“Ow, ow, ow!” I hissed, batting Anthony’s hand away as he tried to press a bag of frozen green beans to my head.
We were now back in our makeshift campout area. I was sitting on the swinging porch chair again and Anthony was hovering over me, trying to force the bag of green beans to my head. He was currently giving me a disapproving look. “You have to ice it. It’ll numb the pain.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Nope, you’re icing it and that’s final. Coach always says to ice your injuries otherwise they’ll just hurt more.”
I tilted my head to the side, gazing at him questioningly. “Does that happen a lot?”
He nodded. “Mostly during practice. The lacrosse balls are hard. Have you ever felt one?”
“Julius used to throw them at me to entertain himself,” I muttered resentfully. “That is, until my brother beat him up for it.”
“Mason against Julius, huh? That’d be a scary match.”
“It was,” I said flatly. “I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack…”
Anthony nodded. “So you and Julius get along well?”
“Yeah. We’ve known each other since like, forever, since we live next to each other and he’s my brother’s best friend.”
“Do you like him?”
I snorted. “What? No way. He’s like another brother. Except more abusive. I think he enjoys inflicting pain on me.”
Anthony chuckled. “That’s good to know.”
“…That Julius is abusive?”
“No,” he responded, rolling his eyes. “That you don’t have a crush on him.”
“Why?”
Anthony gave me a mischievous smile. “I would have told him if you did.”
I frowned at him. “You’re not a very good friend.”
“We’re friends? I’m so happy!” he cried dramatically, bringing his hands to his chest.
My heart fluttered in my chest. He really was too cute. “How could we not be friends? We’ll be stuck in here for who knows how long.”
A serious expression returned to his face. “That’s true. Put the green beans to your head now.”
Grumbling under my breath, I took the bag of frozen vegetables out of his outstretched hand, and placed them cautiously to my head. It hurt a little bit, but I managed to keep the package there. “Okay. Now what?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty,” Anthony stated, turning toward the freezers. “I’m going to grab something to drink. Do you want something?”
“I’ll go with you,” I started, attempting to push myself off the swing.
He abruptly pushed me back down, shaking his head. “No, you stay here.”
“But—”
“I can handle it, Ellie.”
“Fine,” I resigned moodily, pulling my knees up to my chest in a position I was becoming quickly adjusted too. “Hurry up.”
He shot me a quick grin. “Try not to get too scared while I’m gone.”
As soon as his back was turned to me I put my head down on my knees, squeezing my eyes shut. When I wasn’t busy preoccupying myself, the thunder outside sounded booming and grim. Now with Anthony gone, that was one of the only things I could hear— alongside the beating of my heart, the pounding of the rain, and the howling of the wind. I didn’t even want to imagine what it looked like outside. Was my family okay? Was Julius okay? Were my other neighbors okay? Were my friends from school okay? Being alone made me think of things that worried me.
I shifted the bag of beans on my head, putting a colder section against my bruise. Anthony was right— it numbed the pain. A yawn escaped my lips and I realized for the first time that I was tired. I briefly wondered what time it was. Last time I checked it was eight, and at least three hours had passed since then… No wonder I was tired. Suddenly a different thought struck me, making my eyes snap open in surprise. How was I supposed to sleep tonight? Where was I supposed to sleep tonight? In a sleeping bag? By myself…? I wrapped my arms tighter around my knees. No way.
“Boo!”
I let out a strangled scream of surprise, starting as a pair of cold hands landed on my bare shoulders. Anthony burst out laughing, letting go of me, and taking a step back. “Anthony!” I cried angrily.
“I got you so bad!” he forced out between his laughs.
“It’s not funny,” I snapped, repositioning the frozen vegetables that I’d nearly dropped back onto my bruise.
“Yes it is,” he responded, grinning. “Your reactions are so funny. You didn’t tell me what you wanted, so I got you a bottle of water. Is that okay?”
I nodded, holding out my free hand for the beverage. Anthony unscrewed the cap for me before handing it over. The feeling of the chilly liquid sliding down my throat was more refreshing than I could ever imagine it’d be. I hadn’t noticed how thirsty I was until then. Nearly the whole bottle was gone when I finally pulled it away from my lips. Anthony was back on his lawn chair, watching me with an amused glint to his eyes.
“What?” I mumbled.
“Nothing,” he said, taking a swig out of his own water bottle. “I just didn’t realize you drank like a wildebeest.”
I gawked at him. “What? I don’t!”
“Yes you do.”
“No!”
“Wildebeest Ellie… Huh. That would make a cute pet.”
Instead of replying, I harrumphed, turning my head away from him. I was torn between enjoying the fact he was teasing me, and actually being offended by it. It was funny how some things worked out like that. If you took them one way, they were offensive. If you took them the other, they were flirty. Hopefully Anthony meant it in the flirty way.
“Ellie?”
“What now?”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
I turned to face him again, my chest tightening. “Um, I guess?”
He played with a chain he was wearing around his neck. This was the first time I noticed it. It wasn’t too fancy: just a plain, gold chain. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but were you adopted by chance? You don’t look anything like Mason, besides your eyes.”
I hesitated for a moment. “Well—”
“Wait,” he interjected, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “Sorry, that was really rude. I shouldn’t pry.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him, shaking my head and smiling. “No, I wasn’t adopted. Mason is my half-brother. We must have got most of our looks from our different fathers.”
Anthony frowned. “So did you happen before or after Mason’s dad and your mom got divorced?”
“Er, well…”
His eyes widened. “Damn,” he swore, “I’m being way too nosy. Sorry.”
“Anthony, it’s fine,” I told him. “It really doesn’t bother me. I’d be curious too. Sorry if my hesitation is throwing you off. I’m just not positive if it was before or after. I know by the time I was born they were already divorced, but I’m not positive if I happened during the process.”
He nodded in understanding. “I see. What about your dad?”
“Oh, you know, he was one of those people who freaked out when he found out my mom was pregnant, so he ran away,” I responded casually.
“Sorry,” he apologized at once.
I waved him off. “I didn’t even know him.”
Anthony scratched his chin, smiling sheepishly. “I bet you think I’m weird now.”
“Why would I?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
“Well, for starters I’m prying into your past even though I barely know you.”
A chuckle left my lips. “But by doing this aren’t you just learning more about me? That’s not creepy.”
Relief flashed across his face. “That’s true. But now I feel obliged to tell you about my family.”
“That lives in Florida?”
He nodded. “Yup! They live in the Florida Keys.”
My eyes widened. “Seriously? I’ve always wanted to go there!”
“Tell you what. If we survive this, when I go visit my parents on spring break, I’ll take you with me.”
“Really?”
Nodding his head, he leaned back in his rocking chair. “I promised I’d take down Julius and Mason, so you can just come with us.”
Excitement ran through me. If he was being serious… “Well, I’m definitely in if you mean it.”
He grinned at me. “’Course I mean it. We still have another month to go, so if you really do want to come you can save up the money for a plane ticket. I can help pay if you need it too.”
“Um, thanks,” I responded, catching his grin. “What are your parents like?”
“Typical old rich folk,” he told me with a laugh. “They aren’t stuck up though. They’re really nice. Definitely doting.”
I smiled. My mom was doting too.
“My dad owns a chain of restaurants down there and my mom is a wedding planner,” he continued, a tender smile crossing his face. “I don’t know how my mom organizes weddings though, seeing as how she can barely keep her checkbook organized.”
“Are your parents young?”
He shrugged. “Kind of. My mom had me at eighteen so she’s only thirty-eight and my dad is two years older. If you saw them though, you’d think they were our age, haha.”
I quickly did the math in my head. If his mom was thirty-eight, that meant Anthony was twenty. That wasn’t too bad. There was only a two-year age difference between us. “You sound like you really love your parents,” I commented after a moment.
“I do,” he responded happily. “I’ve always been a mama’s boy, not going to lie.”
Laughing, I picked up my water bottle from the ground and took a swig. Anthony smiled broadly at me, his green eyes never leaving my face. Feeling self-conscious under his gaze, I looked away, trying to calm my heart. How could he be so cheerful all the time? Being around him probably wasn’t good for my health.
“So how much younger than Mason are you?” he spoke up.
I whipped my head back toward him. “Huh?”
“Well he told me you were his younger sister…”
“Oh,” I responded in realization. Of course Mason would say that. “It’s only like, a three month difference.”
He gave me a sly smile. “Oh?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah…?”
“Is that why you go to different colleges?” he inquired. “You didn’t want to have the same classes as him?”
“Yeah,” I said again with an awkward laugh. For a second I thought he’d figured out I was still in high school.
He gave me an understanding look. “I’d do the same. Which high school did you go to? I had a few classes with Mason my senior year.”
“Er, I went to Northampton High School,” I lied.
“I have a few friends that went there,” Anthony told me, a nostalgic look coming onto his face. “Geez, their lacrosse team sucked…”
This time I didn’t have to force out a laugh. “Yeah, they really did suck. You guys owned them that one home game… for you,” I added quickly.
“Good memories,” he sighed in a content tone. He leaned further back in his rocking chair, stretching. After a few moments he shot back up. “Ugh, I’m tired. I need to find some sleeping bags.”
I stared at him, apprehension creeping up on me. He wanted to go to bed? Did that mean he was going to leave me alone? My eyes shot up to the ceiling. Now that I was focusing, the sound of the wind, thunder, and rain could be heard clearly. It was way worse than it was five hours ago. It definitely sounded like a full force hurricane out there. How in the world was I supposed to sleep in that? Storms disquieted me in the first place.
“Are you tired, Ellie?”
“Yeah,” I admitted glumly. There was no use in lying. I would manage to survive one night. Maybe I could plug my ears or something.
Anthony sprung up from his chair. “Okay, let’s go find some pillows, sleeping bags, and blankets. Want to go together or…?”
I scrambled up from my swing, nearly hopping over to him. “You know where everything is, so let’s stick together.”
“Sure,” he replied, nudging me with his elbow. “I can also keep you safe from the ghosts too.”
“My hero,” I mumbled sarcastically, following him as he began to walk.
He slowed so that we were walking side-by-side. Once again our arms brushed with each step. “It sounds pretty bad out there,” he commented, looking up at the ceiling. “I bet it’s as bad as it sounds too.”
“I hope my family is okay… Julius too,” I said, playing with my fingers in a nervous habit. “We should have evacuated or something.”
“I don’t think anyone would have listened,” Anthony responded honestly. “This is Massachusetts. This kind of thing rarely happens. I bet no one was really expecting this.”
I slowly nodded my head. “Yeah. Hurricanes around here are unheard of.”
“My parents never evacuate because they’re used to it,” he stated, sticking his hands into his pants pockets. “Unless it’s really bad, but that’s rare in Florida too.”
“When exactly did you move up there?”
“Last September, for the starting of the term,” he told me.
I bobbed my head to show I heard. “Do you mind if I ask why you moved?”
He shook his head, his lips curving up. “Nah. I just wanted a change in scenery, you know. To get away from things…” he trailed off, his lips dropping again. “Away from certain people.”
“Ex-girlfriend?” I guessed.
“You got it,” he responded shamefully. “Before you say anything, I wasn’t running away from a problem. It was just a pretty serious relationship and when it ended I decided I wanted to get out of the state.”
I glanced up at him. “Hey, I understand where you’re coming from. Three months ago I broke up with my old boyfriend of two years.” And you’re one of the reasons I managed to get over him, I added silently.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s a long time. You guys dated from your senior year until this one? I only dated my old girlfriend for a year.”
“Lucky you,” I muttered disdainfully. “At least you didn’t waste two years of your life with that person.”
“I bet not all the moments were wasted.”
I half-shrugged, turning my attention to the ground. It was really weird talking to Anthony about my ex-boyfriend. We barely knew each other. And I had a crush on him. “Maybe not the moments, but he cheated on me so…”
“What?”
“Yeah, I know,” I responded with a dry laugh. Nick… My hands clenched at the thought of him. Having your boyfriend cheat on you was one of those oh-it-won’t-happen-to-me moments that shocked you when it actually did happen to you. “It’s okay now, though. I’m over it.”
Anthony bumped his hip against mine. “Sorry. Guys who cheat are dicks.”
I laughed. “I agree, but now that you know why I broke up with my boyfriend, you tell me why you broke up with your girlfriend.”
“Guess,” he ordered, making a face.
“Girls that cheat are whores,” I sighed after a moment, figuring out his dilemma quickly.
He flicked my forehead. “Yes, they are.”
“So I guess we’re really alike, huh?” I commented, finding myself smiling despite the topic we were talking about. This conversation made me feel closer to him, which was a good ting.
Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, he nodded. “We’re too good for them. Let’s make a promise to never date someone who’ll cheat again, okay?”
I raised an eyebrow. “How will we know?”
“We find someone who has been cheated on before to date,” he declared, looking proud of himself.
My heart lurched in my chest. I wanted to date him. I fit the criteria. So did he. Biting my lip to keep from blurting out anything, I made a noise of agreement with my throat.
The conversation died after that, leaving us in silence (aside from the storm raging outside). We gathered sleeping bags and blankets from the same aisle, and then backtracked to get pillows. My arms were so full I could barely see over the top of my pile of sleeping necessities. A few times I stumbled on my feet because I couldn’t see the floor. Anthony, on the other hand, managed to walk with the poise of god like usual. I scowled at the back of his head.
“Okay,” he said, letting his sleeping bag, blankets, and pillow drop from his arms to the floor. “I call sleeping here. What are you going to do, Ellie?”
“Um…”
“I can walk with you to a different part of the store and help you set up,” he offered, shuffling his feet. “I don’t want you to feel weird near me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, debating. I didn’t want him to feel weird either, but I didn’t want to be left alone. If I did set up somewhere else, I could manage. He was still in the store. But…
“Ellie? Are you still scared about that ghost thing I said earlier?”
I gawked at him. Was he ever going to let that go? “No, I—”
“Sorry,” he apologized again, looking sincere. “I shouldn’t have used your fear against you. I just found it really funny when Julius told me and I wanted to know if it was true.”
“It’s okay,” I told him, my arms beginning to ache. An idea formed in my head, and it took all I had to keep myself from smirking. Maybe I could use my ‘fear’ to my advantage. “I should just get over that silly fear. I’m sure if I’m by myself I’ll manage… somehow… If there’s no ghost like you said.” For added effect, I looked around me nervously.
Anthony frowned. “Ellie, I don’t have a problem if you want to sleep here with me if you don’t.”
“I don’t,” I said a little too quickly.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “You are scared!”
“By the storm!” I defended.
He laughed, coming up to me, and scooping the stuff out of my arms. Turning, he moved toward his own stuff before dropping mine next to it. “Okay, we can pretend we’re camping out. I’ll set up your temporary bed next to mine.”
I watched him, cupping my elbow with my hand. Maybe sleeping next to him wasn’t the best idea… Indecent images kept popping up in my head and causing my cheeks to redden. I had a tough time forcing the images away. My hands had to stay to myself.
Anthony set up the rough and ready beds like a pro. He covered the hard floor with all but two of the blankets we carried over before putting the sleeping bags on them. It made me wonder if he’d done this on more than one occasion. When they were finished, he gestured me over by patting on one. I sunk down on it, finding it surprising soft for being on the ground.
“I did awesome, right?”
“Yep,” I responded, smiling at him. “I think I can work with this.”
He sighed, flopping down onto his own bed. “Good, because I’m about to fall asleep on my feet.” He easily kicked off his shoes, setting them by his rocking chair. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping with the light on. I’m not going to turn it off.”
I quickly shook my head. It’d be ten times worse if the lights were off. Even with Anthony next to me I was going to have a hard time falling asleep. I reached over to pull off my flats, tossing them to the porch swing. For a brief second I thought about finding pajamas but decided not to, sliding into my sleeping bag. I heard Anthony climbing into his sleeping bag, and I turned to face him.
“Goodnight,” I said quietly.
He turned to face me too. “Night, Ellie.”
My heartbeat began to increase at his proximity. His body was only about two feet away from mine. It was a comfortable closeness though. The storm was keeping me on edge. It was nice to be able to see his face— it oddly calmed me down.
As if there was some unspoken sign in my thoughts, an incredibly loud rumble of thunder cracked overhead. The lights flickered, causing my heart to jump. I silently begged the lights not to turn off. As if the world was against me, the lights continued flickering until they shut off. Anthony chuckled beside me. “Well, at least I didn’t have to get up.”
I breathed slowly, trying to keep myself calm. Anthony was still right next to me. It would be okay. Forcing my eyes shut, I tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately, my hearing was keener now that it was dark. The thunder sounded ten times louder and ten times more frightening. I squeezed my eyes tighter, moving my hand to cover my ears. Inwardly, I groaned. It was going to be a long night. Even through my skin soundproofing, I could hear the thunder.
Not even a minute later, something touched my side. I gasped in horror, shooting straight up. “Anthony!”
“Hmm?” I heard him respond.
“Something just touched me,” I told him, feeling around with my hands. Finally I found the source of the poke. Something warm.
“That would be my hand,” he informed me before I could ask. “I asked you if you were okay, but you didn’t answer me.”
I blinked. He was just worried about me. “I’m fine,” I breathed out. “Just a little on edge.”
His hand wrapped around mine. “We’ll be okay, Ellie. The building is strong.”
“I know, but…”
“Scoot closer to me,” he ordered and I felt my sleeping bag being tugged toward him. “Come on, this way I’ll be right next to you all night.”
Color rose to my cheeks as I followed his commands. He never let go of my hand. “Um, thanks,” I mumbled, letting my embarrassment get the best of me.
“No problem,” he responded. I nearly jumped. He was really close now. “Will you be okay now?”
I turned my body toward him. Even though he was probably only inches away from me now, I still couldn’t see him. “I’ll be okay.”
“Good. Now try to fall asleep. I’ll be up until you do.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Puh-lease,” he interjected. “What kind of guy would I be if I let you stay up alone and scared?”
I couldn’t help but smile. He was too kind. “Fine… Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Ellie.”
Throughout the whole time, he hadn’t let go of my hand. I wasn’t about to let it go either. Shifting myself into a more comfortable position, I tightened my grasp on his hand so he wouldn’t move it away. After I was settled, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was definitely more comfortable now. Weariness swept over me at once. The thunder eventually faded from my ears as I drifted off to sleep.
_________________________________________________
Blah. I'm so tired. I visited a college today, but it wasn't that fun. Hanging out with my friends who went was, but the college sucked. Umass Lowell. Definitely not applying there. We didn't even get free food smh.
Anyway, new chapter! Enjoy! :D Vote, pretty please c: I'll buy you a car if I become famous... ;) I'll be like Oprah. CARS FOR ERRRYONEE! YOU GET A CAR! YOU GET A CAR! YOU GET A CAR! YOU GET A WHALE!
P.S..... The three months thing isn't a mistake... I know what I'm writing P:
Song of the day… Say You Don't Want It by One Night Only. You have to watch the music video. The ending… Wow, mind blowing. It was too cute. But yeah, the two people's relationship in this video reminds me of Harley and Arden (If you've read my story BMIL).
Today's story is Dealing with Death... Itself by GabriellaJasmin! Here's the summary :D
Annabelle thought she was normal. But she's anything normal. All her life she has been making things happen when she feels a strong emotion. Its slowly creeping up to her sixteenths birthday and Annabelle's 'weird' abilities are getting stronger. Her family is hiding something from her, that she can't know until she is sixteen. Then there Is the Incredibly hot Trey..
This Is Annabelle Dealing with Death ... Itself. Hey no one said being a teenager was going to be easy!