"So, Abby did you hear that there's a party tomorrow night at Summer's?"
Her best friend Kali asked running up beside her as she walked to her sixth
period class.
"No." She took the flyer from her friends hand and studied it. It'd been so long since she'd been to a good party. "Can I keep this?" She asked.
Kali nodded and waved goodbye as she entered her classroom. Sixth period was Advanced Algebra II. It wasn't exactly easy to focus on the class when it was one of the last hours of the day. Making her way into the classroom; revealed a full class of her freshman peer. As a rule, freshman didn't have any classes with the upperclassmen besides electives like music, or a foreign language. Taking her seat in the front of the class just as the bell rang, she sighed.
The teacher was going over some of the homework, but Abby was distracted by the flyer. She pulled out the pink computer printed sheet. Carefully she read it over a few times.
"Ms. Cohen?" Abby looked up at the teachers inquiry. "Would you care to explain number fifteen on the board?" Abby looked down at her homework, and with little confidence, nodded.
-----
"So what did you think of Lost in Translation?"
"I thought it was all right. You made it out to be a great movie, while I found it mediocre." Seth was flabbergasted at Anna's response.
"Oh. My heart! It's breaking." He began to fake a heart attack, but finished in laughter as Anna slapped him in the arm. They descended the steps into a deep, cool, fall wind. Anna brushed a hair from her face and Seth noticed Ryan and Marissa walking together. In the last few months, a lot had gone on between the two. But finally, they were together. He did notice that uncharacteristically, they were holding hands. He actually thought it was quite cute.
"Hey!" Marissa greeted the pair. Ryan nodded at Seth.
"Hey! How are you guys?" Seth asked not really thinking. Neither Ryan nor Marissa really answered right away.
"We're fine." Ryan let out a sigh. They two continued to walk around campus. School was out and they had nowhere to be. Seth was waiting for Abby. They all sat down on the edge of a grassy embankment which overlooked the whole quad. Seth scanned the scene.
Various people were moving about, and then he narrowed in on her. Summer was busy posting up signs for her party. She turned, and locked eyes with Seth. Now about 200 feet away, it was hard to tell if she really had or not. His doubts were put to rest as she made a beeline for the four of them. She really looked spectacular today. He felt himself get a little hot.
"Hey Coop." She smiled at Marissa and Marissa in return waved and muttered hello. "So I'm having this awesome party, I figured I'd invite you." She handed Marissa, Ryan and Seth a flyer. "It's gonna be a blast." She added as she handed the final one to Seth. For a second their hands touched. Her skin was so soft, and he blinked and their eyes locked again; somehow telling him that he was supposed to be there.
"It sounds great, Sum. We'll be there." Marissa replied. Seth nodded and Ryan made agreeing eye expressions, since he was obligated to go with Marissa.
"Great. Bye." She waved and left the four of them. Seth could see out of his peripheral vision that Anna was not exactly pleased with what had happened in that last exchange. She'd kissed him, but they'd never really discussed it. He wasn't even really sure how he felt about her, but he couldn't help imagining it. Then his thoughts wandered back to Summer. Such a tough choice; he sighed again, folded the paper in half and as he noticed Abigail coming up the path towards them, he motioned for Ryan to come with him.
Ryan glanced at Marissa, who understood and they shared a quick peck. "See you tonight?" He asked in a whispered tone.
"Yeah, I'll be there." She smiled and he did a little bit too. Seth waved at Anna who made a half hearted motion to say goodbye as well. Ryan caught up to Seth and the two in turn caught up to Abby. The drive home was not long, but it was unusually quiet.
------
As soon as they got home, Ryan headed off to his poorhouse. Seth dropped his backpack on the kitchen table and Abby did the same.
"How was your day?" He asked his sister as he tried to figure out whether Kirsten or Sandy would be home that night.
"Good, I guess; nothing very remarkable." She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a notebook, a calculator and a pencil. Seth pulled a post-it note from near the phone. It was from his mother.
"Well, that's good. Looks like neither of the parentals will be home anytime soon. You want pizza, or what?"
"Whatever." She replied sighing and continuing her homework. Seth picked up the cordless and ordered a large cheese pie from Bob's pizza shack. Despite the unappealing name, they made good pizza.
"Are you going to Summer's party on Friday?" He asked her as he hung up the phone. She dropped her pencil and looked up at him.
"You know, I think I am. I haven't really partied in a long time. I need a break from all this schoolwork. Are you?" She asked him. They had a fifteen minute or so, discussion about the topic and resolved that he was going to go. How could he not? He'd made a connection with Summer, hadn't he?
Shortly thereafter, the doorbell rang. Seth grabbed the twelve bucks of the table, and went to the door. As he left he asked Abby to get Ryan, and tell him supper was here. She dropped her pencil again, and left out the back door.
-----
Marissa entered the pool house, through the glass door she always used. Ryan was sitting in his usual spot on his bed, reading a comic book. His laptop was on the end table next to the bed. He looked up at her, and the biggest smile erupted across his face. Up until a few short weeks ago, he didn't smile. Most people thought he probably didn't even know how. But since that night on the Ferris wheel, he'd felt much lighter in emotion.
She slipped on the bed next to him. Throwing the comic book clear across the room, with no regard for its condition, he took her face in his hands and began kissing her. He ran an idle hand through her soft hair. He could smell the fresh scent of her shampoo, and the perfume she wore. It was a scent he had come to enjoy. The kisses became short, but powerful and Ryan shed his top layer shirt, so as to be more comfortable.
Marissa felt his chiseled arms which were obvious when he wore a tank top. She loved that he was so strong, yet so sensitive. A characteristic that Luke had lacked.
"Do you work out?" She asked breathily between kisses. He smiled a little.
"One hundred pushups every morning." He replied and they resumed kissing. Hands were roaming about now, she had her arms around his strong neck, and his were on her waist. They were in a horizontal position as well. Passionate kiss after passionate kiss built up, and Marissa broke from the embrace just a few inches.
"I love you." She stated so fast that Ryan barely had time to think.
In response, he replied. "I do too." The pulling her back in to the embrace began kissing her again. He surprised himself. He'd actually sort of told her he loved her. If you'd asked him that, then he wouldn't have known what to say. His sub-conscious was willing to admit the truth though.
-----
Abby walked up to the pool house. She glanced in the open glass window just to see what he was doing. What she saw shocked her. It was not that she didn't know he was dating Marissa, but she didn't expect to see it there in front of her face. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she ran back to the house, past Seth wielding a pizza box, and upstairs to her room; slamming her door.
Seth looked perplexed a minute and sighed. "Girls. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em." He thought of his own women problems. Setting the pizza box on the table, he grabbed a slice and headed upstairs to see what the problem was.
"No." She took the flyer from her friends hand and studied it. It'd been so long since she'd been to a good party. "Can I keep this?" She asked.
Kali nodded and waved goodbye as she entered her classroom. Sixth period was Advanced Algebra II. It wasn't exactly easy to focus on the class when it was one of the last hours of the day. Making her way into the classroom; revealed a full class of her freshman peer. As a rule, freshman didn't have any classes with the upperclassmen besides electives like music, or a foreign language. Taking her seat in the front of the class just as the bell rang, she sighed.
The teacher was going over some of the homework, but Abby was distracted by the flyer. She pulled out the pink computer printed sheet. Carefully she read it over a few times.
"Ms. Cohen?" Abby looked up at the teachers inquiry. "Would you care to explain number fifteen on the board?" Abby looked down at her homework, and with little confidence, nodded.
-----
"So what did you think of Lost in Translation?"
"I thought it was all right. You made it out to be a great movie, while I found it mediocre." Seth was flabbergasted at Anna's response.
"Oh. My heart! It's breaking." He began to fake a heart attack, but finished in laughter as Anna slapped him in the arm. They descended the steps into a deep, cool, fall wind. Anna brushed a hair from her face and Seth noticed Ryan and Marissa walking together. In the last few months, a lot had gone on between the two. But finally, they were together. He did notice that uncharacteristically, they were holding hands. He actually thought it was quite cute.
"Hey!" Marissa greeted the pair. Ryan nodded at Seth.
"Hey! How are you guys?" Seth asked not really thinking. Neither Ryan nor Marissa really answered right away.
"We're fine." Ryan let out a sigh. They two continued to walk around campus. School was out and they had nowhere to be. Seth was waiting for Abby. They all sat down on the edge of a grassy embankment which overlooked the whole quad. Seth scanned the scene.
Various people were moving about, and then he narrowed in on her. Summer was busy posting up signs for her party. She turned, and locked eyes with Seth. Now about 200 feet away, it was hard to tell if she really had or not. His doubts were put to rest as she made a beeline for the four of them. She really looked spectacular today. He felt himself get a little hot.
"Hey Coop." She smiled at Marissa and Marissa in return waved and muttered hello. "So I'm having this awesome party, I figured I'd invite you." She handed Marissa, Ryan and Seth a flyer. "It's gonna be a blast." She added as she handed the final one to Seth. For a second their hands touched. Her skin was so soft, and he blinked and their eyes locked again; somehow telling him that he was supposed to be there.
"It sounds great, Sum. We'll be there." Marissa replied. Seth nodded and Ryan made agreeing eye expressions, since he was obligated to go with Marissa.
"Great. Bye." She waved and left the four of them. Seth could see out of his peripheral vision that Anna was not exactly pleased with what had happened in that last exchange. She'd kissed him, but they'd never really discussed it. He wasn't even really sure how he felt about her, but he couldn't help imagining it. Then his thoughts wandered back to Summer. Such a tough choice; he sighed again, folded the paper in half and as he noticed Abigail coming up the path towards them, he motioned for Ryan to come with him.
Ryan glanced at Marissa, who understood and they shared a quick peck. "See you tonight?" He asked in a whispered tone.
"Yeah, I'll be there." She smiled and he did a little bit too. Seth waved at Anna who made a half hearted motion to say goodbye as well. Ryan caught up to Seth and the two in turn caught up to Abby. The drive home was not long, but it was unusually quiet.
------
As soon as they got home, Ryan headed off to his poorhouse. Seth dropped his backpack on the kitchen table and Abby did the same.
"How was your day?" He asked his sister as he tried to figure out whether Kirsten or Sandy would be home that night.
"Good, I guess; nothing very remarkable." She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a notebook, a calculator and a pencil. Seth pulled a post-it note from near the phone. It was from his mother.
"Well, that's good. Looks like neither of the parentals will be home anytime soon. You want pizza, or what?"
"Whatever." She replied sighing and continuing her homework. Seth picked up the cordless and ordered a large cheese pie from Bob's pizza shack. Despite the unappealing name, they made good pizza.
"Are you going to Summer's party on Friday?" He asked her as he hung up the phone. She dropped her pencil and looked up at him.
"You know, I think I am. I haven't really partied in a long time. I need a break from all this schoolwork. Are you?" She asked him. They had a fifteen minute or so, discussion about the topic and resolved that he was going to go. How could he not? He'd made a connection with Summer, hadn't he?
Shortly thereafter, the doorbell rang. Seth grabbed the twelve bucks of the table, and went to the door. As he left he asked Abby to get Ryan, and tell him supper was here. She dropped her pencil again, and left out the back door.
-----
Marissa entered the pool house, through the glass door she always used. Ryan was sitting in his usual spot on his bed, reading a comic book. His laptop was on the end table next to the bed. He looked up at her, and the biggest smile erupted across his face. Up until a few short weeks ago, he didn't smile. Most people thought he probably didn't even know how. But since that night on the Ferris wheel, he'd felt much lighter in emotion.
She slipped on the bed next to him. Throwing the comic book clear across the room, with no regard for its condition, he took her face in his hands and began kissing her. He ran an idle hand through her soft hair. He could smell the fresh scent of her shampoo, and the perfume she wore. It was a scent he had come to enjoy. The kisses became short, but powerful and Ryan shed his top layer shirt, so as to be more comfortable.
Marissa felt his chiseled arms which were obvious when he wore a tank top. She loved that he was so strong, yet so sensitive. A characteristic that Luke had lacked.
"Do you work out?" She asked breathily between kisses. He smiled a little.
"One hundred pushups every morning." He replied and they resumed kissing. Hands were roaming about now, she had her arms around his strong neck, and his were on her waist. They were in a horizontal position as well. Passionate kiss after passionate kiss built up, and Marissa broke from the embrace just a few inches.
"I love you." She stated so fast that Ryan barely had time to think.
In response, he replied. "I do too." The pulling her back in to the embrace began kissing her again. He surprised himself. He'd actually sort of told her he loved her. If you'd asked him that, then he wouldn't have known what to say. His sub-conscious was willing to admit the truth though.
-----
Abby walked up to the pool house. She glanced in the open glass window just to see what he was doing. What she saw shocked her. It was not that she didn't know he was dating Marissa, but she didn't expect to see it there in front of her face. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she ran back to the house, past Seth wielding a pizza box, and upstairs to her room; slamming her door.
Seth looked perplexed a minute and sighed. "Girls. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em." He thought of his own women problems. Setting the pizza box on the table, he grabbed a slice and headed upstairs to see what the problem was.