:O

45: Minnie and Ryder.

A week after we returned, on a Friday night, I waited for Ryder to pick me up for date night. I decided that every date night until the last one, I would make it the best I could make it. Minnie lent me the same outfit she wore to Rhonda's party (the night I cheated on Ryder). The only difference was that Gina Sanchez, Minnie's girlfriend, let me borrow her black military blazer.

Those two were going on a date of their own somewhere. Gina was in the kitchen talking on the phone while Minnie finished applying her makeup in the downstairs bathroom mirror. She existed the bathroom minutes later. "You all set tonight?" She asked me.

"Yes." I said.

"I'm gonna be out all night, sleeping over at Gina's place, so I'll be home tomorrow night." Minnie said. "What's with the long face?"

"Minnie, can I ask you something? It's important." I said.

"Sure honey," She said calmly as she walked over to the couch with me. "What's wrong?"

" I feel like if I stay here this summer, my first summer without my Mom, it'll be too hard," I began to say. "So I was thinking of going away this summer. All summer. You remember Lark, right?" She nodded. "He's got a place to stay in a little area in Manhattan and I would stay there with him. He said he could even get me a job in the city for the summer. I just wanna get away with summer so I can focus on myself."

"Well sure," She said minutes later. "But what about Ryder?"

"That's another reason. I kind of cheated on him with Lark and I feel like shit doing so. He's still upset about it so I was going to break things up before I left for New York and that'll give him time to sink in and maybe find another girl."

"Oh Marley," She held a hand to my cheek. "That boy isn't going to stop loving you even if you break things up with him. He's going to keep on loving you until his last breathe. But I guess if this is what you want to do and if you think this is the best way to get things done; you have my permission." She smiled. "Just get me the address and phone number asap, okay?"

I grinned and nodded. "Okay." I hugged her. "Thanks Minnie."

Ryder and I had a fantastic date. I didn't want to make love like we always did at the end of the date, since I was going to break up soon, but I felt like I had to give him every piece of me until I left. It would hurt him. But I was saving him from having a horrible, ugly girlfriend who smokes and is starting to drink a lot more.

We made love three times that night, the longest ever. After we finished we laid on my bed; my head resting on Ryder's chest as his arm wrapped around me. The blankets were pulled up covering me all the way but I still felt some goose bumps on my skin.

"Hey," Ryder said. "My parents two week vacation is three weeks now, some sort of bonus for having so many vacation points or whatever. So their third week on the cruise is free. And my grandparents on Dad's side are heading to California and Mom's parents are going to Florida the same three weeks; both sets of them. So my parents said that as long as Minnie is OK with it, I can stay here."

"Oh, nice." I tried to sound happy.

"Also Dad added that as long as I had enough protection I could stay." He winked. "He doesn't want to be a Grandpa anytime soon."

I laughed. "Mom said the same thing a long time ago." I laughed. "Alright I can ask Minnie. I'm sure she won't mind."

Lies. Now I had to find an excuse.

Later that night I sat at my desk with my laptop. I e-mailed Lark asking him for permission to come along and waited.

I got a reply back from him.

Sure, I can come pick you up around 9 AM the day after your school gets out, deal?

I replied back.

Deal. :)