Three hours? “You wake up at five a.m.?”
“Doesn’t everyone,” he says dryly, his fingers twitching a little. The car smells like citrus, not cigarettes, and there aren’t any bottles of alcohol or beer anywhere, but I’ve seen him smoke and drink before. He switches topics. “Are you a junior?”
“No.”
He frowns. “Sophomore?”
“Senior,” I reply.
“You look younger.”
“It’s the braid,” I mutter, shifting in my seat a little.
He glances at me once before focusing on the road. “The braid is cute.”
I feel my lips lifting. Do not smile like that. It’s this giddy smile that should never reveal itself to the person who put it there. “Okay,” I suddenly say.
“Okay…yeah?” He knows that I’m accepting his offer to pick me up on Monday.
I nod. “How should we communicate?”
He switches lanes easily. “By letters probably,” he banters. “I’d say two tin cans, but I don’t think the string would reach from me to you.”
“What about communicating in ones and zeroes?”
He feigns confusion. “What is that? Ones and zeroes…nah, I don’t like those.” He almost smiles, because after today, I know he likes the internet, maybe even more than me.
9
willow moore
I tuck my white blouse into my navy-blue skirt, the Dalton Academy uniform as uncomfortable as I feel. I check the clock on my wooden desk. 7:23 a.m.
Garrison said he’d be outside my apartment complex at 7:30, and since we didn’t exchange numbers, I should probably just go now and wait for him.
I grab my tattered backpack, wondering if this will be violation of some dress code. I’ve never attended private school before, and I would’ve gone to public school but Lo refused.
He said, I’ll pay for it. Don’t worry about it. It’s one of the best schools in the city.
I told Loren that I’d pay him back. Every cent, and that was that.
In the elevator, I update ryumastersxx’s blog, restraining a smile at his username. Ken Masters is one of the most popular Street Fighter characters, and his rival and best friend is named Ryu. Every time I’ve refreshed his page, gifs and edits are the only new content.
This time though…it’s different.
Rules: Complete the form by answering each section truthfully. Once you’ve finished, tag other users to complete the task. Begin by sourcing the person who tagged you.
He did it. “Oh my God,” I whisper, so caught off-guard that I forget to push the lobby button. I do and then eagerly and yet tentatively read his answers.
What was your…
Last drink: lightning bolt! + vodka
I’m suddenly scared to read the rest, but like a fiend or junkie, I just can’t stop. I have to know more.
Last phone call: can’t remember. Everyone just texts now
Last text message: “Fuck you.” – sent to my middle brother. He’s a dick.
Have you ever…
Been cheated on: not yet. Give it time and I’m sure it’ll happen
Kissed someone and regretted it: I don’t regret kissing
Drank hard liquor: no *sarcasm*
Been drunk and thrown up: only when drinking hunch punch that has too much fucking punch
Met someone who changed you: I guess one person. He’s famous—so very few people would believe me if I said his name. He kind of gave me a hand when no one else did
Fallen out of love: I’ve fallen out of love with dill pickles. Fucking gross.
Found out who your true friends are: I think I just did
Lost glasses: don’t wear them, but they look cute on this girl I just met.
I touch my cheeks that hurt from a smile that won’t go away, but it disappears at the sight of the next topic.
Sex on the first date: do I really have to answer this? [w, if this makes you nervous, please skip over this]
W. I take a breath, wondering if I should glaze over his typed words, but if he’s telling me to skip it, then maybe he knows the answer won’t sit well with me. Or maybe he doesn’t want to “come on strong”—it’s not like he’s hitting on me or anything.
This is just the start of a friendship, right?
I decide to look.
Already did it. It wasn’t her first time either.
Either. Meaning he’s had sex multiple times too.
And I haven’t even been kissed…but it shouldn’t matter. Just the start of a friendship.
Been arrested: not yet
Turned someone down: I don’t know what this is implying. Turned someone down for a ride? For a smoke? What is this?
Fallen for a friend: sort of
Sort of. I don’t know what that is implying!
More questions…
Do you have any pets: turtle named Abracadabra—it used to be my brother Mitchell’s before he left for college.
What did you do for your last birthday party: smoked and watched Evil Dead with my friends – it was actually horrible (I had the spins all night and threw up)
Name something you cannot wait for: the end of senior year
What irritates you: being told what to do, what to wear, how to act