Besides checking on her after she got out of the hospital, and when I picked her up on Friday night, I've never been to her house. I've seen the living room, and I even walked her upstairs to her cute bedroom with her dad when she was released from the hospital. But this was going to be different. After spending the night with her until midnight, talking about our life together and saying how much we loved each other, I wasn't surprised to get her text at 11 the next day. I barely got out of the house telling my mom and dad I was going to see her, before she text me again, telling her parents were going to be gone for the afternoon. Lunch with her mom's boss. I sped through traffic hoping I didn't crash and pulled up into her driveway 5 minutes later. I walked up the walkway, a baseball cap on my head backwards, and only a thin white shirt on my body. It was only 40 degrees out, Fall making its presence known, but I didn't find it necessary to wear a big coat. I just threw on a clean white shirt, regular blue jeans, some slip on Vans and my old baseball cap. I knocked a little to desperate and leaned against the door frame shoving my hands in my front jean pockets. I heard running and then watched Anna's face come into view. I stood up straight and a good thing too. She jumped in my arms wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. "You got here fast!" I smiled holding her butt with both hands and gently kicked the front door shut. "Keep walking forward and go to the dining room table. I have something to show you."
"Does it involve you with no top on?" She shoved her lips hard into my own making me stop fast, just so I wouldn't fall to the floor on top of her. She pulled away quick putting one hand on my face looking em square in the eyes. "Whole house to ourselves huh?" She sighed quietly but let her gaze fall to my bottom lip where she started to rub over with her small cold thumb. "What's on your mind pretty girl?"
"Well…remember our conversation last night?" I did but to be safe I brought up a certain part of it.
"I love you?" She looked up fast and smiled kissing me one last time before slipping out of my arms. She laced our hands together and led me into a fairly large, very beautiful dining room. I glanced to the glass cabinet with family mementos inside, along with two diplomas. Probably her parents college ones. She sat me down on one side of the long cherry oak table before reaching for an envelope in the middle of the table. She sat next to me, let my hand go and breathed out hard.
"We talked about college last night." We locked eyes and I sat back relaxing a bit. I had already promised her, anywhere she wanted to go for college, I'd follow like a lost puppy. "This came yesterday. I'm a nerd you know this so at the end of summer I applied to a few different ones and after talking with you last night I kind of think this is fate." She gently set the closed envelope in front of me and I smiled picking it up. The top left corner read USC Admissions. I turned to her fast and felt the back of the envelope noticing it still closed. I frowned and she laughed pulling her long smooth legs up to her chest. It was then that I noticed she was in a pair of black running shorts, and a plain black tank top. She had a certain look about her that made me think she had been working out before I came. Very sexy. "I was too scared to open it yet. I don't want to open it and have to read that I wasn't accepted. I think that would kill me. And I know you've been talking about USC and we said we'd go to the same school so…" She breathed out hard and nodded to the envelope in my hand. "Open it for me."
"Anna…" She hugged her legs tighter and smiled. How could I say no to her? I sighed out and sat up a little shaking my head. "Whatever this says were going to college together. One way or another. Even if I have to pay off some Deans." She giggled beside me, but it was a nervous giggle. I tore the back off the envelope and pulled out a wad of paper sighing out. I tuned to her quick and leaned in kissing her nose. "I love you no matter what." She nodded but urged me to read. I put the envelope on the table and cleared my throat. I opened up the papers and read the first word in my head. Congratulations. I swallowed hard and stood up walking into the kitchen. Call me a jerk but I thought it would be a little fun to mess with her. Serves her right for doubting herself. Of course she got in. She smart and everything a college wants. "Wow…" I paced in the kitchen rubbing my jaw, "Reading" the letter.
"Wow what? Wow bad, or wow good?" I saw her stand in my vision but sighed shaking my head. "Kendall wow what?" She stormed over to me and tried to grab the paper, but I raised it high, way to high out of her reach. I cupped her face softly and frowned shaking my head. Her posture fell and she breathed out hard. "I didn't get in." She put her head down and I smiled.
"Well I wouldn't say that." She looked up fast and I laughed. "I mean it seems sketchy to me but their asking you to get ahold of something called FASFA so you can pay for some classes down in California. Sounds fake to me pretty girl." Her mouth fell open and she smacked at my chest ripping the paper out of my hand. She turned to walk away but I snuck both arms around her middle and pulled her back into my chest. I set my chin on her shoulder and locked my fingers together over her stomach as she read. "Coach said USC has been at my doorstep since pee wee. Knowing coach that's probably an exaggeration but…it looks like were going to Cali for school." She laughed dropping her hands to mine and laid her head back on my collar bone.
"I can't believe it. It doesn't seem real. Like I doubted they would accept me because it's not even third quarter."
"Well your just that amazing." She sighed and spun fast putting her face in my chest. I set my hands on the small of her back and kissed the top of her head closing my eyes.
"Well…now that that's over…do you wanna stay a little longer and hang out?" Like she needed to ask.
After throwing her over my shoulder and letting her grab two sodas for us, I walked us upstairs and into her bedroom. I set her on the floor gently and watched her walk to her desk. She closed her laptop set the drinks down and turned to me pulling a pony tail out form her hair. I had an image come to mind of being over top of her and seeing her hair messed up, but erased it fast to not get in any kind of trouble. "Do you mind if I take a shower real quick. I was working out before you came over and I feel gross."
"As long as I can watch." She laughed and shook her head walking to her closet. She grabbed a towel hanging form the back of the door and turned to me.
"Make yourself comfortable." I only nodded as I watched her walk out and waited until I heard another door close. I sighed out and glanced around the very light room. I walked to the bed and sat down but felt odd. The old version of me would have decided to snoop on my girlfriend. I never trusted Jo, and she gave me very good reason not to as it turns out, but I trusted Anna. I didn't want to snoop…but I did want to know some more things about her. Like what movies she had under her TV. I stood up and walked over to it bending slightly. Pride and Prejudice, new version, Up, the Scooby Doo movies, The Lion King, and a few more animated ones. She also had Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Insidious. I smiled standing back up and looked around her walls. There were pictures, a lot of pictures, of Anna with Sam, Camille and a few other girls I had seen hanging around them. Every so often, going through the pictures I found an empty spot on the wall. Probably where pictures of Will and Ben and Daniel had been. I swallowed hard moving away from an empty spot just to come face to face with him, once again. Ben was in a picture with Anna. It looked like someone had snapped the picture at the right moment. He had his arms around her and was kissing her cheek. She was smiling, probably laughing and had her fingers laced with his. She looked happy. Genuinely happy. It kind of made me jealous. It also made me question why she still had pictures of him up, but that thought made me pissed. At myself. Even if they had something, something more than she told me, he's dead now. Nothing more could happen. As horrible as that makes me come off as, it was the truth.
I walked away from the picture wall fast calming myself down and smiled instantly. Hanging in a pretty black frame, a decent size, was a picture of a painted sunflower. Behind the sunflower was a sunrise, and a rainbow. And very tiny in the corner was her signature. I smiled and looked back up at the sunflower. I got a little closer noticing black words on the pedals of the flower. I got even closer and read out loud. "Incompatible, it don't matter though, 'Cause someone's bound to hear my cry, Speak out if you do, you're not easy to find. Who doesn't long for someone to hold, Who knows how to love you without being told, Somebody tell me why I'm on my own, If there's a soul mate for everyone." I hadn't noticed how many times I had read and re-read the word son each pedal. It was beautiful, but it was also sad. It made me wonder if she made this before or after meeting me. Maybe she wasn't sure I was the one, and then again, maybe I wasn't sure she was the one. Re-reading the words made my head race with worry. Was I going to get let down again, like I did with Jo?
That was ridiculous. Anna wasn't Jo, that was for sure, so I had nothing to worry about. I convinced myself she wrote it before she and I started dating. That was the only way I could feel good about the situation.
I was pulled out of my thoughts feeling my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out fast and sat at her desk opening up one of the cans of coke. It was a text from Logan.
WHERE R U? I frowned and took a sip of coke before responding.
AT ANNA'S. WHAT'S UP? I set my can back down and put my phone back right next to it but only for a second. My phone buzzed again and I picked it up fast.
IT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT. I froze and waited for an explanation knowing he'd make me work to get the information out of him. Just as I started to type in three question marks I got another text from. CAMILLE AND I HAD SEX LAST NIGHT. IN THE BACK OF MY CAR. I coughed out loud reading his text but smiled. Good for Logan. I don't necessarily think you have to be in love to have sex. It's a plus, but Logan has been trying to get Camille for a long time. My belief is he is in love with her, and vice versa so, good for them.
AND THAT CONDOMD WAS USED? His response was quick.
OF COURSE. I'M NOT AN IDIOT. I laughed out loud and quickly replied.
SPEAKIGN OF WHICH…HOW SHITTY WOULD IT BE IF I SNOOPED THROUGH ANNA'S ROOM?
PRETTY SHITTY. I'D HAVE TO TELL CAMILLE AND WHO IS CAMILLE'S BEST FRIEND? I frowned and wanted to remind him of the bro code, meaning if I do something in secret and tell him, he has to keep that secret. But I spun in my chair quick and smiled big at Anna as she walked in…in just a towel. I stood up fast, dropping my phone to the floor with a thud. She looked down at it and then glanced back up at me, smiling. Her hair hung around her face in wet strands and her cheeks were faintly red, probably form the heat of the shower. Her bare shoulders and the top of her chest was still wet. It was a miracle I could stand at all.
She had her phone out in front of her and a beautiful smile on her face. "Camille and Logan had sex!" I laughed nervously and stared down at her legs. I wanted to run my hands over them. They looked so damn soft and smooth. I could imagine kissing up and down her thighs. "She wants to hang out but I told her to give me a few hours with you." She tossed her phone to the bed and walked into me grabbing a handful of my shirt, pulling em closer to her. She kissed on my neck and it made me close my eyes and clench my fist down at my sides. "I want to show you something." I swallowed hard and opened my eyes feeling her pull away. She stepped a few feet away from me and sighed out putting her hands on her towel. "No one has ever seen me naked before." My mouth parted open a little and my throat went bone dry.
I've seen naked girls before. Jo to be the only live one. Otherwise it's been porn. Anna was nothing like what I've seen. Between the porn and Jo, they couldn't compare to Anna. She just let her towel drop to her feet and she stood in front of me completely nude. The first thing I stared at was her chest. Obviously. I'm a boob guy. And I was more than satisfied. When Jo took off her bra you could see why she wore pushups. With Anna…it was obvious she didn't have anything to "push up". If I had to guess she was a C. After swallowing a moan that would probably freak her out, I glanced down…further. Again when Jo got naked everything looked so…fake. So made up. Besides Anna's scar on her ribs, everything she had was hers. It was authentic. It was real. She was orange from tanning. She had a few definition of muscles on her stomach, but nothing gross or too big. Her skin was smooth looking. I wanted to run my hands all over it. And then I caught sight of her…most private part on her body. Again I've only seen one…live naked female body. And Jo's…just didn't compare. "I told you I wanted you to be my first." I snapped my head up fast and cleared my throat feeling dizzy and hot.
"You want to…right now?" She only nodded and walked to me slowly. "Anna…I love you, you know that…but I don't want to rush. I want this to go slow." She stopped fast, cheeks beat red. I reached out fast and held her face in my hands. "If I was a scum bag and didn't have any respect for you, I would have sex with you right now." She shoved my hands off her face and pouted grabbing her towel.
"Is that what you told Jo before you had sex with her a day after dating her?!" My mouth dropped open as she walked to her bedroom door. "Just leave Kendall!" I was completely stunned. Was she really fighting with me about sex? About how I didn't want to?
"What is wrong? I want this to go slow. Trust me…your beautiful right now and I would love more than anything to have sex with you, but I'm not that guy. Because of you I am so different and I can't do that to you!" She crossed her arms over her chest and it hit me. This was a completion. "So because Camille had sex after being with her boyfriend for a week, you have to follow along? Everything Camille does, you have to, too" Her eyes twisted into anger and pain and her face softened. "What is this really about?"
"Leave." I stood straight up and swallowed hard. "I said get out." I picked up my phone fast and walked to the door. I stopped right by her and felt like I should tell her I loved her and at least give her a hug. But she was being ridiculous and I wasn't going to sit around and argue about it. I walked out fast not looking back and stormed down her stairs. I pulled open her front door to come face to face with Camille and Sam. They both smiled up at me, but their smiles fell fast.
"Hey Kendall…you alright?" I walked out going between them, running into both of them. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and walked through the grass on the front lawn to my car parked in the driveway. I heard talking from the girls but ignored them. However just as I was going to get in my car I saw Anna walking towards, still only I her towel.
"You're a jerk!" I unlocked my car fast and got in slamming the door behind me. I started my car, without even putting my seatbelt on, and peeled out of the driveway with taking a second look back.
