Before It Ends • Hessa • Emery Scott

𝕊𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪 𝕆𝕟𝕖

I nod, "yes, it was." I say simply, holding back the frustration in my voice that I had to see him. I was hoping I wouldn't see him today, even though that's kind of inevitable.

"You want to do it again next week?" He lifts his brows, and I shake my head.

"Nah, I'm busy, sorry." I shrug my shoulders, beginning to walk towards my class again. I'm so so close to the door. I just don't want to talk to him.

"What? With who?" He grabs my shoulder and turns me around. He has a small hurt expression on his face, "look I know yesterday was kind of..." he stops as he looks for the word. I don't plan on helping him find it, even though I know the exact word. Impersonal. That's how all of our sex was back then though, so it's not right for me to complain. "I was kind of distant." He shrugs his shoulders, "Look, I don't usually apologize for that kind of thing so... you know I'm serious. I actually really... enjoy you."

I furrow my eyebrows. Is he fucking telling me he likes me? "Okay, are you about to ask me out on a date because-" I ramble, and he interrupts.

"No, I'm just saying you're still my favorite. And I like being more intimate with you. I don't know, maybe I am saying I like you." He covers his face with his hand and I huff out a chuckle.

"Okay, well..." I say, looking behind my back towards my class door. Just two steps away. "I need to go, sorry. I've just- I've never liked you like that." I shake my head, twisting around and opening my class door.

He just nods repeatedly, shrugging his shoulders. I walk to my seat and sit down. I'm the third person to make it into class.

Ha, and I'm here before the fucking teacher. Take that, bitch.

Okay... maybe I should be slightly nice to teachers. I want them on my good side. Maybe I should be really nice...

Nah, that would never work.

◉‿◉

AUDEN.

Mallory and I are supposed to go on a walk through the woods today. Her mom said I could come over today and Mallory has woods in her backyard. She doesn't have a treehouse, but she has always wanted one so I said I would build her one when we got married and we could live in it rent free.

She seemed to like the idea, which is good.

The ride to her house is kind of awkward. Her mom keeps trying to talk to me, which is nice but I want to talk to Mallory. Even though Mallory is very quiet.

Once we make it to her house, we go straight to her backyard to start our walk through the woods. We don't want to waste any daylight.

"How was school for you today?" I ask, lifting my eyebrows. When Mallory and I are alone she will talk to me for hours, which is one of the reasons I'm so excited to be out in the woods with her alone.

"It was good. Casey got her hair stuck in a pencil sharpener and now everyone is calling her pencil hair, which is mean." She explains.

"You should've talked to her and told her she isn't pencil hair." I suggest. I always try to make her talk to other people, but she won't.

"No. She doesn't know I talk. If I talked to her now, then I would be the talk of the class. 'Mallory can actually talk.'" She explains, stepping over a log.

"I know you can talk."

"I trust you, Audie." She explains, shrugging her shoulders. "I've always sort of trusted you."

I nod as if I understand but I don't. I'm no different than anyone in that school except that I like her a lot. Maybe that's what she means. "Have you ever had a boyfriend before, Mal?" I ask, sitting down on a low tree branch.

She shakes her head, "just you."

That makes me smile, "me too. So does that mean if I kiss you, I would be your first?"

She nods her head, a smile forming on her lips. "Yep!" She sounds enthusiastic, and I giggle.

"Well..." I trail off, "could I?"

She climbs up and sits on the branch with me, facing me. She nods her head, puckering her lips and shutting her eyes.

I do the same, except I keep my eyes open. "Ready?" I ask, and she nods her head quickly. I swoop in and touch her lips with mine, quickly pulling away. "I did it." I say as if she wouldn't know.

A big smile takes her face and she begins to giggle, "that's what it's like!" She says loudly, her laughs only increasing.

I begin to giggle too, and soon we are both giggling hysterically, almost falling off the branch.

How lucky am I? My first kiss with my favorite person!

◉‿◉

𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎

This one was a small chapter. Next chapter is the end of the book... holy moly guacamole.

Chapter seventy one: April 13, 2021