SHIFTED.✔

43

By Sunday night I was wondering if it had all been real, it seemed so long ago. Maybe I'd misunderstood, had taken what he meant the wrong way. I slept badly, tossed and turned, dreamt Victoria Carter was telling me off, laughing at me as she said, 'He wouldn't want to go out with you, you're too weird.'

I woke early in a lather of sweat so got up and went for a shower. Mum and Dad were still home. Both stared at me when I walked into the kitchen.

"What, did you wet the bed?" My father said. I ignored him. Dad always had something smart to say if we did anything out of the usual.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Dad why do you always have to be an arse?" I shot back.

"Hey you watch your mouth!"

Mum intervened, "Bernie, don't start, leave her alone."

"I was just saying good morning. Can't a man do that in his own house?" he sulked.

"Why not just say good morning then instead of some smart comment?" I snapped at him.

Mum shushed me. "It's your father's way, Charlie. You should know that by now."

"Yeah talk about me like I'm not here," Dad said and got up from the table.

"Can't you be pleasant, Charlie when he talks to you in the mornings?" Mum followed Dad out of the room. I made myself some breakfast. Fifteen minutes later they came in to say good-bye.

"Dad, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't sleep well. Had a bad dream."

He jerked his head. "You got problems at school?"

I shook mine back at him.

Dad tapped lightly on the wall. "Alright. See you this arvo."

"Okay." I gave him a grin. I didn't like fighting with my parents. They'd been through some rough stuff over the years.

I got ready early and watched some T.V. Around eight o'clock there was a knock at the door. It puzzled me but I thought it might be Katie so we could walk to the bus stop together.

Keean stood there smiling at me. I beamed back, sighed in relief because now I knew I hadn't dreamt it.

"Hey," he said. "I thought I'd take you to school."

"Oh...I normally catch the bus with Katie."

"You don't want me to take you?"

"It's not that, I'll have to ring her and tell her I'm not catching the bus today."

Keean nodded his understanding. "Are you home on your own?"

"Yeah, my parents leave at seven thirty." I'd barely got the words out when he grabbed me around the waist, lifted me up and carried me inside. Then he shut the door behind him with his foot. I gasped in shock and put my hands on his upper arms to hold on.

"You still okay with what we talked about on Saturday?" He searched my face keenly.

I grinned, nodded and bit my lip to hide how excited I was to see him.

Keean put me on my feet. I went to move off, to ring Katie, but he held my arm and pulled me back towards him. He bent down and kissed me on the cheek. I put my hand on his chest. Keean moved his lips to the side of my mouth and kissed me there. He didn't move away but stayed so close to me. His lips barely touching mine, like he was waiting for permission. My breathing escalated. I couldn't control it and was embarrassed that such a light kiss could have me gasping for breath. He placed his hand on the side of my face and moved his mouth so it was directly in front of mine. Keean kissed me once, then twice. I felt light headed and took hold of his upper arm. He moved me against the hallway wall. Keean sighed then pressed his lips harder on mine. I marvelled at how good he was at kissing and tried to mimic him. He took my hand and put it around his neck. Then he moved his lips away. I felt his breath on my neck as his lips kissed me there. He ran his hand down to my waist. Then his lips found mine again. Keean's breathing had gotten faster. Panic surged through me. I pushed against him. He let me go but stayed in front of me, his face close to mine and rested his elbows on the wall on either side of my head. He inhaled slowly.

I must have looked scared because I sure felt it. I'd never had a boy come onto me before. I wondered if it was normally that strong. My response was a shock. It felt right but my mind told me it was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Keean gasped. "I haven't stopped thinking about you all weekend."

His words made me feel self-conscious. Though I had done the same thing for weeks it was strange to know he was thinking like I was.

"I'd better ring Katie," I whispered.

Keean nodded and grinned at me. He stepped away so I could go to the phone.

"She's going to want to know why you're giving me a lift," I added.

"Yeah she is." Keean raised his eyebrows. "What are you going to tell her?"

"The truth," I shrugged and watched to see if he would have any objection. "She is my best friend."

He smiled like he was pleased I wanted to tell people the truth about us. "Sure...I'm okay with it if it's what you want to do."

Keean listened while I made the call. I tried to make it sound like I hadn't already told her. Katie was quick and went along with me. She asked me questions that needed answers which sounded like I had never spoken to her about it before.

We got in the car and were going around the corner when he said, "She already knew, didn't she?"

Shock must have lit up my face like a lantern. I looked at him sheepishly to see if he was upset. "Yes," I whispered. "Please don't be mad."

He turned to look at me and must have seen the panic on my face. Keean reached over and touched my cheek. "I'm not mad." He took his hand away, glanced at the road then back at me. "I just don't want us to lie to each other."

I felt like a little kid. I'd had a boyfriend for forty-eight hours and was probably going to be dumped by the end of the day.

"I told her Saturday afternoon," I said. "She was the one who made me wear the dress on Friday. Katie's known for a while I had a crush on you. She said the dress would make you notice me. I couldn't not tell her," I paused and added, "I just told her you'd come around and apologised for Friday and you'd asked me out. I didn't tell her the rest...about...you know."

Keean reached out and touched my face again. I looked up at him. He was smiling. "It's okay. I'm not angry." Then he laughed a little and added, "I didn't need the dress to notice you. I noticed you my first day in Chemistry. The dress just drove me insane."

I blushed and looked away again. "I thought you might get mad because of that time when Victoria...you know?"

"Charlie that's because I don't like Victoria. I didn't want anyone to know about it." Keean chuckled and shook his head. "The truth is I didn't want you to know about it. I don't care who knows I'm with you. I can't wait for people to know."

He pulled the car over to the side of the road. We were about a block from the school. Keean turned in his seat to face me. "How do you want to go about this?" My brow wrinkled so he continued, "Some of them will know something's going on because of the way I carried on, on Friday. Do you want to walk in holding hands or ease our way into it? Maybe talk to each other more or sit together at lunch and in class. Your call?"

"Oh!" I screwed up my mouth. I didn't want to offend him but I wanted to take it slow. I didn't want to rush it. "Could we ease our way into it? I've never had a boyfriend before. They all know it and I want to get it right. You might hate me in a week."

Keean laughed at me. "You might hate me in a week." He started the car again. "I have to go straight to the office today."

"Why?"

"Because I cut History and Phys. Ed on Friday. I have to meet Louise, my youth worker, there."

"Will they expel you?" I gasped.

He slowed the car at an intersection. Looked at me then checked the traffic. As he hit the accelerator he said, "I don't think so. Not if I tell them it was love that made me do it."

Keean saw my stunned face. He laughed so I faked an angry frown.

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

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