Recap:
I walked up my porch steps and stepped in.
"You should really keep your door locked. Haven't we been through this before?" Rylie said.
"I guess I never learn my lesson." I didn't smile at his lame attempt at a joke.
"Leslie, -"
"Don't feed me any bullshit. I'm not in the mood. I want answers and I want them now."
"I don't know where to start." He looked at the floor.
"How about the beginning?" I suggested. He smiled and sat down on the couch.
"Okay, it started like this,"
* * *
Leslie Rose's Pov
"I'm not really new here." He started. "I've been living here for awhile actually. That Kyle guy, he doesn't like me very much."
I scoffed. "Really now?" I said sarcastically. He gave me a blank stare. I gestured for him to continue.
"Anyway," he stared pointedly at me, "Kyle has a reason to not like me. I met him once when I was out with my......friends I guess you could call them that. My friends were being horrible to him. Bullying him and all sorts of stuff." He took a breath.
"So wait, your "friends" were mean to Kyle? I don't get it. I mean, I knew he got picked on in school, I didn't know it happened outside of school too." I stared at him.
"Yeah....My friends were douches." He tried to smile, but failed.
"Why'd you hang out with them?" I questioned.
"They were there for me when no one else was. So or course, I would surround myself with them. The gang was the closest thing I had to a family. And I wanted to keep it."
"Ohhh.....Okay. I get it. That was the gang. I feel dumb now. Continue.." I whispered.
He chuckled and grabbed my hand.
"I moved here five years ago with my older brother. My mom died a couple of years before that and I never met my dad. He split before I was born. Anyway, my brother wanted to come to a more safe enviorment. And it was safe, for a while. Eventually, I met up with James." He stopped for a moment.
"How old is your brother?" I asked.
"James is probably my best friend. He's been there with me through everything. One day we were just hanging out and he took me to meet some of his other friends. At the time I didn't know they were gang members. I just wanted more friends and I had found some. Eventually, we all got closer and they asked me to join. I said yes and just like that, I was popular."
I stared at him, entranced by his story. And yes, I noticed he didn't answer my question about his brother.
He continued " I loved that dangerous feeling. I was mysterious, chicks dig that." He laughed and I smiled at him while he gathered his thoughts.
Staring at him, I noticed something. I feel for this boy. He is my everything. He cares for me and he's never left my side. If I were about to get shot, I know he would take the bullet for me. He would risk his life to save mine.
Slowly I came to the realization: I love this boy.
"Leslie?"
I love his smile.
"Leslie?"
I love his laugh.
"Leslie?"
I love that crease in his forehead he gets when he's worried about me. I stared at him. Aw, he has it now.
"Leslie?!"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I've called your name like five times and you didn't say anything. You looked deep in thought." He said and enclosed my hand in his.
"I was thinking about something. I realized something with all that thinking I was doing." I said
"What'd you realize? Was it something important?" He questioned.
I kissed his lips and smiled. "Yeah, it was important. I'll tell you later. But continue with your story." He looked skeptical but continued anyway.
"About a year ago, I came home and my brother wasn't there." His mood turned somber. "He's usually always there making dinner. We talk about our day, eat dinner, and go to bed. Since he wasn't there, I was worried. He would have called and told me if he was going to be late or held up at work." He took a breath.
"Then I got a phone call. It was James telling me that he and my brother were on their way to the hospital. He wouldn't tell me what happened. I just rushed there and ran straight to my brothers room. James-"
I interrupted him, "I'm sorry but what is his name?"
"Who's name?" He looked confused.
"Your brother."
"Oh! His name is Jake."
"Hmm. It was annoying hearing you say 'my brother' all the time. Continue"
"Anyway, James told me that Jake had gotten jumped. At the time, we didn't know who it was, but later on we found out it was some guys from my old school. James and I found them and beat them up pretty bad. I was expelled and got community service. Which is where we met." He finished.
"Is Jake okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's fine."
"Are you still involved in the gang?" I needed to know.
"Not really. I still hang with James sometimes but I don't do all that crazy shit anymore." He answered.
"Oh okay." Awkward silence. Rylie kept fidgeting. What the hell is wrong with him? Him moving around is annoying me.
"What's wrong Rylie?" I asked him.
"I have one more thing to tell you." He whispered.
"What is it? You know you can tell me anything."
He kissed me and his lips lingered on mine. He pressed our foreheads together and closed his eyes. "Leslie, I just wanted to tell you that I love you." He whispered. He opened his eyes and I stared at him. "I know we've only been dating for about a month but I do. I'm sure about my feelings for you." He kissed me again.
I still didn't say anything.
"Leslie? "
I continued to stare.
"Yo!" He waved his hands in front of my face.
I made my decision.
"Leslie!"
I grabbed his hand, led him up to my room, and
I jumped him.
* * *
Afterward, we lay in bed wrapped in each others arm. I was almost asleep when I remembered something.
"Rylie?" I whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."
Why did I have a weird sense of Deja Vu?
_
Took me forever to get this finished! Jeez, writers block sucks! Anyway, vote, comment, and fan as you please!
,xoxo Heather