Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 03:28:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Jake Austin Subject: Life As I Knew It chapter 7 Disclaimers: Yeah, these aren't fun, but I guess they're necessary. If you're under 18, or if gay love offends you, or if it's illegal to be reading this where you are, you probably shouldn't be reading this. I guess. Or you can, you know, you don't have to listen to me, lol. This is fiction, so yeah, people and the events that occur are all fake. I may use the names of real places, but other than that, this story is completely made up. And also, I'd appreciate it if you DIDN'T take this story and post it somewhere else without my permission. That's called stealing, and it's not cool, yo. Please make sure to donate to Nifty also! They're awesome for letting us share these stories with each other, let's support them! ---------------------------------------------------- Note to readers: Not really any excuse for my hiatus... other than school. Will you guys take school as an excuse? I hope so. Aha, I'm pretty sure everyone has forgotten about this story, but... I don't know. With the free time that summer is finally bringing me, I feel compelled to continue this story. I won't promise frequent updates, but I'll do my best to try and finish this. I'LL FINISH IT GOD DAMMIT. Anyways, comments, thoughts, or questions are welcomed at crazyturtule90@yahoo.com I love hearing from you guys! :) ---------------------------------------------------- Life As I Knew It Chapter 7: Misfortune ---------------------------------------------------- "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." –Aristotle ---------------------------------------------------- The thing about my feud with Carter was that I now didn't have a ride to school. Both Mom and Dad left for work about an hour before we usually woke up, so my only options were to either ride with Carter or ride the bus. And despite my absolute abhorrence of public transportation, I didn't really have any other choice. I mean, I did, but I was still angry at Carter. Our fights, aside from that one time in middle school, never lasted longer than a few days. But for some reason, this was different. It was so much more than some petty argument over whose cereal was whose, or whose turn it was to do dishes. It was a personal affront that changed my view of him entirely. I just wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Long story short, that's how I came to be standing at the bus stop. And when the bus rolled to a stop in front of me, I mustered every ounce of courage I could find beneath the pile of dread at the pit of my stomach. I remembered having to ride the bus throughout elementary school, and I always had a gruesome image of wild animals pouncing on each other. And as I stepped onto the bus and looked around, I saw that it was... just as I had remembered it to be. The more reserved kids were up front but towards the back, it was pure chaos. They were throwing objects that ranged from the size of spitballs to backpacks. Loud was the only volume. Pandemonium was their nature. I actually feared for my life a little bit. The bus driver was giving me a look of impatience, undoubtedly telling me to get a move on; which I would have gladly done... if there were any seats to pick from. I immediately scaled the whole front row but to no avail. I inched slowly, regretfully past each row, each filled with people who either avoided eye contact completely or gave me an amused smirk. Just as I thought I'd have to sit in the same row as the truly terrifying ones, I spotted a place of solace in the row right before the one they were sitting in. I sat down and claimed it for my own, probably faster than I'd ever moved in my life. They were right behind me, but I thought that if I were to just lay low, I could hopefully stay away from any trouble. Just as I was settling down, though, a snarky voice rang out from behind me. "You can't sit there. It's reserved." I turned to see who spoke to me and felt fear the moment I made eye contact... and for good reason. He was a herculean teen (if he was even allowed to be called one) who seemed to be the king of the bus. He had broad shoulders, spiky black hair, and a belittling grin. Not to mention he had others flocked around him, watching the scene before them like a movie they'd been waiting ages for. I did my best not to visibly shake in front of them, but I could feel myself failing. "I—I'm sorry. There's just no other seat available." I could hear some giddy laughter rising amongst the crowd, and the guy's leer narrowed further, his smirk grew wider. "Sure there is," he said. "There's a seat right over there." He pointed to a seat a few rows in front of him, and before I even turned my eyes to look at it, I already feared a catch was waiting. My fears were confirmed. The seat was torn all over, but that was picayune compared to the dozens, maybe even hundreds, of pieces of gum plastered all over the seat. I'd grazed over it on the way to my seat, but I'd immediately deemed it a trash heap. `Surely no one would even think to sit there,' I thought. How wrong I was. I turned back to look at him and he had an assuming look on his face. "Look-ey here," he drawled, "it's waiting just for you. Come on, have a seat." I avoided eye contact, averting my eyes to the ground. "I really didn't mean to cause trouble... If I could just sit here, if only for today—" "Sorry, but I'm afraid it's policy on this bus. Newbies don't get to pick and choose. Now get up." I could tell that every word was like paradise to him, like he'd been waiting for this moment for ages. The look on his face was amused, but I could see the command in his eyes. I didn't have much of an option. I slowly gathered my things and stood up. As I trudged towards the seat, the kids on the bus all seemed to find enjoyment in my misery. It truly was a cruel place, this school bus. When I reached the gum-infested seat, I looked to the group of vultures, seeing if maybe this wasn't a joke and that they'd soon tell me to relax and go back to my seat. But as I searched each of their faces, I could tell that this wasn't the case. I felt water starting to pool in my eyes, and before I could think any differently, I sat down; if only to hide the tears falling down my cheeks. I hurriedly swiped at them in embarrassment. How dare I let those jerks get to me? How dare I let them have their way? I could have fought. I could have done something. I was spineless. I was such a goddamn coward. I could feel the gum pressed against my backside and on the back of my shirt. In a total state of misery, I pulled my legs into my chest and hid my face between my knees. They may have made me cry, but I'd rather be dead than have them see do it. As the bus pulled out and I was just preparing to brave the trek to school, it pulled to a stop once again. I heard the doors whoosh open, and I heard footsteps pounding down the walkway. I looked up at this figure, in anger to have this tortuous journey prolonged even longer. I hoped to shoot as much anger as I could at whoever it could possibly be. I reeled back in shock (and into even more of the gum on the seats) when I saw it was Ethan. He stopped as well, at first giving me a questioning look, and then an expression that I perceived as... concern. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again just as quick. He turned his eyes to the ground and kept walking. He was welcomed amongst the pack of hyenas like it was a celebration. I didn't know what I was expecting. Of course he'd be buddies with all of them. He was no different than they were. I could hear their leader relaying my humiliation to Ethan, and I felt my ears burning. I returned my head to my knees and did my best to ignore them, and to keep my sobbing quiet. ----- When the bus finally stopped in front of the school, I was the first to leave. With a sweater tied around my waist to hide the majority of the gum, I shouldered my bag and pushed through all of the other kids. I jumped off the bus and ran into the school. I tried avoiding as much people as possible until I finally got to where I could finally be alone. I walked into the abandoned classroom Mason had shown me and Aaron a few days ago, and I finally let loose on the tears. I cried tears of embarrassment, of betrayal, of anger; I cried over how I was always crying. I cried until my eyes stung and until the sound of hiccupping was as frequent as my own breathing. I cried until I couldn't physically produce enough water to cry anymore. And so I cried over that, as well. Soon after, I was left a dry-crying, hiccupping mess. Just as I was preparing myself for another cry-fest, I felt my phone vibrating. It was a text from Aaron. where are you, class is about to start Before I could even comprehend the text, I wanted to vomit just from the grammar itself. But after reading it again, I thought of telling him what happened. I didn't know what to expect—I mean, I did know, kind of, but I didn't want to ruin other people's day just because my own wasn't going well. The last few days with Aaron have been nothing short of amazing, and I didn't want to break that streak. But something inside me, way deep down in god knows where, was telling me that it would be even worse not telling him what I was feeling. It was like I was back to not trusting him all over again. And I'd be damned if I were to let something like that get in the way of our relationship again. (God, I still couldn't believe that we were in an `official' relationship.) I'm in the abandoned classroom. Please come. If you want to, that is. It wasn't even a full minute before I heard the door open and then slam again, almost instantaneously. I looked up in shock at a wild-eyed Aaron, who was coming straight towards me. "Hey, what's up? What's wrong? Are you... crying?" His breathing was just a little labored, and he had a bit of sweat on his forehead. I didn't know why I was paying attention to those things and not answering his question. He then placed his hand on my cheek, which knocked me out of my stupor. "Oh, uh, yes. I was... crying. A while ago, I—" And before I could finish, Aaron cut me off with a kiss. Holding my head with both of his hands, he pressed his lips to mine, and immediately I felt at home. Also, I didn't know if cutting me off mid-sentence with kisses was this reoccurring thing, but if it was, well... Who's complaining? We continued like that for a few minutes. He kissed me on the lips, on the cheek, on my ears; all while caressing the back of my hair and then trailing down my spine. I shivered whenever he did that, and so he did it even more. His tongue slid alongside my own, seeming to trace the shape of it. Our teeth clinked together as we got sloppier. I was lost in him. That is, until I couldn't breathe any longer. I gently pulled myself off of him and tried to regain my breath. I could see him looking at me with a glazed expression, and I could feel my cheeks burning up at seeing him like this. The fact that I could affect him just as much as he affected me was mind-boggling. And it also turned me on. His eyes trailed over my face, as if he were trying to memorize every part of it all at once. I was about to hide myself in the sleeve of my shirt when a voice of concern escaped his mouth. "Your eyes are puffy," he said, worry washing over his expression. "Yeah, I... had a bit of a rough morning." He looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry. You have this problem, and all I keep wanting to do is make out with you. I'm such a douchebag." I placed both hands on his face and turned his eyes to mine. "Hey, now," I said, "You're anything but a... douchebag. It did make me feel better. And I enjoy kissing you just as much, so..." The last part made me blush, and it was my turn to look down. "It's just—" He held my face in his hands. "Every time I see you, it's like I want to be as close to you as physically possible. I can't get enough." I laughed a little, embarrassed and wholly terrified and at a loss for words at how to respond. He continued, "And it does make me selfish by wanting to have you to myself, I know that. But... I can't help it." I just shook my head and pulled him into a hug, if only to hide my face in his shoulder. I was blushing like crazy. We remained like that, soaking up each other's scent, unmoving even when we heard the bell ringing. Even after we both sort of eased out of each other's arms, we still kept our hands locked together. He shifted a little to lean against the wall, and I followed suit. We sat side by side, and I rested my head on his shoulder. I could feel dust and chalk from the board behind us getting on my clothes but, after this morning, I was just too far from caring. Aaron gently interrupted our calm silence. "Are you up to telling me what happened this morning?" I kept my head on his shoulder as I nodded, and then began to recount what happened. His reaction was as expected: rage at the idea of me being bullied; helplessness at not being there; the need to kiss me multiple times throughout my recounting (which I thoroughly did not mind at all). I was relatively calm as I was telling him what happened, maybe because I'd already cried my eyes out a while ago; but I like to believe that it was because of Aaron's presence. (I was much too sentimental for my own good.) When I'd finished, I looked at him to see if he was still paying attention, since he'd been quiet towards the last bit of my rant. He had a look of concentration on his face, mixed in with a bunch of other emotions I couldn't read. His eyes stared, bothered, towards the floor. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was biting his lip. His grip on my hand remained unyielding. I couldn't help myself; he looked so cute like that. I leaned in, ducking awkwardly, and gave him a kiss. It seemed to snap him out of his trance, and he turned to look at me. I gave him a smile. "Thank you for listening, and for even coming here. You're the best." His expression softened. "Of course. I'd do anything for you." I reached towards him and used my fingers to relax the furrow in his brow. "I know you're probably really angry, but I want you to promise that you won't do anything, alright?" His eyes grew incredulous. "Wha— How can you expect me not to do anything? After all that shit they put you through?" I sighed, as this was exactly how I feared he would react. "Please, I just... I don't want to push this matter any further. If I keep letting them get to me, they win." He looked so anxious. "I get that, but—" "And besides," I continued, "You said that you'd do anything for me. So, please just do this one thing. I don't want any more trouble." He opened his mouth to speak, took another look at me, and then sighed. "Jesus... Fine. But if they give you any more problems, it's open season on their asses." I laughed and then playfully punched him in the arm. "Whatever you say, Mr. Tough Boxer Guy." He pouted and proceeded to flex his arms. "Hey now, these muscles are feared worldwide." "I bet," I grinned, and squeezed them with my own hands. They were pretty impressive. "See?" he said, looking quite proud of himself. I tried to hide my smile. "Whatever. Anyways, we'd better get to class." I got up and grabbed Aaron's hand to pull him up as well. "About that," he said, "I was wondering if... maybe we can just not go." I looked at him quizzically. "Not go to Mrs. Higgins's class?" "Well, no... Like, not go to any class." He gave me an awkward smile. I tried not to look so shocked, but I was probably failing miserably. My inner scholar was aching. "You mean, like, skip school altogether? I don't... really know about that. I mean, I've never really done it before... Have you?" Looking a little embarrassed, he said, "A couple of times last year... It wasn't too bad. I just said I got sick and went back home before school started." "But we're already at school," I said quietly. "Yeah, I know," he sighed, "I was just thinking that maybe we could sneak out and, you know, maybe go out on a... date." He said the last word like a whisper. "A date?" I said, shocked and horrified all at once. His tanned cheeks were starting to burn. "Yeah, you know, since everyone we know would be at school, no one would see us, and we could actually... have some time to act like an actual couple and... You know what? Never mind. I'm sorry for bringing it up, it was stupid—" "No!" I said sharply. I cleared my throat, trying to regain composure. "Um, sorry, I mean... that sounds really nice." He looked at me in surprise. "Wait, really?" I nodded, still blushing at my thoughts of us escaping together; a renegade couple eluding the strict rule of a sedimentary lifestyle in order to be together. While in thought, I was pulled into yet another kiss, and this time I wasted no time reciprocating. I kissed him back just as hard, if not harder. I pushed my tongue into his mouth and wrestled his tongue with my own. I traced over his gums, his teeth, his lips. I heard a guttural moan escape his throat, which fueled me further. Remembering something from deep within my fantasies, I decided to reenact it in real life. I retracted my tongue from his mouth, to which Aaron tried to lean forward and keep it in his mouth. But I had other plans. I leaned back into his lips and, instead of kissing them, began to nibble and bite on them slowly. I tugged and pulled on his bottom lip with my teeth, which Aaron must have really liked, because his moaning got even louder. Some animalistic instinct began to take hold of me, and I began to move from his lips to all over his face. I kissed and licked his cheek, and then trailed to his ear. They were burning red at the tips. I ducked into his left ear and traced my tongue around the edge, feeling the heat coming off of his skin. "Holy shit, Riley," he groaned. Encouraged, and even a little proud that I was giving him this much pleasure, I nipped at the lower lobe of his ear. With my hands wrapped around his neck, I felt a shiver travel from up his spine to the base of his neck. His eyes were closed and his mouth was drawn open just a little bit, with labored breaths escaping his lips. He seemed to be getting even more worked up, because his hands were soon trailing down my back and onto my butt. And it wasn't anything new; I mean, he'd touched me there before. The real shock came when his hands slipped beneath my jeans and under my briefs. He slid his hands down each bare cheek, grabbing and squeezing. Surprised, I ended up forgetting to continue my kissing; and I instead remained still, trying to get used to the feeling of someone grabbing me... there. Aaron noticed, of course. He didn't stop squeezing my butt as he asked, "Is this alright?" My face was now pressed against his shoulder as I answered, "Mhm." Aaron gave my butt a final grope, eliciting a shriek from myself. He giggled and, using his fingers, guided my chin towards his own. He kissed me once more and then said, "I'm sorry I got a little carried away. It's just so damn hard keeping my hands off you." I looked to the ground, my whole body heating up. "It's fine, you know... You're allowed to touch me..." Aaron's gentle expression turned into one of concern. "Do you want me to touch you?" "What kind of a question is that?" I asked. "I'm just--" he sighed, "I'm just making sure I'm not like forcing myself on you or anything." "Why would you think that you're forcing yourself onto me?" I asked, my voice rising. His eyes widened at my change in tone. "W-well, um... It's just that, you are like two years younger than I am, and—" "I am not a child!" I yelled, anger suddenly coursing through every ounce of my body. Panic began to consume his demeanor. "O-of course you're not. I know you're not. I'm just saying that I'm somewhat older and more experienced, and I just want to make sure that I'm not rushing you into things." "Well, I'm sorry I can't control my fucking age, alright?" I spat. "Wh-whoa, hey. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." He pulled me into a hug and gently began to caress my hair. I resisted at first but, after a minute, I began to cool down. Breathing more calmly now, my anger started to subside. It was then that realization dawned on me. "I'm so sorry," I said, still pressed against his shoulder. "It's fine," he replied, kissing me on the forehead. "I just didn't know that it was such an issue for you." I sighed. "I guess it is... I don't know... it's like, whenever people say that I'm too young to comprehend, or that it's too early for me to know something, I feel like they think of me as an imbecile... Carter does that a lot. He thinks I'm some little kid who still needs protecting. I can handle things on my own, you know?" He nodded, sympathetically. "Sure, sure. I'm sorry that I get like that, too. But it's not because I think you're not capable enough. It's just that I don't want to see the one I love get hurt, okay?" My heart still seemed to skip a beat every time I heard him say the word, `love.' This was no exception. I looked back up at him and, seeing the care and concern in his eyes, pressed my lips once again against his. This kiss was softer than the lustful ones a while ago, more grateful. "Thanks for putting up with me," I whispered. "Are you serious?" he asked me. "Every second with you is like the happiest second I've ever lived." Feeling bashful at his words, I couldn't stop the playful grin stretching across my face. "You sure do have a way with words, Mr. Summers. Are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?" He began to laugh. "Seduce you? Please, I did that a long time ago." "You asshole!" I shrieked, punching him in the arm. He laughed even harder. "Your recent use of curse words is quite scandalous. Are you sure you're the same Riley I know?" I turned my head up indignantly. "I happen to enjoy them very much, and believe them to be very sophisticated in their own ways. I do think they conjure flair among the otherwise-dull redundancy of everyday language." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, potty mouth. Come on, let's ditch this place. We have a date to go on." I smiled at him, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it. We both then left the classroom and headed out to our very first official date. ---------------------------------------------------- HI, YAY I ACTUALLY GOT THROUGH IT. Wow, okay, that felt really good. And I'm sorry this is relatively short-ish compared to the other chapters, but I just got really excited that I finished. I'll try to make it up next chapter! Damn, this feels so good :,) Okay, yeah, I'm done celebrating now, lol. Anyways, yeah, please e-mail! If you've emailed before, I want you to catch me up on your life! If you just now found this story, well, introduce yourself! Okay, yeah, I'm done now. Bye! :)