Part 1- Jake

I called her one more time. I had rung the door bell and even knocked. All the lights were on in the house but there wasn't a car parked in the driveway. I took hold of the brass doorknob and turned it. The door opened and I walked into the open townhouse. I smiled when I saw sixteen Dakota Carlyle, my girlfriend of 8 months sleeping face down on the worn leather sofa. Her hair was flattened down the back of her large gray sweatshirt that concealed her petitie torso. I smiled at the fact that she was wearing the jeans I bought for her for her birthday. They fit her perfectly.

The flat screen tv was blaring in the background. I looked for the remote but the coffee table was covered in coffee cups and glasses full of half melted ice. I shook Dakota's shoulder softly. She didn't wake up.

I shook her a little harder. Her head turned to face me, her eyes closed. Her beautifuly thick, dark eyelashes flickered open. Her deep navy, ocean blue eyes stared up at me.

“Hey Jake,” she smiled at me.

“I missed you,” I leaned over and hugged her closely. I had been in Southern California for the past 5 days, visiting colleges, going to the beach and vacationing. I had missed her like crazy. I only had two days with her until our week-long Thanksgiving break was over. “So where are your parents?” I asked softly.

“Out, I think,” she murmured in a sleepy tone.

“You okay, babe? You look exauhsted.”

“I just need to wake up a little,” she yawned. I sat down on the sofa next to her feet.

For a second I worried that she wasn't happy to see me. That maybe in those 5 days I had been away she had forgot about me and found someone else. I remembered first seeing her.

The gym was filled with lots of students watching the boys varsity basketball game. I wasn't focused on the court though, my eyes went to the sidelines. The cheerleaders doing all sorts of crazy stunts and amazing flips. One particular girl with sparkly blue eyes and shiney brown hair being thrown intot he air(In later what I found out was a twist cradle).In just that second I knew that she was strong, imagintive and efortless. From that moment on I knew I wanted her. Days went on and I realized she was everywhere. At lunch, in my gym class playing basketball and volleyball, around the whole highschool campus in between classes.She seemed to be a very outgoing person. She was friendly and funny. I asked her out and we went on date after date. Out for pizza, to the movies, to college basketball games and out to dinner.

Weeks went on and we got more serious. She was only a sophomore and I was a junior. Yet she was perfect. Her age didn't change anything. We got along so well. I knew we would last. And here we are several months later. Dakota squeezed my hand and I snapped out of it.

“Do you wanna go out?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Let's just hang out.”

She grabbed my hand and led me up the cream-carpeted stairs to her bedroom. The first door on the left. I took in all the details of her room I had missed. The walls of her room were completely blank and painted pure white. Her princess-like bed was covered in breadspread of espresso and champagne colors. All the mahgony wood on the matching furniture looked as if it had all been polished. The white mac computor was missing from her desk and the window in front of it was cracked open so the cool almost-december air flooded in.

I shut the door quickly and grasped Dakota's neck with my left hand, I held her face with another. I kissed her cherry red lips softly and warmly, which is what I wanted the whole time we were apart. I want to touch her soft skin and kiss her.

Part 2 Dakota

I woke up the morning we were going back to school. The clock read 7:00. My parents had already left for work. I felt like a complete mess and I only had 20 minutes. The smell of artificial heated air filled my bedroom. A headache started in the back of my head.

I got up and stood in front of the full-length mirror. My big navy blue eyes were bright but started to throb. My deep espresso brown hair was dark and straight but still slightly highlighted with golden blonde pieces from the summer. I got undressed quickly and dressed again in a pair of jeans that were laying on my bedroom floor and a large grey Princeton sweatshirt from my closet. I stared into my reflection as I brushed my hair until it was smooth.

Jake's car beeped from the driveway and I raced to the front door grabbing my bags on the way. I ran out of the house and into the cold, crisp late fall air. Jake smiled at me. I smiled back, even at the ungodly hour of 7 am. He walked toward me and hugged me close, tightly. I rested my head in his chest.

“Can we please go get coffee?” I asked sweetly.

“Of course,” he smiled even bigger. “We can do anything you want.” Jake grabbed my bags and put them in the back of his black pick up. He was a gentleman like he always was and opened the door for me. I jumped in the seat and clicked my seat belt into place. Jake drove quickly to the closest coffee place.


My heart broke down when I walked in. There was Christopher Bradley, sitting down a table in the corner, his hands grasping a fresh pack of cigarettes. I closed my eyes hoping that it was only a figament of my imagination.

I met Chris when I was in 8th grade and he was a sophomore. He drew me in, so close that I fell in love with him. When I was with him I was happy, estatic. When we were apart for even the shortest time or the moments I was waiting for him to come over my house I was depressed and hopeless. Then that summer he broke my heart. I was devastated. All parts of me wanted to run away and fall apart.

I stood in line in front of the coffee counter hoping he wouldn't notice me.

“Hey,” said a seductive, velvety voice, really close to my ear
Part 3- Jake

I bit my lip hard, Dakota was taking more time than I thought. I took my keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. I peered inside the glass window of the small-town coffee shop. Someone stood neck to her, his body angled towards hers and his mouth almost on your ear. His hand was placed low on her waist.

This stranger looked very firmiliar. His hair was shaved close to his head, his eyes were very deep set and his nose and chin bones were sharp. My mind opened.

“Chris Bradley,” I muttered through my closed teeth. He was one year my senior and graduated the previous year. The guy who betrayed and hurt Dakota so badly. I walked in hastily-at more of a run.

“Don't touch her!,” I said angrily. He licked his lips

“I'm not doing anything,” I put his hands up with his and smiled mischieviously.

“Step away from her.”

“No.” Before I knew what I was doing I punched him hard, on the jaw. I grabbed Dakota and we ran out quickly together. We got in the car and I drove off fast, leaving skid marks on the parking lot.
****

I got out of my compisition class and drove home alone. Now I was sitting uncomfortably in a hard wooden chair in front of my desk. It was 3:15, Dakota just started cheerleading and had practice until 5 . I chewed on my pencil as I stared at my wall of photos. I smiled at one in particular.


Part 4-

It was a lazy august night, the sun had set the sky was a deep indigo and the warmth of summer hugged my skin as we walked through the park. We settled down underneath a tree in a patch of grass.

“C'mon let's take a picture,”I smiled at Dakota. Her big beautiful blue eyes shined up at me and her smooth, milky white skin stood out in the darkness of the night and shadows of the trees. She leaned her head into mine and a snapped a picture quickly. Her head slid down onto my shoulder while her hand rested on my chest. I stared at her small delicate hand. She traced words into my sweatshirt and I read them one after another. My heart went soft and my spine tingled.

“I love you too,” I whispered.
To be continued...