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THE SHRILL, INCESSANT BUZZING OF THE ALARM on the nightstand woke Dallas with a start that morning, luring her out of her peaceful slumber.
Disoriented, she almost toppled over the side of the bed as she reached over to hit the snooze button on the annoying alarm clock. She sat up, groaning and mumbling to herself as she stretched, her joints popping in delight and the streak of sunlight that slithered past the dark blinds signifying that it was already a new day. Eager to get up and start her morning early, Dallas threw the sheets off her legs and attempted to get out of bed, but a pair of hands tightened around her waist. She glanced down to see her boyfriend still snuggled up to her beneath the white duvet, eyes closed, still fast asleep.
Across the bed, Dallas saw a half-full bowl of buttery popcorn they abandoned throughout the night, mainly to blame for their 'Netflix and Chill' session the night before - except they hadn't done any 'chilling.' Dallas's orders, and surprisingly, Sebastian complied without his usual monolog complaint.
Dallas gazed down at him for a while, taking in the sight of his taut abdominal muscles peeking out from where the covers fell away from his frame, leaving a part of his lower body bare. The strands of his amber hair pulled in all directions known to man from sleeping so messily, and finally, the fine line of crust trailed from the corner of his lip and disappeared where his face met the pillow. She followed the tips of her finger down his sharp cheekbone, reveling in how gorgeous he could be even while asleep. He stirred, and that's when Dallas retracted her hand and worked on carefully disentangling their limbs so she could escape, the massive water bed bouncing and shifting at the slightest movement.
Strong arms ensnared her hips, tugging her back in.
"Babe?" her boyfriend questioned, his breath hot against the bare skin of her shoulder. Still asleep, his eyebrows knitted together, voice husky and low whenever he spoke. "Where are you going?"
"Bathroom."
"What?" Sebastian murmured, the crease between his eyebrows deepening. "No. Just stay here. You're warm." he snuggled closer to her to prove his point, and Dallas couldn't help wanting to cackle.
"I have to pee, Seb. Just give me a minute," Dallas gently cooed as though speaking to a tiny child who wouldn't release a jar of candy. Sebastian's eyes pinched before they cracked open, revealing the deep silver shimmering in the depths of his eyes, hidden under his curly eyelashes.
He eyed her suspiciously. "You're not gonna up and leave again, are you?" he questioned. "You always run off in the mornings, and I don't get it. I'm your boyfriend, aren't I?" his tone morphed into a low whine, like a little child's. Dallas found it cute. She chuckled and playfully pinched his nose.
"I was, but damn, you saw right through it." she joked, but Sebastian's resolution only solidified. He pulled her closer.
"Just five minutes, babe."
Dallas fell back on top of the duvet next to her boyfriend, lying on her side, watching him as he watched her through lidded gray eyes. She almost chuckled to herself when she thought of herself in that same position months ago, unable to look at him because she was too scared for him to see her mangled morning appearance. Sebastian's lips split into a tiny, innocent smile, and he tenderly trailed his fingers down the sides of her face. His gaze softened, and his eyes dropped to her lips. He leaned in.
Dallas closed her eyes and parted her lips just a little, allowing Sebastian to fit his lips with hers. His lips were soft and warm as they always were, and even though it was just a tiny peck, Dallas felt electricity pulse through her veins, chasing away every last ounce of sleep.
Sebastian leaned away, still smiling as he stroked the sides of her face. Dallas mirrored his expression and melted into his touch, closing her eyes and sighing as she savored the soft, silent moments before their inevitable departure to school, where they'd be engulfed in a swarm of people from the football and cheerleading teams.
And, of course, facing the reality of her suspension from the swimming team.
Before her mood could plummet, chasing that depressing train of thought, Sebastian's fingers lifted from her skin and inches further up, into the soft tresses of her reverting hair.
"Babe?"
Dallas cracked her eyes open. Sebastian's soft smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a deep frown that still looked gorgeous on his face.
"When are you gonna get your hair done?" he asked, brushing at the roots of her hair that lost the straightened, silky touch of getting her hair pressed, now reverting to the kinky tresses Dallas tried so desperately to avoid.
Dallas's smile faltered just a bit as she patted her head, realizing that her bonnet slipped off during the night. She managed to keep her smile intact last second, as well as her playful tone. "Why do you ask? Do you hate my hair or something?"
"Nah," he replied. "Don't get me wrong on this, but we all know that naps aren't your thing."
Sebastian's words were like a slap to the face. Dallas's stomach clenched tightly, and her face heated in embarrassment, hands itching to reach up to her hair and cover it with something so her boyfriend would stop looking at it like that. The absence of a bonnet meant an unflattering looking flattened 'bird's nest,' and more knots, which did no one any favours when it came to ease and quickness, especially natural type four hair.
Dallas lifted her hands and rubbed at her eyes to hide away from Sebastian's intense gaze, hoping he wouldn't sense how deeply his words stung at her fragile self-esteem. She suppressed the uneasy feeling in her stomach as she breathed a slight chuckle.
"You're right. I do look better with straight hair. Everyone tells me that," Lowering her hand and averting her eyes, she looked down at the tiny gap between their bodies on the bed.
"Because it's true. Can't you do something so it stays straight all the time?"
"My dad's against that, remember?" Dallas begrudgingly murmured, remembering her father's lengthy explanations and lectures as to why she would never dare put a drop of chemical in her hair while she was living under his roof. Without a mother or anyone else to challenge his authority, there wasn't much Dallas could do besides move out. Sebastian offered to get an apartment for the two of them on numerous occasions, but something about the idea didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was the thought of such premature commitment or because of how much the situation would be blown out of proportion, having to leave her house just because the universe cursed her with natural type 4 hair.
If only she'd been born with the naturally curly, beautiful waves like her mother had.
"I get it," Sebastian said, breaking Dallas's train of thought yet again. "Just put on a wig or something, then we can hang out after that. Don't worry about paying either. I'll take care of that."
Dallas pushed Sebastian's hand away and sat up. "I'm not a charity case, Seb. I can pay for my own hair, and for God's sake, you don't have to keep going on about it every time," she accidentally snapped, her voice coming out way harsher than she'd anticipated. "I just got kicked off the swim team, and this is all you can say to me?"
Sebastian's eyebrows twitched together in confusion as he sat up. The sheets fully slid away from his chest, revealing his chiseled abs and biceps from hours and hours of running around on the field during football practice. Dallas usually sneaked peaks at them whenever she could, but now she wasn't up to it, too flustered to care about anything else besides her boyfriend's pointed remarks.
"I didn't mean it like that, Dallas. You're overreacting," Sebastian began in the calm, collected tone he always used. He ran his knuckles over her thumb in a calming manner, but Dallas continued looking elsewhere, refusing to meet his eyes. "Hey, look at me."
Hand under her chin, he gently turned her head towards him, connecting their eyes.
"I was just looking at the more positive side of this. Think about it; a makeover will cheer you up, and now you'll have more free time, which means we can hang out more often," he suggested. "Do you know what it was like going around every day wanting to see you but couldn't because you had back-to-back swim meets?"
Dallas licked her lips as she calmed down a bit, pondering Sebastian's words. Because they were both busy with different sporting activities and seldom shared classes, it was true they hadn't seen much of each other since the school term started three weeks ago. Last night was the first time in a while that they spent quality time with each other without being yanked off in opposite directions.
Still, despite understanding Sebastian's words, it didn't change the fact that her grades weren't cutting it, nor that she would have hell to pay once her father found out what happened.
The bed bounced and rocked as Sebastian shuffled closer. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer, into his chest, into his secure embrace. "I don't want you to get mad at me, alright? I'm just trying to cheer you up," he murmured into her hair. "You can always join any other club you want, and if that doesn't work out, I can just ask my dad to put in a good word for you at NYU. You'll get a scholarship whichever way you look at it. Trust me, because I'm not going anywhere without you."
Dallas slid her hands across Sebastian's warm skin until she reached his back, her nails gently pressing into his firm back muscles as she returned the hug, getting lost in his warmth and the scent of the men's body wash that clung to his skin throughout the night. She turned her head to the side and rested it against his chest, letting his steady heartbeat radiate through her body and calm her. He always said the right things to say. He always knew how to calm her down and reassure her when she stupidly got mad and upset over something trivial.
He just wanted her to care for her hair so she could feel better about herself. She wasn't a charity case either; he only suggested paying because that was what he always did. Whenever they went out on dates or hung out, Sebastian wouldn't hesitate to flip out money whenever he could. Having a famous magazine editor, lifestyle blogger, and yoga teacher for a mother and a successful CEO of a multi-millionaire company as a father, Sebastian and his family were not only well off, but very generous too. They didn't hesitate when it came to spoiling someone they cared for, or even a random person on the streets.
"Thanks for letting me stay over last night."
Sebastian's chest vibrated with a chuckle.
"You don't have to thank me, babe. You're welcome here anytime," he said in a light, confident tone. He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her hair with his nose. "It's gonna be okay, I promise you. I love you."
"I love you, too," Dallas weakly echoed, and Sebastian chuckled, most likely because of how off it still sounded when she said it. She'd never get used to the fact that a guy like Sebastian chose her to be his girlfriend. . She pulled away from him and pouted as she glared up at him.
"Don't laugh. What's wrong with you?"
Sebastian just chucked some more. He swooped Dallas into another hug, with this one being far more intimate as his hands slid down to her rounded posterior, suggestively gripping her through her shorts. "You will get used to saying it one day, babe, believe me on that." Dallas's heart skipped a beat when his head lowered, snuggly fitting into the space between her neck and shoulder.
Despite how much Dallas wanted to chastise Sebastian for making a move on her so early in the morning, the second his lips touched her neck she was lost, swept away into pure bliss that made her thoughts go blank. She shivered, a tiny whimper bubbling from her mouth when Sebastian's warm tongue and practiced lips grazed the sensitive spot on her neck.
Bzz, bzzz.
The second alarm went off for the morning, the shrill tune startling Dallas back into reality. She was just in time to notice that Sebastian's hands had moved from her ass and were now slipping beneath her oversized white t-shirt.
Her hands shot down and grasped her boyfriend's hands, stopping him in his track.
"Seb," she stuttered. "We can't. We're gonna be late for school."
Sebastian's hands didn't move, but his mouth continued to work against her, sucking her neck.
"Sebastian! We're going to be late for school."
He finally released her, and his head emerged from her neck. Leaning away slightly, his lips curled into a smirk as he perused the purple-reddish bruise that was starting to show even against her dark skin. "Just so everyone knows you're taken," he muttered to himself as he appreciatively eyed the mark. He hooked a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up, leaving her no choice but to stare into his penetrating gaze. "You're mine, Dallas. Never forget that."
His words sent a spiral through Dallas and awakened the rampant butterflies in her stomach, just like the time they just got together.
Admittedly, sometimes Sebastian could be possessive and jealous at times, but what good boyfriend wasn't? His bad qualities didn't outweigh the good, and with him, Dallas felt powerful, like she could power through anything, almost like she could climb a whole mountain. She was lucky to have him by her side, and she was counting down the days until she felt ready enough to lose her virginity to him, up until the moment she became his wife.
Smiling, Dallas playfully leaned in and planted a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. "You're mine too, Seb."
"Good to know."
The rest of the morning progressed, with the two of them moving in sync as they made their way around Sebastian's bathroom, careful not to bump into each other as they hurried to and from - not that there was any lack of space. Like the bedroom, Sebastian's bathroom was a massive space in and of itself, equipped with double vanity granite countertops and marble floors that glistened under the white glow from the elongated vanity wall fixtures. Dallas twisted the golden knobs in the indoor shower, breathing a sigh of contentment as the warm water began squirting out, pelting on her bare skin. The fresh and citrusy scent of her body wash infiltrated her nostrils and that, teemed with the soothing massage of water trickling down her back calmed her tremendously.
She was ready to conquer day; the second week of her last term enrolled at Ridge Walk High.
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Dallas was ready for the day, and she had everything done - she'd reapplied a coat of fuschia to her nails, penned her eyebrows to perfection, and slathered her lips with a deep red lipgloss. She pulled on her favorite frilled crop top, ripped denim shorts, and sneakers to match, and tucked all her hair beneath a black beanie.
Hillcrest High was already buzzing with students by the time Sebastian swerved his car onto the school compound, which wasn't a shock, seeing that many people were scurrying to catch registration before the bell went off, deeming them late. Dallas subconsciously bobbed her feet, her lower lip pinched beneath her teeth as she apprehensively eyed the trail of students and the time flashing on her phone. 8:10a.m. Coach Asia's words from last Friday echoed in her mind like a perilous warning, drowning out the sound of music pulsing from the car.
Sebastian pulled up to the curb and shoved the gear stick into park. He killed the engine and glanced over at Dallas and opened his mouth to speak, pausing when he saw that she had already opened the door and grabbed her handbag, heading out.
Sebastian flung his door open and rounded the car.
"Hey, hey, slow down," he grabbed hold of her hand, yanking her to an abrupt stop. "The bell hasn't gone yet. What's the rush?"
"Have you seen the time? It's eight eleven. If you got up when I told you, I wouldn't have to rush." she told him and tried to pull her hand away, but Sebastian expertly maneuvered their position so that she was against him with his hands cupping her face. "Seb! I'm going to be late."
"Slow down, alright? Relax first. It's just a, what? Three minutes walk to your class? You won't be late, babe," Sebastian gently cooed at her as he trailed his hand down the side of her face, his touch dispelling Dallas's troubled expression. "When can I see you? Are you free for lunch?"
Dallas shook her head, her looped earrings bouncing against her neck. "Not really. I have to sort out what extra credit class I'll take, remember? And you know how Miss Davis is with her lectures about low grades and college admissions. I'll never hear the end of it," she told him. "The sooner I get it over with, the better."
Sebastian's lips fell into a tiny pout.
Even though Dallas wanted to be serious at that moment, she couldn't help giggling at the pitiful puppy dog expression her boyfriend pulled. She lifted a hand to his hair and threaded it through, pushing strands of hair that fell when he lowered his head to look at her. "I'll see you after school, don't worry."
"Are you sure? I wanted to get lunch somewhere else today. Cafeteria food sucks."
"Ask Patricia to pack lunch next time." Dallas pointed out, referring to the maid who worked in the kitchen at Sebastian's home. Patricia mainly worked in the kitchen, and when Sebastian was a little kid, she was the person responsible for his meals and helping him get ready for school. His parents, too busy with the hectic nature of their lives and jobs, hardly had time for him.
Sebastian frowned. "I'm not a little kid." a tiny smile grew on his lips as he continued staring down at her. He pulled her even closer and leaned in to peck her forehead. "By the way, did I tell you how fücking gorgeous you look?"
Dallas cleared her throat, and despite how much she loved melting into his warmth and drowning in the sandalwood scent wafting from his clothes, it wasn't the time for that. "Not here, Seb.," she told him, tilting her head towards the assemblage of students passing by next to the car, many of whom stared at them begrudgingly or otherwise. The teachers made it crystal clear that PDA wasn't appreciated and was supposed to be kept behind closed doors.
But of course, Sebastian didn't see it that way. "What? I'm talking to my girlfriend. What's there to see?" he lifted his gaze from his girlfriend's face to the lingering students, where his previously soft look and voice transformed into a cold, authoritative one. "Nothing to see here, right? Move it along. You too, buddy." as he said the last part, he jabbed his finger at a scrawny sophomore nearby, who'd been minding his own business with another nerdy kid nearby. No one was man or woman enough to defy or talk back to Sebastian, so they all scurried off, regardless of what they were doing.
"You didn't have to do that. We could have left." she lowly voiced, suddenly unable to lift her gaze from the ground nor ignore the heat pooling in her cheeks as it always did when Sebastian made a scene.
For a split second, she thought Sebastian didn't hear her, but then he hooked his hands under her cheek, angling her face up to meet the stern look in his. "Those dudes clearly want to get in your pants, baby. I don't want anybody looking at you like that," his steely look vanished, allowing a smirk to quirk his thin pink lips. "Except for me, of course. You're fücking sexy." to prove his point, his hands slid down her waist to her posterior, where he squeezed firmly, suggestively.
Ignoring that and the heat that intensified in her face, she decided against telling him to stop because the halls were empty, and most likely he would just get annoyed with her 'reluctance.' Furthermore, what happened next wholly made her swallow anything she would have said next, or any emotion she felt.
The sound of the 8:20 AM bell echoed through the schoolyard.
Dallas wiggled out of Sebastian's hold and bid him a resolute goodbye before hurrying off towards her homeroom class.
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The morning sailed along for hours, with Dallas sitting amidst twenty other students listening to her science teacher, Mr. Davis, going on and on about plant cortex and photosynthesis. The majority of the class drifted off into peaceful slumber, and once upon a time, Dallas would be included in that number too. However, her future was on the line, which meant she had to consider her grades more seriously. Her lips dipped into a slight frown when she recalled visiting the senior coordinator during the twenty-minute break, listening to the woman's lecture before ultimately sorting extra credit classes into her schedule.
"Now remember, class, water leaves the plant leaves through the tiny holes in the leaves," Mr. Davis announced. He stopped pacing before the blackboard and aimed a pointed look at one of the boys lounging at the back of the class. "And contrary to popular belief, the word is stomata, not stomach. I'm looking at you, Mr. Young."
Dallas quickly flipped her notebook back open and scribbled down the point, the decorative feather's tip of her pen swaying. Stomata, not stomach. Grey Young wasn't the only one who wrote 'stomach' onto last semester's exam paper - Dallas's 49% final average in bio reflected that and more - but some things were better left unsaid.
The lunch bell rang, and magically, students who were just fast asleep were now fully awake with 2020 vision, throwing their school supplies into their bags like their lives depended on it. The classroom became noisy from the collective sounds of students talking and desks screeching against the tiled floors.
"Now, remember there's a quiz next week. Continue reading chapter two of your textbooks." Mr. Davis announced over the ruckus, but hardly anyone listened. Almost half the class was already out the door, loud cackles erupting in the once quiet hallways as more and more students poured into the hallways. The teacher tried getting out a few more announcements but eventually got the gist that he was competing. He threw down his student planner and addressed the only five obedient students. "Class dismissed!"
Dallas scooped up her flashy hello kitty pencil case and stuffed it into her tiny schoolbag, as well as the two books she was taking notes from. She hopped from her desk, slung the straps of her bag over one shoulder, and approached the teacher's table. Mr. Davis glanced up from assorting class documents, both of his eyebrows arching in surprise.
"Miss Addison," he acknowledged with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Dallas's hands tightened around her bag straps and she hopefully glanced at the door, seconds away from reconsidering her choice because she knew she'd regret what she was about to say. Steeling her nerves, she tucked invisible strands of hair behind her ear and met the teacher's eyes.
"I want the list of topics for the rest of the term. I want to do some extra reading before class, and um..." she pressed her lips together, dread coiling in her stomach as she mentally looped over the subsequent request. She didn't want to spend a second longer than she had to with Mr. Davis, but one thought of Coach Asia's lecture and imagining what her father's reaction would be when he heard the news was enough to force the words out of her. "Can we go over what we did in class today? I don't understand it."
That was the confession. Dallas tried to follow the lecture, she really did, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't a shred of interest in biology. But it was either biology, chemistry, or physics since the principal insisted that every student needed to do a science subject. There Dallas was, facing the price.
Sitting through every class was like watching paint dry, and sometimes it was physically painful.
"What exactly don't you understand? If you can tell me, we can just start there."
Dallas lifted her shoulders in a half-assed shrug. "Uh, nothing?" she unintelligently concluded. "That's why I was wondering if we could just do a quick crash course."
Five more months, Dallas. Five more months.
"Of course!" Mr. Davis carelessly dug through the peals of paper he was previously stacking together, frantically searching through for something. Seconds later all his papers were scattered across the table. He smiled triumphantly as he pulled a single sheet from the mass. He gestured to a nearby chair and dragged his own closer to the table. "Take a seat, Dallas. We'll only be here for a short while."
A short while turned into minutes, then hours of Dallas perched there on an uncomfortable iron chair, watching and listening to Mr. David's mouth racing a mile a minute about the complexities of science, cell generation, and photosynthesis. By the time he finished, four minutes had run by, which meant a measly twenty minutes for Dallas to grab something to eat from the cafeteria. The lesson was worth it, though, as she grabbed her bag and trekked into the main hall with much more clarity than before.
Five more months, Dallas. Five more months.
She planned to work her grades up to a decent level and catch a recruiter's eye when the swimming regionals started a month from then. She'd earn herself a full scholarship to New York University with Sebastian, and their relationship would progress from then as the enviable high school sweethearts who had a seamless relationship spanning years into adulthood. Suddenly feeling giddy about the idea, Dallas smiled.
She turned a bend in the hallway, her heels clicking on the marble tiles as her feet instinctively led her to where she always spent her lunch hour.
It was only when she stood before the navy blue double door of the room when her smile faded and reality crashed into her, that she wasn't going to swimming practice anymore. She peered up at the gymnasium door, her stomach tying into knots as she heard the squeals of girls, the shrill sound of Coach's Asia's whistle, and splashing water from the other side.
Dallas could imagine herself behind that door, cold air grazing her skin as she stepped onto the starter block and stared out at the shimmering blue waters that lay ahead, seconds before she lowered her hands to her toes. At the sound of the whistle, she'd plunge into the water and fight her way to the end, even as her muscles cried in distress. It was all she had known since she was a little child, and having that taken away from her so brutally was like tossing a fish onto dry land.
Without giving it another thought, Dallas spun on her heels and hurried back up the corridors.
Maybe Sebastian was right. Perhaps it really was time to relax instead of getting worked up over things out of her control. If she just convinced herself she didn't care how her father would feel once she broke the news, maybe then she wouldn't care about swimming anymore and could completely shift her focus to her studies.
So profoundly enmeshed in her thoughts and feelings, Dallas absently rounded the corner.
She didn't see the other person, and maybe they didn't see her either, because the next thing she knew was that she'd slammed right into them, no brakes, full-speed ahead.
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Lool, guys, please don't crucify me for the cliche bumping moment. I didn't plan to put it in, but it sorta just happened, ya know?
I'm so excited about this story, so tell me your thoughts. I want to get to know my very first readers :)
Question: who did she bump into?