Read Take It Online

Authors: C. E. Starkweather

Take It (7 page)

BOOK: Take It
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Zack left and Brandi sat back down at the table, putting her head in her hands. She had a massive headache. She thought about Zack and her decision to give him another chance.

He raped you.

He thought I wanted it.

You said no.

Brandi sighed, hating her internal struggle. Did he really think that she wanted it? Why else would he have done that? She was going to have sex with him anyway. Zack said he didn't care about sex now, and he would try to make her happy. She had the upper hand now. If he mistreated her again, she could break up with him for good. She had never loved anybody the way she loved Zack, and she wasn't sure she was ready to let him go. Besides his temper, he was sexy and sweet. Girls looked at her with jealousy when she walked with him down the hall. Even Kayla thought he was hot.

Brandi thought of Kayla and her heart dropped. She would never understand her giving Zack a second chance, and Brandi couldn't figure out a way to explain it to her that made sense. She loved Zack. And you can't help who you fall in love with.

She texted Kayla.

Come over? I need to talk.

Kayla texted her back.
Are u ok???

Fine. I just need to talk to you.

Brt.

Brandi waited nervously and ten minutes later, Kayla pulled into her driveway. She ran to the front door. "Brandi!" She exclaimed, bursting into the house. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just need to talk."

"Oh," Kayla said, sitting down at the table. "What's up?"

Brandi looked down at her hands. "Zack was here."

"Oh, God, Brandi. Did he hurt you? What happened?"

Brandi shook her head. "He didn't touch me. We just talked. He told me some things...that made me understand him a little bit better."

"Oh, Brandi, no," Kayla said softly. "Tell me you didn't believe him."

Brandi looked up. "I don't know, Kayla. He seemed really sorry. And he said that he doesn't care about sex and he just wants me to be happy."

"He RAPED you, Brandi. How can you take him back after that? How can you even stand to look at him?"

"I didn't take him back. Not yet. But he didn't know I was a virgin."

"So what?" Kayla snapped. "So if you weren't a virgin he was allowed to rape you?"

"No!" Brandi cried. "That's not what I meant."

"I can't believe this," Kayla said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you're falling for his pathetic excuses."

"Kayla, you don't understand. I love him. And those feelings don't just go away. He said he's sorry, and I believe him. We're not together. But we're working on things. I need him, Kayla. If he messes up again I'll dump him, ok? But I need to give this another chance."

"No, Brandi, it's not ok. I can't sit here and listen to this. I have to go."

"Kayla, wait." Brandi watched helplessly as Kayla stormed out of her house. She hadn't really expected Kayla to understand, but seeing Kayla so disappointed in her was heartbreaking.

Brandi pulled out her phone to text Zack, then put it away. She didn't want to seem too quick to forgive him. But seeing Kayla storm off made her feel incredibly lonely. She pulled her phone out again and texted Zack.

What are you doing?

He responded right away.

Nothing. What's up?

Can you come over?

Be right there beautiful.

She smiled softly at being called beautiful. She hastily finished her homework before Zack got there. She had just finished when the doorbell rang. She jumped up and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, letting him in. "I just wanted to see you again."

Zack smiled the biggest smile that Brandi had ever seen. "I'm glad. I missed you already."

Brandi slowly wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. He hugged her back and stroked her hair. His touch was loving and gentle. "Did you change your mind about cuddling?"

She nodded against his chest and he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around him as he walked them to the stairs.

"No!" She cried. "Not up there. In the living room."

Zack turned without protest and brought them into the living room. He laid her down on the couch and laid on top of her. He felt her body tense and sat up. "You can lay on top of me," he said softly. Brandi sat up as he laid down and climbed on top of him. "This is nice," he said softly as she snuggled against him. "I could do this all day."

Brandi didn't feel lonely anymore. She felt loved.

 

 

"Where's dinner?"

Brandi glared at her mom as she walked in the door. "There's no food here, mom."

"Well why the hell didn't you go food shopping? Doesn't your father load money on your card?"

Brandi clenched her fists. "I had homework. Why is it my job to go food shopping? Last time I checked you were the mom."

"Brandi, you know how much I work. Maybe you should stop spending so much time with your boyfriend and Kayla and start taking some responsibility."

Responsibility? She had more responsibility than 90% of kids her age. Brandi's chin started quivering.

Don't cry. She's not worth it.

"Oh Christ, Brandi," her mom snapped. "Stop being such a baby. You cry over nothing. One day you'll have real problems and you'll feel stupid for crying over food shopping."

Brandi's mouth dropped open. Her mom's words cut into her like a knife.

"Fuck you," Brandi whispered.

Lynn's face turned purple. "What did you say to me? Think long and hard before you think about repeating yourself."

"FUCK YOU!" Brandi screamed. "You're the worst mom ever! You do nothing for me. NOTHING! All you do is make me feel like a worthless piece of SHIT! I HATE YOU!"

Lynn stared at her daughter, speechless. Brandi grabbed her purse and ran out the door, tears spilling down her face. She jumped in her car and peeled out of the driveway. She was halfway up the street before she realized that she had nowhere to go. Kayla was mad at her and she didn't know where Zack lived. She pulled her car over and texted Zack.

What are you doing?

She waited a minute and when he didn't respond, she decided to look up his address. After all, he had done the same thing to her. There was only one Masterson in Westlake, and it was in the shady part of town. Brandi didn't care. She plugged the address in her GPS and drove to Zack's house.

When she pulled into the small driveway, she was surprised. The house was about the size of a trailer, and the yard was full of garbage and overgrown shrubs. She recognized Zack's car in the driveway though, so she knew she had the right house. She stepped over the garbage and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and a middle aged tall, lanky man opened the door, glaring at her suspiciously. His fingernails were caked in dirt, and Brandi remembered Zack telling her that his father was a mechanic.

She cleared her throat. "Mr. Masterson? I'm Brandi. Is Zack here?"

Zack's father broke into a grin. His teeth were not nearly as white or as nice as Zack's.

"Ah, so you're the girlfriend. Come in, Brandi," he said, drawing out her name in a way that made her skin crawl. She reluctantly stepped inside, looking around. The inside of the house matched the outside, with newspapers and dirty dishes everywhere.

"I see why Zack likes you so much," he said. She turned around and saw him staring at her ass. Her face turned bright red and he chuckled at her.

"Is Zack here?" She asked again. She didn't feel comfortable with his father leering at her.

"Zack!" He called, not taking his eyes off of her. "You have a visitor!"

"Hold on!" She heard Zack yell. The sound of his voice made her feel a little calmer. He came down the stairs and stopped short when he saw her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked shortly.

She cleared her throat nervously. "I wanted to talk to you."

Zack turned to glare at his dad, who was still ogling Brandi. "Let's talk outside then."

Brandi followed Zack gratefully outside. "Let's sit in your car," he said. "Where my dad can't eye fuck you."

His choice of words made Brandi uncomfortable, but she followed him into her car.

"I'm sorry I looked up your address. I just needed you," she said.

"Well, now you know," he snapped.

"Know what?"

"That I'm poor. That my dad is an asshole. That my house is shit."

"Zack, I don't care about any of that. I just want you."

Zack was silent for a minute. "Why did you come here?"

Brandi looked away. "I had a fight with my mom. I didn't know where else to go. I told her...to go fuck herself. And that she was a horrible mom."

Zack whistled. "Wow, that's rough. Why'd you say that?"

Brandi looked at him in surprise. "Because it's true. She isn't a mom. She treats me like shit and thinks she deserves respect for it. I'm so sick of her, Zack."

Zack pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry, baby. I wish we could run away together. Thank god we have each other." She looked up and he kissed her gently. "I love you, Brandi."

"I love you too," she murmured into his mouth. "I wish we could go away too."

"Well, why can't we?" He asked. "Doesn't your dad give you money every month? Why can't we move into a motel or something while we look for an apartment together?"

Brandi wrinkled her nose. "We can't do that, Zack."

"Why?" He asked. "We could be together. We could go to sleep together and wake up together. It'd be like we were married. I love you, Brandi. Don't you want to be with me?"

Brandi thought. Being with Zack did sound good. She wouldn't have to deal with her mom anymore. And Zack could get away from his asshole father.

"Let's do it," she said quietly.

"Seriously?" Zack asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I'll go home and pack a bag. Then you can meet me at the Motel 6 in an hour."

"Holy shit Brandi, you're the best girlfriend ever," Zack said, kissing her. "I'm gonna make you so happy."

"I love you," Brandi whispered. "So much."

"I love you too, beautiful. Go home and pack. I'll see you in an hour."

Brandi drove home, thinking about her future with Zack. She hoped that there was an army base close to where she decided to go to college. After she graduated, they would both get good jobs and get married and have kids. They would be good parents. They both knew how bad it felt to have parents that didn't give a shit about you.

Brandi pulled in her driveway and noticed that all of the lights were off. Her mom probably took a sleeping pill after their fight and passed out. Brandi sighed in relief. She didn't want to face her mom after what she had said to her. She crept inside and up the stairs, turning on the light to her room. She pulled out her suitcase and looked around. She grabbed her laptop and handfuls of underwear and bras. She fit as many clothes as she could in the suitcase and took the toiletries from her bathroom. Her mom worked so much that she could do her and Zack's laundry and pick up more clothes when she wasn't at home. She took one last look at her room, sadly. She would miss her childhood home, but lately the bad memories had outweighed the good. She felt a pang of regret for leaving her mom all alone, but shook her thoughts away. More often than not, her mom didn't care what Brandi did. The only way she even knew Brandi was around was if dinner was ready when she got home. She quietly went to the kitchen and took the magnetic paper pad down from the refrigerator. She tapped the pen on the paper, wondering what to write. She decided to keep it short and sweet.

Dear Mom,

I want you to know that I love you. But living here with you isn't good for either of us. We've both been under a lot of stress, and our fighting and yelling isn't helping anything. I love you, but I'm leaving. Please don't try to bring me home.

Love, Brandi.

Brandi re-read her note and decided it was ok. She wasn't good at touchy feely stuff, but this should get the point across. She grabbed her suitcase and left.

 

 

Take It Off

Zack pulled into the motel next to Brandi. "Look, babe," Zack said, pointing behind him. "They have rooms that are like separate little houses. I'll ask for one of those." He pushed the door open and smiled at the tired, bored looking lady working the counter. She immediately perked up when she saw Zack. "How can I help you?"

"My fiancée and I need a room," Zack said with his arm around Brandi. Her eyes widened at being called his fiancée and she smiled. The receptionist have Brandi a disinterested glance and Zack gave her his license. "Sixty dollars a night. How long do you need?"

"We're not sure yet," Zack said. "Probably at least a week."

Brandi gave the receptionist her card and took Zack's hand. "Room 27," she said. "It's behind the main rooms."

"Fiancée?" Brandi asked as they left the office. Zack smiled down at her. "One day, baby." They got their suitcases and opened the door to their room. "This is awesome," Zack said. "It's perfect."

Brandi smiled at him. The room was small. There was no kitchen. It was pretty much a bed and a small bathroom. But at least for now, it was her and Zack's own place.

"I love you," Zack murmured, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her cheek. "You're so amazing, Brandi. Come here."

Brandi turned around and kissed Zack. "Let's go to bed," he murmured. Brandi nodded nervously and dug around in her bag for pajamas. "Dammit!" She exclaimed. "I forgot my pajamas."

Zack shrugged. "So sleep in your underwear."

Brandi looked away. "It's ok. I'll just sleep in my clothes."

Zack narrowed his eyes. "What's the matter, Brandi? Are you afraid of me?"

She stared at him, not knowing how to respond. She was still nervous to be mostly naked around him, but there was no sense in starting a fight for no reason. "No," she said, smiling at him. She quickly took off her clothes and climbed under the covers. She watched as Zack pulled off his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxers. He slid into bed next to her and pulled her close. "Hold on," Brandi said, grabbing her phone. She texted Kayla and told her not to pick her up in the morning. She set her alarm and rolled back over. "I love you," she said, snuggling up to Zack. She fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

BOOK: Take It
13.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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