Night Prowler Part One

by Samantha Steele

  Thinking she wanted it really fast, I tore off my boxers and started to dig in my drawer until a male voice shouted,

  “Holy fuck Mitch! Wake the hell up!”

  My eyes snapped open like a light switch. Zac was standing above me, shielding his eyes with his hand.

  “What the hell were you dreaming about? Cover yourself, dude!” I stared down at myself, covered with only a fleece blanket Mrs. Bell must have thrown over me the night before. I sat up quickly and put a pillow in my lap.

  “I don’t remember,” I lied.

  “Well maybe I should crash on the couch more often if it’ll give me dreams like that,” Zac said, laughing at me a little uneasily. “You sure you don’t remember?”

  “Do you really want all the details?”

  “Yeah,” he said eagerly, sounding too much like Evan.

  “I was just about to get some.”

  “From who?”

  “Uh, I don’t remember. Some freshman, I think I’ve seen her around school a few times or something.”

  “What does she look like? She’s got to be hot if she’ll do… you know, that to you.”

  “Yeah, she’s okay I guess. Dark hair, green eyes.”

  “Nice.”

  I was a little confused by my dream. I didn’t think I was that interested in Sam, but I supposed either my mind was playing tricks on me, or I was pretty infatuated with her. And what was up with her having green eyes? Her eyes are blue.

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  I knew I couldn’t tell Zac. It would kill him, and he’d be mad at me for having dreams about sleeping with her. I hoped I hadn’t moaned her name or well, even moaned at all.

  Now THAT would be embarrassing, especially if Mrs.

  Bell heard me!

  “Hey hot stuff. How was your night last night?” Lily asked, bouncing down the stairs in a surprisingly decent outfit.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, suddenly becoming very interested in my bowl of Rice Krispies.

  “Oh I think you do… All those ‘happy’ dreams you had last night? I must have heard you six or seven times!”

  No way! She couldn’t have! I was quiet! Wasn’t I?

  “Suck it, Lily,” Zac said, throwing the now empty Rice Krispies box at her.

  “I get paid to dance,” she snapped. “Now if you two will excuse me, I have some business to attend to.”

  “Yeah, some business in the brothels,” Zac said as soon as the door closed behind her. I laughed and took another bite of my cereal.

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  Samantha Steele

  Macy Hawskins

  “Hey, Mitchie!” I said, sliding my arm around Mitchell Mantel.

  “Hi, Macy,” he mumbled.

  “Hi, Austin,” I said, scrunching my nose and giggling.

  “So Mitch, Evan’s having another party tonight! What time are you going to pick me up?”

  “I can’t go, Macy. I have to work. I don’t like Evan anyway. You know that.”

  “But I was really looking forward to being with you tonight,” I said sadly, slipping my hand under his flannel shirt and around his waist.

  “Well, sorry, I guess you’re going to have to play with Evan instead.” Mitchell suddenly jerked away and shoved me off of him. I watched him glance nervously at a girl with dark hair and carefully watch her as she passed. She never even looked at him.

  “Who’s that?” I snapped.

  “Who’s who?” he asked, looking confused and blushing a little.

  “That girl you just looked at. Do you like her?” I asked angrily.

  “She’s just a freshman in my computers class. She likes Zac,” he defended.

  “Well, she better only be interested in Zac because no little freshman slut is going to take you away from me!”

  “I’m not yours to steal from, Macy Hawskins,” Mitch snapped.

  “I’ve been fighting for your affection since sixth grade! I think I’m in line in front of her!” What’s wrong with him? I’m so much better than all the girls other here.

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  “I’m not a piece of meat,” he said acerbically. I watched him shove Austin out of the way and disappear into the mass of people.

  “What’s his problem?”

  “I don’t know. I’d choose you over her,” Austin said hopefully. I feel sorry for him.

  Since grade school, Austin’s been literally obsessed with me. He always tells me how pretty I am and how lucky guys are when I like them. It burns him up inside that I’m in love with Mitch.

  But how can I not be? Mitchell Mantel is the sexiest man alive. He has this rough-edged appeal I can’t get enough of. I don’t even mind his dirty hair or nasty little goatee. I’m always trying to get him to like me, but never succeed. I can’t understand why he doesn’t like me.

  Evan and I have a little “relationship,” but it mostly consists of making out and drunken sex. We’re fine dating other people.

  But it does bother Evan that I always want Mitch.

  Actually, it bothers all the guys that I want Mitch. I think most of them are jealous of him. That’s one of the reasons I like him. He always manages to make the other guys jealous.

  The truth is that Mitch and I are perfect for each other.

  All the girls want to get with him, and all the guys want to get with me. We’re like, the two most popular people at South! I’m the school slut and he’s the school hottie.

  But for some reason he actually can resist me.

  Austin isn’t ugly; he’s just not old enough. He’s only sixteen and still a sophomore. I only date juniors and seniors so they can take me to prom. Even as a freshman and sophomore, all of my “boyfriends” were upperclassmen. I might think about Austin next year. He does have a nice body.

  “Macy?”

  “Yeah?”

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  “I was wondering if you… Well, maybe… I have this gift certificate… I mean, no I don’t, I just got paid and I was thinking we could go out tonight?” Austin stuttered.

  “Go out? Like on a date?” He nodded.

  Ugh. I was really hoping he wouldn’t ever ask me that.

  “Well… Evan’s party is tonight-”

  “We could go together?” he suggested excitedly. I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling.

  “I guess maybe you could pick me up, but it isn’t a date,”

  I said. “At least if you’re driving, I can drink. A lot.”

  Austin grinned and said he had to get to class. I flashed him a fake smile and headed out to my car to skip class. I drove home and fell asleep on the couch. I slept for about five hours until Austin called me.

  “Hello?” I answered sleepily.

  “Hey Macy. It’s Austin. I was just wondering if you’re ready yet?”

  “Ready for what?” I groaned.

  “Evan’s party.”

  “Oh. Right. Give me an hour, okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll pick you up in a bit!”

  I drug myself off of the couch and into the shower. I piled my wet, blonde hair on top of my head with a butterfly clip and donned my shortest skirt and lowest-cut top. I wasn’t going to do anything with Austin, but I could at least drive him nuts.

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  Zachary Bell

  “Look at Macy,” I said through a mouthful of really cheap beer. Evan followed my finger, which was pointing at Macy and Austin. He started laughing hysterically.

  Macy was walking in front of Austin, her perfectly shaped blonde head held high. She walked with far too much confidence, throwing her hands to the side, encouraging people to move for her while she made a beeline straight for us.

  Austin was eagerly walking behind her, making a complete fool out of himself. Although we couldn’t hear him, we could see his lips moving frantically, most likely trying to get Macy away from Evan. When Macy finally stood in front of us, she reached up to the back of
her head and unclipped her shiny blonde hair, shaking it out around her shoulders. It looked a little wet.

  “Great party, Evan,” she said, tilting her head to the side and sticking out her hip. I suppressed a laugh.

  “Thanks,” Evan replied, his gaze transfixed on her body. I wished I could see what he saw. To me, Macy looks like she hasn’t eaten in weeks. Sometimes, when we’re all at the mall or something, I have the strong urge to cram a whole cake down her throat and then watch her closely for twenty-four hours so she can’t puke it up.

  It was obvious that Macy had come here with Austin, but she didn’t even try to be nice to him. About five minutes after they arrived, Macy and Evan went upstairs. I didn’t see them again until Monday.

  “Well, there’s always next year,” Austin sighed, watching Macy get chased up the stairs by Evan.

  “You’re finally giving up?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Well, I’m going to try at least.”

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  “Good for you, Austin. Macy’s not worth it anyway.

  She’d never be faithful to you, and she’s in love with Mitch… If she can love, I suppose.”

  “Well, what about you and that freshman? She’s smart, right? Andrew and Katie said they were in her Biology class.”

  “Whoa, whoa! Nothing is going on between us, okay?

  I’m almost eighteen, she’s only fifteen, see?”

  “So? You guys just can’t do it for a few months. There’s no law against dating her.”

  “Just drop it!” I snapped, a little nastier than I needed to be. Austin hadn’t meant anything by it. Sam’s just kind of a sore subject for me.

  I came home that night and found Lilith on the couch with somebody. He looked like an Abercrombie model. That thought was reinforced when I found an entire Abercrombie outfit

  – complete with underwear – strewn across the living room floor.

  I quietly snuck up the stairs with a disgusted look on my face. She could at least take him upstairs into her room.

  I laid down on my bed and stared at my boring white ceiling. I looked around my plain room, contemplating my bland lifestyle: cheap car, unglamorous job, no girlfriend, a whore for a sister… was there anything interesting about me?

  Closing my eyes to shut out my life, I imagined what I would be like if I was involved with Sam. Smiling, I thought of her dark curls and darkly tanned skin. I relived all the times I’d spoken to her, relishing each memory. God I really like this girl!

  I soon fell asleep. I dreamt about talking to her, then kissing her, being with her. My subconscious thought up so many different scenarios… both good and bad.

  My dream was sharp and real. So real, in fact, that I could smell her perfume and feel her hand entwined with mine. Sam was standing next to me, holding me.

  We were outside, walking on a dirt bike path. There were trees all around us, and a fast-flowing river to my right. I heard

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  birds and the scuttles of tiny woodland creatures, but we were the only humans there.

  Sam was talking, but I couldn’t hear her. I could only feel her body pressing against mine. She suddenly stopped and turned to look at me, love in her eyes.

  “I’m so glad we’re together,” she said. “I love you, Mitchell Mantel.”

  And she kissed me, full French so that my body shook.

  My eyes snapped open. My heart was pounding angrily.

  Why the hell had I just dreamt that I was Mitch?

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  Samantha Steele

  A few days ago, this guy named Paxon asked me to be his girlfriend. I was still into Cameron, kind of, but that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. So I said yes. It wasn’t like he was a stranger; I mean, we were both best friends with Cami. He wasn’t the most attractive guy in the world, but… well, I was weak, okay?

  As I left Paxon’s arms, I felt his warm lips touch my neck in a very light, secretive way. I knew it was driving him nuts that I hadn’t kissed him yet, and he must know that I was avoiding doing so.

  Every time he got close to possibly kissing me, I turned away. He had to have noticed it by now.

  I’m not sure what’s wrong. Paxon is very sweet and he’s cute enough and I should be happy. I mean, I’ve wanted a boyfriend all year and here one is, all in love with me and holding me all the time, but I still don’t feel like it’s real. And I don’t mean that in a good way.

  Ever since he asked me out, I feel constantly stared at and judged; even though it’s only been four days. Today after Paxon failed yet again to kiss me, I got on the monstrosity known as the school bus and was bombarded with questions.

  “How long have you been dating that guy?”

  “Who is he?”

  “Does he do drugs?”

  “Have you made out yet?”

  “Does he kill people?”

  “Have you made out yet?”

  When I asked why everybody wanted to know about me and Paxon, Joey replied, “Because we never see you with a guy.”

  Internally, that hurt. It hurt because it’s true.

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  When he isn’t with me, I feel like things are going to work out. When I’m not looking him in the eyes, I feel like he’s great.

  But when he IS there, staring into my eyes, I feel severely uncomfortable.

  When Zac used to watch me, I’d swell with excitement and think he was marveling at my beauty.

  When Paxon watches me, I KNOW he’s marveling at my beauty, but it still makes me uncomfortable. It shouldn’t, but it does.

  Deep down I know that Zac and I will never be, that I scared him off by getting so close and well, clingy, and I accept this. I let him go, but I still think he’s beautiful, beautiful beyond all imaginable reason. He’s inhuman.

  If all the attractive people in the world were Greek gods, Zac would be Zeus. He’d be the ruler of them all, the most beautiful, the strongest, most charismatic and athletic. Mitch, of course, would come in a close second as Poseidon, god of water.

  You see, Zac is the pure, innocent, mesmerizing, impossible beauty. A glow always seems to emanate from him.

  My cheeks always flush violently when I even think he might be glancing in my general direction. He is the godlike, glowing beauty that let people know there was still good in the world. He is the small white dot on the black side of the ying yang. He is Zachary Bell.

  And then there is Mitchell Mantel, with his glamorous, Hollywood style gorgeousness. He is like the movie star that’s always photographed because of his rugged handsomeness that never seemed to be smited. Amazing yes, but different, very different.

  With Zac, everything is simple but perfect. He has problems, yes, but whenever I was around him, I forgot about everything else but him. I would strain my ears to listen to his succulent voice, risk him noticing me just so I could stare at his perfectly chiseled face for a moment longer. If I was actually dating him, a smile would be permanently painted onto my face,

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  and I’d always be blushing, ecstatic that people were seeing me walk around with a god on my arm.

  If I was with Mitchell, things would be similar, but not quite the same. I would be simply excited that I was dating this movie star, and just knowing that other girls were jealous would keep the smile on my face. I could see myself talking for hours on end with him about snowboarding and skateboarding or his car or really whatever; he reminded me of what Terry, my older brother, was like in high school.

  But with Paxon… things just aren’t like that. Everyone asks me about him, but I don’t want to answer because I don’t know how to answer because I don’t feel the same way about him as he feels about me. He tells people all the time how hot his girlfriend is. He’s already said he loves me, twice. And let me remind you again, it’s been less than week!

  I don’t get it. When we fir
st met, I thought we pretty much hated each other. And now he’s running around telling everyone he’s dating the hottest girl in school and that he loves her.

  I honestly believe that if it was Zac, or Mitchell, or hell, even Cameron, that I’d be excited about it. I don’t quite know what it is about Paxon that makes me feel so wishy-washy, but I can’t help but feel utterly cruel. It hasn’t even been a week and I already want to be rid of him.

  When I first said yes, I didn’t think he liked me that much. I was being selfish and sort of just wanted a boyfriend. I figured that we’d hang out until school ended and maybe kiss a few times… and then things would just end; I’d go off to visit my cousins and start up a relationship with the Hercules-like Ethan Grimes (one of my cousin’s best friends).

  But now I feel like dumping Paxon would be like killing a small part of him, and I can’t bring myself to do so. I guess I like him, I mean, I like being held and touched, but I just can’t bring myself to say, “I have a hot boyfriend.”

  The truth is, I had to lower my standards by a significant amount to allow Paxon into my life. He doesn’t even hold a

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  match flame to Zac’s impressiveness. Zac would be the work of Michelangelo, and Paxon, a work of Picasso. Both are very good, but I’d much rather have a Michelangelo original than a Picasso.

  Having a relationship for the sake of having a relationship is no substitution for chemistry.

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  Taylor Gills

  Oh my god! The season finale of Gossip Girl is on tonight! I thought while staring at Caten.

  “Stop looking!” she said to me.

  “I’m not!” I defended. Caten’s arms were wrapped around my yearbook, shielding her signature from me.

  I think we were supposed to be doing something, but Alex Gaskarth is so hot and I just can’t stop thinking about him!

  He’s the lead singer of my favorite band, you know.

  “Are you done yet?” I asked Sam. She sits on the edge of the table Caten and I sit at in Spanish class. She always does her homework, and it’s devastating when she doesn’t, because then Caten and I fail, too.