Unwritten Pages

“So your mom doesn't mind, right?”

“As long as we don't have sex, no, she doesn't. Well, not really...”

“Andrew!” Desiree says. “Don't have such a dirty mind!”

“I'm not,” I say. “My mom's like that. I have no idea why she likes to scold us on these things. Vastly annoying.”

“Vastly amusing,” Desiree says. “Amusing and annoying.”

“Right. How are your cousins?” I ask, thinking about Winter's journal—the entry about her cousins. What were their names again? Kat and Lina?

“They're...alright. A year younger than me,” Desiree says.

“Cool,” I say, “will...they try to hit on me?”

Desiree sizes me up and then thinks about it for a while. “Maybe. Actually, yes, definitely.”

I groan. I'm not very arrogant or am an egoistic maniac. So this isn't really fishing for compliments. Sure, in the first few years of high school, I loved it when girls swooned over me. But now...? I find it quite disturbing. Especially after that message online—the one with some called: AMYFOREVA. And some other girl too.

I hope I don't find more of those... Seriously disturbing...

“I thought a lot of guys liked being noticed,” Desiree says.

“Too much attention. It's not always good. I don't want a stalker in my life.”

“It reminds me of Health class,” Desiree says.

“How so?”

“You know, healthy and unhealthy relationships... And... Putting a con—”

I know what's going to come next so I cut her off. “Desiree! I thought I was the one who had a dirty mind! I'm the guy after all.”

Desiree blushes. “I know! But I'm just saying—”

“That you want to put it on me?”

“Andrew!” Desiree cries and hits me in the arm. It doesn't hurt, of course. “You are so dirty!”

“We don't need it,” I declare. “Because we want to have a child.”

Desiree is almost speechless. She shakes her head. “You are definitely thinking very dirty thoughts,” she says. “I don't even know what's going on inside your head.”

“Oh sure,” I say, “you secretly do. You want to know exactly how I'm going to do you—”

Desiree covers her ears. “I can't hear anything! La, la, la! I can't hear you!”

I don't want to continue saying my thoughts exactly so I don't. If I did, Desiree and I would be in a screaming match on the streets. In public. She'd be trying to block my voice out while I talk about things that she definitely doesn't want to pollute her brain.

“You're done?” she asks as she removes her hands from her ears.

“I can always tell you tonight.”

“I'll record it and show it to your mother. We'll see what she has to say about that.”

“Sure you will,” I say. “My mother will do all she can to split us apart. And then she'll wash my mouth with soap. Then she'll give me a lecture on 'mature content' as if I'm only eight instead of eighteen. You love me too much to do that to me.”

Desiree sighs. “You won there. But don't think I won't record it.”

Before I can say anything else, I realize that we've arrived at Desiree's house. I can't help think: Winter's house is only a few minutes walk from here.

I don't know if Desiree is thinking the same thing, though she's looking in the direction where Winter's house is.

“I'll go grab my stuff,” she says. “You...can stay out here.”

“You're not inviting me in?” I ask.

“My cousins,” she says blankly. “Do you really want them to hit on you? Plus, my mom hates you, remember? My heart is still broken for all she knows. Well...she knows we're together again, but she still doesn't trust you.”

I shrug. “If you're going in, I'm coming too. I don't really care if they hit on me. I don't care if your mother is going to glare at me. I don't care about that. That's not the reason I'm here. I don't want you to be all alone in there.” Even though it's her house, I still want to come in anyways.

A smile starts on Desiree face. She blushes and then quickly hugs me. It's surprising. “You're adorable,” she says. “No really. Like really, really adorable. Like...stuffed animals adorable.”

It's an odd compliment, but I find it cute. “Thanks,” I say. “You're adorable too.”

She smiles at me and rings the doorbell. It opens immediately. There's a short girl standing in front of us. Her hair is black with pink stripes. She has a lollipop in her mouth.

“Um...hi...” Desiree says.

She sizes us up. “Who's the guy?”

“None of your business—”

“Her boyfriend—” We say this at the same time.

“Denial, isn't it? How cute. I'm Fiona.” She smiles in my direction. “What are you two here for?”

“I'm just going to drop off my old clothes in the laundry and get some new ones.”

Fiona stares at us, not moving. Then she says, “are you two having sex?”

“What? No! Why is everyone saying that?” Desiree says, clearly horrified that Fiona is prying.

“Just wondering,” Fiona says. “Come in.”

“It's my own house, I don't need an invitation,” Desiree mutters.

We enter the house and Fiona closes the door behind us. The living room is a mess. It's as if ten people have been living in this room.

“Ugh... I'm going to have to clean this when they leave...” Desiree tells me.

“I'll help,” I offer suddenly. Desiree smiles.

“Really?”

“Um...” I say, looking around the living room. “Is this the only room that's messed up?”

“Nope,” Desiree says, shaking her head. “I'm sure my room is ruined. Also, I'm pretty sure the kitchen is a mess.”

I groan. “Never mind. Pretend I never said that. Household chores are for women.”

Desiree rolls her eyes. “Men,” she says. “So lazy.”

“I'll come with you,” I offer.

She shakes her head. “No, I don't think you'll want to see my room. It's messier than it usually is. You can stay here and...socialize with my cousins.”

“Are you implying something?” I ask.

“No. Just...socialize, you know. Stuff like that,” Desiree says. “I'll be quick.”

“Alright,” I say as I watch her go up the stairs. I sighed and I sit down on the couch in front of the TV.

Fiona comes over immediately. “Hiya!” she says, scanning me up and down. Checking for abs, maybe. I'm not Drew Sorauren, so I don't have extreme abs(not that his abs are really extreme). I'm...average... Maybe a little muscle, but no insanely visible abs.

“Uh...hi,” I say.

“So Desiree's your girlfriend?” she asks.

“Yes...” I wonder if she's going to tell me that I can do much better and then push herself onto me like Liane did.

Fiona still has the lollipop. “Interesting,” she says, seeming miles away from doing all the stuff I had thought she was going to do. “Desiree's a nice girl,” she continues. “She didn't have a boyfriend the last time I was here.”

“We started dating in the summer after tenth grade,” I say. Fiona nods.

“I was starting to get afraid that she wouldn't get a boyfriend after ninth grade,” Fiona says.

“But you're a year younger than her!”

Fiona shrugs. “She was in tenth grade when I visited. I thought all tenth graders had boyfriends.”

“Not all,” I say.

Fiona shrugs again. “I was a niner,” she says. “I didn't know anything.”

It's silent for a while and I wonder when Desiree's going to come downstairs so we can get out of here. Not that I hate her house, it's just that I don't want to sit around with Fiona.

“By the way,” Fiona says, “I think you're really good for Desiree.”

This seems odd—coming from someone younger than me, but I don't tell her.

“You don't seem abusive...” Fiona squints at me. “Are you abusive?”

“No!” I say immediately.

Just then, Desiree's mother comes in. She looks like an older version of Desiree, really. But...just different. I guess Desiree has some of her features from her father too. It would have been odd to see her mother if they were a mirror image of each other. If Desiree looks like that in the future...it would have just been weird. Like...seeing what she'll look like in the future and what lips you'll be kissing...

I stop thinking about that. Desiree and her mother are not exactly alike.

She sees me. “Oh...hello Andrew...” she says. Fiona looks at me questioningly. By the tone of her mother's voice...she doesn't sound elated to see me.

Right, I'm the druggie. I'm the one who hurt Desiree. I'm the bad guy.

“Desiree's upstairs, isn't she?” she asks. I nod.

“She's staying with me for one more night,” I say. I hope that Desiree's mother doesn't pounce on me like my mother did. I do not want to have that talk again.

It's clear from her worried expression that she thinks Desiree and I are doing stuff in my bedroom. I quickly say, “we aren't doing anything.” It's a mistake because it sounds like I'm lying.

Desiree comes down the stairs with her backpack on. “Hey, Andrew, we can go now—” She stops talking as she sees her mother.

“Um...hi...mom...”

“Desiree,” she says, sounding disappointed. “I thought Drew was coming today.”

“Drew doesn't come anymore,” Desiree says.

“Why not?”

“He doesn't want to. He has business to attend. Private stuff,” Desiree says. She grabs my arm and pulls me out the door. “I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon,” she says.

Before her mother can say anymore, we're out the door. Fiona closes the door behind us.

“So what did she tell you?”

“Fiona? Oh, that I was great for you,” I say.

“No! Not my cousin. My mom.”

“Um...nothing, really. You came before she could interrogate me.”

“You're lucky,” Desiree says, “she might have said something really horrible. And you're lucky that it was only Fiona that was here today.”

“Yeah,” I say, thinking of what Fiona had told me.

“Come on, let's head back. Your mother will think we're off to some club or something absurd like that. Slight complications in our life,” Desiree says.

“Yeah,” I mutter, thinking of Winter's journal lying in my drawer.