Elastic Heart:

1:

"I don't understand why you hate Colton so much. We all used to play together when we were kids." He reminds me. I point a finger at him. "Don't bring up the dark times." I threaten to walk for the stairs. He chuckles, then turns, looking over the rail down at me as I walk a few steps. "You'll have to get used to him sooner or later," Brandon states. I skip the rest of the way down the stairs. "Not if I have anything to do with it," I say. I open the front door to see Mason parked in front of the house. "Have fun with your boyfriend!" I call up to Brandon, then run out of the house, slamming the door behind me. 

I walk to Mason's car, sliding into the passenger seat. "Hi," He grins. I lean in, pressing my lips to his. "Hi." I smile back. I pull away and lean back, closing the car door as he drives away. Aw, Mason Reed. We were about the same height. He was slightly built and had semi-broad shoulders. His sandy blonde hair made his blue eyes stand out. He had nice lips and a body. Though his jawline wasn't sharp, it was decent. Oh, how he stole my affection in fifth grade. Believe it or not, Mason was my first crush. However, he wasn't my first boyfriend. My first boyfriend happened to be a friend of my brothers. Seth Meek. We dated in sixth grade for about two weeks, then broke up. I was devastated at the time, but I can say that I've recovered well. It has made me a better person. 

Mason and I started as lab partners in Mr. Fisher's class in Junior year. From there, we became friends, eventually leading us to being together. I still remember the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. We were at the Elementary school park, sitting on the tire swing. He asked me like this, and I quote, "So...we clearly like each other, so let's do this thing." And my sixteen-year-old self was over the moon, happy he had asked. So yeah, it wasn't romantic like I expected, but Mason wasn't a romantic person. Since then, we've been dating for a year. And he's kinda of an alright boyfriend. I know that sounds shitty to say, but it's true. He treats me right, and I have fun being around him. I've grown to love that about him. We've had moments where we argued, but it was never prominent. Most of the time, we would end up making up with a make-out session.

 He draws me back from my thoughts. "Where do you wanna go?" He asks. He passes me a sideways glance and grabs my hand. "Hardee's. I'm craving a milkshake." I inform him. "Hardee's it is." He agrees. He pursed his lips together as we drove in a comfortable silence. When his eyes meet mine, I give him a questioning look. "Out with it, Mas," I say. He looks at me again, then back at the road. "Is Colton there?" He asks. I frowned at his question but shook my head. I rest my elbow on the shoulder of his seat, running my fingers through his hair. Something I always do when he drives. At first, Mason would complain, but after a while, I think he secretly started enjoying it. "Not yet, but I'm sure he will be when I get home," I say bitterly. "You could always stay with me." Mason offers half-heartedly. I smile, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around his neck. "Or you could come live with me," I say, kissing his cheek. The corner of his lips tugs into a smile. "I don't think your brother would like that very much." He says. I shrug my shoulders. "Yeah, but you could make my punishment easier," I say. 

This time, the smile on his face breaks into a grin. I love it when he smiles. He looks at me, then back at the road. "Inside or drive-through?" Mason asks. I ponder on it for a moment, then scrunch my nose. I didn't want to go inside. I wouldn't say I liked dealing with people. "Drive through it is then." He announces. I sit back in my seat but hold onto his hand. I listen patiently as he orders our food and my milkshake. "So, where is Mr. Popular staying?" Mason asks. It takes me a moment to realize he's talking about Colton. "My sister's old room," I say. Mason frowns but doesn't say anything else. He pulls up to the window and pays for our food. "Thank you." The girl says. He smiles at her and then waits for our food. "How is your sister?" Mason asks. I shrug. "Good. I'm sure the married life is treating her well." I say. My sister is the oldest out of all of us. After she graduated from college, she married Greg. Greg's an alright guy. Kind of on the dorky side, but he's a good guy for her. They moved to Kansas, so we don't see much of them or my niece Lilith. "Here's your food. Sorry for the wait." The girl at the window said handing Mason our food. He passes it to me and thanks the girl before returning to the road. "When are your parents leaving?"  

"Tonight. I'm sure I'm going to get yelled at for leaving home. Thankfully, they weren't home when I left. Just Brandon." I say. Mason nods, driving to the local park. I munch on some fries, listening to the song playing. I didn't care about Mason's music taste but never told him anything. He gets so excited when he tells me about a band or song he likes that I don't have the heart to tell him that I wouldn't say I like it. Everyone is entitled to their taste and opinion. He parks the car, rolls down the windows, and shuts it off. I hand him his sandwich and fries. 

"Melanie is having a party tomorrow night," Mason informs me. I look out the window, watching the people. "When doesn't she have a party," I say sarcastically. I take a drink of my milkshake. "Did you wanna go?" I ask. He shakes his head. "No, I just heard. Though I don't understand why you hate her so much." Mason said. I was getting a sense of deja vu. Except it was Melanie this time and not Colton. I sigh, taking a small bite of my fry. "I don't hate her. It's just we don't see eye to eye." I state causally. She didn't like me, and I didn't like her. We both knew that, and we were okay with it. Why pretend we like one another when we don't? Now, we don't fight each other every time we see one another. We just acknowledge one another and then move on. It was a good routine for Mel and me. And I admired her for that. "We should go to the party. It's not like there is anything else to do." I say. Mason looks at me, surprised. "Really?" He asks. I nod. "Yeah, I know I normally don't like going to those places, but it seems fun," I say. He smiles at me. I knew he wanted to go, but he wouldn't make me go if I didn't want to. I grumble when my cell phone starts to ring. Mom. Great, here comes the yelling. "Yes?" I answer. "Where are you?" 

"With Mason. Where else would I be?" I ask. "Watch yourself." She warns. I can practically feel her scowling through the phone. "You were supposed to be here when Colton arrived."
"Oh, good to know he made it safely," I remark sarcastically. She sighs on the other end of the phone. "Just get home. Soon." She orders. "It would be nice to see you before we leave." She adds, then hangs up. I toss my phone onto my lap, finishing off my fries. "She wants me home," I say. Mason nods, starting the car. Thankfully, he took the long way home, which was about a half hour. 

However, half an hour wasn't long enough because I was never home. I stare at the house before me. "Ugh, can't you just kidnap me?" I complain. Mason laughs lightly. "I got you something." He says. He reaches into the back, grabs a small box, and then hands it to me. I give him a questioning look, but he nods once reassuringly. I open the box to find a small pink heart ring. I look at him again. Dear god, please tell me he's not proposing. "It's a promise ring. I know I'm not good with words, but I love you, Savannah." He says.

I feel my cheeks heat up and my heart jump. I pull the ring out of the box, sliding it onto my wedding finger. It felt strange having it on. I lean forward, kissing him. He grabbed the side of my face, deepening the kiss. I smile, then pull back. "I love you," I whisper. He pecks my lips once more, then pulls back. "Call you later?" He asks. "Defiantly," I say, opening the door. I climb out and close the door behind me. I wave at him again, then across the lawn, going inside to my hell.