Status: Active!
Fall From Grace
Fifteen
After leaving the beach, we ditched the idea of going to eat in favor of going back to my house. Johnny offered to cook something for us, but remembering his last attempt at that I refused the offer. I left Johnny in the living room with the TV while I went into the kitchen to find something to make.
After rummaging through the cabinets and the refrigerator I settled on tacos. Fifteen minutes later, I was walking back into the living room with two plates and two cans of Dr. Pepper. Johnny’s eyes lit up when I handed him his plate. Without another word he began shoving food into his mouth. By the time he had already put away three tacos, I was still on my first one.
“Do you even taste your food when you eat?” I asked with a laugh.
“Of course, these are the best tacos I’ve ever eaten in my life,” Johnny said, looking up at me with a smile.
He was cute, I decided. I had never let myself think of him in that way before because I was so focused on hating him. But now, it seemed like I was looking at an entirely different person. He was nothing like I had believed in the past.
~x~
The plates had been cleared away and we were in the middle of a movie when Johnny randomly grabbed me, pulled me to him, and kissed me. It was a slow, sweet kiss that had my heart racing like I’d just run a marathon.
He pulled away after a while and I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip shyly. He pushed a piece of my hair back behind my ear and he left his hand to rest against my cheek.
“You’re beautiful, Melanie,” he said quietly.
I felt my cheeks heat up and a big goofy grin found its way onto my lips. I hadn’t had many actual boyfriends in the past; it was mostly just casual things. So I hadn’t had much experience with guys telling me things like that. Coming from Johnny just then, it made me want to giggle like a little girl. He was bringing out things in me that I didn’t even know were there.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said with a smile.
I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to me for yet another kiss. He pulled me onto his lap and held me tightly as we kissed. I smiled into the kiss. I never would have imagined that I would be here right now. Now that I was here, I just couldn’t believe how amazing it was.
The kiss was quickly becoming more intense when we were interrupted by the front door opening and footsteps making their way inside. I pulled away from Johnny and looked up to see Zacky with a devastated look on his face.
“Zacky…” I said, but trailed off because I really didn’t know what to say to him right then. He had a look of such sadness on his face that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forget it.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Johnny said, kissing me lightly on the lips.
“Of course,” I said quietly and watched and he walked around Zacky and out the front door. Zacky just stood there awkwardly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked like he was torn between hitting someone and running away.
“You might as well sit down. You and I both know we need to talk,” I told him and he nodded.
With a deep sigh, he walked over and sat down on the couch, as far away from me as he could get on the piece of furniture.
“What was that, Melanie? The last I knew you hated the guy and now I find you shoving your tongue down his throat on the couch,” Zacky said, starting pretty intensely at a picture on the wall.
“Since I’ve been spending time with him, I’ve realized that I’ve been wrong about him all along. I like him, Zacky, a lot,” I said and he just shook his head. The words sounded crazy even to me, but I knew they were true.
Zacky rolled his eyes and stared down at his knees. He didn’t say anything for a long time.
“Why him? Why not me?” he asked finally, his question throwing him off guard.
“Zacky, don’t do this.” I said as I looked at him in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he was actually going to go there.
“No. Don’t act like I’m out of line here. Johnny’s been a dick to you since you were kids and you’re giving him a chance. I’ve been there for you through thick and thin. I’ve taken up for you every time Johnny did some dickish thing to you. I’ve been your best friend even when it killed me because I was in love with you and couldn’t do anything about it. I would give anything to be able to show you how great we could be together, but you won’t let me. Instead, you let him. He’s probably using you anyway.”
With his speech finished, he got up without another word and left me sitting there, feeling terrible. I didn’t know what I had planned on telling Zacky, but I had intended on it going better than that. He was my best friend and I had expected him to at least try to understand.
I picked up my phone with full intentions of calling Johnny when the front door opened again and he walked in.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“Not very well. He’s torn up about the fact that I picked you instead of him. He thinks he deserves a chance with me since he’s been my friend when you were my enemy,” I said.
“I’m so sorry. I wish you could’ve told him when you were ready instead of him finding out that way. You just have to give him some time, you know. He’s got to get used to the idea of us before he can try to be okay with it.” Johnny’s words made me feel a little better, but I still felt so afraid that I would lose Zacky.
I let him pull me into his arms and press a kiss to my forehead. I felt guilty, but I was happy at the same time. I had to be the worst friend in the world. I probably deserved to lose Zacky’s friendship.
“I just feel bad for him. He’s my friend and I want him to be happy, and if he’s hanging onto being in love with me, how can he ever be happy?” I said, trying to explain my emotions to Johnny.
“He’s hurt right now and it might take him a while, but one day soon he’ll be okay with it. He’ll accept the fact that he can’t be with you and he’ll find someone else. You just have to try your best to be there for him like he’s been there for you. He might act like he doesn’t, but he needs you now. Just don’t give up on him. You guys have a strong friendship and I honestly don’t think something like this will tear it apart. You two care too much for each other for that.” I was amazed at these wise words coming from Johnny. I never in a million years would have thought he could be like this.
“You’re amazing, Johnny, you really are,” I said as I rested my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and despite everything with Zacky, I felt okay.
After rummaging through the cabinets and the refrigerator I settled on tacos. Fifteen minutes later, I was walking back into the living room with two plates and two cans of Dr. Pepper. Johnny’s eyes lit up when I handed him his plate. Without another word he began shoving food into his mouth. By the time he had already put away three tacos, I was still on my first one.
“Do you even taste your food when you eat?” I asked with a laugh.
“Of course, these are the best tacos I’ve ever eaten in my life,” Johnny said, looking up at me with a smile.
He was cute, I decided. I had never let myself think of him in that way before because I was so focused on hating him. But now, it seemed like I was looking at an entirely different person. He was nothing like I had believed in the past.
~x~
The plates had been cleared away and we were in the middle of a movie when Johnny randomly grabbed me, pulled me to him, and kissed me. It was a slow, sweet kiss that had my heart racing like I’d just run a marathon.
He pulled away after a while and I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip shyly. He pushed a piece of my hair back behind my ear and he left his hand to rest against my cheek.
“You’re beautiful, Melanie,” he said quietly.
I felt my cheeks heat up and a big goofy grin found its way onto my lips. I hadn’t had many actual boyfriends in the past; it was mostly just casual things. So I hadn’t had much experience with guys telling me things like that. Coming from Johnny just then, it made me want to giggle like a little girl. He was bringing out things in me that I didn’t even know were there.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said with a smile.
I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to me for yet another kiss. He pulled me onto his lap and held me tightly as we kissed. I smiled into the kiss. I never would have imagined that I would be here right now. Now that I was here, I just couldn’t believe how amazing it was.
The kiss was quickly becoming more intense when we were interrupted by the front door opening and footsteps making their way inside. I pulled away from Johnny and looked up to see Zacky with a devastated look on his face.
“Zacky…” I said, but trailed off because I really didn’t know what to say to him right then. He had a look of such sadness on his face that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forget it.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Johnny said, kissing me lightly on the lips.
“Of course,” I said quietly and watched and he walked around Zacky and out the front door. Zacky just stood there awkwardly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked like he was torn between hitting someone and running away.
“You might as well sit down. You and I both know we need to talk,” I told him and he nodded.
With a deep sigh, he walked over and sat down on the couch, as far away from me as he could get on the piece of furniture.
“What was that, Melanie? The last I knew you hated the guy and now I find you shoving your tongue down his throat on the couch,” Zacky said, starting pretty intensely at a picture on the wall.
“Since I’ve been spending time with him, I’ve realized that I’ve been wrong about him all along. I like him, Zacky, a lot,” I said and he just shook his head. The words sounded crazy even to me, but I knew they were true.
Zacky rolled his eyes and stared down at his knees. He didn’t say anything for a long time.
“Why him? Why not me?” he asked finally, his question throwing him off guard.
“Zacky, don’t do this.” I said as I looked at him in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he was actually going to go there.
“No. Don’t act like I’m out of line here. Johnny’s been a dick to you since you were kids and you’re giving him a chance. I’ve been there for you through thick and thin. I’ve taken up for you every time Johnny did some dickish thing to you. I’ve been your best friend even when it killed me because I was in love with you and couldn’t do anything about it. I would give anything to be able to show you how great we could be together, but you won’t let me. Instead, you let him. He’s probably using you anyway.”
With his speech finished, he got up without another word and left me sitting there, feeling terrible. I didn’t know what I had planned on telling Zacky, but I had intended on it going better than that. He was my best friend and I had expected him to at least try to understand.
I picked up my phone with full intentions of calling Johnny when the front door opened again and he walked in.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“Not very well. He’s torn up about the fact that I picked you instead of him. He thinks he deserves a chance with me since he’s been my friend when you were my enemy,” I said.
“I’m so sorry. I wish you could’ve told him when you were ready instead of him finding out that way. You just have to give him some time, you know. He’s got to get used to the idea of us before he can try to be okay with it.” Johnny’s words made me feel a little better, but I still felt so afraid that I would lose Zacky.
I let him pull me into his arms and press a kiss to my forehead. I felt guilty, but I was happy at the same time. I had to be the worst friend in the world. I probably deserved to lose Zacky’s friendship.
“I just feel bad for him. He’s my friend and I want him to be happy, and if he’s hanging onto being in love with me, how can he ever be happy?” I said, trying to explain my emotions to Johnny.
“He’s hurt right now and it might take him a while, but one day soon he’ll be okay with it. He’ll accept the fact that he can’t be with you and he’ll find someone else. You just have to try your best to be there for him like he’s been there for you. He might act like he doesn’t, but he needs you now. Just don’t give up on him. You guys have a strong friendship and I honestly don’t think something like this will tear it apart. You two care too much for each other for that.” I was amazed at these wise words coming from Johnny. I never in a million years would have thought he could be like this.
“You’re amazing, Johnny, you really are,” I said as I rested my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and despite everything with Zacky, I felt okay.