"Crash or Turbulence?"
Astrid's P.O.V
I linked my hand with Carter's and led him back to the bed that was full of food. I took a spoonful of Nutella and watched as the smile lit up on Carter's face. At that moment, nothing mattered. The number of calories was just a unit of energy, not my worst enemy. Weight and size was only a meaningless number. It was a feeling I had long forgotten, and for the first time, I was happy. I wasn't scared of being happy; I wasn't afraid of having my happiness ripped from me. I was just content knowing that I was the reason that Carter was smiling.
"I'm definitely not looking forward to school tomorrow," I whispered. Truthfully, I would be happier if I could just sit around with Carter all day.
"You still never gave me a tour around the school, as you told me you would on the first day." He mentioned while taking a seat next to me and grabbing some food.
"I think you know your way around by now," I commented.
"Carter, it's getting late. I have to go." I told him after realizing how late it indeed was. Sadly my eleven o'clock curfew was fifteen minutes away.
"Spend the night," Carter suggested.
"Come on, you know I can't do that," I stated.
"But I'll get lonely." He whined.
"You'll see me at school tomorrow..." I replied with an eye roll. I'm not that special.
"Give me your phone," Carter demanded.
"You can't convince my mother," I argued.
"Give me your phone." He repeated.
"Carter." I protested. He let out a soft sigh before climbing across the bed to where I was. He effortlessly slipped my phone out of my pocket and walked off into the bathroom.
I let out a sigh at how annoying Carter could be at times. After a few moments of thinking about only one person, I realized that I was alone. That was the first time in a long time that terrible thoughts hadn't attacked me. The corners of my lips tugged upwards. Maybe things were going to change for the better.
"You're staying," Carter stated while stepping back into the room.
"No... There's no way..." I whispered in disbelief. My mother barely knows Carter, yet I'm allowed to spend the night? I know I spent the night before. However, Elle was here. This was different, Carter and I would be completely alone.
"If you want to, you can," Carter said before tossing me my phone. Once his hands were free, he took off his shirt, and as always, I was mesmerized. He let out a deep chuckle before speaking.
"I can put my shirt on if it makes you feel uncomfortable." However, he knew I enjoyed him being shirtless. The reason he liked being shirtless around me was that he enjoyed watching me so... so vulnerable.
"That's what I thought..." He commented before sitting across the bed from me, facing me.
I didn't manage to think of a witty reply. I didn't have the time because, after a few seconds of staring into those ocean orbs, he did something we both wanted. He leaned towards me and lowered his lips to mine. His lips instantly molded to mine. There was everything in that kiss, insecurities, mistakes, regret, pain, passion, lust, and youth. I snaked my arm around Carter's neck, summoning his body to mine. He pulled away for a second, letting our foreheads connect.
"That was incredible." He began.
"Past tense?" I questioned. Carter's hands squeezed my hips, pulling me on top of him.
"Oh, I'm sorry... That is incredible." He corrected. While leaving my fears and insecurities behind, I allowed my lips to come in contact with his soft lips. I don't know where this burst of unexpected confidence came from, but I could tell I wasn't the only one who liked it. His fingers toyed with the loops of my jeans, attempting at removing any possible space between us. It was as if we craved each other in a way that being affectionate couldn't fix.
"How did you even convince my mum?" I questioned after our kiss had ended.
"Well, I told her that you were tired." He began. A blatant lie, I thought. "And I told her that you'd be sleeping in the extra bedroom." He added. I let out a small laugh. Carter and I both knew that none of us were leaving this room until it would be time to go to school tomorrow morning. My mother was either really gullible, or she had a lot of trust in me, and I was genuinely hoping that it was the latter.
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I awoke the next morning to the scent of eggs and bacon. Confusion set in once I realized that I wasn't in my bed. Memories of last night flashed through my mind, and a smile tugged at my lips. Last night was different from most nights, and for some reason, I liked the change.
I maneuvered my way through Carter's room to the kitchen. I was quite familiar with the layout of his house; however, getting from one point to another was still considered a difficult task due to the size of his home.
"Good morning!" Carter cheered as I stepped into the kitchen. He rushed to get us each a plate of food.
"Thanks," I said while taking a plate and munching on a strip of bacon.
"I think you should spend every night at my place," Carter spoke; he obviously had no filter in the morning.
"What time is it?" I questioned, ignoring his comment.
"8:25," He answered.
"Carter! The bell rings at 8:30!"
"I know." He calmly replied. How could he be calm about this?
"We'll take my motorcycle." He added.
"Go get dressed," I ordered.
"You can wear some of my clothes." He suggested while wiggling his eyebrows.
"Yeah, you know how that would look to everyone else at school, right?" I inquired.
"I don't mind if it looks like that." He told me.
"Well, I do. I'd rather stick to the clothes I have on." I responded. "Now hurry," I commanded.
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(At lunch)
"Ooooooh, you spent the night at Carter's house." Harlow teased.
"And you showed up late to the first period." Jayden chimed in. I couldn't stop my cheeks from going red, which obviously gave them the wrong idea.
"Oh my god, Astrid! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She questioned.
"What do you mean?"I asked.
"Stop playing stupid. You know exactly what I mean." It's true; I did know what she meant, but just how she assumed that I had sex with him after spending a night at his house made me laugh.
"I didn't, don't worry," I informed them, stopping the rumor before it even started.
"Well, Jayden and I-" She began, but I cut her off by putting my hands on my ears and making loud noises. They both howled with laughter.
"You guys are both my close friends, and I accepted the fact that you two would be in a relationship. However, I don't want to hear about your sexual encounters." I alerted. They both burst into fits of laughter.
"Just the fact that you refer to them as sexual encounters," Jayden said before laughing uncontrollably again.
"I'd rather choose a more advanced vocabulary than most of the people here," I commented.
"Like Vicki?" Harlow questioned. I let out a small laugh while realizing that I really didn't notice Vicki's glares anymore. Sure, she continued to threaten me and glare at me, but I was so caught up with everything else that I didn't really notice.
"I've got to go get my book from my locker, I've got music next, and I don't want to be late," I told them before getting up and heading to my locker. I wasn't as lucky as Carter when it came to my locker placement; I didn't have my locker right across from the music room. Sadly, I had to go upstairs. Instead of having to walk through the crowd, I always left lunch a few minutes early whenever I forgot my book.
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I slipped through the door, entering the music room, my book loosely in my right hand. I was the last one to enter the music room, and my entrance caught the eye of a few people. I wanted to go unnoticed. However, that obviously wasn't the case when Vicki strutted over to me and smacked my book out of my hand.
"Oops, sorry, Linnea." She sarcastically said in her sweet voice while putting her right hand in front of her mouth. Everyone roared with laughter. It didn't bother me much, because I was quite happy and I wasn't going to let something as insignificant as this ruin my day. When you've felt so sad for so long, you don't really want to let go of happiness when it comes back into your life.
Carter quickly rushed to pick my book up for me. All of the 'popular' kids in the room gasped at this. I almost forgot that most people didn't know how close Carter and I were. I mean, our relationship mainly strengthened over spring break, so most kids were utterly clueless that the biggest loser was so close to the most popular boy.
"Thanks," I told him while giving him a small smile and rushing to my seat.
Music was my favorite class, but I just couldn't help but realize something: If Carter continued to be kind to me in public, everyone would soon notice and treat him the way they've been treating me. I didn't want that. Especially considering that he changed his entire appearance just to fit in when he was younger. He's done nothing but helps me, and I've done nothing but bring him down. If I distanced myself from him, would it help? Obviously not. I obviously couldn't let him go. I cared for him too much. I fell for his charming games. I did the one thing I reminded myself not to do.
-------------------------------------------
I spent the entire period just thinking about Carter and how bad I am for his reputation. After the bell rang, I quickly bolted out of the room. Well, I tried to. To my surprise, I was yanked back by a strong hand on my wrist. I knew who it was by the chills running down my spine.
"Carter Daniels." I guessed before spinning around to see that my assumption was right.
"I'm sorry about earlier." He whispered while stepping closer to me.
"You can't apologize for something you didn't do," I informed him. He took another step closer.
"That's true, but it doesn't mean that I'm not sorry that it happened." He told me.
"It's fine," I replied while turning to head to my next class, but as no surprise, Carter spun me around again.
"No, it most certainly isn't." He complained.
"Carter, we're going to be late." I protested while successfully stepping away from him. I didn't make it far, though. Once I reached his locker (right outside of the music room), he stopped me.
"Will you just talk to me for a second?" He asked.
"We share the same fifth-period class; you can talk to me there," I suggested.
"No, right now, Astrid." He argued. "I don't care about school, grades, or being late. I care about you, so will you just talk to me?" He questioned. I realized by arguing about how little time we had that we were actually wasting time, and it was evident that he wasn't changing his opinion any time soon. I nodded my head in agreement.
"Why don't you ever stand up for yourself?" He asked.
"What's the point?" I inquired.
"Astrid-"
"No, Carter, you don't get it. By being close to me in school, you're going to be treated just like me if you don't stop."
"What if that's what I want?" He inquired.
"Why would you want that?" I asked.
"Because being near you is worth it." He told me, and I froze. I didn't care that the ear-splitting bell was ringing, I'm sure I just heard him say that I was worth it. That was definitely a first time for me.
"I don't think you fully understand the conversation we had in the hotel room, Astrid. When I said you've helped me realize who I really am, I meant it. You changed me for the better, and being bullied is only like turbulence on an airplane. It's only momentarily, and the rest of the plane ride will be smooth." He said.
There was only one fault in what he said: The plane could always crash.