One Thousand Miles

Chapter  |  Just Friends

Part  |  One

It's been a month since the mall incident and....whatever that was in the McDonalds parking lot. I haven't seen John since then, but we have talked over the phone or in text. He says he's been pretty busy lately. Apparently his father works for some big company out in the city and has been helping him out a bit. He quit his Starbucks job; he said it wasn't paying him enough. Well his actual words were, "I have bills to pay, and money to spend on the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen." He had said that to me through text. At the end he had added a wink face which leads me to believe that this gorgeous girl he was talking about was me. I remember blushing and Tanya's nosy self, trying to take a peek at the text that got me as red as a tomato.

It was now autumn which meant hot chocolate, scarfs, oversized sweaters, and colorful leaves. Was I weird for liking this stuff, maybe, maybe not? Tanya seemed to think so. Here it is the beginning of fall and she is still leaving the room looking like she's going down to a beach party in Miami. In reality she's just going to Tyler's room. The two ended up getting back together the day after Tanya was released from Jail. So far the two have been doing pretty good, but I wouldn't want to think that so soon.

As I stand there looking at myself in the mirror I can't help but point out every flaw I have. It's just something I tend to do once I get out the shower. I slowly bring my hand up to my wet and tangled hair and frown. I never liked having blonde hair; it just didn't look right on me. One thing I envy my mother for having is thick, long, and wavy brown hair. I and the rest of my siblings inherited dad's blonde hair.

Bringing my hand away from my hair I move it to the small beauty mark resting on my right cheek. I hated that thing with a burning passion. Every time I apply makeup I always make sure to cover it.

I sigh as I move my hand away from the mark. I stand there looking at my reflection for a couple of more second before I whimper and my shoulders slump. Why couldn't I be comfortable in my skin? Why did I always have to feel so insecure? I wanted to feel pretty, not just look pretty. Sure John has called me beautiful or gorgeous multiple times, but usually he said those words when he was trying to act charming. I wanted him to just come up to me and say it straight to my face. I wanted him to be serious.

Just as these words cross my mind, I hear a knock from the door. I groan before grabbing my towel off the rack and exiting the bathroom. Tanya probably forgot her key again. This would be her third time forgetting it, and she only forgot it whenever she was going over to Tyler's.

"Tanya this is going to be the third time you have forgot your key. How irresponsible could you---" I say as I open up the door. I immediately stop talking when I realize that the person standing at the door isn't Tanya, but John. He's standing there wearing a red and black checkered button down shirt that had all the buttons undone, with a black white beater underneath, and a pair of dark ripped jeans. I feel the inside of my mouth dry and suddenly I need water.

"So are you done checking me out because I would really like to come in and eat this pizza while it's hot," he says with a smirk on his face. That's when I notice the Little Caesars pizza box resting in his hand. I just shake my head before snatching the box out of his hand and going into the kitchen. I hear him quietly chuckle behind me as he shuts the door. I place the pizza box on the counter before opening it and smiling once I see that the pizza has nothing but cheese on it. I take the biggest piece out the box before taking a huge bite out of it. I close my eyes and moan at how good the pizza tasted. Pizza is and always will be my favorite food.

Once I open my eyes back up I notice John just looking at me like he was the tiger and I was the deer meat. "Just curious, but why are you looking at me like that you weirdo?"

He chuckled at the little nickname. "Weirdo, that's very cute Stephy," he says as come towards me. He walks toward me until I'm caged in between him and the counter. Both of his arms are on each side of my body and his face is just inches away from mine. "But what's sexy is the fact that you're practically walking around naked."

I'm confused for a second until I realize that I am still in my towel. My eyes widen and I push John away from me. "Damn you."

I hear him chuckle behind me. "You know, I didn't necessarily say you had to put some clothes on. I think I like naked Stephy."

I shut the door as soon as those words leave his mouth. I knew I shouldn't have been hurt by his words, but I was.  He didn't like me for my beauty on the inside; he liked me for my body. I was praying to God that this was not Joshua all over again.

After putting my hair up in a ponytail, and changing into a pair of gray sweats with a pink form fitting top, I exit the room and find John sitting on the couch with his shoes off and his legs resting on the table. I shake my head in amusement before grabbing all of the remotes from the table and plopping down on the couch next to John. He ends up wrapping his arm around me pulling me closer as I turn the TV on. "So you want to watch a movie?"

He shrugs. "Sure. Got any scary movies?"

I whimper and tilt my head back with a pained look on my face. "You are just like Tanya."