you know what? congrats to Kaylan and Cody (young Alina and Mal) 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 who, I'm sure, appeared more times than they thought they would while filming that meadow scene.
The Only Time I Feel Alive Is When I Find Something I Would Die For (Part 3)
Mal’s plots turn personal when she cooks up a plan for her big brother, Jay, and Evie’s brother, Carlos.
Part 1
Part 2
“Fuck, do you think he bailed?!”
Mal glares at her brother from her spot on her bed. Jay’s hasty, frantic pacing to her door and back hasn’t stopped for over ten minutes now. His once perfectly combed hair is already in tangles from persistent tugging, and his lips are chewed red and swollen. Even his clothes are starting to crumple under his constant movements, and nerve-wracking sweat stains are pooling under his arms.
Gross. Mal can only hope Carlos is into good-looking trainwrecks.
“Will you just relax??” She groans and props herself up on her elbows. One glance to her phone and she’s rolling her eyes. “Oh. My. God. It’s only 3:27. They...I bet he’ll be here in 3 minutes! He’s not even late yet. Evil, just...get yourself together!”
But Jay continues his movements like he didn’t hear her, and Mal can’t tell if he’s ignoring her because of his nerves, or if he’s just being his usual asshole self. Either way, her annoyance level is reaching it’s breaking point.
She slides off the bed so she can stand right in front of Jay, blocking his path. He stops short with a huff right in front of Mal, eyeing her with growing disdain when she refuses to move. His attempt to step around her only earns him a harsh shove to his chest.
“Hey! Watch it!” Jay bursts, stumbling backwards with a flail of his arms. “You almost knocked me on my ass!”
Jay’s face reddens, and he steadies himself so he can stare down menacingly at Mal. Normally, Jay is undeterred by Mal’s physical attempts to stop him, so she’s actually startled by his awkward stumbling. Maybe he’s more anxious about his study “date” than she thought.
She sighs at the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. There’s no way this smitten doofus of a boy will be able to keep up with their usual banter. As much as she wants to continue her clapbacks when he’s being this irritating, he just looks, too...pathetic. Maybe now would be a good time to practice being a...supportive sister? Like Evie is. With Carlos.
She can try it, at least. If Evie does it, then maybe it’s not so bad.
“Look, Evie already texted me that they’re on their way, ok?” Mal does her best to soften her tone and reaches out to grab Jay’s shoulder, trying to rub it reassuringly. “She wouldn’t lie to me. Carlos. IS. Coming.”
“Right. Ok.” Jay winces, pinching his eyes shut. “Right. I’m being a fucking idiot.”
Mal chuckles and grabs his other shoulder to guide him out of the room. “No more than usual,” she teases as she gives him a light push into the hall bathroom. “Now, clean up. There’s no way you want Carlos seeing you like that. You ruined all MY hard work with that little freak out of yours.”
Jay turns to glare, but catches his reflection in the mirror instead, his eyes widening as he takes in his flustered, messy state, touching the frizz of his hair gingerly and leaning in close to examine his lips.
Mal chokes back a snicker, fighting the urge to further comment on Jay’s obvious distress. If she wants things to go well, he needs to keep a handle on whatever self-confidence he can muster before Carlos arrives. And she does want this to go well. For both of them.
A gentle knock at the door catches her attention, followed by her phone buzzing in her pocket. She smiles to herself, not even bothering to check the text.
“Alright Jay, make yourself presentable and get your ass downstairs. You’ve got 5 minutes,” Mal quips, sliding back into the hallway.
He nods, and a stuttered squeak escapes his lips. He goes back to brushing his hair, picking up speed to try to sort himself out. Mal leans back in to cast a short glance over Jay’s shoulder and into the mirror, giving her purple locks a quick fluff before retreating downstairs. She can’t stop a smilefrom curling on her lips as she nears the door.
“Well well, this is a surprise!” she teases as she’s pulling the door open.
But the rest of her joking is silenced by Evie’s bright smile and shining brown eyes. Mal is frozen, just for a moment, on the pretty girl at her door, not even aware yet of the boy at her side. Not that this is new, really. Mal feels herself weirdly gawking at her best friend no less than a dozen times whenever they’re together. But that must just be something that comes along with being friends with someone as stunning as Evie.
The pretty bluenette purses her lips into a tight smile, her hand grabbing for Carlos to pull him in beside her. “Ha ha. Nice one Mal,” she snarks, dragging Carlos past Mal and into the house.
“Please, come in, won’t you?” Mal mutters, closing the door behind them. She spins around to face them, flashing a toothy grin. “Carlos!” she chirps, finally focusing on the curly-haired boy at Evie’s side. “Welcome! It’s good to see you.”
Carlos breaks into a smile, wide and bright. It’s almost as pretty as Evie’s.
“Thanks Mal.”
She tries not to stare, but it’s as hard to look away from Carlos’ smile as it is Evie’s. He’s...absurdly attractive, just like his sister.
Carlos watches Mal for a moment, chewing on his lip. His eyes dart around the room, clearly looking for something. Or someone.
Um, Jay will be right down,” she spurts out quickly. “He had to gather the...study?...materials, that you need. I think that’s what he s-”
“Here! I’m here!”
All eyes dart to Jay, who’s jogging hurriedly down the stairs. He stops in front of Carlos, smiling happily but also panting breathlessly, his chest heaving to suck in some much-needed air.
Mal smirks at the two boys standing still and silent, with eyes locked and mirroring the same goofy grin. Evie slips back carefully, releasing her grip from Carlos to step up next to Mal, sneaking a subtle wink her way as she does so. Mal grabs at her arm and pulls her away to ease some space between them.
“Well, we’ll leave you two to study then!” Mal shrills, shocking Carlos and Jay out of their momentary trance. “Jay. Just don’t forget your...pencil. Ok?”
Jay rolls his eyes. “Yeah yeah, thanks sis,” he murmurs. He lifts his arm, pausing mid-air, before finally slinging it casually across Carlos’ shoulders.
“Um. This way, Carlos,” Jay offers softly, steering the freckled boy towards the backyard sliding doors. “I-I set us up outside. To study. I thought...the sunshine, would be nice.”
Carlos nods quietly, walking beside Jay with a pleased smile as he leads them outside.
Mal’s eyes follow them and she bites back a grin. “Come on,” she insists to Evie, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her along. “I guess, we should study too, right?”
When they get to Mal’s room, Mal immediately flops back down onto her bed while Evie stands and stares in the doorway, her brows furrowed.
“What?” Mal asks when she notices Evie’s befuddled look.
Evie giggles, taking a few steps closer to the bed. “Don’t forget your pencil?” She perks a brow at Mal, letting her fingers toy with a silky blue curl on her shoulder. “You can’t tell me that wasn’t code for something. I know you too well, Mal.”
Mal smirks proudly, patting the spot next to her. She watches happily as Evie follows her silent command, breathing deep when Evie drops down beside her so she can inhale the sweet waft of her perfume.
“Believe me, I had no doubt you’d catch that, Princess,” Mal coos, throwing Evie a wink. “Nothing gets past you.”
Mal delights in the soft pink blush that’s warming on Evie’s cheeks. For a second she’s tempted to reach for them, to feel the warmth under her fingers. But she resists, for now. She’s way too excited to share her plan that’s currently underway with her pseudo partner in crime.
She grabs for Evie’s arm, pulling her close. They’re almost chest to chest, and Mal and can feel the hitch in Evie’s breath as she leans in even closer. “I’m not gonna tell you though...”
And Evie’s eyes suddenly flash a look of concern. She searches Mal’s face, her features only relaxing when Mal breaks into a wide grin. She scoots herself to the window near her bed, dragging Evie with her.
“...I’m gonna show you. Get over here and look.”
Evie smiles and inches closer, carefully resting her arm on the windowsill that Mal is already propped on. Mal puts a finger to her lips, quietly pointing down for Evie’s eyes to follow.
Just below them, Jay and Carlos sit at a table in the backyard. Both boys are currently pouring over their own materials, barely looking up and not even acknowledging each other.
Evie can’t help frowning at what she sees. She was definitely hoping for more of a connection for Carlos, especially with Jay’s obvious interest in her sweetly shy brother. She braves a glance back at Mal, hoping to read her expression, and finds herself suppressing a giggle. Mal is...pouting? At least, that’s what it looks like, with her brows knitted together and nose scrunched tightly. She bites hard on her lip, still staring at Mal and trying her best not to smile. But her normally snarky friend is just...adorable.
“Ugh, this is NOT what I was expecting,” Mal grumbles, fisting her hands. She glares down at Jay, eyes boring through the top of his head with angered determination. “He fucking better do what I told him. That down there is the most G-rated shit I’ve ever seen. He could have a study date like that with...with...our grandma!”
Evie tilts her head, eyes wide with renewed interest. “Oh, so you told Jay what to do with my brother? Is this some long, elaborate scheme to seduce Carlos or something?”
Mal lets the hint of a smile slip, her eyes still focused on the boys below. “Maybe,” she teases, letting her gaze shift to Evie. “Or maybe, I’m just teaching my clueless brother how to flirt.”
“Flirt??” Evie exclaims, brows raised in mock surprise. “He...needs your help? With that? Does Jay really think his pre-teen sister knows how to flirt better than he does?”
“No,” Mal snaps, her smile fading for a moment. “But I do.”
Mal lays a hand on Evie’s shoulder and turns her to face the window. But Evie’s too distracted by the touch to really realize what she’s doing. It feels almost...electric, prickling at her skin and sending a shiver down her arm. She can only hope Mal doesn’t notice, that she can’t feel the sudden racing of Evie’s heart, as if it just thudded to life under their skin-to-skin contact.
But Mal’s now sporting a smug grin and looking down at her brother, seemingly unaware of Evie’s inward struggle. “I guarantee you Jay’s going to do what I told him.” Mal muses, her eyes still trained on him. “My advice was way too good to ignore. Just watch.”
Evie exhales and leans into Mal’s touch, watching Carlos and Jay along with her
in silence for what seems like, forever. But it soon becomes painfully obvious that...nothing is happening. Both boys are buried in their own books, occassionally letting their eyes drift to the other, but neither is saying a word. It’s...boring. Not that Mal and Evie have much experience with dating, but they might just keep it that way if all dates are like...this.
Mal drums her fingers nervously on Evie’s shoulder, speeding up their pace with each passing minute. Evie chuckles at how frantic they are now, the thrumming of them is practically ringing in her ears. She places her hand over Mal’s to calm her, giving a comforting look into bright green eyes.
“It’s ok, Mal. You did your best. Maybe Jay has his own moves he wants to try. Eventually.”
Mal scoffs and looks away. “Please. He wouldn’t have even gotten this far with Carlos without my help. He’s hopeless without me telling him what to do.”
Evie just shakes her head and starts to move away, ready to urge Mal to get to work on their own project. But Mal tightens her grip on Evie’s hand all of a sudden, yanking it down and squeezing tightly.
“Shit! Fuck yes, look!”
Evie’s eyes dart to Jay, who’s finally looking Carlos’ way. He’s leaning across the table, moving so slowly that Evie’s eyes can hardly register the motion. His hand is extended toward Carlos, and it looks like he’s going for...his notebook?
“W-what, is he doing?” Evie asks, stealing confused glances back to Mal. But the smirk on her face is evidence enough that this was part of her idea.
Jay’s hand stops just short of Carlos, but is close enough to catch the boy’s eye. He looks up from his writing, eyes narrowed on Jay’s hand, then up to meet his gaze.
“Hey Carlos?” Jay smiles softly, and Carlos relaxes, letting himself smile back. “I can’t find my pencil. Can I, borrow yours, just for a second?”
As he speaks, Jay’s hand slides forward again. His fingers raise just enough to cover Carlos’ hand with his own, his fingers curling to grasp up to Carlos’ wrist.
Carlos’ eyes drop down immediately at the touch, his brows raised in surprise as he watches Jay’s hand encompass his. When Jay finally withdraws, he makes a show of lightly scraping his fingers down Carlos’ knuckles. The sensation is soft and almost teasing, and Carlos finds himself swallowing sharply to avoid making any pleased sounds from something as simple as touching hands. When Jay reachs the pencil resting in the crook of Carlos’ hand he closes his fingers around it, pulling it along with them and slipping it out of Carlos’ grasp.
“Thanks,” Jay whispers, his eyes still on Carlos. “I’ll give it right back, I swear.”
Evie’s attention is diverted just as Jay starts writing, feeling another tight squeeze to her hand. She had almost forgotten Mal was still holding onto it. Mal is looking at her, teeth clenched into a broad, catlike grin, and she squeezes Evie’s hand again.
“Yessss! This is going to be gold,” she squeals, looking intently at the paper Jay is writing on.
Jay looks up and grins toothily at Carlos as he finishes his note, and pushes the the pencil back across the table. He follows it with the paper, giliding it across the table to stop right in front of his freckled crush.
Carlos perks a brow, examining both Jay and the paper with a growing curiousity. Jay nods his reassurance and slides the note further towards Carlos, resting it just under his Carlos’ fingertips.
“Go ahead,” he urges. “It’s for you.”
Carlos inches the notes towards him with his fingertips, finally dropping it into his lap and snatching it up quickly. His lips twitch eagerly as he reads along.
“Carlos,
I hope this note makes you smile, because you have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. I’ve liked you for a long time. Will you go out with me?
~ Jay”
Jay beams as he listens to his request read aloud, his eyes sparkling with hope when Carlos finally looks into them.
“Well, what do you say, Carlos? Will you let me take you out on a date? A real one, not for studying,” he clarifies with a chuckle.
Carlos bites his lip through his smile and starts to nod eagerly. His whole action is so vigorous even his slight body is shaking along with the movement.
“Eee-!”
Evie’s excited shriek is silenced by Mal’s hand clamping down on her, muffling the sound.
“Shhhhh, there’s more,” Mal rasps, pressing her face close to Evie’s. “We haven’t even seen the best part.” She drops her hand from Evie’s mouth and directs the girl’s chin back down with one finger to keep her watching.
Jay walks around the table to stand behind Carlos, who twists his head back to watch, confusion setting deep in his eyes. Without a warning, Jay pulls out Carlos’ chair, causing him startle and yelp. Jay then slides himself between Carlos and the table in front of him, crouching down to eye level so he can flash his most disarming smile, the one that Mal assured him will make anyone absolutely melt like ice cream on a summer day.
“I had, just one more question, Carlos,”
Jay slips a hand under Carlos’ palm, rubbing circles into it with is thumb. “I just...I’m wondering. If it’s not too much. If there’s one more thing you might let me do?”
“Uh, yes?” Carlos chews on his lip while trying to look Jay in the eye, but his thoughts keep drifting back to the hand now holding his. “Of course. What are you asking to do, exa-”
He’s cut off by lips on his own, Jay’s hands cupping Carlos’ cheeks and pushing their mouths together. Jay keeps the kiss soft and gentle, letting his lips slide over Carlos’ lightly, stopping only to suck a bottom lip between his teeth, and giving it one delicate tug before pulling away and sitting back upright.
Carlos sits stunned for a moment, his eyes still closed, before opening them to meet Jay’s unsure stare.
“Um. I hope that’s, ok?” Jay’s voice sounds surprisingly meek given his bold move, and he rubs a shaky hand at the back of his neck.
His uncertainty fades, though, as soon as Carlos breaks into a grin and lunges towards him, fisting his shirt and pressing their lips back together. Jay can’t stop from smiling into the kiss, and grabbing at Carlos’ waist to push their bodies in closer.
“Well,” Jay muses, still holding Carlos tightly when they part. “I hope this a good sign for how our date’s going to go.”
Carlos smirks, and without a word dives back in and kisses Jay firmly. “Just shut up and kiss me,” he mumbles, their lips still connected. “You made me wait long enough, don’t you think?”
Jay chuckles and places a hand at Carlos’ neck, anchoring him in to deepen their kiss. “Whatever you want, babe.”
Evie giggles from her vantage point above, watching Jay and Carlos’ kiss unfold with glowing elation.
“Oh! That’s so sweet. I’m so happy for them,” she coos, clasping her hands together.
Mal chuckles and scoots away from the window. “You’re welcome,” she says matter-of-factly, leaning against the wall to face Evie.
“Someone seems pretty sure of herself,” Evie muses, with an edge of mocking in her tone. “Do you really think Jay would’ve struck out with my brother without your flirting tips?”
“Oh, I know it,” Mal answers smugly. “He’s lucky he’s got a sister that’s so good at it.”
“Mal,” Evie sighs, shaking her head. “You’re twelve. How could you already be a master flirt?”
“I’m so glad you asked that, Eves.”
Mal stays focused on Evie as she drops down on all fours and starts to crawl across the bed. Evie sits, frozen, her eyes following Mal’s every movement. She wants to speak, to ask Mal what she’s talking about. To ask, to dare, and see if it might be what she’s...hoping for. But her tongue is too thick, too dry at the sight of Mal hovering ever closer, and she has to force a labored swallow before Mal is upon her and she completely loses her ability to talk.
“So, you should know, that Jay is not the reason I’ve worked on my flirting.” Mal confesses. She’s close to Evie now, so close she can feel Mal’s breath ghosting her face.
Shit, Evie needs to say something. She swallows again, and this time it seems easier. She can feel her tongue, at least.
“O-Ooh. Really?” She squeaks out. Her voice is barely a whisper. “Why, then?”
Mal grins. “Because, there’s someone I’m interested in, too.”
Mal’s eyes drift briefly to Evie’s lips and back, so quickly it’s easy enough to miss. But she catches it, and in that same instant Evie’s heart jumps into her throat.
“Is it. Someone I know?”
“You might.” Mal replies cheekily, her grin growing toothier as she now, very clearly, looks Evie up and down. “She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.”
“Ah.” Evie’s confidence is growing, but she still ducks her head to hide her blush. “Are you...close, with this girl?”
“The closest,” Mal whispers, inching closer. Their noses are touching, and Evie can’t bring herself to even blink. “Especially right now.”
Evie tries to giggle, but it’s breathy and awkward and dies in her throat.
“Evie, I was wondering...if there’s something you would let me do?”
Mal’s boldness falters for just a moment, and Evie recognizes the hopefulness in her eyes. She’d seen it today already, only a few minutes ago.
But instead of answering, Evie surges forward, meeting Mal’s lips and kissing her intensely. She revels in the muffled moan of surprise, vibrating from Mal’s mouth through her own parted lips. When she pulls away, it’s Mal that’s flushed, her mouth puffy and red and eyes wide with surprise.
“Yes, Mal. Of course,”
Evie leans back in for another light peck, smirking proudly. “Unless, I already answered your question?”
Ahhhh! I finally finished this one! This is meant as a big “welcome back” to @bunny-lou, and also as big hugs for @hersilentlanguage and @fuck-you-i-am-spiderman. Hope you like it! 😘💖😘💖😘💖
Young Mal (@YoungMallyMal) - Juice (Prod. By @Jah_Rasta_)
Young Mal (@YoungMallyMal) – Juice (Prod. By @Jah_Rasta_)
Young Mal is a 20 year old rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Currently Young Mal is pursuing his rap career in Atlanta, GA. He has released two mixtapes (The Rough Draft Vol. 1, L.O.A.D.E.D) both through HNHH. His style of rap is majority southern from his rhymes to his beats. His biggest influence is Lil Wayne. Young Mal is another up and coming artist out of the south that wants to keep the…
