The Actress

“Hey, Violet!” William walked down the hallway of Barrington High past Violet and a group of her friend. He was wearing a pair of dark blue, almost black, girl jeans. They were ripped up in either knee, scuffed all over, a blue scarf knotted underneath his left knee. William pulling the clinging fabric of his Something Corporate t-shirt from him - a result of the day’s already intense heat.

He looked behind himself at Violet; she was wearing a short off white skirt, accenting her perfectly tanned lean legs, her perfectly pedicured toes were slipped into a pair of pale pink flip-flips. Her top was a bright blue tank top, a low scoop neck. William eyed her, wishing that his greeting would be acknowledged. Instead she ignored him, one arm clutching her pink binder, the other slipped through the crook Derek’s elbow, her boyfriend.

William kept walking past her group of friends, each one smirking at him. He could practically read their minds. Why is he talking to her? Dirty emo freak, who does he think he is, talking to Violet? He couldn’t stand to look at them any more. Violet had just slipped her hand out of Derek’s arm and flipped her hair a little whilst giving William a derogatory look. Is this really how it’s going to be? We make out and then you pretend you don’t even know me?

For the rest of the week Violet ignored William rather bluntly. She didn’t look at him, talk to him or try to talk after school. She didn’t call after school or in the evenings. Really, William was starting to wonder if it was all a joke. If Violet had just lead him on or the fun of it. To see his pathetic emo ass humiliated. But where was just something that kept William from believing this idea. From the times he’d spent with Violet he could tell. He could tell that she was too genuine and sincere to ever pull something like that. But why hadn’t she talked to him?

You know where to go

xxoo

V

William stared at the note, knowing who it was from. He carefully folded the note and slid it into his pocket, a grin plastered over his well defined face. I was wrong, afterall

This time William arrived in the parking lot before Violet, just as he wanted. He walked over to the side of the school where the doorway was still visible but he was not. Glancing at his watch, he was just about to go home when she, she walked out the front doors. At first she didn’t see him. William walked up behind her and put his hands over her eyes, causing her to jump from surprise.

“Ack! William!” She twisted out of his hands, stopping herself as she was just about to give William a kiss. “Come on, I’ve got a plan today.” Violet lead him over to her car, something she rarely used. Both got in, love sick smiles stretched over their mouths.

“Where are we going?”

“You will see! Be patient!”

Violet kept driving for what seemed like hours before pulling into an empty parking lot. It was a Friday night, now around eight o’clock, the sky around them now a darker shade of black-blue. Across the vacant lot was a beach. The sand was coarse, and grainy, seemingly unused in years. The water, on the other hand, glowed dark blue, white specks dotted it, reflecting the bright stars above.

“Come on!” Violet whispered into his ear from the driver’s seat before hopping out and running over to William’s door, throwing it open, and pulling a stunned William out.

The two walked down the beach, Violet’s hand placed daringly in William’s back pocket, his arm was slung over her shoulders. Upon arriving at the beach, the crusty sand filtering through their shoes and socks into their toes, the two lay down, side by side, gazing up at the stars.

“So,” William said, finally grasping what was happening to him, propping himself up on one elbow, “what was with you all week.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy that I’ve had no time to call you. Forget it, okay?” Violet smiled at William, and he couldn’t help but forgive her. She snuggled deeper into his shoulder, her arm over his chest.

Violet let out a sweet, tiny sigh and closed her eyes. William looked down, her hair was gleaming in the moonlight, her skin iridescent. “William?”

“Yea?”

“How do you feel about playing a little game?”

Butterflies flew up from William’s abdomen and into his stomach. “What kind of game do you have in mind.”

“Dare.”

He raised his eyebrows. “It’s on.”

The two sat on the beach, legs crossed, face to face, daring each other to do silly things. “William,” Violet said on her turn, “I dare you. I dare you to. I can’t think of anything.”

“Ok, my turn.” William’s confidence around Violet had grown since they first arrived on the beach. At first timid, William now knew he could do pretty much anything around her, it being ok. “Go swimming.”

“What?” She shrieked. “It’s freezing in there!”

“That’s what I dared you.”

“Ok, ok. I’ll do it. But, only if you come with me!”

“What? I was the one who dared you!”

“Yea,” Violet rolled her eyes, “But I missed my turn to dare you. So, it’s only fair!”

William couldn’t argue with her logic - plus, he sort of wanted to go in too.

Violet stood up. William had been expecting her to just run into the cold lake water. Instead, she first flung off her shoes before slipping out of her skirt, then casting her tank top aside on the beach. “What?” she said once she noticed William’s mouth agape.

“Oh, um,” he shook his head a little, snapping himself back into reality. Violet’s body, for lack of a better word, was ripped. Her stomach was flat, flat, flat. Her hip bones poking out just a little. Her legs were lean, giving the illusion of going for days. Her arms were toned, leading up to her defined shoulders and a lack of fat that let get clavicles jut out from her skin.

William both reluctantly and slowly pulled off his shirt. “What’s taking you so long?” Violet walked over to a pantless William and ripped his shirt of and gave him a little shove on the chest. “Get your skinny ass in the water.”

“Race you,” William said, already darting off to the water.

Violet just stood there, shaking her head before running after him, “so middle school.”

They were in the water together, bodies pushed up against one another. William let his mouth graze along Violet’s wet neck, his hand motioning up and down her back.

The night was perfect and nothing could ruin it now. Violet looked up at William with innocent eyes.

"William?"

"Yeah?"

"Be my boyfriend."

The boy was lost for words again, he knew what he should have said, but he couldn't help it - William was in love with how she made him feel.

"Baby I'm yours."