"Tyler... you're here. Um... hi... I didn't know you stayed over," I stuttered, averting my eyes.
"Oh... ah... yea, I stayed over," he said plainly.
"Um... d-didn't we... wasn't there a party... or was there supposed to be one–"
"You don't remember what happened last night?"
"N-no, I don't at all. Wh-what happened," I asked, trying not to focus on the bulge poking at the fabric of his towel.
Seeming to ponder what to say, Tyler blankly gawked at me.
"I... we did have a party, but... we left before anything wild happened," he chuckled.
"Ah man, I can't remember anything," I said slowly, rubbing my head.
Tyler grinned, making me grin in response, catching me off guard as he took a step closer.
"Do you have any clothes.... clean clothes I could wear?"
"Uh... yea of course," I swallowed.
"I'll go get some," I whispered, feeling my cheeks burn as I walked away.
Tyler |
He doesn't remember anything... good.
At least that's taken care of. No one else knows what happened last night after we left.
No one ever has to know.
But... I'll know.
I just need to act as normal as possible... normal Tyler.
...
Greyson |
Tyler and I walked side by side into the school, neither of us saying a word unlike every other usual day.
He seemed more out of it today, not greeting people as he usually does as we walked down the halls.
He was thinking about something.
Walking into our first class, I eyed Genevieve, the bibliophile of our group of friends.
As always, her curly hair was covering a portion of her supple face as she was deeply invested in a book, her brown eyes so full of wonder, scanning over each page quicker than a type writer.
Like most days, she was wearing a pastel colored cashmere sweater, modestly cropped near her belly button and a black leather skirt and belt that was complimented with black tights and black heeled boots.
She was sitting in our group of desks, which consisted of four.
Tyler sat beside her, and I sat in front of him, momentarily smiling at him before he averted his eyes to look at Genevieve with a smirk.
Neither of us were shocked at all from her being so enthralled with her book not to notice us; I would be lying if I said she knew we were there.
Whenever she reads, it's like she drifts off into a deep galaxy, hundreds of light years away in her own world.
Suddenly, she turned the page and made an excited noise as she scanned over a certain paragraph moments later.
Tyler looked over at me and winked, a smile forming on my lips as I knew what he and I were about to do.
At the same time, we shouted her name and watched as she calmly looked up from her book to shine her innocent eyes at us with a smile.
"Oh hi guys, I didn't even see you come in."
"We know," Tyler and I said together.
Tyler eyed her book and lifted up the bottom of it to see the back.
"Wow, this is like the sixth book this month. What's this one about huh?"
Seeming to get excited, Genevieve bit her lip as she held the book to her chest, tugging a curl out of her face to speak.
"It's about this girl who moved to a small town and would soon run into a boy that's had recurring dreams where he sees a girl but doesn't know that it's her that he's dreaming about. She has powers, and when she turns a certain age, she'll either be good or bad and use her powers accordingly."
Waiting for our reactions, she hummed to herself excitedly, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling with joy.
"Oh wow," I said a little too sarcastically.
She frowned and kicked me under the table.
"Ah."
"I actually like how it sounds so far," Tyler grinned.
"Thank you, at least someone appreciates good stories," Genevieve chided, eyeing me.
I rolled my eyes.
"What's up guys," Ellie said enthusiastically as he sat down beside me.
"Hey Genevieve," he continued, speaking sweetly now.
She rolled her eyes in response.
"Hey weirdo," she said plainly.
Tyler |
"Oh Genevieve, so full of love and compassion. I love you too," Ellie chuckled.
I smiled at the conversation and eyed Greyson who seemed to be amused as well.
The sound of a page turning made me look to see as Genevieve grinned in response to what Ellie said.
"Gen, how come you didn't come to the party last night," he asked with a smirk.
She glanced up from her book with a smirk.
"Because I, unlike you... Ellie, have more important things to worry about, which includes my own business," she said plainly.
"Well you missed out on my killer moves, I was the sexiest thing there last night. You could've gotten a full show, a lap dance and more for the lonely price of your attention."
"Oh please Ellie, I already get enough of you at school," she sighed.
"Anyway, I would never go to a high school party and be surrounded with all of those overly coquettish girls and presumptuous guys that think they can get any girl they want just because they have abs," she retorted firmly, flipping a page of her book.
We all looked at her as if she had just said something in another language.
Lifting her eyes, she rolled them moments later.
"You guys should honestly invest in a dictionary," she sang.
At that point, the teacher came in, taking everyone's attention accept Genevieve's.
"Good morning students," Mr. Jamison sang enthusiastically.
We all said good morning except Genevieve, who turned another page of her book within the same minute of the last time she turned a page.
I caught Greyson looking at me and grinned when he pretended to be looking at the wall, the ceiling and everything else but at me.
He's been staring at me a lot lately.
"So, referring back to our recent lesson, I'd like to pick up from where we last ended. With argumentative essays, there's a formula to getting a nine, which is the highest score that you can make on an argumentative analytical essay. There's, first the thematic thesis statement... which... can anyone explain what that is?"
"A thematic thesis statement is ultimately the paragraph that displays a complex representation of how one receives or discerns the meaning of a work, expounding upon it while answering the essay prompt."
Genevieve squinted at her book after answering, never looking up to see if she were correct.
"Exactly," Mr. Jamison smiled.
"Next, are the body paragraphs, which should always start with a claim, a sort of statement that is essentially a nexus between itself and the thesis statement."
"Nexus," Ellie and Greyson both whispered, confused.
"It's a connection within a certain situation or system," Genevieve whispered in a singing voice.
"Pff, I knew that," Ellie whispered, smirking at Gen.
Catching a glimpse of Greyson rolling his eyes, I chuckled.
"Let's use an example for a good thesis. Mmm, in the book, Of Mice and Men, there were many things that conflicted with each other, benevolent and malevolent, strange and logical. So, a good thesis statement would be–"
"Although perplexed by the onerous nature of his ambitious endeavors, brought on by the ignorant yet innocuous behavior of George, Lennie finds that his freedom isn't as tangible and benevolent as his friendship with George as he's driven to kill him in the end. In of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, through the meticulous use of symbolism and morbid foreshadowing undergoes a strenuous sequence of events leading to a tragic end."
Mr. Jamison only grinned as Genevieve finally put down her book to find everyone staring at her.
"Did anyone who speaks Spanish understands what she just said," Ellie asked sarcastically, earning a laugh from everyone.
...
Greyson |
Standing in the lunch line, regret built within me as I thought about Tyler, hating myself that I most likely got drunk at the party and had to have him take me home.
The last thing I wanted was to possibly embarrass myself in front of him... even though he probably wouldn't have cared with it being me.
I can't believe I let myself drink so much.
What if I was pressured into doing it?
Just forget it... I guess nothing bad happened being that everything else seems to be normal.
But I'm guessing I didn't embarrass myself too bad; no one is pointing and laughing at me for anything.
Next time, I'll avoid any drinks.
Sitting in front of Tyler as he played with his food, I was momentarily stunned as he lifted his blue eyes so suddenly to pierce into me.
Looking away from me seconds later, he seemed to be yet again deep in thought as he stared into his plate.
Unlike in our English class this morning, he seemed more sad about something than thoughtful.
Before I could muster up enough courage to say his name, Ellie sat next to me and grinned when Genevieve sat next to Tyler with her lunch bag.
She began to pull out bags of vegetables and fruit, taking out a smaller book to lay it flat in front of her to grab water from the side pocket seconds later.
For once in his life, Ellie was silent, weirdly smiling at Genevieve as she bit into an apple while reading a book with no care in the world.
I found myself staring at Tyler now, eyeing his almost shaky fingers and drowsy expression with concern.
"So Tyler, wanna tell us why you aren't talking our heads off about football like usual," Genevieve asked suddenly.
Looking at her, I was relieved that someone had asked.
Tyler looked up to meet my eyes which triggered a small grin onto my lips.
He looked over at the others as they both stared back at him.
Genevieve watched me now, her eyes darting from me to Tyler as Tyler glanced at me before he sighed.
"It's nothing," he said plainly.
Tyler |
Good job at acting normal, now everyone wants to know what's wrong with you.
Greyson's staring at you like whatever's wrong is his fault.
Ellie's raising an eyebrow at you, and Genevieve of all people is concerned and actually looked up from her book for me.
The food on my plate was cold now as I let my fork drop into it to prop myself up with my elbows.
I can tell that no one believes that there's nothing wrong with me.
I had to come up with something.
"The party last night... I... just got really tired I guess. I didn't get enough sleep?"
Genevieve nodded, humming with a raised eyebrow.
Greyson nodded and stared down at his folded arms while Ellie continued to chew and stare at me with an unreadable expression.
"Alright then," Genevieve finally gave up.
"So, does anyone have any plans for today," Ellie asked apprehensively.
Greyson didn't respond, so neither did I.
"Well since Tyler isn't in the best mood, how about you all just come over today? I'll make you guys that unhealthy trash you like; someone can bring a game, and we can just relax."
Genevieve finally put down her book to look up at us, waiting for our answers.
Greyson nodded, so I nodded as well.
"Sounds like a plan babe," Ellie shrugged.
Genevieve sighed and rolled her eyes in exhaustion.
"Well, be there around three hours after school, I have chores," she nodded.
"I'll definitely be there, because otherwise I'd be square," Ellie cheesed.
"Why are we friends with him again," she asked seriously.
...
Walking alone to my next class, I blankly stared at the floor, watching Greyson's black converses hit the clean school floor with each step.
He and I wear the same shoes size, which is super convenient at times, especially when matching certain clothes like today.
He and I share a lot of things in common.
Like we both love football, have a liking for really cheesy pizza and... having ever kissed another guy.
Holding onto my book bag straps, I was lost in my own world, not really paying attention to where I was going.
There was something about that kiss... even with Greyson being drunk and completely unaware of what he was doing.
I can't exactly pin point what it is... what it was, but it was like he awoke something special in me... something new... something I've always had maybe?
This morning, I was able to hide my feelings well, but... the more I think about it, the less I want to admit that what happened was real.
I can barely look at him now without feeling nervous, his sweet grin making me feel all the more guilty because I know something that he doesn't... something that involves him but doesn't at the same time.
Bumping into someone, I realized I made them drop their things, so I quickly jumped down to help with wide eyes.
"I'm so sorry."
"No... it's fine."
I looked up to see that it was the girl from the party that I kissed.
She grinned at me and gathered the rest of her books.
Standing, we both stared at each other.
"I'm sorry... again," I began, closing my eyes in frustration.
"No, no, like I said, it's fine. I never told you my name."
"Oh um, right, right... mine is Tyler."
"I know yours silly," she giggled.
"My name is Natalie, Natalie Crenshaw."
She shook my hand with her free one, her touch so delicate and soft in my hand.
I grinned when she held onto my hand a little longer before letting go.
"Hey... my friends and I are going to hang out later today, maybe you'd want to come?"
"The crew? Sure, I'd love to come," she smiled.
She told me her address and watched me with hooded eyes as I typed it into my phone.
"I'll come pick you up after school," I grinned.
"Can't wait," she soothed before walking away.
Looking back at her, I wondered if I made a mistake.
...
Greyson |
Walking into my house, I saw my mom sitting on the couch reading a magazine.
"Hey honey, how was school?"
I sighed to myself but flinched when she looked up at me concerned.
"Something wrong?"
"N-no mam, it's fine. School was great."
She narrowed her eyes and sipped her tea while staring at me.
"Right," she smirked, obviously not believing me.
"Nothing happened between you and Tyler did it... no fights?"
I slowly grinned, shaking my head.
"No mam, not to my knowledge. But he was acting strange today."
She smirked.
"Of course you'd notice–"
"Mom."
She shrugged and laughed.
"Hey... I'm just saying, my boy knows his man."
I blushed and groaned.
"Please don't do this right now," I pleaded, embarrassed.
"Alright, Alright, ill save my pestering for another time," she grinned.
Standing at the door for a while longer, I nervously shifted my weight on my feet.
"Uh-oh, should I be worried? You've been standing in the same staring at me like a deranged stalker."
She eyed me now and slowly nodded with an "Oh" face.
"What is it," she asked with amusement.
"I... is it alright if I go over to Genevieve's house? My friends are hanging out."
"Oh sure, sure. Ya know what the drill is," she grinned, nodding for me to go upstairs.
She was referring to how late I can stay out before coming home.
"Thanks," I yelled, running to the stairs.
Upstairs, I walked into my room and saw that it was spotless, which I know for a fact wasn't the way I left it this morning.
Eyeing a note on my desk, I saw that it was in Tyler's neat cursive handwriting.
"I couldn't stand it."
I grinned, glancing around my room trying to remember if I noticed it at all this morning.
Almost tripping over Tyler's shoes, I picked them up and stared at them.
I wonder what was really wrong with Tyler today.
Putting down the shoes, I walked over to my bed to sit with a plop.
He's never acted like that before.
And I know when he isn't telling the truth; he always unintentionally bits his lip and avoids eye contact when he lies.
As I fell back onto my bed, I smelled a faint scent of Tyler's usual alluring smell, enveloping my senses as it was rich in the pillow.
Thinking about it more, I tried to remember what happened at the party and afterwards, my head hurting with all of the effort.
After a moment, I got a small recollection of Tyler's confused expression looking up at me.
I frowned in confusion and thought nothing of it as I stood to change clothes.
...
I parked in Genevieve's driveway, her yard so distracting with hundreds of flowers and strategically placed gazing balls near the walkway to her front door.
I saw that I was the only one there besides Genevieve and her parents hopped out to go inside.
Knocking a few times, I was a bit surprised to see Genevieve's giant of a father answer it to smile at me.
"Hey, if it isn't my favorite wide receiver with feet like lightening bolts."
"Hey Mr. Danico," I said quietly as he patted me on my back.
He was dressed in a black tailored suit and smelled of axe.
"Hey, when the rest of your friends get here, tell them the Danico Giant said what's up," he said in a very manly, deep voice.
"Yes sir," I chuckled nervously.
The clicking sound of high heels approaching made me look over to see Mrs. Danico wearing a red gown, her makeup and hair so heavenly adorned.
"Hey Greyson," she said cheerfully.
"Tell Genevieve we'll be back later tonight," she said as she walked past me.
"Yes mam," I sighed.
They left, leaving me alone in silence.
I was about to shout Genevieve's name until I heard calming music faintly fill the silence.
Walking around, I noticed that it came from a door near the kitchen.
Pressing my ear up against it, I slowly opened it to see that it was the basement.
As I tiptoed down, I was momentarily amazed by the smell of freshly baked cookies and cupcakes.
I saw perfectly dressed cupcakes and delicious looking cookies along with two big bottles of soda and big bags of chips on the counter.
My attention now on Genevieve as she was getting our paper plates and cups, I grinned.
"Hey Gen, it sure smells great in here."
"Oh hey Grey, thanks, I made everything myself," she said, not looking up from what she was doing.
"Your parents asked me to tell you that they'd be back later on tonight."
"Awesome, more quiet time for me when you guys leave," she sang.
She turned around and then visibly regretted what she said.
"Or... if you guys stay longer, I don't mind having you," she chuckled.
I nodded.
There was a ring at the door.
"Must be the others," I mumbled.
My heart began to beat faster for some reason as I followed Genevieve up stairs.
I stood a bit away as she opened the door.
The door slowly opened to reveal Tyler's face, which made me smile; but when the door was fully opened, there was a girl holding his hand.