Bitter Sweet

Kale P.O.V

“Kale, oh Kale, it’s time to wake up! Hey, wake up, wake up, wake up!”

Groaning, I try to turn away from the one calling for me. Hands grasp my shoulders and suddenly I’m being shaken. Growling, I bring up my leg and deliver a deadly kick to someone’s stomach. A loud umph echoes in my room and without a sound, I cover myself up once more.

When nothing happens, no one tries to wake me, I heave a sigh of relief and fall back into a deep sleep…only to be jumped on moments later. Screaming, I begin to kick and wave my arms around wildly, trying desperately to get whoever is on me off.

All too familiar laughter fills my ears and my eyes open to lock with blue orbs. Suddenly, I no longer care about sleeping. My entire body is on fire once I realize that the one straddling me and pinning my hands above my head is Jude.

This position is too intimate for me to handle.

My heart races, making it hard to hear what Jude is saying. I manage to catch something about my birthday but nothing more. Latching onto my bottom lip, I think hard of a way to get Jude off me. I decide to just tell him. Lets hope my vocal box works.

“Jude,” I speak, catching his attention. “Get off.”

Good, I don’t sound breathless or like a complete and total idiot!

“But why? Baby, you weren’t complaining last night.” His eyebrows wiggle and I know that my face is only brightening as time drags on.

Grumbling, I roll my eyes. “Just…get off. It’s my birthday.”

“It is!” Jude shouts, finally removing himself from me. And I’m so glad he did because mini me was beginning to act up.

Sitting up, I run my fingers through the tangled mess atop my head. Beside my bed, Jude stands with his hands on his hips and a huge grin on his face. “I already rented the movies. Darrin and Audra will be here in no time and your mom is ordering the pizza now!”

I yawn. “What time is it?”

“Noon.”

“Shouldn’t we wait to watch the movies?” I wipe at my tired eyes, trying to wake up but in all honesty I just can’t. I went to bed so late last night because I was on tumblr all night. I really love tumblr…mm…why couldn’t my birthday present be a week off of school to tumble stuff?

“No way!” Jude replies, spinning dramatically to face me with a dropped jaw. “I don’t think you realize how many I rented!”

“Dear lord…” I face palm myself. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Jude with this party. He probably went over board and rented a shit load of movies that we’ll never manage to watch.

“As much as I love seeing you half naked I suggest you get dressed. Wouldn’t want Darrin or Audra getting tempted on touching my piece of ass!”

“Your piece of ass?” I stand up and stretch only to have my limbs retreat at the feel of Jude’s hand against my butt. Yelping, I spin and glare at Jude who just smacked my butt. “What the fuck, man? Get out!”

Jude howls with laughter and skips out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Shaking my head at his known stupidity, I go about my room to find clothes. I slip on an outfit, not really caring if it matched or anything and walked out of my room.

Downstairs I can hear everyone and the moment I step into the kitchen everyone is shouting, “Happy birthday, Kale!”

I smile. “Thanks.”

Mom comes over to press a kiss to my cheek, which I grimace at. “Happy birthday, sweet heart.”

“Thanks mom.”

Audra and Darrin wrap me up in a hug, telling me happy birthday as well. Jude starts going on about watching the movies so we all follow him into the living room. There he shuts the blinds and turns out all the lights, claiming that it has to be dark or the movies won’t be as good, which I agree with. It’s always scarier to watch horror movies in the dark.

“Remind me why we’re watching horror movies on my birthday.” I fall back onto the couch, resting my elbows on my knees and eyeing my three friends.

Audra looks towards Darrin but in the end they end up shrugging so we all look towards Jude. He’s sitting cross legged on the floor. Grinning, he replies, “Because you’re a scary bloke.”

I kick him in the back of the head.

“Ouch!”

“Pizza’s here!” Mom calls, coming into the living room with four boxes of pizza. We all smile as she sets it on the coffee table along with pop, chips and cake. “I’m guessing you don’t want us to sing happy birthday to you?”

“You guessed right.”

“Too bad!” Jude shouts and commence the singing here! After that embarrassment is over we all take our places to watch the movie.

Jude humps into the love seat and before I can take a seat on the couch Audra sits down and Darrin spreads out with his head on her lap. I stand in front of them with a sharp glare. Both are setting me up…I just know it.

“Yay, Kale is sitting with me!” Jude exclaims, arms open wide as if he expected me to run and jump into them, which I definitely do not and will not do.

Scoffing, I set myself beside him. Just as I do, he leans into me and rests his head on my shoulder. My cheeks tingle and I’m thankful for the dark room because Jude can’t see it. He laughs anyways and turns on the movie, which happens to be The Haunting in Connecticut. Not a scary movie but still weird.

I’m not scared by any of the movies until Jude puts it in. By it I mean…Drag Me to Hell.

“I don’t know what you’re so worked up about! It’s not even scary,” Darrin laughs because I’ve been trying for ten full minutes to talk them out of it but have failed because Jude has already put it in and just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

“I know but…fuck, that old lady, her nails and her eye and just fuck everything about her and everything about this movie makes me…gah, I just don’t like it!” I try to explain but it doesn’t seem to come out right. I don’t know why this movie, out of all the horror movies I’ve seen, freaks me out the most but it does. It just does.

The beginning credits roll on and its an immediate reaction, I latch onto Jude’s arm and bury my face into the cloth of his hoodie. My heart is racing just thinking about that creepy old bitch! She’s just so weird.

Someone chuckles and I look up to find myself nose to nose with Jude. My entire body becomes still when he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his side. Suddenly, my mouth is dry and I wet my lips in hope to keep them from cracking but it doesn’t help.

“Ah, I knew this movie would come in handy,” he sighs, lying his head atop my own and maybe if my heart weren’t beating so fast I would have complained but…I can’t breathe. I can’t speak. I can’t move because being in Jude’s arms…it’s a dream come true.