Love Me Always

"Leo was very nice," my mom told me at the dining room table the next morning. It was finally Friday; the end of a stressful first week settling in at college. Though I was getting used to the swing of things, it still made my stomach turn upside down at the thought of all the work I'd be expected to do in the future. College wasn't what it was cracked up to be; a community college like Haywood didn't have any exclusive frat parties, drugs, booze, or anything that is expected to associate with college life. At least I had Leo, I thought with satisfaction.

"I'm glad you approve," I said, my nerves washing away. The thought of Leo made my insides turn, but in a good way. After our kiss last night, I had trouble falling asleep. The thought of his warm lips pressed against mine was enough to keep my mind reeling for hours.

"I can't wait to play the new Halo," Brett said excitedly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Can you shut up about that already?"

"Why don't you shut up?" Brett snapped, standing up.

"Hey, hey, cut it out," my dad said behind the morning newspaper. He didn't set it down.

Brett sighed dramatically and pushed his chair in. "I'm going in my room 'till the bus comes." I watched him as he trudged up the stairs, wondering how on Earth my brother was so impossible to be around. Just the thought of being alone with him for five minutes made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.

"I guess I should be going too," I told my parents. I grabbed my things, waved them a goodbye, and headed out the door, looking forward to seeing Leo's perfect face.

…

As Mrs. Holland started taking attendance, my stomach did flip flops. Leo still wasn't in class. I was hoping he was running late, because I couldn't imagine bearing this class without him. But as the period dragged on, so did my worries; I was forced to take notes with a tall, lanky Asian guy with long, greasy black hair and bad body odor. I could feel him staring down my shirt the whole time; I instantly regretted wearing a purple v-neck t-shirt. Since it was Friday, I decided to go for a simpler look, but it apparently didn't benefit me in the end.

As soon as class was dismissed, I whipped out my phone and sent Leo a text, asking if he was okay. I spent the rest of my day in a daze, checking my phone in between classes. By the time I left my last class, I still hadn't heard from him. The panicky feeling in my stomach didn't subside for the remainder of the day. I hoped for some type of distraction as I drove home. Miraculously, I got a call from Taylor before I parked in my driveway.

"Hey Tay," I greeted, my phone nestled between my ear and shoulder as I opened the car door.

"I don't know if you had any plans tonight, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out to eat in an hour or so."

"Perfect," I told her. "Meet me at Blue's at 4:30." I had never been more thankful to go out.

…

Blue Rooster Southern Grill was a well-known barbeque restaurant in Clyde. I frequently ate there when I sought an escape from my mother's cooking. I thought it would be a perfect place to talk to Taylor without people eavesdropping.

Taylor was already seated at a table when I arrived. She got up to hug me; I was happy to note that she looked a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw her. She was wearing a see-through black blouse with high-waisted white skinny jeans and black heels. Her long, blonde hair was curled to wavy perfection and she had on a touch of makeup. This was the Taylor I knew.

I hugged her with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to see you're doing better," I said, squeezing her tight.

"That makes two of us," she said. We squeezed in the booths opposite each other and thumbed through the menu. "I'm just ordering curly fries," Taylor declared, shutting her menu, looking satisfied.

"Um, no you're not," I reprimanded. "You're eating for two now, remember? Order something else."

Taylor groaned. "This sucks already. My life is ruined."

I swatted her arm across the table. "Don't say that," I scolded. "This could be the best thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe this will teach you to grow up."

Taylor glared at me as our waitress took our orders. "Curly fries," she told her, giving me a satisfied smirk.

"Two hamburgers but lay low on everything except for the pickles and ketchup," I told the waitress. Before Taylor could protest, the waitress disappeared.

"Not cool," Taylor hissed.

"You'll thank me later," I reassured her. "So, my family met Leo last night." Might as well jump right into it.

Taylor gasped. "Already?! You haven't even told me what this guy looks like."

I couldn't help but grin at the thought of him. "He's gorgeous, Tay. He has wavy blonde hair and the softest green eyes I've ever seen. He has a dimple on each cheek and he's toned; not steroid material but he definitely has some muscle packed on him," I described.

"He sounds like a winner! I'm so happy for you. How'd you meet him?" she asked, amazed.

"Get this: I went to my dorky cousin's birthday party, and I saw him dancing like a complete tool, so I made a comment. He ended up challenging me to a dance battle, which I won, and then he turns out to be in my human anatomy class at school."

"It's a small world after all," Taylor said in astonishment.

"Tell me about it. At first, I wasn't interested in him whatsoever, though I did occasionally think of him. He seemed too much of a douche to pursue a relationship with. But then we went on a date at the beach and he said the cutest things ever, and he's had my heart ever since," I explained. I realized how corny it sounded but at that point, I didn't care. Telling someone about my feelings for Leo made me feel a million times better. If only Leo answered my text…

"I can't wait to meet him!" Taylor shrieked. Then a dark look clouded her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

"I told my parents."

I gasped. I was sincerely surprised; usually Taylor stalls and puts things off until she's forced to deal with them. "What happened?"

"I sat them down in the living room. I said, 'Mom, Dad, you have to promise you won't be mad at me' and my mom immediately asked if I was pregnant. Relieved that she established the hard part already, I nodded and started bawling my eyes out. She came over and hugged me, whispering that everything was gonna be okay. I was surprised; I was so prepared to get bitched out. But my dad, on the other hand, cursed under his breath and walked out of the house. I haven't heard from him since. I'm sure he'll be back later tonight, but it just sucks. I know I disappointed them, and that's the worst part."
"At least you got it over with," I told her, reaching for her across the table. I gave her a small smile. "I'm proud of you. And I'm happy that your mom is willing to help you get through it; a lot of parents abandon their pregnant teenage daughters."

"I know; I'm lucky. It just sucks. I wish I could fast forward nine months and have the damn baby already."

"Have you decided what you're gonna do with it?"

"I think I'm gonna wait for the first ultra sound to make that decision," Taylor shrugged. "I feel like physically seeing my child will make my decision for me."

"And I'll be right next to you every step of the way," I assured her.

After eating our meals and paying for the check, we parted our separate ways. I was relieved to have spent two hours with my best friend, not wasting a single second thinking about Leo's whereabouts. But once I sat in my car, the feeling of uneasiness washed over me. I drove back to my house feeling as glum as ever, until I noticed a familiar black car parked on the curb.

"Leo?" I said in disbelief as I stepped out of my car. He was leaning against his black sedan, ankles crossed. He looked like a supermodel, and I had to restrain myself from jumping on him. He was wearing a black Central Haywood High School sweatshirt with a soccer emblem plastered across it. He was also wearing black sweats and Nike sandals with black socks. His hair was disheveled and he had rolls under his eyes.

"Hey, babe," he mumbled, pulling me in for a hug. He reeked of cigarette smoke. I pulled away in disgust.

"Since when do you smoke?" I asked alarmingly.

He shook his head slowly. "I don't; my mom and older brother are fiends. I somehow contract the secondhand smoke, as much as I try to avoid it."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I never dated a smoker nor had interest in doing so. "So where were you today?"

Leo coughed and looked down. He didn't seem like himself whatsoever. "Rough night at home. A lot of unexplained business went down as soon as I left your house last night." He reached behind his head to rub the back of his neck while keeping his other hand in his sweatshirt pocket.

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Are you okay? You seem a little…off."

"I'll be fine," he said, waving me off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, eager to hear his full explanation.

"No," he said, gazing up at me into my eyes. I felt my heart drop; I didn't like this side of him.

"Oh, um…okay," I said, backing off. I had no idea what else to say.

"I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I'm alive and well," he said, taking a few steps toward me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, much to my distaste. "How was your day?"

"It was…good," I answered, not wanting to drop any hints about my obsession with his wellbeing.

"I'm glad, beautiful." He flashed a half-smile and kissed me on the cheek. "I better get back home, though. I have to babysit my little siblings. I'll call you tomorrow?"

I nodded slowly, relieved to finally be released from his awkward presence. "Sounds good. Goodnight," I said. Before he had the chance to kiss me on the lips, I pulled myself away and walked into my house, not daring to look back.