YOURS

Chapter 12

COLE'S POV

I dropped Emily back off at her house. We stayed in the parking lot until it was dark. Our food was gone about 30 minutes in but we kept talking. There was something about tonight. Something that made Emily see me in a different light.

Her laugh was real. It was the first time I've heard her real laugh. There have been sarcastic giggles and hysterical ones. Never a real deep belly laugh that came from enjoyment.

After she let go of her anger she actually talked to me like a person.

"What else haven't you tried?" She asked referring to the fact that I'd never had fast food before now.

"Everything. Any other fast food chain you can think of. Even food that can't be made from sticks and deer carcass." She cringed at that last part.

"What about life things?" Her question was confusing.

I asked her the question back.

"I mean...things..that normal people experience..I guess." She stopped herself from continuing picking up on the awkwardness.

"No, it's okay. You can ask me anything. I probably haven't done a lot. Name something, I bet I haven't done it."

"Really? It can't be that much."

"Try me." I smiled.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as she tried to think. I watched her carefully. Her eyelids fluttered even though they were shut.

"Have you been shopping? Like at a mall. For fun."

I thought about the question probably longer than I should have. I knew the answer but it intrigued me that she'd ask that. Out of everything I haven't done or tried and she wants to know if I've ever been shopping?

"No. Not for fun, anyway." She didn't ask a follow up question. That was a good call because my answer would have been taking us back to a subject I know she doesn't want to return too.

"What about to the movies?" Emily cracked a small smile.

"Nope."

"Have you ever been to a party?"

"Not one I didn't throw." This seemed to interest her.

"You throw parties?"

I nodded my head. "The best parties."

"What are they like?"

I couldn't answer this one honestly. So I didn't answer at all.

I changed the subject. "Are there things you haven't done?"

"Yeah. A lot actually. Not as bad as you though." Emily looked me up and down trying to make the passive aggressive answer funny.

I laughed for her.

"Have you ever been to a party?"

"Uh, yeah. I was a trouble child."

I mocked the look she was giving me. "You don't say?"

"I tried to not be. I just ended up always in the deep end."

I felt that. I always tried too. I always ended up in the opposite direction of where I was trying to go.

"What about throwing a party? Have you done that?"

She answered quickly. "No. What would I even throw a party for?"

"I don't know. Celebration for something?"

"There isn't anything in my life worth celebrating." She was blunt.