Hopeless Honey

Always

I stayed in the library and fished the rest of my homework. I definitely was not used to the workload every night. I wondered how Xavier did it in top of playing lacrosse.

"Come watch me practice?" He texted.

I laughed to myself. "But people will see me" I responded, wanting to see what he would say.

"Don't care" he was fast.

It made me happy and gave me hope that he would be open to having a relationship with me, because no matter what I told myself, I really did like him.

I grabbed my bag a swung it over my shoulder, as I made my way to the bleachers I spotted Xavier.

I didn't wave or anything because I didn't want him to get in trouble. But the second he saw me he yelled "Honey!" I looked down in embarrassment but he continued. "Over here!"

I waved back and laughed, I heard a few of his teammates high five him and whistle, but I took it as a compliment.

They lasted until 4:30 and when he was done, he ran up to the bleachers. I walked down to meet him half way. He had his arms spread out, as he were expecting a hug.

"Ew, I am not hugging you" I crossed my arms. I looked at the sweat that dropped from him. His hair was damp and his shirt was worse.

"Huh? What did you say?" He ran the rest of the way toward me and scooped me up in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms all the way around me and squeezed.

I was yelling and kicking, but it eventually turned into fits of laughter.

"You are so gross" I said when he finally put me down.

"I can help you shower when we get home" he laughed

"In your dreams" I smacked his arm.

He laughed and we walked to the car after he grabbed all his stuff. When we got in the car he reached for the radio immediately. The music wasn't bad but I had something better. I put on a Spanish song that my mom used to play on repeat as she cleaned.

I knew he knew the song and I thought he would think it was funny.

The beginning started to play and he got quiet, he didn't really react the way I thought.

"Mamá used to play this song. Don't you remember?" I asked stupidly smiling.

"Yeah, I love this song" he responded. But he had a solemn look on his face that said otherwise.

"Then why do you look so sad?" I looked at him.

"It reminds me of when we were little. Things were better then" he said quietly.

My heart broke, I knew what he was talking about. I knew what he meant. How he felt.

"It was all easier when we were kids, I remember when we would play in the pool on the really hot days." He continued. "And how you always wore that pink bathing suit with the Barbie on it"

"I hated that bathing suit" I laughed

"Your mom made you wear it until it was way too small for you" he added, laughing.

"She didn't want to buy me a new one" I added

"Well, I remember you elbowed me in the head once and I sunk to the bottom of the pool." It felt good to remember good times.

"Hey, it was an accident! And I did save you after" he couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Save me? You're the reason I was in danger!" I told him.

He looked over at me and smiled. It was really and true and it meant the world to me.

It was quiet for a moment and it seemed like realization had hit. We knew in that moment that those memories would be gone one day. And we just had to deal with the way things were.

"Xavier"

"Yeah?"

"We can make our own memories. New ones. Ones that can never get ruined by parents, or money, or skin color." The Hope was present in my voice.

He was quiet for a moment.

"Together?" He asked.

I could hear the silence in the car.

"Always" I stated

"Do you promise?" He whispered

"I promise"