And so we kissed

Seven

As soon as Rosemary stepped into her house, her mother intercepted her, holding her purse with a bright smile. Rosemary let out a sigh of exasperation and rubbed her temples. She attempted to hurriedly pass by her mother, but her path was blocked.

Rosemary lowered her head, nibbling on her bottom lip nervously. She silently prayed that her mother wasn't stopping her for the same reason as before. When she looked back up, her mother had been reaching into her bag, getting out her phone.

          "Listen, I have 1 hour to spare before I have to get to your brother's game. You can join me if you'd like but we should really get to the store so we can buy your things." Her mother said,

Rosemary gave a quick nod before swiftly turning around and dashing out the door. With a sense of relief, she removed the tie that had been tightly wrapped around her neck. Thankfully, her mother hadn't noticed it. Rosemary hastily tucked the tie into her pocket and approached her mother's car.

Just as Rosemary was about to get into her mother's car, something else caught her attention. Her gaze fixated on a blonde-haired woman emerging from the neighboring house, making her way towards a sleek black car. The woman seemed to be in a rush, quickly driving away.

Soon after, Taylor rushed outside, as if trying to chase after the departing car. However, Taylor soon realized it was futile and let out a frustrated groan, pinching the bridge of her nose.

As Rosemary heard the familiar creak of the house door opening, she quickly glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of her mother. Then, her attention swiftly returned to Taylor, their eyes meeting in an instant. Taylor, with her signature head tilt, flashed a warm smile before raising her hand and giving a subtle wave, using just her fingers.

Rosemary averted her gaze and swiftly climbed into the car. Her mother followed suit, joining her in the vehicle. Rosemary hastily tossed her bag into the back seat. Her mother started the car before turning on her church music and lowering the volume.

           "Isn't that Ricky's friend?" Her mother asked, glancing over at her a few times.

Her mother then started the car, pulling out of the driveway. Rosemary glanced out of her window and saw Taylor walking into her house. She sighed before ducking her head and fidgeting with her fingers.

          "I think so, I don't really know her," Rosemary said, clearing her throat.

          "You should. Ask your brother to introduce you two, you need more friends. Girly friends." Her mother said, stopping at a red light, "That Jenna kid is not it."

          "His name isn't Jenna anymore, mom. It's Jenson, and I don't need more friends. I just need to worry about my studies and focus on better things than friends—money, my career, my life. I need to worry about myself and not try to find friends that might turn out to be fake in the end." Rosemary said,

Rosemary's mother let out an exasperated eye roll before cranking up the music and launching into a singing performance for the remainder of the ride. Rosemary, on the other hand, longed to disappear into her seat, desperate to drown out the sound of her mother's singing.

—

After enduring what felt like a never-ending hour-and-a-half shopping trip instead of the expected 1, Rosemary finally made it back home. It seemed like shopping didn't live up to its hype for her, and she added it to her list of things she hated.

Especially seeing as her mother made sure to get her tighter clothes, more dresses, and more girlie things than what she liked. Not that she had a say in anything. Which was terrible because she didn't like what her mother suggested her to wear. She didn't like tight clothes and pink shit. Pink wasn't her color and her mother knew she hated it.