I pulled into the mall parking lot, searching for an open spot. Once I finally found one after what felt like an eternity, I parked. The music from Coen's phone shutting off with the car. We all stepped out of my car, Kenji and Blair's steps faster than Coen and mine as he pulled me back from them.
"I don't know when it would be a good time to tell you this, and I'm not really great with holding important information so here, read this." He reached into his burgundy coat pocket, pulling out his phone to show me a picture. I brought the phone up to my face, beginning to read.
"Dear Coen McAllister, The Yale Admissions Committee has completed its evaluation of this year's candidates and am genuinely sorry we are not able to offer you a place." I glanced over at him, a blank expression on his face. "Damn. I know your father really wanted you to go to Yale."
He sighed and quickly swiped his phone screen to the next picture. "Read this one. Words littered the screen along with purple confetti. Coen pointed to a line, and I began reading.
"Dear Coen, Congratulations! On behalf of the admissions committee, it is our great pleasure to offer you admission to NYU!" I could barely finish reading before I whipped my head to the right. With a giant smile on his face, he waited for my response.
"You got in?! Oh! My! Gosh!" I jumped up and down in excitement, my arms immediately wrapping around him in elation. "I fucking got in! Greatest birthday gift of all time! You're the second person I told. Told my mom earlier when she took me out for breakfast. She was really happy, more than I expected really." My heart fluttered seeing the smile on his face when thinking about the good time he had with his mom. Must of been the first in a while.
"Why are you guys screaming?!" Kenji snapped us away from the joy, a concerned look on his face.
"Guess who got into NYU? Me!" It was now Kenji and Blair's turn to engage in our screaming. Bystanders trying to simply walk to their cars had no choice but to look at the group of teenagers screaming in the winter sky.
I was so happy for him. And even more happy now that we would both be in New York City together. We stepped into the warmth of the mall, removing the fur hood of my coat before the heat caused my scalp to sweat.
My fingered wrapped around his hand, turning his attention toward me as I patiently waited for his phone call with Dominic to end. "Hey, I know your relationship with your parents isn't the best and you don't have too many people in your life that genuinely look to for advice and love so let me be the person to tell you that I am incredibly proud of you and your accomplishments. You set a goal and you reached it through hardships, pain, anger, and grief, but you made it and I am so happy for you." I could feel my own eyes welling with tears that I quickly smiled away.
Coen leaned forward, placing a small peck to my forehead, a huge smile on his face. "Thank you, Serenity. It really means a lot to hear you say that. I admire you in more ways than you could imagine." His gaze after he finished talking begged me to look deeper than the surface level of his words. I searched for an answer in his eyes but the purposely hid behind his smirking face.
I could stare into his eyes for hours. He was never one to hide his emotions well, you could usually pinpoint his mood with ease. But those eyes told a million stories in a simple second. Those eyes could make you fall in love with the way they viewed the world and in turn fall in love with the boy they belonged to.
"C'mon love birds, the birthday boy has some shopping to do." Blair tugged at Coen's arm, moving us along through the store.
We hadn't found anything good in the first couple of stores we looked in, so we swiftly moved forward in the mall. There was barely any shopping occurring, most of the time spent was us having conversations and dancing to the crunchy music playing through the speakers.
Blair began shopping once we made it to a makeup store, urging me to buy an new eyeshadow pallet and teach her how to look glam.
I had felt a little down because this trip was for Coen's birthday, but although he didn't purchase anything, he looked to be having the time of his life.
"I'll find us a table." I glanced around the food court, attempting to not make awkward eye contact with strangers as I landed on an empty table against the grand windows. "Do you want anything?" Kenji asked. "Uh just get me a pretzel and a lemonade please." He nodded, scurrying off with the rest of the group to stand in line for food.
I sat down at the table, taking a second to retie my shoes and check my phone's notifications. Time passed as I responded to Joey's text message, inciting a conversation about Tyrone and the bad influence group of guys he was hanging out with. When things got rough, it was easy for him to fall back in with the bad crowd he followed while still in foster care. It had us worried.
My thoughts we cut off by the sudden sight of boots in front of my feet. My gaze peered up quickly, thrown off by the mysterious presence of someone in front of me.
"Can I help you?" I asked. He took a step back once he saw my expression. "S-sorry. I just wanted to come over here and tell you how sexy you are. Like your sexy as hell." The teen could barely get through the sentence without turning around for validation from his friends and obvious glances at my lips.
"Can I sit here?"
"Nah the seat—" He took the seat, anyway, not bothering to listen to me. I turned my attention toward him, my eyes boring into his own. "The seat is taken. Move. I don't want any romance with you so please respect my wishes to be alone right now."
"Baby, you don't have to be like that." He reached his hand forward toward mine. I quickly pulled away, anger and anxiety surging through my body. "Do not touch me. I said no, now walk away. Do not attempt to coerce me before I embarrass you in front of your little friends."
He looked back at his friends, them laughing at him being rejected. "Well, the seat is taken by me. You don't have a boyfriend as I can see."
"Well then you must be fucking blind. Get up and leave my girl alone." Coen zoomed towards his table, his torso pressing against the chair the guy was sitting in. His friends quickly dispersed with embarrassing ooh's as the guy turned around to look at him. Kenji and Blair walked around to my side of the table, enjoying the interaction happening in front of us.
"I'm sorry bro, I didn't know she was your girlfriend." He stood up, moving the chair out for Coen to sit. "Even if she was single and ready to mingle, she clearly didn't want to mingle with you. Why is that you only respected her no after I, the man, came into the picture? That's fucked. Walk away." The boy quickly sent an apology my way, scattering towards the direction his friends with.
Kenji rubbed a soft hand on my back and Blair sent me a soft smile, handing over my food. Coen huffed, sitting back into the chain. He took my hand in his, rubbing a soft circle over my knuckles. "You, okay?" I nodded. "More so angry than anything. I'm okay."
"We can leave if you want."
"No. No. This day is for you, don't worry about me." I leaned forward, bring his hand up toward my mouth for a small peck. He grinned, a small giggle leaving his mouth before he rose to his feet. "I always worry about you. We can go, really, it's fine. I don't really like the energy here any more anyway." The rest of us hesitantly asked him again to make sure before we all finally left the mall.
The drive dropping everyone off at home was better than our entire time there at the mall. From karaoke, song quizzes, and lots of rapping out of the open windows, we had a blast. By the time Kenji and Blair were dropped off, Coen was almost asleep in the front seat.
I pulled the car over in front of his house, the both of us sitting in silence for a little while, simply enjoying the gently heat and piano playlist on shuffle.
"I had a great birthday. Thank you, Serenity. It means a lot." He leaned over, giving me a tight hug, and then went to open the door. It was still locked of course, and to his confusion, I purposely didn't open it.
"Hopefully this will make your birthday feel even more special. Put this on." I reached into my backseat, pulling out the sleeping mask I had Kenji bring for me. He reluctantly slid it on, a nervous grin on his face. "Ren, what is this."
"A surprise. You have to feel the gift before you can actually see it." I opened the arm rest, pulling the surprise from in between us, and placed it into his hands. Confusion flashed across his face, and he felt all over the boxy case.
"Uh, its cold and it feels like a glass box."
"Correct, it's a case. Would you like to feel what's inside of the glass case?" He nodded his head yes, waiting patiently for me to open it. I pulled out the baseball, placing it into his hands. He rolled it around, confusion on his face once again.
"A baseball?" He asked. I nodded at first, quickly answering vocally once I realized he couldn't see me. I put the baseball back into the case, excitement entering my system. "Before I let you take the blindfold off, I just want you to know that I am insanely happy we are close friends again and that I'm able to gift this too you with immense love and support and not as an awkward pity gift. Before we began going our separate ways, my dad and I began keeping tabs on a certain kind of baseball. Summer of sophomore year with great help from my dad, I was able to purchase it at an auction. And then everything with Carson occurred and it was never the right time to give it to you except now. Happy birthday, Coen."
I pulled the blindfold off, his hair ruffled with the action. His eyes quickly darted down toward the baseball in his hand. His reaction was priceless. From excitement, to disbelief, to water eyes filled with happiness and surprise. "I-is that Jackie Robinson's signature?! There's no way. H-holy—Wow! Serenity I don't even know what to say... Serenity! I can't take this." He pushed it back toward me. "Yes, you can."
"No, I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"No, I can't."
"Yes, you can! And you will. That's what a gift is. Letting someone know that you appreciate them and love them without expecting something in return. You are a gift in my life. A constant reminder than I can be every positive thought I've ever had about myself. You tell me that I can be confident. You tell me that I can be fun. You tell me that I can love and I'm worthy of it in return. And although this gift might not do the exact same for you, I hope it's a start to showing how much I really do appreciate you."
He looked stunned at my speech. His mouth opened numerous times while he searched for the words to say. His shoulders rolled back as he took in a deep inhale. His eyes wet with tears. His blush lips pulled back into a smile. His blond hair ruffled into a cloud. His chest rising and falling in a dance with my own as the sound of our breathing consumed us.
"I know I've said it so much within the past couple of months that it may have lost its meaning, but trust me when I tell you, thank you, I absolutely mean it." I brought us in for another embrace, the smell of his cologne filling my nose as we sat there masking in each other's warmth.
He closed the car door, sending me a final wave as he went into the house. My phone buzzed with two simultaneous messages. The first from Coen, telling me to drive safe. I smiled, but the smile vanished as soon as I read the next message from Joey. A single sentence sent me speeding down the road, praying there weren't any speedbumps. A sentence saying, Come home. ASAP.
All sounds faded away and what once was a calming sound of my breathing became replaced with fear. I had no idea what to expect. What would I find? Someone dead in the driveway? A burglar whose weapon was waving in my family's faces? The pessimistic thoughts churned panic and once my car made it to the driveway I raced inside.
That's when I saw her. The wicked witch of every fucking direction.
Her tattered clothes and smell of cigarettes. She had lost more weight than the last time I had saw her. When she turned to look at me, her sunken eyes brightened, hoping her manipulative efforts would work on me since they didn't work on the others.
"Why is this bitch in the house." I spoke sternly, growing rage laced within my vocal cords. "I've been saying the same thing but apparently Wes wants to hear her out." Joey muttered. And although his speech was riddled with anger, sadness loomed over everything. That's what always happened whenever she came around. She was an explosion. And even after we picked up pieces left behind, her dust settled everywhere, and some spots were just impossible to get rid of.
There was a barricade. Wesley behind mom and dad, Tyrone in front of them, and then Joey right in her face.
"Let her through. I wanna hear what she has to say." Wesley spoke marching towards Joey. "Wes, I don't think—" I tried to speak up, but his eyes stopped me in my tracks. "It's my mother. Please." Reluctantly Joey stepped away from her, slowly and unsure.
"Oh Wes, baby you look so grown up." She threw her hands forward latching onto his neck. The smell of alcohol strong in the air once she opened her mouth. He pried her hands off of him, looking at her with deep disgust.
"Why are you here?"
"Wes, I love you wh-what do you mean—" before she could finish his hard voice filled the stiff atmosphere.
"Why the fuck are you here?!"
She reflexively took a step back. A fearful look in her eyes. She knew she wasn't going to be able to manipulate him anymore.
"Do you want money? Because that's the only reason you have ever come to see me." His wiped harshly at his face, not wanting to let her see him cry. Everyone stood stuck in their spots. We had seen Wesley angry; we had seen him sad, and we had seen him fearful, but the sight of how much he hurt absolutely broke my heart.
She stepped forward again as she began to force out her tears. "I just need a little bit. I have a debt I have to pay. I just—if I don't, I might be in some serious trouble." Wesley laughed, a tear sliding down his cheeks. I couldn't let him fall apart alone like this. I aggressively brushed past her, making sure I body checked her with my shoulder before wrapping my arms around Wesley. I moved him away from her, his hands shaking as they wrapped around my waist.
His mother called out to him. The emotional façade falling to anger. "You know what these people will do. I'm just asking for some money, that's all. Are you seriously gonna let your mom possibly get hurt?"
"Oh, shut up!" My mother interjected.
"I am so sick and tired of your fucking bullshit Isabella! You don't give a fuck about anyone but yourself. You made your own bed, and so now you and only you will have to lie in it!"
There was only one time I ever heard my mother curse. Tyron and I had been riding our bikes outside, and when a texting driver swerved and almost struck us, her words flew. This was different. It was deliberate. She wanted to make sure Isabella understood she was not to be played with, especially in regard to her children. My mother took a deep breath and regathered herself.
"I refuse to sit here and waste my breath on someone who is not deserving. Your parental rights are gone, and you are breaking the law by being here at our house. Wesley got the mother the deserves and it is certainly not you. Now if you would excuse me, I have to take care of my children. Wes baby come here." My mother opened her arms allowing Wesley to walk over and embrace her in a hug.
Isabella huffed, looked around at our family before solemnly letting out a "sorry" and leaving the house. Joey quicklywalked over, locking the door back. Wesley hurriedly jogged up the stairs, of his sniffles triggering my own tears. Joey rubbed a comforting hand onmy back. "He'll talk to us when he's ready. He always does. Right now, he just needs to be alone."
MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLINGS!