by Charity Rose
Chapter 7
The phone rings, and on the first ring I pick up, “Hey, so let me start by saying—”
“Hey, we’ve got the entire night,” he laughs. I smile, his voice sounds different on the phone. Deeper somehow. He’s right, though. “So, tell me everything.” I don’t think he literally means everything everything. Because I’m sure he doesn’t want me interrogating him about his past; although I desperately want to know it’s none of my business. Not yet, anyway.
“I told Brad,” I blurt out. I hear him suck in a breath. A few seconds pass by before he replies, “Guessing by your tone, he didn’t take it well?”
“You’re not wrong,” I answer when my mom enters my room without knocking. I clutch it against my chest, “Mom,” I gasp, “What do you want?”
“Your aunt called to see if you could help your cousin with an English assignment of some type? She said you’d know which one,” she asks, leaning against my door frame. I sigh and roll my eyes.
“Really mom,” I whine, “I’m kind of busy at the moment.” I point to my phone, “Critical phone call here. Tell them to get an English tutor. If she wants me to be her tutor, she’s got to start paying me.”
Mom throws her hands up in the air, “I’ll let her know you’re busy,” she says after my rant, and leaves.
I grab the phone and put it to my ear, “Keith, you still there?”
“I’m still here, you’ve got quite the temper,” he says. I’m guessing he heard the entire conversation. Of course, he did Vee, don’t be stupid.
“I do listen, can we just switch back to texting. I don’t want anyone else listening in, my mom doesn’t know yet, and I don’t think my dad ever knew,”
“Fine by me,” he hangs up, and in less than a minute he’s already texted me.
Agent Keith: So, you told him, huh?
Vee: I did, he reacted fine with me, but then Ethan told me he punched a mirror
Agent Keith: He punched a what? So, the mirror didn’t actually fall down. That’s crazy. The guy’s got issues.
I bite my lip. I have to know why Brad doesn’t like Keith. Why he sent me that cryptic message. And I want to know about it from Keith himself. He deserves at least that. I type a quick message and press send before I change my mind.
Vee: I could say the same about you. People say your trouble.
And now it’s too late to take anything back. I clutched the phone against me and lay back in bed and wait for him to respond. I’m surprised. He texts back within seconds.
Agent Keith: So, I’ve got issues? Are you high?
Vee: Are we gonna ignore what happened in Walmart?
I add to the conversation. He hasn’t mentioned it since then.
Agent Keith: Are we gonna ignore the fact that you’ve ignored me ever since Walmart until now?
Vee: Are you seriously answering my question with a question?
Agent Keith: Yes
Agent Keith: Vidya?
Vee: Yes?
Agent Keith: I’ve issues of my own. And they aren’t pretty.
Vee: I don’t think anyone’s issues are pretty, that’s why they call them issues in the first place.
Agent Keith: Do you want to know about them?
Vee: Isn’t that invading your privacy? I don’t know you that well
Agent Keith: I trust you. More than I’d like to admit
Vee: We barely know each other
Agent Keith: Exactly, but for some reason, I feel like I can trust you
As I lie awake in the darkness of my room, I can’t help but think about Keith and his unknown issues. I wonder what they could be? Was he involved with drugs; did he get arrested? Was he in jail for it? I start to go over all the things he could have done that would land him in jail when my mind wanders off to what it would feel like to have his strong arms wrapped around me again. To explore those deep blue eyes piercing once again into mine. I think about the minty fresh smell of his hair, and I wonder what the blonde strands feel like. I’d love to tussle his long bangs with my fingers. I wonder what his lips feel like. I bet their soft but firm like he is. Okay, I’ve officially lost it. I’ve lost it big time. I curl up on my side in bed and try not to think of Keith.
My mind is all over the place, homework, exams, projects due, Keith standing by the cafeteria door looking more handsome than ever. I feel like turning around, but he’s already seen me. So, the best thing to do right now is to try not to get so damn nervous. We didn’t finish our conversation last night, and I’m even more intrigued to get to know him. It’s like playing tug of war with him; every bit he gives I take.
I’ve seen Keith around the school. I’ve seen him around town occasionally when I’m out with mom. But for some reason, I’d never noticed just how damn fine he was. Or really, I had, I just wasn’t as hyper-focused about it. His chest is practically trying to bust out of his tee and his muscular biceps bulge at the hem of the shirt. I watch as he moves across the cafeteria, grabs a tray, and selects a sandwich with chips, apple slices, and water. As he moves his long bangs flutter over the sides of his face. His shoulder back muscles clearly imprinted against the back of the shirt as he moves. His tapered waist plunging in a nicely formed V down into—Snap out of it Vidya!
He walks to where I’m standing because, apparently, I haven’t moved an inch; which means I’ve been staring at him this entire time. “You okay Vidya?” Keith’s eyeing me with genuine curiosity. But I notice the twitch at the corner of his upper lip. He’s trying not to smile. He knew I was watching.
“I-I’m fine,” I stuttered, why does this guy make me stutter?
“You sure about that?” he asks again, his voice dropping a few notes. Rough and sexy. He’s close to me, too close; that sensual tone resonating into my ear and the smell of mint overpowering the typical aromas of the cafeteria. “Want to hang out today?” his voice is normal again, and I wonder if I imagined it, “I know a little patch of grass near the parking lot where no one ever passes through?” I know what he’s hinting at. I’m not stupid. But Angela’s out sick, and I don’t feel like hanging out with any of my other friends. I didn’t want to risk running into Brad. Not yet. I nod, picking my tray up.
“Let’s go then,” Keith says, leading the way. He seemed surprised, and I start to think he was expecting me to turn him down. I decide to surprise him even more and link my arm with his, and we walk out the cafeteria, through the football field and past the bleachers to the rear parking lot where the seniors were allowed to keep their cars.
Across from the parking lot, there’s a little patch of grass, with a small dogwood tree in the centre. It’s cute and covered in brilliant vermillion leaves. The wind blows gently over the grass, just enough to remind you its fall. Keith takes both our trays and sits on the ground at the trunk of the tree. He takes a seat in the ground legs sprawled out, he extends a hand to me, and I take it. He pulls me in faster than I was ready for, and I fall, my body spreading out over his. I lay there, with my head on his chest. I can feel his heart beating a million miles a minute. I raise my head as he sucks in a breath. His eyes stare into mine as I watch his throat, the Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, as he swallows. This isn’t me; I swear someone else is taking over my body right now. What the hell is going on? Why don’t you move, Vee?
Neither of us moves. Neither of us says a word. It’s like we’re frozen in time or stuck in a spell we don’t want to break. We just lay there breathing in each other’s scent; clinging to the calming silence of the breeze. I let myself take this moment. Resting my head on his chest again, I lay there, listening as his breathing steadies and his heart begins to slow. His body shifts beneath me and I lift my head to look at him, and it’s at this very moment when our eyes lock that I feel something spark. And then ignite. And I just know how I should think of him. A slow smile spreads across his face, and I know he feels it too.
We lay like that for the entire lunch hour, occasionally speaking a few sentences here and there. But mostly we sit in silenc
e. Good silence, calming silence. I’ve never felt so peaceful before. With Bradley it was different, we never just laid down to cuddle or just be there for each other. It was always non-stop action. Bradley was dynamite waiting to explode where Keith was a stream that shrank and swelled with the rain. We both stand up to leave to our next classes with the bells ring and honestly, I’m stunned he didn’t try to kiss me. I cross my arms and purse my lips in thought.
“What?” he asks, noticing my unspoken question.
“I just thought—I thought you were going to try to kiss me.”
“God Vee, I do want to kiss you, just not outside the parking lot,” He chuckles, his smile widening. I laugh, he’s right. It’s not exactly the most romantic place to share your first real kiss. But still.
“It’s just that you act all intimidating and super secretive. You make my entire body prickle, you make me so pissed off and then so excited at the same time, and that has never happened before, you say that you trust me without even knowing me and yet I still can’t figure you out,” I say exasperated.
“Maybe you should stop trying so hard to figure me out,” he kisses me on the check and walks away. It’s just a peck, but it makes my entire body grow hot. My jaw falls open. My ears are burning.
“I’m an open book you know,” he calls over his shoulder.
“No, you’re not,” I say back. Who is Keith, and what has he done to me? Just looking at him makes something shifts inside me. I feel like the world is meaningless without Keith by my side. Like he’s the very air I need to stay alive. That has never happened, not even once, while I was with Brad. But this guy is a whole other story that I’m both eager and scared to read. He’s like an adventure I’d never considered going on.
Chapter 8
Today is field trip day, and we’re going to see the movie production of The Giver. I’m excited. Ever since our class read the book for our English, I fell in love with the story. It’s so different beyond anything I’ve ever read before. And the ending both infuriated and fascinated me. I can’t wait to see what the movie is like. My phone buzzes in my bag, just as I’m about to board the bus, so I step back and allow the rest of the students to pass while I check to see who the message is from. I grin. It’s Keith.
Agent Keith: Care to ride in the faculty bus? I’m chaperoning the baby juniors
Vee: Oh, so I’m a baby junior, huh? What does that make you?
Agent Keith: A distinguished all-star Senior with the highest honours. I’m held at very high esteem.
Vee: I’m sure you are ;) Thanks but no thanks. I’m riding with the gang. See you there.
I jump into the bus; the bus driver glares at me for holding our trip up. I make my way down the aisle. It’s noisy. Everyone is talking or yelling at each other over the backs of the seats, jumping up and down in a way that makes me second guess if this is really a group of high schoolers. I roll my eyes when something shoots past my face and boy yells out an apology. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Angela waving at me. I race towards where she’s sitting, but there appears to be someone else sitting next to her, curled up against the window with a hooded sweater. The hood is pulled down over their head. I realise its Bradley who’s sitting there with her and my smile fades.
“Bradley can you scoot over, so Vee can sit with us,” Angela says to him. He doesn’t acknowledge me at all as he squeezes in closer to the window. I take a seat at the edge, one leg in and one leg out.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Angela gives me a hug.
“Me too,” I say. Although I have a terrible feeling, this thirty-minute bus ride is going to be the most awkward thing ever. Brad reaches into his bag and pulls out his phone and a pair of headphones. He untangles the wires and plugs in. His earbuds disappear into the shadows of his hood as he proceeds to ignore us. That’s probably for the best anyway. I shrug and turn to Angela, catching up on what she’s been up to and if she finished her science homework.
To my luck, Keith’s been texting me through most of the bus ride to the theatre. While Angela has been talking to me, she’s been mostly paying attention to Bradley as well. Asking him for input now and then on whatever subject we’re discussing. Sometimes he responds, but mostly he just listens to his music. I want to be able to say something to him, but I’m sure he won’t hear me out. He’s still hurting, I can tell. As Angela points out the window and asks Brad a question, I slide my phone out of my pocket to check my messages. My phone had been buzzing for the past fifteen minutes.
Agent Keith: You now owe me a seat next to you at the theatre
Vee: Do I? I owe you no such thing.
Agent Keith: Not fair Vidya, I want to spend time with you
Vee: And who said I wanted to spend time with you?
Agent Keith: Ouch. That hurt
Vee: Leave the frowny faces out of this,
Vee: You know what, how does getting some coffee this afternoon sound?
Agent Keith: You had me at you know what?’
I stare at the text in disbelief, I can’t believe I just asked him out. I just asked him out, didn’t I? Was this an actual date? Why did I do that? I swear I don’t get myself.
There are times I think about Keith, other’s that I don’t. Like, I’ll be sitting there working on a math problem, and I’ll find myself wondering how Keith would solve it. Or, I’ll be eating dinner with my family, and I’ll wonder what his favourite food it. Sometimes I just sit and try to figure him out. Who even understands Keith anyway? I think I’ve said that way too many times by now. Before long we pile into the theatre at our small towns equally small mall and pile out the bus. Brad brushes past Angela like a dark shadow on a cloudy day. Angela reassures me that he just needs some time, and I nod. I hope that’s true, I liked Brad, he’d be a great friend. No, he was a great friend already, and I’d like it to stay that way.
The school trip went well. Bradley didn’t glace at me even once. He sat with Angela and I and a bunch of our other classmates, but didn’t say much; only speaking with Gabriel or Angela. After the movie, we were dropped off at school and headed off with an assignment to write a report about The Giver reflected common fears in society.
Mom picked my cousin and me up from school and, after dropping Kathy off, I magically managed to convince mom that I had a study date with one of my friends for the upcoming science fair. Thankfully she bought it, so I texted Keith and asked him to bring his science notebook with him.
“Why don’t you just have your partner come to our house, I could make laal maas with aloo gobi. We could teach him how to make naan bread! He’s probably never had real Indian cuisine, right?” mom asked. I shook my head. I’m sure Keith would love that, he seemed adventurous but, I wanted to spend private time with him. Everywhere we went, there were other people around us. Those few sweet moments we’d had outside the parking lot was the only time we’d been able to have together. It wasn’t enough. “Thanks, mom, but no, we need to focus on studying, and I can’t focus on studying if you’re trying to set his ass on fire,” my mom laughed at that. She really did like to add the entire spice rack to her dishes, running the gamut of every traditional Indian flavour and sending all our relatives straight to the bathroom. She gave me an hour, which is fine, I guess. At least it’s something.
Mom drops me off five minutes before 4:00pm. I managed to get home to shower quickly and change my outfit; skinny jeans with a large grey sweater. I managed to get a little makeup on and, going for a natural look, I let my long black hair air dry. The natural waves roll over my shoulders and down my back to my waist.
During the movie, I had refused to look Keith in the eye, but I could feel his blue eyes burning holes in me. It’s hard to focus on the movie when you knew that someone was staring at you the whole time. Every time I glanced over at him, I’d find his blue eyes, denim in the dark, staring at me and his lips would curve upwards into a smile when he’d notice I was looking at him.
I pick up my bag from the bac
kseat of the car along with my heavy biology textbook and a three-ring binder stuffed with notes. “Remember,” mom says, “I’ll be here to pick you up at 5:00pm sharp, alright? I’m just going to run some errands while I wait,”
“Yes, mom, I’ve got it.” I hug her goodbye, jump out of the car and walk into the Newly Brew coffee shop. My phone is already in my hand as I push through the door, hearing the tinkling noise of the little brass bell that hangs above the door. I’m sending a text to Keith when a young lady asks me if I’m Vidya. I nod, and she ushers me to follow her and escorts me to a table at the far corner of the shop, close enough to see the kitchen but far enough from the main seating area that it’s nice and private. Keith’s already waiting for me there, sitting in his denim jacket with a brown button up shirt that’s only half buttoned, revealing the black undershirt. His long bangs hang over his forehead as he is looking down at his phone.
“Hi,” I say, taking my seat opposite him at the table. His head whips up, and he tucks his phone into his jacket. He smiles. His chin is dark with two-day stubble. The waitress informs us that she’ll be back to take our orders in a moment and leaves us alone.
“You look beautiful,” he says, I could feel the heat spreading in my cheeks as I grin. He looks handsome. More than handsome, he looks hot as hell, and I would like nothing more than to be cuddling with him right now. I push that thought aside.
“Thanks,” I answer. “You don’t look half bad yourself,” I say as casually as I can. He holds in a laugh, his stubbled cheeks puffing out.
“We better start planning for our science fair project then. We only get an hour, right?” Keith muses, interlacing his hands on the table top.
“Yes, we do. So, we better get to it then,” I say and drop my textbook on the table. It makes a loud thud. His eyes grow wide.