Austin Confessed

“You gotta be kidding,” Zaylia said, when she walked into her living room and her best friends were there seated waiting on her.

“Umm, not to sound rude but what are you guys doing here?” she asked.

“We’re sleeping over,” Kassidy replied, patting the sofa for her to take a seat beside her.

Kassidy's emerald green eyes made her look stunning with her reddish-orange hair. She was 5’5 and looked like one of those models vogue would pay billions of dollars to model for them. Vogue says “thinner is better” but if they set eyes upon Kassidy Turner, they’d be running behind her.

“So?” Zaylia asked, taking a seat on the couch.

“Where did he take you?” Natalia said, cutting to the chase.

“On a yacht,” Zaylia rolled her eyes when their mouths dropped. Stop being so dramatic.

“Okay okay missy, go on,” Kassidy said to her.

“We swum, have fun, talk and that’s all,” Zaylia said, leaving out the part that he asked for her number. She didn’t want them fantasizing, and snatched her phone at every ‘ping’.

While they were chilling she got her scrapbook with all the events she ever planned. That's her dream right in front of her planning, designing and to have her own business. She sorted, gathered and put her little mixture to make the theme stand out.

“Okay imma need every on deck right here,” she clicked the TV off. Both of you are coming shopping with Austin and myself tomorrow since the girls from Hampton bailed.

“What exactly are we doing?” Kassidy asked, looking puzzled at the portfolio Zaylis placed on her lap with pieces of fabrics.

“This is easy gold and black, even though silver and aqua looks damn good,” Natalia pouts.

On her vision board she outlined the order in which they’d shop tomorrow. Calling the pastry she placed her orders on cupcakes, cakes and other pastries in black and gold. Reminding the restaurants of their huge order of foods, she ticked that off her lists. It was time to remind the DJ and that was it until it’s time for shopping tomorrow.

Laughter filled the spacious living room that was covered in white paint while the five piece sofa was egg white and the cushion blended with grey and egg white. The ceramic glass table blends in with the overall look even the very carpet on the floor. Zaylia received compliments each time friends of her parents came over, she transformed the house beautifully, her parent’s friends first commented that they wanted the contact information of their designer which made her float.

“Zaylia, someone fellow named Austin wants to speak with you,” Jazelle handed her phone to her. She hissed under her breath, she totally forgot that she gave Austin her number, She told herself not to take up she could feel her best friend's wicked glare.

She took the phone and went to the window, she spoke with him about small matters and other random stuff for over thirty minutes. The phone fell from her hands when she spun around to see her best friend exactly behind her on the small sofa with crossed legs and arms.

“I gave Austin my number,” she smiles weakly at them.

Kassidy hauled her to the other sofa, demanding every little detail from her about the call.

“If I ate, have I showered, am I tired, how's my school assignments going, what are we doing after school pertaining to tomorrow, what I do for fun and that basically summarises everything we spoke about,” she told them. Can you guys quit staring at me like that.

“Can’t you see?” Natalia asked her.

“See what,” she responded

“Okay never mind, you’ll see soon when you decide not to block the littlest thing from that brain of yours,” Kassiy butted in.

After that the girls showered together, ate, they did their homework then went to bed at exactly eight. They put Zaylia in the middle because the other didn’t want to hear each other snorts exactly at their ears. The bed is huge y’all stop the fussing we all have enough space to twist and turn. Since kindergarten when they had sleepovers it doesn’t matter the amount of empty rooms in the house they all slept one bed.

With the three of them seated in Austin’s car, Tray knew better not to sit up front while Zaylia was around.

“Zaylia, where are you supposed to be sitting,” he asked with his eyes boring into hers,

Tray opened the door for her and she went to the front. “Okay,” Kassidy mumbled. Zaylia shot her a look, she just smiled and rolled her eyes. Zaylia and Austin spoke under their breath to each other because of the additional three pairs of ears they had on the backseat.

They made it to their second stop. The mall where they would find little tokens for the sponsors, the rest of the equipment for the schools are being handled by the bigger heads. They had to wait impatiently fifteen minutes before they could get on an elevator, the floor they wanted to take the stairs would take all of their time. Packed in the elevator with other people, Zaylia had to brace on Austin in order not to get stumbled over. Tray and Kassidy watched as Austin's jaw clenched and his body grew tense with his eyes closed from having Zaylia that close. Zaylia was biting her lips with a look on her face as if she was counting down with the elevator.

“Hell nah,” Kassidy blurted out in the elevator.

“Hell yah, it’s happening,” Tray added.

Natalia burst out laughing, Austin and Zaylia ignored them. Finally they were out of the elevator, Zaylia was dripping wet on the face, she hated the close pack that comes with the heat, she wasn’t claustrophobic though. Withdrawing the handkerchief from his back pocket Austin wiped Zaylia’s face when she sat on the side bench.

“Damn,” Tray blurted out, with folded arms. “Oh my,” Kassidy added.

Zaylia got up and the three of them turned at once with mischievous grins heading in the opposite direction like the three musketeers. “You don’t wanna hear those colorful words she was about to tell us,” Natalia laughed. Doing the moonwalk down the way Natalia and Kasdidy started misbehaving with Tray joining them. It amuses them to watch the spark between Zaylia and Austin ignites without them even noticing.

When they finished shopping, Austin dropped everyone off this time first before Zaylia with Kassidy and Tray resisting to leave.

“You okay?” he asked, brushing strains of hair from her face.

“Yes,” she smiled. Resisting the urge to touch her lips and kissed them, he said goodbye while his stomach clenched more.

Zaylia had no time for the foolishness with Kassidy and Natalia tonight she had two exams tomorrow not to mention decorating and preparing a speech for Saturday night. She awoke the next morning to find herself sleeping on her physics book. Packing her bag she then staggered to the bathroom sleepily.

Kassidy and Zaylia were annoyed by the sloppy kissing Natalia and Troy were having beside her. Storming into the classroom Lena stood in front of Zaylia.

“You frozen or something?” Zaylia asked her disgustedly.

“Stay away from my boyfriend,” she slammed her hands on Zaylia's desk getting close up with her.

Twitching her nose Zaylia turned her head.

“Oh no bitch you just didn’t,” Natalia said, getting off Troy’s lap.

“Try that again, Zaylia said standing to her feet.

Ms. Gordon stepped in the class just in time and Austin, of all people, was confused to see them so close up. He tried speaking to Zaylia before the test started but she was ignoring him.

“Tell your friend I got a ride to the sports complex so he doesn't have to wait on me, he can take his girlfriend home,” Zaylia said to Tray and left with her friends.

Austin arrived at the complex half an hour late with his posse and sister. His heart drenched outwards to see Zaylia laughing up close with the same guy from Hampton high.Getting pissed he avoided her, he hated trying to talk to her and she kept ignoring him. It continued the day throughout the whole night he tried calling her but she ignored.

“Hey kiddo, why are you letting out all your tantrums on the wall?” his mother came in and sat on his bed. He was bouncing the ball on the door for the past hour.

“Girl trouble,” he responded. He loved that he could talk to his mother about any and everything.

“How come? Don’t you have a flock of girls?” his mother asked, disappointed how her son played the girls.

“There's no girl, It’s just this one girl and I don’t know what Lena said to her now she ain’t talking to me and I spent the last month and a week falling for her,” he sighed.

His mother was astounded to heat those coming from his mouth. “Am I going to meet this girl that has you losing it?” she didn’t even care about Lena, she just wanted to meet the girl that made her biggest dream come true. Changing her son.

“You can accompany me to the fundraiser tomorrow,” she smiled, kissing her cheek.

“Me too,” his sister said, poking her head through the half opened door.

“She’ll come around, tell her how you feel, that's a great start,” she said to her youngest child and left.

The Night of the fundraiser

Zaylia went to the sports complex before her late hair appointment, to ensure all the food had arrived. The DJ’s station was set and ready. Placing them around the centerpiece on the main tables, the gold and black looked like the fundraiser itself. Cupcakes, croissant, shortcrust, donuts and every type of pastry she could think was there including the box of ice-creams in the fridge for the kids. Lobster, curried shrimp, barbecued chicken, pasta four different pasta to be exact, and some delicacy she can’t wait to taste. She dashed out the complex when she looked at her watch. It was 7pm and she had to be there before 8:30.

“Thank God, we’re not the one welcoming the guests, it’s South Brough and Hampton high doing that,” she exhaled a sigh of relief.

Reaching home at approximately 7:30 she made her way to the bathroom with a donut in her mouth she was starving. Taking the world’s quickest shower. Putting on the slightest makeup and red lipstick, she found her silver heart necklace, and stud earrings putting them on, grabbing her clutch as she went downstairs. The colour of silver and red showed how pulchritudinous she was with her hair done in a neat bun with strands of hair dropping to the side of her face. Kassidy and Natalia were waiting for her in the car outside, Natalia’s father would be dropping them off.

Arriving at the complex, people were still parking making her way upstairs without anyone seeing her. She went over speech in the bathroom with the help of her best friends.

Austin’s parents were one of the sponsors of tonight’s fundraiser, he tried getting away from them but they were having none of that. They introduced him and his sister to a variety of unnecessary people. While his parents were introducing to a couple and their sons, someone took control of his attention.

“Austin, Austin,” his parents called but he was in another world. They looked in the direction his gaze was focused, including the couple he was being introduced to and his sister.

Every thought in his head was blurred as he stared at the beauty in front of him. His brain stopped functioning all together when she smiled. Their eyes met and never broke contact until Kassidy pulled her away. It was his first time seeing her in something other than pants or shorts.

The dress showed features he never knew she had; the one shoulder sequin split front silver dress, her walk had everyone staring at her. Those exquisite curves and improbable waistline. He bit down on his lips “damn” he thought to himself.

The alluring beauty of her aroused hope inside of him.

His mother smiled from the look on his face she now knew who he was talking about. “Is he in love with her?” the man Austin was being introduced to asked.

“Take a look on his face and tell me what you see,” his mother replied.

“Oh yeah,” Tray said, and broke Austin’s gaze.

After giving her speech Zaylia was free for the night, everyone was dancing and having fun, she stood and watched. Austin came up behind her holding her by the waist, she spun around. Their eyes filled with unsaid words and mixed feelings, he carried her out onto the dance floor; waltzing and swaying he held her close, placing a tiny kiss on her forehead. They just looked into each other eyes with her finger making a small circle at the back of his neck, he tightened his hold around her waist pulling her close he was forced to control emotions, he wanted to kiss her badly.

“I want you Zaylia, will you be mine?” he asked, staring into her ocean blue eyes.

“I…. but she was interrupted by the founder holding the microphone making an announcement.