Sequel: Hearts So Pure ›
A New Beginning
Five
It was quiet as Garrett led me down to our secret place. It was already dark, and we could barely see. Once we got under the bridge, we both kind of stood there. I could barely see as he brought one finger to his lips, thinking hard about something. “Wait here,” he said, and climbed out. Before I could even say anything, I heard his footsteps as he walked away. I noticed how scary it was down there. More graffiti had been added, and there was a soft dripping noise. Water from a recent storm, I figured. I shivered. It was cold, too. Just as I was about to start freaking out, I heard footsteps again. Garrett climbed down, with his hands full. He had a sleeping bag and a lantern. “What’s this?” I said, as he layed out the sleeping bag. “I’m not sleeping here, if that’s what you think.” He laughed, and said “Of course not. But this is just so we wouldn’t be freezing our asses off, and so we could see.” He took out a match from his pocket and lit the lantern. The whole ditch lit up, and I could see the vivid colors from the graffiti and when I turned back to Garrett, he was smiling at me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the floor with him, over the sleeping bag. It was warm with him there, and as we laid down he pulled me close to him. I closed my eyes, and I could smell his cologne again. I leaned my head back, and I could feel his heartbeat. Then his hands traveled to my waist, and I could feel the warmth from his fingers. I turned around and faced him. I stared at his eyes for a long time. I bit my lip and a smile began to form on his lips, and he leaned in and kissed me softly. I could feel his hand on the small of my back, and my hands were on his neck as he leaned on top of me.
We layed in that position for what felt like forever, just kissing. After a while, he pulled away and pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my stomach. His fingers intertwined with mine and we didn’t speak for a long time; we were perfectly comfortable without words. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was out.
I woke up for a couple seconds and when I opened my eyes, Garrett was carrying me to his car. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head in his chest. It was late then, I was sure, it was still dark and there were no cars out. I fell asleep again, but this time when I woke up, I was in the car, and he was talking to me. “Leah, hey, we’re at your house.” I rubbed my eyes and just stared at him in the moonlight, whispering to me. I smiled, and he did too. Then I got out of the car and started walking to my window, and he followed. When I stepped inside, I started to pull him into my room. He shook his head. “I can’t. I think my mom knows I was out last night. But listen, I’ll see you tomorrow?” He smiled at me. Too tired to keep trying, I nodded and he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the forehead. Then he was gone and I watched him walk across the street to his house.
The next morning I woke up pretty early. I took a shower and decided to make breakfast. It was the least I could do, after I stormed out yesterday and practically rejected Brandon. I started making some pancakes when I heard Brandon waking up on the couch. Half asleep, he probably didn’t remember what happened yesterday, from the look on his face. He stood up, and walked over to me. I expected him to wrap his arms around me, to say something sweet, to try and kiss me. But all he said was, “What the hell happened last night?” I winced. I just stared at the pancake on the pan. I thought about last night, and Garrett carrying me to his car, and burying my head in his chest. “It’s different now, Brandon.” I managed to let out. He shook his head. Here we go, I thought. “How? You’ve been here for what, a week? And its supposedly different now? But don’t think I’m stupid, Leah. I know you didn’t come back last night till 3 AM. And I also know that you’ve been talking to some boy. Yesterday? At the coffee shop? I saw you two. But I didn’t say anything because I thought you needed your space.” I winced again. So he knew. Did he know about anything else? “Actually, a lot has changed. You live far away now, and it’s not like we can see eachother as often as before. And he’s just a friend.” I said, feeling guilty. “I know, Leah.” Brandon said. “But I’m here now. And I’m your boyfriend. Make some damn time for me.” I shut my eyes, knowing that he was right. What I was doing was wrong. I turned to him, ready to let it all spill out. Garrett, last night, everything. But just then my mom walked in. “Leah!” she said. “I don’t know what happened last night. You seemed pretty upset. I wanted to wait up for you, but Brandon told me he would do it for me. Did you get in late?” I blinked, I didn’t know what to say. “Oh, she got in right after you fell asleep. Right around ten.” Brandon said, smiling. My mom nodded, and said “Good. Well, those smell good, Leah.” I smiled, and she walked off, probably to check the mail or something. “You didn’t have to do that,” I said to Brandon. “You’re my girlfriend,” he said, emphasizing the “girlfriend” like he knew what I was going to say. “Listen,” I began. “Like I said, it’s different now, with you so far away, and I’m glad you’re here, but I just don’t think this can work now.” I said, but it was almost a whisper. I could barely get the words out. He blinked, and I thought I saw a flash of a smile, an evil one. “Oh yeah?” He said. I was in for it. “I came all the way down here for you. Do you think it’s been fun sleeping on a couch? Do you think I like sitting around all day, waiting for you to come home? And especially, do you think I like the fact that whenever we’re alone, you manage to push me away?” I swallowed, holding back tears. He was right. But I had nothing to say. No excuses to make anymore. “Whatever, Leah. Call me when you’re done acting like a total bitch.” Then he stormed to the bathroom. A minute later he had his toothbrush in hand, and he slammed it into his bag. Then he walked out the door.
My mom came in a couple seconds later. “Honey? Are you alright? Brandon told me there was a family emergency and that he needed to go home. I offered to drive him but he just took his car. What happened?” she said. I tried to pretend I hadn’t been crying. “Oh, something with his uncle or someone.” She sighed, and hugged me. It was for the wrong reasons, but it felt good either way.
Later, as I sat in my room watching TV and flipping through magazines, I heard some talking outside. I opened my window to see Pat, Jared, and Kennedy outside Garrett’s house. They were joking around, walking up to Garrett’s door. I slipped some shoes on and told my mom I was going for some coffee. As I got outside, I heard Pat call, “Hey! Leah! We’re going for some pizza. Wanna come?” I smiled as I crossed the street, and nodded. “That sounds great,” I said. Just then, Garrett walked out. “Sorry guys, my mom says I can’t go. Something about being out too much lately. Maybe tomorrow?” Kennedy and Jared groaned and Garrett noticed me standing there. “Leah!” he said, surprised. He smiled, and walked over to me. Suddenly noticing everyone looking at us, he cleared his throat, and backed away. “It’s um, good to see you. Since last time.” I half-smiled. “Yup.” I said. Jared cleared his throat, and said. “Well since you can’t come, we better get going.” Garrett nodded, and headed inside. Then Pat, Kennedy, Jared, and I got in the car. Pat drove. Fixing his seatbelt he said, “To John’s?” and Kennedy nodded from the backseat. The drive to John’s was short. I didn’t even know he lived so close. We pulled in front of his house and he was already walking out- he was wearing a white shirt and a denim vest. Kennedy scooted closer to me and John got in the back with us. “Leah!” He said, with a big smile on his face. I smiled, and we drove to the pizza place.
When we walked into “Ray’s Pizza,” (A twist on the New York place), it smelled like cigarrettes and tomato sauce. The place was dimly lit, and a pool table was in the far right corner. There wasn’t many people, and when John went to order, he seemed to know the employees. We picked a booth by the pool table and waited for our food. Almost immediately, Kennedy challenged John to a game of pool, and Jared “had to see this.” So it was just me and Pat. I had to admit, we hadn’t gotten much alone time, and we were still beginning to know eachother. Nevertheless, he smiled from the other side of the booth and said “So you and Garrett.” Immediately I blushed. “What?” I said. Pat just smiled. “Please,” he said. “He talks about you all the time. Yesterday afternoon, he was just sitting in the backseat, staring out the window, super quiet. He never does that. Ever. And nothings changed in his life, at all, except you. I don’t know if he sees you and we don’t know about it, or what happened that night at his house, or whatever. But I can tell you this. There’s obvious tension between you guys. And you know what kind.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He had gotten us, pretty accurately. “Well…” I started. Just then John called from the pool table “We have you all figured out,” he said, as he looked down at the table. Kennedy, with the pool stick in his hand, pursed his lips and nodded. Jared laughed in agreement. “It’s obvious,” John said. “That you like each other. You don’t have to hide it from us. We’re cool.” he said as he took a shot, hitting the ball perfectly. I laughed, and, avoiding the subject, walked over to Kennedy, who handed me the stick, and said to John, “Well, that may be the truth, but let’s see if you can beat me in pool. I was the 2011 pool champion of my entire school.” And John laughed.
The night ended after I beat John, Kennedy, and Pat in pool. We ate the pizza (which, was better than anything I’d ever tasted) and Pat dropped everyone off. I was last. Pulling up to my house he said, “But seriously. If there’s anything between you guys, which I’m sure there is, you don’t have to hide it from us.” I nodded, and told him goodbye before stepping out and closing the door. I watched him drive off, and then I heard a door opening. I looked across the street to see Garrett taking out some trash. He didn’t notice me, and I had a couple seconds to study him. He had a Led Zepplin shirt on, and black jeans. His hair was a mess- his signature hairstyle. I smiled, and called out, “Hey.” He looked up, and when he saw me, a smile formed on his face. He rubbed his hair, and walked over to my driveway, where I was standing. “How was it?” He asked. “The pizza at Ray’s is phenomenal. Did you guys play pool? John always brags about how he can beat everyone. Did he beat you? You don’t have to worry about it, its kinda his thing.” I laughed. “It was great, and yes we did play. I beat him.” Garrett’s eyes widened. “No way!” He said. “No one’s beat him since seventh grade!” I laughed again, and shrugged. “Guess there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” I said. He smiled, then placed his hands on my waist. His eyes traveled down to my lips, and he pulled me closer to him. Then, in the moonlight, on my driveway, while the soft hum of a nearby air conditioner droned on, he kissed me. His lips were soft against mine, and at once I was incredibly alarmed and calm. My stomach did backflips, my mind raced, but it felt like my body was in slow motion, his tongue softly brushing against mine. Slowly, he pulled away. I opened my eyes and just stared at him. I could barely make out his features. His cheekbones, the bridge of his nose. He kissed my forehead, and, massaging my thumb with his, he let go. His fingers slowly unraveled themselves with mine, and he was gone. I watched him walk back to his house, and I stood there for a while before I walked back inside. I could still taste him on my lips when I turned my light off and fell asleep.
We layed in that position for what felt like forever, just kissing. After a while, he pulled away and pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my stomach. His fingers intertwined with mine and we didn’t speak for a long time; we were perfectly comfortable without words. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was out.
I woke up for a couple seconds and when I opened my eyes, Garrett was carrying me to his car. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head in his chest. It was late then, I was sure, it was still dark and there were no cars out. I fell asleep again, but this time when I woke up, I was in the car, and he was talking to me. “Leah, hey, we’re at your house.” I rubbed my eyes and just stared at him in the moonlight, whispering to me. I smiled, and he did too. Then I got out of the car and started walking to my window, and he followed. When I stepped inside, I started to pull him into my room. He shook his head. “I can’t. I think my mom knows I was out last night. But listen, I’ll see you tomorrow?” He smiled at me. Too tired to keep trying, I nodded and he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the forehead. Then he was gone and I watched him walk across the street to his house.
The next morning I woke up pretty early. I took a shower and decided to make breakfast. It was the least I could do, after I stormed out yesterday and practically rejected Brandon. I started making some pancakes when I heard Brandon waking up on the couch. Half asleep, he probably didn’t remember what happened yesterday, from the look on his face. He stood up, and walked over to me. I expected him to wrap his arms around me, to say something sweet, to try and kiss me. But all he said was, “What the hell happened last night?” I winced. I just stared at the pancake on the pan. I thought about last night, and Garrett carrying me to his car, and burying my head in his chest. “It’s different now, Brandon.” I managed to let out. He shook his head. Here we go, I thought. “How? You’ve been here for what, a week? And its supposedly different now? But don’t think I’m stupid, Leah. I know you didn’t come back last night till 3 AM. And I also know that you’ve been talking to some boy. Yesterday? At the coffee shop? I saw you two. But I didn’t say anything because I thought you needed your space.” I winced again. So he knew. Did he know about anything else? “Actually, a lot has changed. You live far away now, and it’s not like we can see eachother as often as before. And he’s just a friend.” I said, feeling guilty. “I know, Leah.” Brandon said. “But I’m here now. And I’m your boyfriend. Make some damn time for me.” I shut my eyes, knowing that he was right. What I was doing was wrong. I turned to him, ready to let it all spill out. Garrett, last night, everything. But just then my mom walked in. “Leah!” she said. “I don’t know what happened last night. You seemed pretty upset. I wanted to wait up for you, but Brandon told me he would do it for me. Did you get in late?” I blinked, I didn’t know what to say. “Oh, she got in right after you fell asleep. Right around ten.” Brandon said, smiling. My mom nodded, and said “Good. Well, those smell good, Leah.” I smiled, and she walked off, probably to check the mail or something. “You didn’t have to do that,” I said to Brandon. “You’re my girlfriend,” he said, emphasizing the “girlfriend” like he knew what I was going to say. “Listen,” I began. “Like I said, it’s different now, with you so far away, and I’m glad you’re here, but I just don’t think this can work now.” I said, but it was almost a whisper. I could barely get the words out. He blinked, and I thought I saw a flash of a smile, an evil one. “Oh yeah?” He said. I was in for it. “I came all the way down here for you. Do you think it’s been fun sleeping on a couch? Do you think I like sitting around all day, waiting for you to come home? And especially, do you think I like the fact that whenever we’re alone, you manage to push me away?” I swallowed, holding back tears. He was right. But I had nothing to say. No excuses to make anymore. “Whatever, Leah. Call me when you’re done acting like a total bitch.” Then he stormed to the bathroom. A minute later he had his toothbrush in hand, and he slammed it into his bag. Then he walked out the door.
My mom came in a couple seconds later. “Honey? Are you alright? Brandon told me there was a family emergency and that he needed to go home. I offered to drive him but he just took his car. What happened?” she said. I tried to pretend I hadn’t been crying. “Oh, something with his uncle or someone.” She sighed, and hugged me. It was for the wrong reasons, but it felt good either way.
Later, as I sat in my room watching TV and flipping through magazines, I heard some talking outside. I opened my window to see Pat, Jared, and Kennedy outside Garrett’s house. They were joking around, walking up to Garrett’s door. I slipped some shoes on and told my mom I was going for some coffee. As I got outside, I heard Pat call, “Hey! Leah! We’re going for some pizza. Wanna come?” I smiled as I crossed the street, and nodded. “That sounds great,” I said. Just then, Garrett walked out. “Sorry guys, my mom says I can’t go. Something about being out too much lately. Maybe tomorrow?” Kennedy and Jared groaned and Garrett noticed me standing there. “Leah!” he said, surprised. He smiled, and walked over to me. Suddenly noticing everyone looking at us, he cleared his throat, and backed away. “It’s um, good to see you. Since last time.” I half-smiled. “Yup.” I said. Jared cleared his throat, and said. “Well since you can’t come, we better get going.” Garrett nodded, and headed inside. Then Pat, Kennedy, Jared, and I got in the car. Pat drove. Fixing his seatbelt he said, “To John’s?” and Kennedy nodded from the backseat. The drive to John’s was short. I didn’t even know he lived so close. We pulled in front of his house and he was already walking out- he was wearing a white shirt and a denim vest. Kennedy scooted closer to me and John got in the back with us. “Leah!” He said, with a big smile on his face. I smiled, and we drove to the pizza place.
When we walked into “Ray’s Pizza,” (A twist on the New York place), it smelled like cigarrettes and tomato sauce. The place was dimly lit, and a pool table was in the far right corner. There wasn’t many people, and when John went to order, he seemed to know the employees. We picked a booth by the pool table and waited for our food. Almost immediately, Kennedy challenged John to a game of pool, and Jared “had to see this.” So it was just me and Pat. I had to admit, we hadn’t gotten much alone time, and we were still beginning to know eachother. Nevertheless, he smiled from the other side of the booth and said “So you and Garrett.” Immediately I blushed. “What?” I said. Pat just smiled. “Please,” he said. “He talks about you all the time. Yesterday afternoon, he was just sitting in the backseat, staring out the window, super quiet. He never does that. Ever. And nothings changed in his life, at all, except you. I don’t know if he sees you and we don’t know about it, or what happened that night at his house, or whatever. But I can tell you this. There’s obvious tension between you guys. And you know what kind.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He had gotten us, pretty accurately. “Well…” I started. Just then John called from the pool table “We have you all figured out,” he said, as he looked down at the table. Kennedy, with the pool stick in his hand, pursed his lips and nodded. Jared laughed in agreement. “It’s obvious,” John said. “That you like each other. You don’t have to hide it from us. We’re cool.” he said as he took a shot, hitting the ball perfectly. I laughed, and, avoiding the subject, walked over to Kennedy, who handed me the stick, and said to John, “Well, that may be the truth, but let’s see if you can beat me in pool. I was the 2011 pool champion of my entire school.” And John laughed.
The night ended after I beat John, Kennedy, and Pat in pool. We ate the pizza (which, was better than anything I’d ever tasted) and Pat dropped everyone off. I was last. Pulling up to my house he said, “But seriously. If there’s anything between you guys, which I’m sure there is, you don’t have to hide it from us.” I nodded, and told him goodbye before stepping out and closing the door. I watched him drive off, and then I heard a door opening. I looked across the street to see Garrett taking out some trash. He didn’t notice me, and I had a couple seconds to study him. He had a Led Zepplin shirt on, and black jeans. His hair was a mess- his signature hairstyle. I smiled, and called out, “Hey.” He looked up, and when he saw me, a smile formed on his face. He rubbed his hair, and walked over to my driveway, where I was standing. “How was it?” He asked. “The pizza at Ray’s is phenomenal. Did you guys play pool? John always brags about how he can beat everyone. Did he beat you? You don’t have to worry about it, its kinda his thing.” I laughed. “It was great, and yes we did play. I beat him.” Garrett’s eyes widened. “No way!” He said. “No one’s beat him since seventh grade!” I laughed again, and shrugged. “Guess there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” I said. He smiled, then placed his hands on my waist. His eyes traveled down to my lips, and he pulled me closer to him. Then, in the moonlight, on my driveway, while the soft hum of a nearby air conditioner droned on, he kissed me. His lips were soft against mine, and at once I was incredibly alarmed and calm. My stomach did backflips, my mind raced, but it felt like my body was in slow motion, his tongue softly brushing against mine. Slowly, he pulled away. I opened my eyes and just stared at him. I could barely make out his features. His cheekbones, the bridge of his nose. He kissed my forehead, and, massaging my thumb with his, he let go. His fingers slowly unraveled themselves with mine, and he was gone. I watched him walk back to his house, and I stood there for a while before I walked back inside. I could still taste him on my lips when I turned my light off and fell asleep.