Bad Boy
-Be My Bad Boy-
It was just another boring day at the library… I sighed. Nobody had come in for a while, and the days were beginning to run into each other. I couldn't tell one week from the next, and the only day to stand out to me was Monday, since it was my day off. Funny, considering how most people dread Mondays. Today was a Tuesday- My version of a Monday.
I sat there, dusting off books that had never been opened, much less read. I felt sorry for them, that someone worked so hard on completing them, yet no eyes appreciated them.
Ting! I was distracted from my pity for the books by the bell ringing- Signaling that someone had entered this forsaken library. I straightened my glasses and smiled, expected one of my parents. They were the only ones who ever stopped by anymore… I was shocked when I saw the face. It was that angry boy who helped Saibara- His grandson, I believe? We'd never formally met. Overjoyed someone had visited this haven of literature; I smiled and extended a hand. "Hello! I'm Mary, the librarian. It's very nice to meet you!"
He took my hand gruffly and replied with a concise, "Gray." He was scowling and hiding his true self behind a worn-out, navy blue hat. Definitely a "bad boy." Which was funny, considering I'd never go for someone like that. I was a good girl, through and through. From my proper attire, to my neat hair that was always pinned away from my face, to my literacy and sophisticated manners. I had never uttered a swear word in my life, I enjoyed tea parties, and controversies scared me. No bad boy would ever fall for me- I was forever and always the good girl; and proud of it too.
Always trying to be friendly, I asked Gray about what books he liked. He shrugged. "Well," I said, trying to be of as much help as possible, "the fiction books are here, downstairs. Non-fiction is upstairs, and as I'm sure you know from visiting other libraries, that is sorted by the Dewey Decimal system. Please enjoy reading here, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"
"Hm." He was a man of few words, that was one thing I saw about him. He was cute, though, from what I could tell. His strawberry blonde locks, his bright blue eyes- eager to read, I'm sure- his tall and proportionate frame, and even his general bone structure along his jaw line. I just wish I could take off his hat and find out if his hair was as silky and smooth as it looked… Mary! I mentally scolded myself; get your mind out of the gutter! This is no time for perverse thoughts.
-Be My Man-
I sat at my quaint librarian's desk, scribbling furiously away at the stack of papers I had in front of me. My wrist was cramping, but these plotlines and themes and characters just needed to be penned on paper. It had always been a dream of mine to be an author, and meeting Gray had given me just the inspiration I needed to achieve my dream. He had since visited every day, and although we hadn't talked, just looking at him gave me so many ideas for a story that could become a classic.
A thick pile was already forming of pages that I had filled with my neat cursive- Penmanship was very important! A title hadn't been thought of yet, but I always liked to do titles last. It was easier that way; you could make a full-circle story that led the reader guessing up until the last scene. That's how my favorite authors wrote, anyway. I was proud of my pile of papers, and even more proud of the fact that I had written so much in the past week that I'd exhausted one pen of ink completely. Nothing makes your heart swell more than realizing how much ink and work has gone into making your dream a reality, and for me, that's realizing how far I've come into writing my story.
Please don't think I'm done, or even near that point, but I'm far enough into my story to be proud. It's a romance, of course- my favorite genre. It's beautiful, to me, how two people can enter each other's lives and just fall in love. I've never experienced it, goodness no, but I've seen people in love and heard the way they depict the experience feeling like, and I can't help but become fascinated with it.
If you're interested in what my story is centered around, it's a modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Two people who couldn't be more opposite and who would never be expected to fall in love.
Or maybe it's more of a modern day something else, because I don't feel comfortable in writing a tragedy. I just couldn't do that to somebody, ever, even if they were a fictional character from my imagination. The guilt would just plague me, and I couldn't live with that. But back to the story. The main boy character is a tough and cool boy named Red. Well, that's his nickname anyway, because of his strawberry blonde hair. He's muscular and quiet, but in a way that screams "bad boy."
The girl, his love interest who is named Minnie, is a quiet and shy "good girl" who prefers reading and writing to getting dirty or hurt doing physical things. She's thin and petite, with long black hair she always pulls back. She prefers dresses to jeans, as any ladylike woman would, and is very articulate. I like basing the female role after me, because I love to put myself in a story. I feel that's how you get most involved, and how you can write to make the reader feel a greater attachment to the characters. And the boy? Well, I supposed he is loosely based off of Gray. But only because in this story, the two are perfect for each other. And I mean Minnie and Red are, not me and Gray. But wouldn't it be splendid if he were my man? I can't say I'd mind, it would be a literature-worthy relationship.
-Be My Weekend Lover-
Ah, the Fireworks Festival is tonight, and I'm very excited. Ever since I was a small child, I've been enthralled with the beautiful colors and designs that are illuminated in the summer's night sky. The loud sounds used to scare me, but since then I've grown to be a little less afraid. I will admit, though, there are the occasional booms that still make me squirm.
The sun is setting, framing the sky in a rich whirlpool of reds and pinks and purples, and I briskly walk to the beach. I see all of my fellow townspeople, and find it so neighborly how we all gather in one location. I'm only really looking for one person, though, and he seems to be the one person missing. I'm a little disappointed, because I'd had this wildly unrealistic idea that he'd perhaps want to ask me to view the fireworks with him, but I'm not surprised. I'd expected to watch them alone again, seeing everyone else paired. I didn't mind, don't get me wrong, I find the other couples very sweet. But I get lonely at these celebrations sometimes.
I fidget with my braid, uncomfortable now that some strands have gotten loose and are dangling in my face. I temporarily fix the problem by putting them behind my ear, and I'm so distracted I barely hear someone tap my shoulder. "H-Hello?" A timid voice asks. I turn to see who beckoned me, and look at none other than Gray.
I smile shyly. I was never good around boys, even as a little girl. "Hello, Gray!" I muster, very proud of gaining the courage to speak to him with such confidence.
He looks down. "I-I was wondering if you wanted… If you wanted to watch the fireworks with me." He blushes, and I find him irresistible.
"Of course!" I reply, beaming. He seems much more relaxed then, and we head to the far end of the beach that's unoccupied every year. I appreciated this spot, because if anyone else in the town saw me with a date I think I'd just die- Not that I'm ashamed to be seen with Gray, just that I've never been seen with a boy before. And I'm very concerned about keeping up my good girl reputation. (Even though, really, I've done nothing to tarnish it.)
The fireworks begin, and Gray and I stare at them in silent awe. I feel a weight around the back of my neck, and realize Gray had put his arm around me. Grateful for the cover of the night, I blushed a deep red. The fireworks were still going strong when I heard a whisper in my ear. "Mary… I… Think you're b-beautiful." I didn't know it was possible for me to blush any deeper, but apparently it was. No boy had ever complimented me before, except for my superb table manners, and I was taken aback.
"Really?" I asked the sandy haired boy in disbelief. He just nodded. I recall slipping my arm behind his back, and we sat there until the end of the show so very close together. I've never been happier. When the finale ended, I turned to look at Gray. We were still entwined, and I never wanted to part from him. His face was coming towards mine, slowly. I didn't know what to do now, being inexperienced in anything to do with romantics outside of writing; all I know is that I wanted something to happen. My eyes closed on their own once Gray's face was so close to mine that I could feel his breath on my nose, and the next thing I knew, his soft lips were on mine. The sparks between us were stronger and more beautiful than the fireworks we had just witnessed, and I wanted it to never be over. It was my first kiss, and it was everything I had wanted and more.
We sat there like that, for a few seconds, in our shy and innocent kiss. Gray pulled back and I opened my eyes, and we sat there staring at each other, blushing. I smiled and took off his hat, revealing all of his beautiful hair. I wanted so bad to run my fingers through it, to hold it. I leaned in to Gray this time, and when our lips met I could feel his tongue on my lip. I opened my mouth a little bit, unsure completely of what to do, and he deepened the kiss. I couldn't control myself, so I ran my fingers through his hair. It was silkier and smoother than I ever fathomed, and when I would run through his hair in certain directions I could feel him smiling in the kiss. Our tongues went crazy, exploring each other's mouths, until we both needed a break to breathe.
Gray stood up, realizing we were the only ones left on the beach, and knowing how late it was. "I'm so sorry Mary! I didn't realize the time…" He helped me up, like a true gentleman. For a bad boy, he could be very good when he chose to be.
I smiled and brushed loose sand off of my dress. "Don't worry, Gray. I enjoyed our time tonight." Gray smiled at this and intertwined his fingers with mine.
"Let's get you home," he said, and he walked me to my house. Luckily, my parents trusted me enough not to wait up for me- I wasn't sure I could explain why I was late. I hoped they wouldn't ask. After a quick kiss and a hug, I went inside my house and Gray walked to the Inn. I was left begging for more.
-But Don't Be My Friend-
"Trent has been so sweet lately, since it's almost been our first anniversary," Elli giggled at the small table at the Inn. Popuri and I "aww"-ed and felt very happy for Elli.
We met like this once a week, on Mondays. That's why I liked them so much. Ann was usually with us, but at this moment she was up helping her dad with running the inn. It must be a tough job, I'm sure.
We girls could talk for hours on end, discussing our personal affairs. We even gossiped, although I'm sure that's not a very polite thing to do. Conversation had switched from Elli bubbling over with happiness about her upcoming celebration to Popuri worrying about her boyfriend, Kai.
"I'm just so scared his ship will sink, or he'll get lost, or he's not eating healthy, or… There's just so much and I miss him terribly!" Elli and I comforted her, feeling sympathy for her pain. I know that personally, I could never handle a long distance relationship. I'd become worried to a frenzy and my health would deteriorate. Then Dr. Trent would scold me, and it wouldn't be a very happy situation.
I heard stomping down the stairs. An angry Gray appeared, sulking into a chair at one of the tables far away from us. Ann followed him, looking very displeased.
She stomped over to our table and pulled up a chair, so it was our usual group of four again. "Ugh! That Gray! He's always throwing temper tantrums!" She rolled her eyes. I didn't even want to ask what had happened. But that's why we had Popuri- Sometimes, she was just a little too slow to figure out when not to mention something.
She looked at Ann with concerned eyes. "What happened?!"
Ann sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I need to clean his room. And Cliff isn't in there, so now's a great time right? Well, Gray's all 'I need to sit here and blah blah blah!' He's being such a drama queen!"
Elli, Popuri and I giggled. Ann could be a handful sometimes- She was a sweet and fun girl, but very prone to overreacting.
I muttered, "That Gray. He sure is something. Always trying to pull that 'bad boy' act. Who's he fooling?" The other girls agreed, and conversation changed.
When they were deep in conversation and distracted, I could feel someone looking at me. I turned and saw Gray, his expressive blue eyes looking straight at me. We shared a knowing smile, for only we knew our little secret, and then returned to our ordinary lives.
Author's Note: I was listening to the song "Bad Boy" by Cascada, and was inspired to write this. I kind of wrote it on a whim in half an hour, so perfection shouldn't be expected. I hope you enjoy it! :)