-twelve-
Kate
I can't speak. I'm literally speechless. Why the hell would he do this? "N-No!" He looks at me as if I'm the weird one. "Look Stryder. We've been a little too comfortable with each other lately and I'm not comfortable with it. I realize I started it, but you finished it, and that's that. If you want to continue dating we can. It's basically useless at this point but I'll do whatever you want." He just sits there smirking, not acknowledging a thing I just said.
"Did you even listen to me?" He shakes his head. "Those hickeys were a little distracting." My eyes widen. Holy shit I forgot about them! I run past him and to my bathroom. There were four bright red and purple hickeys on my neck, just sitting there, out as day. I clench my teeth. I turn around to run to his room, but I run into something hard and I fall on my ass. I look up and see Stryder. I let out a loud grunt. "I'm going to strangle you." I murmur lowly. He backs up with his hands raised in surrender.
"It just seems like you're overreacting to all of this. I've been here, chilling, perfectly fine, while you seem like your hair is about to fall out." I stand up, taking deep breaths to calm myself. Maybe I am overreacting but everything is making me angry today. I guess I shouldn't take it out all on him. "Okay, here's the thing Stryder. You can come to the shop with me, but you can't be bugging me the entire time. I'll actually have to get work done." He nods. "I know, but I could sit there and watch you work, see what you're good at." I nod. I shoo him out so I can get dressed. Once I am, I grab my phone and keys and go downstairs. "I'm leaving Stryder!" I yell as I walk through the front door. He quickly catches up with me and we walk to my truck. Me in the driver's seat, him in the passenger's.
I drive to the shop, we get out and greet Eddie. "Hey Slick, who's the friend?" He asks, smiling knowingly. "My roommate, nothing more." He nods still smiling. They shake hands and I go to my garage. Stryder follows. I put on the overalls and I open the garage door, telling people I'm open. Stryder takes a seat near my toolbox. The first customer comes in and I get to work.
***
I had worked on about six different cars and Stryder sat there, watching the whole time. I thought he'd get bored and leave, or at least go get something to keep himself busy, but he never did. Once I finish up, I close my garage and I take the overalls off, washing the grease off of my arms, face, and hands. He gets up and stands next to me. "You know you look pretty hot with that grease on your face." I turn my head and look up at him. He smirks. "And so did those other guys. They checked you out the entire time you worked, did you know that?" I look at him and nod shamefully. "Yeah, it happens all the time. Eddie had to kick someone out one time because he had grabbed my ass." His eyes widen. Shit, I knew I shouldn't have told him.
"But don't worry! It's not a big deal. After that, no ones made a move on me. Only sometimes do they watch me intently. I'm okay." He looks at me as if I had just said the dumbest thing ever. "This job alone isn't safe. Now you have to worry about scum eyeing you and watching you creepily? I don't like that you work here." I put my hand on his chest out of habit. "Look, I know it doesn't seem right and it makes me very happy you care, but look around." He does as I ask. "You see all the men wearing the outfit I was wearing?" He looks back at me and nods. "They're all like my older brothers. They literally treat me like a sister. I don't know if you noticed but a few have been eyeing you, making sure you weren't a bad guy. Before I leave they're going to want to meet you."
He looks at me astonished. "You've got a good thing going don't you?" I nod. "They've made me a part of their family as cheesy as it sounds and I love all of them. Even Eddie, he's like a grandpa to me." An easy smile falls onto his face and he nods. "Okay." He puts his arm around my shoulder and we walk to the back door, walking inside the store. "Bye guys, have a good weekend!" I shout. They all shout, 'wait' or 'get your ass back here.' I smile and stop in my tracks, stopping Stryder too. They all took their break and came up to Stryder and I let out a laugh with a real smile. I start from my left, making my way around. "Harry, this is Stryder. Stryder, Harry." They do a manly handshake. "Teddy, Stryder, Stryder, Teddy." They shake too.
We do this with each man, William, Jacob, David, Jason, and Eddie. "Tell us about yourself young man," Eddie says with a smirk. "I'm eighteen, I play baseball and football. I'm going to college in Texas on a sports scholarship, I have a baby sister, and I live in a really big house with my parents, Kate, and her dad." They all look at each other and nod approvingly. My face burns. "You guys realize we're just friends. He's my best friend and he has been since he was one and I was born." They were acting like my dad when I had first brought Gunner home. They all back up, giving us space. "Doesn't matter babe, even if he's just a friend, we're going to make sure he checks out. We don't want some fake dick making you sad." Jason says, pulling me into a hug. I hug him back with a laugh. "Of course," I say pulling back. I check my phone and smile sadly. "You guys have to get back to work. I'll see you on Monday!" They nod and I wave goodbye.
As we get into the truck he looks over and smiles. "I'm happy for you." I look over at him questionably but he's already looking out the window. I start driving us home and think about what he said. Was it an actual compliment or was he just mocking me? I clear the thoughts. Life was going pretty good at the moment, no need to overwork myself for something as simple as this.
***
The next week passes and we did nothing. In every class, we just hung out and talked. Autumn and I had lots of fun gossiping about people. We also talked about her and Ryan's relationship. Apparently, they kissed the night he had asked her to prom. They just recently had sex for the first time together and supposedly it's the best sex she'd ever had. It made me happy that she was so content with him and her life. She deserved it.
As I open my eyes to someone yelling from the door I let out a loud groan. "Come on Sweetie! You need to get all dolled up! Graduation is in less than three hours." Lee yells, turning on my light and going to wake up Stryder. Anna comes into the room with some dresses and her makeup kit. She closes the door and makes me take a shower. She sits on the toilet talking to me about my plans for college. I get out, drying my body. I sit on the toilet and she blow dries my hair for me. Once it's fluffy and dry she makes me put on the dress I'd chosen as my favorite. Once it's on and making my body look really hot, she sits me down on my bed so she can do my makeup. It's a simple look that matches the red dress I was wearing. Once that's done, she curls my hair then braids two strands in the front to make me look like I was wearing a crown.
I slip on my black heels then stand in front of my mirror. I looked absolutely stunning. I blush. "I actually look really good, thank you, Anna!" I say, my eyes watering. I hug her tightly. I sniffle, making sure no tears would ruin my makeup. "Your mom would be so proud of you beautiful. You've done well." I smile with so much appreciation a tear escapes. I quickly dry my eyes, trying my hardest to not ruin the makeup.
We walk out of the room together and down to the kitchen. We meet my dad putting a tie on Stryder. My heart fills with joy. My dad finishes and he turns around to look at me, by now Anna was gone. His face is in complete shock, mine a red mess. Before either of us can fix ourselves, Anna takes a picture of our reactions. My face burns even brighter. Stryder still looks at me as if I'm the best thing he's ever laid eyes on. "You better quit undressing my daughter with your eyes, son." My dad says sternly. My eyes widen. He lets out a loud hearty laugh. "One sir, we're just friends, two," He turns to me with a smile. "You look fucking radiant." Anna gasps and he looks at her with a sorry smile. She rolls her eyes with a smile. He walks toward me. "Seriously, you look hypnotic. Gunner's going to realize what he lost tonight." My heart warms. He could be nice, he really could.
I put my hand on his chest. "You actually look very dashing." His cheeks tint pink. I smirk and walk to the table, grabbing the noticeably smaller cap and gown. Then I grab my phone and walk to my dad's car. Stryder grabs his stuff then follows me. Anna looks at him incredulously. "What, we sit next to each other, might as well ride together." I look him dead in the eye. He smiles as if he didn't know. "My last names' Hart. Get your shit together O'Brien." His eyes sparkle as he laughs. He walks to his mom's car and gets in. They drive out of the garage as my dad and I follow. I look over and see him tearing up. My heart aches. "Oh dad, don't cry! You're going to make me cry." He smiles lightly.
"I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're going to leave me." I laugh loudly. "Dad! I'm not going to leave you. I'll visit every Thanksgiving, Christmas, any holiday I can. It'll be expensive but I'll do it. You mean too much to me not to." He grabs my hand and gives it a light squeeze. We ride in a comfortable silence the whole way there.
The parent's find a comfortable spot in the bleachers while Stryder and I put our gowns on and find our seats. Everyone is called and we all walk up, grabbing our diplomas with wide smiles. There was a professional photographer up on the stage, ready to take our picture once we had our diplomas in hand. This was one of the most exhilarating feelings I've ever had. I feel so good right now. I couldn't be happier. Throwing our caps into the air was my favorite part. The entire graduation had lasted a good three hours and it was around two right now. Prom was in five hours and instead of getting ready, Anna was throwing Stryder and me a graduation party. I don't wipe off my make up or take out my hair, but I change into something more comfortable.
Eddie and the boys all come with a small gift to wish me luck in college. They were upset that I was leaving but I told them, they had my number. They all smiled and mingled with the other guests. After about thirty minutes of talking to total strangers, I'm just sitting in their little gazebo out back, a cup of juice in my hand. I was staring out toward the pool and the people, but really I was daydreaming. "Hey Shorty, need anything?" He asks, sitting next to me. I snap out of the daze and slowly bring my eyes to look at him. His hair was a mess, his brown eyes radiating with happiness, his dimples so utterly visible. I smile lightly. "No," I inhale, looking him in the eyes. "I'm okay," I reply softly. He smiles and nods.
"Well, I've already talked to Ryan, Noah, Autumn, and Alicia and they're all on board. Now I just got to ask you." That had piqued my attention. I look at him tentatively. "My family owns a beach house in Sicily, Italy. College starts in about three weeks. I figured why not take a long, relaxing two weeks at our vacation home. You, me, and those four idiots." I look at him wide-eyed. "One of the clearest oceans in the world, that Sicily, Italy?" He nods. I jump out of my seat, spilling my drink all over the grass. Stryder stands up and I ram into him with a hug. I don't think I've ever hugged someone harder. He lets out deep happy chuckles.
"Glad you're excited Shorty, but we're leaving on Monday." I pull away from him slowly. "TWO DAYS?!" He smiles. "Yeah, so after prom, you'd better start packing." I look at him dead-panned. "Sorry it's so poorly planned, but college is soon, so it was now or never." I shake my head. "Alright." He smiles and walks back to a group of baseball boys.
The party lasts another hour and a half. Few kids had even gone for a swim. It was now four and prom started in three hours. Alicia, Autumn and I are in my room, getting ready together. We have 2000's throwbacks playing as we fix our makeup and hair. It's loud enough for all of us to sing our hearts out, but low enough for us to gossip and talk happily about our future. After an hour, we were all perfect and ready to put on our dresses. Out of the dresses Anna had brought earlier, this was my absolute favorite. I decided to save it for prom and I'm glad I did because it looked ten times better than my graduation one. We all had to help each other get in the dresses, which took a good forty-five minutes. We take a million pictures, then hug, and the other two go to their boyfriend's house. Stryder came downstairs and once he saw me his mouth dropped. Luckily our parents weren't down yet.
"How do you physically look better than this morning? How is that fucking possible?" I look at him and blush so, so hard. "You know, you're kind of sounding like my actual boyfriend." He walks closer to me and cups my face with his right hand. "I don't care. You look like a goddess and I'm going to let you know it." I smile, then hug him, making sure my makeup wouldn't smear on his shirt. We pull apart and follow Anna outside. She had run down the stairs with a camera in her hand and made us follow her.
We stood next to the back wall of their backyard. It was a nice beige color, there were trees and flowers all around, and the sun was hitting our skin perfectly. We were literally golden. She made us pose and his arm was around my waist, while my hand was on his chest, we were basically side-hugging. She took a few, then told Stryder to hold me bridal style while I had my arms thrown into the air. He lifted me up with no warning and my arms instantly flew up. I was laughing really hard so when I saw the flash out of the corner of my eye my heart skipped a beat. "I wasn't ready, oh no! I probably look disgusting." Stryder was still holding me, so as soon as I had said that, he set me down. "You don't ever look disgusting! I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."
I blush hard. We were staring intensely at each other, making so much eye-contact. I hear the sound of the camera, but I don't break eye-contact. I probably looked like a tomato but I hope it looked like I was standing up to him. "You guys have to get along, at least tonight." We look at her and nod. I check my phone and gasp. "The limo should be here in like a minute!" Stryder starts walking inside, I follow closely behind. I give my dad a quick hug and Stryder kisses his mom's cheek. "Bye guys! Have fun, be safe, and if you stay the night at a friend's house, let us know." We smile, getting into the limo. "Will do!" Then we're off, driving to Ryan's house. We pick those two up, then Noah and Alicia.
We go to the diner and order the fattiest foods. We pick a booth that would fit us all and our dresses. People normally go to a five-star restaurant on prom night, but we weren't normal. This place held so many memories and we figured the best way to spend our last night together for school was here. As we're all eating, I look at everybody tenderly. "Not too long ago I came to this school sad and hurt. Not in a million years did I think I would make such amazing friends. I love you all, so much." They all reply with 'I love you' even though they had food in their mouths. I laughed and got all teary. "Promise me after college we'll all find a way to meet up?" They all nod and Autumn gives me a big side hug. It was six-thirty and we figured it was about time to leave so we could make it to the hotel.
***
We walk in, each, arm-linked to our date with smiles. We walk into the heavily decorated main hall. We start dancing to the happy fun songs. Halfway through, a slow song finally comes on. At the time I was at the food table getting a drink. Someone had tapped my shoulder and I set my drink down turning around. Stryder extends his arm and bows down. "Will you, Miss. Hart, dance with me?" I nod, giggling. I take his hand and he pulls me into him, so we're chest to chest. My arms rest around his neck, his on my waist. My cheek is pressed against his chest and we sway back and forth. It was so comfortable, it felt right. It wasn't awkward like that eighth-grade dance where they tried making us pair up for a slow song. I had a feeling like this was the exact place I should be.
After the last dance took place, everyone hugged, swapped numbers, and said their final goodbyes. This was the last time our school was going to be in the same room. Many tears were shed and lots of girls were leaving with black tears running down their face. I'll admit, I'm one of them too. Stryder keeps me in a comforting side hug all the way to our limo.
It was around one or so when everyone got dropped off. We walk in through the doors as quietly as possible. Up the stairs and to our rooms. We say goodnight, hug, then I say 'thank you for being my date' then we're in our separate rooms. I get into the shower and wash everything as fast as I possibly could. I dry myself off and run to my bed. My hair was wet and unbrushed but I was so tired at this point I didn't even care. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
***
I wake up around ten in a frenzy. I had to start packing or I was not going to be able to go tomorrow. I grab a piece of paper and start making a list. If we were going to be there for two weeks, I need about ten different outfits, two bathing suits, and like two pairs of shoes. I open my closet and dresser and just stand there. I grab two summer dresses, three pairs of pants, four pairs of shorts, eight shirts, two hoodies, and eight pairs of socks. Then I grab my vans and throw them on the bed. I'd wear my Birkenstocks on the plane ride there. Then I go to my bathroom and just stand there, thinking. Shampoo, conditioner, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup bag, moisturizer, lotion, scrunchies, and hair ties. I take all of that and throw it next to the clothes.
I start rolling my clothes and I put them inside my bag, leaving as much room as I could. I set the vans in the bag and start stacking everything else around it. I zip up the bag then put it next to my door. I get a small travel bag and put my headphones, wallet, sunglasses, and chapstick in it. I'll put my charger in it tomorrow. I look at my clock and see that it only took an hour to pack.
I flop back into bed and just lay there. What do I do now? Just sit and wait in anticipation? I'm too twitchy for that. I sit up and run downstairs to find Anna, Lee, and Delilah all dressed up. They turn around as they see me coming into the kitchen. "Good morning dear," Anna says, fixing Delilah's little ponytail. "Good morning guys, where you off too?" Right then I hear Stryder come into the kitchen in pajamas. "Church," Lee says, pouring his coffee into a travel mug. I look at him weirdly and he smiles. "We're not Mormon, obviously," He and I laugh. "But we go to church for my mom." I nod and get a box of cereal from the pantry.
I pour myself a bowl when my dad comes out in a suit. I drop my box and smirk at him. "I'm going to church too, don't give me that look." I laugh. "I didn't know any of you went, do you always go?" Anna nods. "You and Stryder are usually asleep or in your rooms." I nod and look at Stryder who's eating a bowl of cereal. "And you don't go, ever?" He shakes his head. "I'm an atheist." I nod. "Well see you guys later then!" I yell as they all walk out the front door. They smile and are gone about a minute later. As I eat I feel someone staring at me. I hope it isn't Stryder because I looked gross. My hair was in a messy bun, I had no makeup, meaning my eyebrows weren't done. I look up and make eye contact with him. Neither of us looks away and we continue to eat. My face starts getting warm as he smirks. I look down quickly.
He lets out a small chuckle and I look back up. "What smirky." He smirks again. "You blush so easily, why?" I look at him confused. "I do not!" He stares at my eyes, then he closes his. "Wow, I forgot how good you looked na-" I let out a yell and he opens his eyes. They sparkle mischievously. My face burns more than it had in a while. "What did I tell you." He says through laughs. I shake my head. "Okay, so? Why does it matter if I blush easily?" He shrugs. "I just wanted an excuse to test my theory out." He gets up, walking to the sink and rinsing out his bowl, then exiting the kitchen. I get up and quickly rinse out my bowl. I run up the stairs to follow him to his room but he's gone.
I roll my eyes and knock on the door. When he doesn't open it I turn the handle and burst inside.
"SURPRISE!" I let out a scream and then stumble into Stryder. If he wasn't behind me to catch me, I would've fallen onto my ass. I look around and see Anna, Lee, dad, Delilah, Autumn, Alicia, Noah, and Ryan. Then I see a birthday banner hanging on his wall. The realization hits me like a bus. "I TOTALLY FORGOT TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone laughs.