Status: Done
Next To You
.ONE.
Marina sat at the back of the class, staring ahead impatiently waiting for class to end. History was the most boring of all of her classes and it was always her last. She glanced at the clock. It read two o’clock. A small sigh escaped her lips as she realized class hadn’t even started yet. She heard a suppressed laugh from her left. She turned her head ever so slightly and locked eyes with Alec, her best friend for as long as she could remember. Quickly, he wrote a note and ever so sneakily, transferred it from his desk to hers.
“Getting a lil restless are we?”
Marina stuck her tongue out at him and turned back around. She felt his eyes linger on her for a little longer than normal before they finally settled on the teacher speaking at the front of the room.
What felt like hours later, the last bell of the day rang and everyone hurriedly gathered their things and flew out the door, leaving only loose sheets of paper in their midst. Soon enough, it was only Alec and Marina left. Even the teacher had gone, retreating to the comfortable escape that was the teachers’ lounge.
“FINALLY!” Marina said, relief obvious on her face, “class is out of session.”
Alec just smiled at her in that way that made her stop and smile back. It was her smile; a smile reserved especially for her. She had yet to see anyone make him smile like she could.
They left the room together talking about meaningless things and laughing endlessly. But something was a little different. Marina was beginning to notice how beautiful Alec’s eyes really were. A deep green that made her heart stop. She was beginning to see what all of the other girls saw; how good looking Alec really was. Before they parted ways, Alec gave her one more smile and got into his car. A wave or two later, Alec was already speeding out of the parking lot, leaving Marina to contemplate her feelings. She began her shot trek home. By the time she got there, she had reached a conclusion that brought only more confusion.
“I’m in love with Alec,” she whispered to herself. She glanced at the house across the street and saw Alec’s car in his driveway. Just that jump-started her heartbeat. She looked away and raced up the walkway and into her house. This was going to complicate things a bit.
…
Alec found Marina in the park. He couldn’t get her face out of his head. She looked so hurt and betrayed. She had found out about his new girlfriend. She didn’t want to believe it and went looking for him, for answers. She looked in on the science lab just as Alec was pulling away from Alee, his supposed girlfriend, and was looking into her eyes, grinning a lopsided grin. She stood in the doorway for some time, but then her head fell.
“Sorry,” she whispered almost silently, “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
At first she backed up quickly, and walked briskly through the students crowding the hallway to the parking lot. Alec raced after her but her car was already gone by the time he reached it.
When Alec reached Marina that afternoon, he saw she was crying. She was hunched over sitting on a bench. Tears hit her fists where they rested on her knees. There were dark clouds filling the sky overhead, and rain was beginning to fall ever so slightly.
“Marina listen,” Alec started.
Marina raised her head and met Alec eyes, stopping whatever words were about to leave his lips. Her blue-gray eyes were red-rimmed and tear streaks stained her face.
“Leave me alone, Alec.” Her voice was surprisingly stable.
The rain was falling harder, making the ground around them slippery.
“Please just hear me out, Rina.”
The glare she shot him would have made a twenty-eight year old biker wet his pants.
She got up, the tears stopping, and said, “Leave me alone.”
She began to walk away, but something inside Alec said, “Don’t let her get away.” He grabbed a hold of her wrist. She was moving too fast, and Alec slipped on the grass and fell, Marina landing on top of him. Alec looked into her eyes and used his thumb to wipe her tears away.
“Please don’t,” she said, tears beginning to flood her eyes. One landed on Alec’s cheek.
He took her shoulders and sat both her and himself up. Three magic words stopped Marina’s tears, “We broke up.”
“What? Why?” she asked, looking generally concerned.
“I only said yes to going out with her because I thought that maybe if I had a girlfriend, I’d be able to forget my feelings towards you, avoid being rejected. When you saw us, I was breaking up with her. I didn’t want to leave her sad all by herself so I hugged her. But Marina, I don’t want to be with anyone if it isn’t you.”
Those words caught Marina off guard, leaving her speechless. Alec cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her cheeks where the tears had left streaks. The rain fell around them harder still, but neither one of them heard or saw it, too involved with each other to notice anything else. Marina eyes were closed when he looked at her face again. Alec took this opportunity to kiss her lips, something he had wanted to do for the last three years. Marina kissed him back immediately; a kiss in the rain. Marina pulled away and looked into Alec’s eyes. He smiled her smile and leaned in next to her ear.
“I am in love with you, Marina Willow,” he whispered, planting another kiss on her cheek.
“Getting a lil restless are we?”
Marina stuck her tongue out at him and turned back around. She felt his eyes linger on her for a little longer than normal before they finally settled on the teacher speaking at the front of the room.
What felt like hours later, the last bell of the day rang and everyone hurriedly gathered their things and flew out the door, leaving only loose sheets of paper in their midst. Soon enough, it was only Alec and Marina left. Even the teacher had gone, retreating to the comfortable escape that was the teachers’ lounge.
“FINALLY!” Marina said, relief obvious on her face, “class is out of session.”
Alec just smiled at her in that way that made her stop and smile back. It was her smile; a smile reserved especially for her. She had yet to see anyone make him smile like she could.
They left the room together talking about meaningless things and laughing endlessly. But something was a little different. Marina was beginning to notice how beautiful Alec’s eyes really were. A deep green that made her heart stop. She was beginning to see what all of the other girls saw; how good looking Alec really was. Before they parted ways, Alec gave her one more smile and got into his car. A wave or two later, Alec was already speeding out of the parking lot, leaving Marina to contemplate her feelings. She began her shot trek home. By the time she got there, she had reached a conclusion that brought only more confusion.
“I’m in love with Alec,” she whispered to herself. She glanced at the house across the street and saw Alec’s car in his driveway. Just that jump-started her heartbeat. She looked away and raced up the walkway and into her house. This was going to complicate things a bit.
…
Alec found Marina in the park. He couldn’t get her face out of his head. She looked so hurt and betrayed. She had found out about his new girlfriend. She didn’t want to believe it and went looking for him, for answers. She looked in on the science lab just as Alec was pulling away from Alee, his supposed girlfriend, and was looking into her eyes, grinning a lopsided grin. She stood in the doorway for some time, but then her head fell.
“Sorry,” she whispered almost silently, “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
At first she backed up quickly, and walked briskly through the students crowding the hallway to the parking lot. Alec raced after her but her car was already gone by the time he reached it.
When Alec reached Marina that afternoon, he saw she was crying. She was hunched over sitting on a bench. Tears hit her fists where they rested on her knees. There were dark clouds filling the sky overhead, and rain was beginning to fall ever so slightly.
“Marina listen,” Alec started.
Marina raised her head and met Alec eyes, stopping whatever words were about to leave his lips. Her blue-gray eyes were red-rimmed and tear streaks stained her face.
“Leave me alone, Alec.” Her voice was surprisingly stable.
The rain was falling harder, making the ground around them slippery.
“Please just hear me out, Rina.”
The glare she shot him would have made a twenty-eight year old biker wet his pants.
She got up, the tears stopping, and said, “Leave me alone.”
She began to walk away, but something inside Alec said, “Don’t let her get away.” He grabbed a hold of her wrist. She was moving too fast, and Alec slipped on the grass and fell, Marina landing on top of him. Alec looked into her eyes and used his thumb to wipe her tears away.
“Please don’t,” she said, tears beginning to flood her eyes. One landed on Alec’s cheek.
He took her shoulders and sat both her and himself up. Three magic words stopped Marina’s tears, “We broke up.”
“What? Why?” she asked, looking generally concerned.
“I only said yes to going out with her because I thought that maybe if I had a girlfriend, I’d be able to forget my feelings towards you, avoid being rejected. When you saw us, I was breaking up with her. I didn’t want to leave her sad all by herself so I hugged her. But Marina, I don’t want to be with anyone if it isn’t you.”
Those words caught Marina off guard, leaving her speechless. Alec cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her cheeks where the tears had left streaks. The rain fell around them harder still, but neither one of them heard or saw it, too involved with each other to notice anything else. Marina eyes were closed when he looked at her face again. Alec took this opportunity to kiss her lips, something he had wanted to do for the last three years. Marina kissed him back immediately; a kiss in the rain. Marina pulled away and looked into Alec’s eyes. He smiled her smile and leaned in next to her ear.
“I am in love with you, Marina Willow,” he whispered, planting another kiss on her cheek.