Teen Ink

Purple Unicorn

I slump out of my bed and contemplate whether or not to put on shorts. Should I just answer the door in my girl boxers or should I maybe get fully dressed for the first time in a week? That’s how everything is this time of year. When it’s really hot like this you don’t care if someone sees you butt naked if it means you’re NOT steaming. As the doorbell rings again I try to dodge the warm light that is filtering in through the window lying above my bed. Last time I checked it was a raging hundred and two.
So, hearing the doorbell ring for the third time I think harder because I need to hurry up. Gosh, I am so ready for winter to come. This weather is absolutely killing me. Hey! You never know what it will turn into when you’re living in Nevada though. It changes on a whim, as if it were just as indecisive as I am when it comes to clothes. I pull a bathing suit top on and just wear that with very short shorts (Don’t judge me it’s hot out there!). My hair is down and I’m not wearing makeup. To tell you the truth I don’t exactly care about how my appearance is doing because whoever is at a person’s door on a Sunday isn’t that important.
Walking down the stairs, I try not to notice how my feet drag from lack of sleep. They threaten to fall out from underneath me at any moment and this only makes me try to be cautious. Why do girls always over think things and lose sleep over it? Why do they think about guys so much or do anything they do?!
The doorbell rings again. Does the person not hear my shallow stomping noises that I make so that I won’t have to scream “Coming!” like a house wife? Do they not understand that I am too tired to even speak? I hate how I just call whoever is there “They” it’s as if it will be a crowd of people waiting. It could be a purple unicorn for all I know! From now on I am just going to call it a purple unicorn at my door.
I can only imagine what my older brother would say if I yelled at him to answer the ‘purple unicorn’ that is at the door through the wall that separates our rooms. He would probably get really excited because the last time I remember seeing him not high was when I was seven and he was ten. Now he is twenty and hasn’t even glanced at college as an option. He also has a tendency to wear underwear on his head and sing along to Justin Beiber & One Direction at odd hours of the morning, but you can’t throw your son out over silly stuff like that right?! Maybe that’s why my parents have been procrastinating, because they love the constant singing of our dearest Jeremy!!! And all this time I have thought it was because they were worried he would die of an overdose on who-knows-what while being alone and broke!!!!
Finally I get to the door. The purple unicorn rings again before I can open the large wooden thing though.
A frown is stuck on my face because I am hot and irritated and this unicorn must have pressed that damned bell twenty times by the time I got here. I sling the door open. Propped up on the edge of the wall opposite of the door’s hinges, I look to see who the purple unicorn is.

I suddenly wish I had just stayed in bed.


***

She looks the same as always, normal yet beautiful. Gorgeous and average, is what I always thought. Well, not always but ever since that one night, the same night that I messed up for the both of us. The question is if she thinks I messed it up.
“Hey.” I say, giving her a large smile that I tend to give people in awkward situations. This is one of those times, so I smile.
“Hi.” She says in a quiet voice that I didn’t know she had. Amanda has always been the type of out person who is very out spoken. If I wasn’t the one that showed up at her doorstep would she be louder?
“Hello…” I say equally as quiet and instantly feel stupid. We have gone over this already, I remind myself, raking my mind in search of new words to say.
“I’m not unhappy you’re here or anything, but um…” she says, and fiddles with her fingers. Her dark brown hair is wavy and cascades down her slender frame, ending at a little below the shoulders. Her bikini top is white with a lacey fabric that looks great on her and enhances her natural tan even more. Her shorts are blue denim daisy dukes. Gosh, Amanda, are you trying to give me a heart attack? She never used to wear them before she started hanging out with Natasha, I think to myself. Would I like her if she hadn’t started to? I question. Am I that shallow? I watch her mouth move. Would I have noticed that inside of a strawberry color that looks completely kissable? Or how when she pronounces the letter O she opens her mouth in only half of the shape, unlike most who make the full circle?



“Drew?” she says a little bit louder and I focus on her face, realizing I had just zoned out. I was watching her mouth and how it moved instead of the words coming out of it.
“Yes?” I ask and smile some more because this is just getting awkward.
“What are you doing here?” she asks and I shake my head, trying to forget her gorgeous, full lips that are taking over my mind right now. Instead I look at her eyes. Oh those beautiful chocolate brown eyes that are outlined with a black ring that some people don’t notice. Now they are all I can think about. Oh lord, help me.
“I have to talk to you.” I say and she squints at me questioningly.
“I don’t think I have the time…” she says and I just shake my head no, looking at the ground. I continue to look at the ground when I speak because if I look up I will be mesmerized with her lips and her eyes. I will not be able to drag myself away from the curve of her waist sloping gracefully to her hips or how her left foot leans up against the right one without her knowing.
“Please.” I beg and I lift my eyes. I will just think about all these things looking at the ground or not! That’s why I am here right?! I’m here because I can’t get this girl out of my mind, am I correct?
“Ok.” She says and I swallow.
“Can you come outside? I kind of feel weird just standing out here.” I say, finding my words finally. Maybe I CAN do this with my pride still intact! She nods and walks out. Her shoulder brushes against mine while walking out, making a shock of energy go trough me. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with this growing emotion. Never mind, pride I will have to let you go.

***

I never thought that I would have the one and only Drew Jeered at my door. His broad shouldered presence and milk chocolate skin has only belonged at school for me, not home. I have never seen him so vulnerable. I have never seen him like he is now.
His big brown eyes attack me with their kindness. Since when is Drew nice?! Is this the same intolerable and rude JERK that I was stuck in class with only a few weeks ago? We are sitting at an old picnic table that is in my front yard. What he is doing here is still a mystery to me, and I frankly don’t feel like solving it. I haven’t talk to him since Friday night. It’s Sunday! What is he doing here?!
Is it because I heard what he said the last time our ‘group’ was together? Or was it because I forgot something at his house and he is bringing it back? Who knows? All I know is that I want to go back to bed, not over think about Friday (once again), and sleep.
That’s what I WANT to do, but my mind won’t seem to let me. All I can think about is how this school year started only three weeks ago.