When Alice and I grew a little too close...
DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012
Because Gwen gets sick easily, we weren't able to do the normal 'first year dates', like ice skating. I've never been ice skating and I can't roller blade for my life so I was kind of thankful, although I did want to experience those things with her. I know my girlfriend and she likes sappy stuff like that. I blame it on the books she reads.
But anyways, instead of having dates that can potentially put her health at risk and a possibility of me breaking my ankle, we had hot chocolate and watched movies. A lot of times, I would just go to her house. I've grown to like the Conrads more completely. I mean, I always liked them, but being around them like this with Gwen is a whole new level. I assumed the feeling was mutual as well.
She and I were currently watching Elf. To my surprise, she'd never seen it. The girl obviously didn't know a good comedy until now.
"I can't wait for Christmas," Gwen spoke next to me.
"Why?"
"I haven't had Christmas at home for years."
God, being in a hospital must be like being in prison.
"Right," I nodded.
"Do you want to come over?"
"For Christmas?"
Gwen nodded.
Without thinking, I agreed. It'd piss my parents off, I know that. Ever since Thanksgiving, my mom and I weren't really talking. Sure, it might be stupid that I'm holding a grudge like this, but it got me mad. What right does she have to go and say I should be with someone else instead of Gwen in front of another girl who happens to have feelings for me that I can't return? She was ignorant.
When the movie ended, I got up to go make some more hot chocolate.
"Want me to get you some more?" I asked Gwen, my hand stretched to reach for her cup.
She nodded, handing me the mug. I headed toward the kitchen. Finding some more packs of chocolate I remade our drinks. When the door opened, I knew it was Gwen's parents. They'd gone to go get dinner for all of us.
I was actually surprised they'd let us stay home alone. I mean, my parents will let me and Gwen go into my room alone with the door closed, but they wouldn't even think about leaving me in the house with her alone.
I guess the the Conrads assumed we wouldn't do anything. I've made that message clear to them as well, so...
"We're home!" Denise exclaimed.
They both came into the kitchen and stood confused for a moment before giving me a smile.
"Hey, Kyle. Where's Gwen?" George asked.
"She's in the movie room. I'm just making her more hot chocolate."
He nodded. "Were you kids okay here alone?"
I nodded. "Yeah. We finished our movie."
"Oh, do you want another one?"
"Hey, Mom, Dad." Gwen greeted from the doorway of the kitchen.
She walked towards her father and engulfed him in a hug. Whenever she acted this way, it didn't seem like she was my girlfriend. She seemed a lot more fragile and small, like a child.
"Hey, sweetheart." George smiled.
Gwen then walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She put her head against my chest while I slung my left arm around her neck, kissing her forehead. I could see in the corner of my eye, Denise's lips twitch upwards a bit.
"I wanna have a snow ball fight," Gwen mumbled into my chest.
Even though she couldn't see me, I gave her a weird look while stirring her hot chocolate. "It's too cold. You'll get sick."
"So? What's the big deal if I get sick?"
"The big deal is that I don't want you ending up back in that hospital!" Denise piped in.
Gwen huffed. "What's there to do then?"
Denise smirked. "I haven't shown you the baby pictures, have I, Kyle?"
Gwen's face paled. "Mom, don't."
"C'mon!" Denise gestured out of the kitchen with her hand.
Her husband chuckled while walking past me to start making the food. I handed Gwen her hot chocolate and left to follow her mother, to which she groaned and left it on the counter.
"Mom, don't you dare!" she warned.
Denise told us to sit at the couch while she went through the shelves looking for Gwen's baby album. Gwen laid her head against my left shoulder and ran her hand down my arm to grasp my hand and entwine our fingers.
"You're going to make fun of me!" she whined.
I chuckled. "Maybe a little."
"Ugh," she groaned.
Denise came back, sitting next to me and opened the photo album. The first thing I saw was Gwen's baby picture when she was first born.
Gwendalynn Summer Conrad
Born: February 7, 1996
Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz.
I furrowed my eyebrows at the name. Turning to her, I pressed my lips together.
"Your real name is Gwendalynn?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I hated it."
"She told us that if George and I didn't stop calling her by her full name instead of Gwen, she'd move out."
I burst into laughter as did Denise. Gwen laughed as well, but only lightly through her nose.
"Sh-she had her cute little Barbie suit case all packed up and everything!" Denise explained through breathy gasps.
I laughed harder.
Gwen shook her head with a small smile and flipped the page. "Let's get this over with."
There were many cute pictures of Gwen as a child. She had wavy brown hair until the age of nine where her hair became pin straight. There were pictures of her outside on rainy days, on snowy days, enjoying life like every other kid in the world that had good parents and a house to live in.
Then she became diagnosed.
There were plenty pictures of that too. I saw pictures of her sitting in a wheelchair smiling, laying in a hospital cot sleeping with thousands of wires hooked up to her body. The memories of the Gwen I saw in the hospital in person were exactly the same as these ones in an album, except she was only younger.
I didn't like looking through those pictures, but I didn't say anything. I figured, if I'm going to know Gwen's life, I gotta know everything.
I learned that Gwen used to dance and do gymnastics at the age of six to nine. I learned that in school, she was the best reader in the class. Shocker. I also learned that she used to have a best friend named Charlotte but was mostly called Lottie who was from England. She moved here due to her father's job, but when Gwen was eleven years old, Lottie moved back. I even learned that Gwen used to visit her grandparents in Utah, but stopped because of her constant checkups at the hospital.
I learned Gwen went to an elementary school just a town away from mine and moved at the age of twelve to be closer to the hospital. It was like her entire life revolved around that place.
After about an hour, George called us to eat. We had the normal conversation at the dinner table. They asked me if it'd be okay if I would stop by for Christmas and I said I'd try even though I'd already said yes to Gwen, considering Kory would be back in town. I was actually really excited to see him.
When I got home, my mom asked me to come into the kitchen. To my surprise, she wasn't doing any cooking. She was sitting at the table, rubbing her hands nervously. I hadn't seen her like this since Kory was looking at his acceptance letters for college. That was nearly four years ago. Maybe a family member died.
"What?" I asked, crossing my arms.
My mother and I still weren't exactly on great terms. That stunt she pulled still pisses me off.
"Kyle, I'm sorry."
I waited.
"For what I did when Alice came over." She stood up from her chair and advanced towards me. "I won't ask her to stay over again and I won't try to interfere with you and Gwen."
I sighed, letting the angry mask down. "Mom, it's all right, it's just... I like Gwen. Not Alice."
"I know-"
"Let me finish." She quieted down so I continued, "I love Gwen. I know being in a relationship with her isn't very easy considering her condition, but she's getting better."
She opened her mouth, but I lifted a hand.
"I know you don't think she is, but she is. This cancer isn't going to kill her. I know it won't. I love her, Mom. Nothing can change that, especially not Alice," I finished.
My mom nodded, and then suddenly, her hands were cupping my cheeks. I was fairly taller than my mom so she had to lift her head to see me.
"I just hate seeing you grow up too fast. I want you to experience new things, new people."
I pulled her hand away. "I am, but differently." I smiled.
"I'm so proud of you," she gushed.
My mom's lips started quivering and not long after, she started to cry. So I hugged my mom to comfort her, and let me tell you, I haven't hugged her like this in a very long time. I felt like I earned her trust back and that feeling was something I'd been wanting for years.
...
"God, how long can this day be!" Noah whined. "I just want to go home and play MW3."
"We've got, like, two more hours." Ryan answered, smacking him on the back.
"Then Christmas break," I sighed.
We were currently having lunch. It was the day before Christmas break and that was all we were talking about. All of us were so drained today that all we wanted to do was just go home and sleep. Except for Noah. All he wanted to do was kill people on a video game.
"These teachers gotta be high if they're giving us any homework," Dave said.
"I've got History homework," Chad informed us.
Noah gave him a weird look. "Who the fuck gives History homework on Friday? Of all Fridays? On any Friday? Friday is for Freedom! Hence why they both start with 'F'."
Chad shrugged. "Ask Mr. Greggory, he's the one who gave it to me."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure me and Alice will be working on our presentation," I said.
Ryan turned to me. "Oh yeah, how's that goin', y'know, with her crazy crush on you." He jabbed Noah in the side, earning a chuckle from him.
I shook my head, looking down at my food. "It's not a crazy crush."
"Yeah it is! I guarantee you she's talking about you right n-"
"But anyways, the project will probably be finished the next time we work together."
"Is it just working between you two?" a guy named Haiden asked me, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"Yes. It is." I clarified.
"How does Gwen feel about you guys workin' together?"
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, Gwen doesn't really know." I laughed nervously.
"What?!" Noah gaped.
"Who's Gwen?" Dave asked curiously.
"Kyle's girlfriend," Ryan answered, but reverted his gaze back on me. "How does she not know?"
"I just... never told her."
"Dude, don't you think that's kinda hypocritical?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's kind of like what she did to you at the party."
I shook my head. "No! No, it's not, because that night, Gwen deliberately went off with another guy. I'm not doing anything with Alice that I shouldn't be doing."
"So it's all just school work, nothing else?" Noah asked.
My mind thought back to when Alice had dinner with us. I looked up at Noah and nodded. "Yep."
"You're lying." Ryan predicted.
"No, I'm not."
"Kyle..."
The boys gave me flat looks. I guess when they knew I was lying, that was when you know you have real friends. Or I'm just naturally a bad liar, but I'd like to refuse going with the latter because I've lied plenty of times to my parents.
"My mom did the stupidest thing ever." I confessed. "She made Alice stay for dinner and was making it pretty obvious that she thought we would make a good... couple."
"Oh god..." Noah groaned.
"She was saying the weirdest things and was, like, saying I should be with Alice instead of Gwen because Alice is healthy."
"Healthy as in...?" Dave trailed off.
I mentally did a face palm. I totally forgot that these guys never met Gwen. They might've seen her at the party, but they knew nothing about her.
"Uh, Gwen has cancer?"
"Wait!" Haiden said, holding up his palms and shaking his head. "You're girlfriend has cancer?"
"Leukemia."
"Wow. That sucks, dude. I'm sorry." He smacked me lightly on the back.
"She'll be okay."
Noah shook his head. "So anyways, did Alice know what she was trying to do?"
"Alice knew all along. You could literally see how nervous she was getting. Then when I got mad, she looked... let down kind of."
"Well no duh, no girl wants to be rejected." Ryan said.
I rubbed my forehead. "Everything's okay now, though."
"You didn't get mad at her?"
"Oh, I didn't talk to my mom for nearly a month. That shit she pulled pissed me off."
"Was Alice upset?"
I shrugged. "She's fine now. We agreed we'd do some of the presentation work during Christmas break so we can finish it."
They all nodded.
"That's good she didn't, like, stop talking to you - knowing how girls are."
"Alice is a cool girl. I would never want to hurt her, but some things just don't turn out the way you want them to."
...
"C'mon, Kyle, wake up," my dad spoke, shaking me.
"What?" I groaned.
"We have to go pick up Kory."
"Can I just stay home?"
"No, now get up."
I did as he said. I could seriously care less how I looked. I mean, it was nine in the morning. Why Kory kept choosing weird flights, I had no idea. The last flight was like really late and this one is really early. He'd be here at around ten thirty to eleven and since the airport is kind of a ways from home, we have to leave early to go get him.
When Kory's flight finally got here, you could tell he'd be the last one to get to us. Everyone looked exhausted getting off the plane. Businessmen, mothers, families, you name it were coming out of that terminal. Then there was Kory. In pajamas. With a bed head.
You see all these elegant people flying back from New York then you see my brother and that's how you know he's a Californian and he's in college. If I hadn't been so tired, I would've laughed at his appearance.
"Mum! Pap!" Kory exclaimed with an english accent. "Kyle! My darling brother! How has life treated you lately?"
I laughed. "You should go to bed."
He nodded. "I should."
When we got home, Mom cooked us all lunch. Kory passed out before it was given to him and I couldn't go back to sleep so really, it was like Kory wasn't even here. The phone rang and Mom rushed to answer it.
"Kyle, it's for you!" she said after speaking to the person for a moment.
I got up and took the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, um, it's Ali."
"Hey!" I exclaimed, wondering why she was calling the house phone.
I'd given her my cell phone number once or twice. Surely, she'd just use that number instead of the house phone.
"I'm just making sure you're coming over tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, can you remember to bring both boards this time?" she giggled.
"Yes, I'll remember," I chuckled.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
"Bye."
We both hung up.
"That was Alice, right?" my mom asked.
I nodded.
"Did she need something?"
"No, she was just reminding me to bring both boards tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?"
"Oh yeah, um, Mom, tomorrow I'm going to do the presentation over there."
"Are you sure? She can come over here."
"No, I think it's a good idea we go over there," I stated firmly.
I tried to be as slick as possible and not make my mom feel guilty, but I was pretty sure Alice felt slightly uncomfortable near my family after what happened. Besides, Kory was here and I was sure he'd say something stupid.
...
I knocked twice on Alice's door, feeling extremely nervous. I heard her footsteps rush down the steps and stop right at the door. She opened it.
Alice was breathtakingly beautiful. She wore a skinny shirt and her hair was down into wavy curls. She pushed it back, tugging a bunch behind her ear. She bit her lip.
"Hi, Kyle."
I grinned, eyes wide. "Hey."
She let me come in. Her house wasn't big, but not exactly small either. It was maybe a little smaller than mine. She led me to the kitchen. I saw a man maybe at the ages of nineteen or twenty. He was eating a banana, the sight being pervertedly hilarious as he locked gazes with me. I stifled a chuckle.
"Oh, hi," he said with his mouth full.
"Sup."
"We have to do a project, Charlie."
"Does Mom know you have a boy in the house? In the kitchen? All alone?"
Alice marched towards Charlie and pushed him out. "Get out, Charlie!"
He laughed. "Have fun! Be safe!"
Alice told Charlie to shut up, trying to hold her blush. She turned to me.
"Sorry, I-"
"It's okay," I smiled.
She smiled back, rubbing her neck. We both started setting up our supplies. We were close to finishing until her parents walked in laughing together.
"Oh, hello!" The familiarity of the woman came rushing to me as I remembered her form the flowery shop. She smiled warmly at me.
"I thought you guys wouldn't be home until later." Alice admitted.
"It's later, sweetheart," her mother replied. She then turned her gaze on me. "I remember you. You came to our Bo's Bouquet, no?"
I nodded.
"How'd she like the flowers?" She glanced at Alice, sending her an apologetic look.
"She liked them. She really did."
"That's great!"
"What's going on here?" Alice's father asked, scanning over the mess we created.
"Project, remember?" Alice reminded.
He nodded and turned to me. "Have you eaten, Kyle? It's Kyle, right?"
"Yes, sir, before I came here. And yes, my name is Kyle."
"Call me Cal."
I nodded.
"Um, I guess we could finish up later," Alice suggested.
"Yeah," I nodded, deciding this was a good time to leave. "It was nice seeing you and meeting you," I told Alice's parents.
"You too, sweetie!" Alice's mother answered.
Alice walked with me out of the door and to my car.
"Your parents are nice."
Alice laughed. "What did you think they were like?"
"I don't know." I said, leaning against my car door.
"Thanks for coming over here this time."
"After what my mom said, yeah, probably the best idea."
"It just... caught me off guard. Doesn't she know you have a... girlfriend?"
"She knows, she just doesn't think I should be with her."
"Why not?"
I took a deep breath. "My girlfriend has cancer."
Alice gasped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-,"
I shook my head. "It's okay, really."
"I didn't-"
I laughed, touching Alice's waist. "It's fine."
"She doesn't think you should be with her... because of the cancer?"
"She doesn't believe Gwen will get better. She thinks that I won't be able to take it when she... passes."
Alice bit her lower lip. "So was she like.. trying to..."
"Set us up? I don't know. Her words were: she wanted to show me my 'options.'"
Alice looked away before inhaling and locking gazes with me. "You're right not to give up on your girlfriend. She doesn't deserve that."
I nodded. "She deserves a lot more."
Alice pressed her lips together. A weird silence came over us as we stared at our surroundings.
"I'll see you later, Ali." I told her and got in my car, leaving to my house.
...
"So, how's you and the Gwenster?" Kory said, flopping onto my bed.
I was currently texting Gwen and he decided to ruin it.
"Great."
"No... problems?"
I remembered the Halloween party. "I really don't want to talk about the party, bro."
"You don't have to. I'm asking if you and Gwen are okay."
"Sure, I let it go." I shrugged.
It was quiet. My phone buzzed, signaling Gwen's text message.
If my parents don't mind
I half-smiled. I had asked her if she'd like to come over for New Years Eve, to spend the night with my family.
"I know it still bothers you though," he admitted.
I sighed. There was really no point in denying it to my brother. He knew me better than anyone.
"Well yeah it bothers me."
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, propping his elbow up to hold his head.
"No."
"Positive?"
"Yep."
"Absolutely positive?"
"Yes, Kory."
"Absolutely positively-."
"Shut up, Kor."
"Come on, bro!" he begged. "Vent to me!" He waved his arms towards him.
I don't know if that was supposed to make me relax or...
I sighed. "Venting really isn't my thing, Kory."
"So? You can't keep bottling your feelings inside, Ky. Remember what the doctor said?"
I got up from the bed and headed toward my computer. "I can and I will, so lay off, alright?"
"What's holding it in gonna do for you, Kyle?"
I shrugged and got up from laying on my bed. Taking a seat on my desk chair, I logged into Facebook. Nothing much happened except for ridiculous girls in ridiculous poses as new profile pictures and guys talking about sports and video games. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the year 2011.
I scrolled through my newsfeed to see nothing much happened.
To say I was surprised when the head cheerleader began to chat me is an understatement though. It definitely made the website interesting for once.
Arianna Kelson: hey ;)
You: hi
Arianna Kelson: got anything to do later?
I heard Kory shuffling above the bed, then footsteps walking in the room. The doorknob was heard moving. I quickly turned to him.
"Hey, Kory, come over here."
"What?" He walked up behind me, putting his hands on the back of my swivel chair. "Who's that?" he asked.
"The head cheerleader," I answered, still slightly dazed.
"Why is she chatting you? Especially like that?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well it's no secret you're not well with the ladies, Kyle, and she's obviously trying to get some."
I shook my head. "What should I say?!"
"Um, uh, here! Let me talk to her!" He pushed me aside and benched over to type on the keyboard.
You: nothin
I groaned. "I could've said that, Kory! How hard would it have been to type nothin'?"
"Shh!" he hushed.
I huffed, crossing my arms.
Arianna Kelson: my parents are out. wanna come over?
"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the screen.
"Holy shit, Kyle! She's basically-"
"Tell her no, dumbass!" I shouted, pointing at the keyboard.
"K, hold on, hold on!" Kory told me.
His fingers danced along the keyboard as he wondered what to say.
"Tell her I don't cheat," I suggested.
You: I have a girlfriend.
Arianna Kelson: didn't stop her from going and making out with my boyfriend
"Oh god, her boyfriend was the guy Gwen..."
The girl dated Jared Thompson. The girl who ran out in tears after catching the boy Gwen was dancing and making out out. I felt my stomach drop. That really wasn't what I was expecting.
A knock was heard at the door.
"Kyle! Kory? You guys okay in there?" we heard our mom's voice ask.
"Y-yeah!" Kory called back.
"Are you guys arguing?"
"No, Mom!"
"Sure?"
Kory and I both turned to the door and shouted. "Yes!"
"Okay, okay! Just makin' sure!"
We turned back around, staring at the computer.
"Tell her no, Kory! Now!"
"Alright, chill!"
You: No thanks
Arianna Kelson: she could be cheating on you right now and you wouldn't even know it.
"Let me type, Kory!" I demanded.
You: I know she wouldn't do that to me again.
Arianna Kelson: sure about that?
I grew so frustrated that I logged off. The girl started to get annoying. I knew Gwen wouldn't cheat on me. Despite the Halloween party, she wouldn't do anything willingly like that again.
Kory was silent as he stared at me. I let out fast breaths, feeling my anger rise up and the anxiety starting to take place. My hands were clenched as I thought of something to keep my mind off of inflicting a large hole in my wall.
"Ky, c'mon, look at me, man." Kory spoke, shaking my shoulder.
Home alone. Perfect.
Kory left to college. My parents weren't home.
Bzzz... Bzzz.
New Text Message: Unknown
Fuck u
I stared at the text message, completely befuddled.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
Another one.
New Text Message: Unknown
Go die
I dropped my phone and somehow lost my balance. I ran my hands through my hair as I hit the wall. I needed to get out. I needed to leave. I ran up the stairs and into the kitchen, looking for something, anything, until I spotted the medicine cabinet, then the knife in the corner of the counter.
I contemplated on which to choose. The painful death or the easy one. Which one did I deserve more? Maybe both.
But when the door opened, all suicidal thoughts were thrown out the window and I was saved by the happy greeting of my mother.
"Kyle, breathe, man."
I let out a strangled breath. He stopped shaking me as he noticed I was brought out of my thoughts.
"Thank God!" Kory exclaimed. "This is the last time, Kyle, or else I'm telling Mom."
...
"Oh, Kyle! We thought you'd be here a little later," Denise said, once opening the door.
"Oh, um, were you not-"
"No, no, come in. Gwen's just finishing up... doing something. I'm sure she's just in her room."
"May I, uh..."
Denise nodded. "Go ahead."
I turned down the hallway towards Gwen's bedroom. I cautiously knocked a few times against the white door, hoping she didn't decide to take a sudden shower and was undressed for some weird reason.
To my relief, the door was opened to reveal an excited Gwen. Arms were wrapped around my neck and a kiss was planted on my lips as Gwen eagerly greeted me. I'd never seen her this excited.
"I'm glad you're here!"
I smiled. "Me too. I like this way of seeing you."
I leant down to kiss her again, more forcefully and harder. She brought her body closer to mine, but we were awkwardly interrupted by the clearing throat sound of her father.
We pulled apart quickly and turned to see George standing about a yard away from us. His eyes were stern. He almost looked amused as he took in our facial expressions.
"Kyle," he greeted.
I cleared my throat and distanced myself a bit more from Gwen, but kept my arm wrapped around her waist. I ran a hand through my hair.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't intend for you to see that."
"That would make sense," he nodded. "Let's go downstairs."
Gwen and I glanced at each other before deciding it'd probably be a good idea to follow her father's orders. We all entered the kitchen. Denise was running around, setting plates on the tables and pouring drinks into every glass.
Sooner or later, we were all sat at the table, having a feast.
The Conrads decided to say a prayer before the meal. We all took each other's hands and was silenced, only to hear George's voice.
"Heavenly Father, thank you for the food we have, the house we live in, the people we know, and all the fortunate advantages we were given. Thank you for granting our beautiful Gwendalynn a second chance at life, giving her a future. Thank you for the great meal Denise has made for us and thank you for Kyle."
I opened my eyes, shocked at George's words.
"Thank you for giving my daughter someone to hold on to," he smiled.
I could see in the corner of my eye, Gwen grin with her eyes still closed.
"Amen."
"Amen."
"Amen."
"A-Amen."
My family and I believed in God, but we didn't go to church much. We were kind of like that family that cherishes God and believes in him, but doesn't practice the religion. In fact, I wasn't even sure what my religion taught. I'm pretty sure I'm Catholic though.
We all were enveloped in deep conversation. After the dinner, we all decided to head to the living room. Presents.
George and Denise bent down to gather all the gifts for their daughter. I was actually given one from each. I'd secretly hidden Gwen's gift under the tree before going to her room earlier. Denise took out a camera and decided to record Gwen's reaction with all the presents.
Gwen didn't get anything fancy, but she did get a new cell phone. The iPhone. I was surprised. I didn't even have an iPhone. I could only imagine how her parents could afford it.
Afterwards, she opened mine.
I'd painted another picture of her and actually put a picture of the two of us in a frame. I know, I know, cheesy, but she seemed to appreciate it which was all that mattered to me.
"Oh, wait!" she said, heading to her room.
When Gwen was gone, her parents turned to me.
"Thank you for coming, Kyle." Denise said.
"Oh, yeah um, I figured you guys weren't very okay with it."
"I've never seen Gwen this happy on a holiday," George admitted, grabbing Denise's hand. "I can tell she really cares about you, and I know that it's the same for you."
I felt slightly embarrassed. I liked Gwen's parents, especially now since the relationship between them and I have gotten much better, but this conversation was not one I wanted to participate in.
"Well, uh, thanks for giving me a second chance."
It got quiet as I was only given friendly smiles from the two adults in the room. They seemed happy with each other, embracing each other. It made me think of Gwen and I like that... one day.
At that moment, Gwen came back with a box looking present. She handed it to me. Denise whispered in George's ear. Worry came evident on his face, but they both got up and left the room.
Gwen nudged me. "Open it!"
I frowned, looking down at the perfect wrapping of the gift. "Did you wrap this?"
She nodded, giving me a confused look.
This is why women go Christmas shopping and not men: they can wrap the damn presents!
I opened the present to find a dark brown box.
She nudged me to carry on.
I opened it only to find pictures of us. On the back of every picture, there was a written reason why appreciated me, loved me, cherished me. It made me feel like I was worth the time in someone else's world. It made me feel like someone truly cared and loved me, and not just anybody, but my girlfriend.
We leaned to kiss each other. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her toward me, catching us both in a long embrace. I never exactly made out with Gwen, mostly because neither of us had done it. I was pretty sure the both of us were scared to do it and wanted things to go by pretty slow.
As lame as it sounds to be with someone since July to December and still never make out, it's reasonable.
We pulled apart soon after.
"Thank you Gwen."
...
Today would be the last time Alice and I would finish our project. It wasn't due for a while and we managed to get most of it done pretty quickly. She agreed to come over my house again, claiming her parents would be home and her brother would make fun of us, thinking we were something more than just friends.
I was okay with it. I was sure Kory would come in here and say something too, but I specifically warned him not to, so instead, he went out to go see Noah and his mom. I was told Quaashie would actually be home as well so it'd be a good time for them to catch up.
I encouraged my parents to take a day of their own. Dad didn't have to be at the fire department today so I figured it'd be good for him to enjoy himself with my mom.
I spent an hour in the house alone, waiting for Alice. When she did come, we started the project once again.
"Aaaaand, done!" she said, after two hours of endless working.
"Finally!" I exclaimed. "Are you hungry?" I asked her.
She shook her head no, but the rumbling from her stomach said otherwise. I gazed down at it, before looking back into her eyes and chuckled. Her face turned to a dark red of embarrassment.
I put an arm around her shoulder and took her to the pantry. Flicking on the light, the room illuminated and showed us the variety of food we have.
"What looks appetizing?"
"Hmm..." Alice said, looking at all the food. "Mac and cheese?"
I nodded, taking out a box of Kraft out of the closet. We both ended up helping each other make it. It was sort of like one of those cliché moments in a romance comedy where the girl hands the boy the food she just made and the boy nods in approval.
Sounds like my parents.
I managed to make Alice laugh a lot while doing so. She had a cute giggle to herself; it brought a smile to my face whenever the sound came out. Afterwards, we sat down to eat and kind of just talked.
From all the time I've spent with Alice, I realized I knew quite a lot about her. She sings a lot and actually tried out for the X-Factor on the first season, but was told no. She said she nailed the song and Alice isn't one to lie. Besides, I've heard her sing and she's pretty amazing. I actually forced her to sing in front of me once. She wasn't even scared either.
I found out her brother dropped out of college to take care of his newborn daughter. He apparently didn't use protection on a drunken high school party night in his senior year of high school and after the baby was born, he took the kid. The girl was into drugs and didn't have very appealing grades. Due to the fact that the mother consumed unhealthy things, the baby ended up having a hole in one of its organs and died four months after it was born. The baby mama ended up cursing at Alice's brother saying that he didn't take care of her good enough which is apparently a total lie on her part.
She also told me that when she was ten, her parents considered divorce because her mother cheated on her dad with her boss. I, however, thought that was predictable, considering marriage affairs for some reason always have to do with secretaries or bosses.
Alice even said that at that time, she cut herself. No one found out but her brother and he made her promise to stop. She hasn't done it since she was fourteen.
Aside from telling me all the depressing things, she told me some of the enlightening ones. She told me about her past summers, Christmases, other events. I actually felt bad for Alice, realizing how much we were actually alike.
She didn't know much about my past and I didn't think she really needed to know, but as time went on, I told Alice things I've never told anyone else - not even Gwen. It was pretty obvious that I was bullied for several years, but as an acquaintance, Alice saw me as this guy who plays on the soccer team and is popular. Now she sees me as this guy who had problems but grew from them and is now happier than he's every been.
After we finished eating, we put our bowls in the sink and washed them. When I was almost done cleaning the pot we used to put the macaronis in, a wave of water splashed at my ribcage. I turned to see Alice with a smug smile on her face, holding the sink hose.
"Oh, you're gonna get it now!" I laughed, lunging for her and grasping her by the waist.
This managed to distract her, so I quickly took the sink hose from her hand and sprayed it on her. Her white t-shit was completely soaked in a matter of seconds, giving me a perfect view of her pink and black bra. I tried not to look as much as possible, but I'm a teenage boy, you can't necessarily expect me not to.
I guess that was when I was distracted because then the hose was out of my hands and in hers again. My clothes were then soaked. Alice and I were laughing our heads off, completely and utterly free. We definitely enjoyed each other's company. I liked being her partner for this project. She was someone I felt very good with.
Then suddenly, the doorbell rang.
We stopped laughing. I was positive that wasn't my parents or brother because they would've just come in through the garage.
"Go answer that, will ya?" I laughed, smiling at Alice.
I reached for the hem of my wet t-shirt and pulled it off. I could feel Alice's eyes on me. I glanced at her and smirked at her facial expression. It didn't take a genius to know she was checking me out.
Then she locked gazes with me and cleared her throat. "Oh, yeah!"
I held my shirt over the sink, wringing it out with my hands, getting as much water out as possible
"Oh, hi..." I heard Alice speak.
"Um, hi?"
All color drained from my face and my stomach dropped.
"Shit." I cursed.
I raced for the door, stopping and leaning against it.
"Gwen! What are you doing here?" I questioned.
She stepped back slightly, taking in my appearance. That's when I realized I was half naked, exposing the top half of my body.
"I was just coming to surprise you. My mom dropped me off," she said slowly, her voice dripping with confusion. "What is going on?" She glanced between Alice and me.
Alice looked down to see her shirt was see-through and automatically covered her chest. I've realized that I'd left my shirt on the counter, having to stand in this awkward position.
"Um, Ali, there's a bathroom upstairs on your left, second door. You can use one of the towels in the closet to get cleaned up." I informed her.
Alice nodded and raced up the stairs, glad to be away from the awkward situation.
"What the hell is she doing here and why aren't you dressed?!" Gwen demanded, crossing her arms and leaning on one foot.
"It's seriously not what it looks like." I explained, holding my palms up.
How cliché.
"Enlighten me then!"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Might as well rip off the band aid then slowly and carefully take it off when it's gonna hurt either way.
"Alice and I are partners for a project. We just finished today."
"That doesn't explain why you don't have a shirt and she might as well not have one considering you can already see underneath it."
"We got hungry and decided to make mac and cheese. After that, we went to wash the dishes but then she sprayed me with the sink hose and it just sort of got fun and... yeah."
Gwen stared at me, not sure if she should believe me or not.
The door behind us creaked open and out came Alice. She had her things all together in her hands.
"Hey, Kyle. Sorry about the mess. I tried to clean as best as I could but then I got a call from my parents. They want me home," she told me, then turned to Gwen. "It's good seeing you again, um..."
"Gwen." Gwen bluntly finished, disgust completely clear in his tone.
"Gwen," Alice confirmed, nodding her head and giving my girlfriend a forced but friendly smile.
My girlfriend grimaced.
"Um, bye Kyle." Alice awkwardly turned away and went to her car, then drove off.
"Gwen, I'm serious. She's just a friend."
"She didn't try to do anything?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, to... steal you away or something?"
I laughed. "That's the least of your worries, Gwen. I'm with you," I told her, wrapping my arms around her and engulfing her in a very big hug.
...
"Gweny!" Kory exclaimed, rushing towards Gwen and engulfing her in a large hug.
I rolled my eyes with an amused smile on my face. He lifted her up, his arms wrapped around her waist. To a stranger's eyes, you'd think Kory's her boyfriend instead of me.
"Alright, alright, put my girlfriend down before I get too jealous," I chuckled.
"How've you been? You look great!" Kory said, putting Gwen down.
"Thanks Kory," she giggled. "I've been great. How about you? How's college?"
"Don't even mention that hell hole!" Kory scowled.
My parents laughed behind him. Mom advanced towards Gwen, giving her a gentle embrace as well.
"Hi, sweetie. I'm glad you're here."
"Thanks for letting me."
My dad came forward. "It's nice to see you, Gwen."
"You too, Nate."
We all went to the living room to watch a movie before watching the ball drop in Times Square, New York. Kory didn't want to go back again, claiming the traffic was unbearable and it was insanely cold, but that's not what he told our parents. No, he told Mom he missed her and Dad and that he wanted to be with the family.
Lying bastard.
We were all on the couch. My arm was behind Gwen, her head against my shoulder. She'd believed my explanation over Alice, thank God. I really couldn't afford another cheating scandal with Gwen. That was just too much. She knew my feelings for her were way to genuine for me to just throw away. I've told her about Alice as well. I think the biggest thing she didn't like about it was the fact that I hadn't told Gwen she was working with me on the project in the first place. I told her I didn't think I felt the need to, but really, I was hiding it from her.
So much for that.
It was 11:55. Mom had gone to go get apple cider for me and Gwen and the wine for her, my father, and Kory to which Kory refused and chose apple cider with Gwen and I. We had our glasses in hand and walked back to the living room.
"Hurry Mom!" Kory shouted.
We turned out the lights and watched the TV as Ryan Seacrest counted down.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."
I looked to Gwen and she turned her head to look at me as well. Our eyes connected and I knew exactly what to do.
"Five, four, three, two..."
I leaned in toward her face, my eyes looking at her lips.
"One! Happy New Year!" the TV chanted.
It was a bit hard for me to listen as Gwen and I kissed each other. The cheers and screams were like whispers as I lifted my hand and cupped her cheek. She wrapped an arm around my waist, stepping on her tip toes to reach me.
"Oh c'mon! Am I the only one not sucking someone's face off?! Come on, guys! Cut it out!" Kory wailed, raising his arms.
Gwen laughed through the kiss and ended up pulling away. She turned back to me.
"Happy New Year, Kyle."
"Happy New Year, Gwen." I smiled, kissing her once again.