Note: To the followers of my other story, if you haven't noticed, I've replaced the April Fool's chapter of the Aces of Razgriz with the real next chapter. For anyone who's favorited or is following this story and haven't looked at my other one, check it out and tell me what you think.
Chapter 12 – Closer
Saturday, October 23, 2004 1012hrs, Wesson, Osea
This is so stupid, why do I have to be the one to bring her on base when she gets from place to place on her own? I pulled into the parking lot of an extremely worn down apartment complex in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Everything about this place had 'you came to the wrong neighborhood' written all over it. The DEA drug raids I was part of, took place here and this was the last place I wanted to be. No one here knew who I was, but I still had to keep on my toes. As much as I didn't want to be here, I had to follow my orders. Rendezvous with Shiro and meet up with Captain Ortiz on Camp Curtis. I decided to just get this over with and I made my way up to Yue's apartment. When I finally reached her door, I rang the doorbell a couple of times and I tried knocking because she didn't answer after a couple minutes of waiting. I called Ortiz and told her that Yue wasn't answering and that the General gave me permission to enter her apartment. I didn't like this at all, but I still had to find her. The door was unlocked and I cautiously entered her apartment. The first thing I noticed first was the lack of furniture and electronics. There wasn't a TV, coffee table, couch, or anything like that to be seen. I figured that she'd at least have a bookshelf full of reading material, but there wasn't anything in there. The living room was empty, and the dining room only had a small table with one chair. The kitchen didn't look like it had any food in the cupboards and the refrigerator seemed like it was busted because it wasn't making any noise. When I made my way down the hallway, I saw that the bathroom wasn't as messy as the average girl's. Yue's shampoo, body soap, and hairbrush were organized perfectly on the sink. The last place I checked was her room and it was just as empty as the rest of the apartment. There was only a sleeping mat on the floor with a blanket and pillow sitting at the foot of the mat. Despite the lack of home furnishings, the place was kept surprisingly clean and it was a helluva lot nicer than the exterior of the apartment complex. The white walls and carpet brightened up the whole place using the natural light that poured in through the windows.
This seems too weird. Yue was nowhere to be seen in her apartment and I knew something was off. It wasn't until I stopped in the middle of the hallway and took in everything that I realized Yue had managed to stalk me through her apartment without me noticing. She's good. When I finally turned to look at her, she was already in the process of trying to bring a knife down on me. Even when I deflected her arm away and looked her in the eye, she kept trying to come after me. It wasn't until I paralyzed her arm by hitting three pressure points that she stopped.
"I was told to come get you and take you to base," I said and Yue just looked at me in acceptance.
She didn't say anything to me as she went to her room to grab a jacket and her shoes. After she got ready, she followed me out of the front door and into my car. The drive towards the base was rather uncomfortable. In fact, it was worse than driving with Miranda. I guess it was because Yue didn't have a thing for me and the fact that she never said anything to anyone kind of freaked me out. However, I at least expected her to thank me for saving her, but she didn't. When we arrived on base, we headed for building 1 and met up with Captain Ortiz. She gave us 'Special' ID cards that granted us access to everything under the direction of the General of the Air Force. Neither of us was all that excited about it because there wasn't anything that we already didn't have access to since we were both military dependent civilians. As it turns out, I now had access to the airfield so that I could hone my flying skills whenever I felt like it. I wanted to get back into the air as soon as possible, but I still couldn't set foot in a plane just yet. My wound was still healing and Harkin told me that if I started flying before next month, I was out. After we got out IDs, Yue and I had to head for the General's office for some reason. When we got there, I was ordered to wait outside while the General talked with his apprentice. I still didn't like him because I felt like I've seen him before, but I didn't know from where though. The General didn't talk with Yue for long and I couldn't hear what they were saying. When they finally came out of the office, the General told me to take Yue back to her place and I did. As we were walking out of the building, I figured that I'd try to talk with her for once.
"So, when are you returning to active duty," I asked.
"That's classified," she said in her usual soft tone.
"Oh, okay. Are you nervous about getting back in the air at all?"
"No," she replied. "Tell me, is it true that you're the one who saved me?"
"Yeah, I was," I said and Yue stopped in front of me. She stood there looking at me and I didn't know what she was going to do. Part of me felt like she was going to show her appreciation, but I was wrong. Yue brought up her hand and attempted to slap me across the face, but I stopped her. I thought that was going to be the end of it, but she jabbed me in my wound which caused me to bend over in pain. Yue then forced me to look up at her and then proceeded to punch me as hard as she could in the jaw. Son of a bitch… that hurt! I was on the ground and I could taste blood in my mouth. Yue didn't say anything as she turned and walked back towards my car. It didn't take a genius to understand that Yue had the same end goal as I did and that she didn't want anything stopping her from reaching it. She was more apathetic towards life than I was. I got up off the ground and made my way to my car so that I could take Yue home. She didn't say anything else for the rest of the way back to her apartment and I turned on my radio to give me the illusion that I was in the car with an actual person instead of a zombie. A song that the girl in the Cultural Arts building sang came on and I noticed something in Yue right then and there. I could see her fingers moving ever so slightly along with the song. It's her! I couldn't believe that Yue was the girl who had that amazing voice and I wanted to say something. Meh, why not?
"You have an amazing voice, Yue." She gave me a blank stare like I wasn't supposed to know that she was the one who could sing. By the way Yue talked, there was no way I would've ever guessed that she was the one who possessed the voice of an angel. "Where did you learn to sing like that?" I asked, but she didn't answer. She only gave me that blank look of hers. From what I gathered in Yue's file and from what I've witnessed in her behavior, I knew I had to tread lightly. "If you don't want to talk about it, then that's alright. I'd just like you to know that you have an amazing talent."
Yue's blank stare turned into a glare as she balled up her fist and turned her head to look out the window. "You embarrass me," she said softly.
I couldn't wrap my head around her comment and I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I knew she wouldn't tell me. What's this girl's deal? The rest of the drive was quiet because Yue had shut off the radio. When we finally arrived back at the apartment complex, Yue punched me again before she got out of my car and headed back inside her house. With that out of the way, I headed back into town to get ready for tonight.
Miranda told me that I was going to take her to the school's homecoming dance. After I held her yesterday, I tried to forget about the whole thing, but all I could think about was Miranda pressing herself against my chest. Her touch did something to me and I felt vulnerable. The only time you should let someone get that close is so that you can stick a knife in them. I had to try and lighten up for Miranda. I promised her I would. Even if she was out to kill me, I was still going to keep the promise I made. I went to one of the men's stores and bought myself a navy blue suit for the dance. Miranda didn't tell me what colored dress she was wearing, so I didn't think it was my problem if I didn't match her dress. While I was waiting in the store for the tailor to finish my suit, I saw my rival walk in along with Crater Face. They both noticed me right away and I really wished that they wouldn't say anything to me, but they did anyways.
"Well look who it is. I guess we can't get ready for a formal gathering without running into fuckers like these," said Weaver referring to me.
"Hey, I will not allow you to talk about Ashley like that," I said sternly to Weaver.
"Hmm, I see you're still the same wise ass you left as, Castillo."
"Only when I have to be," I shrugged.
"Now what did I ever do to deserve all this hostility from you?" asked Weaver.
"Hmm let's see, you tried jumping me multiple times, pulled a knife on me, lied to the cops by telling them that I mugged you, and you sent your dog after Fluffy Cat. Oh, let's not forget about the time you tried to involve my sister in order to get to me."
"Yeah, and I know not to do that again," he replied.
"Now, why is it that you still have a hard on for me?"
"Because he wants to prove that you're not hot shit," said Ashley.
"Believe me, you don't want your boyfriend to fight me," I said.
"I've gotten better since last time and I know I will never lose to you again," said Weaver.
"Weaver let me ask you something, what will fighting me prove? You're the top fighter in the armature league and you're about to go semi pro. What will you gain out of me kicking your ass except for the loss of your reputation?"
"I won't lose to you again. Ever since you humiliated me last time, I swore I wouldn't let an asshole like you get away with embarrassing me."
"Well you're just going to end up embarrassed again," I said and I got up to use the bathroom.
"You're scared to fight me, aren't you?"
"You're just not worth my time."
I could tell I hit one of Weaver's nerves because I heard him rushing after me. As soon as I opened the bathroom door, Weaver tried to sucker punch me in the back of the head. I ducked to avoid it and turned to face my attacker. I saw his uppercut coming along with his left and right cross that I deflected and I sidestepped to avoid his straight heel kick. I was actually surprised that he managed to put his foot through the wall, but I didn't let it distract me for long. As soon as Weaver pulled his foot out of the wall, he attempted to back hand me and I countered by ducking and punching him in the throat. As much as I wanted to run his face into the sink or the toilet, I was feeling rather generous today so I put him in a sleeper hold. It took him all but five seconds to lose consciousness. I was going to let Weaver just lie on the floor, but I thought I was being too generous by not bruising his face. Plus, I had to keep my reputation for being an asshole. I'll give you something to be embarrassed about.
I walked out of the bathroom and Ashley began to wonder where Weaver was. I told her that he should've listened to me and that he got what was coming to him. She didn't say anything to me as I waited for the tailor to finish my suit. Once he was done, I paid for my clothes and the damages to the bathroom before I left and headed home. I thought I wouldn't run into anyone else I knew, but Miranda and Becca just happened to be passing by the men's store and they noticed me right away. Both of them were carrying shopping bags and I assumed that they contained things that they'd need for tonight.
"Well look who…"
"Don't finish that sentence. The last guy who said that to me ended up knocked out in the bathroom stall in there with his fingers up his ass. Photos of this are already trending on What's Up," I said cutting off Miranda.
"You ran into Ashley and Matt too?" she asked.
"Yeah, Ashley's still in there if you want to kick her ass."
"As much as I want to, I'll pass."
"So where are you guys headed," I asked trying to sound somewhat interested, but I honestly didn't care.
"We're headed off to get our hair done," said Becca.
"Well, she is. I'm just here to make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble," said Miranda.
"Really, I thought you'd be the kind of girl to go all out with formal gatherings," I said.
"Umm, no, but you, on the other hand, probably don't."
"Bingo, but since I'm being forced to go against my own will, I might as well attempt to look 'nice'."
"Maybe you should get a haircut before you go," said Becca and I gave her an annoyed look.
"Anyways, I have to get going," I said and I headed for my car.
I left the girls so that they could finish their shopping and I headed home. While I was driving, I kept looking at myself in my rearview mirror. The thing I kept looking at was the length of my hair. It went a little past my shoulders and I could've pulled it back into a pony tail if I wanted to. I wouldn't have let it bother me if this one guy hadn't pulled up next to me try to be smooth until he realized I was a guy. I couldn't take it anymore and I turned back around to head for a barber shop. The sad thing was that there were only hair salons in Wesson and the only barber shop was on base. I didn't want to drive all the way across town to get there so I decided to go to the nearest salon. I don't know if God made it my destiny to always run into Miranda, but I walked into the same hair salon as her and Becca. Miranda noticed me walk in right away while Becca gossiped with her stylist. I was just glad that the wait wasn't long and I was able to get my hair cut to the length I wanted, which was like a surfer kind of look. I assumed that Miranda thought it looked okay by the look she gave me, but as long as I liked it, I didn't care what others thought. After I was done with my hair cut, I decided to head home until I had to pick up Miranda for tonight.
1745hrs, Miranda's house
Captain Ortiz was waiting for me on the front porch. She was cleaning her Remington 870 shotgun in broad daylight like she was trying to intimidate me, but I wouldn't let her. However, she pretty much dropped what she was doing when she saw me step out of my car and throw on my suit jacket as I walked up onto the porch.
"What," I asked.
"You better not get any funny ideas for later," said Ortiz.
"I need some context here."
"Miranda's a sucker for guys in uniform. She's going to be throwing herself at you if you're not careful."
I wanted to say something about how she flashed me the other day, but that would probably be the worst thing I could do. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, can I go in?"
Ortiz nodded and told me to head upstairs to Miranda's room. When I entered the house, I could hear someone just getting out of the shower. I thought they would stay in the bathroom to get dressed, but I was wrong. As soon as I made it to the top of the stair, I saw Becca walk out with nothing but a towel around her body. I was the first thing she saw when she came out of the bathroom. What's she doing here? We exchanged looks at each other before she finally screamed and ran to the nearest room in the hallway. Not even two seconds passed before I saw another door open and this built Latino dude come out of a room, opposite of where Becca ran and he looked at me.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"Antonio. I'm here for Miranda?" I said completely unsure if I was in the right place.
"You," said the guy as he advanced towards me. "You're the guy who nearly killed her."
"Yeah, but she wants me to take her to homecoming."
"Were you taking my daughter too?"
"Who, Becca," I asked even more confused.
"Who else would I be talking about, dumbass" said the guy.
Okay, let me see if I got this right. This guy is Becca's dad, and he's married to Ortiz. Ortiz doesn't have kids of her own, just Miranda as an apprentice. Judging by this guy's reaction, he has a close relationship with Miranda.
"I don't know," I said.
"What is going on out there," said a voice from behind a door, further down the hall.
I turned to see Miranda open her bedroom door as she stepped out in her dress. It was a strapless, satin, royal-blue dress that was twisted up around the breast area and the length of it only went to her mid-thigh, but it hugged her body to the point that I could see all of her curves perfectly. Her hair was wavy to the point that it seemed like it had more volume than before. Miranda also had a little bit of blue eye shadow that really accented the color of her eyes and she also had on a light pink lip gloss. I took a good look at her from head to toe and I could tell that she wanted me to be impressed with how nice she looked, but I felt indifferent about it. Compliment her anyways, jackass!
"Hi," I said and Miranda just continued to look at me. "Are you almost ready?"
"Just give me a minute," said Miranda and she closed her bedroom door.
Becca's dad motioned for me to follow him downstairs and I did. He told me to take a seat in the dining room while he grabbed a small case from his desk in the den and then took a seat across from me. He then opened the case to reveal a silver .44 magnum with the name Riley Morrison engraved on the barrel and he began to load it. Nice.
"You know, there's a story behind everything in existence like where it came, who or what it's encountered, and where it's been. Me, I come from a place where you'd be dead before you were eight years old," said Becca's dad. "Growing up in a place like that can't prepare you for some of the things I've seen and done."
"Cool story, what's your name so that way I know who to tell my friends about," I asked and he pointed to the engraving on the gun. "Okay, Riley, so what have you done that I wouldn't believe?"
"That's classified," he said. "What's your story?"
"That's classified," I replied.
"Are you trying to get smart with me?" he asked as he pointed his gun at me.
If I got smart with you, how would you know? "No, I'm just under orders not to tell anyone."
"You're one of those Bull Kids, aren't you?" asked Riley and I just gave him a blank stare. "Alright, how do you know Miranda?"
"I go to school with her."
"How did you two meet?"
"She wouldn't leave me alone."
"Why did you two fight?"
"I pissed her off."
"Now you know not to fuck with her. If you try that shit again, my girlfriend and I are going to find you and make you wish you were dead," said Riley as he pointed to his gun. I smiled and chuckled at his threat. "What's so funny?"
"I've been wishing I was dead for the past eight years," I said.
Riley didn't know how to retort and Miranda came downstairs before he could think of anything to say. He motioned for Miranda to follow him out onto the back porch and I decided that I should wait on the front porch with Ortiz while Riley told Miranda about my problem. Ortiz was still cleaning her shotgun when I took a seat next to her.
"It seems you've met my husband," she said. "Where's Miranda?"
"Talking with him," I said quietly.
"About what," she asked.
"Why Miranda shouldn't like me," I said.
"I can think of a few reasons."
"I can think of more, but you can go ahead and humor me."
"Well… if you insist. I think you're a smug little asshole who thinks that you can do whatever you want. You constantly start trouble for God knows what reason, and it seems like you don't care about anything except your own ego. But what really annoys me about you is that you don't seem to have a problem putting other people's lives in danger. I bet that you'd throw your friends to the wolves if it meant saving your own ass," said Ortiz.
I didn't say anything in response because I figured that she wouldn't believe me if I told her. The thing about her profile of me revealed that she knew nothing about the kind of person I actually was. She didn't know about my death wish or the fact that I did have a problem putting other people's lives in danger. I was always worried about Danny and the other's lives while we were off on mission. I was always going to look out for my teammates. Except for Fujima, I fucking hated that guy.
"Yet, you're allowing me to take her to homecoming," I replied.
"I'm not worried about you doing anything to her, I'm only worried about her doing something to you," said Ortiz.
I didn't think much about it and Miranda came out onto the front porch. She gave me an uneasy look as she put on her silver high heel shoes and her white sweater. She was accompanied by Riley and he and Ortiz watched as we got into my car and drove off. Miranda and I were going to meet Melissa, Justin, Brenda, and Terra at a restaurant with their boyfriends and girlfriends at this Italian restaurant in the city. I asked Miranda if Becca was coming to homecoming and she told me one of her guy friends was taking her.
We met up with the others at the restaurant and we all hung out until 1830hrs. By that time the dance had started and we all headed to the school. I met up with all my other friends and Miranda met with hers outside the main entrance. The one thing I noticed about all of this was that Miranda was attracting a lot of attention from most of the guys around her and I was turning the heads of both genders. Most of them were surprised that I was even in a suit. I might've looked good in this thing, but I hated how tight it felt around my neck, wrist, and waist.
"You look exceptionally handsome in your suit. You should wear this more often," said Lara.
"Thank you, and… you look nice too," I replied cautiously.
"Thank you," she replied. "Have you told Miranda how ridiculous she looks in that dress?"
"You're still trying to win him over, Lara?" asked Melissa.
"I intend to. My mission objective is to procreate with a worthy male so that way we will have eleven superior offspring."
I felt a chill roll down my back and I quickly walked away from Lara to head for Miranda. She was talking with James, Neil, Tack, and Terra as they drooled over girl in a white dress. The first thing they noticed was the girl's ass.
"Hey, Antonio, on a scale of one to ten, what do you rate that butt," whispered Terra.
"That's Ashley," I said and Crater Face turned around to reveal herself.
"Soak it all in, boys. This is as close to hot as you'll ever get," said Ashley.
"May you please face the other way so they can enjoy the view without looking at your face," said Miranda.
"Please, this is the best part."
"If I recall correctly, Antonio wouldn't agree."
"Only because he swings the other way," said Ashley.
"Oh trust me, he doesn't," said Terra.
"Alright, prove it."
I don't need to prove shit to you. I looked at Miranda and she looked back at me like she was worried that I was going to kiss her. But for some reason, I figured that she did sort of want it. Otherwise she wouldn't have flashed me at the beginning of the week. I normally would've just let it slide, but then Miranda just had to say something.
"Well, prove her wrong," she said.
I doubt a kiss is going to prove anything. Should I fondle you to make it more believable? Everyone who was within earshot of our argument turned their attention onto us. Miranda began to blush and I knew that this wasn't what she really wanted, but I knew a way around it. I winked at Miranda to let her know that she should trust me, but I don't think she understood what I was thinking. I walked up to her and placed my hand over her mouth so that her nose was between my thumb and index finger. I then proceeded to dip her down and placed my lips on my hand, giving the illusion that I was kissing her. Everyone's jaws just seemed to drop as I held this charade for a good ten seconds. They didn't expect a pessimistic guy like me to actually make a move on the prettiest girl in school. Then again, no one knew we were dating. While I was pretending to kiss her, Miranda just gazed at me in total shock like she didn't expect me to do this, but it seemed like she also wanted to hit me at the same time. I didn't feel anything while I did this. This was just to stick it to Ashley and it seemed like it worked. I brought Miranda back up and her blushing had intensified. No one said anything as I took Miranda's hand and led her inside the gym. The others from our group followed our lead and paid the entry fee to go into the gym, but we ended up hanging out in the hallway for most of the night. I hung out with my other friends while Miranda hung out with hers for a good half hour. It wasn't until I saw her walk by and shoot a death glare at me that I started to think that I did something wrong.
"Uh-oh, I think your date is pissed at you, Castillo," said Neil.
"What did I do this time?" I asked.
"Have you hung out with her at all since we got here?" asked Melissa.
."No, was I supposed to?"
"Antonio, let me explain something about Miranda. She's the kind of girl who needs the attention of her boyfriend and after what you did to her outside, you can't afford to let her slip through your fingers," said Terra.
I already knew that Miranda wanted my attention, but after what I did outside, I thought that she just wanted to lie low. Unless, she wanted to let everyone know that we were dating. I didn't want that kind of attention because I'd never hear the end of it from my friends who didn't know.
"So what do I say?" I asked.
"Don't say anything," said Melissa's boyfriend, Damian. "Just hold her, that'll mean so much more to her than words."
Melissa practically melted in his arms and I thought about what he said. Miranda did seem to like it when I held her yesterday and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I liked it too. God dammit… I excused myself from the others while I went to find Miranda in the gym. I saw her leaning against the left wall as soon as I entered the gym and noticed some guy was talking to her. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell that he was annoying Miranda to the point that she just wanted to slap him. Or maybe, she wanted to slap me.
"Where is he?" asked the guy.
"How the hell should I know," snapped Miranda.
That voice… Jeez, not again.
"I'm not going to ask you again. Where is he," asked Weaver.
"Right behind you, asshole," I growled.
As soon as I finished my sentence, Weaver tried to swing his left arm back followed by a right hook, a high kick, and roundhouse kick. I dodged all of his attack, but I didn't go on the offensive until Weaver grabbed my shoulder and tried to knee me in the gut. I blocked his attack with my forearm and I twisted out of his grip until I was able to grab his arm and hit him in a few pressure points, causing his arm to become paralyzed. When he tried to low blow me with his good arm, I caught it and bent his wrist forward so that he would submit to the pain. I kept the pressure on so that Weaver knew not to try anything else and he calmed down to the point where he would listen.
"You just don't get it, do you? You're not even worth my time, Weaver, and you'll only end up disappointed every time you try to fight me. Stay out of my fucking life, you piece of shit or I swear to God you'll regret it," I yelled and I let him go.
Weaver glared at me before he left to go find Ashley. After he left, I turned to find Miranda but she was gone. I found her sitting on the bleachers with the same pissed off look on her face and I didn't know what to say to her. Here goes nothing. I walked up in front of Miranda and held out my hand. She could only look at me like I was stupid, but I really didn't know what else to do. The only reason I came to this dance was because she wanted me to and I'll be damned if she was going to stay mad at me for ruining her night.
"Let's go," I said finally.
"Go where," she asked.
"I'll give you at least one dance for tonight."
"Just one," she asked again.
"Hey, I'm still trying to get used to this whole 'dating' thing, alright? If you're still up for another dance and depending on how I feel about it, we'll do it again," I said and Miranda gave me a sour look.
She finally took my hand and I led her to the dance floor were a bunch of other couples started dancing to a slow song that just started playing. When I found a spot on the floor, I twirled Miranda in front of me so that I was holding her from behind with my right hand on her abdomen and my left hand on her left hip. I could feel how heavily she was breathing and I knew that she liked this. We slowly began to sway back and forth to the music. I tried keeping a little bit of space between us because I didn't want her to get the feeling that I wanted to be this close to her, but it didn't do me any good. Miranda pulled me by my pant legs so that I was pressed up against her back all the way. I felt very uncomfortable at this point in time, but I couldn't do anything about it. I could only hope that Miranda wouldn't notice. Other than that, I noticed her body language more than anything. Her hands were placed over mine and she was leaning into me. Her breathing had slowed down to the point that she seemed like she was asleep. The song was about halfway over when Miranda decided to turn herself around and look up at me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. She was smiling for some reason and I could feel myself blushing as I kept my eyes turned away from her.
"Thank you," whispered Miranda as she placed her head on my chest.
"For what," I asked.
"For being here with me, it means so much that you came. Even though you still pissed me off," she said. I didn't know what to say to her. It wasn't that I couldn't tell her that she was welcome, but I didn't know why coming here was such a big deal to her. Whatever the reason was, I decided to just go with it to keep her happy. It also made me feel kind of warm inside. I'm kind of starting to like this.
Sunday, October 31, 2004 1821hrs Wesson, Osea
This particular day of the year was always my least favorite. In fact, I dreaded Halloween. There was always someone who had to be stupid, but I loved screwing with them. The usual dumbasses of the day were women with newborn babies and kids my age who were looking for handouts. I always turned them away and mom wouldn't let me hand out candy to people anymore after what I said to this fat lady asking for candy for her infant son last year.
Today sucked more than the previous years because the heater broke and the house was freezing. Mom had duty on base so she hadn't been home all day and Amanda and I were trying to find any reason we could to get out of the house. I was walking down the street with her and her friends, Emily and Katie, while they walked to Katie's house for a Halloween party. They wanted me to come, but they also wanted me to get in the spirit too. In order to make them happy, I donned my flight gear and told them I was a mercenary pilot again. What they didn't know was that I was carrying my real pistol with me because word through the grape vine was that Weaver was now bent on making me pay for embarrassing the crap out of him last week. If he was that bent on trying to get his revenge, then I had to be ready for anything.
"Hey, Anthony, are you okay?" asked Amanda.
"I'm fine. Listen, I'm going to drop you off at your party and then I'm going to head back home," I said. Weaver's smart enough not to involve my sister.
"Don't be a party pooper, Anthony. It'll be fun," said Katie.
"You seriously want your dad to see me like this?" I asked.
Katie's dad was the Bishop of the Mormon Church that my sister attended. I really didn't mind their beliefs and they were some good people, but I really didn't believe in any church because my faith in God was my own. Katie's dad wasn't a strict Bishop, but I knew that I had to watch myself around him and his family.
"Yeah, I see your point," said Katie.
I continued to walk with them until we reached Katie's house and then I turned to head back home. I told Amanda to text or call me if she needed anything before I left. Just as I was about to start heading home, my phone received a text from Dustin. I got a party going on at my house. Your girlfriend is here and she's attracting a lot of attention. Get your ass over here! The fact that Dustin told me Miranda was over at his house confused the hell out of me, but I was more concerned as to why Dustin didn't tell me about his party sooner. I decided to not worry about it and I ran to his house because his mom usually had food made for everyone. Dustin's mom's cooking was kick ass. It wasn't as great as my mom's, but it was still great. I guess the thought of food got to me to the point that I didn't realize that I had sprinted to Dustin's house. I wasn't out of breath or anything, but he could tell that I did run when he answered the door in a flight suit and aviators while Danger Zone was blasting on his phone at full volume.
"I guess you should've tried to play Goose. All you need is a little bit of fake blood running down the side of your head," I said.
"I look more like Maverick than you ever will. Anyways come on in," said Dustin and I stepped inside his house.
"So, how was Miranda attracting a lot of attention?" I asked.
"You'll see. I bet you anything that your tongue will be hanging out of your head."
Okay, I have to see this. I followed Dustin into the living room where the others were. I saw Mike, Jared, Justin, Melissa, Shelby, and Cole. Cole was one of Dustin's other friends whom I never really knew. He seemed like a cool guy, but I didn't really know what he was like. I didn't see Miranda anywhere and I just decided to wait and get some food. I dug into the barbequed chicken and queso first and then I got myself a tall glass iced tea. If I hadn't had to take Yue on base again, I would've been able to eat dinner on time. Hell, I probably wouldn't have been punched by her again. If things kept up like this, one of us was going to die. Anyways, as I was finishing up my food, I heard a toilet flush and the downstairs bathroom door open, followed by the sound of high heeled shoes walking down the hall. There she is. I was looking towards the hallway in preparation to see Miranda, but I wasn't expecting to see her like this. Holly hell… Miranda stepped into view wearing a black leather catsuit that hugged her body even tighter than the dress she wore to homecoming. I doubted that I'd ever see her naked, but at least now I could see all of her curves perfectly. She didn't zip her suit up past her collar bone because it looked tight enough as it was. Her high heels toned up her butt even better than what I've noticed before and it was enough to compete with Ashley. Dustin was close when he said that my tongue would be hanging out of my head because I felt my jaw drop as soon as I saw her. All of the other guys were gawking at her as well and the other girls took notice.
"Dude, Antonio, you are the luckiest guy in the universe right now. You actually get to tap that," whispered Mike and I quickly pulled myself together.
I'm uncomfortable again… "Shut the hell up," I growled silently.
"Come on, bro. You can't tell me that you don't plan on going home empty handed tonight."
"Mike, I swear, if you don't shut up, I'll stick my foot so far up your ass that it comes out your belly button and that's impossible."
"Hey, Antonio," said Miranda as she made her way towards me.
"Hey, who invited you?" I asked, trying not to stutter.
"I snuck in here."
I looked at Mike and he took a second to think about what she said. "You know what; I don't even remember you showing up with the others," he said to her.
"It's because I'm sneaky like that," said Miranda.
"I don't even care that she showed up without me inviting her. The view looks so nice," muttered Dustin under his breath. He didn't know that Miranda and I were the only ones who heard him, but we pretended not to notice.
"Anyways, what do you think? Do I pull this look off better than Amelia or what?" asked Miranda as she struck a pose.
This has to be some kind of setup, right?! "It looks good on you," I said. "It must be a pain in the ass to use the bathroom while wearing that thing."
"Ugh, I know. This thing is so tight that I couldn't wear any underwear under it and since this thing only zips down to my belly button, you can imagine what I had to do in Dustin's bathroom."
Have you no shame, woman?!
Mike accidentally spit his soda on me and Dustin almost fainted at what he heard. I wanted to smack Mike upside his head, but I didn't. The others were laughing while I got myself some napkins and cleaned myself up in the sink. Miranda came up next to me to try and help out, but all she did was press her boobs into my back. You're lucky, Antonio! You're very lucky!
After I got cleaned up, the night carried on and we all continued to hang out at Dustin's place while we watched Sunday night football. I wasn't all that interested in the game, but I still socialized with everyone. The girls started dancing to some music they put on while the guys took part in a pushup contest that Dustin had started. The winner got a surprise from one of the girls and knowing them, I decided to lose on purpose. Turns out, the surprise was a gift card to a hardware store that had a couple things I needed to buy before February of next year. I should've won. Anyways, the night went on and we were all pretty worn out by the time Dustin called it an night around ten. Miranda pretended to be worn out from all of the dancing she did and passed out on the porch while everyone else headed to their cars. I was pretty tired from all the crap I went through with Yue earlier today and I could wait to go home. Everyone else knew how tired I was and they knew I'd end up hurting myself if I pushed it.
"Are you alright, dude?" asked Jared.
"I'll live. I always do," I said.
"You sure…."
"I said I'm fine," I snapped.
"Alright, but what about your girlfriend," he asked.
I looked at Miranda to see her lying motionless on the porch. She might've been pretending, but I still had to take care of her. She was my girlfriend after all. "I'll take care of her," I said and the girls started to giggle.
"Behave you two," teased Melissa and she walked off with Shelby towards her car.
The others soon disbanded and began to head home. Dustin asked if I was alright and I told him I was okay and that I'd take Miranda home. He gave me an uneasy look and waited for me to leave and I figured that I should show him that I was really okay. I scooped up Miranda in my arms and began to walk down the street towards Miranda's house until I was out of sight. As I was cradling her, I could feel how tense she was. My hand could feel how tight her leg muscle was and my other hand could feel her torso trembling slightly. However, I wasn't really paying attention to this as much as I was paying attention to what I was thinking. Miranda looked so cute while she pretended to be asleep in my arms. No…she's not cute…she's sexy as hell. I was having all these weird thoughts running through my mind the longer I held her and I wanted them to stop.
"Okay, you can walk from here," I said, but Miranda was still pretending to be asleep. "Stinson, you can go home now." Miranda still didn't move. "If you don't move, I'm going to drop you."
Miranda finally opened her eyes and gave me an annoyed glare as I set her down. "Are you trying to hint that you think I'm fat?"
"No, I'd just like to go home and get ready for school tomorrow."
"We'll I can't go back to Kallen's place, remember? I'd rather avoid her lecture. Do you think I can spend the night again?"
"Seriously," I asked. "What about all of your things?"
"All my books are in my car and I could probably borrow a shirt from your mother or sister."
"You're seriously going to school in a catsuit tomorrow?"
"They'll think I'm wearing leather pants. It's not like they're going to see me wearing all of it. Anyways, may I please spend the night again?"
I gave Miranda a sour look because I thought she was using this as another excuse to spend time with me. I kind of wanted to be with her, but this was kind of pushing it. "The heater in my house is broken, just so you know," I warned.
"I'll be fine. This thing is warmer than it looks," said Miranda and she began to follow me back to my place. "Hey, Antonio, do you think you can carry me? I hurt my ankle a little while I was dancing."
Seriously, what the hell! "How bad is it?" I asked.
"It should heal by tomorrow morning, assuming my healing factor is still working. But still, it hurts to walk."
I rolled my eye and knelt down so that Miranda could hop on my back. The feeling of her breast pressing in on my back made me feel uncomfortable again, but it wasn't as bad as last time. I could feel Miranda's heart beating though her chest while I carried her back to my house. I was overcome by a sense of nostalgia because I remembered I used to carry Amanda around like this all the time before everything happened eight years ago. However, Amanda never rested her head on my shoulder like the way Miranda was doing. I kind of felt bad that I had to let her off so that we could head inside my house once we got to the front porch.
"Hmm, I guess Amanda came home sooner than I did. Do you think you can be sneaky enough to get to my room?" I asked.
"Please, remember who you're talking to," whispered Miranda.
"If I can still catch you following me, you still have a lot to learn."
Miranda rolled her eyes at me as she made her way down the hallway towards my room. While she headed in there, I took off my flight gear and left it in my bathroom while I brushed my teeth. It was pretty late and I decided to just sleep in my pants and a t-shirt that I'd wear to school tomorrow. I headed back to my room and saw Miranda sitting on the edge of my bed with one of her legs in the air while she undid her shoe strap from around her ankle. I didn't say anything as I watched her take off the other one and rub her feet. After she was done, she crossed her legs and looked at me while I was standing in my doorway.
"You weren't kidding when you said it was cold in here. Do you have any more blankets? Where's your bed cover?"
"Fluffy Cat threw up on it this morning and I didn't get a chance to wash it."
"And you don't have any other blankets other than these two?"
"The fleece one is warmer than it looks and the woven one works well when it's on top of the fleece one."
Miranda nodded and proceeded to get under my covers and I got into my bed as well after I turned off my light. It was strange sharing my bed with Miranda like this. It would've made me feel a hell of a lot more uncomfortable if she took off her catsuit. How can she sleep in that thing? I usually slept better while wearing loose fitting clothes, but I could still sleep under any circumstance.
"You know, I have a night shirt you could wear if you're feeling uncomfortable in that thing," I said.
"I'm alright; I just wish I could be a little warmer. These blankets aren't cutting it," said Miranda.
"Well, there's not much else I can do."
"Don't you wish you could be warmer at all?"
I already knew what Miranda was trying to do, but I wasn't sure if I should. I'd become too uncomfortable with it and I knew she'd feel it. I got the feeling that she wanted me to do this real badly because I didn't feel all that cold sleeping like this. I let out a sigh as I moved in closer to Miranda, but I kept myself turned away from her so that only our backs touched. She let out a sigh of disappointment because I knew she wanted me to spoon with her, but I was only going to take this so far.
"Antonio, do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked me.
"More than you think," I said.
"What, are you afraid that you might like it?"
I wanted to tell her that I knew I would like it, but there was more of a reason as to why I didn't want to do this. "You're getting too close to me. I keep thinking that it's better if you kept some distance between us," I said.
"That just means you're afraid of something. What are you afraid of?" asked Miranda.
I might as well tell her. "I might end up dying next time I deploy. If that happens, you'll end up regretting the fact that you couldn't save me."
"You're not dead yet, Antonio. I can still try to save you. You just have to open your heart a little," whispered Miranda.
I was skeptical about taking Miranda's advice because I still didn't fully trust her, but she had more of my trust than she did a couple months ago. The past two weeks have given me a new perspective on life and I was starting to appreciate things that I never once gave any consideration towards. Getting closer to Miranda was just one of those things. I thought about it a little longer and I finally decided that this would be one of those things that I would regret not doing if I died. I also realized that she was just as uncomfortable as I was when it came to certain things, like when she flashed me. I turned around in my bed and slipped my left arm under Miranda's head so that she could rest on it and placed my hand on her rib cage and I wrapped my right arm around her waist. I finally pulled her as close to me as I could and I felt her heart take off racing. I did this to make her feel just as uncomfortable as I was, but I felt strange for some reason. I had never experienced a feeling like this before in my entire life. It wasn't a feeling of love or anything, but it was more like a feeling of acceptance, like I finally decided to let Miranda get close. This was only part of what she wanted and I still didn't fully understand why.
"Antonio," she whispered. "Your pocket knife is digging into my back."
That's not my pocket knife. "Sorry," I muttered as I quickly got comfortable and I went back to spooning with her. She placed her leg on mine so that I could feel her bare feet and I noticed how cold they were. As I held Miranda, my usual melancholy became nonexistent and I felt good for the first time in a long time. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like this and I didn't want this feeling to end. Is this what comfort feels like? My hold on Miranda tightened slightly and I guess she knew what I was thinking by the way he placed her hands on mine. Everything that had been on my mind started to fade away as I felt myself drift off to sleep.