paper rings • trevor zegras

010

TWO PERCENT
11.16.2022
Trevor's Point of View

Minutes feel like hours. She doesn't say anything, and considering I'm counting in my head right now, it's been exactly 3 minutes and 54 seconds.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

I give up. It's late and I'm tired, I'm just gonna go to bed. She doesn't stop me either, and I don't know if that makes it worse.

I close my door and take a shower in my bathroom. Once I get out of the shower, I put on a T-shirt and some shorts. I wish I would've just kept my mouth shut.

I left my suit jacket downstairs, and my mom would kill me if she finds out it's wrinkled. I groan and get off of my bed. I toss my phone on my bed.

I open my door and Norah is right there as if she was about to open it or something. If I took one more step, our bodies would be touching, so I don't.

But she does.

I stand there, wondering if she's going to kiss me or not. "I can't reach you from up there." She says.

I mutter a quick, "Sorry." before I lean down to her. In one swift motion, I tuck her hair behind her ear and leave my hand on her cheek. Her hand finds itself on that wrist. I grab her waist with my other hand and her free hand belongs to my chest.

I lean in, faces centimeters apart, but then I pull back. "What?" Norah asks.

"Savoring the moment." I say.

"You're a nerd." She says.

"Thanks." I say before leaning in to connect our lips. It's short, but sweet.

"I love you too by the way, if that wasn't clear." She says.

"Mm, not quite, you might have to do it again." She connects our lips this time.

"Two percent."

"Hm?"

I smile. "Nothing."

"Lay with me?" I ask her.

"Only if it's my room, your room is too dark." She says.

"But you have sheets with flowers on them." I follow her to her room nonetheless.

"But you love flowers." She says snuggling up under my arm.

"Only because you love flowers." I admit.

We lay there in a comfortable silence for a little while, but this question is literally eating at me.

"Do you.... Do you think I'm a good kisser?" I finally ask.

"Eh, our first kiss was better though." She says.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. We've kissed before. It was when we were thirteen.

"I don't want to be the only person in our grade who hasn't kissed anybody." She says sitting on the tree stump in my backyard.

"I haven't kissed anyone yet, either." I admit. Only because I was waiting for her.

"What if... we kiss each other?" She suggests. I almost cough up a lung.

"W-would you be okay with that?" I shift my body towards her.

"If you are." She says. I nod. We're both thirteen, and don't really know how to kiss, so it was just a little peck.

"D-did I do good?" She asks.

"I- maybe? I don't really know." I only said that so she would kiss me again, but she didn't.

"Have you kissed anybody else since then?" She asks me.

"No, you?" I expect her to say no, but she doesn't.

"Once, I was 17." She says.

"Oh."

I don't ask who it was, I don't want to ruin the moment, but I really want to know who.

I thinks she can tell, because she says, "Just a spur of the moment thing, it didn't mean anything to me."

So it didn't mean anything to her.. so it meant something to him? And it was such a spur of the moment, she felt so intrigued to kiss him. Or did he kiss her?

I should've feel like... this about something that happened years ago, we weren't dating then. She's free to kiss whoever she wants when we weren't dating.

There's a 2% chance it is who I think it is, and we all know my luck with a two percent chance. But I really hope it's not him.

"I- I forgot my phone in my room, I'll be back." I slip my arm from around her and make my way to my room.

I pick up my phone and have 10 texts from Jamie.

Jamie

Dude, check Insta

What happened tonight??

Are you ok??

Bro??

Respond

Did you get into a fight?

Instagram is going crazy

Dude, you good??

Are you dead??

Z??

I'm alive

I open Instagram and I was tagged in a post. That must be what Jamie is talking about.

It's Auston Matthews' post.

It's a picture of him with a busted up face, I did some great work. Anyway, the caption says I kissed her first.

Of course my two percent had to be right the one time I wanted it to be wrong. So she did kiss Auston. Everything makes more sense now. She made me look like I was a freaking fool.

"...Trevor." I feel one of her hands on my back. I tense up.

"Go." I don't turn around, and it's probably for the better that I don't.

"I'm sorry." She says.

"Mhm."

"Please, Z. Just look at me." Her voice cracks a little bit.

"I said go." She leaves. I can't help but feel guilty. She lied to me. She didn't think to mention that they kissed before I beat the life out of him? I'm being publicly humiliated right now.

I'm just frustrated right now. I'm hurt that she lied to me, and the fact that Auston posted that.. is just insane. I know he's still in Anaheim, maybe I should pay him a little visit.

Maybe do a little more damage than break his nose this time. What is his deal anyway? He's so caught up on Norah. Or what if she's been lying to me and they've kissed more recently. I feel like I can't trust her right now.

I put on some actual clothes and shoes. I grab my phone and a jean jacket. Norah's door is closed, so she's probably in there.

I go down the steps, and she's sitting on the couch. "Where are you going?" She says standing up.

I don't answer. "Trevor? Where are you going?" She walks around the couch and gets in my way.

"To go see your boy."

"He's not my boy, don't say that." She says.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me again?" I say.

I grab my keys and shut the door behind me. Like my mom always said,

Risk nothing, gain nothing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

too much happened this chapter