Ellis’s mother sat in the corner of the living room in the worn blue reclining chair where she liked to knit, a fat orange tabby cat curled up in a ball on her lap. She was watching one of the daytime soap operas that captivated her imagination when she wasn’t at work. Over the drone of the television, Ellis could hear the repetitive clicking noise of her knitting needles as she made yet another pair of brightly colored winter mittens. Ellis didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so he always pretended to wear the mittens to school, removing them as soon as he was out of sight of the front window that looked out on their drab front yard.
Ellis’s father sat quietly on the couch, his greying head bent and heavy brow furrowed as he contemplated his computer screen. He was probably playing fantasy football again, a habit that Ellis’s mom wanted him to quit. Ellis entered the living room and plopped down on the couch next to his dad, letting his long, lean legs splay out in front of him. He played absentmindedly with the silver watch on his wrist, a treasured family heirloom given to him by his parents for his sixteenth birthday. Ellis’s dad reached an arm over and affectionately ruffled his son’s sandy brown hair.
“What’s the plan for today, squirt?” Ellis’s dad always called him squirt, had called him that since he was small, even though these days it made Ellis squirm with a feeling of humiliation he couldn’t quite articulate.
“I don’t know yet,” replied Ellis, rolling his bright green eyes. “Probably just hanging out with Jake and David. Playing Fallout or something.” A piercing shriek sounded from the kitchen as the water in the teakettle boiled.
“Make sure you get your math done,” said Ellis’s mom, sighing heavily and placing a pudgy hand on her lower back as she hoisted herself out of the recliner and padded to the kitchen. “We won’t be home to check in on you until late.”
Ellis nodded absentmindedly, his mind occupied by the woman on the TV screen. Her bosom heaved dramatically as she sobbed about her lover’s betrayal, her breasts almost spilling out of the neckline of her low-cut velvet gown.
“Oh no, did I miss Sophia’s suicide?” Ellis’s mother bustled back in, a steaming mug of tea in her hand. The hem of her blue nurse’s scrubs rustled. A waft of peppermint-scented air drifted out of her cup and past Ellis’s nose. Ellis inhaled deeply. His mother sighed with relief as the woman on the screen sank to the ground, still sobbing. “Never mind, it’s not for another twenty minutes. She certainly does drag these things out, doesn’t she?”
Ellis tore his eyes away from the TV screen. “Wait, Mom, what did you say?”
“About Sophia?” Ellis’s mother blinked, pleased. “I said she always takes a very long time to get to the death scenes. She has seven of them in this season alone, and I think–”
“No, sorry,” Ellis interrupted her, “I meant before that. What did you say about going out?”
“Your mother and I are going to the Spellmans’ for dinner tonight,” said Ellis’s father, finally looking up from the spreadsheet he’d been busily typing numbers into. “It’s Sarah’s forty-ninth birthday.”
“Fifty-ninth, dear,” corrected Ellis’s mom, settling into the recliner again.
Shit. Shit. Ellis had forgotten all about the dinner tonight. And that meant they were probably taking the Ford. Fuck.
“You’re not taking the car, are you?” asked Ellis innocently, trying to keep any note of urgency out of his voice.
“Well, of course, squirt,” said Ellis’s dad, sounding slightly puzzled. “You didn’t think we were going to walk, did you?”
Ellis tried desperately to think of a good, sane, adult reason that his parents would walk. Or take the bus. “I just thought maybe,” he hedged, “if you’re going to drink, maybe I could drive you and then–”
“Your father never drinks at parties, sweetie,” said Ellis’s mom. “We’re just going to head over at dinnertime, make the rounds, sing Happy Birthday, and then we’ll be home by nine or so at the latest.”
Crap. Shit fuck fucking shit. This was bad. Ellis tried to conceal his agitation from his parents, still obliviously watching the soap. He vaulted off the couch and disappeared down the narrow hallway to his room, which was dark and smelled faintly musty. Flicking on the light, he stumbled over to his narrow twin bed and sat down on the worn navy blue bedspread. He buried his head in his hands with a deep groan. He had counted on using the car tonight to pick up Hazel. If his parents had it, not only would he have to convince her to brave the Ohio winter on bike or by foot, but he would have nowhere to take her except home–home, where his parents had enacted a strict no-girls-in-the-bedroom policy and would be breathing down his neck once they got home from the Spellmans’ party. Goddammit. Ellis took several deep breaths, trying to clear his head. When he looked up from staring at his denim-clad knees, his mom was standing in the doorway, her face folded into lines of wrinkled concern.
“What’s the matter, honey?” she asked. She crossed the room and sat down next to him on the bed, the rickety frame letting out a small noise of protest at the added weight. Ellis sighed and leaned his head against his mother’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of her large, solid body next to his gangly frame. Her left hand rubbed soothing circles against his back.
“I was just really hoping you would let me have the car tonight,” Ellis confessed, trying to think of a reasonable lie. “I wanted to….um, drive to the rec center with Jack to play basketball,” he fibbed, hoping his mother wouldn’t remember that the rec center was only a block away or that he hadn’t talked to Jack since middle school.
His mother’s hand ceased its revolutions, then began again in the opposite direction.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so, honey?”
Ellis looked up, a surge of hope leaping wildly in his chest. “You mean I can take the car?”
“I don’t see why not,” said his mother. “Your father doesn’t really like driving anyway, and I wouldn’t mind having a few glasses of wine. We’ll just take a taxi.”
Ellis hugged his mother tightly around her fleshy waist, practically lifting her off the bed in his excitement. “Thanks, Mom!” he said, trying not to sound too excited.
“Of course, sweetheart.” Ellis’s mother brushed the hair away from his face, smiling fondly at him. “Just don’t be home too late, and remember to put your gym clothes right in the laundry.”
***
As soon as the taxi containing his slightly-dressed-up and very excited parents had pulled away from the curb, Ellis practically ran for the car, stopping only to pick up the keys his father had left on the counter. Next to the keys was a bright orange Post-It note admonishing him to “stay safe” and “make good decisions.” Ellis didn’t really intend to do either. In the hall, he paused a moment at the bathroom door before stepping inside and flicking on the overhead light. He studied his appearance critically in the mirror, adjusting the collar of his green button-down shirt. Most people seemed to think that Ellis looked….nice. He was tall and lanky, with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. He had inherited his father’s sandy hair, which he wore in a short, slightly messy style that suited the angular lines of his face. He had also inherited his mother’s almond-shaped green eyes, framed with thick black lashes that girls were constantly telling him they were jealous of. His lips were pink and fairly full. When he smiled, which he did often when he was with friends, his teeth were small, even, and very white. The only problem Ellis could really see was his nose, which was sort of flat and broader than he would have liked. But so be it. Hopefully Hazel liked what she saw in him, even if he wasn’t some perfect male-model type.
Turning off the light, Ellis strode to the end of the hallway and opened the door to the garage. His father’s blue Ford Explorer stood at one end amid a clutter of boxes, winter boots, and abandoned tennis rackets. The car was old and a little beaten up, but hopefully Hazel didn’t care too much about that kind of thing. Ellis opened the driver’s side door and sighed. His father had left an assortment of crumpled-up wrappers from Burger King and Taco Bell all over the passenger side floor. Ellis swept the soiled sheets of paper into his arms and threw them out of the car, not really caring where they landed. He would clean it up later. Hopefully while riding the high of finally making it with Hazel, whom he’d been flirting with ever since they’d been partnered up to dissect an ill-fated frog in third period biology during their freshman year of high school.
Sitting down in the driver’s seat, Ellis opened the glove compartment and sprayed himself liberally with his dad’s cologne. He coughed and waved a hand in front of his face as the musky spray assaulted his lungs. Fuck. Now Hazel was going to think he’d bathed in the stuff. Ellis stowed the cologne away again and turned the key fob. The car engine rumbled to life. As Ellis backed carefully out of the driveway and into the cul-de-sac, he wondered what kind of music he should be playing. Did Hazel like rap? At the very least, she probably didn’t want to listen to his dad’s old Bruce Springsteen CDs. He braked for a moment in the cul-de-sac and flicked through his Spotify playlists, settling on Tyler the Creator. That was safe. Dropping his phone into the empty cup holder, he put the car into drive and started the ten-minute journey to Hazel’s house.
Scene 7-A. Car
Hazel’s house was really nice. Three stories tall, with a tiled roof and a facade made of white-washed brick, it looked like a storybook cottage. Delicate tendrils of ivy climbed their way up the sides and framed the heavy wooden door. Ellis reached out a hand and pressed his index finger against the doorbell, trying to ignore the way his fingers shook slightly as he pulled his hand away. A loud buzzing noise resonated from inside the house. Ellis saw a light flicker on from behind the opaque glass panel next to the door. Suddenly, the knob turned and Hazel opened the door a crack. Ellis backed up to give her room on the porch, but she simply stood inside the doorway, framed in the luminous glow of the hall light. Ellis’s breath caught in his throat. Hazel really was beautiful. Her large brown eyes sparkled in the low light, framed by a thick curtain of spiky black lashes. Her lush pink mouth curved into a smile as she stared at Ellis, waiting expectantly for him to speak. After a moment of awkward silence, she cleared her throat and tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder, folding her bare arms over her skinny frame.
“Hi, Ellis,” she said simply. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
Ellis’s stomach felt as if a large swarm of insects had decided to take up residence in his large intestine. “Hi,” he replied cautiously. “I wasn’t sure….do you mind being a little early to the movie?” They were going to see some action movie thing. Ellis didn’t remember which one exactly, only that it had gotten terrible reviews so far.
“I actually love being early to movies,” said Hazel. She stepped out on the porch and shivered, rubbing the goosebumps that rose up on the dusky skin of her arms. Ellis tried not to stare at the strip of bare skin visible between the hem of her purple crop top and the waist of her jeans. Looking down, he saw that her feet were also bare. “Jesus,” she said, laughing slightly. “It’s kind of cold out, don’t you think?”
“I mean, yeah.” Ellis was deliberately not wearing winter clothes. Instead he was wearing a button-down, jeans, and his father’s brown leather work boots, which were scuffed and faded just enough to look cool. Ellis hoped.
“Let me get shoes and a jacket.” Hazel stepped back inside, looking back at Ellis with an inquisitive look on her heart-shaped face. “Do you wanna come inside?”
Yes!
“Yeah, sure,” Ellis said casually, trying to ignore the way his heart was thumping against his ribs and his cock was stiffening painfully inside his jeans. He stepped into the front hall and closed the door, leaning against it. Hazel disappeared up a staircase covered in thick, avocado-green shag carpet. She reappeared a moment later in a black leather jacket and matching boots, looking so deliciously sexy that Ellis’s mouth began to water.
“Ready to go? Or do you want to do some homework?” Hazel teased Ellis, reaching around him to grab the door handle. Her wrist brushed against Ellis’s stomach, and his back thumped painfully against the door as she opened it again. “Brrr. We better make a run to the car quick.”
“Actually, if you wanted to stay inside and do homework–” Ellis began, his mind racing. Were her parents home?
“Don’t be silly,” Hazel laughed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door, then locked it. “Why would we do homework when we could be watching Death Machine 3 or whatever it’s called?”
“Doing calculus feels kind of like a death machine to me,” said Ellis. Hazel’s answering peal of laughter echoed down the quiet street.
“Really? I feel like our problem sets have been really easy lately,” she said. “I finished that last one in like twenty minutes.”
“I haven’t even started it,” Ellis confessed. “Differential equations give me the biggest migraine.” He followed Hazel down the porch stairs and across the snow-covered lawn to the sidewalk.
“So,” Hazel said, “where’s our ride?”
“Right here.” Ellis gestured to the banged-up Ford Explorer. “I know it’s not a limo or anything, but….”
“No, this is great!” Hazel bounced up and down on the heels of her boots. “It’s seriously a really nice car. Your parents have good taste.”
“I think they got the car from my grandparents, actually,” said Ellis, unlocking the passenger side door for her. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, he opened the door and ushered her inside. Hazel obliged, dark eyes sparkling.
“Wow, you’re such a gentleman,” she said. “I’ve never gone out with a guy who opened my car door for me before. You’re not, like, a misogynist or something, are you?” She grabbed for his phone, still nestled in the cup holder. “Mind if I put on some music?”
“Sure.” Ellis got into the driver’s side and watched, mesmerized, as she swiped through his Spotify. “And no, I’m not a misogynist. My mom and dad raised me right. I hope.” Hazel seemed to settle on a song, tapping it with her index finger. An unfamiliar strain of indie rock filled the car speakers as Hazel settled back into her seat.
I hate you for what you did/
And I miss you like a little kid….
Hazel cleared her throat. “You have good music taste,” she said. “I just really wanted to listen to this song.” She looked into Ellis’s face, searching for something. “I didn’t mean it, by the way. About you being a misogynist. Sorry if I offended you.”
“No, I knew you were joking,” said Ellis, smiling. He hadn’t. Known she was joking, that is.
“I’m so glad you have your license,” said Hazel, lightly touching the back of Ellis’s hand. Her fingertips set Ellis’s nerves alight, a blaze of sparks traveling up his arm and down his spine. “One time this guy came by for a date, and all he had was his bike. He said I could sit on the handlebars! Isn’t that fucking hilarious?”
Ellis laughed, his throat tight. Thank god he had wrangled his parents out of the car. “Yeah, what an idiot,” he laughed, pulling his hand away abruptly. He busied his hands with turning the car on and pulling away from the curb, checking behind him as he did so. Then he chanced a glance over at Hazel. The light from the streetlamps ghosted over her beautiful face, making her look almost otherworldly. “So, this is a date?”
Hazel’s cheeks flushed slightly. She turned away from Ellis to look out the car window at the rows of snow-covered houses, their windows glowing from within.
“I guess we’ll see.”
***
“I’m sorry, honey, but your father and I really need the car tonight,” she said apologetically. “Why don’t you just walk to the rec center? It’s right up the road, isn’t it?”
“Jack lives far away,” Ellis said desperately.
“Well, then why don’t you go tomorrow night?” Ellis’s mother stood up. “What do you want for dinner? I was thinking leftovers, but I could also make some quick mac and cheese, or pasta with spaghetti sauce….”
She left the room, ignoring Ellis’s mumbled reply. Ellis flopped backward onto the bed and groaned. Tonight was going to be an epic failure.
***
As soon as his parents’ old Ford Explorer pulled out of the driveway, Ellis vaulted off his bed and into the kitchen. His mother had left a casserole dish on the counter containing whatever Ellis’s dinner was supposed to be, but he was way too wound up to eat anything. On top of the casserole dish was a bright orange Post-It note admonishing him to “stay safe” and “make good decisions.” Ellis didn’t really intend to do either.
In the hall, he paused a moment at the bathroom door before stepping inside and flicking on the overhead light. He studied his appearance critically in the mirror, adjusting the collar of his green button-down shirt. Most people seemed to think that Ellis looked….nice. He was tall and lanky, with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. He had inherited his father’s sandy hair, which he wore in a short, slightly messy style that suited the angular lines of his face. He had also inherited his mother’s almond-shaped green eyes, framed with thick black lashes that girls were constantly telling him they were jealous of. His lips were pink and fairly full. When he smiled, which he did often when he was with friends, his teeth were small, even, and very white. The only problem Ellis could really see was his nose, which was sort of flat and broader than he would have liked. But so be it. Hopefully Hazel liked what she saw in him, even if he wasn’t some perfect male-model type.
After one last glance at his hair, Ellis flicked off the bathroom light and walked down the hallway to the front door, pulling his house key off of the hook near the coat rack. He thought about wearing his winter jacket, then decided against it. He didn’t want Hazel to think he was some kind of wuss who couldn’t handle the cold. Okay, maybe the temperature was slightly below freezing and he had to brave the long walk to Hazel’s house, plus the subsequent walk to the movie theater, but still. No jacket. He shoved his feet into his father’s worn leather boots, which were starting to pinch a little around the toes. He shivered involuntarily as he opened the front door and immediately got hit in the face with a blast of icy wind.
It was going to be a long walk.
***
Ellis was practically frozen solid. The wind blew right through the thin fabric of his shirt, making his nipples harden and covering his body in a thick layer of goosebumps. He was bitterly regretting his decision to leave his winter coat at home when Hazel’s house suddenly came into view, rising like a solitary tower at the peak of the hilly suburban neighborhood they both called home. Even chilled to the bone, however, Ellis could still appreciate that Hazel’s house was really nice. Three stories tall, with a tiled roof and a facade made of white-washed brick, it looked like a storybook cottage. Delicate tendrils of ivy climbed their way up the sides and framed the heavy wooden door.
Ellis reached out a hand and pressed his index finger against the doorbell, trying to ignore the way his fingers shook slightly as he pulled his hand away. A loud buzzing noise resonated from inside the house. Ellis saw a light flicker on from behind the opaque glass panel next to the door. Suddenly, the knob turned and Hazel opened the door a crack. Ellis backed up to give her room on the porch, but she simply stood inside the doorway, framed in the luminous glow of the hall light. Ellis’s breath caught in his throat. Hazel really was beautiful. Her large brown eyes sparkled in the low light, framed by a thick curtain of spiky black lashes. Her lush pink mouth curved into a smile as she stared at Ellis, waiting expectantly for him to speak. After a moment of awkward silence, she cleared her throat and tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder, folding her bare arms over her skinny frame.
“Hi, Ellis,” she said simply. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
Ellis’s stomach felt as if a large swarm of insects had suddenly decided to take up residence in his large intestine. “Hi,” he replied cautiously. “I wasn’t sure….do you mind being a little early to the movie?” They were going to see some action movie thing. Ellis didn’t remember which one exactly, only that it had gotten terrible reviews so far.
“I actually love being early to movies,” said Hazel. She stepped out on the porch and shivered, rubbing the goosebumps that rose up on the dusky skin of her arms. Ellis tried not to stare at the strip of bare skin visible between the hem of her purple crop top and the waist of her jeans. Looking down, he saw that her feet were also bare. “Jesus,” she said, laughing slightly. “It’s kind of cold out, don’t you think?”
“I mean, yeah.” Ellis was deliberately not wearing winter clothes. Instead he was wearing a button-down, jeans, and his father’s brown leather work boots, which were scuffed and faded just enough to look cool. Ellis hoped.
“Let me get shoes and a jacket.” Hazel stepped back inside, looking back at Ellis with an inquisitive look on her heart-shaped face. “Do you wanna come inside?”
Yes!
“Yeah, sure,” Ellis said casually, trying to ignore the way his heart was thumping against his ribs and his cock was stiffening painfully inside his jeans. He stepped into the front hall and closed the door, leaning against it. Hazel disappeared up a staircase covered in thick, avocado-green shag carpet. She reappeared a moment later in a black leather jacket and matching boots, looking so deliciously sexy that Ellis’s mouth began to water.
“Ready to go? Or do you want to do some homework?” Hazel teased Ellis, reaching around him to grab the door handle. Her wrist brushed against Ellis’s stomach, and his back thumped painfully against the door as she opened it again. “Brrr. We better make a run to the car quick.”
“Actually, if you wanted to stay inside and do homework–” Ellis began, his mind racing. Were her parents home?
“Don’t be silly,” Hazel laughed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door, then locked it. “Why would we do homework when we could be watching Death Machine 3 or whatever it’s called?”
“Doing calculus feels kind of like a death machine to me,” said Ellis. Hazel’s answering peal of laughter echoed down the quiet street.
“Really? I feel like our problem sets have been really easy lately,” she said. “I finished that last one in like twenty minutes.”
“I haven’t even started it,” Ellis confessed. “Differential equations give me the biggest migraine.” He followed Hazel down the porch stairs and across the snow-covered lawn.
“So,” Hazel said, “where’s our ride?”
“Um,” said Ellis, cheeks warming in spite of himself. He avoided Hazel’s gaze, instead staring at a dirty chunk of snow that had somehow made its way onto the sidewalk. He kicked the snow with the side of his boot. It rolled away down the hill, leaving a trail of icy dirt in its wake. “My car broke today. It, um….the, uh, the engine won’t turn over anymore.”
A stupid lie, but better than saying his parents wouldn’t let him have the car. “So we don’t really have a ride.”
“Oh,” said Hazel. The disappointment in her voice made Ellis look up at her again. She was worrying her glossy pink lower lip with her front teeth. She was so beautiful it made Ellis’s chest hurt.
“We can take a taxi,” Ellis said. “I don’t exactly have money for it, but maybe I can work out a deal with the driver or something so that we can–”
“It’s okay!” interrupted Hazel. “The theater isn’t far from here, right? So we’ll just walk.”
“It’s so cold out,” said Ellis, watching his breath fog out into a cloud of white. He hated himself. Why, oh why, couldn’t his parents have given up the car just for one night?
“It’s fine,” said Hazel, a determined set to her chin. “I love the cold, don’t you?” She turned and started trudging down the sidewalk toward the theater, not waiting to see if Ellis would follow or not. Ellis shivered. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried to catch up with Hazel.
“I’m really sorry,” he said when he caught up with her. Hazel’s face glowed in the light from the streetlamps, making her look otherworldly. She was walking so fast it was practically running. Ellis’s legs were almost twice as long as hers, but he still had to hasten his step to keep up with her. Hazel laughed.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I don’t know,” Ellis said. “I promised you we’d have a ride, and now my parents have the car, and we have to walk, and….I don’t know, I just feel bad,” he finished lamely.
“I thought you said your car was broken,” said Hazel.
“It is! I mean….I mean, it’s broken, so my parents took it to the dealership to have it fixed.” Ellis felt his chest constricting.
“How did they get it to the dealership if it’s broken?”
“Um….my dad owns a tow truck. For his work,” Ellis lied.
“Really? I thought your dad was an engineer.” Hazel glanced at Ellis, a note of suspicion creeping into her voice.
“He’s an engineer, but…um…he also works at a towing company in his spare time.” Fuck. What was he even saying? Ellis decided a quick change of subject was necessary. “So, do you like action movies?” he asked, cringing internally at his obvious attempt to divert Hazel’s attention.
“Not really,” Hazel said. “I wanted to see the remake of Dracula, but Chris loves guns and explosions and stuff like that.”
“Right. Me too,” said Ellis. He hated action movies. Tonight was ostensibly a group hang out with Hazel’s friend Samantha and her boyfriend Chris, who was possibly the biggest douche to ever walk the earth. Ellis hated him. But it didn’t matter. Ellis would spend time with anyone if it meant he got to hang out with Hazel. And maybe hold her hand. Maybe, if he was really, really lucky and really smooth, he would even get to kiss her in the back of a darkened movie theater. Although with the way the evening was turning out so far, Ellis wasn’t super optimistic about the possibility of Hazel wanting to kiss him.
“God. Do you really?” asked Hazel, slowing down a little bit. Her breath left her mouth in great puffs of crystalline smoke. Ellis wanted to catch it in his own mouth.
“No,” Ellis admitted. “I’m a big sap, I guess. I like Hallmark movies, Disney movies, rom-coms, that kind of cheesy thing. Anything with a happy ending.” Hazel smiled, a big, soft, genuine smile that made her whole face light up. She slowed down even more, until she and Ellis were walking at a comfortable pace down the darkened street.
“I like horror movies,” she said. “Because the end is always happy, but conditional. Like, they’ve defeated the big scary monster or ghost or whatever, but there’s always a suggestion that it’s not really gone. Like a little wave from behind the curtain at the end of a show. ‘There could be an encore,’ or something.” Ellis shivered.
“Jesus,” he said. “So you like that the scary monster isn’t really defeated?”
“I like that the story is never resolved,” said Hazel. “There’s always something to come back to, you know?”
Ellis shivered again. “I think I’m glad we’re not watching Dracula. I’m too much of a big baby.”
Hazel laughed. Without warning, she slipped her hand into Ellis’s. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll protect you.”
***
The movie theater was packed. Ellis guessed he should’ve expected as much, but he was still shocked by the crush of people inside. As they waited in line to buy their tickets, Ellis felt a bundle of nerves steadily expanding in his stomach. I shouldn’t even be here, he thought, then shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. He noticed Hazel watching him curiously.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You got really quiet all of a sudden.” Ellis’s palms were suddenly dripping with sweat. His face felt hot.
“Are you sure I’m welcome here?” asked Ellis nervously. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve talked to Chris or Samantha.”
“Of course!” said Hazel, sounding genuinely surprised. “Why wouldn’t you be welcome? I’m really glad you asked me to see a movie, actually,” she confided. “I was, like, desperate to get out of the house.”
“I sort of wish it could have been just the two of us,” Ellis said. Shit. That probably sounded so desperate. But Hazel just smiled.
“Next time,” she said as the line shuffled forward. Ellis grabbed for Hazel’s hand, telling himself it was just so he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd, but his stomach still twisted into knots at the feel of her smooth, warm palm against his. Once they reached the box office, he paid for both of their tickets, cringing when he saw the total. $27.43 for two student tickets? Jesus Christ. He turned around to say something about it to Hazel, but she wasn’t paying attention. Her glossy head was turned, her sharp brown eyes scanning the throngs of people. Suddenly she gasped and began jumping up and down, waving her right hand energetically above her head.
“Chris! Jack! Samantha! Over here!” she called, then turned around to beam at Ellis. “See, we’re not even early. They’re already here.”
Ellis saw Chris cutting through the crowd with his usual obnoxious swagger. At his side was Samantha, his girlfriend of six months, who seemed to adore him despite his tendency to act like a total asshole. Chris had his blond hair swept back and covered in a snapback. His tiny, piggish eyes looked even smaller when set in the harsh lines of his beefy face, broad and doughy from too much beer consumed at football parties on the weekends. Samantha was practically his polar opposite, all harsh lines and perfectly manicured nails. Her long blonde hair was always immaculately curled, and she tended to dress in an array of pastel pinks and yellows that would look completely nauseating on anyone else. Somehow the two of them worked together as a couple, though. The stereotypical head cheerleader and starting quarterback.
At Chris’ other side was Jack, a guy Ellis literally hadn’t seen since eighth grade. He’d changed a lot since then, too; once tall for his age, he was now merely average, with a long, pale face and a stocky build. Ellis remembered when they used to sit next to each other in orchestra and trade Pokemon cards. Now apparently Jack was one of the guys who used to give Ellis Indian burns on the back of the school bus. Ellis felt a wave of nausea rising up in his chest. He looked down at Hazel as she smiled, apparently unaware of his discomfort. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, he reasoned. After all, Hazel liked these people; they couldn’t possibly be as terrible as Ellis thought–
“Hey, asshole,” boomed Chris, folding his muscled arms over his broad chest. “Are you bothering my friend here?”
Ellis glanced at Hazel. She looked just as confused as he was. “Are you talking to me?” Ellis asked, swallowing thickly. His mouth felt bone-dry. He had a sudden urge to bolt for the concessions stand.
“Yeah, who else would I be talking to?” Chris leaned forward threateningly, somehow towering over Ellis despite the fact that they were almost the same height. “I want to know what you’re doing hitting on this girl. Clearly you’re not supposed to be here.”
“Chris!” said Hazel, sounding shocked. “This is Ellis. My date,” she emphasized firmly. “I told you he was coming here. You’ve seen him at school every single day since first grade.” She took Ellis’s hand, but Ellis could barely feel it. He was busy drowning in a tidal wave of humiliation. Samantha tittered nervously, her arm hooked around Chris’ meaty bicep. Jack was studiously avoiding eye contact with Ellis by staring at the floor.
***
Ellis felt a sudden urge of confidence. Maybe it was Hazel’s hand in his, or maybe it was him finally snapping from all those years of being bullied in elementary and middle school. He stepped forward until he was toe to toe with Chris, whose tiny eyes widened slightly in fear. Ellis breathed in deep, taking in the scent of Chris’ cheap cologne and the sour reek of his breath.
“You’re an asshole,” Ellis said. “You’ve always been an asshole. Probably you always will be. But right now, that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me,” he said, glancing at Hazel, who was staring at him with an expression of undiluted shock on her beautiful face, “is that I get to go watch this terrible movie with Hazel.”
Ellis turned away from Chris, whose body was vibrating with barely-contained rage. He walked blindly towards the movie theater, barely breathing, conscious only of Chris’ presence behind him and Hazel’s presence at his side. When he reached the door to the theater, he stopped and looked down at Hazel. She was watching him with a look of barely contained pride, her dark eyes so shiny that Ellis could see his own face reflected in them.
“Do you want to get out of here?” asked Ellis. “I mean, we know neither of us want to see this shitty movie. And I’m not about to sit in a theater next to him,” he added, jerking his head back in the general direction of Chris. Hazel nodded, her lips slightly parted.
“Yeah, I’m not really in the mood for a movie,” she said. “Would you mind taking me back to my place?”
Ellis’s stomach fluttered nervously. “Of course I wouldn’t.”
***
Ellis stuttered. He desperately wanted to run for the exit, but they were surrounded by so many people, he could hardly move in any direction without crashing into someone. “Um,” he began, desperately trying to think of a clever response, “I am…..totally supposed to be here. This is my….I’m like….I like movies,” he finished lamely, looking anywhere but at Hazel’s face. He pulled his hand from her grasp and folded it across his chest, trying and failing to imitate Chris’ imposing physicality.
“You don’t….you can’t tell me where to b-be,” he stuttered. Chris let out a snort of derision. He was joined by Samantha, who was twirling a strand of long blonde hair around her ring finger, and Jack, who was still looking at the floor. Samantha’s face twisted into an icy-sweet smile.
“Chris is just looking out for our friend Hazel,” she cooed. “He wants to make sure there aren’t any losers bothering her, right, baby?”
“That’s right,” said Chris. He looked with disdain at Ellis. “But I guess since she apparently wants you here–”
“That’s right, I do,” said Hazel firmly. She wrapped her arm around Ellis’s in a clear imitation of Samantha. Samantha sniffed.
“Alright, then, I guess we’d better go sit down,” she said loftily. She turned and stalked off toward the theater, trailing Chris and Jack in her wake. Ellis and Hazel followed. Ellis’s face was burning.
It was going to be a long movie.
***
“Thanks for a great night,” said Hazel. She was leaning against her front door, her back pressed against the pane of glass that allowed the hall light to seep through onto the porch. Ellis laughed.
“That was your idea of a great night?”
“I mean, maybe there were a couple things that could’ve gone better,” said Hazel, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smirked. “But overall, I thought it was pretty stellar.”
“I think it can really only go up from here,” said Ellis.
“Exactly! Ample room for improvement.” Hazel played with the hem of her leather jacket, her eyes soft and liquid in the low light. “For real, I had a nice time,” she repeated softly. Ellis thought he understood the subtext.
“I’ll let you get to bed, then,” he said, turning to leave. Suddenly, he felt something clutching at the back of his shirt. He turned to find Hazel pressed up against him, her long hair spilling over her shoulder as her eyes looked searchingly into his. Up close, he could count every single one of the tiny freckles that scattered themselves like stars over the bridge of her nose.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked, her voice pitched lower than usual. Her warm, sweet breath fanned out over Ellis’s face. He felt his body start to respond and stepped back hastily. He didn’t want Hazel to noticel his hard-on pressing painfully against the zipper of his jeans. But Hazel didn’t seem to understand the effect she had on him. She pressed closer still, her hands twisted in the fabric of his button-down. “We could go up to my room,” she offered, smiling wickedly. “My parents aren’t home, you know. Business trip.”
Ellis swallowed so hard it was painful, feeling like his brain was melting. Hazel’s room. Alone. With Hazel. When her parents aren’t home. It felt like all the blood in his body had rushed straight to his cock. “Sure,” Ellis replied softly, his heart thumping in his chest as he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. “Let’s go to your room.”
***
Hazel’s room was small, warm, and cluttered with objects. A vast array of posters for various cult movies and bands Ellis had never heard of adorned the walls, while every available surface was covered in things–drawings, paintbrushes, tiny ceramic figurines, and a bright red ukulele with half the strings missing.
“I like your room,” Ellis managed to get out. Suddenly he was pressed against a wall and Hazel’s mouth was on his, her lips slick and artificially sweet. She ran her tongue teasingly over his bottom lip, urging him to open his mouth so that she could slip it inside. “Whoa,” Ellis muttered, pulling back to look at Hazel’s flushed face. Her eyes were shining, her lips so swollen and kissable that he had to press his mouth to hers again. When he did, she opened her mouth to him, her tongue retreating to give him better access. She tasted like movie theater popcorn, somehow, all salty and buttery, with just a hint of sweetness beneath it that was all Hazel. Ellis felt drunk on her, especially when she moved her mouth away from his and began pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses down his jaw and across the slope of his neck, nipping at the soft skin just above his collarbone. Fuck. It was just so good. “Fuck,” Ellis moaned without thinking, regretting it when Hazel pulled away from him, a look of surprise on her lovely, lovely face.
“Do you like it?” she asked. “Am I doing it right? I’ve never been very good at giving hickeys–”
“Hazel,” Ellis laughed, “shut up,” and he bent to kiss her again, slipping his tongue past her teeth and luxuriating in the feel of her mouth on his. He clutched at the fabric of her jacket and pressed against her, feeling simultaneously too close to her and not close enough. His cock throbbed, too full to be contained inside his tight jeans. Feeling daring, he pressed his hand to the seam of Hazel’s jeans and heard her answering moan. Panting, Hazel pushed them toward her bed. It looked much larger and more inviting than Ellis’s.
“Bed,” demanded Hazel. “Now.”
Ellis didn’t need to be told twice. He picked Hazel up and deposited her on the bed, maybe a little more roughly than he’d intended, but it didn’t matter; she squealed with delight and pulled him down to her, tangling her long fingers in his hair. They were both breathing hard. Ellis pulled at the buttons on his shirt, trying desperately to rid himself of it. He wanted to feel Hazel’s skin against his so badly it was like being starving, or sleep-deprived. He ripped a couple of the buttons off in his haste, but it didn’t matter. Not when Hazel was looking at him like that, with her pillowy lips parted and a hazy spark of lust in her deep brown eyes. She ran her hands over his chest appreciatively, looking almost shy as her hands traced the vee of muscle at his hips down to the top of his fly. “Can I….?” she asked, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Please,” Ellis breathed, trying very hard not to come in his pants as her hand gently traced the outline of his erection. Slowly, almost teasingly, she drew the zipper of his jeans down until the waistband grew loose, then slipped her hands into the sides of the jeans and worked them down Ellis’s legs. Ellis kicked them off, leaving him in just his underwear, while Hazel was still fully clothed. Her eyes slid down to the crotch of his boxer briefs, where his insistent erection throbbed, the tip already leaking precum. She licked her lips. Then she slowly pulled off her jacket. She tugged the fabric of her tight purple shirt up, revealing a lacy white bra. Ellis swallowed. Shit. This was as far as he’d ever been with a girl before.
He moved to cup Hazel’s breast through her bra, feeling the heat radiating out from her body. She was so warm. And soft. Ellis thought Hazel’s skin had to be the softest thing in the world, smoother and more pleasing to the touch than silk, even. Hazel’s eyes were dark with lust. She reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting the straps fall loosely down her arms as the cups tumbled free, exposing her small, pert breasts. Her breath came out in a hiss as Ellis reached a hand out to trace his fingers along the underside of her breast, then up to her nipples, which hardened at his touch.
Ellis felt his dick grow even harder in response. He wrapped his arm around Hazel’s waist and rolled her under him, using his other hand to wrestle ineffectually with the zipper of her jeans. “Let me do it,” said Hazel, laughing and batting his hand away. She quickly unzipped the jeans and shucked them down her legs before tossing them away, revealing her long, smooth legs. She threw her left leg over Ellis’s torso and rolled his body to the side, straddling him and fastening her mouth to his again. Her long curtain of jet-black hair fell over Ellis’s face, engulfing him in the sweet scent of vanilla. Ellis’s breaths grew short and shallow as she straddled his erection, her bare breasts brushing deliciously against his chest. “I want you inside me,” Hazel whispered seductively against his mouth. Ellis swallowed.
“Do you have….something?”
In response, Hazel reached over to her nightstand and pulled open a small drawer, knocking over several things in the process. “Of course,” she said. “I’ve never actually had to use it before.”
Ellis swallowed. “Then…I’m the first?”
“You’re the first man,” said Hazel. As Ellis’s eyes grew wide, she laughed and rolled off of him, reaching her hands down to wriggle out of her panties. “What, are you shocked or something?”
“A little bit, yeah.” Ellis hadn’t known that Hazel was bisexual. It was cool. He felt a little jealous that she was his first when he clearly wasn’t hers. But mostly, he just felt really, really turned on.
Ellis turned onto his side and ran his hand over Hazel’s front, reveling in the feel of her naked body. Her stomach muscles twitched as he grazed his fingers over her belly button and back up to her breasts. He pinched one of her nipples gently, making her arch her back and emit a breathy moan. Then he replaced his fingers with his mouth, pressing his lips to the planes of her stomach, and lower, down into the tangle of curls between her thighs. She smelled different down here, deeper somehow, with a dark, musky essence that made him ache to be inside her. Going off of instinct and the comments he’d read online, Ellis pressed the flat of his tongue against her clit, making her jump.
“Ohhhh,” Hazel moaned. “Do that again.” She tangled her left hand in Ellis’s hair, applying gentle pressure to the back of his head as he took her clit into his mouth and sucked it gently, working one of his fingers into her tight, wet center. “Ellis! Fuck, Ellis, keep going, just like that….” Hazel shuddered and opened her legs wider, gyrating her hips against Ellis’s mouth. She let out a string of moans that went straight to Ellis’s cock. Suddenly, her entire body tensed and shuddered, and Ellis felt the walls of her vagina contracting around his finger.
“Damn, that was good,” Hazel breathed, pulling Ellis up to her mouth again. He had been hard for so long it was almost painful. The feeling of her wet pussy lips against his crotch, separated only by a thin layer of fabric, nearly undid him completely. But he really wanted to come inside her. He reached for the waistband of his underwear and pulled them off, gasping with relief as his cock sprang free. Hazel was already ripping open the foil condom, her nimble fingers swift and sure. She pulled the latex disk from the packaging and smiled up at Ellis.
“Want me to put it on for you?”
“Yes,” Ellis said breathlessly. He watched as her soft hands gently rolled the condom down his shaft, a small moan escaping his chest at the feeling of her fingers gripping his length. And then he was sliding into her, his dick melting into the soft, tight, wet heat at her center, and he couldn’t control the noises spilling out of his mouth. Jesus fucking Christ. Ellis could feel his balls tensing, his entire being hurtling toward climax.
“You feel so good,” he whispered to Hazel. He thrust into her, erratically at first, slowly building up a rhythm. Hazel’s hips began to rotate, her body tilting up to meet each of his thrusts. The tingling sensation in Ellis’s balls intensified, a pool of heat flooding his groin as he neared his release.
“I’m gonna….” Ellis whispered, not trusting his voice. Hazel nodded, her eyes alight.
“Do it,” she gasped. “I want you to come inside me.”
A deep groan escaped Ellis’s throat as his cock pulsed with heat, spilling his release into the condom. Hazel clutched at him, pulling him down and wrapping her arms around his back as his orgasm ripped through him, leaving his body loose and slick with sweat. After a moment, Ellis rolled off of her, feeling completely boneless. He looked over at Hazel, who arched her back leisurely, a small smile playing across her full lips.
“That was fun, wasn’t it?” she asked. “Wanna do it again?”
***
Hazel’s room was small, warm, and cluttered with objects. A vast array of posters for various cult movies and bands Ellis had never heard of adorned the walls, while every available surface was covered in things–drawings, paintbrushes, tiny ceramic figurines, and a bright red ukulele with half the strings missing.
“I like your room,” Ellis managed to get out. Suddenly he was pressed against a wall and Hazel’s mouth was on his, her lips slick and artificially sweet. She ran her tongue teasingly over his bottom lip, urging him to open his mouth so that she could slip it inside. “Whoa,” Ellis muttered, pulling back to look at Hazel’s flushed face. Her eyes were shining, her lips swollen and kissable. But Ellis didn’t know how to kiss her. He wasn’t exactly experienced when it came to girls.
“Wait,” he said, pulling away from Hazel. He backed up until his thighs hit the base of the bed frame, then sat down heavily on Hazel’s quilted bedspread. Hazel was looking at him with concern and confusion, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows drawn together and her soft, swollen lips pursed.
“Are you okay?” she asked, pushing away from the wall and coming to sit down next to Ellis on the bed. She touched his thigh gently with her right hand, making his traitorous cock jump again. Fuck. Ellis wanted nothing more than to throw Hazel down on the bed and ravage her like they were in a scene from some cheesy soap opera his mother would watch. But something held him back.
“I…sorry,” he replied, shaking his head, “I’m kind of still shell-shocked from earlier, I guess.” Hazel tucked her legs underneath her body. She played with the ruffles on the edge of the bedspread, seemingly waiting for Ellis to speak. Ellis didn’t know what to say. He cleared his throat. “I don’t think I’m very good at kissing.” There. He’d said it.
Hazel looked disappointed. “Can we just try?” she asked. “I won’t be mad if you, like, don’t know how to French-kiss or something.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the right, leaning toward Ellis. Ellis took a deep breath and copied her movements, trying to guess with his eyes closed where Hazel’s lips would be. Suddenly, their noses bumped, sending a frisson of pain through Ellis’s skull.
“Ow!” Hazel yelped. “What the fuck was that?”
Ellis opened his eyes. Hazel had her hands wrapped protectively around her nose. “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, mortified. “I told you I don’t have much experience.”
“Is my nose bleeding?” Hazel asked, pulling her hands away so that Ellis could examine it. There was no blood, at least not that Ellis could see. Not that that kept him from wanting to shrivel up and die of embarrassment.
“There’s no blood,” he reassured her. “Could we….would you mind if we tried again?”
“I guess not,” said Hazel, frowning slightly. “Why don’t you just close your eyes and let me do the rest, okay?” Ellis obediently closed his eyes and waited for the soft press of Hazel’s lips against his own. The first thing he felt was her hot breath on his face. Then her lips were pressed against his, moving softly. Ellis kept his mouth closed and his lips slack, not wanting to do anything else wrong. He didn’t move a muscle, even when he felt Hazel’s tongue dart out and press insistently at the seam of his lips. After a few moments, Hazel let out a soft sound of frustration. ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?”
Ellis opened his eyes a fraction. Hazel had pulled back from him and scooted away until they were practically on opposite sides of the bed. “I told you I don’t know how to kiss,” he said lamely.
“Couldn’t you just, like, stick your tongue down my throat or something?” asked Hazel. Her tone sounded like an attempt at a joke, but it fell flat. She sighed. “I’m sorry. That sounded mean. I just meant I wish you would kiss me back a little more.”
Ellis’s tongue felt thick and awkward. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Maybe we could just hang out? We could watch a movie, or do calculus, or something?” Fuck. This was so lame.
“I’m kind of tired,” Hazel said. “Maybe we should both just go to bed.”
“You mean…sleep here?” asked Ellis. Hazel shook her head.
“My parents will be home in the morning,” she said, not looking at him. Her voice was flat. “Thanks for coming over. I really liked hanging out with you.”
Ellis swallowed painfully. The lump in his throat felt like it was about the size of Kansas. He slowly got up off the bed and moved towards the door. Lingering in the doorway for a moment, he snuck a glance back at Hazel, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, her back to him. Her hair had fallen forward like a curtain, completely obscuring her face.
“Goodnight, Hazel,” Ellis said. Hazel shifted toward him a little, brushing her hair out of her eyes, her face still partially hidden.
“Goodnight, Ellis. I’ll see you at school.”