Nov 2015

“I-I was wondering if you could help me with english sometime?” Carter asks me as the bell rings one day after class.

I nod. “When do you want to?”

“Would you be able to come to my house?” He questions. “I just want to keep in quiet that I need help.” He says nervously and I swoon. He is seriously the cutest person I have ever seen!!

“um yeah I think so.” I nod tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “When exactly?”

“Can you come um tonight? I get it if you can’t, I just wanted to start my essay and I think I need your help for that. I also didn’t really understand the book so.” He rambles on which makes me smile.

“I can do tonight. Right after school?”

“Yeah, I can drive you to my house.” He tells me. “Meet me outside after last period.” He replies walking away towards his friends.

I turn around confused and head to my locker. Julia is waiting for me. “Ready for lunch?” She asks.

I nod quietly opening my locker and getting my lunch bag. “How was law?” I ask her.


“Good, I have a 94%. I just got a 96% on our last test.”

“Wow, you’re a genius.” I joke. Julia has always been interested in law as both her parents are lawyers in Everett. Her dad is a criminal lawyer and her mom civil so she is definitely going in their footsteps.

She chuckles. “I didn’t tell anyone though. Mr. Smith did silently praise me but I think he knows I don’t like others in the class to know what I get.”

“You’re modest.” I smile.

“How was english?” She pipes up as we walk to the cafeteria.

“It was good, I have to work on my essay a bit more. But good.” I tell her not exactly lying about what Carter asking but just with holding information. I will tell her but when I don’t know.

“How was Carter?” Julia asks as we sit down at our usual table.

“He, um asked me something.” I mutter.

She raises her eyebrows. “What did he ask?” She asks as her boyfriend, Liam sits down beside her. “Hi.” She smiles.

“I will tell you later.” I smile.


“Oh don’t stop your conversation because of me!” Liam says.

“No, girl stuff. It’s okay.” I reassure him taking a bite out of my sandwich.

A hand swipes along my back and I turn to my left to see Carter standing there looking at me intently. “Hey.” He smiles with a little blush on him. “I-uh- forgot to give you this.” He gives me a piece of paper crumpled and ripped out of a binder.

“Uh thanks.” I don’t even know what it is.

“See ya.” He says awkwardly and walks away.

I take the paper and open it to see that it’s Carter’s number and turn to look in the direction of his table to see him red faced glancing at me with a smile. I return his smile and put the paper is the pocket of my jeans and focus on my sandwich. I look up to see my best friend and her boyfriend staring at me. “What?”

“Spill your guts this instant.” Julia demands.

“Um it’s Carter, I don’t know.” I say awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

“What the fuck was that? You know him?”

“I sit beside him in english.” I roll my eyes.

“What the fuck did he ask you?” Julia blurts out.

“If I could help him with english, okay? It’s not that big of a deal.” I shrug them off.

“Like as a tutor?” Julia asks.

“Yeah kinda. It might just be tonight, who knows.”

“Are you going to his house?” Liam asks.

“Yeah?”

“WHAT.” Julia yelps.

“Shhhhh.”

“Were you ever going to tell me if he didn’t come over?”

“Yeah eventually.”

“When would that be?”

“Like now. I don’t want people to know because he said he wanted to keep it quiet. He sounded embarrassed.”


“Thats so cute, oh my gosh he’s like a little baby, so cute.” Julia swoons.

“Babe, I’m right here.” Liam comments.

Julia rolls her eyes. “You hate it when I call you cute.”

“You can’t call him cute!”

“Yes I can Liam. I’m not going to date him ok? I’m taken anyways.” Julia rolls her eyes and chuckles. Julia and Liam have been together for basically all of highschool and I have been the official third wheel for way too long.

“ANYWAYS he’s driving me to his house after school. He lives with a billet right?” I ask Liam knowing that he was pretty popular within the school that he would know.

“Yeah, I think he lives with someone else too. I think the Riley kid. Not sure.”

“oh okay.”

___

Soon school is over and I am buzzing with nerves. I made sure to text Carter at lunch to tell him that this was me so he would have my number and he asked me where my locker was and that he would meet me there. I am jittery with anxiousness because I don’t really hang out around boys and like this is the first one that has really noticed me. Even though it is for school.


I close my locker and say goodbye to Julia and Liam when I see Carter standing off to the side. I walk up to him. “Hi.” I smile and hope my nerves don’t show.

“Ready to go?” He says angling his head to the door to the student parking lot.

“Sure.” I smile and follow him.

We head out to his car and he leads me to a black, beat up jeep. I love jeeps so much, its literally my dream car. “Okay so I tried to get my teammate who I live with to go somewhere tonight so it would be just us. But no one would take him. I hope its aright that he comes with us. I told him he had to sit in the back.” He says shyly and awkwardly when I see the boy leaning against the jeep.

“Thats fine.” I smile shyly back.

“Took you guys long enough.” The boy rolls his eyes as Carter unlocks the car.

“I’m so sorry about this.” Carter apologizes, almost embarrassed.

“It’s all good.” I chuckle.

“Hello Ali, I’m Riley. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” He grabs my hand and kneels before me as he kisses my hand. My face goes beet red and I look up to Carter for support.

“I’m going to kill you.” Carter mutters to him. “Get in the back, Ali is riding up front.” He says walking away and getting into the jeep. Riley jumps up and gets into the back as I awkwardly walk to the passenger seat.

The music is in the background as we make our way out of the parking lot. “Are we picking up Tay?” Riley asks from the back. No clue how Tay is but okay.

Carter sighs. “Yes but could you please be able to keep her company when Ali is here. We need to get homework done.” Carter pleads.

“You owe me big time man.”

“Okay how about I don’t pick her up and blame it on you?” Carter fires back. He has a sassy side to him I have never seen.

“Fine, fine. Just takes us home and I will take the car and pick her up.”

Carter tenses again. “You’re really pissing me off Ri.”

“Don’t change any of your plans because of me.” I squeak out trying to find my voice.

“You’re not-” Carter starts.

“You are only a little Ali. I don’t want to lie.” Riley says and I immediately feel super bad.

“I will pull this fucking car over Riley.” Carter booms from the front seat. He relaxes and lowers his voice as he quickly glances at me. “It’s our billet sister, Tayler. She’s 7. She can kind of get annoying. So I just want Riley to do one thing and let us work on homework but its proving to me difficult.” He tells me.

“I’m sure she won’t be that bad.”

“Thats what everyone says. Just wait.” Riley warns.

“How about you pick her up and if she is difficult then we can go to my house?” I suggest.

“I approve.” Riley tells us from the back seat.

“Okay.” Carter nods.

Carter makes a turn and we head into the direction of the elementary school near our high school. Julia’s younger brother goes here. “Can you go get her?” Carter asks Riley. “Actually do you want to come meet the devil?” Carter asks me.

I nod. “Sure.” Carter finds a parking spot and gets out and we head into the school. I find Carter and myself are becoming more comfortable with each other but that could be because Riley is here and its not just just two. I follow behind Riley and Carter to what looks to be a classroom. School is over so there are other parents around picking up their children.

I see a small brown haired girl with glasses and her hair braided look up and her smile brightens when she sees Carter and Riley. She scrambles to grab her backpack and coat and meets us at the door.

“Hey Ri. Hey Cart.” She chippers.

“How was your day Tay?” Carter asks. We go to leave the classroom and Tayler looks at me curiously when I follow them.

“Who’re you?” She blurts out.

“My name is Ali.” I smile.

"She’s my friend from school.” Carter fills in.

“Hello Ali, I’m Tayler, but they call me Tay.” She tells me. “School was school Carter. Its the same question every time you pick me up.” She rolls her eyes.

“Did you learn anything smarty pants?” Riley asks taking her hand to hold.

“No. I know how to count. We did paint.”

“What did you paint?” Riley asks and they dive into a conversation as we head to Carter’s house. I can tell Carter and Riley both have a soft spot for Tay. She is a firecracker but she is so cute. The car ride is filled with Riley and Tay talking the whole time and Carter and I just sitting in silence. I chuckle at Tay a couple times which gets Carter’s attention and he smiles my way.

Soon we arrive to a large brick house and Carter pulls into the drive way. Riley helps Tayler get out and I let myself out following the three into the house. Carter lets me in and closes the door behind me. Tay runs off somewhere, probably to her room and Riley tells us he is going to the kitchen. Carter stands there awkwardly, “uhh do you want something to eat before we start?”

“No, I’m okay for right now.” I smile politely. “But if you want something, go right ahead.”

“I’m good for now.” He replies. “I think its best if we study in my room. My billet family does have this open door with girl in room policy, I hope thats okay.”

I chuckle. “Thats fine by me.”

He opens the door to my room and to be honest its very messy and what I would imagine a boys room to look at. Its somewhat small, probably medium size with his bed tucked into the corner with the window. There’s a tv on the wall with game consoles underneath and below is a desk that has papers scattered around it. On the wall was a framed picture of him playing in Everett. “Sorry my desk is so messy. We can sit on my bed.” Carter tells me and I sit on the end of his bed and pull my english binder and my laptop out. “So you haven’t started your essay yet, right?”

“Yeah, I haven’t. But my essay isn’t due the same day the rest of the class is due. Its due on Monday.” Carter tells me as he sits down with his laptop on his lap. His long legs taking up most of the bed but leave room for me. My essay was due on Thursday, and it was Tuesday. So Carter and I had less than a week to get his essay done.

“How much of the book have you read?” I ask.

“None. I don’t even know what the protagonists name is.” He chuckles but then runs his hands through his hair. To me that showed that he was very stressed about this.

“Well it looks like we have lots to do. Let’s get to it.” I smile reassuringly.

Notes

this might become a regular storyyy, we will see!!
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