Waiting for Something (10 page)

“I’ll meet you in five.” I let her go run to the restroom before she broke down.

I had to quickly finish eating the fruit I had and I didn’t even touch the spaghetti we were having.

I got up and headed over to dump my tray when the five stopped me.

“What do you want?” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re a bit of a slut, aren’t you?” Chelsea spoke.

“No, I’m not.” I didn’t feel like arguing.

“No, you are,” she stopped me from walking and people started to watch.

“Last time I checked I’m more of a virgin than you are,” I snapped.

“You little bitch!” she started yelling.

“Calm down,” I backed up a little.

“You stole Carter from me! Then you try to make people feel bad for your sorry ass by getting in a wreck! You’re an attention whore and I know Jake slept with you!” Everyone was staring at us now and Carter stood up.

“I didn’t steal anything, Chelsea, and you think I wanted to almost die?! You’re dumber than the rest of your group. I’ve never had sex with anyone, okay? And I don’t know why you think I’m an attention whore when you’re always bringing attention to yourself!” I got up in her face, and before I realized it, my chocolate milk was running down my back.

“Sorry, bitch, check mate. C’mon, girls.” Everyone started laughing and the girls high-fived each other.

I quickly dumped my tray and started for the restrooms and noticed Carter running after me. I stopped in front of the lockers by the ladies room and slid down them, unable to move anymore. I bawled like I’ve been wanting to for weeks now. I didn’t realize I was in pain and bleeding until Carter came and picked me up, taking me to the nurse’s office.

“I can walk,” I whimpered.

“It’s fine. You’re bleeding pretty badly from your hand. What’d you do?” he looked at it.

“I don’t know. I think it is from the lockers when I hit them,” I observed the cut on my palm.

“Jeez, you’re
friggen strong. Calm down, Hulk,” he winked at me.

“Carter, stop faking. I know you hate me.” I wiped my tears.

“I don’t hate you. I’m mad at you still, but that doesn’t mean that I hate you. In fact, I’m still in love with you.” We walked into the office and he sat me down.

“Don’t say that.” My heart became heavy.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. It’s my own fault,” he shrugged.

“I still feel terrible for what I did to you,” I sighed and the nurse came in.

“Why, Ms. Burns, you got a nasty cut there. We’ll get you washed up and put some butterfly stitches on them and you should be fine,” the nurse smiled and went to grab the stiches while Carter cleaned up my cut.

“Thank you for helping me,” I smiled.

“Of course. I’ll let Marlie know what was going on.” He got tense when he said her name.

“I think she has feelings for you.” My voice was soft.

“I know,” he stayed monotone.

“Do you have feelings for her?” I was curious now.

“If I ever get over you, I know I do. It’s just you that’s keeping me from doing anything.” I knew he felt bad for admitting it, but if it was true, Carter wouldn’t lie to me.

“Thanks for being honest even though I feel like an ass,” I snickered a little.

“Good. You should,” he winked and the nurse came back in with the supplies to stitch me up and went to work.

“Alright, sweetheart, you’re good to go. Here’s a pass for the both of you.” She gave us our passes and we headed to sixth period together.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” we walked back to our lockers.

“No problem. Now if you’d excuse me, I’m going to try and move on. So if I ignore you, don’t worry. We’re cool,” he smiled and kissed me one last time.

“Thanks, and hey, Marlie’s perfect for you. You’ll get over me fast,” I grinned and he walked off.

Seven

A lot has happened in the last month. I’m completely healed and back to dance which is amazing.
Marlie and I hang out a lot more and Justin, well, he and I still talk and hang out but he and Marlie are never seen together. Carter won’t even look at me still and Jake and I have been doing better ever since the whole Carter thing. I’m leaving tonight to go to Jake’s graduation and I couldn’t be more excited to see him. My parents originally weren’t going to let just me and Marlie go together but both of our grades in school are great so our parents agreed. School was over in less than a month anyway so there wasn’t any homework really.

“
Marlie, are you sure this dress is okay?” I held it up before packing it.

“Yes! Don’t worry! You look absolutely hot in it! So where are we going anyway?” she sat on my bed.

“It’s like an hour away but tomorrow is like a family day or whatever and he invited me to come join so I have two outfits. We’re staying in a hotel near base,” I packed my toiletry bag.

“Awesome, do I get to go?” She grabbed Cosmo and started to browse through it.

“Duh! I’m sure there’s going to be lots of cute Marines there, too,” I winked.

“Better be. I’m single as fuck. Sorry.”
Marlie had a sailor’s mouth.

“Being single isn’t bad. I’m technically single,” I folded up my clothes.

“Yeah but you basically have a guy waiting for you. I don’t,” she groaned.

“You’ll find someone. We’re juniors. We have time,” I finished packing.

“Alright, so what time are we leaving?” she looked at her phone.

“Like 8:30. What time is it now?” I grabbed my suitcase and set it on the floor.

              “Like 8:30. We should get going,” she got off the bed.

             
Once we got to the hotel we settled in and then went to go buy junk food at the gas station next to the hotel. Ladies’ night was about to begin! We stayed up later than I wanted to but it was nice to finally catch up. I found out how she really felt about the whole Carter thing and it seems to me that she likes him but I didn’t say anything. I woke up a little too early because of nerves and I also wanted to look great. This was the first time I would see him since he left. Plus, I kind of told him I wouldn’t be there and so this was going to be a big surprise.

             
“Marlie, wake up! You have an hour to get ready!” I shoved her side.

             
“Five more minutes,” she whined.

             
“No, now. Get up! Let’s go! I’m already finished getting ready!” I removed her covers.

             
“Fine, party pooper, what time is it?” she rubbed her eyes.

             
“It’s 9. We have to be there by 10.” I grabbed the breakfast I brought up for her.

             
“You got me breakfast? Aw, shucks. Thank you.” She took the cup of coffee I got at Starbucks and then went right for the bagel I bought with it.

             
“Hurry up and eat, okay?” I sat on the edge of the bed feeling anxious.

             
“Calm down. Don’t get your panties in a wad!” she took a huge bite of the bagel.

             
“I’m just, like, super nervous. This will be the first time I’ve seen him in three months and now we might actually have something,” I twiddled my thumbs.

             
“He’ll drop dead when he sees you in that outfit,” she sat at the desk chair.

             
“His parents will be there… and so will Carter,” I dropped the bomb quickly.

             
“Alice Burns! You never told me this!” The bagel in her hand fell to the floor.

             
“What did you think? That’s his family.” I shrugged.

             
“Does Carter know we’ll be there? Does he even know you’ll be there?” she eyed me suspiciously.

             
“Not really.” I couldn’t make eye contact.

             
“Well this is just perfect. I’m going to get ready.” Marlie shook her head and went to the bathroom.

Home Stretch

              The day before graduation day. Finally after three long months. I was actually ready to be home. Carter and I were better but things were still icy between us as assumed. I mean, I never thought I’d fall for Ali like I did. She’s so innocent and she’s so frustrating at times, and I like easy and dark. But she’s got that something that makes my heart skip a beat, as cheesy as that sounds. I just had to find a way to tell her that I was going to be stationed in North Carolina and I had to leave almost immediately. Recruiters loved me for some odd reason. Maybe because I had discipline and I was way older than I seemed. She wasn’t going to be here or at the graduation. Something with dance, which to be honest, hurt me a little. I worked hard for this moment and the one person I wanted to share it with won’t be here.

My family was coming which was a surprise. But I didn’t care, it’s not like my parents raised us anyways. I’m my own person now and I’m not going to deal with their shit. I got in my uniform and I looked good. I’d gained a lot of muscle and my hair was buzzed. I looked different, mature.

“Thomas, your girl coming today?” Mike, a friend of mine I met, came to my bunk.

“She’s not my girl and no. She’s got to be at a dance competition,” my heart fell but I stayed emotionless.

“Better get her while you can. Girls like that are usually too good to be true,” he slapped my shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks for
the  millionth time,” I rolled my eyes.

“Just want to keep it fresh for
ya. Ready for today?”  he leaned against the bed frame.

“I guess. It’s just my family,” I slid on my boots.

“Exactly. I get to see my wife today,” he grinned at the thought.  Mike was 23 and had a pregnant wife waiting for him.

“Yeah, well aren’t you lucky?” I stood up again.

“She’s so sexy pregnant. I love it.” I watched his mind wander.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s get out there.” We walked out to the main area where our families would soon be arriving.

I stood there not too excited to see my family, but it was tradition. As the cars started to pull in wives, children, girlfriends, and parents all ran into the arms of their loved ones. My parents rolled up and got out of the car.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” I smiled at Carter as we shook hands and then he just went for it and gave me a hug.

“Jacob Matthew Thomas you look so great. I’m proud of you, darling.” My mom squeezed me tightly and it felt genuine. Maybe they would finally be proud of me.

“Looking sharp, son,” my dad gave me a tight handshake.

“Thanks, Dad,” I returned the shake.

“We need to use the restrooms. Where should we go?” my mom looked around a bit.

“There’s public ones over there,” I pointed toward the building and they all headed that way.

I stood there awkwardly waiting for them to return when I saw a car pull in and I wondered who it was. I noticed there were two girls that got out and the driver looked
smokin’. I didn’t recognize them at a distance so as they walked closer, the anticipation of who they might be grew. The driver made her eyes through the crowd and once she caught my eyes, I knew who it was.

Ali came running toward me and my whole being was in such shock I couldn’t compose myself. The smile grew across my face as we closed the distance and she jumped into my arms. As she was in my embrace, I noticed someone snap a picture but I ignored it. I was too thrilled by the presence of this gorgeous girl.

“Ali Cat? What are you doing here?” I set her down and looked into her gorgeous eyes.

“Surprise!” she smiled.

“The best surprise I’ve ever had,” I squeezed her close just for good measure.

“Looks like she showed.
I’m Mike.” Mike came over with his wife and introduced himself.

“Ali. Thanks for keeping an eye on him,” she smirked.

“No problem. He’s got a great catch. Wasn’t going to let him screw that up.” Mike and his wife really looked happy.

“Well thank you,” Ali put her arm around my waist and hugged me again.

“See you later, Jake. Nice meeting you, Ali,” Mike smiled and he and his wife walked off.

“You’re beautiful.” It was all I could say when I looked back at her.

“You do look sexy. I like it.” She bit her bottom lip and it practically drove me wild when she blushed a little.

“Told you so,” I winked.

“Congratulations, Jake,” Marlie popped up from what seemed like nowhere.

“Hey,
Marlie. Thanks.” I like Marlie. She was pretty cool and a good friend to Ali.

“Where’s your family?” Ali looked around.

“Restrooms. Here they come now. Brace yourself,” I squeezed her hips and she giggled a little.

“Ali?
Marlie?” Carter was the first one to come to us.

“Surprise,” I smiled weakly.

“I guess.” His voice was bleak.

“Ali! Lovely to see you come!” My mom loved Ali Cat.

“Ali, nice to see you again.” My dad gave her a hug.

“Who’s this darling girl, Carter? Is this
Marlie?” How did my mom know about Marlie? What was with the tension between them?

“Yeah, it is. Excuse me,
Marlie, can I talk to you?” Carter and Marlie ducked out. 

“What’s with them?” I whispered in Ali’s ear and she just gave me a look like she had no idea.

“So, Ali, why are you here?” My mom had no idea about us.

“Mom, let’s not do this right now, okay?” I sighed.

“No, Jake, why am I here?” Ali had been pestering me for weeks now about if we were a couple or not. Well, here went nothing.

“We’re dating, Mom.” I felt Ali immediately sink into me and relax.

“Well that’s great! We love Ali!” my mom hugged us.

“We’re not engaged, chill out,” I pushed her back.

As the day went on things were actually pretty chill and laid back. Marlie and Carter seemed like oddly hooked to each other and I wouldn’t let Ali leave my side. My family left after two hours but Ali stayed for the full four and the last two hours we had together I couldn’t stop touching her.

“Come with me,” I grabbed her hand as we left a group of people we were chatting with.

“Where are you taking me?” she giggled as I basically pulled her to the back of a building where no one was to be seen.

“Here. I’m taking you here. I missed you so much.” With her back against the wall I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss her.

“I missed you too, Jake,” she watched my hand as I brushed her bangs back.

“I’m going to kiss you,” I leaned in and our lips were like a magnetic force being pulled together.

We were making out for probably ten minutes before I heard Marlie’s voice. I pulled back and Ali fixed her clothes.  So things got a little out of hand, but we had a crazy sexual chemistry that was just dying to get out.

“I should probably go.” Her voice was airy.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I grinned.

“You bet.” She kissed me one last time before running off to go find
Marlie.

I stayed behind and let myself process the amazing girl that soon I would have to leave behind.

“You’re falling hard, brother,” Carter said as he came up behind me.

“What? No, I’m not,” I got out of my gaze.

“Whatever. You are. It’s not a bad thing,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“You’re right, I guess. Just don’t tell her about me leaving in two weeks,” I glanced at his expression.

“What? You haven’t told her? You really need to tell her you’re going to North Carolina.” He sighed.

“Don’t remind me. I’ll tell her.
Iit’s just that for now I want to enjoy this. You have to know what I mean. I saw you and Marlie sneak off.” I saw his cheeks redden.

“I’m finally over Ali. You should be glad,” he punched my arm.

“I can kick your ass ten times harder now you know that, right?” I laughed.

“Go easy on me, please,” he joked.

“I won’t. I’m really just ready to show Ali my surprise. I never once told her I learned how to play guitar.” We stood there.

“Well she’ll melt when she does. I better go. Mom and Dad already went back to the hotel so now I have to take a cab,” he looked up at me.

“Alright, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow. We get our electronics back tonight,” I smiled.

“Oh boy,” he rolled his eyes and walked to the cab parked in front.

“Thomas, congratulations. Here’s your phone. You have to return it in two hours.” My sergeant handed it to me.

“Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.” I held it in my hand and thought of how my freedom was this much closer.

I walked back to my bunk and
laid in my bed getting my phone out to text Ali. I didn’t exactly know when or how I’d tell her about North Carolina but I had to and soon.

Hey beautiful, I have my phone back for two hours.

You’re kidding me? That’s amazing, baby!

I miss you already…

Ditto! Hey I love that we get to text but my phone is about to die so I’ll have to go! I’ll see you tomorrow
!
Can’t wait.

Yeah see you tomorrow. Be prepared for an awesome show. ;)


I’m prepared!

Well that didn’t go as planned. I felt like a total loser. I had no one else that I really wanted or needed to text so I went ahead and just gave my phone back to my sergeant. I
went to bed early just wanting tomorrow to happen already. And I just wanted to go home and be able to tell Ali what was going on with this whole move to North Carolina. I know I seemed hung up on it but that’s because I didn’t know how she’d react when I told her. Would she want to make it long distance? I was hopeful that she would.