"Shit, I left my whole backpack in the locker room," Colt stared at me after his practice. In fact, this was the only thing he said to me since last Thursday. I didn't drive Colt home on Friday because he just hung around with his teammates before the game, which I didn't even go to. All in all, the tension between us was extremely eminent.
"Can you please get it for me," Colt asked stupidly, "Please, please. I'm so exhausted, I can't walk back there." I think I almost saw him smile, almost.
I stared at him frustrated for a whole minute. First he accidentally drags me to the see the guy I like ask someone else to homecoming, then kisses me, tells me he has to take someone else to homecoming, tries to convince me that someone else is going to ask me, now he is expecting me to walk across the parking lot, to the boys locker room to get his fucking backpack. First of all, what dumb ass leaves their backpack at school. Secondly, it's bad enough that I am still driving this asshole around like a chauffeur when I did not even get my end of the deal. Third of all, all of my mom's high school buddies' daughters officially got asked to homecoming and my mom expects me to find a date this week, so I can go shopping with them this Saturday.
All in all, this week fucking sucked.
"Listen, Colt," I grunted between my teeth, "We need to talk about this deal. I am not driving you around anymore, you can either take the bus or use an Uber, quiet frankly, I don't care. I am not your servant to go and fetch your backpack."
"Autumn, please," he begged, "please, I'm sorry about the homecoming thing. I already told you that I'm going to fix this for you-"
"I'm not a charity case!" I let out angrily. All this bitterness I've held in for four days slowly began to creep out.
"I'm not saying you are!" Colt spat back, "Please, Autumn, for Christ's sake."
"No," I pressed my foot down.
"Fine!" Colt exhaled, "I promise today will be the last day you drive me, just please!"
"Fine, for fuck's sake!" I cursed at him and stomped away from him towards the school.
I knew Colt can sometimes be a little self centered, but I have never seen him this egoistical and rude. He always treats girls nicely and acts all gentlemen-like; I guess I am his exception and I don't deserve the kind of respect and care he gives to the rest of the girls.
I finally stepped inside the school and slowly walked to the locker room, taking my sweet time. I promise today will be the last day you drive me. That voice repeated in my head the whole walk. As much as Colt pissed me off today, I do not want to not drive him. His company the past few weeks really grown on me, and I would drive him for the whole year if I could. Some days he would be so drained out that he would lay his head against the window and sleep. Not going to lie, he is a cute sleeper- the way his eye brows always crinkled together. Some days he would still be pumped and play some trap music at blast and sing terribly and loud along to the lyrics, distracting me as much as possible. Other days he would be exhausted and just share with me some of his arbitrary wisdom. He once told me: "I wonder whose arms I would run into, if I was drunk in a room with every girl I have ever been with it."
I reached the locker room and just walked in not caring that I'm technically not allowed in. I wondered, too. If I was drunk in a room with Neil and Colt who would I choose? There were characteristics and little things I liked about both. The way that Neil's eyes sparkled, his laugh, and the way he's attentive. But, Colt's smile really tops.
Colt is goofy, but sometimes he cares and notices the little things I do. He reminds me to eat if I forget or when I feel off from a bad day, he always asks if I'm alright- almost everyday. I even like the way that Colt curses, the way he act tough on the field, and the way he cares about school instead of being another football player using his sport as an excuse to turn in homework late or miss a test. Most of all, I like his presence next to me whenever I drive home and without him there, I would feel empty.
Sighing, I found Colt's black overflowing backpack. I took a moment to glance around the locker room to see what the difference it is between the girls. Nothing much, except it smells more and you can tell that each locker is a landfill. I placed one strap of his backpack on my shoulder and noticed the bouquet of sunflowers on the bench. I picked it up and held it in my hand. I wonder if this is Colt's. I figured no one else would leave it here and knowing Colt being oblivious enough to forget his backpack he would probably forget these too. If anything, he is probably asking Holly to the dance today with these flowers. Some stake pained through my chest and my stomach tightened.
I'm not jealous of Colt asking someone else to homecoming, I'm jealous I am probably not going to go period. Sure, it's a dumb dance, but even I have to admit that it wouldn't hurt to have a guy like you enough to think about you and want to go out of their way to ask you as a date.
Speed walking back to my car, I squeezed the bouquet tightly in my hands and grasped as much as I could on Colt's heavy backpack. He must have had two bowling balls stored in it. From afar I saw Colt holding what must have been a chalk or marker- some sort of writing utensil, I guess- and drawing on the back of my car. I can't believe him. He makes me go all the way to school to get his shit and now he is vandalizing my car. He's so ridiculous. I even saw blue and pink balloons tied on the side mirrors. At least, I think they're balloons?
"Colt what the hell are you doing," I threw his backpack to his chest as hard as I could. He caught it with ease.
"I see you found your flowers," he smiled widely. His cheeks turned tomato red. Honestly, mine must have too.
"My flowers?" I asked slowly.
"Yea," he whispered.
"What about-"
"Look," he interrupted and pointed to wear he written. He was very excited. On the back of the rear window, Colt had written in his neatest handwriting HOCO?. Suddenly it all seemed clear. His arbitrary request that sent me to the locker room, the flowers, the balloons, the message, they were all connected to his melodramatic homecoming proposal.
"You're asking me to homecoming?" I barely choked out.
My stomach felt like a sick rollercoaster ride and I was sure Colt could hear my heart pound under my chest. Is this the feeling of being asked to homecoming, because it is stressful and horrifying.
"Yea, I'm asking," he laughed.
"Oh."
"Oh?" Colt snapped, "Autumn, I thought you needed this. I mean, I know this is what your mom wants, but I figured you'd want at least a decent asking rather than me just saying 'yea, let's go to homecoming together'. What's the problem?"
"Well, what about Holly?" I immediately questioned. I wanted to do nothing but hug Colt tightly, but somehow Holly stood between us- even when she isn't here.
"I got someone else to ask her. Look, Autumn," Colt swatted the topic away and took a few steps closer to me with only a few inches between us, "I want to ask you. I promised you a date and what better guy to be your date than just me, huh?"
"Thank you, Colt," I smiled and hugged him tightly dropping the flowers.
At first, Colt left his arms by his side. Eventually, he slowly lifted them up and wrapped his arms around my back.
"No problem."
The rest of the ride home was silent. Not an awkward silence, but the type of silence where you just want to soak in this memory and remember it forever. As we got closer to his house, Colt eventually explained the plans for homecoming with pictures, dinners, and such. We also clarified that today really won't be my last day driving him, and we obviously both said that out of frustration in the heat of the moment. He gave me one last look as I pulled into his driveway and he just waved goodbye and left. I didn't expect too much- he thought of this as part of the deal. He was just being courteous because I have driven him around for almost a month.
There was one thing I was looking forward too, though.
"Hey, mom!" I strolled in, slamming the door and protecting the bouquet in my arms.
"Sweetie, you do not need to make such a commotion every time you come home," she nagged from the kitchen. I don't have to see her to know she's rolling her eyes.
I waltzed into the kitchen swinging the sunflowers and lightly tossed them on the kitchen counter in front of her to see.
"What's this?" she paused her stirring of the soup in the pot.
"Congratulations, mother," I said not holding my excitement in. I waited three years to be able to finally please her and shove those stupid homecoming proposal flowers into her face, "A boy asked me to homecoming."
She dropped her wooden spoon on the floor and squealed. Forgetting about the state of the soup, she ran to me and gave me the tightest hug she has given me since I must have been a toddler. I've never seen her so happy. She immediately rambled asking for every detail about him and the proposal, I have never seen her eyes glow so bright and her so excited in general. It was one of the few moments I found my mom enjoyable to talk with.
It was this moment that I realized, if I were ever was drunk in a room with Neil and Colt, I would choose Colt.
Yay! Both sides of the deal have finally been met! But its not over yet, there's still a lot more to expect between these two. Hopefully I'll be able to publish the next chapter around Thanksgiving, but please comment and vote, hope you guys liked this! :) x