by Meg Brenner
“You’re in a lot of trouble,” I laughed quietly.
“All in the name of love,” he responded. “I did a good number on Brad though. He has a split lip.” I kissed me gently.
“Brad’s a good guy –“
“Good? He wasn’t so good when he nearly gave you a concussion.” He kissed me again, and I melted against him. His kisses were always filled with so much love. They nearly knocked me out worse than earlier. “Come’on, I’ve gotta show you something.”
He took my hand and we walked outside. He positioned me in the driveway so I was looking at the garage. He didn’t say anything, but instead called his house, where Indigo picked up. As soon as he hung up the phone, the garage door opened. There, in the middle of the garage, was a brand new Lexus. My heart stopped beating and my eyes jumped from Keiffer and then back to the car.
“Please tell me your mom got a new car,” I said, my heart pumping like crazy.
“Happy graduation,” Keiffer smiled. I wrapped him in a hug and he twirled me around the driveway as I screamed with glee. I couldn’t believe it. I showered him with a million kisses as we stood there together.
“Keiffer!” I exclaimed. “Did I ever tell you how amazing you are?” I kissed him again. “Wait, no…I can’t take this,” I said as I walked up to the car. I slid my hand over the hood of the car.
“You can and you will take this. My daughter needs a safe car to ride in. Besides, this will be our first car.” He kissed me again, this time more passionately. “Anything for my family.”
“You’re the best man in the world,” I whispered into his ear.
“Then let’s go get married,” he whispered back.
It wasn’t much of a surprise to not have my mom arrive for the wedding. I called her several times before we got to the court house, but she never returned any of my calls. Indigo and my dad were the only two that decided to come with us. In a way, I wouldn’t have even minded if Steve came with us, if that meant my mom could witness her daughter get married. But, it was her choice to not be involved.
We met with the “pastor” at the courthouse after signing a million papers. I could tell that Keiffer was nervous as we sat there waiting our turn. But, as soon as our names were called, he took my hand confidently and we walked in together. Nothing, not even a stubborn parent could stop this from happening.
Before starting the ceremony, Keiffer brought me in to his so that our foreheads were touching. I could feel his warm breath upon my lips, though he didn’t kiss me. Instead, we just took a couple moments to ourselves. He kept his eyes shut, even though I knew he wasn’t praying. He touched my stomach with the tips of his fingers.
“Are you ready?” He asked me. I nodded my head and we both turned ourselves back towards to pastor.
The ceremony didn’t last more than ten minutes. It was short and sweet, exactly how we had wanted it. It wasn’t like any friends were coming or that we had planned anything, so we knew that this was going to be fast. In a few years, when money wasn’t so tight, we were going to have a real wedding with real friends. Until then, we had everyone that we needed there with us.
“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Keiffer Lee Lawrence. You may now kiss the bride,” the pastor said happily. Keiffer took my face into his hands and pressed his lips against mine. We shared our first kiss as husband and wife, and I could hardly hold my tears back. I was so full of love at that moment that I could have almost screamed.
“We’re married,” I laughed happily as we laid under the stars later that night. We decided to go back to the sand dune that we were at just a couple nights ago. That was the place where we had gotten engaged, so it meant a lot to us. He ran his fingers down my back as I laid my head on his chest. The beating of his heart was slow and steady.
“We’re married,” he repeated. “Wow…”
“Who would’ve thought that I would get married to you,” I laughed again. I was in such good spirits. I couldn’t help the fact that I felt like giggling. “Keiffer, we were so off and on for months, and now look at us.”
“You’re my wife,” he smiled, but then quickly wiped it off from his face. He had been like that all night since we had gotten married. A piece of me was growing anxious. Why was he reverting back to his old ways? That was how he was acting when he was depressed. He would be happy one second and then mad the next. However, I tried not to think too much about it.
“Are you okay?” I asked, sitting up.
“More than okay. This is perfect.” He responded, no sign of a smile on his face. I leaned back down and placed a kiss upon his neck, then worked my way up to his lips. We laid there together, kissing until our lips went raw.
After a few minutes, Keiffer stood to his feet unexpectedly. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet. “I’ve got to show you something,” he said seriously.
Without further explanation, we got into the Lexus and he took me a back way to get home. I placed my hand on his thigh as we drove. This was my new life. It made me excited and nervous at the same time. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Why are you going the long way?” I asked, as I buried myself deeper into the seat. He smiled over at me, his eyes telling me a secret story.
“It’s a surprise,” he responded.
After realizing that he wasn’t going to tell me until we got there, I decided to change the subject. “Can you believe tomorrow is the day we have to read our papers out loud to the class? Well, you can’t because you went and got yourself suspended…”
“I told you that it was all for love,” he teased. “And besides, I’ll just give you the paper and video tonight to give to Mr. Thomas.” He kissed my forehead before turning his attention back to the road.
After a few more minutes, he stopped the car once we reached the destination. He jumped out of the car before I even had a chance to take off my seatbelt. He opened the car door for me, scooping me up into his arms. I let out a playful squeal as he held me firmly.
“What’s going on?” I laughed.
“Welcome to your new home,” he smiled. There, in front of me, was a brand new house. It wasn’t big, but it was absolutely beautiful and right on the water. My jaw dropped as I stared at the house in front of me. He started walking up towards it, my mind too numb to even think straight.
He didn’t let me down until we were standing right in the middle of the family room. It was already decorated with furniture and furnishings. I looked around, my eyes the size of saucers. Each object in the house was new. He had purchased everything new.
“Keiffer!” I exclaimed. “You can’t tell me that you bought this new house for us?” I asked, almost asking if this was even real. He kissed me again to tell me that he loved me. “I…you bought a car…and now this?”
“We needed to get our feet planted on the ground before the baby comes.” He glided his finger of my cheekbone. “And don’t just thank me. Thank my mom and your dad. They’ve both been helping me.”
“But…but we just got engaged two nights ago,” I stuttered.
“Yes, but I bought this house a while ago. I knew that we were perfect for each other. I knew this day would come sooner or later,” he smiled. “And I’m glad it came sooner rather than later.”
“It’s like you could read my mind,” I said gently.
He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re my soul mate, Jenna. I’ve never been so connected to someone as I am you. In a way, I feel like I can read your mind.”
“You’re amazing, Keiffer!” I said, before running through the house. Each room was so magnificently decorated. I stopped in my tracks once I reached the extra bedroom. It was full of a crib, changing table, clothes for the baby, and so many toys in a homemade wooden box.
Keiffer came into the room behind me, as I touched the wooden toy box. I spun around, looking him straight in the eyes. How was it that he was able to just know? He had been taking his time and decorating this house for us.
“My mom knit th
at quilt,” Keiffer pointed at the quilt that was hanging on the back of the rocker. “The moment she realized that you were pregnant, she knew that she wanted to give you something that she put a lot of work into. She loves you, Jenna.”
I felt the tears come again as I continued looking at the baby room. Everything had so much detail. He had painted the walls a light green and hung up some wallpaper. I had to sit down on the rocker to catch my breath. No one, absolutely no one, had ever shown me this much love before and it knocked away my breath.
I stood to my feet, grabbing his hand and leading him to the master bedroom. We both laid on the bed and I began taking off his clothes. That night we made love for the first time since becoming husband and wife. It was more romantic and more heartfelt than it had ever been before.
We laid together until the next morning. I had my cheek pressed against his chest as we laid there looking up at the stars. This was where I wanted to be. Forever. He had come into my house as someone that I completely loathed, and now he had become my best friend…my everything. He had changed my whole life and I had absolutely no complaints about it.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning came sooner than expected. I hardly wanted to get up in the morning, and if it wasn’t for the smell of pancakes I probably wouldn’t have gotten up. Keiffer brought my breakfast in bed, something that I had only dreamed about. He had even placed a flower in a small vase on the tray.
“Good morning, sweetie,” he said before kissing my cheek.
“Sex and breakfast,” I laughed. “Looks like this just might work out.” He laughed with me before leaving the room. I ate in silence before quickly getting ready for the day. Honestly, I was a little nervous about the presentation in Lit class, but I was also ready to get it done with. I had been waiting for this day for four months, I might as well just get it done with.
I said goodbye to my husband before driving our new Lexus to school. It wasn’t a surprise that almost every guy checked out my new car before they checked me out. It was a pretty hot car. One guy even asked if he could get a picture taken with it. I allowed him to before walking into the school.
Unsurprisingly, there was the word SLUT written across my locker in permanent marker. I tried not to let it get to me, but it still did. I would know that handwriting anywhere…it was Lacey’s. I tried to rub it off with my sleeve, but it wasn’t budging. Instead, I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain. Even so, it still killed me to know that my ex-best friend had tried to humiliate me in front of the whole school.
Walking through the hallway was just as worse. Now, instead of everyone just looking at me, they were calling me a slut. Some said it under their breath, or they would literally come out and practically scream it in my face. I pulled my jacket on a little tighter as I tried to walk through the hallway. One girl, twice the size of me, pushed me into another person who was walking. I scrambled back up to my feet, trying to hide the pain.
I slid into my seat as soon as I got to first period. Luckily, no one started calling me a slut in there, but I knew they were all thinking it. I was mortified. I had just married someone that I had loved…how did that make me a slut? I knew that this whole thing was fueled by Brad and Lacey, but couldn’t they just let me live my own life without trying to make it hell? We only had like one more week of school left.
“Good morning, class,” Mr. Thomas said as soon as the bell rang. “We’re going to start class early today considering we have about fifteen presentations to go through. I hope everyone did their assignment…Mr. Jenson,” Mr. Thomas said sarcastically to one of the students in the back. The class snickered. “Anyway, basically you’ll just come up, do your presentation, and then your partner will do their presentation. You’ll be coming up by pairs.” He continued giving out instructions until about five minutes after class started.
“Let’s begin with…” Mr. Thomas looked around the room. “How about Lacey and Marcus.” Lacey stood to her feet, purposefully knocking my notebook off my desk. My papers scattered all over the floor. My peers didn’t even help pick them up. In fact, they started kicking the papers under their desk so it was farther to reach.
Lacey talked about Marcus and what he liked to do. I could tell she was nervous, but she tried not to show it. I could only tell because she had been my best friend for years. Sometimes our eyes would meet (it was as though she forgot she was mad at me) and then they’d land on someone else. It didn’t matter anymore…it truly didn’t.
After Marcus had gone, Mr. Thomas sent another group to do ours. I sat patiently in my chair, my palms growing wet with sweat. It wasn’t like me to be nervous before public speaking. But now, standing in front of a classroom of sharks was going to be much harder than I anticipated. However, in the middle of my thoughts, Mr. Thomas called my name next.
I stood to my feet, listening to little snickers coming from behind me. That’s when the names started being called out to me. First it started with slut, then someone decided to throw a cunt in there. Soon little names were being thrown out at a rapid pace that Mr. Thomas actually had to quiet them all down. I numbly handed Keiffer’s video and paper to him. He gave me a slight nod, and I knew he was completely on my side.
Starring out at the class was hard. Lacey had a demonic look upon her face. I knew I wasn’t welcome anymore in this classroom, but I needed to push on. Taking a deep breath, I started my presentation.
“What makes a perfect person? Is it charisma? Is it the way that they conduct themselves on a day to day basis? Or is it the way that a person takes life’s challenges and turns them in a life lesson? Keiffer Lee Lawrence, in my opinion, is a perfect person.” Several people snickered after my introduction.
“When he was younger, his father passed away. That ate him up inside, but he continued pushing through. Instead of letting life get to him, he decided to take on the challenge and focus his feelings onto something else –“
“Your vagina,” a guy called from his chair. My eyes flicked up at him, then back down to my paper. My heart was beating a mile a minute.
“Surfing,” I finished. “He really loves to surf. To him, surfing’s one of the best ways that he can express his feelings. On the water, he’s content, happy, and at home.” I finished the rest of my speech the best I could, only interrupted a few more times by rude people.
I sat down before anyone else could say anything. Mr. Thomas put in Keiffer’s video and I let out a slight laugh at seeing him show up on the screen. He was such a goofball for putting this together. However, seeing him made my heart slow down a bit. There was something about him that could make me feel better even if I was stressed.
“Um..Hey…this is Keiffer Lawrence. I’m writing my paper on Jenna Horowitz.” He cleared his throat. I could tell that the video was filmed in his room, which meant he had filmed it way before he started working on the house. I looked closer at the screen. His tan was dark at that moment in time and he was wearing his black surfing shirt. Suddenly, it hit me that he had recorded this video the same day that he was given the assignment on the first day of class. He didn’t even know me then, so why did he do the video then?
“I don’t even know where to begin with her. Let’s see…I guess I’ve known her for about five months by now, considering it’s now June. She’s amazing. I can’t describe to you how amazing she is. And she’s beautiful. My favorite thing about her though, is when she looks at me when she’s tired. She has that sleepy look in her eyes, but they’re full of wonder. She’s always thinking. And sometimes, sometimes I wish I could just hear what she’ thinking because she’s smart. So smart. In fact, probably the smartest person I’ve ever met.” He took a sip of water before propping his feet up on the desk next to him. This was so stereotypical of him. He was always so laid back.
“It hurts me because sometimes she cares more about what others think of her than what she thinks of herself. She’s always looking for praise, but honestly, no one can give her enough praise than she
can give herself.
“We started out hating each other. Let me take that back. She hated me. But, as time went on, she grew to love me,” he laughed. “It wasn’t easy to get her attention. But I felt so connected to her the moment we first laid eyes on each other. She’s the light of my life. And she’s made my life perfect since I met her.”
He fumbled around with something on the desk. He was quiet for a good minute before looking back up at the camera. “I’ve told her things that even my mom couldn’t control. Life’s full of people who come and go throughout your life. My dad? He left before I could even say goodbye. But in a way, it was good. If I would’ve had the chance to say goodbye, then I would’ve been more scarred than I am today.”
Now he looked directly at the camera, a smile far from his face. “I love you, Jenna. I just need you to know that. My actions…they don’t tell you how I feel. I tell you how I feel. Please…please don’t think that I’m doing this because I’m unhappy with you. I’m not. I just want what’s best for you. I can’t be like him. I just can’t.” He picked up the gun from the desk and placed it to his head. I stood to my feet, my eyes glued on the tv.
“KEIFFER!” I screamed at the tv. I knew he couldn’t hear me, but I was so worked up that I wasn’t thinking straight.
“I’m assuming we’re still together. And if not, then well this video will be kind of awkward.” He let out a sigh. “I love you.”
Right at the end, he placed the gun up to his head and the video went blank. The whole class was silent, including Mr. Thomas. No one could move, but I could feel their eyes drift to me. Without hesitation, I flew out of the room, not daring to even look back. I needed to get to Keiffer and I needed to get to him now. My heart was racing harder than I had ever felt it before.
Shockingly, I didn’t even get pulled over on my way back to the house. I didn’t go to our house, instead I went to Indigo’s. The street had been taped off, only allowing those who lived in the neighborhood to go in and out. I pulled up to the officer who was directing traffic. He motioned for me to roll down my window and began to ask me questions.
