I Hope You Like the Stars I Stole for You

Pruitt’s POV

I fell asleep around midnight, while still texting Vic. I was rudely awakened by my father yelling at around nine the next morning. He was arguing with…me ? How was he yelling at me already, I hadn’t even done anything, I was still asleep ! I jumped out of bed, tripping on my covers. My dad continued to yell across the house at me for unknown reasons, while I stumbled sleepily toward the sound of his voice. Wait, he wasn’t yelling at me, just about me. I stopped to listen- he was having a loud conversation with my mom. “-keep your voice down !” “I will not, that child is a handful ! I have to hear from the neighbors that she was roaming about at night with some boy ! You know, I try to have a nice evening with my wife, ONE time, and my daughter goes about and starts…hoeing around !”
I didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the conversation.

This is exactly what I’m talking about, the way I get treated. I have ONE friend, who just happens to be a boy, and my father basically calls me a slut for it. A few tears escaped from my eyes and I angrily wiped them away. Why must I cry at everything ? God, I’m so weak. I showered and got ready for the day, then slowly walked downstairs. I stopped in my tracks when I heard my dad talking with someone again. Only this time, it was polite chatter….and the other voice belonged to Vic.

I rounded the corner and entered the living room, leaning against the wall. My mom entered the room as well, walking over to me “He seems like a nice boy.” I nodded, waiting for my dad and Vic to finish. Vic looked at me with an apology in his eyes and said “I stopped by to see you, I hope that’s okay.” “Of course !” I told him, which truthfully, I definitely didn’t mind. And now he had met my parents, so that was out of the way. They both stood and Vic shook my father’s hand. My dad clapped him on the back and said “You two kids have fun. Go on up to Pruitt’s room now, it’s the first door at the top of the stairs.” Vic looked to me as if for permission, and I shrugged. I started to follow him, but my dad stopped me. “You picked a good guy, he’s real nice, and he lives just down the road.” As if I didn’t already know. “Uh, dad we aren’t, uh, together.” My dad laughed,” I know, but he wants to be.” I blushed, then followed after Vic to my room.

I pushed open my door, and Vic was sitting on my window seat looking out. “Hi,” I said stupidly. He turned to face me “Hey, sorry to just drop by. I was going to surprise you, and then your dad answered the door and let me in. He seems nice. Your mom is pretty cool too.” I nodded, not really knowing what to say. “Listen, I know we aren’t like”-he swallowed-“ together, but I thought since we’re going to be hanging around more and stuff, I should meet your parents. I was going to ask you that today anyway, so uh, it works out.” I nodded again, wishing I wasn’t so awkward. I sat down next to him, still not saying anything. I looked at my feet, letting my hair fall in front of my face. He brushed his hand along the strand of hair closest to him, then softly tucked it behind my ear. I peeked out at him, wondering if he was making a move. His eyes looked straight back into mine, and he slowly leaned toward me, moving his hand from my hair to my face. I leaned forward too, inhaling his scent. Just as we were about to make contact, my bedroom door flung open.

Vic’s POV

Even though it was Sunday, I didn’t want to miss a chance to see Pruitt. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and it was driving me crazy. I needed to be with her….I just needed to. I decided that today I would ask her to meet her parents, even though I had only known her for a week. That’s what best friends do….right ? They know each other’s families and stuff. And besides, I was going to try and turn her and I into something more, so I figured that’s how I would start. I jumped out of bed and got ready, thinking back to how she behaved around me. I couldn’t tell if she liked me too, and even if she did, there was no way she liked me as much as I liked her. I decided ten thirty was a decent hour to go surprise her at her house, maybe hang around there and meet her parents after she showed me the house, something to that effect. I hoped she was up and ready…I couldn’t wait any longer, so I started toward her house.

I stood outside for a few minutes before I actually got the nerve to go knock on her door. I almost turned and ran when her dad answered, but instead I stuck my hand out and said, “Hi, I’m a friend of Pruitt’s. Victor Fuentes.” He nodded approvingly at my handshake and said “Come in, come in. You can call me Hank.” I followed him inside to where he motioned on the couch. I sat down, looking around while he went to get Pruitt’s mom. She walked in shortly after, the spitting image of Pruitt- short and pretty. She walked right up to me and said, “Hello, I’m Grace, Pruitt’s mother.” I chatted politely with them for a few minutes, they seemed nice enough. And, they actually seemed to accept me. Her mom seemed especially pleased that Pruitt had made ‘such a good friend’ already, and I could tell that she thought we were more than friends. She exited the room and I resumed speaking with her dad, when Pruitt herself appeared.

Finally her dad clapped me on the shoulder and dismissed me, telling me to go up to Pruitt’s room. I obliged, nervously. I opened her door to find a large room that was decorated in gold and navy. It was really nice, and really captured her personality. I sat on the window seat to wait for her. As I looked out the window, I decided that I was going to make a move today. I knew that it was early, but I was impatient, and I was bound to slip up with the ‘just friends’ act sooner or later.

Pruitt interrupted my thoughts as she entered the room quietly. “Hi” She said shyly. I turned to face her, my words coming out rushed “Hey, sorry for just dropping by. I was going to surprise you, and then your dad answered the door and let me in. He seems nice. Your mom is pretty cool too.” She nodded wordlessly. “Listen, I know we aren’t like”-I gulped-“ together, but I thought since we’re going to be hanging around more and stuff, I should meet your parents. I was going to ask you that today anyway, so um, it works out ?” The end of my speech ended sounded like a question, and I cursed my awkwardness. She sat next to me, still silent. She looked towards her feet, her hair falling like a curtain, shielding her. It was like a wall between us, and I fugred this was my opportunity. I lightly brushed the piece of hair, then placed it behind her ear delicately. Her eyes flickered to mine, and they held me in a trance. They held so much depth to them, it was like she was gripping me, pinning me down. She was so beautiful…I leaned in toward her, trying not to let my nerves show. I placed my hand on her cheek, and she leaned into me as well. My eyes were just about to close, when her bedroom door banged open, scaring both of us.