Oli Sykes && This Is Goodbye, Gravity && XII

Ever since things between Mom and I began to get back to normal, the two of us had been meaning to have a mother-daughter day. This day would include shopping - bonus for me - and a lot of eating - also a bonus for me. After another long week spent hiding out whenever Morgan happened to have company over, plus doing enough school work and college applications to make my head explode, I was pretty sure that a day out with my mother was well-deserved.

If there was one thing Mom and I had in common, it was a love for thrifting. We would ransack Goodwills and the Salvation Army and anything else we could find, and we'd do it all in one day. We would find some of the best stuff when we went thrifting, because we both had an eye for it, and there were so many shops to choose from in Ft. Lauderdale.

Because I had made such an effort not to wear my regular clothes, though, shopping was a little bit of a hassle. I didn't want to buy everything I got my hands on because I didn't want to be tempted to wear it. It wasn't like it would matter - the one guy I wanted to impress wasn't exactly banging down my front door.

Mom didn't understand how I passed up a red leather jacket that looked like it had hopped out of an eighties movie or the teal Shirley Temple-style dress with the white trim. I passed up a pair of brown and tortoise shell heels and yellow, pointed-toed stilettos with cartoons sketched on them in black. I tried to explain to her that I was trying to become a minimalist when it came to my wardrobe, but she wasn't buying it.

"Maybe we should just go eat," she finally said after spending a couple hours shopping. I had turned away every possible article of clothing that might attract the least bit of attention, and I could tell she was getting frustrated.

"That's a good idea," I agreed.

In the car, she tried giving me the third degree. She'd noticed that I'd taken my wardrobe down a notch, but she thought it was just a phase. She didn't realize that I had an actual reason - she just thought that I had been acting out because I hated Sheffield.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it anymore," I told her as we took our seats in the pizza parlor.

She twisted her mouth to one side, looking like she wanted to say more but didn't want to push it.

"Is it about a boy?" she finally asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

I rubbed my forehead. "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "I've just seen you go through boyfriends and, well, not-boyfriends, and I know how you react when things get bad. I'm your mother, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," I replied. "And that's exactly the reason I don't want to talk to you about it."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't play that game, Luxy. Morgan told me already that something happened on Halloween, but he wouldn't say what. I already know that you went out, and I know that you drank. You're not going to get in trouble, but I might be able to help."

Before I could open my mouth to even begin the story, though, our pizza arrived, and as it did, the door to the restaurant opened, and in walked Curtis and a boy I had met briefly on Halloween but whose name had escaped me.

I don't know exactly what my thought process was when I saw them walk in. I could have just quietly excused myself and slipped into the bathroom unnoticed. But the logical part of my brain had apparently taken a momentary hiatus, because the next thing I knew, I was throwing myself onto the floor beside my chair and ducking my head under the table.

Inconspicuous was apparently not my forte.

"Lux, what's going on?" Mom exclaimed loudly, obviously a little worried. I mean, it's not every day your daughter throws herself onto the ground. She probably thought I was having a seizure.

In my haste to stop her from using my name again, I banged my head on our table, causing everything on top to teeter dangerously, and the jar of parmesan to tumble onto the floor. Thankfully, it didn't break. I could only imagine how much more embarrassing the situation would have been if it had.

One hand on the tender spot on the back of my head, I slowly peeked my head out from under the table, my eyes traveling up to see Curtis and the other boy watching me curiously.

My mother just looked worried.

"I, uh, I dropped my - my - " I stuttered, grasping for a story. The grasping pretty much ceased when I noticed Curtis and his friend approaching the table.

"'Ello, Mrs. Cottworth," Curtis said to my mother, giving her a large grin. "Curtis Ward - remember? I'm a friend of - "

She cut him off. "Morgan's, I know." She grinned. "It's nice to see you, Curtis. And who's your friend here?"

"Matt Nicholls, ma'am," the other boy said, reaching out to shake my mother's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Matt," Mom replied politely. "Are you boys keeping out of trouble today?"

She always asked my brother's friends the same question. I was pretty sure it was because she had nothing else to say. But I'd rather them talk to her than talk to me. And it also gave me the perfect opportunity to slip away to the bathroom.

"Just pickin' up my pay," Matt told my mother as I scooted back my chair and headed for the hall with the restroom sign above it.

Once inside, I did everything I could to take as much time as possible. I tried to force myself to pee even though I didn't actually have to. I washed my hands for too long. I braided my hair. I unbraided my hair. I called my voicemail. I made sure there was nothing in my teeth. I did a booger check. And when I finally headed for the door, I was sure that Curtis and Matt would be gone. After all, there was only so much time they could spend talking to my mother.

I nearly screamed when I walked out of the bathroom and found Curtis leaning against the wall directly across from the door.

"I was hopin' yeh wouldn't take too long," he said before I could get a word out - not that my brain was processing the situation correctly anyway. "I didn't want to look like a creeper, lurkin' outside the ladies' room."

I didn't say anything. I merely turned to walk back to my table, eager to escape.

I should have known he wouldn't make it that easy, though. He reached out and touched my arm lightly - so different than what I was expecting, because in any movie or book I've ever seen or read, it's always a grab, never just a touch - and I was so shocked that I froze.

He gently turned me to face him, one hand on each of my shoulders. I could have collapsed.

"I really want to talk to yeh about what happened," he said in a rush, looking nervous.

I bit my lip, avoiding his gaze. "Um, what happened?" I asked, playing dumb.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeh know what hap - " He stopped short, looking frustrated. "Listen, I just want to talk about it. I have to work until eleven. If yeh want to talk about it, I'll be there waitin' for yeh when I get off."

Without another word, he slipped past me and disappeared around the corner. I heard the bells above the door jingle, signaling his departure.

When I returned to the table, Mom gave me a knowing look.

"So, what happened between you two?" she asked. She took a bite of her pizza nonchalantly, as if she didn't have a care in the world.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

She pursed her lips. "You know, Lux, one day you'll actually want to talk to me about boy problems."

I highly doubted that, but I didn't protest.

&&

I had to call Reggie. It was ten fifty-five, and I had been pacing around my room since about ten o'clock.

Or maybe since the minute Mom and I returned from the pizza place.

I was nervous. I didn't want to go. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to go.

With a sigh, I rushed to my bedside table and grabbed my phone, hitting the speed dial for Reggie. She answered on the first ring.

"What up, playa?"

I couldn't help but smile, despite my dilemma. When I regained my thoughts, though, I said, "I have a problem."

"Lay it on me, mama."

All her lingo really made me miss her more than I already did.

I spilled the store of what had gone down in the pizza place in record time, staring at my clock as it ticked from fifty-six to fifty-seven to fifty-eight to fifty-nine. I finished my story just as it struck eleven o'clock.

I was out of time.

"Wait, wait, bro, isn't it eleven there?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied without hesitation.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STILL DOING ON THE PHONE WITH ME?" she shrieked. I pulled the phone away from my ear, though it didn't do much, because I could still hear her screaming at me. "GET YOUR ASS OVER THERE RIGHT NOW! AND CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME!"

When I looked at my phone, I realized that she had hung up on me.

Without a second thought, I shoved my phone into my pocket and flew from my room, down the stairs, and out the front door. I just barely grabbed my keys on my way out, but I left everything else, including my coat and actual clothe. I was just wearing a pair of cloth boot slippers, ratty black sweatpants, and one of my thrift shop sweaters that I'd dug out of the back of my closet.

Needless to say, the piercing wind outside nearly knocked me off my feet as I struggled to unlock my car. As soon I slammed my door shut, I started the car and peeled off. I'm pretty sure I burned rubber.

When I arrived at the grocery store, the parking lot was nearly empty. It was ten past eleven, and I didn't see Curtis anywhere, so I parked in the nearest spot and hopped out. There aren't many things that can make me actually run, but finding Curtis at that moment had me at a sprint.

As I came around the back of the building, my eyes scanning every crevice of the dark lot, I smacked straight into the exact person I was looking for. Of course, I nearly knocked us both off our feet, and he had to catch me by the elbows to keep me from completely busting my ass.

"I didn't think yeh were comin'," he admitted as he helped me balance myself again.

I bit my lip. "I didn't think I was either," I replied softly. I found myself leaning into him slightly, probably because his hands were still on my forearms and I was also trying to catch the breath I'd lost during my run.

"I'm glad yeh did," he told me.

I fell quiet, sliding my arms out of his grip. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to concentrate with him holding me like that.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, letting the other fall at his side. "I just - I wanted - " He sighed. "Yeh make me really nervous."

I pressed my lips together, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it," he announced. "What I said on Halloween, it wasn't a cop out. It was the truth. And when yeh started avoiding me - and I know yeh did, so don't try and deny it - I was actually really hurt. I don't wanna sound like a pansy, because that ain't it at all. I just... it was bollocks."

I gnawed at my lip, unable to find the words - though that apparently didn't matter, because he wasn't finished anyway.

"Yeh don't know how hard it was for me to not touch yeh that night. But I wasn't gonna take advantage of yeh, Lux. I ain't that guy. I gave yeh drinks because I thought that's what yeh wanted. I thought yeh weren't drinkin' because yeh didn't know who to ask or somethin'. I dunno what I was thinkin', but I just wanted to give yeh what I thought yeh wanted.

I mean, I already said it. Yeh make me nervous, and I wasn't sure what else to do. Then yeh got all heated when I told your brother we was just dancin', and I thought yeh might be embarrassed to be caught dancin' with me. I didn't realize it was because I told him it was just a dance."

"I thought you said it because I didn't mean anything," I mumbled, embarrassed.

He laughed. "Are yeh kiddin' me, Lux? I'm a dolt. I have a hard enough time getting' a girl to give me a second glance. Then all of a sudden I've got this gorgeous girl actually gettin' heated because she thinks I'm not into her? It's a lot to take in."

I tried to hide my smile, but it was a hard thing to do. "You really think I'm gorgeous?" I asked softly, lifting my gaze to his.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I've only been tellin' yeh that since we met!"

I blushed, scuffing my foot against the concrete.

"So... are yeh still angry with me?" The look on his face was a serious puppy dog expression. I practically melted right there.

"How about I think about it while you walk me to my car?"

He grinned, and as I turned to walk back around the building, I felt his hand slip around mine, lacing our fingers together. I gave him a shy smile, leaning into him as a cold wind ripped through me, making me shiver.

"Cold?" he asked, leaning his face down close to my ear.

I nodded. "I forgot my coat at home."

Before I knew what was happening, he had lifted our entwined hands, twirling me into him and wrapping his arms around me. I laughed, pressing my face into his shirt as he wrapped his coat around us. I moved my legs backwards as he walked forward, relishing in his body heat.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm not angry with you anymore," I told him, tilting my head up to look at him.

He grinned as we reached my car. "Good. Because if you were, this would probably be really awkward."

A moment later, he pressed his lips against mine in a quick kiss. I was still grappling with the fact that he was kissing me when he pulled away.

"Is that... er, okay?" he asked, sounding nervous.

I smiled, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "That's very okay." This time, I pushed myself onto my toes and closed the space between our lips again. Though this kiss was longer, it was also cut short - this time by the sound of a car honking. Curtis and I sprung apart, turning to look at the car.

Oli stuck his head out the window. "Let's go, yeh sod," he called.

I licked my lips, turning my gaze back to Curtis. "I guess I'll see you later..."

He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine. "Yeah. He's a little fucker, ain't he?"

"Worst timing," I agreed.

Curtis laughed and gave me a quick kiss. "I'm glad you came."

"I am too," I replied as he backed up.

Oli honked obnoxiously. "Come on!"

He sighed, giving me one last smile. "'Bye."

I waved pathetically as he climbed into the car, and a minute later, they were gone.