May's Story (Chapter 2 Part 1)

two



Around the afternoon, we were all settled in our bunks. The rooms had a little bathroom in the front corner. It was pretty cozy.

The two bunk beds were connected vertically so Caitlyn and I could talk and look at each other.

Josh and Chris were on the bottom together, but that’s because they were ALWAYS together, best friends.

I like to describe Josh as a big, brown teddy bear with a missile launcher and a bad case of ADHD. I had never, EVER seen him serious, but he’s so funny and random at the same time, his active and silly personality was hard not to love.

All of us stuck side by side. Caitlyn is the only shy one, but when it comes to the ‘L’ word, you can tell Josh is shy two because they’re both insane about each other, but neither of them would admit it.

They completed each other, too. Caitlyn had a bad habit of letting things get to her and getting stressed out too easily, where Josh comes in and makes her forget all her problems. He loved making her laugh and easing her mind just as much as she loved him doing it. Caitlyn, in return, would help him with his homework, by doing hers and letting him take the answers. She’d help him study for tests so he passed with the rest of us.

I looked past Caitlyn’s head to the outside. The sky was just the perfect shade of grey and blue. Streaks of pink twirled and danced with the serious color like a ballerina doll in a funeral home.

In the distance, you could see several fields, and an area to play basketball with a single hoop. The rims of the hoop reflected the brilliant sky.

“Do you think things would have been weird if I kissed him?” Caitlyn whispered to me. It turns out, her night at the dance was a lot like mine.

“Why in the world would it have been weird?” I asked.

“Don’t answer my question with another question, I hate when you do that,” She said, getting inpatient.

“Caitlyn, babe, he is madly in love with you. I kind of want to hit you for not kissing him.” I spoke a little louder than I probably should have.

“Me too,” called Josh from the bottom bunk. I looked down to see Chris and Josh’s heads peeking up, obviously eavesdropping.

“So,” I said, talking to Caitlyn as if they weren’t listening. “maybe Josh would like to be your  official boyfriend.”

“Oh-em-gee!” Josh squealed girlishly. “Official?! Me? There are so many people I want to thank!” Chris found that hilarious.

“If he did, would you want to be his?” I asked, trying to speed up the ‘hooking-up-your-two-best-friends’ process.

Caitlyn shrank back a little, hitting my arm playfully like she didn’t want me to do that, but not denying it.

“Sure, why not?”

Chris chimed in, helping me out. “I think you should ask her out, dude.”

“Ya’ think so?” Josh asked.

“Date that girl, man,” Chris encouraged.

Josh called up, “Caitlyn?”

Caitlyn smiled from ear to ear. I love her smile, but actually she was all-around beautiful. Her blonde hair that used to be down to her shoulder blades, but she got her haircut and it now falls perfectly on her shoulders. And she had the beautiful blue eyes that looked so perfect with eye-liner.

She’s always wearing the blue sweatshirt she wears over some shirt you’ll never see unless in gym. She’s kind of self-couscous, but she really has no need to be. She’s like my very own sun. And for some reason my beautiful, optimistic Caitlyn chose me as her best friend when she could by anyone’s. She was the smile of our group.

She finally peeked down at the boys, still a little red. “Yeah?”

“Would you,” he paused dramatically. “save me a seat up there next to you real quick?”

I groaned as both Josh and Chris came up on our beds; Chris sitting with me and Josh sat with Caitlyn.

“Now,” he said as he cleared his throat and straightened his back, looking professional. “Dearest Caitlyn Hassen,” he tackled her, pinning her under him, and whispered something in her ear. Her entire face lit up, and she nodded.

Mr. Goodndou walked in, and almost instantly Josh was off of her. He said our activities for today were canceled, due to the hail and ice.

I jumped down towards the window to see what was once the perfect, harmless sky, now storming violently down on the innocent fields.

Josh asked him about lunch and Mr. Goodndou said they’ll bring it to our room.

I shot Caitlyn a high-five, and decided to shower before anyone else could.

When I was done, I had on jeans and a T-shirt with a towel still in my hair when I heard a knock.

“Come innnn,” I sang, letting my hair out of the towel.

Chris walked in, closing the door behind him.

“Yes?” I asked, looking into the mirror, brushing my hair.

“Caitlyn and Josh are going out,” He noted, then added, “finally.”

“They make a cute couple,” I said, chuckling.

“You know who else would?” He asked, keeping a poker face.

“Hmm,” I knew I was acting coy, but I didn’t know why. “Jackie and Cody?”

“No.”

“Ella and Alex?”

“No,” He started to get impatient.

“Mariah and-”

“US!” He cut me off.

I stopped playing with my hair and looked up at him, who studied me with his bright blue eyes that shone past his dark blonde hair. I knew he was watching for a reaction but it was as if my brain had caught fire that very moment, a thousand questions and worries spreading like flames, blocking any thought process.

“Are you-”

“Will you...” He cut me off, starting with a question but then changing his mind. “Be mine,” he demanded.

My mind wasn’t thinking. My eyes weren’t seeing. The air was heavy and damp, breathing became a task. He isn’t asking me, he’s telling me.

“Ye-yes,” I stuttered.

His eyes light up as he came closer to me. I put my arms up as he grabbed them both and pushed me up against the wall.

And for the very first time, Chris kissed me.

It was an overwhelming sensation of what? Want? Need? Either way, it rolled up my body like a steamroller and I escaped his grasp to tangle my fingers in his hair. He picked me up, pushing me against the wall and wrapping my legs around his waist. There, he kissed me even harder, biting my bottom lip. I gasped out and collected his lips in mine as quickly as I could, my fingers massaging his head.

That’s when Josh walked in.

“Oh, can I join you guys?!” Josh said with fake excitement. I blushed as Chris let me down. I moved past him and he grabbed my hands, trailing me out of the bathroom.

I licked my lips, Chris tasted like spearmint, and I blushed a little more.

One the top bunks, Caitlyn was munching on her tuna and fries. I grabbed my plate and starting eating, looking down because I was a bit too bothered to look at Josh or Chris, who chattered away cheerfully with Caitlyn.

Then, Mr. Jacobs walked in without knocking. “Just for your information, there will be a semi-formal dance at the transition room tonight, due to the fact we, teachers,” He glared at Chris’s left hand which rested softly on mine, “don’t want you, children, to get into any trouble all by yourselves.” Then he walked out.

“Jerk!” I coughed.

Caitlyn looked at Josh. “You’re going right?” He looked at Chris, passing the question on to him with a look, who grabbed me behind my waist and looked at me.

“Only with my girl,” he said, smiling at me. My cheeks started burning as he leaned in and kissed me softly. I still wasn’t used to finally being able to kiss him and being held in the arms I fit so perfectly in.

“Gross,” muttered Josh. Caitlyn looked at him, wondering why he thinks a couple kissing is gross, looking almost disappointed. He chuckled and picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist so she could hold herself up and blushed when he held her by her butt. He leaned in and kissed her hard. I giggled at Caitlyn as I watched her melt in his sexy kiss just as I had moments earlier, except Chris and I didn’t put on a show.

He lowered her, but was still in the kiss as she stood against him. He pulled away and looked at her, serious and wanting at first, but then he started chuckling a bit as he bit his lip and leaned in for one more hungry kiss.

“My God, Josh! Get a room!” I laughed.

“We’re in a room,” he said in a deep voice, not taking his eyes of Caitlyn, who pressed herself against him a little more than needed.