red chamber dream
Should be "ones" instead of "one". Thanks.
In that case, "Puzzles" or "Boards" might be more appropriate, "Reaching ones so difficult..." sounds a bit awkward to me.
Archived M2K2 Forum
red chamber dream
Part VII — Cherry Cola
Though I had anticipated this for weeks, I was still greatly disappointed that there was no volleyball game tonight. We had tomorrow off school, so I decided to spend the night at Jake's. His resulting excitement was palpable at school— I hadn't hung out with him or any of my other friends as much since getting closer to Nicole, even though I still didn't often see her outside of school.
I walked into Jake's house without knocking.
"Hi mom!" I shouted up to Mrs Kathy. She was usually in the kitchen around this time of day, cooking, among other things, potatoes. Jake's family had potatoes nearly every evening: they hailed from Idaho.
"Is that my Ethan?"
"Yep!"
"Jake's downstairs!" she shouted back to me.
Like usual, I took the steps two or three at a time, the noise from the TV steadily loudening as I neared the bottom, eventually turning into the familiar sound of Family Guy— we had planned a marathon of the first few seasons tonight.
I stopped breathing once I entered the room.
Naomi was lounging on the couch opposite her brother, and sitting beside her was Nicole.
"'Sup, dude." Jake's greeting didn't immediately register; I was too bewildered the sight of Nicole. What was she doing here, of all places, of all times?
"Hey Ethan!" Naomi was always, always cheerful. "Pickle's spending the night, too!"
Pickle? Did she mean Nicole?
"Hey." Nicole's smile showed she was happy to see me here. Had she planned all along to be at Jake's at the same time I was, or was it just an extraordinary coincidence?
"Hey, hey." Clearly I was a master of salutations, especially when my heart rate was unexpectedly through the roof.
"We just started Family Guy," Jake was lying prone on the longer couch, like usual.
"Cool." I took a seat in the rocking chair between the sofas, the only option left.
"Oh Ethan, you can sit here, I have to go bed soon." Naomi got up and headed toward her room, which was right down the hall. She had recently moved to the downstairs, which always seemed like a weird location to me.
"Why?"
"I got an interview tomorrow morning!" Ah, I'd forgotten about her job search. To most people she would have sounded particularly excited, but I knew her too well— this was just Naomi.
"Oh, cool."
"'Night guys; 'night Pickle!"
"'Night." Jake was always this nonchalant, the exact opposite of his sister.
"'Night Pickle!" Nicole called after Naomi as she bounced out of the room.
"So can I call you Pickle, too?" I jokingly asked.
"No," she said curtly, with mock sternness. "Come sit over here." Now she was being much sweeter, and of course I complied. She moved to the right to give me room, but I still sat as close as I felt appropriate. I really hoped that was what she wanted.
"So I didn't know you were going to be here," she informed me, and from her tone I was almost positive she was being truthful, though I wouldn't have particularly cared were she not.
"Yeah," I laughed, "I didn't even know you and Naomi were friends."
"Really?" Jake asked, surprised. “Yeah, they hang out like all the time."
"Oh really? Yeah, nah, I didn't know that."
"Yep, Nao's my Pickle."
"Hah, if you say so."
The three of us spent most of the night chatting and laughing about volleyball and school—the only things we all had in common—or the ridiculous antics on the screen in front of us. It was surprisingly fun, and after a short while any awkwardness I felt sitting so near Nicole with Jake in the room completely dissipated.
It was just so easy being around her now, even with Jake there. I didn't feel like I had to guard my relationship with Nicole—whatever it meant—so closely from him. In fact, as the evening progressed, our bodies shifted closer and closer to each other until I found myself leaning against her shoulder, one arm squished between her back and the couch. Nothing like using television to induce snuggling.
Jake drifted to sleep around midnight, and as if in response, Nicole worked her left around me and began dragging her fingers across my stomach, following a different path each time. For the first time since we had held hands, my stomach lurched, and I shuddered from the sensation. Could she feel that? If she had, she showed no indication and and continued to tease me. I sidled into a more prone position, settling in the soft niche between her shoulder and chest.
"Are you comfortable enough?" she asked very softly.
"Yeah." It was true— usually I was much more fidgety than this, but for some reason Nicole could keep me relatively still.
"Are you sure? Get comfortable," she encouraged sweetly, using the voice I couldn't resist.
I shifted around a bit more so she'd believe me. Anywhere this close to Nicole was comfortable, but I took advantage of the situation by wrapping my arm neatly around her waist.
She looked down at me; even though the room was dark, I could pick out the blue in her eyes.
"Hey you." It was barely a whisper. Somehow, those two words had become uniquely Nicole to me, and her saying them now, so close to my ear, meant more than anything else at that moment.
"Hey," I breathed, and closed my eyes, listening to her heart beat. Together we reached a state of extreme calm over the next hour or so, neither awake nor asleep. Our breathing fell precisely into step, and the longer we lay together, the more sense it made for us to be near. This was paradise.
Though I had anticipated this for weeks, I was still greatly disappointed that there was no volleyball game tonight. We had tomorrow off school, so I decided to spend the night at Jake's. His resulting excitement was palpable at school— I hadn't hung out with him or any of my other friends as much since getting closer to Nicole, even though I still didn't often see her outside of school.
I walked into Jake's house without knocking.
"Hi mom!" I shouted up to Mrs Kathy. She was usually in the kitchen around this time of day, cooking, among other things, potatoes. Jake's family had potatoes nearly every evening: they hailed from Idaho.
"Is that my Ethan?"
"Yep!"
"Jake's downstairs!" she shouted back to me.
Like usual, I took the steps two or three at a time, the noise from the TV steadily loudening as I neared the bottom, eventually turning into the familiar sound of Family Guy— we had planned a marathon of the first few seasons tonight.
I stopped breathing once I entered the room.
Naomi was lounging on the couch opposite her brother, and sitting beside her was Nicole.
"'Sup, dude." Jake's greeting didn't immediately register; I was too bewildered the sight of Nicole. What was she doing here, of all places, of all times?
"Hey Ethan!" Naomi was always, always cheerful. "Pickle's spending the night, too!"
Pickle? Did she mean Nicole?
"Hey." Nicole's smile showed she was happy to see me here. Had she planned all along to be at Jake's at the same time I was, or was it just an extraordinary coincidence?
"Hey, hey." Clearly I was a master of salutations, especially when my heart rate was unexpectedly through the roof.
"We just started Family Guy," Jake was lying prone on the longer couch, like usual.
"Cool." I took a seat in the rocking chair between the sofas, the only option left.
"Oh Ethan, you can sit here, I have to go bed soon." Naomi got up and headed toward her room, which was right down the hall. She had recently moved to the downstairs, which always seemed like a weird location to me.
"Why?"
"I got an interview tomorrow morning!" Ah, I'd forgotten about her job search. To most people she would have sounded particularly excited, but I knew her too well— this was just Naomi.
"Oh, cool."
"'Night guys; 'night Pickle!"
"'Night." Jake was always this nonchalant, the exact opposite of his sister.
"'Night Pickle!" Nicole called after Naomi as she bounced out of the room.
"So can I call you Pickle, too?" I jokingly asked.
"No," she said curtly, with mock sternness. "Come sit over here." Now she was being much sweeter, and of course I complied. She moved to the right to give me room, but I still sat as close as I felt appropriate. I really hoped that was what she wanted.
"So I didn't know you were going to be here," she informed me, and from her tone I was almost positive she was being truthful, though I wouldn't have particularly cared were she not.
"Yeah," I laughed, "I didn't even know you and Naomi were friends."
"Really?" Jake asked, surprised. “Yeah, they hang out like all the time."
"Oh really? Yeah, nah, I didn't know that."
"Yep, Nao's my Pickle."
"Hah, if you say so."
The three of us spent most of the night chatting and laughing about volleyball and school—the only things we all had in common—or the ridiculous antics on the screen in front of us. It was surprisingly fun, and after a short while any awkwardness I felt sitting so near Nicole with Jake in the room completely dissipated.
It was just so easy being around her now, even with Jake there. I didn't feel like I had to guard my relationship with Nicole—whatever it meant—so closely from him. In fact, as the evening progressed, our bodies shifted closer and closer to each other until I found myself leaning against her shoulder, one arm squished between her back and the couch. Nothing like using television to induce snuggling.
Jake drifted to sleep around midnight, and as if in response, Nicole worked her left around me and began dragging her fingers across my stomach, following a different path each time. For the first time since we had held hands, my stomach lurched, and I shuddered from the sensation. Could she feel that? If she had, she showed no indication and and continued to tease me. I sidled into a more prone position, settling in the soft niche between her shoulder and chest.
"Are you comfortable enough?" she asked very softly.
"Yeah." It was true— usually I was much more fidgety than this, but for some reason Nicole could keep me relatively still.
"Are you sure? Get comfortable," she encouraged sweetly, using the voice I couldn't resist.
I shifted around a bit more so she'd believe me. Anywhere this close to Nicole was comfortable, but I took advantage of the situation by wrapping my arm neatly around her waist.
She looked down at me; even though the room was dark, I could pick out the blue in her eyes.
"Hey you." It was barely a whisper. Somehow, those two words had become uniquely Nicole to me, and her saying them now, so close to my ear, meant more than anything else at that moment.
"Hey," I breathed, and closed my eyes, listening to her heart beat. Together we reached a state of extreme calm over the next hour or so, neither awake nor asleep. Our breathing fell precisely into step, and the longer we lay together, the more sense it made for us to be near. This was paradise.
red chamber dream
Part VII —Ramblin'
I awoke the next morning to find myself alone on the couch. Had Nicole spent the whole night with me? I didn't know what time it was, so maybe she had simply gotten up early, but it was more likely that she moved to her air mattress in Naomi's room, just to be safe— and I didn't particularly want Jake knowing we had spent the night so intimately anyway.
Still sleepy, I trudged up the stairs to breakfast. Nicole and Naomi were already eating at the table, but Jake had just begun making his trademark Shirtless Bacon—that is, bacon cooked by him while shirtless so that the grease pops constantly burned his stomach, causing him to dance around—so he couldn't've gotten up much earlier than me. I glanced at the clock; it was ten-fifteen, so Naomi must have already gone to her interview.
"Hey, Ethan."
"'Morning."
"Hey."
"Hey."
"'Sup."
"Hey man."
Once we had finished our good mornings, I grabbed a bowl of Cheerios and joined the girls at the table.
"How'd ya sleep?" Nicole asked, but nothing in her expression gave any hint she was thinking about our time together last night.
"Good… but that couch is way too short for me, and I always end up sleeping on it." Everyone laughed.
"Hey, I'm gonna take Pickle home soon," Naomi said as she finished her cereal. "Do you guys wanna come?"
"Sure."
"Yeah, sounds good.” Jake had finished his bacon, and by the smell of it, it was a success like usual.
"'K, well we'll leave after yall're done eating." She and Nicole got up from the table and headed downstairs, probably back to her room.
"So dude." Jake started talking quietly as soon as he was sure the girls had left. "What's going on with you and Nicole?"
"What do you mean?" I tried to laugh him off lightly, but of course it didn't work. Girls were his favorite topic of conversation, but it was usually he who rambled incessantly about them—I always kept quiet about any females I was ever interested in—so of course he jumped on this opportunity to get me to talk when I finally had obvious, tangible reason to do so.
"Nothing," but my face broke into a smile. I was terrible at lying to males.
"Yeahh sure, I saw you guys last night." Jake's tone was still as jokingly light as always. If he were at all envious, he was very good at hiding it— Nicole was the first girl I ever had any sort of relationship with, but that was one more relationship than he had had.
"Nah, it's nothing really."
"You like her a lot, though."
"Yeah, I guess." I was still trying to sound blasé, though that was certainly not the case. Thankfully, Naomi's voice calling up the stairs saved me from any further prodding.
"Boooys! Let's go!" She could sound so motherlike when she wanted to.
"Shit!"
"What?" everyone else asked simultaneously.
"I'm on E! Holy crap we're gonna die!" Naomi's fake frenzy got us all instantly excited. This could potentially end in adventure.
Jake and I eagerly leaned forward to look at the gas gauge. The orange needle was actually resting slightly below empty.
"Hah, how the hell did you not know you were almost out of gas?"
"I don't know! It wasn't yesterday!"
"How far are we from Nicole's house?"
"Like… fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah," Nicole confirmed.
"Okay guys, I'm gonna put it in Neutral; let's see how far we can get."
I knew we'd probably be fine—when gas gauges read 'empty', there's usually something like half a gallon left—but it was fun nonetheless to pretend there was a huge emergency. I couldn't really tell how serious everyone else was, but I was sure they weren't all that worried either.
We coasted down the hill we were currently on and actually made up it and down a few more before Naomi had to shift to Drive again.
"Are we gonna have to get out and push sometime?" Jake asked eagerly.
"Hmm, yeah probably," Nicole somehow answered thoughtfully while laughing at the same time.
The morning had turned bizarre so quickly: here I sat, gripping my seat, in the minivan Naomi's mom let her drive, with one of my best friends, his sister, and the girl I think I loved, and we had all spontaneously concocted a disaster just for the hell of it. All thoughts of the incredible night I had just experienced were pushed aside, at least for now: I was so into this moment.
"Okay, I'm trying Neutral again!" All communication was now executed in shouts, more a performance than a conversation.
"Go go go!"
"Come ON!"
"You can make it; come on, come on, come on!"
The van wound down a curvy, sloped road, gradually gaining speed, making each turn scarier than the last. We managed to overcome one particularly large hill and started to descend but were immediately disappointed by the long stretch of flat road ahead.
Naomi looked at Nicole and laughed. "Okay guys, time to get out and push!"
"But you have to jump out while the car's moving!" Nicole added wildly.
She reached back and slid open the van's side door with considerable effort. We were moving at maybe fifteen miles per hour, but the ground seemed to be rushing by.
"You first, Jake!" Naomi shouted over the wind's roar.
Jake often told me about how much he wanted to jump from a moving car, so he gladly sprung onto his feet and leapt out. I shared little of his enthusiasm.
"Gotta tuck and roll!" Jake bellowed as he immediately collapsed his knees upon touching ground, rolling swiftly onto his back.
"Ethan, go!" Nicole yelled, and anxious as I was, I hesitated only briefly before taking the leap.
My shoes hit the ground; my feet were yanked from under me; and I landed hard on my back on the ground by the side of the road. I had forgotten Jake's last–minute advice. He had made it look so easy: I very much doubted I looked nearly as bad ass as him.
I got up as quickly as I could; Jake was already beside me. The van was slowing considerably, but still we ran to catch up. We smacked into the back, and just as we started to push, Naomi suddenly slammed the accelerator and rocketed away from us.
"What the fuck?!" Jake roared after them, but of course Naomi was just screwing with us. She stopped again and waited a short distance down the road.
"Okay guys, get back in the car," she yelled out the window as soon as we caught up, and as we climbed in both she and Nicole were both laughing.
“We just wanted to give you some exercise."
"Oh, shut up," Jake retorted in the way only a brother could speak to his sister.
"Ethan, that was a really… good landing," Nicole offered, trying to sound as amazed as possible.
"Well, thank you very much."
Everyone started to calm down after a while. After a few minutes of silence, I stared out my window, realizing I had no idea where we were. Having never been to Nicole's before, I was suddenly intoxicated by the prospect of knowing where she lived. What did her house look like? What did her room look like? I had my guesses based on my knowledge of her, and I wanted to see if they were correct.
Eventually we reached our destination, no problem. Jake, Naomi, and I waited in the kitchen while Nicole convinced Ray to give us some gasoline from the can normally reserved for his tractor, and we left quickly after that— I had no say in the matter and certainly wasn't going to protest. The morning had been so enjoyable so far that my desire to stay longer with Nicole barely mattered.
I awoke the next morning to find myself alone on the couch. Had Nicole spent the whole night with me? I didn't know what time it was, so maybe she had simply gotten up early, but it was more likely that she moved to her air mattress in Naomi's room, just to be safe— and I didn't particularly want Jake knowing we had spent the night so intimately anyway.
Still sleepy, I trudged up the stairs to breakfast. Nicole and Naomi were already eating at the table, but Jake had just begun making his trademark Shirtless Bacon—that is, bacon cooked by him while shirtless so that the grease pops constantly burned his stomach, causing him to dance around—so he couldn't've gotten up much earlier than me. I glanced at the clock; it was ten-fifteen, so Naomi must have already gone to her interview.
"Hey, Ethan."
"'Morning."
"Hey."
"Hey."
"'Sup."
"Hey man."
Once we had finished our good mornings, I grabbed a bowl of Cheerios and joined the girls at the table.
"How'd ya sleep?" Nicole asked, but nothing in her expression gave any hint she was thinking about our time together last night.
"Good… but that couch is way too short for me, and I always end up sleeping on it." Everyone laughed.
"Hey, I'm gonna take Pickle home soon," Naomi said as she finished her cereal. "Do you guys wanna come?"
"Sure."
"Yeah, sounds good.” Jake had finished his bacon, and by the smell of it, it was a success like usual.
"'K, well we'll leave after yall're done eating." She and Nicole got up from the table and headed downstairs, probably back to her room.
"So dude." Jake started talking quietly as soon as he was sure the girls had left. "What's going on with you and Nicole?"
"What do you mean?" I tried to laugh him off lightly, but of course it didn't work. Girls were his favorite topic of conversation, but it was usually he who rambled incessantly about them—I always kept quiet about any females I was ever interested in—so of course he jumped on this opportunity to get me to talk when I finally had obvious, tangible reason to do so.
"Nothing," but my face broke into a smile. I was terrible at lying to males.
"Yeahh sure, I saw you guys last night." Jake's tone was still as jokingly light as always. If he were at all envious, he was very good at hiding it— Nicole was the first girl I ever had any sort of relationship with, but that was one more relationship than he had had.
"Nah, it's nothing really."
"You like her a lot, though."
"Yeah, I guess." I was still trying to sound blasé, though that was certainly not the case. Thankfully, Naomi's voice calling up the stairs saved me from any further prodding.
"Boooys! Let's go!" She could sound so motherlike when she wanted to.
"Shit!"
"What?" everyone else asked simultaneously.
"I'm on E! Holy crap we're gonna die!" Naomi's fake frenzy got us all instantly excited. This could potentially end in adventure.
Jake and I eagerly leaned forward to look at the gas gauge. The orange needle was actually resting slightly below empty.
"Hah, how the hell did you not know you were almost out of gas?"
"I don't know! It wasn't yesterday!"
"How far are we from Nicole's house?"
"Like… fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah," Nicole confirmed.
"Okay guys, I'm gonna put it in Neutral; let's see how far we can get."
I knew we'd probably be fine—when gas gauges read 'empty', there's usually something like half a gallon left—but it was fun nonetheless to pretend there was a huge emergency. I couldn't really tell how serious everyone else was, but I was sure they weren't all that worried either.
We coasted down the hill we were currently on and actually made up it and down a few more before Naomi had to shift to Drive again.
"Are we gonna have to get out and push sometime?" Jake asked eagerly.
"Hmm, yeah probably," Nicole somehow answered thoughtfully while laughing at the same time.
The morning had turned bizarre so quickly: here I sat, gripping my seat, in the minivan Naomi's mom let her drive, with one of my best friends, his sister, and the girl I think I loved, and we had all spontaneously concocted a disaster just for the hell of it. All thoughts of the incredible night I had just experienced were pushed aside, at least for now: I was so into this moment.
"Okay, I'm trying Neutral again!" All communication was now executed in shouts, more a performance than a conversation.
"Go go go!"
"Come ON!"
"You can make it; come on, come on, come on!"
The van wound down a curvy, sloped road, gradually gaining speed, making each turn scarier than the last. We managed to overcome one particularly large hill and started to descend but were immediately disappointed by the long stretch of flat road ahead.
Naomi looked at Nicole and laughed. "Okay guys, time to get out and push!"
"But you have to jump out while the car's moving!" Nicole added wildly.
She reached back and slid open the van's side door with considerable effort. We were moving at maybe fifteen miles per hour, but the ground seemed to be rushing by.
"You first, Jake!" Naomi shouted over the wind's roar.
Jake often told me about how much he wanted to jump from a moving car, so he gladly sprung onto his feet and leapt out. I shared little of his enthusiasm.
"Gotta tuck and roll!" Jake bellowed as he immediately collapsed his knees upon touching ground, rolling swiftly onto his back.
"Ethan, go!" Nicole yelled, and anxious as I was, I hesitated only briefly before taking the leap.
My shoes hit the ground; my feet were yanked from under me; and I landed hard on my back on the ground by the side of the road. I had forgotten Jake's last–minute advice. He had made it look so easy: I very much doubted I looked nearly as bad ass as him.
I got up as quickly as I could; Jake was already beside me. The van was slowing considerably, but still we ran to catch up. We smacked into the back, and just as we started to push, Naomi suddenly slammed the accelerator and rocketed away from us.
"What the fuck?!" Jake roared after them, but of course Naomi was just screwing with us. She stopped again and waited a short distance down the road.
"Okay guys, get back in the car," she yelled out the window as soon as we caught up, and as we climbed in both she and Nicole were both laughing.
“We just wanted to give you some exercise."
"Oh, shut up," Jake retorted in the way only a brother could speak to his sister.
"Ethan, that was a really… good landing," Nicole offered, trying to sound as amazed as possible.
"Well, thank you very much."
Everyone started to calm down after a while. After a few minutes of silence, I stared out my window, realizing I had no idea where we were. Having never been to Nicole's before, I was suddenly intoxicated by the prospect of knowing where she lived. What did her house look like? What did her room look like? I had my guesses based on my knowledge of her, and I wanted to see if they were correct.
Eventually we reached our destination, no problem. Jake, Naomi, and I waited in the kitchen while Nicole convinced Ray to give us some gasoline from the can normally reserved for his tractor, and we left quickly after that— I had no say in the matter and certainly wasn't going to protest. The morning had been so enjoyable so far that my desire to stay longer with Nicole barely mattered.
red chamber dream
Maryland's considered southern by some, including me: go to the southeastern shore of MD and listen to people's accents, and you'll see what I mean. But I think it's mostly due to the farming culture I've grown up in. Things are way more laid-back here than in, say, Baltimore.
As for the spelling, nate gave me a history lesson once upon a time and has convinced me that "yall"—without the apostrophe—was the original spelling (it was not a contraction). I like it better that way, so that's how I write it.
As for the spelling, nate gave me a history lesson once upon a time and has convinced me that "yall"—without the apostrophe—was the original spelling (it was not a contraction). I like it better that way, so that's how I write it.
red chamber dream
Part IX — Chateau Romani
xfarfromp3rfectx: hey you
theoffspring01: hey!
Her greeting took me by surprise: Nicole rarely IMed me first. I hadn't noticed her name on my online list until now, so she must have messaged me as soon as she signed on.
xfarfromp3rfectx: how are you?
theoffspring01: good
theoffspring01: i'm playing bricks lol
xfarfromp3rfectx: hah awesome
xfarfromp3rfectx: i would play with you but im really tired
This disappointed me a bit; we had made it a habit over the past few weeks to play Bricks together most nights. Eventually, I had decided to fish out her number and started calling her as an alternative to AIM: that way, we could both enjoy MONSTERBLOCK in all its full-screen glory.
I'd been looking forward to hearing her voice tonight, but it wasn't that difficult to ignore my disappointment, especially after she had IMed me first. I went with a quick compliment.
theoffspring01: yeah you guys played well tonight
theoffspring01: especially you
xfarfromp3rfectx: thanks :)
xfarfromp3rfectx: i actually got to play a lot too.. imagine that
theoffspring01: lol yeah
Should I say it?
theoffspring01: i like watching you play
xfarfromp3rfectx: really?
theoffspring01: yeah
theoffspring01: you're cute :P
I typed the last two lines as quickly as I could, then waited impatiently. Nicole was taking a very long time to respond, but may have been doing it on purpose— for some reason she seemed to enjoy teasing me.
xfarfromp3rfectx: hehe.. so are you
Yes! I couldn't have possibly gotten a better response.
xfarfromp3rfectx: i really like your eyes
xfarfromp3rfectx: theyre like my favorite part of you
theoffspring01: well thanks
xfarfromp3rfectx: seriously.. i want to rip them out and put them on my shelf
It was one of the most bizarre statements I had ever read, but being quite familiar with Nicole's penchant for quirkiness, I knew I had definitely just received an enormous compliment.
theoffspring01: haha ok maybe i'll let you have them one day
Neither of us said anything for a few minutes: it was her turn, so I was going to wait as long as it took for her to give.
Once she finally broke the 'silence', though, I was stunned.
xfarfromp3rfectx: so.. have you ever had a girlfriend?
Where had that come from? She had caught me completely off–guard, but I was more than proficient at handling this sort of thing, especially over the internet.
theoffspring01: not really
xfarfromp3rfectx: really??
theoffspring01: really.
xfarfromp3rfectx: have you ever even kissed a girl?
theoffspring01: yep
I felt no obligation to tell her that said kiss occurred when I was five years old, role-playing 'Lois Lane and Superman' with my earliest childhood friend. But still, a kiss was a kiss, and Miss Lane had even given me tongue.
xfarfromp3rfectx: who?
theoffspring01: a gentleman never kisses and tells :P
xfarfromp3rfectx: youre no fun
That might have been the case, but there was no way I was going to tell her anything more. She was three years older than me and clearly far more carnally experienced— because of that, I certainly wasn't going to let her know just how inexperienced I was.
xfarfromp3rfectx: i wonder what it would be like kissing someone with braces..
I stopped breathing and reread her sentence twice. I wore braces. Surely she was talking about me. But I always, always had to be cool, even when my heart was pounding against my rib cage.
theoffspring01: pretty weird i'd imagine... you probably wouldn't like it :P
xfarfromp3rfectx: oh i dont know about that
xfarfromp3rfectx: it doesnt really matter to me
theoffspring01: :)
My lone smiley was the last thing either of us typed for hours, which meant I had used it effectively— Nicole would be thinking about me for the rest of the night. And I would certainly be thinking about her in return.
After a particularly rigorous level of Bricks, I went for a glass of milk. By the time I returned, she had signed off.
xfarfromp3rfectx: bedtime for me
xfarfromp3rfectx: see you tomorrow <3
xfarfromp3rfectx: hey you
theoffspring01: hey!
Her greeting took me by surprise: Nicole rarely IMed me first. I hadn't noticed her name on my online list until now, so she must have messaged me as soon as she signed on.
xfarfromp3rfectx: how are you?
theoffspring01: good
theoffspring01: i'm playing bricks lol
xfarfromp3rfectx: hah awesome
xfarfromp3rfectx: i would play with you but im really tired
This disappointed me a bit; we had made it a habit over the past few weeks to play Bricks together most nights. Eventually, I had decided to fish out her number and started calling her as an alternative to AIM: that way, we could both enjoy MONSTERBLOCK in all its full-screen glory.
I'd been looking forward to hearing her voice tonight, but it wasn't that difficult to ignore my disappointment, especially after she had IMed me first. I went with a quick compliment.
theoffspring01: yeah you guys played well tonight
theoffspring01: especially you
xfarfromp3rfectx: thanks :)
xfarfromp3rfectx: i actually got to play a lot too.. imagine that
theoffspring01: lol yeah
Should I say it?
theoffspring01: i like watching you play
xfarfromp3rfectx: really?
theoffspring01: yeah
theoffspring01: you're cute :P
I typed the last two lines as quickly as I could, then waited impatiently. Nicole was taking a very long time to respond, but may have been doing it on purpose— for some reason she seemed to enjoy teasing me.
xfarfromp3rfectx: hehe.. so are you
Yes! I couldn't have possibly gotten a better response.
xfarfromp3rfectx: i really like your eyes
xfarfromp3rfectx: theyre like my favorite part of you
theoffspring01: well thanks
xfarfromp3rfectx: seriously.. i want to rip them out and put them on my shelf
It was one of the most bizarre statements I had ever read, but being quite familiar with Nicole's penchant for quirkiness, I knew I had definitely just received an enormous compliment.
theoffspring01: haha ok maybe i'll let you have them one day
Neither of us said anything for a few minutes: it was her turn, so I was going to wait as long as it took for her to give.
Once she finally broke the 'silence', though, I was stunned.
xfarfromp3rfectx: so.. have you ever had a girlfriend?
Where had that come from? She had caught me completely off–guard, but I was more than proficient at handling this sort of thing, especially over the internet.
theoffspring01: not really
xfarfromp3rfectx: really??
theoffspring01: really.
xfarfromp3rfectx: have you ever even kissed a girl?
theoffspring01: yep
I felt no obligation to tell her that said kiss occurred when I was five years old, role-playing 'Lois Lane and Superman' with my earliest childhood friend. But still, a kiss was a kiss, and Miss Lane had even given me tongue.
xfarfromp3rfectx: who?
theoffspring01: a gentleman never kisses and tells :P
xfarfromp3rfectx: youre no fun
That might have been the case, but there was no way I was going to tell her anything more. She was three years older than me and clearly far more carnally experienced— because of that, I certainly wasn't going to let her know just how inexperienced I was.
xfarfromp3rfectx: i wonder what it would be like kissing someone with braces..
I stopped breathing and reread her sentence twice. I wore braces. Surely she was talking about me. But I always, always had to be cool, even when my heart was pounding against my rib cage.
theoffspring01: pretty weird i'd imagine... you probably wouldn't like it :P
xfarfromp3rfectx: oh i dont know about that
xfarfromp3rfectx: it doesnt really matter to me
theoffspring01: :)
My lone smiley was the last thing either of us typed for hours, which meant I had used it effectively— Nicole would be thinking about me for the rest of the night. And I would certainly be thinking about her in return.
After a particularly rigorous level of Bricks, I went for a glass of milk. By the time I returned, she had signed off.
xfarfromp3rfectx: bedtime for me
xfarfromp3rfectx: see you tomorrow <3
red chamber dream
But do you love Chateau Romani??? It's way better than ordinary milk.
Part X will be the last part for at least a few days, but probably no longer than a week. It'll also be the end of "Act I" (as I'm calling it). The current plan is for there to be three "acts" in Chapter One, but the next two acts will most likely be shorter than ten parts.
Part X will be the last part for at least a few days, but probably no longer than a week. It'll also be the end of "Act I" (as I'm calling it). The current plan is for there to be three "acts" in Chapter One, but the next two acts will most likely be shorter than ten parts.
red chamber dream
Quote from Bolognab:
This is a true story, right?
Yes. Everything you've read so far is autobiographical. The AIM conversations were taken straight from my logs; I've only changed a few trivial details.
Quote from Bolognab:
Well, this isn't really my genre, but I can see you improving with every chapter.
Thanks!
Quote from Tomatobob:
The first ten or so parts are true, yes.
Actually, all of chapter one is true. It will have 20–30 parts total.
red chamber dream
Part X — Pink Slip
The house phone tweedled ferociously. My parents liked to keep it on the highest ring volume, which was particularly painful when the receiver was right beside my ear. I sighed to myself and reached up from the computer desk to answer.
The caller–ID caught me by surprise: I knew this number very well, but Nicole didn't usually call till much later into the night.
"Hello."
"Hey! Ethan!"
It was difficult to hear her— sounded like she was driving with the windows down.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing, hey is it alright I stop by your house in a little while? I'm coming home from Westminster right now."
"Yeah sure! That's fine."
I probably sounded a little too eager, but I had good reason. Nicole had never been to my house before, and the thought of her coming over, now, was exciting.
Crap. I hadn't asked my parents if she was even allowed over yet, but even if they said no, I'd find a way to persuade them. I rushed down the stairs, where my mom was watching TV. Dad was already asleep upstairs, snoring so loudly I could hear it from the middle level. It was barely eight o'clock.
"Hey… Mom? Is it okay if my friend Nicole comes over for a little bit?" She already knew who Nicole was at least; I had mentioned her a few times before, like when she asked if I had fun at the concert.
"Yeah, I guess that's okay. What are you guys gonna do?"
"Probably just watch TV with you, looks like. She's on her way home from Westminster, so she probably won't stay too long."
"Okay, yeah, that's fine."
"Thanks. What are you watching?"
"Freaky Friday."
"Oh, the new one? Don't we have this on DVD?"
"Yeah, but I'm watching it on TV." She laughed. “Lindsay Lohan does a really good job.
"Yep. And she's hot too."
"Ooh, yeah." My mom had a great sense of humor.
There was a knock at the door just as Jamie Lee Curtis was figuring out she had switched bodies with her daughter.
"Hey you," Nicole said as I opened the door. She had her white sweatshirt on, a pleasant surprise— I couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it.
"Hey, how are you?"
"Good, good. I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by." Her light, teasing voice told me this was probably more than just a last–minute visit.
"Cool. My mom's downstairs… we're watching Freaky Friday."
She laughed. "Sounds excellent."
I led her down to the rec room and introduced her to my mom, who seemed happy enough to meet her. Nicole sat next to me on the couch, and the three of us laughed at the movie together for the rest of the night. I really liked Freaky Friday and got the feeling I would like it even more from this night onward.
"Alright, well I should probably get going," Nicole announced soon after the final credits—which started with Lillix's cover of "What I Like About You"—began.
"Okay." I got up, and she followed suit.
"It was nice meeting you, Mrs Robin."
"Nice meeting you too, Nicole." My mom was barely awake in her recliner. Together Nicole and I climbed the stairs, which ended in the foyer.
"Walk me to my car?"
"Duh."
I opened the front door for Nicole, and we stepped onto the porch. For a moment we were shrouded in darkness, but I quickly flicked on the porch light, causing various winged insects to flurry everywhere, and closed the door behind us. We walked hand–in–hand down my sidewalk, not in any particular hurry to reach her car. But of course we made it there soon enough, much to my disappointment.
"Thanks for letting me come over." She smiled sweetly at me as I stood awkwardly beside her. She was, of course, leaning against her car and, as always, looked way more comfortable than me.
"I'm really glad you came." Now I was smiling too, only much more like an idiot than her, a big, open–mouthed smile that looked fake because it was so genuine.
Finally I grabbed her around the waist, going for the familiar hug—the part I'd been looking forward to ever since her surprising phone call earlier that evening—and smushed her against the side of her car. For some reason my usual inhibitions weren't getting the best of me, and we entered what must have been our longest embrace ever.
She was the first to break the embrace, but still held onto my waist as she took a small step back and looked up at me. Suddenly I didn't feel awkward in the least, and my eyes met hers, blue facing blue.
Before I could begin to think about what to do next my body took over, doing the frightening work for me. Somehow Nicole's body seemed to know exactly what mine was thinking; she draped her arms over my shoulders just as I lightly rested my hands on her sides. It felt perfectly, blissfully right when our lips touched, and even better as her tongue found mine. She was very gentle, and I tried as hard as I could to equal her tenderness.
The kiss didn't last too long, and when it finally broke, we hugged once more, and then Nicole released me. I stood in the same awkward position as before, unsure of what to do now.
"Bye Ethan." Her voice sounded different than it ever had before. It was a little more than a whisper, less sweet but more sincere.
"Bye.” It was all I could say as she got in her car and started backing out, but it was all that was needed.
Just as her brilliant lights flashed on, I turned and trudged up my sidewalk, thinking about absolutely nothing but feeling everything, especially my lips, which were still trembling from kissing her. In fact, my whole body shivered periodically, though not from the cold— this was a different sensation, one I suspected it had a great deal to do with the knots that had resurfaced in my stomach. I hadn't felt them for a few weeks and had forgotten how enjoyable they were— only Nicole could spark them, and that's what made them so good.
This time, the sidewalk felt far too long: I wanted so desperately to bundle myself in the heaviest blankets I had and drift to sleep thinking about Nicole so that she'd be the center of whatever dreams I might have.
The house phone tweedled ferociously. My parents liked to keep it on the highest ring volume, which was particularly painful when the receiver was right beside my ear. I sighed to myself and reached up from the computer desk to answer.
The caller–ID caught me by surprise: I knew this number very well, but Nicole didn't usually call till much later into the night.
"Hello."
"Hey! Ethan!"
It was difficult to hear her— sounded like she was driving with the windows down.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing, hey is it alright I stop by your house in a little while? I'm coming home from Westminster right now."
"Yeah sure! That's fine."
I probably sounded a little too eager, but I had good reason. Nicole had never been to my house before, and the thought of her coming over, now, was exciting.
Crap. I hadn't asked my parents if she was even allowed over yet, but even if they said no, I'd find a way to persuade them. I rushed down the stairs, where my mom was watching TV. Dad was already asleep upstairs, snoring so loudly I could hear it from the middle level. It was barely eight o'clock.
"Hey… Mom? Is it okay if my friend Nicole comes over for a little bit?" She already knew who Nicole was at least; I had mentioned her a few times before, like when she asked if I had fun at the concert.
"Yeah, I guess that's okay. What are you guys gonna do?"
"Probably just watch TV with you, looks like. She's on her way home from Westminster, so she probably won't stay too long."
"Okay, yeah, that's fine."
"Thanks. What are you watching?"
"Freaky Friday."
"Oh, the new one? Don't we have this on DVD?"
"Yeah, but I'm watching it on TV." She laughed. “Lindsay Lohan does a really good job.
"Yep. And she's hot too."
"Ooh, yeah." My mom had a great sense of humor.
There was a knock at the door just as Jamie Lee Curtis was figuring out she had switched bodies with her daughter.
"Hey you," Nicole said as I opened the door. She had her white sweatshirt on, a pleasant surprise— I couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it.
"Hey, how are you?"
"Good, good. I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by." Her light, teasing voice told me this was probably more than just a last–minute visit.
"Cool. My mom's downstairs… we're watching Freaky Friday."
She laughed. "Sounds excellent."
I led her down to the rec room and introduced her to my mom, who seemed happy enough to meet her. Nicole sat next to me on the couch, and the three of us laughed at the movie together for the rest of the night. I really liked Freaky Friday and got the feeling I would like it even more from this night onward.
"Alright, well I should probably get going," Nicole announced soon after the final credits—which started with Lillix's cover of "What I Like About You"—began.
"Okay." I got up, and she followed suit.
"It was nice meeting you, Mrs Robin."
"Nice meeting you too, Nicole." My mom was barely awake in her recliner. Together Nicole and I climbed the stairs, which ended in the foyer.
"Walk me to my car?"
"Duh."
I opened the front door for Nicole, and we stepped onto the porch. For a moment we were shrouded in darkness, but I quickly flicked on the porch light, causing various winged insects to flurry everywhere, and closed the door behind us. We walked hand–in–hand down my sidewalk, not in any particular hurry to reach her car. But of course we made it there soon enough, much to my disappointment.
"Thanks for letting me come over." She smiled sweetly at me as I stood awkwardly beside her. She was, of course, leaning against her car and, as always, looked way more comfortable than me.
"I'm really glad you came." Now I was smiling too, only much more like an idiot than her, a big, open–mouthed smile that looked fake because it was so genuine.
Finally I grabbed her around the waist, going for the familiar hug—the part I'd been looking forward to ever since her surprising phone call earlier that evening—and smushed her against the side of her car. For some reason my usual inhibitions weren't getting the best of me, and we entered what must have been our longest embrace ever.
She was the first to break the embrace, but still held onto my waist as she took a small step back and looked up at me. Suddenly I didn't feel awkward in the least, and my eyes met hers, blue facing blue.
Before I could begin to think about what to do next my body took over, doing the frightening work for me. Somehow Nicole's body seemed to know exactly what mine was thinking; she draped her arms over my shoulders just as I lightly rested my hands on her sides. It felt perfectly, blissfully right when our lips touched, and even better as her tongue found mine. She was very gentle, and I tried as hard as I could to equal her tenderness.
The kiss didn't last too long, and when it finally broke, we hugged once more, and then Nicole released me. I stood in the same awkward position as before, unsure of what to do now.
"Bye Ethan." Her voice sounded different than it ever had before. It was a little more than a whisper, less sweet but more sincere.
"Bye.” It was all I could say as she got in her car and started backing out, but it was all that was needed.
Just as her brilliant lights flashed on, I turned and trudged up my sidewalk, thinking about absolutely nothing but feeling everything, especially my lips, which were still trembling from kissing her. In fact, my whole body shivered periodically, though not from the cold— this was a different sensation, one I suspected it had a great deal to do with the knots that had resurfaced in my stomach. I hadn't felt them for a few weeks and had forgotten how enjoyable they were— only Nicole could spark them, and that's what made them so good.
This time, the sidewalk felt far too long: I wanted so desperately to bundle myself in the heaviest blankets I had and drift to sleep thinking about Nicole so that she'd be the center of whatever dreams I might have.