8. T O O C L O S E F O R C O M F O R T

AS I L A Y E D I N B E D I W A T C H E D M Y D I G I T A L C L O C K B L I N K closer to midnight. Eleven-fifty-nine. I had one minute. A figure appeared outside my window. My heart went into my throat and I jerked the covers over my head. I heard the window open. The next second Alvin was sitting on the edge of my bed. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Don't kill me. Please don't. I'm not ready. I'm sorry for shoving you a-and calling you an idiot and-

He slowly leaned foward and gently pulled the covers down to my waist; interrupting my frantic thoughts. He rested his hand on my abdomen. He slipped his other arm around my back and pressed his lips to mine. His lips trailed down my throat and he nuzzled my collar bone.

He leaned away. "Why would I kill you? I love you. Your my life. Your the only reason I-"

I kissed him. "I'm sorry."

He stroked my hair. "Forget it. That argument never happened and we're not mad at each other, OK?"

I nodded and caressed the hair on the back of his head. It was was wet. I glanced him up and down and realized he was damp. Thunder and lightnling lit and shooke the dark night sky. It was raining. I whimpered and brought myself closer to him. He kissed my hair and brought his lips to my ear. "It's OK. I'm here."

My lips trembled and a tear ran down my cheek. My parents had died in a thunder storm when I was a baby. Only two. They were on their way to pick up my sisters and I from a babysitter when they lost control of the car and crashed into a semi. Lightning struck their car and it exploded. My sister and I were sent to an orphanage. We were abused. We'd ran away from the orphanage when I was four and wondered aimlessly for months until we ended up on Ms. Miller's doorstep. She found us and took us in as her own.

I buried my face in his chest. "Don't leave me Alvin. Don't. Please don't."

He held me tighter. "Never. I'll never leave you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'd never, ever dream of it."

I rested my hand on his cheek and pressed my lips to his. My lips moved urgently against his. I felt as if any second he would melt away and I'd never see him again. He lifted me into his lap and kissed me just as urgently. I unthinkingly slid my hands under his shirt and let them travel around his cold body. Up from his shoulder blades and down to the small of his back. Then down from his stomach and up to his muscular chest. He let out a soft moan. I slowly lifted his shirt above his head and threw it across the room. I studied his bare chest. He had six pack abs and a tattoo across his chest. Alvin in bold, black capital gothic/graffitti letter. I ran my hand up and down his chest. He moaned and suddenly crushed his lips back against mine and slipped his toungue into my mouth. He ran it over my toungue, my lips, and all over my mouth. I moaned softly.

Then. . .it all happened.

In one quick motion, he pinned me down on my bed and brought his body on top of mine. I could barly feel his weight. It was as if he was hovering over me. He kissed down from the edge of my lips to my collar bone. I closed my eyes. His toungue traced my lips. I pressed my lips to his and restarted our kiss. He started to slid his hands up my shirt. When he got to my stomach his body became ridged and he pulled away. "Ms. Miller."

My eyes flashed opened. Ms. Miller was standing in the doorway.

I gasped in horror. "Ms. Miller t-t-this isn't what it looks like!"

"Get off my daughter!" Ms. Miller spat at Alvin.

He scrambled off the bed and stepped towards her. "Ms. Miller I'm sorry. Don't yell at Brittany." He glanced at me. "S-she tried to stop me. I ignored her. Blame me."

Ms. Miller slapped Alvin across the face with a loud smack. "GET OUT! I never want to see you in this house again! Do you hear me Alvin Seville?"

Alvin touched his cheek and stared at Ms. Miller in disbelief. "You. . .you slapped me."

I rushed to Alvin's side. "Alvin you OK?" I touched his cheek.

He nodded. "I'm fine."

Ms. Miller snatched Alvin by his shoulder and slung him into the hall way. "I'll tell you one last time before I call the police: get out!"

Alvin rolled his shoulders back. He sneered. "Yeah? I'll call too. You hit me. Bring it on!"

I shot daggers at him. "Go! Before she gets really mad!"

He took a deep breathe and headed for the stairs.

Are you coming back? I questioned in my head.

He nodded.

"Stay here Brittany." Ms. Miller said following Alvin to the door. I heard her yelling at him but couldn't make out what she was saying. When she yelled she put her words together.

"What! That's not fair! If we to be together we have the rights! You can't do that!" I could easily make out Alvin's voice.

Ms. Miller yelled something else.

"Dave won't agree to that! You slapped his son! He'll sue you!"

Smack! More yelling.

"Wait until Dave and the police hear about this! You'll be thrown in jail!"

I heard the front door open and close. Alvin was gone.

Ms. Miller trudged back to my room. I was hoping she would pass me and go to her room. She didn't.

She stopped in my doorway. "Brittany, you went behind my back and let Alvin over and worse, he was dominating you and you let him. Your fifteen. You shouldn't have boys in the house this late and on your bed with you."

"Ms. Miller, he didn't dominate me. I pulled him on top of me and wouldn't let him go. It was all me." I was lying. But I needed to make Alvin seem more innocent.

Ms. Miller sat down beside me. "Your not allowed to see Alvin anymore and your grounded until your eighteen. No cell phone. No television. No internet. No friends. No going anywhere besides school and home. No contact with the outside world. No Alvin. And you have triple the chores. And you've lost my trust."

I jumped up. "That's not fair! We-"

"Go to sleep. I'm calling Dave and telling him about this." She closed my door.

I let out a shaky sigh and put my face in my hands. I bit my lip and blinked back the tears.

I buried my face in my pillow in started crying. I had just lost Alvin. What could be worse?