Hello everyone! I'm sorry this chapter has been so delayed in its arrival! Unfortunately it's sometimes hard to predict when my schedule is going to be haywire and it has definitely gone haywire! I'm still fully committed to this story from beginning to end and I'll do my best to keep you updated on any delays. This latest chapter as promised is a key one and will help speed the story towards high school and I hope you enjoy!
Ned stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror and had to admit, he was nervous. Surprisingly, it was not because of the swim trunks he was wearing, even though he didn't really like them. His mom had bought them on one of her many shopping trips to prepare for summer. They were yellow with a pattern of a bunch of blue dolphins jumping out of the water. Not exactly the coolest look, but also not what worried him.
Ned's biggest concern was Suzy. Her text to him was unnerving and had thrown him off completely. What had she meant by "We're gonna have a GREAT time?" Was she planning something? Was she trying to freak him out? Was it a weird joke he didn't understand? And why hadn't he told Moze?
He shook his head, trying to clear it from all the anxious thoughts swirling through his mind. He grabbed a navy blue t-shirt and threw it on, then grabbed his pool towel, flip flops, and sunscreen. He tossed them in a bag and headed out the door. To his surprise (and pleasure) Moze was sitting on his front steps, waiting for him. As soon as she saw him, she flashed him a big smile. The butterflies that had been doing somersaults in his stomach, lessened considerably (though they were still there)
"Hey Bigby, ready for our first big get together with everyone as a couple?"
Ned froze and for a moment wasn't sure how to reply. Unfortunately, the reply that finally did come out was basically panic.
"Wait, was I supposed to do something special? Should I have gotten you a gift? Did I already screw this up before we could even leave my house? MOZE WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"
The last line basically came out as a yell. Moze's comment about their first big outing as a couple had caught Ned completely unprepared, and now he was panicking. His stress about Suzy grew and now he was also freaking out about screwing this up for Moze. Fortunately for Ned, Moze reacted to his sudden freak out with an amused smile. Before he could work himself up any further, she leaned in and placed a gentile but affectionate kiss on his lips.
"Ned," she said in the tone of voice she used when she was giving him a gentle lecture "When have I ever been the kind of girl who makes a big deal out of things? I mean okay, yes, I made a big deal about my first kiss with Faymen, but let's be honest, that whole relationship was happening while I was also sorting out my feelings for you, so I think I deserve a bit of leeway there. When I said it was our first big outing as a couple, I just meant I'm really psyched for it. I don't want you to do anything special except be you. I mean sure I wanna show you off, and I hope you'll want to do the same with me. That's it. I swear. You can relax."
Ned grinned for a moment, then his smile faded a bit.
"Sounds good Moze. Although I'm sorry about my trunks. My mom apparently decided dolphins were cool"
Her eyes drifted to his swim trunks and she smiled sympathetically.
"Ok, going to be a bit harder to show you off in those, but I'm always up for a challenge. At least I won't have a hard time convincing people I'm only into you because of your looks"
They both laughed.
Fifteen minutes later, courtesy of a ride from Mrs. Bigby, Ned, Moze, Cookie, and Lisa all arrived at Claire Sawyer's house for her graduation pool party. Claire's parents were lawyers (probably why Claire was so determined to become one as well) and could afford the best things for their family. Moze had been wondering how there'd be enough room for everyone to swim. The answer was obvious. Claire's place was HUGE. There were not one, but TWO pools: an outdoor pool that was actually olympic size, and a standard sized indoor pool as well. There was also a workout area next to the indoor pool filled with all kinds of equipment, from elliptical machines to stairs, to stationary bikes. There were even barbells and dumbbells for weight lifting. Moze felt like she was at a luxury hotel. Clare was standing at the entrance to the outdoor pool, handing out business cards to everyone as they entered.
"Claire Sawyer, future lawyer" she said as Moze and Ned approached, extending a card out for them to take.
"Claire, how many times do we have to go over this?" Ned responded, with just a hint of friendly annoyance in his voice.
"Just making sure everyone has my new number so they'll be ready for high school. I'm sure there will be even more need for my service."
Ned and Moze shared a smile. Cookie stepped forward and grabbed a card as well.
"You have a new number?" he asked, sounding surprised.
"My parents felt that with going to high school, I would require a new phone and an improved service plan. Our previous service provider couldn't provide that, so we switched companies, which resulted in the need to have a new phone number" Claire responded matter-of-factly.
Cookie nodded his head and tried to smile past the awkwardness of the moment.
"Cool. Cool."
He turned to Lisa, who was trying not to laugh at his attempts to not look uncomfortable. Clearly Cookie was not used to being around someone whose family was well off.
"Well my dear" he said in his favorite fake suave voice "Shall we go take a swim or would you prefer the hot tub?"
Now Lisa finally did laugh, though she did her best to stifle it.
"Sure Simon, lets go for a swim. You could use a cooling off."
The two walked away, with Cookie still trying to look cool and Lisa still fighting back the urge to start giggling.
"I could go for a swim myself" Moze said to Ned, and she gestured towards the pool with a nod of her head. "Wanna join Cookie and Lisa or would you prefer to keep your distance for a bit from Cool Cookie?"
The way Moze said Cool Cookie, with just the hint of mocking in her tone, made Ned burst out into laughter, which Moze quickly joined in on. Ned reached out and took Moze by the hand and led her to the outdoor pool, near enough to Cookie and Lisa that it would be easy to join them, but far enough for just a bit of privacy. Ned shed his tshirt and had just gotten out his sunscreen when his mouth dropped wide open. Moze had come to the party wearing a tank top and athletic shorts. She had now taken them off and was standing in front of him, and Ned's eyes were popping out of his head. Moze was wearing a navy blue two piece bathing suit. The top was designed like a tank with spaghetti straps, but it was designed like a crop top and left her midriff exposed. The bottom part was a bikini bottom, complete with strings securing each side to her waist. Ned had never seen a more beautiful sight.
Moze had an amused look on her face as she watched Ned practically drool at her appearance. She'd had him in mind the minute shed seen this bathing suit while shopping for the party. She'd had to convince her mom it wasnt too over the top, and that there would be other girls at the party probably wearing a lot less. After some pleading, and reminders that she was going to be in high school now, her mom had finally agreed to let her get it. The way Ned was looking at her now, she knew she'd made the right choice.
"It's called a tankini" she said in an amused voice, breaking the silent hold she had over him.
Ned blushed a deep shade of red, deeper than she'd ever seen him blush, and she began to wonder just what exactly was going through his mind while he was staring at her. The thought made her blush a bit too. Ned finally seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor he'd fallen into at her appearance.
"I, uh, I really like it." he stammered, clearly at a loss for what to say.
Moze waited a moment, savoring how uncomfortable he was...how turned on he was at how she looked. Did I really just think that? she asked herself. Finally, she relented, and pulled close to him, planting a relatively quick, but surprisingly passionate, and...dare she say...hot kiss on his lips. She even surprised herself at the intensity of the kiss, and had to pull back a little quicker than she wouldve liked. She had suddenly had the urge to push her tongue into his mouth, something she'd never even thought of before, and she had a feeling that if she did, things might've gotten a little bit out of hand. As she backed away and looked at Ned's expression, she could tell he was as close to getting swept up in the kiss as she had been, and they both blushed again. Seriously, what is going on with me? Moze wondered. She'd never had any thoughts like this any of the times she'd kissed Faymen, or the few times she'd kissed Seth either. She decided they needed a distraction, and fortunately they had a big one right next to them.
"Ready to hit the pool?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Ned quickly shook his head, as though trying to regain his focus, then smiled.
"Yeah, lets hit the water."
Moze grinned, and without warning Ned, she broke into a sprint and jumped feet first into the water.
Ned was having the time of his life. He and Moze spent some time just swimming and talking, and then they joined Cookie, Lisa, Coconut Head, and Martin for some games of Marco Polo. Now things were quieting down a bit. Moze and Lisa were sitting at the edge of the pool talking, Coconut Head was being chased by Loomer somewhere, and Martin was talking to Claire. Ned was standing in the water in one of the corners of the pool, talking to Cookie, who had apparently noticed the extra attention Ned had been giving Moze.
"Ned you've been eyeing her like she's your favorite kind of candy. What gives?"
Ned grinned.
"Well she IS my girlfriend." He shook his head in a bit of disbelief. "It still sounds incredible to be able to say that. Moze is my girlfriend."
He chuckled softly.
Cookie looked confused.
"What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking about how crazy our last year in middle school ended up being. I started out the year with one girl, Moze ended up dating another guy, and somehow it all ended up as best as it could have. I mean, lets be honest Cook, it got pretty crazy there a few times. Remember the party at Seths house? I went with Missy, was surprised by Suzy, then ended up kissing Moze. And that kiss... I mean, wow. It took a little more craziness and probably a fair amount of luck, but now here we are. She's my girlfriend, I'm her boyfriend, and I'm actually looking FORWARD to high school. I'll get to see her almost every day. How great is that?"
Cookie rolled his eyes but smiled.
"Yup, you got it bad for her Ned. Kind of like what Lisa and I have. I know how you feel."
Ned snorted trying to hold back a laugh.
"Cookie, you and Lisa haven't gone through HALF of the stuff Moze and I have. Don't get me wrong, I'm hoping everything works out for you guys, but give it a little time so you don't get ahead of yourself. Remember Vanessa? You would've turned your entire world upside down for her and you only knew her for a few weeks, and you've really only known Lisa since we started going to Polk. I've known Moze pretty much my whole life."
Cookie looked at Ned with a mixture of amazement, confusion, and maybe a trace of hurt
"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "You definitely werent this deep of a thinker before. Are you saying you think I shouldn't date Lisa? Or that I'm going too fast? Or...well, what ARE you saying?"
Ned clapped his friend on the shoulder.
"Cookie, you will always have my support. Just be you, and don't rush. Whatever happens with me and Moze, don't feel like you have to be on the same pace with Lisa. And don't worry, Moze being my girlfriend won't change things with us. You'll always be one of my best friends. Unless you do something crazy like move to France and start wearing a beret."
Cookie and Ned laughed and Cookie seemed much more at ease.
"You're right Ned, I think I was worried about our friendship now that you and Moze are together. And thanks for the advice. I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it" Ned responded. His eyes turned towards Moze, still in conversation with Lisa. Almost as if sensing his gaze on her, Moze turned in his direction and, seeing him looking at her, flashed him one of her dazzling smiles that made him feel all warm inside. He grinned back. Moze made a small motion with her hand which Ned understood to mean she was asking if he could go get her something to drink. He gave her a nod, letting her know he understood her request and would take care of it.
"Geez, you two can communicate without even talking!" Cookie exclaimed in amazement.
Ned laughed and turned to climb out of the pool. As he did he noticed someone a short distance away, staring at him intently. His blood ran cold. It was Suzy Crabgrasss.
After seeing Suzy staring at him, Ned had chosen to try to ignore her. He had gotten out of the pool and gone into Clare's house, to the room where the drinks and snacks were being kept. It wasn't a large room. Clare's parents had obviously chosen it as the snack room because it had a door that led directly to the outdoor pool area. That way they wouldn't have a bunch of teenagers walking around inside most of the house. The only other way out of the room led down a small hall that ended with two doors. One was a bathroom large enough for multiple people to use. It even had 3 toilets in it, separated by stall-like walls. The other door led into the main part of the Sawyer house, and everyone had been told to not go through that door, as no one was allowed into the main house. Besides the indoor pool and the single person bathroom next to it, this room and bathroom were the only other places everyone was allowed to go. Since the room was small, people were opting to grab whatever drinks and food they wanted, and took them back outside to the pool area. There was a couch in the room in case people wanted to sit inside, but at the moment no one was in the room. Except for Ned and Suzy Crabgrass.
Suzy had followed Ned into the room and had closed the door behind them. The door had built in blinds and she had closed them, so they were unable to be seen by anyone outside. Ned hadn't noticed as he was busy deciding which drink Moze would prefer. He had just decided on a can of orange soda when Suzy had come up behind him and wrapped her arms around his upper body. He'd spun around in surprise, thinking maybe it was Moze. It wasn't.
"Suzy what the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed.
"I told you we were going to have some fun" she said in an almost sneering voice.
At that moment Ned realized just how scantily clad Suzy was at that moment. She was wearing a hot pink string bikini. The top was definitely smaller than a typical bikini and the bottom part seemed almost a size too small. Ned doubted Suzy's mother had knowingly allowed her daughter to come dressed like that. His eyes widened at her appearance. Suzy seemed to take that as an invitation and stepped up to him, grabbed his face, and pressed her lips firmly against his. He pulled away as quickly as possible.
"Suzy! Stop!" he exclaimed. "You know we're over, so why are you doing this?"
Suzy grinned mischievously. "We are NOT done Ned Bigby. We are only done when I SAY we're done. And right now we're just getting started."
"Are you crazy?" Ned asked in bewilderment. "What the heck has gotten into you? Did Loomer do something to your brain or something?"
"Forget Loomer" Suzy responded seductively. "It's you I want."
Ned barely had time to react when Suzy put both her hands on his chest and pushed. Hard. He stumbled backwards and ended up falling onto the couch. Suzy had evidently been planning for exactly that, as she pounced on him, jumping on top of him, and once again assaulted his mouth with hers. Ned was in shock from the ferocity of Suzy's move that for a moment he froze up. In that moment everything went horrifically wrong. Suzy jammed her tongue into his mouth and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster. Ned's mouth was frozen partly open in surprise, making it look like he was kissing her back. This mattered because in that same moment, the door to the pool area opened, and Moze stuck her head in. At first she didn't see them.
"Ned? What happened? I've been waiting for that drink for-" she stopped cold in mid sentence. Ned knew he'd never forget the look of horror and then raw pain on her face as her eyes fell on the scene of Suzy on top of him. Ned was still so shocked by this quick chain of events that he was slow to react. By the time he regained his composure enough to push Suzy off of him, Moze had already slammed the door and was gone. Ned ran to the door, but Moze had slammed it so hard that it stuck. Ned tried several times to yank it open. When he finally forced it open, many precious seconds had passed. Suzy was sitting on the couch now, and Ned could swear he heard her cackling softly. As soon as the door was open, Ned flew outside, desperately looking for Moze. Unfortunately, Loomer had attracted a large crowd around the pool. He and Croney were throwing random people into the pool, to raucous cheers. Ned had to fight through the crowd. A few people pushed him back and it took him several minutes to finally make it through the large group. As soon as he cleared the crowd, he was greeted by the sight of Cookie running towards him, a panicked look on his face.
"Ned!" he exclaimed. "Ned! What happened?"
"No time to explain!" Ned practically yelled back, fighting to control the panic that was quickly taking over his mind. "Where's Moze?"
"She left! She was in tears and she was yelling for anyone who had a car to give her a ride home. Missy offered her a lift. They just drove off!"
Ned had to fight his own emotions to keep his voice level.
"I need to get home right now. Is my phone still with my stuff?"
"Yeah, with your towel and stuff, right where you left it."
Ned ran over to his belongings and fished his phone out of the pocket of the extra pair of shorts he'd brought. First he tried calling Moze, but the phone went straight to voicemail. She'd turned off her cell phone. Not good. He opted not to leave a voicemail at that moment and instead called him mother. She was deeply concerned that he was asking for a ride home so early, but agreed to come pick him up. The wait for her to arrive was agonizing, and the drive back to his house even more so. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, he jumped out of the car and dashed over to Moze's house. There were no cars in the driveway, so either Missy had dropped Moze off and left or they'd gone somewhere else. It also meant Moze's parents weren't home. He rang the doorbell several times and knocked on the door repeatedly. No one answered. He went around to the back of her house and tried knocking on that door too. Still no response. As a last ditch effort he ran to the side of her house where her room was and yelled her name a few times. The curtains were closed and he saw no sign of movement or light.
Ned slowly walked back to his room, all kinds of thoughts and fears whirling in his mind. He tried to shut them out. He thought about calling Moze again and leaving a message, but decided to wait until he was calmer. He didn't want to risk saying something in a panic that would only make things worse. Instead he went to his room and decided to watch Moze's window from there. If he saw any sign of her, he'd try to get her attention, and hope she was willing to hear him out so he could clear things up. He waited. For hours. He ultimately fell asleep watching, waiting, hoping.
Three days passed with no sign of Moze. Ned's anxiety was through the roof. He'd gone over to her house the day after he'd sat in his room and fallen asleep watching for her. Her parents were home. Her mom answered the door. When he'd asked to see Moze, all her mom would say was that Moze had said she didn't want to see him. She apologized but wouldn't answer any other questions he asked, like how Moze was and if she knew when Moze would be ready to talk. Her response was always the same: "I'm sorry Ned, I can't tell you anything about Moze right now and she doesn't want to see you. I'm sorry." Ned had finally called Moze and left a long voicemail, trying to explain what had happened with Suzy, and that he wasn't at all interested in her, it had been Suzy coming onto him. He begged Moze to believe him and pleaded with her to call him back. So far she hadn't.
On the fifth day after the party, Ned woke earlier than usual. As he sat up in bed, he heard a car start up. He looked out his window and saw the Moseley's Toyota backing out of their driveway. His heart leaped into his throat as he spotted Moze in the back seat. He couldn't really see her face. Without bothering to dress, he dashed outside in his pajamas, hoping to stop them before they could leave, in hopes of getting some kind of conversation with Moze. But by the time he got outside, the car was down the street, and turning onto the next road. He knew he'd never catch them. Dejectedly, he turned back to his house to go back inside. It was then that he noticed a piece of paper taped to his front door. He tentatively walked over to it. It was a piece of notebook paper, folded in half, and his name was on it, in Moze's handwriting. His hands trembling, Ned removed the note from his door and opened it. It was a letter to him. He began to read it, and his heart fell.
Ned,
I don't even know what to say to to you but I needed to say something before I left with my family. I'll explain in a moment. I got your message. I did listen to it. I also talked to Suzy and you may be surprised to learn that she actually admitted the truth to me about what happened. I know you were telling the truth in your message. You may be wondering why, if I knew you weren't cheating on me, why I didn't come and talk to you. It's because I am very angry with you. And hurt. And betrayed. No, you didn't cheat on me. But you did something almost as bad. You lied to me. Suzy had been coming onto you since before graduation. I asked you several times if anything was going on when you were acting weird. You told me REPEATEDLY that nothing was going on. I also know you lied about Suzy texting you. You told me it was Cookie. Ned, you lied to me again and again. A relationship is built on two things. Love and trust. I don't know if I can trust you anymore. Therefore I don't know if we can be in a relationship anymore. I don't even know if I can be friends with you anymore. You've breached my trust in a very serious way. You either don't respect me enough to tell me the truth, or you think so little of me that you think I'll react badly to hearing the truth. Either one is an AWFUL thought. This is painful for me to write. My family asked me a month ago if I wanted to spend the summer with them on a vacation, traveling to different areas of the country. They even asked if I wanted to invite you. I originally told them I'd rather stay home for the summer. I wanted to spend my summer with you. I was looking forward to it more than any other summer. Ever. Then the pool party happened and I found out the truth. I told my parents I wanted to go on the cross country road trip after all. I also said I didnt want to invite you. We just left this morning. My phone will be off for most of the summer. Please do not call me. Do not text me. Do not leave me any messages. I need to be away from you right now. I know this is as hard for you to hear as it is for me to write. I dont know what will happen when I get back. I'll have the whole summer to think about it. I just know that my trust in you has been broken. Our relationship may be over. Our friendship may be over. I honestly don't know right now. Please respect my request to be left alone. I can promise you one thing. Whatever happens when I get back, whatever decision I reach, I will be open and honest with you about it. I may not talk to you right away, and I ask that you let me approach you first, but when I do talk to you, I will be more honest with you than you were with me.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Moseley
TO BE CONTINUED