Now here’s the plan…Ch 2

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ANNABELL
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I always made myself up with a lot of make up, short skirts or short shorts, lots of cleavage. Asking for it I guess. Even though he didn’t come in me I wanted to be positive I wasn’t pregnant. I took a test and it came back negative. After that night, I got on birth control. I took the next few days off, then went back to school. When I would see him in the halls, I just nodded hello but I never did talk to Sarah the same way again.

I realized I had two choices and I needed to make a decision. I could have hid behind baggy clothes, sit in the back of classes, never talk to anyone and be uncomfortable for the rest of my life or I can put it all behind me and move on. I realized I can get pleasure from sex but it would have to be on my terms. Who, how, and when. I would have to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. I had already cut my hair out of anger. I would not let these assholes ruin my life and take away who I am. I dressed as I pleased, saw who I wanted, and I get to choose who I have sex with. I will not change for them.

Since then, Sarah and Nate seemed to have switched roles in my life. Sarah would dip and Nate would stick around and hang. Granted I never did talk to Nate and he did seem sincere. Its childish I know but I still have not figured out where he went when it all happened. I just did not know what to think. And he also seemed confused at Sarah’s behavior and how things have changed between us.

“Hey, Annabell,” Nate said, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. “What ya watchin’? ” We were in the den of the guest house were normally no one would enter, so it became my safe haven. Now Nate seemed to be intruding. I was watching an ‘I Love Lucy’ marathon that happened to be airing only today, but since it was pretty obvious I said nothing. I could feel him looking at my profile but pretended to ignore him.

“Are you…” he stopped, his eyebrows bunching in frustration. “Do you ever….” He sighed in resignation and looked at the TV. Truth is, I have always liked Nate. No matter how big of an ass he was in the beginning, he always intrigued me. He was my first crush. Slowly over time, once I realized that he wasn’t going to change and he always wanted to leave, I planned to move on. The feelings I had disappeared little by little.

Nate, seeing I was lost in thought, grabbed the remote from my lap, turned off the TV and sat on the coffee table in front of me. It took me by surprise. Nate grew considerably since I had first arrived here. Hazel eyes stared into mine fighting for attention. His jet-black hair in a disarray, as if he ran his fingers threw it repeatedly. If you concentrate and look closely enough, you can see a splatter of freckles across his nose and cheek-bones. His biceps bulging as he rested his elbows on his knees. He looked older than the 18 year old he was.

“…Annabell?” From the tone of his voice, I knew he has been talking and calling my name while I was concentrating on him.