Jude Merryweather

When I get home from my date, the day seems to drag from there. I'm going through the motions: a quick summary for my curious family members, showering the chlorine away and sitting in my room with no one but Lucy, and scrolling through some pictures I took since I have nothing better to do. 

Lately, the sunset is my favorite thing to capture. No matter how monotonous each day is, the sky still performs for anyone interested in looking up. Watercolors: hot pink, yellow, orange, and sometimes red create something more stunning than the night before. 

Somehow, the plethora of warm colors doesn't keep me occupied. Instead, Emilia takes over my thoughts. Emilia always makes me smile just thinking about her. Since freshman year, I admired her beauty from afar, but I learned there's more to her than being a looker. She's confident as hell and makes friends faster than I ever could. Hell, befriending the girl with the belly button ring took her seconds while I didn't get close with her for a good week. 

I miss Emilia. I wish I could feel the warmth from her body and hear her voice. Like the sunsets I have the pleasure of photographing, she's radiant and memorable, yet she's in denial about how many people marvel and rave about her. I know she has a friend group to go back to that is more interesting than some boy who loves sunsets.

Soon enough, I'm turning off my camera and shooting her a picture of the ceiling. Anything to talk to her. 

In return, I receive a shot featuring her beautiful eyes, light brown like a cold, sweet glass of iced tea. Even without mascara coating them, her eyelashes are thick and dark. I decide to save it even though I'll be able to get lost in those iced tea irises whenever I want. 

Nothing I can send Emilia can reciprocate her beauty. I'm mistaken when the first sign of sunset arrives. Pink mixes itself with the clouds and it will soon overtake the clouds. 

No matter how frequently I'm bullied or how stressful my homework is, sunsets remind me that in the grand scheme of things, there's nothing I can do to eradicate the inevitable. Making a lower grade than I expect or the negative thoughts that I let run free in my head will never change the way the sun rises and sets every day. 

I'm so enthralled that I forget to reply to her for a split second. She opens the photo of the sky almost as soon as it gets to her. Her reply is enough to make the blood rush to my cheeks. 

Emilia is a beautiful person on the inside, but her zest for life and confidence complement her good looks and her curves that never fail to get my attention. The picture I'm looking at is enough to make me hard.

She's wearing hot pink athletic shorts that show a lot of legs and a tight black tank top. A pair of my favorite thick thighs fill out the shorts beautifully. It's a little cropped, showing off a little sliver of her tummy. Between this afternoon and now, she put her hair in a slick ponytail and took off her makeup. Once again, I save the gorgeous picture that better be in the next Vogue issue. 

In my sixteen years of being alive, I don't remember a time I wanted a pretty girl in my arms. That Snapchat marks the first time I thought about how much I want to touch her and make her mine. 

We send each other snaps for a little while. Emilia's feature her gorgeous face while mine are of the setting sun. Once the show is over and the sky is totally dark, we start texting.

my gorgeous girl: i had a lot of fun today 

my gorgeous girl: when can we do it again?

Jude: i'm not sure

my gorgeous girl: are you free tomorrow?

Jude: no sadly

Even though I haven't seen them in almost a week, Rishi and Leo invited me to the beach to hang out for the day. Rishi wants to hear all about the date and for some reason, wants Leo there. 

my gorgeous girl: oh.

Jude: i'm sorry 

my gorgeous girl: i get it, u hate me

my gorgeous girl: haha just kidding

Jude: Emilia Jocelyn Shapiro...

my gorgeous girl: someone had a lot of dr. pepper today...

Jude: someone cried when her friend riley had to go home...

Jude: speaking of riley...

my gorgeous girl: what

Jude: what is gavin's snap?

my gorgeous girl: i will ask riley hold on

my gorgeous girl: gavinalvarez

Jude: thanks 

my gorgeous girl: of course big guy 

Jude: what are you up to?

my gorgeous girl: talking to you duh

Jude: valid.

my gorgeous girl: what's so interesting that u don't want to hang out with me?

Jude: ok chill out.

Jude: we can hang out just you and me after

my gorgeous girl: that's not my question.

Jude: i'm going to the beach w Rishi and Leo

my gorgeous girl: stop you're making me miss my friends

Jude: i hope you don't forget about me when they come back

~

Silver Palms Beach is where I meet the guys the next day. Rishi and Leo are splashing one another with salt water like two little kids when I arrive. 

Rishi embraces me. "What's up, Big J?"

"Long time no see." 

He turns to a pissed off Leo. "Leo, get your ass out of the water. Jude's here."

Leo gives Rishi the finger, but gets out to greet me. "Hey, man."

"How was Seaside?"

"Alright. My sister's still there with my mom."

Rishi cuts in. "Enough small talk. Our boy Jude has a girlfriend now."

"My sister's best friend?" Leo gasps, piecing two and two together. 

I feel my cheeks get warm. "She's literally not my girlfriend. Don't tell lies, Rishi." 

"As you should, kiddo." Leo pats me on the back. "Did you get a second date?"

"We're trying to make arrangements." I say proudly. If you told me last month I talk to girls now, I would have laughed at you. 

Leo's tone gets serious. "You better treat EJ well. She's my second sister."

"That won't be an issue. I love Emilia." I mumble, thinking about how pretty that dress looked on her.

"Are you going to shoot your shot?"

"Eventually." I say self consciously. 

Rishi is happy with my answer. "Remember what Leo always says. You only live once, so you better do it."

"Don't rush him, bruh." Leo snaps, playfully shoving Rishi. 

"Guys." I say.

"Enough about us, Jude. Just keep doing what you're doing and cuff her when you're ready, ok?" Leo advises. 

Rishi nods. "Amen. Can we have fun now?"

"You're the one who made everything all serious." Leo snaps. "Is that a question?" 

They dash into the water, leaving me behind. I run after them, out of breath almost immediately. My sister is right, running isn't enjoyable for me and I see why. Rishi and Leo are having the time of their lives. They're trying to catch every sizable wave. Today, the waves are a little rougher. 

I try to join in on the fun, but a tsunami knocks me down. Salt fills my eyes and the water goes down the wrong way. Still, I come up laughing like a little kid. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun. 

Leo, under the impression that I'm dead, rushes over. "We saw that. Are you good?"

"Fuck yeah." I shout, swimming into the deeper waters with him. 

Several waves wipe the three of us out. By the end of the afternoon, our eyes are redder than a crack addict's and the salt dries my throat. We head back to the chairs they found before I got here and dry off. 

"You took that one wave like a champ. I'm impressed." Rishi praises, toweling his hair. 

A cough escapes my lungs. "I'm so dead."

"When Carson's back from the Keys, it's going to be lit." Leo says. 

Rishi turns to me. "Are you going to Eva's birthday party?"

"Hell no. She's literally psychotic." I reject the idea.

"Even if Emilia made you go?"

I shrug. "She hasn't mentioned it"

"I know for a fact she will soon." Leo says. "Eva's a lot, but I'm sure you'll like her by the end of summer."

The talk circulating about Emilia prompts me to check my phone. Emilia sent me something that I just have to see. I'm a little disappointed that it's of the busy neighborhood pool instead of her face, but her thighs are front and center. They're two soft pillows that I want the pleasure of resting my head on someday.

"Can I get a pic for Emilia?" The guys immediately throw up gang signs, earning a laugh from me. 

Being a teenager is supposed to be fun, and I'm grateful for this summer giving me a taste of that. I hope more wild things unfold over the next several weeks.