A High School Story

“Come on Mollie, spill it!” Keyla pleaded and I stayed silent while trying to stay focused on the road ahead of me, “Mollie.”
“There’s nothing to tell you,” I insisted and I heard her scoff, “Do you want to walk the rest of the way home?”
“I saw the look on your face when you walked into Chemistry with Nick,” she protested while ignoring the second part of my statement, “You looked love struck and very unhappy about it.”
“That’s not what I was unhappy about,” I sighed and I could feel her stare starting to penetrate the side of my head, “I ran into Mike in the hallway on the way to the nurse.”
“What happened with him?” she demanded as a look of pure anger crossed her face, “Wait, the nurse? I thought you said you were going to your locker.”
“I lied,” I confessed, “I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”
“Mollie!” Keyla scolded me and I bit my lip, “I’m willing to let that go if you fess up about what happened with Nick, and with Mike.”
“Nick’s part of the little gang now,” I explained, “Mike cornered me and everything while Nick just stood there and pretended not to see it. Then he had the nerve to come after me and try to convince me that I was being too hard on Mike and that he wasn’t as bad as I insisted he was.”
“He did what?! Keyla seemed angry to the boiling point now, “Did you tell him that-“
“Of course not!” I yelled.
“Well maybe it would simplify things if you-“
“You didn’t hear him Keyl! He was talking like Mike was some sort of god and he was a devoted follower!”
Keyla mumbled something under her breath and I sighed before turning down her street behind a familiar looking motorcycle.
“I swear to God that I’m going to make sure this boy opens up his eyes and sees what’s right in front of them,” Keyla growled menacingly.
“Leave it alone, he’ll find out what his so called god is capable of in time,” I assured her and she scoffed in agreement.
“I have a clear view of his room from the window in my parents room, why don’t you stay for a bit and we can do a little-“
“Can’t, I have to get home so I can find out what expensive gift my mom decided on,” I sighed as I pulled into her driveway and avoided the look I knew I was getting from next door.
“She’s not leaving early again?!” Keyla demanded loudly and I shushed her.
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. It’s just a few days,” I replied and pushed her bag into her chest, “Now go before she gets impatient with me.”
“I don’t know who I’m more peeved at right now; your mom, Mike, or the idiot next door who keeps staring at you!” Keyla screamed the last nine words and I blushed a light pink.
“Would you just get in your house before you embarrass someone else?!” I whispered harshly and she rolled her eyes before throwing her bag over her shoulder and walking up the remainder of the driveway and into the open garage.
“Are you okay to drive home?” an annoyingly familiar voice asked from next to me and I ignored the urge to glance into his eyes and fall into a daydream while I put the car in reserve and started backing up.
“I’m fine, I ate lunch,” I assured Nick and stopped for a minute in the road to give into the urge to look at him.
He stared at me with genuine concern on his face and I couldn’t help but to let every single ounce of resentment and anger that I felt toward him flood away.
“Move it pal!” Joe yelled teasingly out his open car window as he pulled up behind me and I rolled my eyes while coming back to real word.
I flipped the older version of Nick off over my head and I heard his laugh drift away as I drove farther and farther down the street. Why couldn’t Nick be more like Joe? Keyla had yet to find any error or flaw with Joe whatsoever, not that see was looking very hard, and I yet to find anything about Nick that didn’t shout error or flaw. True, he was cute but that got canceled out by everything else. He had befriended the biggest jerk in the school for who knows what reason, he’s had the nerve to accuse me of being too hard on said jerk, and he had the nerve to ask if I was okay when he damn well knew I didn’t want him within fifty feet of me.
“You’re early dinner is on the table in the dining room,” Angelica informed me as I walked in the front door, “And you’re mom is waiting too.”
“Thanks,” I murmured to her and dropped my bag at the foot of the steps before walking to the back of the house where the dining room was.
“Hey sweetie,” mom chimed as she looked up from her Blackberry.
“Hi mom,” I forced a smile and sat down where Angelica had placed the plate of pancakes and bacon from this morning.
“Listen honey, I need to tell you something,” she sighed in response while putting her Blackberry back into her Coach Purse.
“I already know about you leaving early,” I whispered while brushing a loose strand out hair out of my face and then starting to cut up my pancakes.
“How do already-did Angelica tell you? I specifically told that women this morning that I wanted to be the one to-“
“She didn’t tell me mom. I woke up and heard you on the phone this morning,” I explained while trying to press down the anger I felt toward her for referring to Angelica as ‘that women’.
“Oh, well you understand then that I really would rather stay here with you?” she asked nervously and I knew she was getting even worried lately that I would start throwing hissy fits every time she said she had to leave.
“Of course I do,” I assured her after swallowing a mouth full of food, “I know that Rick doesn’t give a rat’s ass about-“
“Mollie!” mom yelled in shock at my language and I tried to keep from laughing. She could drop the f-bomb five times in thirty seconds after getting a disappointing phone call but she still insisted that I wasn’t old enough to use the foul language she and dad used.
“Sorry mom,” I apologized and thought for a second for a better expression to use, “I know that Rick doesn’t give a second thought to the fact that you have to leave early and I know it’s not your fault.”
“Are you sure that you’re okay with this?” she probed and studied me as I finished up the last of my pancakes and went on to eat my bacon.
Of course I wasn’t okay with it!
“Absolutely,” I lied and put on the bright smile I had been using for years, “You have priorities and obligations to the company.”
“Thank you for understanding,” she sighed, “Well I’ll see you when I get back then. Tell your father that I might be home a bit early. It all depends on how some things pan out.”
“You’re leaving now? I thought that Rick said you could wait until tomorrow morning?” I nearly choked on a piece of bacon and a guilty expression fell across her face.
“The problem has intensified over the past few hours and it look every ounce of negotiating power I have in my entire body to convince the moron to let me tell you before I fly off,” she explained and for the first time since I entered the room I saw the Passport lying neatly on top of all of the items in the purse.
“Well if the problem is that bad then you better get going,” I insisted while trying to suppress the need to cling to her until she convinced to stay until tomorrow.
“I’m glad you understand,” she patted my hand lightly before standing up and grabbing her purse as she kissed me lightly on the forehead, “I went shopping today and picked you out a few things.”
Of course she did.
“There’s a new shirt from that store that you and Keyla seem keen on, what is it, Venture?”
“Vanity mom,” I laughed and she smiled down at me.
“And of course I got you a pair of matching earrings. The shirt should look good with any type of dark wash skinny jeans and of course those black high heels that you love.”
My mom may not be that young anymore but she knows she fashion trends, probably better than I do.
“Oh! And I got you a new Coach bag!”
There was the expensive gift.
“Thanks mom,” I half laughed half groaned.
“Well I’ll see next week,” she said before kissing me forehead one last time and then hurrying away as quickly as her high heels would allow.
I let out a long sigh before pushing away my empty plate and resting my head in the palms in my hands. Dad would be back Saturday, I just had to hold off the neglected feeling until then.
“I’ll be in my room doing homework,” I told Angelica while walking into the kitchen with my plate in hand.
“She loves Mollie, always remember that,” Ang pleaded and I bit my bottom lip before clanking away in my heels and grabbing my bag on the way upstairs.

“Why do you need my dark wash skinnies? I thought you had like five pairs,” Keyla laughed out the last part as I laid on my bed with my iPhone pressed to my ear.
“You know damn well that I’m no fan of Skinny Jeans,” I replied and let a smile flow across my face.
“Right, forgot. They don’t let your butt breath.”
“They don’t! Have you ever sat outside in August when the Dallas heat reaches over one hundred in Skinny Jeans?!” I yelled into the phone and continued on with my rant without bothering to let her answer, “Sweetheart, I had sweat coming out of places that I never knew had sweat glands!”
“Okay okay! You can borrow the skinnies as long as I never have to hear a story as painful as that again!”
“Deal,” I chuckled and then rolled over onto my stomach, “I’ll change into them at your house tomorrow morning.”
“If you show up at my front door with boy shorts on then I swear that I will walk to school-“
“You will not! You’re too lazy to walk to the TV to change that station yet alone to school!” I protested.
“Would you just let that go?! That happened over a year ago!” she was laughing but I knew she was trying to be stern.
“It did not! You did it again last weekend end when we were having our Friday night movie marathon!”
“Oh yeah…” she trailed off as if in a Flashback and I rolled my eyes and rolled over onto my stomach.
“Earth to Keyl?” I asked after a few minutes and I heard her sigh contently, “He’s in the pool with his shirt off again isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Keyla giggled and I stuffed my face into my pillow so she wouldn’t know that I was cracking up, “Oh! There’s Nick! Dang, that boy has some muscles on him!”
I forced back the mental picture of Nick shirtless.
“Did you hear me Mollie?”
“Yes Keyl, I heard you,” I sighed.
“You want him,” she cooed annoyingly.
“And you want his brother. Isn’t there sort of girl rule about best friends dating brothers or something?” I was desperate for a way out of this.
“Why are you asking me?” she scoffed, “And since when have we listened to girl code or whatever it is?”
I stayed silent and I automatically knew that she had just won this argument.
“Do you want to come over? The view is great!” she giggled the last part and I bit my lip as I thought it over.
I did have all of my homework and projects done…and seeing Nick shirtless certainly would be a treat-but I had that Physics test in a few weeks that I needed to prepare for. But I had practically three more weeks for that…would it kill me to spend one school night having some fun? Angelica had gone out for the night for some family reunion thing and wouldn’t be back until around midnight…
“I’ll be over in a few,” I said and then hung up the phone before she could reply.
I knew that I should be committing to studying for that test but I had already wasted thirty minutes worth of study time talking to Keyla, what was a few more hours. Besides, hadn’t I just been wondering why my life was fun sucked most of the time just this morning? One night wouldn’t kill me.
I scribbled a note to Angelica telling her that I was Keyla’s in case she arrived home early and then headed out the door and towards my car. My heels made small crunching and clanking sounds as I walked on the bricks that formed a path from the driveway to the front door and I looked down to see not even a single weed sprout in sight.
“Hi Mollie!” Kyle called from over the small hedge that separated our driveway from the neighbors and I smiled and waved to him.
He ran off into the house after that and I let a light chuckle escape my lips. Kyle was a thirteen-year-old boy that lived next door and had developed a crush on me a few years ago; his twin brother Tyler had developed a thing for Keyla shortly after. We always thought that it was cute but we were both careful not to lead them on.
“Is Keyla here?” Tyler asked as he ran out of the house behind Kyle.
“Nah, I’m actually heading over to her place right now,” I answered and climbed into the car before smiling over at them, I had left to top down after school due to the daze I was in.
“Can we come?” they both chimed together as I started the car and began to slowly back out of the driveway.
“Sorry guys, maybe next time,” I said and both of their faces fell before they stalked off back to the house and I started down the street that was lined with large houses that looked to perfect to be real, our house being the largest of course.
The low hanging sun gleamed in my eyes as I turned down another street and I glared down the road before pulling a pair of designer sunglasses out of one of the car compartments and then placing them over my eyes. The glasses had been a gift from mom last year when she had to stay in New York a few extra days. From what I could gather, they cost nearly as much as the new Coach Purse that now sat on a self in my closet with about five other Coach purse/wallet products; all of which had been presents from mom over the past two years. Dad didn’t spoil me with lavish material possessions; he just put some money on my debit card and let me buy my own stupid lavish material possessions.
“Tyler says hi,” I called to Keyla as I pulled up into the driveway and she smiled before shaking her head, “Why are you in your bathing suit?”
“I was out in the yard trying to get Cooper to come in and they invited me over,” she picked nervously at the hem to her bikini bottoms, “I told them you were coming over but they insisted that we come over.”
“Keyl, I don’t even have a-“
“Yes you do,” she protested immediately as I stood in front of her and she handed me a bikini, “It’s the one you left here after you slept over last year. The one your mom got for you in New York.”
“Keyl, that shows way too much cleavage,” I pushed the Ann Taylor bikini back at her and she gave me her best puppy dog face, “Come on babe, I don’t feel comfortable going in front of a bunch of guys with half of my breasts hang out.”
“Pweeze? I promise never to ask you for anything other than a ride to school every again,” she begged me and I sighed, she would break the promise but if this really meant this much to her than I could swallow my dignity for an hour or two, “Thank you thank you thank you! You can meet me over there! You know where the bathroom is!”
She pushed the bikini back into my hands and ran off towards the Jonas’ with her bare feet barely making a sound on the cement and the two pool towels she was caring flopping up and down as she took each step. I let out yet another long sigh before walking into the house and pushing Cooper away as I turned down the hallway that led to the bathroom, the things I did for this girl. I could hear the distant arguing of Keyla’s parents from the back of the house and I knew I should hurry before they found out I was here. After stripping down to nothing but my birthday suit I pulled the bikini on one piece at a time and then looked in the mirror. Obviously my boobs had gotten bigger in the past year because there was no way that I remember this much cleavage showing.
There was a loud bang from upstairs as someone threw something that hit a wall and I swallowed before picking up my folded clothes and my heels and walking out of the bathroom. I stopped halfway down the hall to deposit my clothes in Keyla’s room and then set off with my feet bare, high heels and a bikini just screams hooker, and much more skin then I wanted showing. The sound of the arguing died behind me as I closed the front door again and made my way over to the gate to the Jonas’ backyard.
I saw Kevin and who I guessed to be Dani talking in one corner of the pool while Keyla sat lazily on the edge a little ways away with Joe and Nick floating in front of her. She smiled when she spotted me and motioned for me to come over. I shot a small glare at her before closing the gate behind me and watching Nick’s eyes bug out of his head when he saw me, leaving me to feel even more embarrassed at the fact that my mom had actually bought this suit for me.
“Hi Mollie!” Joe yelled and waved excitedly.
“She’s mine, back off!” Keyla scolded him and I scoffed and rolled my eyes before sitting down next to her on the edge of the pool, “How are you doing doll face?”
“Well, you’re dog attacked me when I went inside, I’m pretty sure you’re mom threw another shoe at your dad’s head but missed this time, and I’m pretty sure my mom’s going to murder me when she’s out about my B+ in AP Physics once she gets back from China,” I answered and she laughed lightly.
“What is your mom doing in China?” Nick asked curiously.
“The same thing my dad’s doing in Brazil, working on Business crap,” I answered and swished my feet around awkwardly in the water.
“Her parents are high up business associates and travel a lot,” Keyla explained for me.
“Well that’s cool,” Joe said, “Do you get to tag along in the summer at all?”
“I tired that once a few summers ago. I went with my mom to Venice and spent most of the time staring out the hotel window,” I reminisced.
“Cannon ball!” a loud voice yelled and then seconds later a rather small body splashed into the water leaving everyone with range of the splash (Keyla, Joe, Nick, and I) to get soaked.
The guys looked anxiously at us as the cause of the splash emerged from the water smiling brightly. I started laughing at the same time that Keyla did before slipping into the pool and then pulling Keyla in against her will.
“I hate you!” Keyla yelled as she emerged from the water.
“No you don’t! You love me!” I protested and tried to escape her feeble attempt to dunk me under the water, “Are you trying to dunk me or squeeze imaginary juice out of my head, I can’t tell.”
Everyone in the pool laughed except for Keyla who smirked before diving into the water and then pulling down on my ankle. I tried to take a breath before going under but that just led me to suck in a mouth and nose full of water and to start choking as I tried to kick my way out of her grip. She eventually caught up and I swam back to the top of the pool before starting to cough wildly.
“It is so on,” I choked out and Keyla smirked again before swimming off towards Joe, “No you don’t!”
I dived under the water and kept my eyes open for wherever Keyla had gone. I saw her striped bikini bottoms and swam rapidly after them, mom and dad insisted on swimming lessons every summer since I was five. She let out a small yelp as I grabbed her around the waist and started swimming my way down towards the bottom of the deep end of the pool. She hit my wrist with a hard blow and I let her go before pushing off the water and soaring to the top.
“That hurt!” I laughed as I whipped hair out of my face and looked into her glaring face.
“Yeah well so did being pulled into the pool,” she said and sent a rather large splash my way.
I dodged it narrowly before front stroking back to shallow end where everyone else was watching our battle.
“Come back and fight like a man!” Keyla yelled after me and I heard her wrists make contact with the water as she started after me.
“Make me!” I yelled while making a U-turn around everyone so I could swim off toward the deep end again.
“Gotcha ya!” Joe yelled and grabbed my ankle as I made my way around him.
“Trapped!” Keyla yelled and then sent a splash towards me.
I look in a large breath of air before diving under the water and using my hands to lead to me back so I was behind Joe instead of in front of him. I felt him release my ankle and I turned my body so I could float to the top of the water again. I saw new droplets of water running down Joe’s face as Keyla stared at him guiltily. I heard Kevin laugh as he and Dani got out of the pool, probably to find a quieter place to finish the conversation they were having, as Joe started swimming after Keyla in search of revenge. A laugh escaped me as they headed back towards Nick and I and Joe sent a wave a Keyla that missed by inches and hit his younger brother in the face instead. Frankie had managed to duck out of the way in time and seemed to take a lesson from his oldest brother and sister-in-law before climbing out of the pool and following after them into the house.
“You did not just do that,” Nick said calmly as he spit out a mouth full of water.
“It’s her fault, she moved!” Joe protested while pointing at Keyla.
Without warning Nick sent a wave at Keyla who climbed out of the pool and missed it by seconds, leading it to hit me square in the face before I had time to dive.
“Fail!” Keyla laughed loudly and then screamed as Joe started climbing out of the pool towards her.
I saw her get up and run off with Joe following slightly after as I stayed in place and glared at Nick.
“It’s her fault, she moved,” her repeated what his brother had used on him as I spat out a giant mouth full of water and started wadding over to him, “Now come on Mollie let’s not do anything rash here.”
He gave up on trying to talk any sense into me as I came within the last two feet that were separating us. He sped off towards the other side of the pool and I laughed before diving after him. I caught him by the ankle and grabbed hold of the wall with my other hand in an attempt to stop him from trailing me around the pool. He pulled his ankle out of my grasp and I cut him off as he began to make a U-turn like I had done early. I came up under him before pushing back on his shoulders and pushing him against the wall in the middle of the pool, where was I still able to stand comfortable but he still towered over me.
“You lose,” I smirked at him and he smiled.
“Which winds you win,” he chuckled.
“Yes sir, now what do I get as my prize?” I demanded.
“What do you want?” he asked in return and it was then that I realized my hands had unknowingly moved across from his shoulders to the crook of his neck and that his face was barely three inches from mine.
I blinked awkwardly before pulling my hands off of him and then swallowing deeply.
“We should go find Joe and Keyla before they kill each other,” I stated before walking a few feet away and then climbing up onto the edge of the pool with ease, I was never one for latter’s.
“Right,” he sighed and followed suit as I grabbed one of the towels Keyla had brought and began whipping off the access water from my body.
I glanced over at him and my breath immediately caught in my throat. The water in the pool had been obscuring most of his torso but now I could see every tendon and every muscle that Keyla had been referring to. The water droplets that were carelessly running down his tones chest wasn’t help me refocus my brain either.
“So where do you think they went?” Nick asked as he ran a hand through the hair was sticking to his face.
This boy was completely clueless; he hadn’t even noticed any of my gawking.
“Don’t know, could be anywhere,” I answered and tore my eyes away from him to look around the yard for my best friend and the brother of the guy I found myself involuntarily falling for.