“Sleep well,” Cyrus gently closes my door and walks away. I count to twenty in my head and then I jump out of bed. I grab my phone and open the unread text messages from Sander. He’s told me the address and says that he’ll meet me by the gas station in front of the field. I slip on my sneakers and then crack open the door. Once the coast is clear, I make a run for the exit and land outside. From there, I head to the nearby bus stop. The stop itself is nothing more than a pole stuck into the concrete with a small sign on top. As the bus steadily rolls to a stop in front of me, I shuffle my feet and rush forward to be the first one to board. The door shuts and I can feel the movement of the wheels over the road, following the curves and greeting each slope. When we come to a stop, I step down and I’m greeted by Sander.
“I’m glad you decided to come, good choice,” his face lights up as he talks. We march over to the playing field where I am introduced to one of his friends.
“So, this is Rhys. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. We don’t see each other as much now that I’ve changed schools, but that makes moments like these even more precious” he says while wrapping his arm around Rhys.
“And this is Nicolas,” he motions to me. “He’s the prince and newest member of Bayshore. We bonded instantly so I have no doubt that you’ll fit right in with my friends.”
“Cool. It’s nice to finally meet you, Rhys. Do you guys want some soda?” I ask.
“Likewise, and sure I’ll have a sprite,” he responds.
“Make that two!” Sander adds enthusiastically.
When I come back with the drinks, the players are already lacing their boots. Right sock over the knee, folded neatly, then shoved down to mid-calf. A girl looks over at us and waves her arms back and forth.
“That’s Tessa,” Sander explains. She jogs over and I introduce myself to her.
“So, you’re the one and only Nicolas. Believe me when I say that all the words that came from Sander’s mouth this past week have been about you,” she smirks before running off.
His cheeks turn into a rosy pink, but he laughs it off. It’s adorable how easily he gets embarrassed.
“I can’t wait for her to kill it out there,” he says while the game begins. Sure enough, after the kickoff, everyone’s attention is focused on her. She weaves her way through attempted tackles and flips passes to feed her teammates’ diamond-shaped support lines.
“Go, Tessa!” Sander and Rhys scream in sync.
“Let’s go, Tessa!” I join in as well. As the final minutes of the game approach, the ball sits on the tee, begging to be kicked. One foot finds itself in front of the other. We gaze in awe as the rugby ball spins elegantly through the air, somersaulting its way in between the uprights. Everything seems to be in slow motion until the ball lands. I look at Sander, who looks at me. Leaping to our feet, we erupt with jubilation. Tessa did it. She scored the winning touchdown! She sprints directly to us, and we give her the biggest bear hug that we practically tackle her. We all plummet to the ground, laughing with tears of pure joy. Tonight was a night to remember.
I merrily make my way back to my dorm, only to be greeted by no other than Juliano. He’s sitting on my bed. There’s a tension in his muscles. He swallows up his anger while his eyes spark with disapproval.
“Nicolas,” he says my name, enunciating every syllable. This is not good. How did he find out? I crafted a perfect plan, yet I’m still caught.
“You’re not supposed to be leaving school grounds without permission. You’re also not supposed to be skipping practice without a valid excuse,” his voice is monotone so I can’t tell just how mad he is.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “You weren’t supposed to–”
“Stop it with your excuses. Sander’s Instagram story already painted the picture loud and clear. I don’t want you spending all your time with that boy. From now on, you should distance yourself. It’s detrimental to your reputation if you’re constantly seen with him,” he snaps. Is he being serious right now? Forbidding me to see my friend simply because he’s not of the highest class? It’s ridiculous. Absolutely absurd. Fumes rise from my nostrils but when I start to protest, he cuts me off again.
“Oh and also, I’m assigning you to wash the dishes after tomorrow's dinner. That should teach you a lesson.” I don’t even know what to say to this. He’s out of control.
“Why are you being like this, Juliano? This is evil.” I stare at him and I no longer see my cousin. I see a stranger. A stranger whose power has gotten into his head. He sighs.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean everything I said. I got carried away, and I apologize for being too harsh. I just want the best for you, you know that.” He opens his arms to hug me but I turn my back on him. I want to be alone. He’s breaking our family apart. I gesture for him to leave, my back still facing him. Once I hear the door shut, I slump into my bed, absolutely drained. I go to sleep, desperately trying not to melt down.
The next morning, I am a mix of emotions. I have no regrets, but I do want to mend things with Juliano. He is related to me after all, so there’s no escaping him, no matter how much I secretly wish he never existed. Upon further consideration, it’s better for everyone if we pretend to like each other rather than cause more disputes. I have to do whatever it takes to keep the royal family together. I’m overwhelming myself with thoughts right now, so I take a deep breath and clear my head. With my thoughts gathered together, I get dressed and knock on Juliano’s door. It takes five knocks before he ultimately opens it. He winces when he sees me. His face washes blank with bewilderment as if his brain cogs aren’t turning fast enough to take in my presence. He doesn’t seem fully awake either, which doesn’t surprise me.
“Why are you here?” he blurts out.
“To talk.” I rehearsed a whole speech only to lose my words in the moment.
“I thought you didn’t want to talk.”
“I never said that,” I retort.
“Well, it was implied when you shut me out,” he counters. I sit down next to him and look him in the eyes.
“Look, I know that we sometimes clash, but we have to think about the bigger picture, being our family. Despite our recent mishaps, we are a team. We are blood. That matters more than anything,” I conclude. I hope that for once he’s on the same page as me. He has to be. I’m being logical here and it’s taking a lot for me to not spit in his face. I know that letting my emotions take over will only cause more trouble. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. He opens it again and scratches his head while contemplating how to reply.
“I agree with you. We need each other, people are counting on us. Sorry again for yesterday. I can’t believe the way I acted.” His apology this time around seems more sincere, and I respect that he at least acknowledges how irrational he was being last night.
“We have to do something to rebuild our trust,” I decide.
“So what are you hinting at?” he leans closer and pays full attention to me.
“I’m proposing a truce.” I hold out my hand in front of me and he shakes it firmly. It’s settled. No more lying. No more yelling. No more fighting. I leave his room, satisfied.
My classes whizz by. It’s one of those days where it’s a bit of a blur. If you were to ask me what I learned today, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. A string of text messages appears on my phone, all from Aurora. I scroll through and it’s about the movie night. I can’t believe that I almost forgot about it! I quickly let her know that I’m on the way. I’m early to the movie theatre, but that’s the only method to guarantee the best seats. The interior of the hall dazzles me. The fluorescent lighting arrangement has a pleasing moonlight effect that soothes my eyes. I’ve never seen a theatre quite as elegant as this.
I scan the room and follow the smell of the mind-blowingly delicious popcorn. Zaps, bangs, booms, and boisterous cheers can be heard from the arcade. The sound of laughs and mumbles floats throughout the theater. Somehow the noise comforts me. I’m often alone, so it feels nice to be surrounded by other faces. While waiting in line, I can hear the popcorn popping like firecrackers. They explode into bouquets of aromatic white-gold blooms. Each kernel that I toss into my mouth feels like biting into heaven. I resist the tempting urge to gobble it all down, as I want to save the rest for the actual movie.
When I return to the big screen, I spot Aurora and the others. She pats at the row of empty seats beside her, and motions for me to come to join her. Slowly, the audience starts to fill the remaining seats; at first in twos and threes, and then in large numbers. Sander arrives while the ads are rolling in. While he’s contemplating where to sit, I stand up and grab his arm so that he can sit beside me as the movie begins. The lights flicker. The sound effects seem too real. I focus on the sight of a dark house in the night, set in the middle of the woods. The quiet, yet slowly intensifying rustling of leaves makes me want to dart to the exit. I’ve never been fond of horror movies, but this is next level terrifying. Because I don’t want to make a fool of myself, I keep my eyes wide open, zoning in on the screen. It’s all fake, I remind myself. It can’t hurt me.
There’s a young girl tapping on a half-destroyed oak door. It creaks open and I jump, fully on edge. The eerie music suddenly stops, looming into a sharp silence. The screen turns black, sinking me into a stage of relief. However, my relief is short-lived because all of a sudden, the petrifying face of a clown makes my heart leap off my chest. Out of pure fright, I grab the closest thing next to me, which just so happens to be Sander’s knee. I clutch it like my life depends on it. I don’t let go when the scene cuts. I don’t let go when my heart bounces back into my body. I don’t let go when he notices.
Instead, I sink my hand further into him. What has gotten into me? It must be from the adrenaline because I don’t want to pull back. He hesitates. Carefully, he puts his own hand on top of mine until our pinkies interlock. I stare at him. I’m lost in his mesmerizing eyes. For a second, I forget about everything in the world but his eyes. He’s candidly beautiful. I feel his soft fingers tighten around me, rubbing his thumb over mine.
From the corner of my vision, I can see Aurora’s eyes shift to us and I panic. It dawns on me that we’re holding hands. In public. I’ve never done anything like this before and I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I need to run. I let go and make a beeline to the bathroom. I know he must be overfilled with confusion, but so am I. What did I just do? No, no, this can’t be happening. Surely, I must be in a dream. I pinch myself hard. I let the pain sink in. I try to convince myself that I must have gotten caught in the moment. I wasn’t thinking straight. Such a harmless gesture could mean so many things. I hope that Sander doesn’t get the wrong idea. I wish that I could forget about this. I wish that I could undo this. How can I face him again? Speaking of the devil, footsteps are coming my direction. There he is. He ran after me, and now I’m no longer alone.
“Hi,” he murmurs almost too quietly for me to hear.
“Hi,” my voice is shaky with uncertainty.
“A-Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” The truth is, I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to think, what to feel, what to say, how to act, or how to do anything. I can’t function right now, and having Sander next to me makes it even harder. God, I wish that I could know what’s going on in his head at this moment. The silence is breaking me, and the tension is slicing through my bones. With tenderness, he rests his calloused hands on the back, not intimately, but in a more comforting way. It’s nice. He looks at my hazel eyes and then down at my chapped lips, then back up at my face.
Our eyes lock, trapped in each other’s gaze. We stay like this for an eternity and a half, until he begins to lean forward, creating no room for air. I can’t breathe. There’s no oxygen left. I can feel the heat rising in my chest, pumping with every inch he gets closer to me. If this lasts any longer, I’m going to faint. His fingers graze my shoulder. I can feel the warmth of his body colliding with mine. A wave of numbness hits me. A rush of helplessness takes over.
He bends back my head across his arm and closed his lips around mine. A kiss. I want to jerk back but the fibers in my body are holding me still. His lips swiftly part but he’s still eyeing me. The damage has been done. Why did he do that? Is he out of his mind? Am I out of my mind? Anxious thoughts are cornering my mind, but they’re outweighed by my yearning heart. When I don’t react, he leans in again. Our lips brush when bang! A clamorous boom from the movie makes us jump.
We both realize what we just did, but my mind has gone to mush. I can’t tell the difference between right and wrong anymore. Everything's on a fuzzy scale. Sander steps back, clearing his throat. His face is flushed with a vivid cherry red shade. I look down, counting the wrinkles on my hands. It’s almost like Sander’s lips triggered a short circuit in my brain because I am speechless. I’ve never felt this way before. My feet are frozen in place. I try to form a sentence, but when I open my mouth, incoherent words come stumbling out.
“Um, well, uh, I’m not–,” I babble out. He promptly turns around and starts walking away with a blank expression on his face.
“Hold on! Wait!” I pull him back because I don’t want him to go. Not yet, at least. He’s waiting for me to say something, but the pressure inside of me is building up into something insurmountable.
“I’m not– I’m not–,” I try again but I cannot for the life of me tell him how I feel. My breathing quickens, and I gulp down my fear. Sander is facing me again with those hypnotic eyes of his. One look and my will body go limp. It should be illegal how much power he has over me. I reach for him and grab his shirt, tugging him closer. I hold on to him with intensity to keep from losing balance. Cautiously, I move my mouth, parting my shaking lips and sending fierce tremors along my nerves. I close the gap between us. I give in. I let myself go. I let myself do what I’ve been longing to do since the very first time I saw him. I kiss him like it’s my last kiss. Tenderly at first, but then I grow hungrier, more impatient.
My veins throb and my heart erupts into a million pieces. I have never wanted anything more than this. I inhale everything: his shaving cream, his shampoo, and his fresh new clothes. His delicious lips melt like chocolate in my mouth. I savor every last bit. I want to stay with him like this until the end of time. I’m on top of the world.