The Budding Rose

37. Movie night

I’m so glad to get out of class and join Cassandra and Travis for a ride downtown. Travis borrowed the van this morning, knowing that they were going to go out. Leilani backs out of the offer to join us. Futuristic movies aren’t her thing. We offer her a drive home as compensation, so that she’s not…

36. Two for Tuesday

I hear knocking. Dawn is rising, and there’s light entering through the bedroom window. I slip out of bed, still dressed in my nightshirt. The knocking is distant. The front door? I make my way through the house and open the front door.

35. Gym Night

Bart’s Bunker isn’t a large gym, but it doesn’t need to be with the population of Birch Creek. The main floor of the two-story building features half a dozen treadmills, universal gyms, and a boxing workout area with three punching bags. The second story features locker rooms, a sitting area and a…

34. Monday at School

The morning seems to fly by, and soon it’s time for History class. Trent looks frazzled this morning. I nudge him, “I take it weekend studying didn’t go well?”

“Does it show that bad?” he asks me. “It was so nice this weekend. The guys and I spent most of it on the…

33. Muggy Monday

I wake this morning to a song about Daughters. As my mind comes to wakefulness, I make a mental note to find the sheet music for that song later. I get up and perform my morning exercise routine. I then apply some cream to the red spots I can reach, healing the burn, so that I don’t itch so much…

32. Sunday Evening

We head out and go for a light jog. I’ve seen Cassandra’s pace in gym class, so I match her speed.

Even though neither of us is wearing anything revealing, we turn a few heads in our jog. We stop at a nearby small park. Small play parks are peppered in each…

31. Sunday Studies

The Gallo household has a nice tall wall surrounding their three-story Victorian house, so I find a place where I can stash my bike out of sight. I climb the steps and Cassandra opens the door on my first knock.

30. Sunday Problems

My phone rings at seven, dragging me out of a deep sleep. I fumble for my phone, nearly tossing my glasses to the floor. I’m not awake enough to look at who’s calling. I just hit the answer button.

29. Supper and More

I power cycle home, mainly to clear my mind. In one weekend I seduced and nearly had sex with one of my new best friends. My mind is full of questions. Why did I do that? Why did it make me happy? What kind of person does that? What kind of person am I that I feel so little guilt? If Monique…