Crooked Young
As The Sun Went Down
KARINA’S POV
"He looks super pissed," said Elise, putting emphasis on the ‘super’.
"Don’t go, just talk to him another day," Meg rushed to add, grasping my arm.
I shook my head, mumbling a jumble of words, and signalled for him to step away from the door. “I’ll see you guys later,” I said nervously, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car.
The moment I was standing, and the door slammed shut behind me, Elise’s car drove off, leaving me to stand a meter away from Tony in an awkward silence. He fumbled with his hands for a moment, like he was second-guessing himself.
"Everything good?" I asked, but it was a stupid question. Of course everything wasn’t good.
Tony looked up at me, a genuine yet slight smile coming across his face. “No,” he told me, “but thanks for asking. Listen, I just wanted to explain mysel-“
"No, you don’t need to," I cut in. “I shouldn’t have been angry at you, I had no right. I guess I just wished that you could find another way of coping, y’know?”
Tony nodded, biting down on his bottom lip and drawing my attention to it. The cut was still there, but it looked much better. My eyes then darted to his cheek as I remembered that he’d hurt that too. He had a dark bruise and a healing cut, but there was nothing new that I could see. I sighed in relief.
"Um, Owen was talking about you in PE…" Tony began, eyes scanning the ground as he swung his foot back and fourth. Eventually, he lifted his head to make eye contact with me. "You two aren’t…?"
"Oh no," I Iaughed, "no, no, no."
Tony smiled, the kind of unrestrained smile I missed. Bad boys don’t give honest smiles like that, I thought. Maybe I really do like him. Okay, yeah, of course I fucking like him.
"So," he said, taking a step towards me and, gently, taking my hand in his. "You’re single then?"
"Uhhu," I confirmed, my loss of words a result of his dark eyes fixing on me.
Tony raised our hands, bending his fingers and edging even closer. “My lip is healing really well,” he told me.
"Really? Oh, that’s good to hear," I nodded enthusiastically, giving him a very serious look.
"It is," he agreed, equally as long-faced. "I’m not sure if its completely healed yet, though. I haven’t tried it out…”
"You better," I gasped, "what if it's not okay?"
Tony lowered his head, eyes flickering to my lips, which parted as his hand squeezed mine. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to see,” he whispered.
"I guess we will," I replied, my stomach swirling with butterflies as I lifted my head up and closed the space between us. The moment our lips touched, I remembered just how much I liked him. Just how much I craved his embrace.
Pulling away, I tried my best to suppress the giggle I felt bubbling inside me. Tony smiled widely, biting his tongue between his teeth.
"Thoughts?" He asked mischievously, trying to look serious once again but failing miserably.
"I think it's healing well," I said, "but I’m not absolutely certain. I think I’ll need to test once more - just to be safe, of course."
Tony chuckled lowly, letting go of my hands and cupping my face. He held me like I was porcelain. Slowly, his lips came towards mine, and I swore I heard fireworks go off when they finally met. I knew it was cliche, I knew I was soppy, but I didn’t care. I’d never felt such feelings for a boy before.
"DAMN, GUYS!"
Almost jumping out of my skin, I stepped away from Tony and whipped my head towards the voice. There, leaned against someone’s rather faded red car, was Mike, a joint hanging from his mouth. He clapped loudly and slowly, giving us a nod of approval.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Tony exclaimed.
"Has he done it yet?" Mike questioned me, taking the joint between two fingers and flicking off the ash. "Has he asked you out?"
I turned to Tony, who had his hands over his face. Smiling, I turned back to Mike and told him that he hadn’t.
"What are you waiting for, Tone?" Mike teased. "I mean, after me having to hear you that nigh-"
"Shut up!" Tony yelled, tackling Mike. The two boys fought playfully, scratching one another on the head and pinning their arms behind their backs.
"I had to change my sheets t-"
"Stop!"
"You were moaning louder than a-"
"Shut the fuck up," Tony growled, putting Mike in a headlock. The two boys panted, staring at the concrete. "Just shut up, Mike. Please."
Mike squirmed out of Tony’s death grip, a smug smile on his face. “Fine, but I’m gonna tell her one day,” he warned. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what the big secret was.
Once Tony had shot Mike a glare, the conversation topic turned. Mike had gotten 4 tickets to see a local band play, and he wondered if me and Tony would like to go. Of course, we said yes.
Apparently, the band were called Rising, and they were from New Jersey. Mike told me that they were suppose to be great live, and were a bit like blink-182. It sounded perfect to me: good friends; small venue gig; funny pop punk music.
Once we’d sorted out the details (which took a grand total of 4 minutes to figure out), me and Tony headed home. Since he’d lost me my ride, he offered to walk me home. I didn’t mind - the sun was still high in the sky, and it meant more time with him.
Clambering out my bedroom window, I hauled myself on to the roof and let my legs dangle over the edge, swinging in and out of my room. The sun was setting on the houses in the horizon, casting a warm glow over my surroundings. I pulled out my cigarettes, taking one out the packet and lighting it. The tip matched the colour of the sky.
Laying back on the roof, I stared up at the fluffy clouds, exhaling the smoke which danced across my vision. I thought about how I only had 8 months left of high school, and how I'd be shipped off to college straight after, and how much I'd have to grow up.
"What does growing up even mean?" I asked the silence, taking another drag as I contemplated my own question. Did growing up mean spending your own money on a coffee table? Did it mean getting a job you didn't like and being constantly stressed? I had no clue.
All of a sudden, the sound of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' by AC/DC brought me out of my thoughts. Blowing out, I yanked my phone out of my pocket and answered without looking at who it was.
"Hello," said a high little voice, that of a child's. "Who are you?" They demanded. I pulled the phone away from my ear to see that they were calling from Tony's phone.
"I'm Karina, who are you?"
"I'm Lucia," she stated proudly. "My brother left his phone unlocked and it was on your number," she informed me. "He's in a shower at the moment."
As the imagine of Tony showering popped into my head, I felt a blush creep on to my cheeks. "Oh," was all I could push out.
"Mhm," she agreed, which confused me a little. "Did you know my brother is going to be famous one day?" I told her that I didn't know that, and proceeded to ask how he'd do so. "He is a guitarist," she boasted, "he's the bestest I've ever heard."
In the background, I could hear a door creak followed by Tony's voice, but the line wasn't strong enough for me to hear his words. There was a loud crackling noise, along with high-pitched hysterical laughter. I'm guessing Tony's out of the shower then. Oh God, Tony in the shower...
"Hey," said the devil himself, snapping me out of my hormone-driven fantasy. "She didn't say anything weird, did she?"
"Nope," I chuckled. "Just told me about how great you were on the guitar."
"Mmm," he grumbled, causing the line to go fuzzy for a second. "Anyway, you know the gig thing?"
"Yeah?" I responded, staring at the darkening sky.
"Well, um, it finishes really late and my mum said she really wanted to meet you so, uh, I was wondering if maybe you would like to stay the night at mine?"
I swallowed. Stay the night. At Tony's house. Sleep. In Tony's house. Holy shit. "Um, yeah," I said, trying to maintain a steady voice. "I'll have to come up with a pretty elaborate lie, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Great."
"Great."
"I'll see you then."
"I'll see you then."
Tony laughed.
"Bye, miss laaady."
I laughed.
"See you, Tone."
"He looks super pissed," said Elise, putting emphasis on the ‘super’.
"Don’t go, just talk to him another day," Meg rushed to add, grasping my arm.
I shook my head, mumbling a jumble of words, and signalled for him to step away from the door. “I’ll see you guys later,” I said nervously, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car.
The moment I was standing, and the door slammed shut behind me, Elise’s car drove off, leaving me to stand a meter away from Tony in an awkward silence. He fumbled with his hands for a moment, like he was second-guessing himself.
"Everything good?" I asked, but it was a stupid question. Of course everything wasn’t good.
Tony looked up at me, a genuine yet slight smile coming across his face. “No,” he told me, “but thanks for asking. Listen, I just wanted to explain mysel-“
"No, you don’t need to," I cut in. “I shouldn’t have been angry at you, I had no right. I guess I just wished that you could find another way of coping, y’know?”
Tony nodded, biting down on his bottom lip and drawing my attention to it. The cut was still there, but it looked much better. My eyes then darted to his cheek as I remembered that he’d hurt that too. He had a dark bruise and a healing cut, but there was nothing new that I could see. I sighed in relief.
"Um, Owen was talking about you in PE…" Tony began, eyes scanning the ground as he swung his foot back and fourth. Eventually, he lifted his head to make eye contact with me. "You two aren’t…?"
"Oh no," I Iaughed, "no, no, no."
Tony smiled, the kind of unrestrained smile I missed. Bad boys don’t give honest smiles like that, I thought. Maybe I really do like him. Okay, yeah, of course I fucking like him.
"So," he said, taking a step towards me and, gently, taking my hand in his. "You’re single then?"
"Uhhu," I confirmed, my loss of words a result of his dark eyes fixing on me.
Tony raised our hands, bending his fingers and edging even closer. “My lip is healing really well,” he told me.
"Really? Oh, that’s good to hear," I nodded enthusiastically, giving him a very serious look.
"It is," he agreed, equally as long-faced. "I’m not sure if its completely healed yet, though. I haven’t tried it out…”
"You better," I gasped, "what if it's not okay?"
Tony lowered his head, eyes flickering to my lips, which parted as his hand squeezed mine. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to see,” he whispered.
"I guess we will," I replied, my stomach swirling with butterflies as I lifted my head up and closed the space between us. The moment our lips touched, I remembered just how much I liked him. Just how much I craved his embrace.
Pulling away, I tried my best to suppress the giggle I felt bubbling inside me. Tony smiled widely, biting his tongue between his teeth.
"Thoughts?" He asked mischievously, trying to look serious once again but failing miserably.
"I think it's healing well," I said, "but I’m not absolutely certain. I think I’ll need to test once more - just to be safe, of course."
Tony chuckled lowly, letting go of my hands and cupping my face. He held me like I was porcelain. Slowly, his lips came towards mine, and I swore I heard fireworks go off when they finally met. I knew it was cliche, I knew I was soppy, but I didn’t care. I’d never felt such feelings for a boy before.
"DAMN, GUYS!"
Almost jumping out of my skin, I stepped away from Tony and whipped my head towards the voice. There, leaned against someone’s rather faded red car, was Mike, a joint hanging from his mouth. He clapped loudly and slowly, giving us a nod of approval.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Tony exclaimed.
"Has he done it yet?" Mike questioned me, taking the joint between two fingers and flicking off the ash. "Has he asked you out?"
I turned to Tony, who had his hands over his face. Smiling, I turned back to Mike and told him that he hadn’t.
"What are you waiting for, Tone?" Mike teased. "I mean, after me having to hear you that nigh-"
"Shut up!" Tony yelled, tackling Mike. The two boys fought playfully, scratching one another on the head and pinning their arms behind their backs.
"I had to change my sheets t-"
"Stop!"
"You were moaning louder than a-"
"Shut the fuck up," Tony growled, putting Mike in a headlock. The two boys panted, staring at the concrete. "Just shut up, Mike. Please."
Mike squirmed out of Tony’s death grip, a smug smile on his face. “Fine, but I’m gonna tell her one day,” he warned. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what the big secret was.
Once Tony had shot Mike a glare, the conversation topic turned. Mike had gotten 4 tickets to see a local band play, and he wondered if me and Tony would like to go. Of course, we said yes.
Apparently, the band were called Rising, and they were from New Jersey. Mike told me that they were suppose to be great live, and were a bit like blink-182. It sounded perfect to me: good friends; small venue gig; funny pop punk music.
Once we’d sorted out the details (which took a grand total of 4 minutes to figure out), me and Tony headed home. Since he’d lost me my ride, he offered to walk me home. I didn’t mind - the sun was still high in the sky, and it meant more time with him.
Clambering out my bedroom window, I hauled myself on to the roof and let my legs dangle over the edge, swinging in and out of my room. The sun was setting on the houses in the horizon, casting a warm glow over my surroundings. I pulled out my cigarettes, taking one out the packet and lighting it. The tip matched the colour of the sky.
Laying back on the roof, I stared up at the fluffy clouds, exhaling the smoke which danced across my vision. I thought about how I only had 8 months left of high school, and how I'd be shipped off to college straight after, and how much I'd have to grow up.
"What does growing up even mean?" I asked the silence, taking another drag as I contemplated my own question. Did growing up mean spending your own money on a coffee table? Did it mean getting a job you didn't like and being constantly stressed? I had no clue.
All of a sudden, the sound of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' by AC/DC brought me out of my thoughts. Blowing out, I yanked my phone out of my pocket and answered without looking at who it was.
"Hello," said a high little voice, that of a child's. "Who are you?" They demanded. I pulled the phone away from my ear to see that they were calling from Tony's phone.
"I'm Karina, who are you?"
"I'm Lucia," she stated proudly. "My brother left his phone unlocked and it was on your number," she informed me. "He's in a shower at the moment."
As the imagine of Tony showering popped into my head, I felt a blush creep on to my cheeks. "Oh," was all I could push out.
"Mhm," she agreed, which confused me a little. "Did you know my brother is going to be famous one day?" I told her that I didn't know that, and proceeded to ask how he'd do so. "He is a guitarist," she boasted, "he's the bestest I've ever heard."
In the background, I could hear a door creak followed by Tony's voice, but the line wasn't strong enough for me to hear his words. There was a loud crackling noise, along with high-pitched hysterical laughter. I'm guessing Tony's out of the shower then. Oh God, Tony in the shower...
"Hey," said the devil himself, snapping me out of my hormone-driven fantasy. "She didn't say anything weird, did she?"
"Nope," I chuckled. "Just told me about how great you were on the guitar."
"Mmm," he grumbled, causing the line to go fuzzy for a second. "Anyway, you know the gig thing?"
"Yeah?" I responded, staring at the darkening sky.
"Well, um, it finishes really late and my mum said she really wanted to meet you so, uh, I was wondering if maybe you would like to stay the night at mine?"
I swallowed. Stay the night. At Tony's house. Sleep. In Tony's house. Holy shit. "Um, yeah," I said, trying to maintain a steady voice. "I'll have to come up with a pretty elaborate lie, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Great."
"Great."
"I'll see you then."
"I'll see you then."
Tony laughed.
"Bye, miss laaady."
I laughed.
"See you, Tone."
Notes
THIS WAS SO FUCKING DIFFICULT TO PUT UP LIKE MY COMPUTER IS A TOTAL SPAZZ???
ANYWAY. I THINK THIS CHAPTER SORT OF SUCKED, IM SORRY.
I WILL UPDATE EITHER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW!
I DONT KNOW WHY IM WRITING IN CAPS BUT ITS HELLA FUN.
THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT, I LOVE YOU GUYS!
OMFG <3
7/6/15