Lisa
"Son of a bitch," I grunted, sitting up in bed.
Arching my leg, I rested my forehead in my hand with my elbow propped up on my knee.
I'm so fucked.
My dick was throbbing so hard it hurt.
I was waking up with constant hard-ons, and it was like I was thirteen all over again.
I was actually waking up in pain with the pressure between my legs, and the only thing I wanted was under lock and key next door.
It was going to be a long fucking year. That was for sure.
I still didn't have any plans about college, but one thing was for certain. Wherever I ended up, I looked forward to visiting Jennie and screwing her brains out in privacy, without parents around.
A creak interrupted my thoughts, and my head shot up out of my hand to see Jennie stepping into my room.
My chest caved, and I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
She shut the door and leaned back against it.
"Please tell me you're thinking about me." Her lips were soft and playful as she purred her words.
She was fucking me.
With her look, fierce and urgent. With her mouth, moist and open. With her voice, smooth and taunting, and I was ready to thank my lucky stars that she was here.
"Are you kidding?" I raised my eyebrows and whipped off the blanket, gesturing to the very hard bulge poking through the jeans that I'd fallen asleep in. "Look at this shit. I can't think straight."
And I jumped out of bed and rushed her. Our lips came together, and the sweetness of how her body molded to mine made me regret every other girl I'd touched.
Jennie always tasted good, like hot apples and angry skies, and her tongue was simply candy.
She knew how to move with me. When I leaned in, she arched back. When I pulled my head back, she read my mind and opened her neck to me.
"Wait," she gasped. "Your front door was open. I didn't see your mom when I walked in, but she's got to be up."
I shook my head, scolding her. "You started this. And this isn't your house. There are no rules here." I smiled and leaned over to my iPod dock and switched on Rachel Rabin's Raise the Dead to drown out our noise.
"Come here," I whispered, pulling her by the hips into my body.
But she pushed me away.
Disappointment—-no, pain and confusion—racked through me.
"Wha—" I started to ask but sucked in my breath when she began peeling off her clothes.
Fuuuuck.
Her little, white tank top?
Gone.
Her pajama shorts and panties?
Off in a single movement.
And when she came to me, I was light-headed and fucking hard.
I glided my fingers up her sides and then down over her beautiful breasts. Her skin was silky and firm, like rain.
Perfect.
I didn't even have time to reach for my nightstand drawer before she pushed me down on the bed and straddled me.
"Jennie, a condom," I gasped out.
Holy shit.
My whole body shook with the contact, her wet heat rubbing against me and the blood pumping through my cock.
"Pants," she whispered, and when she leaned over to grab a condom, I knew what she meant.
After about three seconds, the rubber was on, and I thrust up and inside of her.
We stilled for a minute, both shuddering and catching our breath as we soaked in the feeling.
God, Jennie. So tight.
Her lips crashed down on mine, and I dove into her mouth, moving my tongue against hers as we gasped and came back for more.
"Lisa," she whispered between kisses. "Something's wrong with me. I always want more of you."
Her hips started moving back and forth, up and down my cock, making a sweet tightness race down my arms and legs.
Her heavenly skin felt like cream, and I grabbed her ass in my hands, jerking her down on me as the room filled with wet heat and sweat.
God… she loved me. I still couldn't believe it, but she did.
"What do you want, Jennie?" I breathed against her lips, desperate and fucking lost in my need for her skin, her smell, her fire...
"I want you." She closed her eyes, and dropped her head back as her body rocked into mine. "Every morning and every night."
Her head came back down, and her fingers fisted in my hair. "I want to feel you all day, Lisa."
Yeah, it was going to be a long fucking year.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I whipped us around, so that she laid on the bottom, and I fucked the love of my life hard enough, so that she would feel me.
All. Damn. Day.
"Ahhh," she moaned, her desperate eyes meeting mine.
"I love you, Ruby Jane Kim." I put my hand over her mouth, and pushed inside of her harder. "Now, come."
I fucking hated rushing. But I knew my mom was already up, and our talking and moaning would draw attention. Even with the music.
"Jesus Christ, baby, you feel good." I dropped my mouth to her breast and sucked her nipple into my mouth.
I knew my back was drenched with sweat already, and I smiled when I tasted her salty skin. She felt this as much as I did.
Her thighs tensed around me, her nails dug into my back, and I felt her pulsate from the inside as she held her breath.
She was coming, and I looked up to see her eyes flutter closed. After a few moments she let out a little whimper and exhaled against my hand.
I always knew when Jennie came. She had a thing about holding her breath.
I leaned up on one hand and grasped her thigh with the other, moving my hips between her legs faster and faster. More and more. Harder and harder.
My eyes closed, the pressure inside of me at its breaking point.
Fuck.
I looked down into her blissful face, and dived into her a few more times before letting it all go.
Cool fire spread through my veins, and all of the air left my body as I collapsed on top of her, breathing like a marathon runner.
"Lisa, I need a clean shir—oh."
My head snapped up, seeing Mashiho, and Jennie squealed, pulling my body down to cover hers.
"What the fuck?" I was naked as hell, and Mashiho just stood there, wide-eyed with his lips formed in a circle. "Get the hell out!" I yelled.
After a pause, he broke out in a grin and snorted. "Hey, you must be Jennie. I'm Mashiho." And the fucker held out his hand for her to shake.
Thankfully, Jennie was shielded by me, but I wasn't covered. The dickhead had left the door open, too.
Jennie peeked out and offered her hand bashfully. "Um…hi, Mashiho. Nice to meet you."
They shook, and the stupid prick stood there smiling.
"Get the fuck out," I barked again, my eyes burning with murder.
"Lisa, why are you yelling?" My mother poked her head in, and Jennie shrunk up into a ball underneath me again.
Oh, what the fuck?
"Lisa!" My mother's shocked gasp, when she noticed the extra arms and legs, caused me to clench my teeth.
Mashiho descended into a fit of laughter, and his face was turning red.
"Everyone, get out!" I shouted, and Mashiho cleared out, still smiling and obviously trying to hold back more laughter.
My mother, her face pinched up in anger and looking like she wanted to say something, grabbed the knob of the door and slammed it shut.
"Oh, my God!" Jennie cried into my chest. "That did not just happen."
"Yeah, I'm afraid it did. But who cares?" I shook it off. I was pissed, because Jennie was embarrassed, but my mom and Mashiho were no threat.
She looked up at me, her sexy hair falling over her eyes. "Your mom will talk to my dad."
"My mom is scared of your dad. We all kind of are. She won't say anything." I kissed her forehead.
"I'm so misbehaved." She sat up, covering herself, looking a little sick. "I just couldn't help it. Or…I didn't want to, maybe. I woke up, and I wanted you so badly. I didn't think."
"Look at me," I interrupted, holding her face in my hands. "You're not misbehaved. You're a good girl. No one takes this from us, Jennie." My voice hardened and my eyes got sharp. I nudged her chin, so she'd meet my eyes. "We're eighteen. We're in my home. You're in a safe place. Quit acting like we should be apologizing for being in love. I understand showing your dad respect under his roof, but what's done is done. We're not going backwards." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her warm neck.
"I know," she sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me close. "I love you, and…and I trust this."
But I felt the doubt sitting in my gut anyway.
Was she sure? Too much drama lately, or too much trouble, but she was still afraid of being hurt.
I cleared my throat and shook it off, changing the subject.
"Go get ready for school." I pulled back and looked at her. "I'll be over in thirty to pick you up. And you may as well leave through the front door. They know you're here now," I added as I stood up.
The corner of her mouth turned up, and she laughed when I threw one of my clean T-shirts in her face.
"Wear that." It was another Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. They were one of my favorite bands, so I had a few of them. "To replace the one you burned last year," I added when she pinched her eyebrows at me.
"Cool." She smiled and slipped on her underwear and the shirt. "I always liked wearing your clothes," she whispered sexily and spun around once, modeling the outfit.
Annnnnd…I was fucking hard again.
"Sis, I take it all back," Mashiho rushed to say when I entered the kitchen. "You should definitely get her name tattooed on your body. Hell, I'll get her name tattooed on my body." He started laughing again, the fucking prick.
"Mashiho, that behavior is not tolerated." My mother walked in, briefcase in hand. "Don't think you're going to get away with it when you live here."
"Yes, Mom." He mocked, but honestly, he had a better relationship with my mother than I did.
"Lisa. Be home after school. We're talking." She pointed her finger at me.
"Yes, Mom," I mumbled, echoing Mashiho.
"Mashiho, honey." My mother looked to my brother. "Are you done with my laptop?"
"Yeah, I put it back in the case. Thank you." And he spooned in another mouthful of cereal as he leaned against the sink.
My mother walked over to me as soon as she'd swung her laptop case over her shoulder. I let her put her hand to my cheek, but I still couldn't manage to maintain eye contact.
"I love you," she whispered gently. "And be home after school."
I nodded, and she walked out, the sound of her heels fading away down the hall.
Looking over to Mashiho, who stood there trying to keep his smile at bay, I was suddenly confused.
"You have a phone. What did you need the laptop for?" I asked, grabbing an apple off the counter and taking a bite.
He just shrugged and stuffed his mouth with more Captain Crunch.
"Are you sure you feel comfortable in that outfit?" I asked as we walked into school, hand in hand.
She didn't look at me, but her smile reeked of sarcasm. "Is it my comfort you're worried about or your own?"
She didn't look even remotely trampy. On the contrary, she was a fucking magazine cover. But the flimsy black dress was short. Jennie usually dressed like a tomboy, but it was like she was on a mission to fuck with my sex drive twenty-four seven.
I was on overdrive.
"My concern has nothing to do with me." I pulled her into my side and hooked an arm around her neck. "I only think of you."
We strolled through the halls, barely noticed, finally, as the school had pretty much moved on to newer drama. Mashiho was a genius. I did a web-search after I got home last night, and I couldn't find the video anywhere.
Everyone was moving on.
"Let's go for a ride after school today," I suggested. "Just get on the motorcycle and go."
Looking up, she raised her eyebrows and grinned, but then her eyes shifted to the lockers at our side, and her bubble immediately popped.
Following her gaze, I saw two girls eyeing Jennie and me and whispering. They were being very obvious.
One of the girls I didn't know. The other one, I definitely knew.
Shit.
"Jennie, just ignore them."
"It's easy for you, Lisa." Her voice was low and calm, but there was a bite to it. "You could've been filmed with ten porn stars, and you'd be the one. I'm the one that's paying for that video. Not you."
She was right. While I cringed every time I saw that thing, I wasn't in her shoes.
And there was little I could do to protect her.
I wanted to get her out of here. Get on the bike right now, and get lost, but she wouldn't go for that. Instead I just grabbed her hand. "Let's get to class."
We started walking through the throngs of people, but she hesitated.
Glancing down at her, I saw her take out her phone, which was buzzing. My eyes shot up when I heard several other phones ringing and vibrating.
Fear hollowed my stomach as déjà vu struck. Everyone was getting a message at the same time, just like Jennie told me they did when the video exploded.
My own phone vibrated against my ass, and with a cringe, I reached in my pocket to grab it.
Mino.
Glancing around, I noticed almost everyone had their noses in their devices as well.
Sliding to unlock the screen, I opened the message.
Really?!
With piss and fury burning my stomach, I watched a recording of Nate, blubbering last night in the hot tub. I was in the video, too, but I was blurred out, and I couldn't hear what I was saying. All that was visible and audible was Nate Dietrich, pleading for his safety and apologizing.
Fuck!
Heat rushed over my back, and a cool sweat broke out across my forehead as I looked to Jennie. She was seeing it, too, no doubt. Others started hooting and laughing in the halls, while some whispered and showed their phones around to other's who hadn't gotten the message.
The video was not flattering. It clearly protected me and threw him to the sharks as a spineless joke.
Well, good. I was okay with that, but Jennie?
Her eyebrows were pinched together as she looked at her phone, and then her serious and very unhappy eyes zoned in on me.
"Lisa? This is you, isn't it? You're the one he's talking to."
Her breathing was fast, and her face was tense.
Son of a bitch. Just when I was hoping things would calm down. Fucking Mino and fucking Mashiho. Mino obviously sent it to the whole school, but it had to have been Mashiho that filmed it when my back was turned last night. I was sure of it. Mino didn't know shit about how to edit videos. Mashiho was the smart one.
And that's why he'd borrowed my mom's laptop this morning.
"Jennie, it's—"
"Was this last night?" she interrupted.
"It was spontaneous." I held up my hands and shook my head, inching up to her. "Nate was at Mino's house, and Mashiho and I went over to confront him."
"You threatened him? What were you thinking?" she accused. "I mean, don't get me wrong," she continued, "I appreciate the gesture, but it's not worth it. Now everyone's talking about us again, Lisa. They all know what this is about."
I looked around and—yes—people were eyeing us again. Talking and laughing, not to mention whispering. The grins weren't snide or spiteful, but it was still talk.
And Jennie was sick of it.
"Why didn't you take me with you?" she asked.
I lifted my shoulders a bit and exhaled a bitter laugh. "It seemed like a bad idea to put you back in that mess. You've been through too much. I didn't want you to get emotional—"
"Emotional?" Her voice erupted like an air horn in the otherwise hushed hallway.
Glancing around, I inched closer, feeling my nerves heat up with her obvious anger. "That's not what I meant—"
"Why didn't you tell me about this this morning?" Her wall was up, and I stood there in fucking awe of how close I'd been to her a moment ago. "Another video, Lisa!" she burst out. "I should've known about this."
"I didn't know it was being recorded!"
What the hell? Why was she mad? If anything, she should've been happy that I defended her honor! Of course, Nate walked away without a scratch, but the video cut off as my blade went in his face. People would assume the worst until Nate showed up to verify that he was fine.
Jennie was overreacting, because she didn't know what had happened.
"That's the same excuse you used last time!" she retorted.
"'Excuse?'" Was she really implying that I knew about the sex video? "You're blowing up about nothing. Again! Just like my fucking car!"
I ran my hand through my hair and blew out a breath.
"Look." My teeth were bared, and my voice was low. "Rosé brought Nate over to Mino's house last night—"
"Rosé was in on this?" she interrupted. "And not me? Why didn't you tell me?"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
"I didn't have a chance," I gritted out, waving my hand. "You crept into my room and jumped on my cock so fast this morning—"
"Ugh!" she growled and slammed her knee right between my legs.
I hunched forward and fell to one knee.
Shit, shit, shit … I moaned as a white hot pain shot through my groin.
Jesus Christ, Jennie!
My eyes squeezed shut, and I breathed in and out quickly, trying to keep my legs from collapsing underneath me.
My fucking dick was on fire and nausea rolled through my stomach in waves. Holy mother…
I sucked in breath after breath, trying not to vomit…or cry.
Jennie was gone. I didn't see her leave, but I felt her absence.
And there I was. Alone, and stupid in a hallway full of people I couldn't see, because I was blurry-eyed and shaking.
Ruby Jane Fucking Kim.
She was going to kill me.
Weight hit my shoulder, and I sank forward a little farther.
"She does that well, doesn't she?"
Mino.
He helped me up, and I leaned against the lockers, trying to stay upright. The initial shock had passed, but I was still in bad shape.
That sucked, and I never wanted to feel that again.
"The video?" I grunted, wanting to sound tough but my voice cracked like I was almost in tears.
"Your brother." He nodded. "I saw him catch the show on his phone last night when you weren't paying attention, but I had no idea what he was doing with it." He raised his eyebrows. "Until this morning when he emailed it to me."
"Goddamn, you two," I cursed. "And you thought it would be a good idea to send that to everyone?"
"Yeah." He nodded resolutely, his eyes lighting up. "I thought it was a perfect idea to send it to everyone. Let them see that piece of shit whimpering. Give him a taste of his own medicine."
"Well, Jennie's blaming me now."
"Well…" he started laughing, "I didn't know she'd react like that, but you knew you had that coming, right?"
He was laughing? Yeah, this was real fucking funny.
"She overreacted." I stood up straight, trying to nonchalantly massage my dick back to life in a hallway full of people. "I took the high road last night. Besides, after what that dickhead did, did she really think I was going to do nothing? And why did it bother her anyway?"
The questions just kept coming. Jennie shouldn't have been that angry.
Sweat covered my neck and back, and I felt like chasing her down and throwing her over my shoulder.
"Jennie's got baggage, thanks to us. Trust issues," Mino continued and walked around in front of me. "Look." He lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Normally, I couldn't care less about who you screwed or what kind of trouble you got yourself into. I've sat back and let you self-destruct. But Jennie? She's our shortie. Now, go fix your shit."
I watched him walk away, more and more baffled by how my friend continued to surprise me.
Was he right?
Yeah.
Jennie needed to trust me. We were still working on that, and I could've gotten into trouble last night. She would've been worried and pissed if anything had happened to me, or I'd done something stupid.
I'm sure she was also still insecure about anything that she imagined went down between Rosé and I. Me being in the same place as her friend, without her, would piss her off.
I barreled down the hallway, ready to yank her out of Calculus, but I slowed when I got caught by the masses in the school all headed the same direction.
The crowd was a mess of people walking, yelling, and whispering. I saw some still looking at their phones—the video, no doubt—and some people were calling my name, but I ignored them.
Where the fuck was everyone going?
And that's when I remembered.
The auditorium.
We were having that assembly this morning.
On bullying.
I ran my fingers through my hair, hard enough to massage my scalp, and let out a long, tired breath.
Great. I think I'd enjoy cutting off my arm and rubbing salt in it more.
Dammit.
I charged and weaved as quickly as I could through the long line of students trying to make their way through the two sets of double doors to the auditorium.
"Lisa," someone called out, but I waved them off without looking.
Jennie was in here somewhere, so I scanned the rows as I walked down the aisles. We boasted about two thousand students at our school, but the freshmen were at a separate assembly in the gym, so this crowd wasn't as thick as it usually was.
Looking for brown shiny hair was a nightmare. I'd really never noticed how many brunettes we had until now.
But I knew Jennie.
And I'd know her when I saw her, so I surveyed quickly before we were ordered to sit down.
Walking down the center aisle and back up, I felt my heart race when I saw her purple Chuck poking into the center aisle. Her legs were crossed, and one foot darted out of the row.
Quickly, I walked up the violet colored carpet path and placed my hands on her arm rest, leaning down.
"We need to talk." I spoke low. "Now."
Her blue eyes narrowed on me, and my mouth went dry.
My voice had sounded like a warning, and I was just digging myself in deeper here.
Calm down, man. My stomach tightened, and I didn't know if I liked the drama, or if I was just so used to it. But it was something I did well, so I engaged her.
This wasn't the time or place, but fuck it.
"Now, you want to talk," she taunted, and I noticed Joy, her cross-country captain, sitting next to her, completely still as she watched us.
Jennie stared ahead, refusing to look at me. "You get to react and behave without any by-your-leave from anyone else, but I'm supposed to drop my shit when you want my attention."
It wasn't a question. It was an assessment.
"Jane—"
"Now I'm Jane," she sneered and looked at Joy. "Funny how that works, isn't it?" she asked.
"What are you mad about? Last night wasn't to hurt you."
I gripped the arm rest tighter. I loved her anger. Always had.
Our first kiss on the sink ledge, and I was hers.
But, right now, she wasn't angry so much as she was distant. Her chin was tipped down, and she still hadn't looked at me.
That, I didn't like.
"You don't involve me," she spoke, barely unclenching her teeth. "You don't share anything with me until you run the risk of losing me. Everything is on your terms…on your schedule. I'm always on the outside, and I have to push my way in."
Her face was as hard as stone as she gazed out in front of her. "I'll talk to you, Lisa. Just not now. And not for a while. I need some time to think."
"To come to your own conclusions," I accused.
"No choice when I'm the only one in the relationship. You humiliated me in the hallway before. Again! You throw me under the bus for your own amusement. When have you ever sacrificed yourself for me?" her calm voice spit back at me.
Air poured in and out of my lungs, thick and painful.
I'd barely gotten her back.
She doubted me. Doubted my commitment to her.
And how could I blame her?
Why should she trust me? I'd told her I loved her. I'd tried to show her. But I'd never shown her that I would put her first.
She'd seen me with my hands all over a ton of girls that weren't her.
She'd felt the pain, time and again, as I'd thrown her to the wolves and made her a joke in front of everyone.
She'd seen me delight in her tears and isolation.
At that moment, the full consequences of my actions descended on my body like a pile of garbage, and I was buried.
Son of a bitch.
How had she ever forgiven me at all?
"Everyone get seated," a male voice, probably the principal, shouted over the mic, and I finally blinked.
I'm always on the outside, and I have to push my way in.
I kept telling myself that she was mine.
And I'd told her that I had always been hers.
But she didn't feel it.
With my heart jackhammering through my chest and a fog in my head, convincing me not to think about what I was going to do, I walked down the aisle and climbed the stairs up to the stage.
Principal Masters twisted his head towards me, away from the audience.
His graying brownish hair was slicked back, and his gray suit was already wrinkled. This guy didn't like me, but he'd cut me a lot of breaks over the years, thanks to Mino and his father.
"You're not going to ruin my day, are you, Ms. Manoban?" he asked, almost whiny, as if he was resigned that I was indeed going to pull some bullshit.
I gestured to the mic in his hand. "Can I have a couple of minutes? On the mic?" My throat was like a desert, and I was nervous as hell.
I fucking owned this school, but there was only one person in it I cared about right now.
Would she stay or walk out?
Masters looked at me like I was two years old and I'd just colored all over the wall.
"I'll behave," I assured him. "It's important. Please?"
I think it was the 'please' that got him, because he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Don't make me regret this. You have three minutes." And he handed me the mic.
Whistles and other remarks floated around the room as the whole place came to a hush. I didn't even have to say anything to get their attention.
Everyone here knew that I was low-key. I only spoke when it suited me, and I never sought attention.
Which was why this was going to be fucking hard.
The amount of blood pumping through my heart may have been what was making me a little light-headed, but I lifted my chin and slowed my breathing.
I found Jennie—the only person in the room—and I let her in.
"I murdered a teddy bear when I was eight," I said matter-of-factly. Guys hollered their approval, while girls erupted in 'aw's'. "I know, I know," I started slowly pacing the stage. "I was a dick even then, right?"
People laughed.
"I cut the poor thing to pieces and tossed it in the trash. When my mother found out what I'd done, she was horrified. Like I'd turn to animal cruelty next or something. If she only knew…"
"The thing is," I spoke to Jennie, but I said it to everyone. "The teddy bear was something I loved. More than anything at that time. He was tan with brown ears and paws. His name was Henry. I slept with him until I was way too old."
I shook my head, embarrassed, while the guys snorted and laughed, and the girls mooned. "One day, these kids down my street caught me carrying the bear around, and they started making fun of me. Calling me a pussy, a baby, looking at me like I was a freak. So I threw the bear in the trash. But that night, I went back out and got it again. The next day, I tried burying it in a box in the attic."
I looked to Jennie again. Her eyes were on me, and she was listening, so I kept going.
"Maybe if I knew it was near, but not gone, then I'd be able to live without it. But that didn't work either. So after a few days of failing to sleep on my own, to be strong without the stupid animal, I decided to massacre it. If it was beyond repair, then it would be useless to me. I'd have to get by. There wouldn't be any choice."
Jennie.
"So I took some garden sheers and chopped it to pieces. Cut off the legs. Memories gone. Snip off the arms. Attachment gone. Throw it in the trash. Weakness…gone."
I looked down, and my voice cracked, remembering how I'd felt like someone had died when I did that.
"I cried the whole first night," I added, taking a deep breath and clearing the ache in my throat. "It wasn't until two years later that I found something that I loved more than Henry. I met a girl who became my best friend. So much so, that I even wanted her by me at night. I'd sneak into her room, and we'd fall asleep together. I didn't need her so much as she just became a part of me. I was wanted, loved, and accepted."
My eyes were only on Jennie now. She was planted in her seat, completely still.
"She'd look at me, and I'd stop dead in my tracks, never wanting to leave that moment. Do you know what that's like?" I scanned the audience. "Day in and day out, you're thrilled to be alive and experience a million moments of love and happiness that constantly compete with each other. Every day was better than the last."
Shit got blurry, and I realized I was tearing up, but I didn't care.
"But just like Henry," my voice got strong again, "I concluded that my attachment to her made me weak. I thought I wasn't strong enough if I needed anything or anyone, so I let her go." I shook my head. "No, I pushed her, actually. Away. Out. Over the edge."
room was as silent as a graveyard. People who had laughed, weren't laughing anymore. People who weren't paying attention, were now.
"Now, I could go on about mommy didn't love me and daddy hit me, but who doesn't have a story, right?" I asked. "There are times when we can blame a situation on others, but we own our reactions to them. There comes a point where we are the ones responsible for our choices and excuses don't carry weight anymore."
I'd just aired my business to the whole school. They knew I was a bully. A jerk. But the only good opinion I needed was hers.
Descending the stairs, mic in hand, I walked up the aisle towards my girl.
And I spoke only to her.
"I can't change the past, Jennie. I wish I could, because I'd go back and relive every day that I existed without you, and I'd make sure that you smiled." My eyes burned with regret, and I saw the pools in her beautiful blues, too. "Every minute of my future belongs to you."
I crouched down next to her chair, thankful to see my world back in her eyes, and placed one knee on the floor.
"I'll do anything to be good for you, Jennie."
Leaning into me, she buried her face in my neck, shaking with the release of her tears. I breathed her in and wrapped my arms around her.
This was it.
Home.
"Anything, baby," I promised.
She leaned back and wiped her eyes with her thumb, sobbing and smiling at the same time.
"Anything?" she laughed out, her eyes bright with happiness and love.
I nodded.
Her forehead pressed into mine as she held my face in her hands and asked, "Have you ever considered a nipple piercing?"
Oh, for Christ's sake.
I choked out a laugh and kissed her hard, much to the pleasure of the roaring crowd around us.
Such a handful.
THE END