“I can't believe that I didn't figure it out. She is my sister, after all; I know her like the back of my hand. At least I thought I did.”
“I'd like for her to come face to face with the back of my hand,” I mumbled; not really expecting her to hear me. Like she said; Ella was her sister after all. I couldn't talk about her rudely in front of Lena, but honestly, that was the last thing on my mind at the moment.
“Technically, that would be face to hand,” she joked.
I cracked a smile, elbowing her gently in the side. “I'm sad. I'm not supposed to be smiling.” I pouted.
Lena shook her head at me before grabbing my arm, and pulling me out of the bed. She walked over to my closet and yanked the door open roughly. I was slightly amused at the way she stared at the mass of clothes inside that were folded in stacks on the ground. Before she could even ask why I had a mini New York City built out of clothing articles in my closet, I simply said, “My dresser broke.”
Lena laughed, rolling her eyes at me. Bending down, she searched through the piles for a moment before pulling out a pair of black skinny jeans and a black shirt. “Here, put this on.”
I hesitated, squinting my eyes at her suspiciously. “Why?”
“'Cause I said so. Now hurry up.”
She tossed the clothes to me before she slipped out the door. Sighing, I stepped out of my cotton pajama bottoms, and pulled on the black jeans. By the time I had switched my yellow tank top for the long sleeved black shirt, Lena had come back into the room. She was dressed in black from head to toe, and was holding a black lipstick out to me. Confused, I took the lipstick from her hand, wondering for a moment why someone like Lena would have a charcoal black lipstick.
“Put it on,” she whispered as she pushed the bedroom door shut behind her.
I watched her curiously as she flicked her curly red hair over one shoulder and padded across the room to my bed. Lena pulled the thick, blue comforter back and tucked pillows in under the covers. She expertly molded the pillows into the shape of one sleeping body before pulling the covers up over the pillows and crossing her arms in satisfaction.
Deciding that it'd be much faster not to ask her what the hell it was that we were doing, I walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall facing my bed, and began to apply the lipstick heavily onto my thin lips. Before I knew what was happening, Lena was standing next to me, snatching the makeup out of my hands. “What the hell, Violet?”
“What?” I questioned, genuinely confused.
Lena sighed. “I guess I should have been more specific. I wanted you to put it on like this.” Lena lifted the lipstick up to her face, drawing two lines on each side of her face, under her eyes and across her cheeks, like war paint.
“Oh.” I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was still wet from my shower earlier, and it was pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of my head. My eyes were wide as I stared at my black lips. Not only did they match my shirt, and jeans perfectly, but it looked as if I had been making out with a piece of charcoal.
Lena laughed at the horrified face that I was making. “Whoa. It looks like you burnt your lips on a stove or something.”
“I really hope this comes off.”
Lena grabbed hold of my shoulders, spinning me away from the mirror. “Come on, it's not that bad. You can take it off when we get back.” She lifted the lipstick to my face, drawing two lines on each cheek to match hers. “Perfect. Now let's go.”
I crossed my arms, staring at her quizzically. “Where are we going? It's almost 11 o'clock at night, and we have school tomorrow.”
“Damn, Forrester. When did you turn into your mom?”
“I guess the apple really doesn't fall too far from the tree.”
Lena smiled, flashing her mouthful of braces. “Turn the light off, and then follow me.”
Sighing, I quickly went to flip off my light switch before heading back over to Lena, who was currently pulling the wire screen out of my window. Once it was completely out, she slipped it under my bed and swung her leg over the edge of the window. I would have been worried about her falling if it weren't for the fact that my bedroom sat just above the garage, and the window led out onto the section of the roof that covered it. Lena swung both legs out of the window and gestured for me to follow her. Her head popped back into the window, her hair hanging like a curtain, as she asked, “Do you have any experience with scaling buildings?”
“No,” I whisper yelled at her.
Lena shrugged, “Well, then you'll just have to trust me.”
Her figure disappeared from the window and I took that as my cue to follow along. I crept out through the window, holding tight to the window pane as my feet met the sloped roof top. My body was tilted toward the edge, and my heart sped up as images of my body sprawled out across the ground came to mind. I gripped onto the window's ledge for my life, in fear that if I let go, I would stumble over the edge of the roof to my impending death.
“Violet,” whispered Lena's voice. I swiveled my head to the side, where the voice had come from. Lena was crouched down on the roof not too far from my window. She crawled toward me, peeling my hands off of the window frame. “Come on, I found a way down.” She then lowered the window far enough that you couldn't tell that it was open, but we would still be able to get back inside later, before crawling back over to the edge of the roof.
I followed her lead, going much slower than she was. When I reached the edge of the roof, Lena pointed at a thick tree branch that hung about a foot below us. “Okay, so we're going to have to free fall for a second, but after we get onto the tree we can just climb the rest of the way down.” The easy way that she spoke made it seem as if we were discussing something casual, instead of a way to get off of my roof that includes us jumping to a tree branch that we aren't even sure can hold our weight. “Do you want me to go first?”
I nodded my head slowly, earning a smirk in response as she saw the slight fear in my eyes. There's not usually much that can scare me, but heights was definitely one of them. I had been on the roof once before, just to sit with Blake and watch the lunar eclipse, but we hadn't actually walked around or anything. We just sat by the window, staring up at the sky. This also isn't my first time sneaking out of the house, but it is my first time sneaking out through my window; I usually just tip toe through the house, disarm the security system, and leave through the front or back door. Lena just had to make everything so complicated though.
“All right, watch what I do, and just copy me.” Lena tilted her body forward, her arms outstretched in front of her, as she rocked back and forth for a moment. Suddenly, she leaped off of the roof, her hair fanning out behind her for a moment as her body fell through the air. In mere seconds, her body smacked against the tree branch nearest to us; her body draped over the limb like laundry hung out on a line to dry. Her head, arms and legs hung limp, causing my heart to race with worry as I realized that she wasn't moving.
“Lena?” I called down to her; my voice rising slightly, making her name sound like a question.
Lena pushed herself up, smiling innocently at me as she scooted over near the truck. “Just wanted to scare you,” she responded smugly.
“Well it worked.”
“Good. Now come down.”
My hands dragged across the rough surface of the roof as I stepped closer to the edge. I copied what Lena had done, rocking back on the balls of my feet. I closed my eyes as I was about to jump, but I heard Lena say, “Keep your eyes open!”
Sighing, I cracked my eyes open against my will, and jumped from the roof, spreading my arms like wings. The chilly air blew at my wet hair for a moment before my body smacked against the tree. The wind was instantly knocked out of me on impact. Groaning, I pushed myself up, straddling the tree branch as I clutched my stomach. “Fuck that hurt,” I moaned through clenched teeth. I heard Lena chuckle a bit, and I turned toward her, glaring as I said, “Shut up. That hurt like hell.”
“Why do you think I took so
long to move? I wasn't really trying to scare you, but I knew that if I told you that it hurt, you wouldn't come.”
I let go of my stomach and scooted closer to the tree trunk. “That's probably true.”
We climbed down the tree, carefully avoiding all of the thin branches as we did so. When my feet touched the ground, I felt the need to drop to my knees and kiss the soil, but I refrained myself from doing so. I hoped that it would be easier on the way back up. After all, it's always harder getting down than it is going up.
“Which way is Blake's house?” asked Lena.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “We are not going to Blake's house.”
“Why not? You said you wanted to talk to him face to face.”
“Yeah, tomorrow, not tonight; it's almost midnight. He's probably asleep.”
“Knowing Blake, he already is asleep, but I don't care because he has some explaining to do. He deserves to be woken up.”
My anger flared up as I was reminded of the picture again.
His arms planted firmly on her waist.
Her hands knotted in his hair.
Their chests pressed against each other’s, and lips connected.
I clenched my fists; my nails digging into the skin on the palm of my hand. “This way,” I growled, walking across the lawn, just now realizing that I was barefoot. My feet sunk into the dewy ground as we walked toward the sidewalk.
“How far is it?”
“I know a shortcut.” We crossed the street and were enveloped in silence. The only sounds came from our feet slapping against the concrete sidewalks, and the occasional sounds of a dog barking in the distance.
The moon was luminous and full in the sky above us. A few stars twinkled in the distance, but not many could be seen. I led Lena quietly through one of my neighbor's backyards, jumping over their fence, and cutting through the yard behind it. We walked down to the end of that block, Lena whistling a slow tune the whole way. I was so used to walking to Blake's house that I could have done it with my eyes closed. At the end of the block, we crossed over to another street, stopping at the second house.
Lena's whistle came to an abrupt end, as her eyes took in the two story house that stood in front of us. There wasn't a single light on in the entire house, and everything was cloaked in darkness. I led Lena across the perfectly manicured lawn, stopping in front of the porch. “I don't expect that we're going to knock on the door are we?”
Lena shook her head. “Not a chance. Which window leads to Blake's room?”
I grabbed Lena's wrist, pulling her to the side of the house where Blake's window was located at, and pointing up at it. “That's the window to Blake's room.”
“Give me a boost.”
I laced my fingers together, squatting down as Lena stepped into my hands. My muscles groaned under her weight, but somehow I managed to push her up high enough so that she was able to reach the gutter, which she grabbed onto and used to hoist herself up onto the roof. As soon as she was on the roof, she disappeared from sight, leaving me on the ground to think about what I was going to say to Blake.
I had been trying to avoid thinking about what I would say to him when I saw him; I had been trying to avoid thinking about him all together. I knew what I wanted to say. I wanted to beg him to tell me that the picture was fake; that it was just amazing photo-shopping skills on Brianna's part. I wanted to ask him how long he had been cheating on me, and how long he was planning on stringing me along. Most of all, I wanted to punch him in the chest so that he could feel just how my heart was feeling at the moment; like someone was cutting it in half.
The strongest feeling I was experiencing right now was anger. After all that we’ve been through together, how could he just throw everything away just so that he could sneak around with my friend's bratty little sister? Did our time together mean so little to him? Did he even love me like he claimed to? There were so many questions that I needed the answer to, but I wasn't sure if the answers to the questions would be what I wanted to hear or not.
“Forrester,” Lena stared down at me, looking over the edge of the roof. “I woke him up. We're going to come out the front door, so go over there.”
“Okay,” I whispered up to her. Wringing my hands together, I took a deep breath and walked toward the porch. I sat on the first step for a moment before deciding that it'd be better to stand. I gnawed on my bottom lip nervously, practically jumping out of my skin when the front door opened.
Lena slipped out before Blake did, but immediately went to sit on one of the chairs that sat on the porch, and was far enough away from the two of us so that we had some privacy. Blake looked after her with a confused expression lining his features. His dark hair was messy from just rolling out of bed, and he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants; his usual night time attire. Shaking his head slightly, he walked toward me, scooping my hands up in his as he leaned down, peered into my eyes and asked, “What's wrong? Lena told me that something was wrong, but she wouldn't tell me what.” He cracked a little smile as he asked, “Why are your lips black?”
The pearlescent moon reflected off of Blake's eyes, making it hard for me not to stare into them, but even so, I flicked my eyes away from his and snatched my hands out of his grasp. I ignored all of his questions and decided to ask my own instead. My bottom lip shook as I mumbled the words, “How could you?”
Blake brought his hand up to my chin, turning my head so that I was once again looking into his eyes; under the moonlight they looked like two clear, blue ponds. “What are you talking about? How could I what?”
“You know what you did. I saw the picture myself so don't try to deny it.”
Realization swept across his face, his hand pulled away from my chin, taking the warmth that had spread over me with it, and allowing it to drop back down. That hadn't been the reaction that I was looking for. I was hoping that he wouldn't have known what I was talking about, and that it would have turned out that Ella had been kissing Blake's long lost twin brother, but from his reaction it was obvious that he knew exactly what I was referring to.
“Who told you?” He mumbled, taking a few steps back so that his back was pressed against the wall next to the door. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the porch with his knees up. He gripped his hands into his hair, shaking his head slowly. When I didn't respond, he asked again.
“Brianna sent the picture to Ella, and Lena had her phone.”
Blake groaned, staring up at me with sad eyes. “It's not what it looked like.”
“Did you kiss her?” I asked, already knowing the answer to the question.
“Yes, but...”
I cut him off, “Well, then it was exactly how it looked.”
“Seeing is deceiving.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, shaking my head. “Seeing is believing.”
“Not in this case. You have to believe me, Violet; I would never intentionally cheat on you.”
“So then why the hell were you kissing Ella Snotty?” My voice rose as I spoke, and from the corner of my eye I saw Lena hold her pointer finger up to her lips, telling me to be quieter.
“She kissed me. I know how it looks, but you have to believe me. Why would I lie about this?”
“You've been lying a lot lately. I saw the picture with my own eyes, Blake. How can I believe a single word you say?”
Blake stood again, walking until he was standing right in front me. He cupped my face in his hands, “Because I love you, and I know that you love me. You just have to let me explain.” Before I could pull away, he placed a kiss on the right corner of my lips. “I would never purposely hurt you,” he mumbled against my skin.
A tear leaked from one of my eyes, and I hastily wiped it away before he could see it. “Then explain.”
“I can't right now. Tomorrow, after school, let me take you somewhere so we can talk.”
I shook my head, stepping out of his grasp. “I'm breaking up with you, Blake. I'll talk to you tomorrow, but I doubt
that anything you have to say will make me want to change my mind.”
“I know, but just give me a chance. There's something that I have to do first.”
“I just want to know one thing; was it worth it?”
Blake groaned, stepping toward me again, but shaking his head when all I did was step farther away from him. “I'll explain everything tomorrow. I'm so sorry, Vi.”
“I know how guys are; you're only sorry that you got caught. Now you have to find another girl you can cheat on.”
“I only want you, and I'll prove it to you. Just wait until tomorrow so that I can explain fully.”
“I hope that you don't think that this is like some cheesy romance novel where the guy cheats on the girl, and the girl takes him back anyway. I'm not like that, Blake. I won't forgive you that easily.”
A tear slid down his cheek, leaving a snail like trail before it was quickly wiped from his face. Blake turned his head away from me. “I'll see you tomorrow,” was all he said before he went back inside of his house, closing the door behind him.
Chapter 23
Blake traced the tip of his tongue across my bottom lip teasingly, causing it to quiver in anticipation. The warmth that spread from his hand that was resting on the bare skin of my lower back was addicting. I needed more. I wanted to feel his body pressed against mine. I wanted our tongues to dance, and tangle together in sweet agony. Most of all, I wanted our racing hearts to beat so quickly that it would feel as if time had stopped.
Blake pulled away from me, pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth for a mere second before lifting his head and staring down at me. He propped himself up on both of his elbows, keeping his weight from crushing me. I couldn't help but stare into his eyes as they sparkled in the morning light that passed through my thin curtains.
“Say it, Vi,” he mumbled so quietly that it was barely audible above the sounds of our ragged breathing.
A whimper escaped from between my parted lips as I stared up at him. My hands gripped onto the cottony fabric of his t-shirt as I tried to pull him close to me again. “You say it first,” I whispered as my legs came up to wrap around his waist.
Crush: A YA Romance Collection Page 41