Monstrous

10

                                                                                          Nile Cale 

            “You have become such a huge part of my family and my life, Nile I wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy Birthday, and I love you so much” Unexpectedly Addison had stood up holding her glass of champagne up to the sky. After school, I had gotten dressed up to attend a dinner the Princes’ had set up at their restaurant. They knew about the weekend getaway so they just wanted to have a small family celebration before us kids left. My mom and Charlie were there, along with Maddie, Adam, and their parents. It was nice, conversing with them, receiving their gifts. Addison looked down at me and I couldn’t help but blush. Most of the time I felt like an imposter in their family, but they would always find ways to shut down my insecurities. I smiled and the others at the table joined in and raised their glasses, well Charlie lifted his small juice box causing everyone to laugh. I think all I ever wanted was a family, even though it wasn’t by blood and it could be a bit dysfunctional, it was mine and I was grateful for it, for them.

            “Okay, watch your step” After the birthday dinner concluded, my mother announced that there was one more gift she wanted to give me. Shielding my eyes, I was blindly led out of the restaurant by my mother. She kept her palms over my eyes making sure I wasn’t able to see what she wanted to show me.

            At last we stopped, I could hear my mom and the other’s laughing behind me. I wondered if I was being led into a trap of humiliation. I was eager for my vision to be unveiled.

            “SURPRISE!”  What felt like a lifetime of darkness, my mother screamed with joy and pulled her hands away. I blinked a few times to bring my sights until they finally focused on what was presented in front of me. 

            “What the fuc-”

                                                                        Autumn Marie Tyler

            Bisa decided not to tag along, leaving me alone to attend the party. I didn’t know if Roxy was attending, and Bella wasn’t speaking to me. Which left me to sit on my porch anxiously waiting for my ordered ride to get here. I was more nervous telling Nile I wanted more from our..involvement. I wanted something serious, I feel like we are stuck in between titles, and I was tired of it. Running through scenarios in my head of what could possibly happen, I grew more terrified of the negative outcomes. My duffle bag sat on the step beside me, my eyes kept darting back to it wondering if I made a mistake, I clenched my phone nervously while my leg bounced around nervously. 

            My mother will need me. She is in that big house all alone, without someone to watch over her she’ll spiral. Under these circumstances, I obviously can’t go. Without hesitating I grabbed onto my duffle and shot up from the porch. When I reached for the doorknob, the screech of rubber tires against the road alarmed my ears. I whipped my body around until the street was in my view, with their engine revving a four door black matte car storming down the road. Stopping abruptly when approaching my house, the windows were tinted giving me no access to the driver’s identity. It wasn't the Uber I ordered, that car was blue. My head tilted to the side with curiosity weighing it down. I usually pay attention to the cars driven in this neighborhood, just another safety precaution, but I didn’t recognize this car. The headlights turned off and the engine silenced. Not letting myself get pulled into a distraction, I turned around but before I could grab a hold of the doorknob, a car door opened and followed a voice hollering in the air. 

            “I was here to convince you to come to the party but it seems you already have your bags packed!” My body froze, feeling the smirk on his lips, my eyes rolled and reluctantly I turned around. There he was, in formal attire but messy. Shiny black dress shoes, suit pants, his white button-down shirt had a few loose buttons and the sleeves rolled up his arms. His air was slicked back but a single strand of his brown hair seemed to escape and rest of his forehead. Walking around the car, Nile settled on the passenger’s side and leaned against the car, crossing his arms over his chest. 

            “No...I just-!” It seemed foolish to be screaming across my lawn to speak to him. So I walked off my porch and down the cobblestone pathway but stopped before I could get too close to him.

            “Like I said, parties aren’t really my scene, I wouldn’t be-” I began but before I could finish Nile pushed himself off the car and took a few steps towards me, letting his arms drop to his sides.

            “I came back from a dinner with the Princes’ and my family, I already hung out with a few of my friends after school ended, I really don’t care for the party to be honest..” He took a deep sigh and cleared his throat as if speaking the next few words was difficult for him.

            “I just want to spend time with you, away from school, away from this f*****g town, and the people in it..” The smirk fell from his lips and he shot me down with a serious look. My mouth opened but no words seemed to form. 

            “If you’re comfortable with the thought, it’ll just be us I promise” The sincerity in Nile’s eyes grew and I melted, my reluctance disappeared. The thought of us being alone was nerve wracking but in a good way. A deep sigh left my lips and I looked away.

            “You shouldn’t be pushing 50 when you’re driving in a residential area, everyone knows it's 25..” My nerves got the best of me and I made a remark that had nothing to do with the topic at hand, luckily Nile was a goofball at heart. He chuckled which brought my attention back to him.

            “Oh baby, I was pushing 80, I don’t do slow” He said playfully with a wink, he held his hand out and I looked at it. Keeping some of my stubbornness I dropped my duffle bag straps in his hand and brushed past him walking up to the car.

            “Okay, only because you begged me and I saw a hint of tears in your eyes..” I said, Nile scoffed before another chuckle succumbed to him.

            The new car smell was definitely evident and my body chilled against the cool leather seats. He told me his mom got him a car, he tried protesting against it but she wouldn’t budge. After that the car was silent, I was mostly eyeing Nile whenever I got the chance to, leaned back, one hand on the wheel while the other rested in his lap, he was so nonchalant it was attractive. The drive was going to be three hours, the night had already settled in on us. Nile was a fast driver, normally, I would’ve been uncomfortable but the speed and being in Nile’s presence comforted me. 

            “You know, I wouldn’t be mad if you fell asleep..” He said, taking his eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at me. My head relaxed against the headrest and turned to look at him.

            “I’m okay..” I responded, Nile’s fixated his eyes on the road and I was left to admire him in the silence. The thought of us alone together was humorous the more I thought about it. Without much thought I let out a laugh which caught Nile’s attention.

            “What’s so funny?” He smirked and kept his eyes on the road, I shrugged gently. My body curled in the seat and faced Nile.

            “It's just weird, us, and I’m kinda nervous..” Humor left my mind and it was replaced by my nerves. I wanted this car ride to last for eternity, it was comforting and peaceful. 

            “You don’t ever have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, not with me or any other guy. If you want, I’ll turn my car around, we’ll go to the diner, and just chill there all night” Faintly I shook my head but smiled at his concern and generosity. I underestimated how tired I actually was. I never gave Nile a response, my body suddenly felt sluggish and my eyelids weighed down on me as heavy as concrete.

                                                                                  Nile Cale

            I promised my mother that I would get her a gift more grand than this car. I just kept saying that I would pay her back but she didn’t do anything but laugh at the thought, all she wanted was for me to be a kid. I kept asking her how she could afford something so expensive but she wouldn’t tell me a thing. 

            It didn’t take much convincing for me to leave for the party, I had only one person in my mind. Before I could open my mouth I looked over and saw Autumn sleeping peacefully, I was glad because she wouldn’t see how much of a nervous wreck I was. Her parents hate me, which I don’t blame her for, I’ve been nothing but a complete menace in her life, this trip wasn’t a ploy so she would forgive me, more of a push in that direction. The Prince’s snow lodge is where the party is taking place but I’m going to one of the cabins on the same property but more secluded in the woods. 

            My fingers drummed along the steering wheel, as the sound of faint music whispered in my ear. I would take glances at Autumn every now and then to make sure she was okay. With the music more evident in the air I knew we had arrived. The lodge had multiple floors and was cleared out for the weekend, for the party. Everyone was to get a room and do whatever they liked, courtesy of Adam and Maddie Prince. As seen from many windows, figures of people dancing and lights flashing to a different color. 

            As I pulled into the parking lot, Adam was right where I told him to meet me. I told him that I was going to pick someone up, but I never said who. I didn’t want to disclose the contents of Autumn's and I’s unexplained, unentitled, complicated relationship. Adam was leaning against his own car and I parked right beside him. Autumn was, thankfully, a heavy sleeper. With one push of a button I put the car to sleep and the ignition hummed to silence. I stepped out of the car and carefully shut the door behind me. I leaned against the window shielding Autumn’s identity from Adam. 

            The smirk on his face reeked of curiosity. I leaned against the car and crossed my arms over my chest, I just needed one thing from it then it was a few minutes walk to paradise. 

            “You have the keys to the cabin?” I asked, ridding of the silence between us. Adam, who attempted to look through the tinted glass, pulled out the keys from his back pocket. Once I snatched it from his hands, he sent a playful punch into my shoulder.

            “Is it Stella? Is it more than one girl?” My eyes rolled with disgust and I scoffed with offence, did he really think I would go back to Stella? Adam caught my facial reaction and he threw his hands up in defence. He gave me a wink and slowly reached into his pocket,

            “Say no more, just in case-” Adam pulled out a box of condoms, even though I know he was just being a jokester, I wanted to shove the condoms down his throats. Keeping my cool I let Adam push the box against my chest. My jaw clenched and my mouth opened but before I could utter a response to the gester, I heard my car door slam and there was Autumn watching us.

            “Hey Adam..” Autumn said, she smiled but I saw her eyes twitch with an ounce of disgust when she saw the box of condoms. Adam turned his attention away from me leaving me to catch the box in my hands.

            “Autumn! It is good to see you. I was told you weren’t coming. I wonder why the secrets and lies..” Adam joked, Autumn released a forced laugh which I picked up on an instant, Adam did not. He didn’t know her the way I did.

            “I changed my mind. It’s nice to see you too. I’m going to leave you two to talk” I could just see how uncomfortable she was and it made me sick. Just before she would step away I intervened.

            “No, Adam was just leaving. Get your bag from the trunk, I’ll be right back,,” I stated without looking at her, we just got here and we were already off to a bad start. I grabbed Adam by the forearm and led him away from my car. Once we put a good distance away from the car, Adam snatched his arm out of my grasp and turned to face me.

            “What the f**k? Why didn’t you tell me you were with Autumn? Is it like a s****l thing or?” Before he could give a repulsive second option and shook my head and stopped him.

            “No, it isn’t like that. I actually like her and you handing me a box of condoms did me no f*****g favors!” I didn’t mean to yell but I was truly embarrassed and couldn’t bear to think what Autumn thought about me.  I threw the box at Adam’s chest, he recognized my frustration and put a hand on my shoulder.

            “Okay, I apologize. From here on until this weekend is over I won’t be a bother. Only if you tell me what’s going on between you two when this weekend is over..” He raised his eyebrows at me and I sighed deeply with a nod, it was about time that I told him. He smiled and patted my shoulder before walking off.

            “Don’t f**k things up, I think she’ll be good for you..” He whispered, I didn’t know if it was intended for me to hear that but I smiled at his words.

            Shifting my focus and attention back onto Autumn, I readied my mindset before turning around and jogging back up to the car. The trunk was open and Autumn was clutching her bag in her hands.

            “Sorry about that Adam was being an idiot..” I grabbed the strap of my duffle bag and yanked it out of the trunk. Slamming the lid closed I looked back at Autumn, she gave me a blank stare while nodding her head. I opened my mouth wanting to say something but she showed no interest so I kept my mouth shut and turned around.

            “It’s a bit of a walk through the woods” I mumbled faintly, She didn’t say anything in response. 

            From time to time, I would look over my shoulder to make sure she didn’t tread too far behind me. It was safe to say that she kept a fair distance away from me.  We weren’t even at the cabin yet and we were already at a horrible start. I cleared my throat and stopped, I waited for Autumn to catch up with me.

            “Do you just want to go back? I’m sure Roxy and Bella are-” Autumn didn’t stop, she walked past me shaking her head.

            “No..” She said cutting me off. She didn’t even know where she was going yet she just walked. It was either she was too exhausted to walk back or she actually wanted to spend time with me.

            “I’m not going to-” I started, I broke into a jog. Once I caught up to her she looked at me with a blank stare again.

            “Have s*x with me?” When she finished, I knew that she had already had this image of me painted in her head, but desperately I wanted to change that image. I reached out to her wrist and stopped her from going any further. 

            "I'm not going to take advantage of you." I corrected, maybe I was way in over my head with Autumn. I didn’t know what else to do or say to show her that I’m not the guy she first met. My hand released her wrist from my grasp. A confused expression dawned upon her face, she opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to express what was going on in her head.

            The coldness of the forest began to settle in around us, we were just standing there on a path not saying anything. Autumn looked away from me and embraced herself in a hug, I could see the conflict in her blue eyes. 

            “It’s cold and dark out, can we talk once we get to the cabin?” I asked, we were wasting time just standing in the dark asking to be eaten by wild animals. After a few seconds Autumn nodded and we proceeded to walk to our designated cabin in silence.