Steal a Kiss in the Dark

October 21, 2013

"Happy birthday, Nicole!" A few of my friends and myself shouted at my roommate. We were all in the twenty-four to twenty-six age range with Nicole being the youngest.

She giggled over her cake, "Thanks, guys." We were doing a quick cake and presents thing at our house before going out.

"You're welcome," I smiled before using a sinister tone, "Now move out."

"You a bitch. You move out," she fake fought with me. Nicole knew I'd never kick her out just because I loved her too much.

"Now, now ladies," Chris, my boyfriend of two years, said, "unless this cat fight will end with you two on top of each other I don't want a fight."

"Dumbass," my friend, Marissa, laughed and pushed his shoulder. I loved Marissa but she flirted with Chris all the time and it pissed me off.

Just to get her off of him I sighed, "Chris, you're staying over tonight, right?"

"If you want me too," he smiled and kissed my cheek. While doing so he wrapped his arm around my waist. I lucked out finding Chris.

We started as friends the first couple years I was down here. Soon we became really close, closer than I had been with Jack and Alex. During those first five years we hung out in groups all the time. Then one day, November 14, 2011, my birthday, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I'll never forget his exact words. "So, I've had this crush on you since I first saw you and your beautiful blonde hair. I didn't want to rush anything so I tested the waters with this whole friends thing and that's been working out really well. Anyway, I was wondering, if you'd uhh... if you'd wanna be my girlfriend."

It was perfect. He had brought me roses when he asked. Saying yes to him was probably the best decision I've ever made in my life.

"Nicole," I whined dragging out the 'o,' "hurry and cut the ca-" I was cut off by my phone playing my ringtone, Weightless by All Time Low.

Weird, it was my mom.

August 20, 2007
The day before I moved

"Mia, you can't go," my mom stated crosses her arms over her chest.

"Really, mom? Why not? I have the college fees almost paid off through scholarships," I stated annoyed that she was changing her mind last minute.

"Because I'll miss you. Jack will miss you when he comes back and you're not next door."

"You need to realize I'm not a little kid anymore mom! I'm eighteen!" I sighed in annoyance. "Jack and the guys are barely going to be home. I'm not staying for people I'd barely see."

She had started crying now, "You don't know anyone down there Mia. It's dangerous. You could be raped or murdered."

"You know you sound ridiculous right now, right?" I now crossed my arms in front of my chest and adjusted myself so that my weight was on my right foot. "I know my roommate. We've been talking ever since we got the letter about it."

"Oh really? What's her name?" She questioned not believing me.

"Nicole Bear. She's lived in South Carolina all her life and she loves it. Please, just let me live my dream of getting out of Baltimore."

"If you leave and get on that plane tomorrow.... don't come back," she hissed at me before I stomped up to my room and slammed the door.

I blasted the Enema of the State CD by Blink-182 and could faintly hear my mom yell that I'd better be unpacking. Oh, how she was wrong.

Originally, I was going to leave some stuff just for visiting. Since she told me not to come back, I just wanted to pack everything. That included the autographed All Time Low poster the guys had jokingly sent me. I also untacked the letter that had accompanied the poster.

Needless to say, I did leave that next day and I haven't been back.

Finally, I answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi Mia," my mom quietly said through the phone.

"Would you like something, Crissy?" I asked calling my mom by her first name.

She sighed when I said that. It clearly hurt her but she hurt me by telling me to never come back. She hadn't even tried to contact me. This was the first time in six years that I've heard from her.

"Mia, will you come home for your birthday? I miss you," she said and I could tell there were tears in her eyes.

"I have plans already for my birthday. I don't want to mess up my plans by coming up to see someone who threw me out of their life."

"I didn't throw you out! You left!" She now yelled.

"You told me not to come back. I'm busy. Bye," I heavily sighed hanging up the phone.

Chris looked down at me with a worried look. "Is everything okay?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, "Yeah, everything's fine. Just my mom calling for the first time in years."

"Shit bro," Nicole sighed.

"I don't give a fuuuck," I giggled switching my mood, "Open your gifts and let's go to the club!"

After the cake was finished, both Nicole and I felt the need to change clothing. Don't ask why we're just weird like that.

Somehow, we changed into the exact same outfit. We decided she looked best in it and I changed again into a glittery, tight, short skirt and a loose fitting, white shirt.

Finally, we were off to the club. It was planned perfectly for me because Monday nights they played punk music. Marissa was pissed about it because she was a preppy girl who listened to nothing but pop. Nicole and I lived off of punk and Chris, well Chris didn't really care what kind of music he listened to.

"Say it ain't so, I will not go," I giggled and sang in Nicole's ear as it was the song being played.

Pulling Nicole and Chris by their wrists, I led them to the middle of the dance floor. Nicole and I were facing each other and swinging our hips to the beat. Quickly, a guy who looked about twenty-three came to Nicole and grabbed her attention.

Giggling to myself, the guy pulled Nicole away leaving Chris and me alone. "Hey cuteness," I smiled turning around to face him.

"Hey blue eyes," he smiled wide at me. "You ready for your birthday in a few weeks?"

"Hell yeah. We're going to see All Time Low!" I smiled. Nicole was the only one I told about being friends with the guys. It just didn't seem important to tell anyone else.

"You really like that band, don't you?" He chuckled grabbing onto my hips and pulling me closer so that I was grinding with him.

I giggled thinking of what to answer. Chris didn't need to know that I missed those guys like crazy. "I love them! I'm hoping to get close enough to catch one of Jack Barakat's guitar picks."

"You're such a band nerd," he smiled kissing my forehead.

"Speak of the devil," I smiled even wider when A Party Song (The Walk of Shame) started playing throughout the club. "I have to find Nicole!"

This was the song she and I played on a daily basis. Grabbing Chris' wrist once again, I ran in the direction the guy had taken Nicole.

It took probably ten seconds to find her looking for me. We smiled and jumped into each other. Right away we matched the point in the song and began singing.

"Don't sweat it! Forget it! Everything is a-okay!" We smiled and laughed.

"Oh Nicole," I giggled and danced a circle around her before yelling, "NOTHING MORE THAN A CASUAL FUCK!"

"ISN'T THAT JUST HOW WE OPERATE!" Nicole yelled in return.

"Now, when you two do this casual fucking please allow me to watch," Chris laughed causing me to punch his shoulder.

"Pig," Nicole laughed before getting lost in the hot, sweaty bodies.