Beauty Behind the Madness 05:
Arleigh tore her eyes from her book instantly when she felt the presence of someone next to her. She wasnât used to people joining her at lunch. I place my lunch on the table before throwing one of  my arms around her and peck her on the cheek causing her to giggle furiously.
âhello beautiful girlfriendâ I mumble into the croak of her neck causing her to laugh more.
âWeâve been dating for four hours tops and youâve become more cheesy than Romeo and Juliet.â She pushes me away from her but the smile doesnât wipe off of her face. âYouâll probably be proposing by the end of the dayâ She exaggerates causing me to shake my head and laugh.
âIs little miss book worm making fun of a classic?â I inhale deeply as I pretend to be shocked causing her to roll her eyes. âLadies and gentleman, the day has finally arrived where Arleigh Axle has insulted a book, lets give her a round of applause.â I begin clapping furiously causing her to glare at me.
âI didnât insult a book, I made a reference, theirs a difference.â She stated before poking her tongue at me .
I was about to open my mouth to respond but the confusion that filled Arleighâs face cut me off. Sitting right across from us was now Mitch  and Jonnie.
âSo where sitting somewhere new today.â Jonnie breaks the silence sending e a knowing look causing me to roll my eyes.
âThatâs not all thatâs newâ Mitch winks at me before turning his attention to Arleigh. âHitting something new Shawnâ Â Arleigh fidgets uncomfortable and I feel the sudden urge to lunge over the table and punch that smirk off of Mitchâs face but Iâm at risk of scaring Arleigh so instead I place my hand reassuringly on her thigh.
âHowâs it going Ariel?â Andy asks as he joins taking the seat on her other side.
Arleighâs about to open her mouth but I can tell sheâs not going to defend herself and only answer his question.
âItâs Arleighâ I correct.
âOh shit sorry.â He laughs and Mitch and Jonnie join in causing me to roll my eyes.
Usually I donât spend my afternoons at school looking for freshmanâs or talking to them but then again now days I spend most of my time doing things I donât do anymore.
Finally I spot the one Iâm looking for and rush up to her. She is standing with her friends laughing and as soon as she spots me she goes quite. Her friends suspicious as to why she had gone quite so abruptly follow her gaze to find me before following in her actions.
âAaliyah can I talk to you for a secâ I tell her but she seemed to have already read my mind before I spoke before she was putting a bit of difference between her and her now silent friends who where clearly watching us.
I havenât spoken to Aaliyah since yesterday afternoon and given the fact that we are in a crowded hallway I donât think she will bring it up right now but I can see in her expression that she is desperately trying to keep whatever she wants to say in.
"Just tell mum that Iâm going to the gym with a few friends while you guys are at the dentist this afternoon.â I tell her. Her lips form a thin line and her eyes narrow as she looks up at me, I wonder if she can see through my lie or not. If she does thankfully she doesnât say anything but gives a simple almost uneasy looking nod in response. Without a second thought I say a goodbye and walk away to my next destination.
Stepping out of the school building I look around for a fair bit before I find the car that Iâm looking for surrounded by the owner and her friends. Like Aaliyah had, she stops talking and stiffens when she seeâs me but her obnoxious friends only seem to notice when when I walk right past then so I am standing directly in front of Layla. She looks at me trying to keep a straight face but I know I break her when I dip my head into her neck and whisper into her ear.
When I back away slightly I see her suppressing a grin by biting down on her cheeks before turning to the drivers side of her car not even bothering to say a thing to her friends, however I donât have a problem with this and I get into the passenger seat. Her friends only back away when she starts the car and revs the engine startling them a little.
I thought I was a reckless driver until I saw Layla speed out of the school lot.
âWhere are we going?â Something tells me that she knows exactly what my intentions are which is good I guess that way she wonât get the wrong idea.
âMy house. No one will be home for a few hours.â
The car ride is silent which I am beyond thankful for suddenly Iâm not the type of boyfriend that enjoys talking things out, even though I once was. The way Laylaâs hands grip tightly on the steering wheel tells me that she is dying to say something which causes me to mentally groan. Layla isnât the type of person that holds anything in which was one of the main things that attracted me to her at first, that she was nothing like Arleigh.
When she starts speeding I realize that her grip becomes tighter and tighter on the steering wheel meaning that she is working herself up. If I care for my own life, which surprisingly that even in my state of mind now I still do, Â I need to speak up. Finding all my will and pushing my irritation to the side I open my mouth.
âWhat wrong?â I cringe as the words come out of my mouth, I must be the worlds worst âBoyfriendâ.
âWhy donât you talk to me?â She seems relieved to have finally been asked that question, like the weight of the world was lifted off of her shoulder. âYou donât have to wait until your sessions with my mum you can talk to me too you knowâ
I Have to bite down on my hard on my tongue to not laugh. How ironic, the tables have turned. Once upon a time I used to say crap like that to Arleigh when she closed up on me.
âI know, Iâm just no good at itâ Iâm so fake, using the excuse Arleigh used on me so many times. From the corner of my eye I saw Layla frown deeply and I new how she felt because I used to feel like that when Arleigh used to say the exact same thing.
Finally She parks in front of my house and for a brief moment we stay silent. Now that we are at my house I feel the sudden urge to take Layla as far away from here as possible. This is my private place, the only place I cant get away from everything and everyone. I donât want to take her in there, a place filled with so many memories of Arleigh, heck I might as well take her to the park where Arleigh and I spent most of our time alone together.
Instead I reach over the middle console and begin kissing her roughly desperate to get the events of the last two days that have felt like a lifetime out of my mind. Layla doesnât abject, she leans in more before climbing over the console and straddling my lap. My hands ran up and own Laylaâs smooth toned thighs before finding a grip on her waist and pulling her closer to me so she was grinding up on me.
Laylaâs lips leave mine and go straight for my neck suck harshly in a way that is pleasurable. My hand looks for the leather to take the seat back and as I focus on finding it I open my eyes but immediately regret it.
âWhy do you constantly sneak out the window?â I ask when Arleigh finally reaches the bottom of the ladder . It wasnât the first time the two of us sneak out  late at night  but for the first time I found myself wondering why she used the window and not the front door like I did.
âMy dad isnât like your parents, if he saw me sneaking out he wouldnât just tell me off, it would be a lot worse.â She said unwillingly as she fixed up her black tank top making sure not to look at me while she spoke, she very rarely spoke about her dad.â How do I look?â She changes the subject, not subtly might I add.
I take my time to look her up and down taking in her skinny jeans, tight tank top, and converse before smiling.
âMost girls usually wear dresses to parties.â
âIâm sorry I didnât know I had to change who I am to be your girlfriend.â She retorts sarcasm thick in her tone. I canât tell if she is joking or not so I make a quick cover up.
âI didnât mean it like that, if I wanted you to change for me then I wouldnât be dating you I would be dating someone else.â Arleigh doesnât say anything and I canât see her face due to the darkness of the night. Instead I mumble a 'letâs just goâ before leading the way to my car.
I hold Arleighâs hand tightly as we make our way through the crowd of people, the loud music overwhelming but I knew that we would soon adjust to it. Briefly I look over my shoulder to see Arleigh with her head down trying to make her way through the crowd of bodies. She must be out of her comfort zone here and Mitchâs parties are some of the biggest thrown so it must be beyond overwhelming for her.
When we get into the Lounge room I see  on a lounge Mitch with a girl I donât recognize sitting on his lap, Andy and Jonnie are seated on the floor looking up at them as well as Tyler who I hadnât seen all day, Tyler was probably the only one in our group that was quite and less rowdy which is why he was secretly my favorite even though everyone thinks Mitch and I are closest, itâs probably because Iâm always fixing up the messes he causes.
âWhatâs up buddyâ Jonnie calls from the ground waving his hands furiously in the air informing me that he has had a few too many drinks already. âLeigh- Leigh, how you going girl?â Arleigh sends me a knowing look causing me to smile and shrug.
Since we started dating a two months ago she does hang out with the guys here and there but she tends to stay quite around them, the guys mainly crack jokes and sometimes make her feel awkward which is where I have to step in and tell them to shut it but over all is going surprisingly well.
Mitch told the others on the lounge to go away, but not as nicely, so Arleigh and I could sit. I think Mitch was expecting Arleigh and I to sit the way him and his girl of the moment where sitting  with Arleigh on my lap and my hands rubbing up and down her thighs but Arleigh sat next to me and I throw an arm around her.
âSomeone get them a drinkâ Mitch shouts as if he had a servant ready to obey his every order. Rolling his eyes, reluctantly Tyler  got up and made his way to the cooler  grabbing to beers and opening them before handing one to Arleigh and one to me, we thank him and he takes his seat on the ground again.
I look over at Arleigh to watch her reaction. She looks at the glass bottle in her hand and shrugs before bringing it to her lips and chugging a bit down. As the liquid goes down  her throat her eye widen and leans forward, placing her hand over her mouth to stop herself from spitting it out into Andyâs face.
âThat is so gross!â She groans leaning back into her seat as her face scrunches up the aftertaste seeming worse. âThe way people go on about beer I thought it would taste good, why the hell do you drink that stuff?â She looks around at us all helplessly looking for an answer. Everyone stares back at her trying not to laugh finding her reaction kinda funny.
âIt doesnât matter after a while.â I shrug in response causing her to furrow her brows together.
âWhat like you get used to the taste?â
âNo you get drunk.â Mitch dumbâs it down for her and realization fills her features.
âWell Iâd hate to see how youâd react to something like vodka.â Andy laughed. They all found Arleighâs innocence a joke but I loved it, it makes her who she is. It makes her different.
âTruth or dare anyone?â The girl on Mitchâs lap pipes up before jumping off of  Mitchâs lap to go call her friends before anyone had even agreed. The poor girl doesnât even know whatâs coming for her, sheâs going to end up  with a broken heart like they all do.
When she returns the game starts with the typical Mitch dares Tyler to go into the bathroom for ten minutes with one of Dianaâs, Mitchâs 'girlfriendâ, friends Lucy.
Pathetic eye rolling dares  continue to be thrown around until finally Iâm chosen.
âtruth.â I shrug not being bothered to do any of there stupid suggestions. Dianaâs friends groan and shout 'booâsâ Â but Andy ignores them and continues looking at me.
âWhoâs top and whoâs bottom?â Arleigh tenses next to me and I mentally punch him in the face. Just as I open my mouth Iâm interrupted.
âClearly Shawnâs top, Arleighâs to shy to be top.â Â Diana butts in and suddenly I donât feel so sorry for her for choosing an ass hole to 'dateâ. âLetâs face it, itâs common sense.â She shrugs I take this chance to look down at Arleigh who is concentrating on hr hands in her lap pretending like she canât hear anything.
âNah I donât think so.â I look up to make sure Iâm not imagining things and sure enough it was Mitch who had spoken up causing Diana to watch him cautiously. âIâve been with loads of girls and the shyest ones have to be some of the kinkiest, wildest ones.â he smirked before taking another sip of his beer clearly proud of what he had said.
âWell in that case, Shawn when your done with Arleigh sign me up for some of that.â Jonnie laughs causing Arleigh to stand up abruptly and stalk off  into the crowd of people.
Making sure to flip Jonnie off as I get up, I chase after Arleigh although it was hard to know where she had gone considering that there where so many places and so much more people. I check the bathroom, kitchen, even the bedrooms upstairs before I realize that if I was Arleigh I wouldnât have trapped myself in a room in the house, I would go outside.
The sudden fresh cool air feels like such a relief compared to the stuffy hot house. A few people are outside the front of the house majority of them making out but right at the end of the driveway sitting on the sidewalk is my girl.
âSorry theyâre such Asses sometimesâ Is all I can manage to think of saying as I sit down next to her. She doesnât say anything but stares out at the empty street. I wrap my arm around her body and pull her into my chest only to have her push me away. I look at her completely confused but she doesnât look at me she stays focused on the mailbox of the house directly across from us.
âI donât want to.â She simply said not making any sense at all.
âYou donâŠâŠâŠâŠâ
âI donât want to have sex, not now anyways, not for a while.â She interrupts me and for a moment Iâm taken back. Never had Arleigh be so open and honest. Maybe that one sip of beer had more of an affect on her than I thought it would.
We sit in silence and I know she is waiting for me to respond but I canât find a response inside me so instead I laugh. She looks up at me with a piercing glare causing me to shake my head.
âArleigh, do you think I actually care about that? honestly.â I shake my head with full disbelief. Had I not shown her enough that I was nothing like Mitch and Jonnie?
âMaybe not now, but what about in a few months? what about a year? youâll get sick of me and you wonât be getting sex so thereâs really no win for you.â
âI donât care about sex Arleigh! I care about you.â I begin to grow frustrated.
âYour a seventeen year old guy, of course you care about sex!â She tryâs to raise her voice but it doesnât come out as loud as she hoped.
âIf I want I can use my hand! I love you, why donât you get that.â Arleigh was about to say something but her mouth closes and her eyes open. She stares at me stunned and for a moment Iâm stunned as well.
I just said I love you to Arleigh for the first time in five years.
âAre you sure?â She mumbles looking at her hands instead of at me as though she is scared that I have suddenly changed my mind. I reach my hand out and cup her face
âOf course Iâm sureâ I smile before pressing my lips to hers.
Standing right in front of her house was Arleigh with the same expression she had that night hatred and anger mixed with betrayal and sadness. As if she was just waiting for me to catch a glimpse of her she turns away as soon as I saw her.
Okay so what do you guys think shawn did to Arleigh? I really wanna know your thoughts!
