Destined

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Morning,” he grinned as he watched me.

  “Morning,” I smiled back. “Give me a sec,” I pointed to the kitchen, and scurried away. After grabbing a pop tart and an orange juice from the fridge, I kissed my mom on the cheek, and raced back to where he was waiting. “See ya!” I shouted to my mom as I escaped through the front door.

  “So you ready for this,” Nick turned to face me. We were parked in the senior lot at school. He’d been quiet most of the ride to campus, but now he looked nervous almost.

  “I’ve been ready for years,” I teased. “No more being the little guy that everyone looks down on.”

  “You’ve never been looked down on, Golden Girl,” he smirked.

  I shook my head and sighed. I hated that name. Nick hadn’t called me that in months. When we first started hanging out it was the only thing he called me, but now it was different. “Why do you call me that?” I scowled.

  “Everybody calls you that,” his brow furrowed. “I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

  “No, it’s ok,” I sighed. “It’s just…I’m not perfect,” I lifted my hands in front of me.

  “I know that,” he murmured.

  “I know you do, but no one else seems to. I feel like everyone hears that and they expect me to be a certain way. I guess there are worse things that I could be called.”

  “Trust me, there are,” Nick groaned. “I’ve been called some of them.”

  “You brother’s going to hear some of them if he keeps up doing what he’s doing,” I mumbled.

  “I know that, too. I’ve tried to tell him. He’s a hard head, though. Sarah’s got her claws in him. She plays with him like a cat does with a mouse. I don’t think she really wants him, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have him either,” Nick shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “I’m worried he’s going do something stupid,” I muttered.

  “Well, I’ll deal with it if he does. You concentrate on having an awesome year,” he tilted his head in my direction and smiled. “You’ve got it easy this year; you took a bunch of senior level classes last year.”

  “Yeah. I met this great guy in my Physics class. You don’t know him do you?” I bit my lip as I grinned at him. “He’s kinda tall, played football, amazing kisser, hot body…” I trailed off.

  “Amazing kisser, huh?” he smirked. “I heard he was kinda amazing at something else, too,” he wagged his brows.

  “Nick!” I hissed as I felt my face heat.

  “What?” he feigned innocence. “Wanna hang out tonight?”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yeah. You won’t have homework. It’s the first day. We can celebrate you being a senior. See if Avery wants to come over,” he shrugged. “She can bring whoever she’s dating now.”

  “She doesn’t date,” I blew out a breath, “but I’ll ask.”

  “Well, you better get in there,” he pointed to the front door of the school. “The bell’s gonna ring soon, and I don’t want you to be late on your first day. Besides,” he leaned in and placed a light kiss on my lips “I gotta get to work.”

  “Alright,” I smiled against his mouth. “Avery can take me home today. My dad says he’s getting me a car next week so you won’t have to do this much longer.”

  “I like giving you rides. It’s not a chore to me,” he smiled. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured as I pushed my door open and slipped from the truck. Today was the beginning of my future. I could feel it.

  ooooooooo

  Nick

  Holy crap I’m tired. I knew when I took the job construction job with Milton’s that I’d have to work hard, but this is ridiculous. I’ve spent the last two weeks learning how to do mason work. The bricks are a bitch to move around and I don’t think I will be able to stand up straight for a couple of days. I never knew how much strength was needed for this job. My boss, Larry, teases me all the time about working out. He’s asked me more than once how his workouts compare to the football team’s. His son, Andrew, plays at Pittsford and tells him on a daily basis how hard practices are. I told him it’s just conditioning, and to tell Andrew to suck it up. We’ve joked about it more than once.

  “So what are you plans for the future, son?” Larry sat down beside me and opened the brown paper lunch sack before looking over at me with inquisitive eyes.

  “Save some money, I guess,” I shrugged. “I need to have something in savings for next summer.”

  “You trying to save up for school? Didn’t you have offers?” He removed his hat and poured some water over his head. It was a hot day and the sun had been relentless.

  “I’m not going to school. I’m trying to get ready for Leah. She’s graduating next year. I need to plan for her future,” I opened my own drink and took a large gulp.

  Larry’s eyes crinkled in confusion, “Her dad told me she was going away to school. Did that change?”

  “No,” I slowly shook my head. “I need to be ready for anything, though.” I knew I sounded crazy to him. He probably thought I was nuts planning like this, but I had hoped that if I showed Leah how great things could be, she would want to stay here with me. We could build a future together. I knew we were young, but I want that future with her. I wanted to wake up every morning and have her wrapped in my arms. I wanted to have breakfast together. I wanted to share evenings together cuddled up on the couch of our home. Jesus, listen me. I sound like a girl. What the hell has she done to me? She’s got me so twisted up inside that I can’t even think straight.

  “Son?” Larry nudged me, laughing. “You got it bad, huh?” He chuckled as he stood. “Come on. If we can get that foundation finished, I’ll let you leave early.”

  “Sounds good,” I stood, tossed my trashed, and shook the thoughts of a near future out of my confused brain. “Did I really just picture us together? Like married? Am I nuts?”

  ooooooooo

  Leah

  “Hey!” I laughed as I sat down beside Avery. We were at lunch now and I hadn’t seen her all day. “How’s your day been going?”

  She looked up at me with a pained expression, “He’s in three of my classes.”

  “Are you ok?” I sighed as I sipped my water.

  “Not really,” she slowly shook her head. “I thought I was until Mrs. Russo paired us up with partners. Guess who my partner is?” Her eyes glazed over as her mind drifted. Pain flitted across her features before she shook her head and looked away.

  “I’m sorry. Why don’t you just talk to him?” I whispered.

  “I can’t,” she began picking at her fries. “Things are different this year. It’s like something changed over the summer and now we’re not the same people.”

  “I get it; I do. I just think that all this would go away if you two would talk,” as soon as the words left my mouth, I heard him chuckle. “Pull it together. He’s coming over,” I warned.

  “S’up?” Cam dropped his lunch tray beside me before folding himself down onto a chair.

  “Not much,” I giggled. “You?”

  “My life sucks,” he grumbled. “I’ve got teachers that hate me and I’m not getting laid regularly anymore.”

  “Ok,” I closed my eyes and slowly shook my head. “I didn’t need to know that.”

  “Maybe you’re looking in the wrong places,” Avery chimed in. “You know,” she waved her hand in the air, “whoreville isn’t usually the place to look for a girlfriend.”

  “Ouch!” Cam slapped his hand over his chest. “She’s not that bad,” he smirked. “In fact, she’s really good.”

  “Gross!” I yelped. “I’m trying to eat here,” I motioned to food spread out in front of me.

  “Oh stop,” Cam rolled his eyes. “I have to listen to my brother go on and on everyday about how great you are. How much he loves you. How you’re it for him. You wanna talk about gross…try hanging out in my house for a few hours.”

  “I think I will,” I grinned.

  He wrinkle
d his forehead, “What am I missing here?”

  “My boyfriend invited me over to hang out tonight,” I giggled before turning to face Avery. She’d gone quiet over the last few minutes and I wasn’t sure where her head was at the moment. “You’re invited, too. He even said you could bring a date if you wanted.”

  “I don’t know,” Avery looked away. I could see her emotions warring across her face. She wanted to be there, but she didn’t want to put herself through the pain of being around Cam.

  “Come on,” Cam flashed her a wolfish smile. “It’ll be fun.”

  “We’ll see,” she lifted a shoulder.

  “You ok?” he reached across the table and touched her arm.

  Avery pulled back as if he’d burned her. “I’m just not feeling that great today.”

  “Whatever,” Cam shrugged. “Sarah can’t come, so don’t feel bad if you’re worried about a date. I’ll be there alone.” With that, he stood, grabbed his lunch tray, and took off.

  “Avery?” I reached over and hugged her. “You need to tell him.”

  “I can’t,” she shook her head. “Don’t you see? He doesn’t even notice me like that. It’s as if Sarah has completely blinded him. He doesn’t even want to hang out any more like we used to. I’ve lost my best friend as well.”

  “Come with me tonight,” I begged her. “He said he’ll be there alone. Please?”

  “Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll come, but I’m not promising I’ll stay.”

  “Thank you,” I grinned at her as I reached in my backpack to grab my phone and type out a quick text to Nick.

  Leah: We’re in. See you tonight.

  After slipping phone back into my bag, I stood to toss my trash. “I gotta stop by the library before I go to Econ class. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Yeah, see ya,” Avery mumbled as she continued to swirl a fry in her ketchup.

  As I walked away, I couldn’t help but hurt for her. She and Cam used to be so close, and now it was as if they’d never known each other at all. I hoped that they could work out their feelings for each other. Anyone that looked at them could tell they needed to be together. They used to be so close, and now…now they couldn’t even be in the same room together. Maybe if Nick and I could get them to sit down and talk tonight, something would get resolved because if it didn’t, I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive this year. It was already filled with tension and it was only the first day.

  Chapter 15

  Nick

  After reading Leah’s text, the day seemed to go by faster. The idea of spending the evening relaxing at home was a welcome thought. I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing, or who would be there, but just spending time with my girl was enough.

  “See you tomorrow,” Larry waved as he climbed into his truck.

  I nodded in acceptance, “See ya.” It had been a hot day and I was filthy. I’d collected so much dirt and dust that my hair was a dark shade of orange. The Carolina Clay, as we natives like to call it, was relentless. I’d learned to bring a towel with me to cover my seat so I wouldn’t stain it on the drive home. After baking out in the sun, all I could think about was taking a cold shower and eating. The idea that Leah would be over soon made me drive that much faster.

  When I arrived home, my brother was sprawled out on the couch watching TV. He barely acknowledged me when I came through the door. “I’m grilling out tonight, and Leah’s coming over. You better get your ass busy and clean this shit up,” I waved at the sink full of dishes. Our mom worked so much we practically never saw her, and when she was home, she was sleeping. She’d worked the night shift since we were old enough to be home alone. She made more money this way, and well, we liked it better, too. We’ve never really done anything too wild, but it is nice to be able to have someone over and have privacy.

  “I’m tired,” Cam groaned. “Clean it up yourself.”

  “Listen,” I stood in the doorway with my arms crossed. “You spent the whole day at school while I was busting my ass out in the heat. If anyone has room to complain,” I pointed at my chest, “it’s me.”

  “Whatever,” he grumbled.

  “Just because Sarah isn’t staying over as much doesn’t mean you can get all pissy and shitty with me,” I tossed over my shoulder as I headed for the bathroom. “You better be up when I get out.”

  “Fuck off!” he growled, and I heard something crash as he threw it at the wall.

  ooooooooo

  By the time I got out of the shower, the girls had arrived. Leah was loading dishes in the dishwasher and Avery was sitting awkwardly on a chair at the kitchen table.

  “Hey, asshole?” I leaned around the corner where my brother was still parked on the couch. “I thought I told you to do this,” I pointed to where Leah was standing.

  “She offered,” Cam shrugged as he changed the channel.

  I blew out a breath as I walked up to her and took the dish from her hand, “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I don’t mind,” she smiled sweetly. “You’re tired.”

  “That’s not an excuse. He’s lazy,” I nodded my head in Cam’s direction.

  “Really,” she reached for another plate, “It’s not a big deal.”

  “So who’s coming over to this,” Avery waved her hand around, “Whatever this is.”

  “Nobody else unless you invited somebody I don’t know about,” I grinned.

  “Oh,” Avery mumbled.

  “Don’t sound so excited or anything,” I chuckled. “I know my brother’s being a douche today, but I don’t think I’m that bad.”

  “It’s not that…” Avery trailed off before looking away.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Leah whispered as she leaned in and kissed my cheek. “So, what’s for dinner,” she giggled. “You are planning to feed us, right?”

  “You bet,” I leaned against the counter as I watched her. Something about having her here…in my kitchen…doing normal household chores set off something inside of me. “I was planning to grill, but we can order a pizza or something if you want.”

  “Grilling sounds nice. Whatcha got?” she smiled. “Any steak?”

  “My girl’s got expensive taste, huh?” he smirked.

  “Maybe,” she bit her lip before leaning into my chest and mumbling barely above a whisper, “I need my energy for later.”

  I swallowed as I felt my dick harden at her innuendo, “You do, huh?”

  “You promised me,” she blushed. “It’s been a week.”

  I closed my eyes for minute as I tried to reign in my hormones, “How late can you stay tonight?”

  “As late as you want,” she grinned and shrugged.

  “Wait,” I grabbed the back of my neck. “How so?”

  “My parents think I’m at Avery’s. I can call later and tell them I’m spending the night,” her mouth curled on one side. “They won’t question it. I do it all the time.”

  “My little Golden Girl is going to the dark side,” I grinned as I watched her blush darken.

  “That’s your fault,” she poked me in the chest.

  “Ok you two. I know it’s been like eight hours since you’ve seen each other,” Avery rolled her eyes, “but I really don’t want to watch you hump right here in front of me,” She stood and began shuffling into the other room. I could hear my brother yelling something at the TV and then Avery joining in. I guess they were putting the differences aside for now, trying to make the best of things.

  ooooooooo

  Later that night, we were all lounging in the family room watching some sci-fi movie. My brother had managed to get Avery to relax, and she was now leaning against his side. I kept slipping glances in their direction to see what was happening, and, by the look on his face, he was just as surprised as I was. His fingers were slowly dancing around her shoulders and every once in a while, she would shift and burrow further into his side.

  “What’s that all about?” I whispered into Leah’s ear.

  “Not sure,” s
he leaned up and kissed my cheek. She pulled my head closer to hers and mumbled into my ear, “They need to get over themselves and give in to each other.”

  “Come with me,” I slowly unwrapped her from my body and stood. “Be right back,” I muttered as I reached for her, helped her up, and began leading her down the hallway toward my room.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” my brother snickered after me.

  ooooooooo

  Leah

  Once we were through the door, Nick pushed it shut, and shoved me against it. His mouth crashed down on mine as his body pressed into me. I could feel every hard muscle against me as his tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, forcing its way in. I opened willingly as my body trembled. The rush was unlike any I’d felt. We’d never made out in his bedroom before. We’d always been somewhere else, a party, his truck, anywhere except a room with a comfy bed.

  I brought my hands up to his chest and fisted his shirt. He groaned as his arms wrapped around my waist. “Leah,” he gasped as he broke the kiss.

  “Hmmm,” my head was spinning and full of lust.

  “This isn’t why I came back here, but you totally consume my head when we’re alone,” he glanced at the floor as if gathering his thoughts.

  “Sorry?” I grinned at him.

  “Don’t be. I’m not complaining,” he stepped back and ran his hands through his hair.

  “So this is your room?” I looked around. “Why haven’t I ever been in here before?”

  The full size bed was pushed into one corner, dark blue curtains hung over the single window, and a desk was opposite the door. It looked as if a Tar Heels store had blown up in the place. Posters, mini footballs, even a framed pictured of the stadium were everywhere. His football trophies from Pop Warner ball lined a shelf above the desk, and several certificates hung above them. “Wow!” I gasped as I took it all in. “This is…I don’t know. I can’t believe you gave this up. You should have taken the scholarship. I can’t believe I let you do this,” I shook my head in frustration.

  “You didn’t LET me do anything,” Nick came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He placed his chin on my shoulder and murmured, “That was the past and you’re the future. All the trophies and awards in the world couldn’t replace you. I’m happy. I’m glad I did what I did,” he pressed a kiss to my neck. “Now, to answer your other question, I’ve never brought you in here because I didn’t want you to think I was pushing you. I knew we’d get in here eventually,” he smiled.