Manicured Nails and Window Kisses
"Wow, not even smart enough for a verbal comeback," I glared at her, balling my hands into fists as I willed myself to remain calm. "Your head is probably as thick as your make-up. So, brick-like, I'd say."
Now, I really don't know what made me say this. But I really had to say something so there wouldn't be the opportunity for her to say something that would trigger my anger (aka stuff about my mom). But I didn't predict that she'd hurtle herself towards me, clawing at my face and hair. I tried to stop her, to restrain her but it was to no avail. The few people who were around us were already cheering us on. Clearly they weren't any help, either. There was a sudden burning on the side of my cheek as I felt her long manicured nails scrape the skin there.
And there we go- snap. If you can't stop them, join them, right? I grabbed her arm and twisted it around her back so she couldn't hit me anymore. She tried to kick me from behind but her skin-tight skanky dress didn't allow it. She slipped and fell forwards and I landed on top of her, restraining her. But just then, I felt a hand at the back of my dress, jerking me up.
"Yo, Proud, get the fuck off my girl," it was Tyler. His big fist was bunched into material at the back of my dress, catching my hair in the process.. "Wes, get your crazy da-"
But before he could finish his sentence, Wes was already behind Tyler, shoving him off me. I heard the music suddenly being turned down as everyone watched on. I hadn't realised our crowd had exponentially increased.
"Get the fuck of my girl, Ty," Wes glared at him. He turned to me, his tone was slightly aloof. "Are you okay, Kitty?"
I nodded, readjusting my dress as I straightened up.
"She attacked me, it was so scary," Bridgette sat up, simpering up at Wes as she pointed at me accusingly.
"Bro, this chick's a fucking psycho, why the fuck did you invite her?" Julian made his way through the crowd to help Bridgette up, brushing the back of her dress off. It was obvious what he was doing when he gave her ass a few pats.
What we weren't expecting next was when Wes punched Julian in the face and sneered at him, "The psycho you're insulting is my girlfriend, Jules."
"That's why you've been AWOL?!" Julian shouted incredulously, wiping his nose with his sleeve. I saw a few beads of my blood on his dress shirt. "Over a fucking girl?"
"She's not just any girl," Wes glared at him, holding his stance.
"Bro, you are fucking pathetic," Tyler laughed derisively. "So whipped."
"I'd rather be whipped than have my girlfriend cheating on me everyday," he spat at him, sneering at Bridgette.
"The fuck you say?" now Tyler was really pissed off.
"Yeah, your girlfriend- she's been sleeping around," Wes sneered. "She slept with me like over a month ago. And with quite a few others, too. Right, Jules? And you've been together for like, what, a year now?"
And with that, Tyler launched himself at Wes, landing a punch in the gut. Wes recoiled while Julian looked on guiltily.
"Bro, I think you should lea-," Julian moved to grab Wes' arm before he could hit Tyler back.
But Wes pushed him off at the same time I ran up to them. It seemed bad timing was on my side today. I ran right in the middle of a punch from Tyler that was aimed at Wes. His fist caught me on my shoulder as I fell off balance. All the boys retracted but Wes who caught me before I fell to the ground.
"Come on, Kitty," Wes said in a low voice, holding my forearm tightly. "Let's get out of here."
"It's over, Bane," Tyler shouted as we both turned around and made our way through the onlookers. They easily parted for Wes, not wanting to get in the way. Julian patted Tyler's shoulder, but Tyler glared at him and aggressively shrugged his arm off.
I turned around to look back one final time and saw Bridgette. Tyler had angrily stormed out of the room, leaving her behind. Her arms were wrapped around herself as she watched Wes' retreating back. It was the most heart breaking expression I had ever seen. To hear all those words from Wes himself- it must have really hurt her.
"Eli," I muttered. "Jan? Jordan? Where are they?"
"I don't know," Wes told me as we made our way through the house to the front door. The music had restarted. We had reached the threshold of the front door when I saw two figures at the edge of the living room by the window kissing frantically, practically eating each other's face off amidst the chaos. It was Eli and Jordan. Well, that answered that question.
"I'll call Jordan later," Wes whispered in my ear, prodding me out the front door.
The moment we were out the door, the music sounded distant as though it were from another universe. The sounds grew fainter and fainter as we walked away from the house. We had parked Wes' car at Eli's house which were a few blocks from here. Eli always seemed to live close to where the parties were. That was probably because Eli lived in the same neighbourhood where most people from school lived. Hardly anyone from school lived in my neighbourhood, except for Wes. When I had moved houses after mom died I had cried because I had lost all my friends. But Eli stubbornly stuck with me. She always preferred hanging out at my house over hers.
"What the hell, Kitty?" Wes ran a hand through his hair in aggravation. "What's going on?"
I stayed silent as we passed by a park. It wasn't that huge. Just a small playground with a grass patch and a small park bench. The park was only barely visible by the surrounding street lamp posts.
"First you act weird at school, get called to the principal's office, then you just disappear after school with no explanation," he gave me a look. "We both know that Biology prac excuse was bullshit. Then I find out you met up with Kevin after school and you then disappeared off to dance with him and you get into a fight. What. The. Fuck."
Wes had every right to be angry at me right now. What kind of relationship could be built by hiding secrets from each other? Regardless if they were things that you were proud of or downright ashamed of? It did not matter. I had to trust Wes. With both the good and the bad in me. But how would he react? He was already angry. I couldn't tell him things when he was angry...
I sighed at my internal discussion, angling my head up to the night sky. I needed a distraction from my thoughts. The moon was a waning crescent tonight. Just a sliver among the vast darkness. But if you paid close attention, you could just make out the outline of the rest of the moon that wasn't illuminated. My mom and I used to play a game of who could name the moon phase the fastest. We used to gaze up at the night sky and make up stories about celestial behaviour.
"You know, my mom and I never thought the moon and sun were great lovers, like some myths say," I said. Wes gave me a weird look, clearly expecting a different response. I grabbed his hand, but he was unresponsive. I guess I deserved it. But still, I pulled him onto the grass with me and we lay down, side by side. He remained silent, still waiting on my response.
"We used to say that the moon and sun were unfortunate but inevitable lovers. See the moon phases? It was a story about the sun and moon and how they were always drifting apart. The change of their alignment was always inevitable. And every time they misaligned, the moon would be consumed by more and more darkness" Wes' hand was still as stone in mine, so I squeezed it and continued, "But they always found their way back to each other. They will always misalign, and the darkness will always come without a doubt. But they always, always realign. A cruel joke of fate. Somewhat like abusive relationships, really."
"That last part completely ruined the moment," he muttered.
I craned my head to the side, turning to look at him, "I didn't meet up with Kevin after school. I had detention. For slapping Bridgette this morning."
"And why didn't you just tell me?" he didn't turn his head to look at me. He was still looking right at the waning crescent.
"I don't like it when my anger gets the better of me," I looked back up at the moon, closing my eyes and feeling the cold wind slapping my face. "I used to be quite an angry child and my mom hated it. When she died, I ripped and ruined half her art work because I was so upset and angry. At my father. At everyone. I never forgave myself. I ruined what she gave her whole life and soul to. Her art is what remained of her. And I took that away from her. Away from me."
I felt a warm hand on my cheek, caressing the side of my face that was scratched by Bridgette. "It's okay to get angry sometimes," he whispered.
I craned my head towards him, kissing him on the mouth. I gently deepened the kiss, moving to straddle him. My dress rose up above my thighs and his hands moved to caress the exposed skin at my thighs. Breaking the kiss, I kissed down his chin and to his neck, undoing the buttons of his dress shirt.
"Kitty, what're you doing?" his breath was ragged as he looked down at me. Immediately, I felt stupid. But I didn't want to be put off that easily.
"What you and I both want," I whispered back, kissing him again and resuming undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. But my hands were shaking and I only managed to get the top two buttons.
"Not here. Not like this," he was breathless, his words had only half conviction.
"Do you think I'm a noob?" I asked suddenly, my hands frozen at his chest.
"What?" he asked, only half listening.
"Do you think I'm a noob?" I repeated clearly, straightening up.
"No, why would you think that?" he sighed as he sat up, running a hand through his hair.
I pursed my lip, "You've slept with a lot of other girls. This is the first relationship I've ever been in. Do you think I'll live up to the expectations you've developed with girls?"
"Is this what Bridgette provoked you with?" he laughed at my frustration. That only added to my frustration.
"No!" I cried indignantly. He gave me a look. "Okay, maybe. But she was saying a lot of other crap too."
"Like what?" he prodded on, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
"She just said stuff about how I wasn't enough for you and how I could never satisfy you. Then she talked about you and her together," I shuddered. "And then she said you pitied me because of my mom. And that I should join her by, you know..."
"Wow, I don't even feel bad for ratting her out on her cheating anymore," his tone appeared to be joking but I could detect the underlying harshness. He noticed my unamused expression and took on a more serious note. "You don't actually believe that I pity you, right? I mean, I'd actually pity the poor guy who ended up with you."
I slapped his shoulder, "Sometimes I'm just not too sure about the first part."
He sighed, placing two hands on either side of my face, "Kitty, I couldn't care any less how experienced you are. And it's even more special knowing that I can be your first. And I wish, I wish, I wish you could be mine, I really do. I'd undo my past just for you if I could. I don't want you for how good you can be in a physical relationship, I want you. Just my Kitty."
I pondered for a minute. He rolled his eyes and had that lopsided crooked smile of his. Well, of mine. "And I just punched my friends, got disowned and uninvited to every party of theirs. If that doesn't prove anything, then I'm all out of ideas."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, "Thank you, by the way."
"You better show me gratitude," he grumbled somberly. But that glint in his eyes was still there as I brought my lips to his. He gently bit my bottom lip with his teeth and I parted my lips to grant him access.
"Now let's get out of here before I take away your virginity, oh dear sweet innocent soul," he whispered. I slapped his shoulder indignantly at his comment to which he laughed, holding my hand in his. "I'm just joking!"
On a more serious note he kissed my nose and said, "You said it was something both you and I wanted. But you're not ready for that, are you?"
And I wasn't. Not for the right reasons. I had just made a move on Wes just to spite Bridgette, and that was simply stupid. Wes deserved more than that. He deserved the right reasons and in the right way. Because he was special. And I wanted our night to be just that. But this night was not the one. Not as we walked back to Eli's empty house. Not as I washed off the bit of blood that Bridgette's sharp, done up nails had inflicted. Not as I attended to my cheek and shoulder and Wes' stomach.
But, as I kissed Wes' stomach and he gently massaged my shoulders, we laughed and danced to our own calm but up-beat melodious music we had set up on our own, Our perfect timing will come when life would realign itself perfectly for us.
Sorry for the delayed update. I had an eye surgery last Tuesday and was finally feeling good enough to write again! But cut me some slack on any typos because my vision is still a bit blurry. Please point out any typos! I'd be eternally grateful.
I think all my drug intake led me into a more philosophical and contemplative state. I hope you enjoy the chapter! 2K here we come!
~ TheNightMarauder