EASTSIDE

16 .

THE BEST PART ABOUT
SECRETS IS WATCHING THE
REACTIONS PEOPLE HAVE
WHEN THEY FIND OUT.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you looked?"

The two were in Finn's car on their way to the homecoming way. Bayley hadn't noticed, but he decided to take a long way, wanting to admire the time that he had with his girlfriend.

Bayley smiled. "Only seven times, but who's counting?"

Finn chuckled as he placed his hand on her thigh as rubbed his thumb against it. "Question?"

"Yes?"

"Before we left your house, what did your sister say?"

Bayley looked at him and shook her head. "You don't want to know."

"I do."

She sighed. "Puede que seas lindo, pero eso no me impedirá alimentar al perro con tu pene," she repeated, "you may be cute, but that won't stop me from feeding your penis to the dog."

He stopped at a red light and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Should I be scared?" Bayley shrugged. "Brenda's never brought a boy home. You're my first boyfriend. I don't know what to expect."

He chuckled as he pressed his foot on the gas once more. The two remained silent the way to school but enjoying the silence. It was comforting. It was as if they were both thinking the same thing: that they were happy.

Finn pulled into the parking lot and into his spot in front of the soccer field. He looked over and saw Bayley looking down, playing with her fingers. "You OK, princess?"

She nodded, continuing to look down at her fingers. He placed his finger on her chin and made her eyes connect with his. "I asked you a question. Are you OK, princess?"

"I'm scared," she whispers. A slight frown grew on Finn's face. "Why?"

She sighed. "I promise, I'm not embarrassed to be seen with you. I wouldn't care if there was a billboard plastered with a picture of the both of us," Finn chuckles, "but I'm just scared of what people are going to say. Especially Sasha."

"You need to start thinking like me," Finn admits. "I could give two shits about what people think about me. Why do you think I've been arrested like three times?"

"I don't want to be arrested."

Finn laughs. "My point is you need to get out of your head. What people say about you and me is most likely not true. Let them think what they want, alright?"

She sighs and nods. "I'm ready."

She smiles as he gets out of the car and walks over to her side and opens the door for her, helping her out of the car. The two walked into the school building, hand in hand s they stopped in front of the attendance desk.

"Tickets?" The guy in the seat asked the two. He had a name tag with 'Travis' written on it. Bayley looked at Finn. "I didn't know we had to get tickets before hand," she whispered. "Don't worry about it," he whispered back.

He looked at Travis and pulled out his wallet. "How much for tickets?"

"Sorry Finn. Tickets are supposed to be pre-ordered. I can't let you guys in."

"Finn, it's OK," Bayley said. "We'll go somewhere else."

"Can I talk to you for a second, Travis?" Finn asked as he put his wallet in his pocket. Travis had a nervous look on his face before getting up from his seat. He walked over to Finn, an arm being wrapped around his shoulder.

The two boys walked away from Bayley, as she watched the two talk. Their backs were turned and she could barely hear them, but she had an assumption as to what Finn was telling.

The boys turned around and Bayley could see the fear in Travis' face, as Finn had a smile on his face as he patted his back. The two walked back over, Travis going to his seat. He handed Bayley two bracelets. "H-Have a good time."

Bayley looked at Finn and handed him one of the bracelets. "What did you say to him?"

Finn wrapped his arm around her waist as the two walked into the gym. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Walking through the doors, Bayley realized why everyone, especially Sasha, made a big deal. All the girls were wearing dresses that were definitely made for a wedding, making her feel under dressed. There were tables with some kids sitting there, but mostly everyone was on the dance floor.

"You OK?" She heard Finn whisper. "What'd I say in the car? Fuck everyone. It's you and me."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The two stayed a bit distant from everyone. After all, it was their anniversary. Bayley had loosen up a bit, getting comfortable after being with Finn and taking in what he had said. There were also times where Finn would tell her to go to the bathroom so he could leave some more marks on her.

Soon the lights dimmed and a slow song came on. An idea came to Bayley's head. "Dance with me."

"Excuse me?"

Bayley stood up and pulled on Finn's arm. "What happened to it's you and me, princess?" She made her voice deeper and added an accent to sound like him. He chuckled. "I don't sound like that."

"Dance with me, please?" She asked. He raised her hand and kissed it. "Fine."

A smile came on her face as the two walked through the other couples and stood slightly in the middle of dance floor. Finn wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck.

"You smell good," he whispered. She giggled. "What's with you and compliments today?"

A confused look came on Finn's face. "Are you saying I don't compliment you enough?" She shakes her head. "I was teasing. I love your compliments. Makes me feel special."

Finn took one of her arms and kissed her hand again. "Princess, I will tell you as many times how special you are to me. I wouldn't change anything about this past month, alright?"

She nods as she leans up and kisses his lips. The kiss was passionate and slow, making them feel like they were the only ones in the room. But they weren't.

Finn pulled away from her as he placed his forehead on hers. He chuckled to himself. "People are staring."

She smiled as she bit her lip. "Fuck 'em."

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