to really determine what it symbolized was to see how the aftermath played out.

When Dean came to pick me up in the morning, I knew right away that things were different between us. For starters, he greeted me by wrapping his muscular arms around my torso, and running his cold fingers through my hair. Then, he kept saying over and over again how much fun he had, and how he loved hanging out with me.

I longed to read his mind, know what he was thinking. Undeniably, Saturday had sparked a change. But what was the change? What was he thinking, what was he feeling?

In this turmoil of unspoken emotions, I felt even more lost. Dean had proven himself trust worthy, reliable, and benevolent. But something still held me back. Somewhere, in the back of my head, a voice was saying history would repeat itself. It reminded me that in the beginning, Blake had given me no reason to believe he would cause any harm. It reminded me that Dean was still a mystery to me. It reminded me that for the sake of my mentality, I couldn't bear to go through the pain and suffering again.

And so, I wouldn't let myself. Rather than trying to read too much into Dean, I simply accepted what our current situation was; only a friendship and nothing more.

It was fifth period, when I was called down to the Guidance Office. As I walked through the lobby, I passed Blake and his father conversing with the school principal in low voices. As I strolled by, Blake's eyes were fixed on me, his glare burning down my core. My breathing quickened, as a sickening feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.

"Nice to see you again, Riley," Mrs. Delgado said, once I was seated in her office. I smiled meekly back at her, still disturbed and shaken up by the suspicious behavior I had just seen. "How's everything going?"

"Fine," I replied, knowing one word could not even begin to describe what was going on in my life right now.

"And the tutoring sessions?" She asked, peering over her reading glasses.

"Really well, I think," I said. "Like you said, he's really smart."

Mrs. Delgado pulled out a folder, and began flipping through the pages. "Well, you certainly are doing something right. Take a look," she said, handing me a document.

My eyes skimmed over Dean's progress report. He was pulling off B's in C's in all of his classes. Pride filled me up, as I smiled at the beaming grades. Seeing that certainly made my day better.

"That's fantastic," I exclaimed, handing the paper back to her.

"I don't know what you did, but you finally got him on track," Mrs. Delgado praised. "Keep up the good work with him."

After we shook hands, I left her office with a new bounce to my step. When I passed through the lobby again, only Blake remained. I hurried passed him, making sure to avoid any eye contact.

"Riley, wait," he called after me.

I gritted my teeth and stopped in my tracks. "What?"

"Look, I just want to talk to you," Blake replied.