Hello, Honeybee

by Caity H.

  “The usual,” I added, feigning a chipper tone.

  His lips slipped into a lopsided smile, his tongue again prodding his lip ring, twisting it slightly. “I’m sorry to miss out,” he revealed. “Rain check.”

  “I’m holding you to that, Ryan Newly.” I pointed at him once before stepping closer. His arms wrapped around me, his warm scent engulfing me in a cocoon of safety. When I stepped away, he gave Bethany a hug goodbye, too.

  “Bye, Ryan,” Bethany and I chimed in unison.

  He waved, heading toward his car. “I’ll see you ladies later.” His car started and he drove off.

  Bethany grabbed her backpack from her car, and we both changed into our PJ's, settling in on the couches downstairs for a movie night. It sucked that it was a school night, but it had been a long day and I didn’t mind falling asleep to someone falling in love. Hopefully it would give me good dreams.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Bethany murmured as the movie started.

  “I will be,” I answered, yawning through my words. The yawning was infectious, and soon Bethany was yawning as well. Sighing, I snuggled down into the blankets and pillow, relishing the smell of my vanilla and raspberry hair products.

  My mind drifted off into La-La Land, memories of Lex and our childhood filtering into my dreams.

  Chapter Ten – Late Risers

  I woke up to the sound of Bethany snoring. The sun was streaming in through the windows. I stretched my arms out in front of me, feeling my muscles tense up a little.

  I dropped my arms back down and yawned. The TV was on and the main menu for the movie was still going. I reached forwards and grabbed the remote, turning the TV off. I rubbed my eyes wearily and got up off the couch.

  In the morning, I tended to be clumsy, and it remained that way today as well. I tripped over the rug and hit the ground. I felt the urge to curse, but held in the evil words. My fall was loud, and therefore woke up Bethany.

  “You're loud,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “Shut up,” I grumbled, rubbing my knees before I stood back up. I walked into the bathroom and looked at my reflection. It was blurry. I grabbed blindly at the counter, putting on my glasses. “Ew,” I winced. With a little water, I washed off the excess makeup and smoothed down my hair again.

  When I walked back into living room, Bethany was still zonked out on the couch. I laughed slightly and searched for my phone. No doubt it was hiding somewhere between the cushions, it liked to do that. A lot.

  Finally, my fingers connected with the plastic case of my phone, and I pulled it out to check the time. When the screen opened up, I nearly dropped my phone back onto the couch.

  Today was a school day, it was almost ten o’clock. Sugar honey iced tea!

  “Bethany Bridges!” I practically screamed at her.

  She jolted, nearly landing on the floor. “What?” Clearly, she was in no mood to be so rudely awakened.

  “It's Wednesday!” I shrieked. She tried to think of why Wednesday was important. “You are so dense sometimes, Bethany! School!” I said the word loudly to add emphasis.

  Her eyes widened. “Oh crap.” She shot off the couch and we both scrambled to get ready for school.

  I’d never managed to get ready so fast before. Within ten minutes, I was dressed, primped, and fed. Bethany, likewise, had sped through her morning rituals and was ready to go. We got in the car, and she started toward school.

  “We're so going to get busted for being late,” I groaned. “My mom's going to have a cow!”

  “Yeah? Well then my mom is going to have a cruise ship!” Bethany replied, watching the speedometer.

  I blinked. “That sounds painful.”

  “It will be. Now stop talking, I need to focus on speeding!” She groaned.

  “If we get there at the perfect moment, we’ll be there right before classes get out, and we won’t have to go to the office for being late,” I tried to think positively.

  “I hope we get there at the right time then,” she mumbled, her eyes glued to the road, and her foot pressing farther down on the gas pedal.

  Like I’d predicted, it was a few minutes before second period class let out, and we could easily slip into the crowd unnoticed once they got out of their classes.

  “I need to get my stuff out of my locker. I’ll see you in homeroom.” Bethany waved, heading down the hallway toward her locker. I nodded, moving in the opposite direction to find my locker and grab my homework.

  One of the main doors opened and blinding light streamed in. A shadow splayed across the ground before the door shut, the shadow disappearing. I looked up, expecting a teacher back from a cigarette break.

  Instead, Lex came in. Droplets fell from his blond hair onto the white material of his shirt. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. “Hey…”

  I raised an eyebrow confused. “You still have them?” His hand went up to the red glasses on his face. “I thought you threw them away.”

  “I tried,” he acknowledged. “Mom took them before I could, claiming I would need them again one day. Guess she was right.”

  I smirked, touching my own glasses. “Guess so. I’m sort of jealous though, I miss my red ones.”

  He grimaced. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “So you admit it was your fault?” I challenged, raising an eyebrow. I’d always known he did it on purpose, even if he claimed otherwise.

  “Suppose I should own up to it at some point,” he muttered.

  “You have denied it for a while,” I agreed, grinning. A glance at the clock told me we still had a few minutes before the rest of the student body was released from class.

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Whatever, just take the apology and move on.”

  “Apology accepted. Now, why are you wearing the nerdy red glasses?”

  “My normal alarm clock was missing this morning,” he replied.

  I cocked an eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about?”

  He grinned slyly. That wasn’t a good sign. “The morning dance routine of course.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. “Excuse me?” the words were barely audible. There was no way he knew about my morning ritual.

  “Don't kid, Honeybee, you know what I'm talking about. Every morning around six o'clock, you blast your music really loud and have a dance party. They're quite loud, but very entertaining.” He winked.

  “Who else have you told?” The realization that he could’ve told other people about it made me sick to my stomach. The possibilities were endless, people halfway across the world could know about my morning dancing. I wanted to find a rock and hide under it.

  “Well, no one yet. Why? Did you want a bigger audience next time?” I felt my cheeks heat up. Why did I love him? How could I love him? “That could be arranged,” he sneered.

  “I hate you.” I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “You asked why I’m wearing glasses. I’m simply answering your question.”

  “You bug me,” I grumbled, pulling my bag higher on my back.

  “Honestly, stop saying things that relate to honeybees. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get to my locker.”

  “Why? To get your books?”

  He scoffed. “I need to get my contacts. I'm not wearing the siren glasses all day long,” he said, moving around me. “Until homeroom, Honeybee.

  "Yippee,” I deadpanned, continuing down the hall. The bell rang and the sound of footsteps and doors opening filled the hallway.

  “Oh, Honeybee.” I turned back to him. He was smirking again. That had to be a bad sign.

  “What?”

  “I'm so coming over to your next dance party.” He winked, walking away.

  “Who said you were invited?” I mumbled to myself, losing myself in the crowd.

  The rest of the day went by in a blur, every class blended into one big fog. I was thankful when school was over. I walked down the path, past the tall trees that cast their shadows down on me. I ti
lted my head to glance at the sky before I continued walking.

  The bench where I normally sat was vacant, so I slipped down onto it. Bethany would be along soon enough.

  I watched the car drive past me down the street, absently playing with my hair as I did so. I sat cross legged on the bench, and pulled out my iPod, sticking one earbud in. I started humming along with the song.

  “Boo!” A voice said right by my ear.

  I jumped, my feet slamming to the ground. I turned to glare, my gaze faltering upon seeing who it was. “Jeremiah?” I raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

  “Bethany,” he murmured dreamily, a lazy smile on his face.

  I rolled my eyes. “Does it look like I have her?”

  He shook his head. “No, it doesn't. I was just telling you what I wanted.”

  I turned away from him, already annoyed by his presence. My heart ached for Bethany who had been dealing with him for the past few weeks. “Was there something in particular that you needed help with?”

  He sank into the spot next to me, his arm draped over the edge of the bench. “No. I'm just waiting for, Bethany.”

  “You guys are in the same class, why are you waiting?”

  “She said she needed a few minutes to get ready,” he shrugged, stifling a yawn.

  “Where is she going?” I groaned. Couldn’t he give me a straight answer? Why did men beat around the bush? Why did anyone?

  “Ask her.” He jerked his thumb behind us. I turned and saw Bethany walking over. Her white skinny jeans and pale blue blouse made her skin seem even tanner. Her makeup looked like she’d touched it up, and her hair had more work done to it than earlier.

  “Bethany, where are you going all dolled up?” I asked. Jeremiah once again grinned.

  She glanced at Jeremiah, her lips in a firm line. “Jeremiah, can we have a minute?”

  “Sure, I’ll go get my car.” He hopped off the bench and started toward the parking lot. Bethany’s eyes followed him, her lips pursed in thought.

  I raised an eyebrow. “You going to tell me what’s going on?”

  She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. “I think he slipped me something. I don’t know why, but I agreed to go out on a date with him.” I gaped. “I know,” she mumbled, pulling on the ends of her hair lightly. “I’m hoping, after this date, he’ll see I’m really not the girl he wants, and just go away.”

  “You’re going on a date with him to get out of dealing with him in the future?”

  “See!” She smiled. “You understand me.” I smirked, shaking my head as Jeremiah’s car pulled up to the curb. Our eyes moved to him.

  “You ready?” he questioned, revving the engine impatiently.

  “I’m taking my own car,” she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

  He sighed, and nodded. “Fine. But don’t stand me up,” he warned. She nodded, waving him on.

  “Are you going to stand him up?” I giggled, knowing it was something she would do.

  “No,” she muttered begrudgingly. “I want to get this over with. I plan to be done before six tonight.”

  “Yeah? Home early because of homework or a stomach ache?” I grinned, giving out the usual excuses I’d heard on T.V. I learned everything I knew about love from movies and T.V. shows.

  “More like I’m just going home,” she replied easily. “I’m not going to con my way out of a date. That will just leave room for him to assume I wanted to go longer, when really, I had no interest at all.”

  I gasped, feigning shock. “You’re so much smarter than any of my love advisers.”

  “I know.” She glanced at her watch. “I should go. I still have to call my mom and tell her what’s going on.”

  “Have fun with that,” I laughed.

  “Do you want a ride home?” she asked, a smile lighting her eyes at the excuse to be even later to her date.

  “No, you go. Have fun, flirt and stuff,” I said, raising a fist in excitement. “I’ll walk home.” It wasn’t that far. Plus, I ate too much junk food. A walk would be good for me.

  “Fine,” she grumbled, pulling her keys out of her purse. “Call me when you get home so I know you didn’t get murdered or kidnapped.”

  “What if I sprain my ankle?” No one ever cared about ordinary, everyday things that caused people to not get home.

  “If you sprain your ankle, call my mom. She’d love to practice some of her first aid on you, I’m sure,” she laughed. She pulled me in for a quick hug before heading toward her car. “See you later!”

  “Bye,” I called, before turning and walking home. My Bethany was growing up. Soon enough, she’d be flirting with boys she actually liked, staying out until obscene hours of the night, and gallivanting around the town with her boy toy.

  Smirking, I slipped my headphones in and turned the music up. It was a beautiful day for a walk.

  Chapter Eleven – To Curse, or Not to Curse

  As I was stepping up to the house, my phone started vibrating in my purse. I dug it out and flipped it open. “Hello?” I mumbled, searching for my house keys so I could get out of the heat. I swear it had climbed ten degrees on the way home. I felt gross and sweaty.

  “Hey, honey,” Mom greeted.

  “Hey, Mom, what's up?” My fingers clasped around my keys. Hurriedly, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The air was considerably colder, and I shivered at the temperature change.

  “I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. I have to work late. There is some money on my dresser for you to order pizza. You can have your friends over if you’d like, but I’m already exhausted, so no late nighters,” she sighed. I could imagine her leaning against her desk, chin in her hand, as she talked to me. No doubt, a cold cup of coffee sat on her desk untouched. She always kept busy at work.

  “Alright. I hope you finish up soon.” I let my purse fall to the floor and slipped off my shoes. The wood flooring was chilly on my bare feet.

  “Thanks, honey. I'll talk to you later, clean up after yourself,” she requested.

  “I will. Bye.” I clicked the conversation to an end and set my phone down on the small table near the door where Mom dropped mail, keys, and whatever else she had on her person when she came in the door after work.

  Walking upstairs, I yawned. My body hadn’t woken up all day. All I wanted to do was fall into bed and take a nap. The top stair took me by surprise, and I nearly tripped. I hated being tired. I always forgot the simplest of things, like the fact there was another step.

  Once in my room, I shut my door and moved to my dresser, pulling out a pair of black cotton pajama shorts and a dark purple tank top, laying both articles of clothing on top of my dresser.

  I turned on my iPod, letting music blare through the speakers. I pulled off the lacey white dress that hugged my curves, laying it over the chair. Next went the leggings. My muscles relaxed, swaying with the music. I pulled on cotton shorts, still dancing around to the music. Anywhere else, I wouldn’t dare dance around in shorts and a bra, but in my room, I didn’t see the problem.

  As I turned to grab my tank top, a curse word nearly spilled from my lips. Twice in one day was not a good sign. I clutched the tank top across my exposed abdomen and bra, closing my eyes. The heat rose to my cheeks, and I wished I had thought to shut the curtains before dancing around.

  Across the street, Lex stood in his window watching me with an amused smirk. Considering how big the smirk was, he'd been watching me for a few minutes. He gave a small wave, still watching me.

  Angrily, I shut the curtains and fell down on the bed groaning. “Curse that boy.” My phone rang, without looking I picked it up and placed it to my ear. “What?”

  “You ruin all my fun,” was the reply before the call abruptly ended.

  It took a few moments for realization to hit me. “Lex!” I growled. After pulling my tank top on, I searched for my flip flops, heading in Lex’s direction.

  When I reached his fr
ont door, I noticed that his parents weren’t home yet. I supposed they were still at work or something. The door was unlocked so I went straight inside. Lex never was one for details and things like locking the door or minding his own business when his next door neighbor forgot to close her curtains.

  I stepped inside and shivered at the cold temperature they kept their house in. I slipped off my shoes and raced up the stairs going straight to Lex's room. I pushed open the door and was met by, as he would call it, a manly scream. I froze in the doorway.

  “Honeybee! What the heck are you doing?” Lex danced around shirtless, hurrying to pull his shorts on. I could’ve sworn he was dressed when he decided to be a peeping tom.

  “Knockings for losers?” I quoted, unsure of myself.

  “Stop looking,” he demanded.

  I frowned and put my hands on my hips. “Funny, you were looking at me,” I recalled, angrily.

  “That's different, I'm a guy.”

  “That's no excuse,” I retorted.

  “Get out!” He groaned, zipping his shorts. I stuck my tongue out and spun on my heel, leaving his room and shutting the door. I skipped down the stairs, grabbed my shoes, and made my way back across the street.

  I slammed my door shut and walked into the kitchen. My hands closed around a tall glass of water and then nearly dropped it when the door opened and slammed again, shaking the glasses in the cupboard. Setting down the water, I ventured back into the entry way, preparing to sprint back to the kitchen and grab a knife if needed.

  Lex stood there, fully clothed now, in gray shorts and a white t-shirt. His arms were crossed over his chest. I mirrored his pose. “What?”

  “You know what, you peeping tom,” he accused, the trace of a sneer on his lips. “I should call the cops.”

  “Somehow, I think the police would side with me when I told them the full story.” I assured him. “Besides, I didn't know you weren't dressed.”

  “You didn't bother knocking to find out either, did you?”

  “You wouldn't have,” I countered, holding my glare. It probably wasn’t as intimidating as I’d hoped. He rolled his eyes and walked into the living room barefoot. I supposed he'd already kicked his shoes off. He was way too comfortable in my house. “What are you doing?”