Lacrosse

8- Why Me and Graffiti

Kendall

"Kendall," a voice whispers from beside me. "It's time to end your beauty sleep."

My eyes flutter open, revealing the most beautiful sight in the world to wake up to. Josh. He is standing next to my bed, wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a blue v-neck that enhances the color in his eyes. I shut my eyes again, not wanting to get out of the comfort of my bed.

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to have to make you," Josh jokes. I groan, indicating that he's going to have to make me. "You asked for it."

My eyes open quickly as I feel Josh's hands start tickling me in the ribs. I start to laugh uncontrollably as my body flails around from the touch.

"Stop it!" I beg.

"Once you get up," Josh says, continuing to tickle me in the ribs and stomach.

"Fine! I'm getting up, I'm getting up!" I plead, sitting right and pushing the baby blue comforter off of me.

"You look so beautiful right now," he coos, whistling quietly.

"Very funny," I shoot back, imagining my frizzy, matted down hair, makeup-less face, and morning breath.

"I'm not kidding," he sighs, giving me a light peck on my cheek.

"Not to shabby yourself," I remark, checking him out from head to toe.

"I'm making breakfast so get ready quickly or I'm going to eat yours too," he states, walking out of my bedroom and in to the kitchen. I smile to myself as I pull a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain red crop top on.

I enter my bathroom and brush my teeth, wash my face, and brush my hair. I decide to pull my hair back into a ponytail and add a red bow to cover the hair tie. I apply a light coat of mascara and eyeliner and go to meet Josh in the kitchen.

"Fresh out of the pantry, a bowl of dry Fruit Loops and a glass of orange juice," Josh says in a fake French accent, trying to act like a world renowned chef. He sets the bowl down in front of me and fixes himself a matching meal. We eat in a comfortable silence, hearing only the noise of the cereal crunching between our teeth and the gulping of juice.

Once we finish the breakfast, I rinse the dishes out and place them in the dishwasher, a new delicacy added to my trailer home. We used to have to clean everything by hand, but I used the money that I had been saving to buy a car to buy the dishwasher and TV instead.

"Ready to go?" Josh asks, hugging me from behind and kissing my neck as I place the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. I nod my head and slip my hand into his, our fingers intertwining as we exit my house and begin to gather our lacrosse bags from the patio. That's when I see it.

"Oh my god," I mutter under my breath, raising my hand to my mouth in utter disbelief. Covering the whole outside wall of the screened off area of my house is graffiti. Big, colorful letters spell out words I don't even bother to read at first. I race out of the patio area, to find more spray painted words decorating to wall by the driveway as well.

That's when I begin to read what the words actually say.

Slut. Whore. Skank. Bitch. Prude. We will get you.

Over and over again, covering nearly every available surface of the white walls of my trailer home.

"They, they know where I live." I gulp. How? How did this happen? I was inside the house the entire night and didn't hear a thing.

"They don't know where I live though," Josh says. I look at him, slightly confused. "You can stay with me until this whole thing dies down."

"What am I going to do about this paint? My family can't afford to repaint the house and I can't just leave it here," I murmur, more to myself than to Josh.

"We can figure something out. Go pack a few changes of clothes to leave at my house and your toothbrush. I'll put our lacrosse stuff in the car."

"How did I get so lucky as to have you in my life?" I ask Josh.

"I ask myself the same question every time I see you," he replies.

I slip away from him, running back inside the vandalized trailer and pack some clothes, pajamas, and bathroom stuff for three nights. I can always come back for more if I need to. My parent's won't be home until next Saturday anyways. All the while wondering one thing:

Why me?