Speechless
1955 Words
I have almost every class with Rosetta. It has been two weeks since we met and I just glance her way and she silences me with a single look. She's amazingly terrifying.
We're sitting in Chemistry class and I get paired up with Rosetta for an experiment.
"Okay, class, we will now begin our experiment. Pair up with the person sitting directly behind you."
"Aww" The whole class groans at this.
"Or, you can write a full scientific process on the experiment and do it all yourselves." We go dead silent and move next to our partners.
"Well, I guess we're partners." I say to Rosetta as I sit down.
I notice that she's not as fierce as normal. Her eyes are slightly red and puffy and she keeps sniffling.
"Are you okay?" I rest my hand on her shoulder and she breaks down. She shoves her face into my chest and just sobs.
"Dakota, what's going on?" I don't respond to the teacher. Instead, I gather our things and walk her out into the hall.
"You can't just leave class!"
"I'll take the F. Or you can let us redo the assignment on our own time. We'll get it done."
"Whatever."
"Thank you, Mr. Stanley."
I walk out to my car with our bags on one arm and Rosetta in the other. Her face is still in my chest. She's sobbing and snotting all over my shirt. I try to pull her off, but her grip tightens on my shirt.
"What's wrong?"
I set down the bags on the ground and lean against my car. I hold her and rub circles on her back.
"I *hic* don't *hic* wanna say."
"Well, I've been holding you while you snot all over my shirt. I think you should tell me."
That earns me a slap to the chest.
"Ow!" *laughs*
"Okay." *sniffles*
She pulls her face slightly away from me and I subconsciously wipe her eyes.
"What's up?"
"I just found out some bad news." *sniffles*
"And?"
Another slap. This time, the slap ends in a slight rub.
She fiddles with my shirt and looks at her fingers.
"You'll think it's stupid."
"Try me."
"My mom is getting remarried."
"I can see how that's bad news, but maybe it's good, too."
"How?!"
"It means your mom is happy."
"I guess, but the guy she's marrying gives me creeper vibes."
I tuck some hair behind her ear and she's grabs my hand.
"Why are you being sweet?"
"Can I tell you a secret?"
"What?"
I lean down to where our faces are inches away.
"I have emotions too. Shh. Don't tell anyone."
She giggles. It's the most beautiful sound in the whole universe. I wanna stay like this forever. Pressed together with only fabric between us and being emotionally vulnerable with each other.
Too bad, the mask has to go back on.
"Well, thanks. Can you drive me home? I don't think I'm gonna stay today and I didn't bring my car. It wouldn't start this morning."
"Yeah, sure."
I unlock the car and pull away from her. She acts as if I didn't catch the longing in her eyes when she finally released her grip on my shirt.
"So, where am I going?"
"313 Desert Drive. It's the house with the different colored flag right next to the American flag."
"Okay."
I drive along in silence until we get to her house. When I pull up, I notice something isn't quite right. She starts getting her bag and unbuckling when I put my hand on her arm.
"Wait. Something feels off."
"Oh yeah, Carlos is here. I always get that vibe too."
"Okay, well, I'll stay here for a few minutes just in case you need a getaway car. Come and tell me if everything is fine."
"Look at you being sweet again."
"This isn't sweet. This is me not wanting my nemesis to die. Who would I torment, then?"
She goes to slap me again and I catch her hand. She just looks at me with a confusing expression and then yanks her hand away.
"I'll be back."
I nod and she climbs out of the car, leaving her bag inside just in case. Pretty soon after, I hear yelling in Spanish and Rosetta storms back out of the house. An older woman is following her. I roll down the window and holler at Rosetta.
"Are we leaving?!"
"Yeah!"
She walks to my car and a man comes out of the house. He has the same look that my father used to when he was about to beat someone senseless. I get out and position myself between him and Rosetta. I'm at least 5 inches taller than him, so he has to look up at me.
"What the f**k are you doing?! This is a family matter!"
Rosetta tugs on the back of my shirt.
"Let's go, he won't hurt me, he's harmless."
"Don't come back till you're okay with Carlos!" The older woman yells.
"You didn't have to go marry the creep five minutes after he proposed! I was on my way home and you couldn't wait!"
"I'll show you a creep!" Carlos goes around me and swings on Rosetta. He lands a punch.
Spritely fucker.
"Don't touch her."
I shove him away from her and help her into the car. As I turn, he tries to hit me.
He hits me in the back, but it doesn't hurt too bad.
"I hope you know the person you just hit. My family owns your house and your place of employment."
"What?!"
"Don't think I didn't notice the coveralls under the blazer. I can have you fired and black listed with one phone call. In fact, I could probably accomplish it with a text. You can hit me, that's okay. But, if I EVER catch you laying even a finger on Rose again, I will END you."
He goes to swing again and I catch his fist. I squeeze and pin his arm behind his back.
"I wouldn't try it again if I were you."
I let go and get back into my car. I start driving and Rose is just staring at me.
"My I help you?"
"Uh, yeah, where are we going?"
"My house." I'm being very short with her. I squeeze the steering wheel so hard that semi-dark knuckles turn pale.
She puts her hand on the only part of my body that I can't move out of reach, my thigh.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
I pull into my driveway and she gasps at how big my house is. I feel her hand squeeze my thigh and realize she's had it there for at least 10 minutes.
To be honest, you could cut the s****l tension with a knife. It's been that way since this morning.
I remove her hand from my thigh after parking the car and turning it off. I get out and she follows suit. All the while, she's fixed on my house.
"Your house is huge..."
"Yeah, but it gets kinda lonely."
"How?"
She walks over to my massive sofa and leans against it.
"Well, my mom is always away on business and my father is dead. So, I'm always alone. Well, except for the staff."
"Staff?!"
"Yeah, I have a whole staff of at least 20 people."
"Oh."
I wonder why she focused on the staff portion of what I said and not the fact about my POS dad being dead.
I go to the stairs and Rose follows closely behind. I walk down the hall and stop in front of my room.
"Let me get you some clothes. You can either stay out here or follow me. It is my room, though, so either is fine."
"Oh, uh, I can wear my own clothes to bed. Where's the guest room?"
"Don't worry about it. I have plenty of clothes." I look her up and down.
"My pants will be too long, though. Do you mind a long t-shirt and a brand new pair of boxers?"
"Uh...sure."
Her face goes beet red and I laugh a little.
"I can ask the female staff if they have anything you can wear."
"No, it's fine. They're probably on break or something right now."
"Okay, give me a sec."
She hesitantly steps inside the doorway of my room. She takes a deep breath and I swear I hear her sniff the room. A small smile crosses her face.
"You like what you smell?" *laughs*
"Uh, I, uh."
"It's okay, that smell is incense and cologne. It's supposed to smell good."
"So, that's what you always smell like. Oh, s**t! Did I say that out loud?!"
"You did."
I pull one of Bob Marley t-shirts out of my drawer. It's easily oversized on her. I also grab a brand new pair of boxers out of my other drawer.
"Do you need new socks or a towel for after your shower?"
"How did you know I planned to shower?"
"On the rare occasion that my mom is home, she always showers after a long day."
"Ah, okay. But, don't you have towels in every bathroom?"
"Actually, the guest bathroom always runs out of towels because of the twins. They like the shower here more than their shower."
I grab a fluffy towel from my attached bathroom and gather everything up. I walk to the guest room and Rose follows. As soon as she steps in, she just looks so relaxed. She has so many adorable facial expressions.
"Well, I'll leave you to it." I set the stuff down on the bed and leave the room, closing the door behind me.
I go to my bathroom and shower. I realize that the punch I got in my back actually hurt. I have a bruise in the middle of my back and when the water hits it, it burns.
I get dressed and have to struggle a little. I wince at the pain and hear a small knock on my door.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
I only have my shirt on halfway, so I'm standing in the middle of my room with basketball shorts on and barely a shirt. Rose opens the door and she looks shocked.
"Are you okay? Do you need help?"
"I'm fine."
"Let me help you."
She walks over and lightly touches the bruise on my back. She checks to see if the skin is raised up or not and then she starts to pull down the back of my shirt.
"What are these scars from?"
"Nothing."
"Okay."
She pulls it down and leaves the room.
"Wait. Didn't you come in here for a different reason?"
She stops dead in her tracks. Without turning around, she responds.
"It doesn't matter. Where's the kitchen?"
"Downstairs, past the massive living room."
"Thanks."
"No problem."
I wait for a little bit, hoping to hear her coming back up the stairs, but she doesn't.
I go downstairs and I see her sitting on the island, with a bottle of wine and some snacks. I walk up to her and snatch away the wine.
"Hey!"
"You shouldn't drink. You're not old enough."
"Then why is there wine in your house?"
"It's my mom's."
"Oohh. Is she out tonight?"
"She's only here 3 months out of the year."
"Wow. And, I thought I had it bad."
"Eh, everyone has their own s**t going on."
"What do you mean? Yeah, your mom only sees you for 3 months out of the year, but you're super rich."
"Wow, that's ignorant. Good night."
I walk up the stairs and slam my bedroom door. I get ready for bed in a huff and the plop onto my bed.
- Writer
