Making Circles by Vanessa Gilbert (summer beach reads .txt) 📕

Mom nodded and said, “I promise.”

“Well,” I began hesitantly, “Carter and I almost…had…sex…we didn’t so don’t freak but almost…and…it’s just after we almost did it I realized that I wasn’t ready for it…not right now maybe later but that later is not even close not a year away not two years away not even three years away.”

Mom looked at me in surprise and said, “I’m glad you didn’t do it but I suggest dumping him because I bet you he said that if you loved him you guys would do it.”

I nodded sadly. It’s sad that my mother even knows what my boyfriend said. It’s even sadder that I hope my mom will band me from dating him after this. My mom shook her head and asked, “Is that why he dumped you?”

I nodded feeling tears being to spill out of my eyes, Kyle was right…why the hell am I dating Carter? Mom shook her head in disbelief as she said, “I thought he was bigger than that.”

I shrugged and whipped the escaped tears away and said, “Apparently not.”

Mom wrapped one of her arms around my shoulders and pulled me to her in a tight side hug. I sighed, I’ve never felt like a whore or prostitute in Carter’s eyes…but that morning…I felt like he thought that he just had to say a few romantic things and a lie here and there and bam he could get into my pants. I felt like…like a slut. I felt the little girl in me being to wale and I could feel my mind crying out, “Whore!”

I shook my head and then slowly pulled away from my mom and decided to push those memories that Carter into a box and never let him out ever again. I had to either, erase the new Carter completely from my life and remember the good, old sweet Carter or I had to change the new Carter…permanently.

“Arien, sweetie, could you help me carry in some of the groceries,” mom asked.

I slipped from the back passenger side seat and shut the door after my feet hit the ground. After an hour or so at Wal-Mart we were home with the groceries we needed and whatever else. I nodded and grabbed some of the white, plastic, red labeled Wal-Mart bags and carried them inside the house. Dad spent almost all the time at Wal-Mart back in the male corner of the store looking at guy stuff. I remember mom complaining for a while then finally she said a joke that later we told dad and made him frown. She had said, “Well tonight is the one night he can’t complain about dinner jokingly or strictly, he has to eat and enjoy it.”

I laughed at the memory and then set the bags full of food and other things that I had on the dining room table. I starred at the bags then at the appliances in the kitchen; do I put some of them away? I looked at the coffee maker, then the blinder, and then finally the microwave. “What do you guys think, do I help or do I walk away,” I asked the appliances.

Well you know you’re crazy when you talk to inanimate objects and you expect an answer back. I sighed and then looked at the groceries. Mom would love it if I did…besides I don’t have a date or anything. I grabbed the bags and hauled them over towards the fridge and the pantry. I began to stack and place the items in the first back where they belong, juice; fridge, apples; fridge, crackers; pantry, pregnancy test….pregnancy test? Why the hell did mom buy this? When the hell did mom buy this? I stared down at the little decorated box and waited till my mind came back and I could move again. Is mom pregnant?

I heard the rush of voices and looked up at the door then back down at the box. Crap, where do I put you!? I quickly stood and moved in a frantic circle, what do I do, what do I do!? Mom can’t know that I know she’ll flip out! I quickly pulled out all the rest of the items in the first bag, wrapped up the box, then quickly made my fast haste up towards the stairs and off to throw this in their bedroom or bathroom or something. “Arien, sweetie, where are you going, “I heard my dad’s voice call.

I froze, half in motion to put my foot on the first steps of the stairs. Crap, what do I do? I quickly turned and brought the box from right in front of me to behind me. There standing in the door way was dad, mom…and Kyle. I stared at them in shock and felt my mouth drop. He has the worst timing, I thought. I smiled a shy smile at him and asked in a hoarse voice, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you on our date,” he said smiling an ignorant smile.

“Uh, I don’t know if I can, I mean my mom and dad might-,” I began to say till my mom jumped in with, “Go ahead honey, your father and I can handle everything.”

“Thanks mom. Um, give me a minute to change and get ready, “I said turning, still hiding the box from view, and running up the stairs.

I quickly ran over towards their room, opened the door, threw the box on their bed, and then I turned and ran to my room. I slid into my room, opened up my dresser at the end of my bed, and began to pull clothing after clothing out looking for a good outfit. I pulled out a dress that was thigh length and that I haven’t worn in a while. The strapless dress is a bright perfect white with a strip of yellow at the top of it and at the bottom. I threw it on the bed then looked down at my jeans and the dress then shook my head then ran into my closet and began to pull jeans down from their hangers. I grabbed a pair of my yellow skinny jeans and then threw them on my bed. “Okay, top, bottom....shoes,” I said looking at the pairs of shoes on the floor under my hanging clothes. I grabbed my yellow flats and then ran back into my bedroom and quickly changed.

After the clothes were on I ran over to my bathroom, starred at myself in the mirror and began to fix what I needed to fix. I ran a brush threw my hair and re-parted it then quickly touched up my makeup. I fluffed up my hair a little, ran back into my room, grabbed my rib length, white jacket, and then ran back down the stairs. As soon as my foot touched the floor of the living room I heard Kyle say, “Wow, you look amazing.”

I looked up at him and blushed. Carter never told me I looked beautiful. I smiled at him then walked over closer to him and kissed his cheek. “Thanks,” I said.

His cheeks turned a bright red and a smile slowly spread across his face. I smiled back then looked at my parents and said, “Well, I guess I’ll be back soon.”

They both nodded and smiled…they didn’t smile like that when Carter took me out on our first date…but then again he did hurt me before we began to date. My parents nodded and smiled as Kyle reached out his hand and waited for me to place mine in his. I starred at his hand for a second then took it with a quiet sigh; this isn’t a good idea….if Carter see’s this…he’s going to get pissed. “You sure you want to do this? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he asked.

I sighed angrily and said, “No, Carter bet me so he has to pay the price for it.”

Kyle smiled and then began to led me out of the house and towards his vehicle…his…fast…two wheeled…motorcycle vehicle. “You’re kidding right,” I asked him.

He shook his head and then walked me closer to his motorcycle. Every step brought more and more fear into my body. The glossy black motorcycle glared at me, warning me. “Carter, we can just take my car you know,” I told him.

He shook his head and said, “This is our first date so I’m going to try and look good in front of your parent’s which means taking you to our date in, well technically on, my vehicle.”

I looked back at his vehicle and felt more fear fill me. He climbed on then patted the back of the seat waiting for me to climb on. I let out a held back breath, swung my leg over to the other side of the motorcycle then sat down. He put on a black helmet that said, “Kiss my ass,” on the back and then handed me one that was the same color and message only on mine it said, “Kiss my ass too.”

I laughed at the helmets and asked, “What no matching leather, “kiss my ass,” jackets as well?”

He laughed and said, “I left those at home.”

I stared at him in shock and let out a small laugh. Is he joking? He gentle turned the key in the ignition and the bike roared to life. He kicked the kick stand up with his foot, slowly backed the bike up then raced out of the drive way and down the street.

“You didn’t,” Kyle said, laughing at my embarrassing tell of slipping on ice and what I called out.

“I did. One of my friends actually has it on camera and posted it on YouTube,” I said nodded my head and laughing.

We got to the restaurant at the perfect time. Busy but not too busy, it was the busy in which there was a light roar of murmuring and talking…perfect for a first date. As soon as we sat down we broke into conversations, stopping when the waitress came and got our orders for drinks and food and then jumped right back into where we left off. I smiled at Kyle, Carter and I never had this good of a time on our first date…our first date was awkward and horrible. We went to some classy, French restaurant in town and Carter was showing off the money he’s made from movies he’s been in. He was never in any important roles but still he made enough cash to pay for most of the bills he’s parents paid, pay for gas in his SUV, pay for a new SUV, and pay for a bill at a restaurant that slowly built into the hundreds.

I even remember the first thing we talked about…well the only thing…we only talked about school. How pathetic? We only talked about last year and then about our fears for this year and here I am with Kyle talking about everything and still having so much to say. “Okay I have you beat. When I was in middle school one of my friends made me laugh so hard I peed myself,” he said laughing.

My mouth dropped open and a wave of laughter spilt out. “Oh my god, that’s awful,” I said still laughing.

“Yea well it gets worse,” he said.

“How,” I asked giggling still.

“My girlfriend is the one to tell me that I peed myself. She found out by sitting…on my lap,” he said blushing.

More barks of laughter spilt from my lips and soon I was hitting my thigh and laughing so hard that it felt like I’m going to pee myself. I put my hand up in a stop motion then said, “You win.”

He laughed and nodded then we both began to slowly stop laughing and let out a sigh of happiness from the laughter. We smiled at each other then picked up our glasses full of our drinks and took a sip. I watched him over the rim of my