Status: NaNoWriMo - 21,112 words.
Exits and Entrances
thomas shannon.
Something was wrong with you. You couldn’t stop crying, Cady, and you were scaring the living daylights out of me. You never cried, baby, why are you crying now? It made me want to hold you close in my arms and never let you go, like you were just another reason to hold on tight and never let go. Please, Cady, I’m begging you in this letter to just stop crying before I lose it all.
I remember Christmas, that first year that I knew you. We were at a Christmas party/bonfire at who else’s but Katherine’s. The trampoline was wet and snowy, so we were all curled up by the fire, you busy dropping tea light candles into the burning water and dousing them with water, giggling as flames shot up.
Snow was gently falling down on all our shoulders, and your hair was almost white, in part due to the snow and also in part to your bleaching it. Your long bangs were clipped right above your ear, while swooping right above your eyebrow at the same time, an adorable look with your doe eyes, Cady.
That was the first night we ever kissed. Do you remember everything in vivid detail like I did? I remember how your lips were red from your lipstick and your cheeks even redder from the cold. Your scarf was wrapped loosely around your neck, and your smile was a thousand watts in brightness against the dark light of both the sky and the snow on the ground.
You and I were at each other’s sides all night, and everyone assumed we were a couple. You sat on the arm of my chair, my hands delicately steadying you, and you let me. People bustled around, and we stayed in our white lawn chair by the fire and talked. You about your bands new music (the band would break up after New Year’s, if you remember correctly, Cady), and me about football, which I had tried out for and didn’t even make freshman team.
Occasionally you would giggle and laugh at something I said, but almost every sentence that left your mouth made me die laughing. You were hilarious, Cady, but I don’t think you even knew. As time wore on, you got funnier and funnier, but I hardly noticed, since we were always fighting. I was great at the poker face, acting like I didn’t care about a word you said. That was the most heartbreaking part of it all. I loved you so much, and we fell apart quicker than we
I remember that night, as the fire was distant and we all hid in the woods, playing hide and seek. You and I were paired as a team, and you were huddling next to me beneath a vibrant green pine tree, your hands resting gently on my knees. And like every cliche boy I ever heard of, I hardly knew what I was doing, but our lips were touching and your legs were wrapped around my waist.
I’ve never kissed a girl who’s as good of a kisser as you, Cady. Did you know that? I was your first kiss, and frankly, you were sloppy and didn’t know what you were doing. But something about you made it perfect, every time we kissed. You were naive, Cady, the opposite of a whore but not quite a prude. You were perfect just the way you were, Cady, and I wouldn’t change you for anything at all.
That’s why I stood beside Caroline as she rubbed your back, your beautiful face buried between your knees. Caroline, kind and sweet, gently shushed you. You were hardly making a sound, until you suddenly sucked it breath, leaning your head against the white brick of the wall behind the auditorium, light shining off every dirty surface and piece of graffiti, years of crap piled over each other in our local hoodlum’s attempts at self expression. Your eyes locked straight on to mine, and crinkled at the edges. “What are you doing here, Tommy?”
Your voice wasn’t cold, it wasn’t mean, it wasn’t hateful. It was simply surprise, something I never would have expected. I was waiting for anger, and hate, and for you to spring up and slap me across the face, but you didn’t. You simply sat there.
I coughed. “I, uh, I was worried about you,” I said lamely. Like always, Cady, I was speechless around you. You didn’t smile, but I saw the beginnings of one in your arms as your lips uttered the same ones I had a thousand times.
“Thank you.”
I remember Christmas, that first year that I knew you. We were at a Christmas party/bonfire at who else’s but Katherine’s. The trampoline was wet and snowy, so we were all curled up by the fire, you busy dropping tea light candles into the burning water and dousing them with water, giggling as flames shot up.
Snow was gently falling down on all our shoulders, and your hair was almost white, in part due to the snow and also in part to your bleaching it. Your long bangs were clipped right above your ear, while swooping right above your eyebrow at the same time, an adorable look with your doe eyes, Cady.
That was the first night we ever kissed. Do you remember everything in vivid detail like I did? I remember how your lips were red from your lipstick and your cheeks even redder from the cold. Your scarf was wrapped loosely around your neck, and your smile was a thousand watts in brightness against the dark light of both the sky and the snow on the ground.
You and I were at each other’s sides all night, and everyone assumed we were a couple. You sat on the arm of my chair, my hands delicately steadying you, and you let me. People bustled around, and we stayed in our white lawn chair by the fire and talked. You about your bands new music (the band would break up after New Year’s, if you remember correctly, Cady), and me about football, which I had tried out for and didn’t even make freshman team.
Occasionally you would giggle and laugh at something I said, but almost every sentence that left your mouth made me die laughing. You were hilarious, Cady, but I don’t think you even knew. As time wore on, you got funnier and funnier, but I hardly noticed, since we were always fighting. I was great at the poker face, acting like I didn’t care about a word you said. That was the most heartbreaking part of it all. I loved you so much, and we fell apart quicker than we
I remember that night, as the fire was distant and we all hid in the woods, playing hide and seek. You and I were paired as a team, and you were huddling next to me beneath a vibrant green pine tree, your hands resting gently on my knees. And like every cliche boy I ever heard of, I hardly knew what I was doing, but our lips were touching and your legs were wrapped around my waist.
I’ve never kissed a girl who’s as good of a kisser as you, Cady. Did you know that? I was your first kiss, and frankly, you were sloppy and didn’t know what you were doing. But something about you made it perfect, every time we kissed. You were naive, Cady, the opposite of a whore but not quite a prude. You were perfect just the way you were, Cady, and I wouldn’t change you for anything at all.
That’s why I stood beside Caroline as she rubbed your back, your beautiful face buried between your knees. Caroline, kind and sweet, gently shushed you. You were hardly making a sound, until you suddenly sucked it breath, leaning your head against the white brick of the wall behind the auditorium, light shining off every dirty surface and piece of graffiti, years of crap piled over each other in our local hoodlum’s attempts at self expression. Your eyes locked straight on to mine, and crinkled at the edges. “What are you doing here, Tommy?”
Your voice wasn’t cold, it wasn’t mean, it wasn’t hateful. It was simply surprise, something I never would have expected. I was waiting for anger, and hate, and for you to spring up and slap me across the face, but you didn’t. You simply sat there.
I coughed. “I, uh, I was worried about you,” I said lamely. Like always, Cady, I was speechless around you. You didn’t smile, but I saw the beginnings of one in your arms as your lips uttered the same ones I had a thousand times.
“Thank you.”