28| Cotton candy
"So, you're staying with her? For how long?" Brandon asked.
"I'm not staying with her," I rolled my eyes. He shot me a pointed look. I sighed in defeat, "Okay, I am. But it's only for a few days and it's just on and off. I need to find an apartment or something, dude. The problem is, I'm not 18 yet," I groaned.
"Who says you can't get an apartment till you're 18?"
"I can?"
"My cousin's apartment is literally just sitting there.
He's a wedding photographer for destination weddings so he's never there but he owns it.
You can stay there, literally for free. At least for another year.
He might ask you to pay after that, but you can also find another apartment after that," he shrugged in explanation.
I pulled my shirt over my head and turned to him. We just finished gym class and that's the end of the school day. "And you never thought to tell me this?" I looked at him incredulously.
"You never asked," he replied. I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, what's up with Emma?" he smirked knowingly.
"I asked her to the fair this Friday," I answered.
"And did she say yes?"
"No, she rejected me."
"Seriously?"
"No," I chuckled, "She said yes."
He rolled his eyes, pulling his bag over his shoulder. "You should do the cotton candy thing with her."
"What cotton candy thing?" I frowned in confusion as we left.
"The cotton candy thing."
I stared at him weirdly while we met up with Kendall and Emma. "What cotton candy thing?" I asked again.
"The cotton candy thing," he chuckled.
"What cotton candy thing?!" Emma and I exclaimed in sync. "What are they talking about?" she asked me. I take it Kendall's been telling her the same thing.
"I wish I could tell you," I sighed.
"He's talking about the other cotton candy thing," Kendall said, jabbing her thumb at Brandon. "I'm talking about eating cotton candy together," she shrugged. Emma rolled her eyes.
"I'm talking about the thing the cotton candy guy makes couples do. You don't know? Have you never taken a girl to this thing?" he asked me.
"No," I shook my head. It didn't exist last time I had a girlfriend. I caught Emma smiling to herself.
"If a couple goes to get cotton candy, the guy teaches them how to make it instead, in the shape of a heart.
And he asks both people questions about the other person, first one to get a question wrong, makes cotton candy for their partner.
How come you don't know about this?" he asked. I shrugged in response.
"Huh, which one of us do you think will be making the cotton candy?" Emma asked me.
"You," I nodded.
"No, I know you better," she narrowed her eyes at me.
"No, you don't," I scoffed.
"Bet?"
"Bet," I accepted.
"Tune in on Friday to find out," Kendall chuckled.
"See you tomorrow," Brandon nodded.
We then parted ways and I started driving us back. "There's no way you're not making the cotton candy, you were half asleep when we were talking last night," she laughed.
"You'd be surprised at how much attention I can pay to things in my sleep," I scoffed.
"What I'm surprised about, is how you've never taken a girl to this fair," she said, as I felt her eyes on me.
"Well, the fair didn't exist when I last had a girlfriend. And I didn't have a girlfriend when it came into existence," I replied, glancing at her for a minute.
"Keep your eyes on the road, please," she said, shifting in her seat. I smiled to myself as she said that.
Definitely not like Chloe.
"You're making the cotton candy," I said, pulling into her driveway.
"No, you are. Can we go to the park later?" she asked, taking her seatbelt off.
"Sure, at 5?" She nodded while catching the keys I tossed her.
"Nathan?" Both of us froze. Uh oh. That sounds like-
"Your dad," she whispered.
"Keep walking," I said.
"Nathan, just talk to him. I can go inside if you want."
"Don't do that," I grabbed onto her arm.
"You want me to stay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do."
"I'll stay," she nodded.
"Nathan?" he called out again.
"Fucking hell," I mumbled under my breath. She grabbed my hand and nodded to my dad. I turned to face him and her grip tightened around my hand. It made it a lot easier. It made not punching him in the face a lot easier.
"What are you doing here? Where were you last night?" he asked, walking up to us. From the looks of it, he came home early from work.
"I stayed at a friend's," I lied. Kind of, is that a lie?
"Which friend's?"
"Just a friend's," I shrugged.
"All right, well. Come back home. By tonight." He started walking back.
"No," I said.
He halted and turned back around. "What?"
"No, I'm..." She squeezed my hand. "I'm not coming back. I'm staying at a friend's and then I'm moving out."
"You're what?" he scoffed.
"I'm moving out."
"Whoa, shit," Emma mumbled under her breath, clearing her throat. I bit back a laugh and elbowed her ribs gently.
"Moving out? Out where? You're not 18 yet," he said.
"I found an apartment," I replied, "And I don't need to be 18 for it."
"Nathan, come back home, we'll talk about it."
"No, I don't wanna talk to you about anything.
Ever. Bye, dad." I pulled her into her house with me.
She stumbled, walking with me. She handed me the keys and I opened her door and then went inside, locking it.
"Oh, my shit," I gasped, losing air in my lungs.
I've never confronted him. And I just did.
"That sounds about right," she chuckled. We both dropped our bags in sync and turned to each other.
"Uhh, should I have done that?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck.
"Did you like it?" she asked.
"Yes," I said quickly. She gasped and then grinned. "No," I said quickly. She raised her brows at me. "Yes," I mumbled.
She squealed and then pulled me into a hug. I chuckled, putting my arms around her waist. "Are you really moving out?" she asked, pulling back to look at me.
"Yeah, Brandon's cousin has this apartment that I can get for a year, and then once I'm 18 I can find one on my own," I nodded and explained.
"That's great, where is it?" she asked.
"I... don't know. I know nothing about it, I'll have to go with Brandon to check it out and everything," I chuckled.
"Let me know once you see it and everything."
"Why do you wanna know where it is?" I asked, following her into the kitchen. "Will you miss me, Emmy?" I taunted.
"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.
She opened the pantry to grab snacks and I stood beside her, facing her as I leaned against the pantry wall. "You will, won't you?" She paused and looked at me hesitantly. "Oh. You will," I stated.
"I won't miss you, it's not like I'll never see you again, just... you won't be two doors down anymore," she shrugged, jumping to grab the pack of Oreos.
"You'll see me every day at school," I chuckled.
She nodded, "Yeah, I will." She said, ripping the packet open.
The doorbell rang and then there was a knock. "Nathan!"
"That's my dad," I said, pulling her inside the pantry and pulling the door closed.
"And we have to hide in the pantry? The wall wasn't a good enough barrier?" she asked.
"Yeah," I shrugged. She chuckled, offering me an Oreo. I took one and then realized how close we were.
I could kiss her.
I probably should since that's like the only thing that's been on my mind for the longest time.
"Maybe I could swing by every day," I mumbled.
"Huh?" she frowned in confusion.
"When I move out of here. You won't miss me then," I said.
She looked at me, pulling her lips into a thin line and biting back a laugh. "Yeah," she nodded slowly, "But then you won't be sneaking in through the window. Or drive me to and from school. Or hiding in the attic, you know?"
"I'll sneak in once in a while. Just to surprise you," I shrugged.
She chuckled, shaking her head, "No, you won't. But maybe I'll show up at your apartment in the middle of the night when I feel lonely," she shrugged but then realized what she just implied. "Not sexually," she groaned, hiding her face in her palms.
I laughed while she grabbed my shirt and groaned into my chest. She looked up at me, slowly backing away.
She opened the door and slowly stepped out.
"I'll see you at 5 when we leave," she smiled before turning around, grabbing her bag which was by the door, and running upstairs to her room, shoving another Oreo into her mouth.
We're going to the park again. Maybe we'll see Charlie again. But most importantly... Maybe I'll get the chance to steal his skateboard. Again. Nice kid, he gives it to me. Maybe he'll have a girlfriend this time we see him.
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