Do you have plans on Saturday?
Per Sarah, the text from Seth had arrived in the middle of her third period math class. She had asked to go to the bathroom immediately and had instead come to find me. I had been in my English class when suddenly Sarah was leaping up and down in the hallway, waving her hands and trying to get my attention through the small window in the closed door. Jesus.
"What?" I mouth, wondering if she's having a seizure. She stomps her foot in annoyance and holds up her phone, waving it in the air. "Ms. Wright, can I go to the bathroom?" I ask, raising my hand but also simultaneously standing up and gathering my things. The teacher nods her head absentmindedly and allows me to leave the classroom. Sarah is already half running down the hallway towards the bathroom and I rush after her. The second the door shuts behinds us, she lets out an excited shriek and shoves the phone in my face, showing me the message.
"So what are we going to say?" She squeals. "Are we playing hard to get? Or should I tell him you'll meet him in his bed at eight?" Sarah lets me take the phone from her and I quickly type out my response.
I actually have a coffee date with a different insanely tall guy…maybe you should have asked earlier? Sarah is leaning half on top of me when we see the little text bubbles move to show he's typing.
That is a bummer because while you have a coffee date with a different insanely tall, hot guy, I had been planning on having you come to a cookout with the best pasta salad in the entire world…Hey, I didn't say the guy was hot…Really? I could have sworn…Well, I guess I could potentially move my plans around if the pasta salad is really the best in the world…No, no, wouldn't want to mess up your plans…You're right, this insanely tall, hot guy won't eat all of the sugar cookies like a certain other tall, hot guy had done the day before so I don't want to miss out on the date…So you do think I'm hot…Well, either way, I could definitely be persuaded to move my plans around but you'd have to decide quick. After all, Sarah was becoming restless without a phone glued to her hand and soon phone privileges would be taken away…
Pick you up at 1:00? At Sarah's?
See you then :)
I let out a breath that I had been holding.
"Hot damn you're good." Sarah says, still leaning over me as we stare at the phone. There are a few little text bubbles but then they disappear like he's decided against whatever he had been about to say. I hand Sarah back her phone and she grabs it before slapping me in the arm.
"Ow!" I yelp, rubbing where she hit. "What?"
"You have been holding out on me." She declares, spinning in a circle and walking over to the long mirror above the sink and staring at her perfect complexion.
"I told you, all I did was kiss him last night, not even any tongue—" I start but she shoots me a look.
"No, no, I believe you on that." She says, grinning and leaning against the sink. "You can flirt and instead you always pretend that you can't or aren't interested. God, imagine what you could do if you tried even ten percent when all these guys flirt with you."
"Well maybe I just don't like them as much." I laugh, joining her next to the sinks and choosing to wash my hands. Or maybe I just like Seth too much.
"Okay, so I have something for you and you're not allowed to throw a temper tantrum." She states, digging through her purse. I dry off my hands on a paper towel and lean against the sink next to her. She pulls out a silver iPhone I recognize as last years model and thrusts it into my hands. It's connected to a white charging cord and I grab onto it just to prevent it from falling and cracking, winding the cord in my hands.
"No, no, Sarah—" I start but she is already gripping both my arms in her hands, staring at me more seriously than she ever has before.
"This is for me, not you." She states. "It's not fair that I can't text my best friend twenty-four-seven and it's also not fair for you to be trapped in that trailer without a phone incase something happens."
"Sarah…" I whisper, feeling the shame that I feel so often when I can't afford something everyone else has or when I can't relate to things everyone else experiences.
"Shit, Emma, I get worried about you in there sometimes. With all the yelling and the dogs barking and the creepy guys. Please promise me you'll call me if something ever happens?" She asks. "Or the police? Or Seth? Just someone."
"Thank you, Sarah, but I can't take this." I say even though I'm already loving how the cool metal feels against my hand.
"Well of course you're taking it." She says, rolling her eyes and slipping back into her usual carefree demeanor. "It's already activated and on our family plan so if you don't take it then my parents are just wasting their money." Then she wraps me in a hug and pulls back quickly, running towards the door before I can give her the phone back. "I've been gone for sooo long, I'm going to have to fake cramps just to avoid a detention."
I decide not to text Seth even though I think about doing so every five minutes until the next morning. Sarah had hers and Seth's numbers already programmed into the phone but I just wasn't quite sure what to say to Seth. So while Sarah and I had texted late into the night, I had not let Seth know of my new form of communication. I was kinda worried he wouldn't text me back…or the he would and I wouldn't know what to say.
Either way, I walk over to Sarah's a little after eleven the next morning and let her choose my outfit and do my makeup. I don't usually let her use me like a doll but she gave me a phone and I figure I owe her at least a little bit of fun.
Seth arrives at exactly one o'clock and I open the door happily. He's standing on the other side of Sarah's front door, smiling happily at me and holding a sugar cookie in one of his hands.
"Ooo!" I gasp in surprise and take the treat from him, stepping aside so he can enter the house. I grab one of his hands as he enters and thread my fingers through his.
"Uh oh, looks like Seth here has you all figured out." Sarah says, smirking as she comes around the corner. She turns her attention to Seth. "The best way to keep Emma happy is to bring her little gifts."
"That's not—"
"Food, drinks, little knick knacks, I've never seen someone so happy to receive a McDonald's toy." Sarah continues, ignoring me. "If you get her something too big or costing real money, she will refuse to accept but with little things she just can't help herself."
"Noted." Seth says, pulling me a little closer and accepting a piece of cookie I offer him.
"Well, you two have fun." Sarah says, as I pull Seth back out the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Emma!" I flip her off which is hard to do while holding a cookie but damn if I was going to let go of Seth's hand.
"Well you're in a good mood." He hums, dropping my hand and opening the car door for me. I had been trying to think of a casual way to bring up my new form of communication but I realize I am just too excited so I pull the phone out of my back pocket and wave it in front of him. He gives me exactly the reaction I had been hoping for. "You got a phone?"
"Yup!"
"When?"
"Yesterday." I explain, slipping it back in my pocket.
"And you didn't text me at all?" He pouts, leaning forward. For a second I think he is going to kiss me but instead he turns his attention back to the house where I am sure Sarah is watching.
"I figured I'd see if you got bored of me after spending the whole afternoon together and, if you didn't, we could discuss you having my phone number." I say, climbing into the vehicle and letting him shut the door behind me.
"Me, bored of you?" He asks, climbing into the drivers seat and giving me a grin. "Never gonna happen."
When we arrive at his friend Sam's house, Seth immediately takes my hand in his own, tangling our fingers together again. He looks so happy to be walking up to his friend's house with me at his side and, I have to admit, I feel happy too.
"So these are all the people from the other night?" I ask and he nods his head. "I'm sorry but I definitely don't remember any of their names."
"That's okay." He promises. "Just stick with me and you'll be good."
Seth walks right into the house, pulling me down the hallway and towards the kitchen. I can see in the living room two guys playing video games with another two cheering them on. In the kitchen, two women are talking and laughing. I recognize both of them from the bonfire. The one with scars down half her face is fluttering around the kitchen, grabbing things and situating two huge platters of raw meat presumably to go out to the grill. They both look up when we enter and I can't help but feel a little shy. I never have been very good at making friends. They both seem pleased to see us though and I know these people are important to Seth so I promise myself I will make the best effort.
"Hey, Emma!" The one with scars says. "I'm Emily and this is Kim. I know we met briefly the other night but Seth was hogging you so we didn't really get to talk." Seth blushes slightly and I laugh.
"Nice to meet you both." I say. Should I have brought something? I wonder. I definitely should have brought something. The sliding door to the backyard is propped open and I can see more of the guys outside, a few without shirts even though it's not that warm.
"Think you can get him in here?" Emily asks Kim, leaning on the counter and grinning.
"Jared." Kim says in a sing song voice and I wouldn't have thought her boyfriend would have been able to hear her from the living room over the sounds of the video game, laughter, and talking but he responds immediately.
"I'll be there in a minute, Kim!" He calls. "I'm almost — shit — going to beat level — no, no Paul — thirteen!" Kim rolls her eyes at Emily.
"I'll let you do that thing you like…you know the—"
"Guys, I'm out." Jared quickly says and I hear the other three groan and then the sound of one of the video game characters dying. Jared bops into the kitchen and makes a beeline for Kim.
"Actually, never mind, but I need you to carry these out to Sam." Kim cuts right to the point and Jared lets out a frustrated groan, as if realizing he's been played. He doesn't actually seem mad though and wraps his arms around her, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. When he pulls back, she has a glazed look in her eyes and he seems pleased when he grabs one of the platters sitting on the counter. Jared gives Seth and I a wink before walking out the back door.
"Well you kinda asked for that one." Emily laughs before turning to Seth and giving him an expecting look.
"Yeah, yeah, Emily, I know the drill." Seth says. He turns his attention to me momentarily and I roll my eyes.
"I think I'll survive without you." I promise. He gives my hand one last squeeze and leans down, kissing my cheek, before grabbing the second tray and following Jared outside. I shift nervously, looking at the two girls. Kim taps the seat next to hers and I gratefully sit down, just happy to be included.
"We're so glad you're here." Emily says and Kim nods her head in agreement. "There's too many guys around here, we need more girls."
"No we don't." Another voice says, coming in from the living room. This man walks right up to Kim and ruffles her hair.
"Paul." She groans, trying to swat at him but he ducks out of her reach, laughing.
"You guys better learn to like Emma, she's the last partner and crime you're gonna get." Paul says. "You think Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are ever going to get girlfriends?"
"Hey!" Dee and Dumb both say, coming all the way into the kitchen from the living room. I can tell that they are younger than the other guys, though probably not by much.
"And what about you, Paul?" Kim asks. "You agree that there is absolutely no one out there who wants to put up with your furry ass?"
"Well, I'm certainly not bringing any girl here." Paul laughs and ruffles Kims hair again. "She'd meet you two and run screaming." Dee slides into the chair next to me and Dumb moves to rescue Kim, draping his arms over her shoulders to block Paul from coming any closer.
"He's an ass." Kim says, rolling her eyes but laughing. Paul's still smiling as he walks through the sliding doors and into the yard. "Thanks, Brady." She snuggles into Dumb's — Brady's — arms contently.
"I'm Collin." Dee says and I turn my attention to him.
"Emma." I introduce.
"Of course I know who you are." Collin scoffs, smirking at me. "Seth has not shut up about you for a week."
"I'm sure that's not true." I blush, trying to give Seth at least some back up.
"Oh no, it is." Brady says. "What if I ask Emma out for coffee and she says no? What if I ask Emma out for coffee and she says yes but doesn't like coffee?"
"What if she says yes and then doesn't show up?" Collin continues. "What if I bring her to Sam and Emily's and then Collin and Brady embarrass me?"
"What if she doesn't like pasta salad?" Brady says the last question with such a dramatic flare that even Emily and Kim are snickering.
"He is right about something though, you do have nice hair." Collin says, leaning over and tugging on the end of a strand of my hair.
"Hey!" I laugh, ducking away from him.
"Yeah, he's definitely right about that." Brady agrees, tugging on a different piece of hair, now that I've leaned closer to him to try to get away from Collin. I flinch back towards Collin in surprise.
"You know, if you want to go out with me, I won't eat all the sugar cookies." Collin promises, tugging once more on my hair and leaning close. He's testing me I realize — trying to see how I'll react.
"Ooh," I say, leaning close back to him and invading his personal bubble. He must not have expected the action from me because he looks surprised for a second before grinning even wider. "And will you get me a caramel macchiato too?"
"Hmm," Collin pretends to think about it, tugging on my hair again. "You drive a hard bargain but I am willing to concede. Now how are we going to let Seth know that you like me better?"
"Who said anything about me liking you better than Seth?" I ask. "I just want a caramel macchiato."
"Yeah, who said anything about Emma liking you better than me." Seth says from somewhere behind me. I make a happy noise that he's back, grinning over at him. "Hands off." He says to Collin who still has a finger wrapped around a lock of my hair. I sigh gratefully as he slaps the back of Collin's head and then drapes his arms around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. Collin doesn't even look slightly annoyed or surprised at being slapped and instead grins cheerfully. I suspect that maybe this happens often.
"Hey, Seth," Collin says cheerfully, leaning his head in his hands. "I like her and I think, if you play your cards right, she might like you too."
I realize very quickly that this group is close — like really close. I had never had close friends or family so I wasn't used to it but I couldn't say I didn't like it. I liked affection, I realized, and I didn't receive it as often as I wanted. Sure, Sarah would hug me sometimes or bump her arm into mine while walking. And my mom would hug me too — usually when she was on her way out the door and would be disappearing for a few days. But this group was different. They were very aware of each other and very aware of their actions. Their affection for one another was part of how they showed they cared. Brady remained glued to Kim's side until Jared came back and, once Collin realized that Seth was not going to let him flirt with me anymore, he had moved on to Emily — following her around the kitchen, pinching her, and teasing her mercilessly.
Besides Seth — and Collin's occasional hair pulling — the other guys don't touch me but I can tell they are very aware of everything I do, whoever I am closest to is constantly angling their body towards me or leaning in closer. Once Sam comes back inside from the grill, Collin ducks away from Emily but instead goes over to Embry and Jake, sticking close to them.
"Hello, Emma, nice to see you again." Sam says, very formally nodding his head.
"Nice to see you too." I chirp, "I wore my clothes this time." They all laugh at that, even Sam, and Jake puts an extra scoop of pasta salad on my plate. It feels like approval.
It's early evening by the time Seth and I finally escape out the front door. I had whispered to him that I had to work that night and, if he was disappointed we were leaving, he didn't show it. Instead he lets me say goodbye to everyone and promises the girls I would be back soon, all while keeping his arm wrapped around my waist. At some point after eating four cheeseburgers, Seth had apparently decided that if I would let him hold my hand, I'd probably let him put his arm around my waist too. I was content like this in Seth's grasp. I had never felt so tiny but Seth's large hand almost spanned my entire abdomen and he was so warm. It felt good to have someone to lean on. When we make it to Seth's car, he doesn't open the door right away and I spin happily in his grasp, smiling up at him.
"I know we're a bit much, especially when we're all together." He admits, moving to rest both his hands on my hips. "Hopefully I didn't scare you away."
"Nah, you didn't scare me away." I roll my eyes. "I like them all."
He grins at me and then starts to back me up slowly against the passenger side door. Everything Seth does is slow. It's like he's always giving me an out to escape or say no. I think if he doesn't kiss me soon I will combust. He laughs and I realize I have said the last part out loud. I flush and start to say something, anything to try to save myself some embarrassment but he presses his lips to mine and I just sigh in content. He wraps his other arm around me, pinning me between him and the car. I trail my hands up his chest and when I finally reach his neck and press my fingers lightly against him, he rewards me by leaning in closer and deepening the kiss. It's not like I've kissed a ton of boys or anything but this is definitely the best kiss of my life.
"Yeah," I breathe out when he finally pulls back from my lips and begins kissing my neck, "I definitely like you better than Collin." He pulls back from my neck and gives me a look of surprise before narrowing his eyes playfully.
"Do not talk about Collin while we're making out." He growls. This time there's nothing slow about his movements and I squeal in surprise as he somehow manages to pull me even closer and presses his mouth back to mine.
"So this is Emma?" A voice says from behind Seth and I squeak at being caught by the unknown female. Seth has flipped around and has me behind him protectively before I even register what is happening. Seth is growling and for a second I think we are actually is some sort of danger.
"Hey, don't growl at me, pup." The voice says again, sounding annoyed.
"Come on, Leels, you know better than to scare him when he's in a position like that with her." A second voice says and I peer around Seth to see a boy who I recognize from the bonfire but who hadn't been inside the house earlier. He sends me a grin and a little wave. I know I must be bright red with embarrassment at being caught, but I smile back at him and wave. I press on the small of Seth's back and he loosens his grip on me, but not removing it completely, letting me step next to him so I can see both of his friends.
"What, did you think I was a vampire?" The woman asks Seth, rolling her eyes before looking over at me curiously.
"This is my sister, Leah." Seth says, rolling his own eyes. "And Quil was at the bonfire the other night…they were both working so they couldn't stop by earlier."
"Nice to meet you." I say to both of them, but mostly to Leah. If she is Seth's sister, that makes her the most important out of all of them.
"Hm." Leah says, evaluating me curiously before giving me a small grin. "I'm gonna go get food, see ya later."
"I'm pretty sure that was equivalent to a seal of approval from Leah." Quil says, shaking his head. "Nice to see you again, Emma." Quil runs after Leah up the front steps to the house.
"Now where were we." Seth hums once we are alone again. He moves me back up against the car, slow again and giving me a way out, before pressing his lips back to mine.
"I guess," I finally sigh when Seth pulls away and just smiles down at me, "That I can give you my number."
Ugh, these two! And how did you guys like Dee and Dumb? I intend to have a lot of Collin and Brady in this story as well. Who doesn't love some Collin-Comic-Relief? As always, please review if you're enjoying!