Opposites Attract (On-Hold) - Chloe Knox (novels for students txt) 📗

me to the point where my fingers were twitching.
It’s been almost three months since we were assigned that art project in drawing class, and both I and Zane got zeros for it. It wasn’t because our art was horrible…it was even worse than that! Neither one of us had handed it in! Zane, to my surprise, actually did very well in drawing class. Almost as well as me, so that one zero barely did anything to our overall grade, but it still bugs me.
Okay! I couldn’t think of anything for one project, but now I’m completely vacant. Even for fun, anymore, I can’t think of anything to paint or even draw.
I sighed and continued to glare at the blank canvas, on the verge of ripping it to shreds.
I had to think of something, something amazing, for my art show! It was only a few weeks away now, and everything is pretty much set! I’ve rented a small building, with pure white walls, and floors. I have my pamphlets—the ones that describe the more major pieces in my show—all done and printed out. My future is right in front of me! And the only thing that stands in between it and me is the stupid, blank, canvas!
I closed my eyes, and let my mind wonder to where ever it might want to go. I picked up a 3H pencil, and with my eyes still closed, pressed the light tip to the canvas and waited till the inspiration kicked in.
…in my mind, fluid and clear like a memory, I saw water. Clear and warm, it fell over top of a body. A boy’s body; tall, lean, muscular, and tan! The water caressed the boy’s face, his hair sticking to his cheek and forehead. His eyes were completely covered with his drenched bangs, all I could see were his lips, parted and shaking.
I opened my eyes and growled angrily into my hands!
All I wanted was some inspiration! All I wanted was something to draw, paint, anything! And where does my mind wonder! To my naked boyfriend! God, as much as I’d like to, that’s not exactly something appropriate to be drawing, let alone put in my art show! The one that could help me get a scholarship to an art school or at least get my talent noticed.
“You know, sometimes, Zane…you’re a pain in the ass.” I mumbled, before standing and walking out of my “art studio” and shutting the door on my still blank canvas.

“So how’s your drawing coming?” Zane asked, stealing a quick and small bite of my stick of beef jerky.
I looked at him with disbelief, the warmth of frustration and annoyance immediately coming back to haunt my vacant mind and curdle my insides.
Zane squinted at me, and then laughed, “What? That bad?”
“Uh, yeah! I’ve completely lost all my determination and inspiration!”
Zane shrugged, “Just close your eyes, relax, and think!”
“That’s what I did! And the first and only thing that came to mind was you with your top off.”
Zane immediately bursted into laughter, and rolled on his back. His reaction didn’t anger me, I was just frustrated at myself, “Don’t laugh! It’s not funny!”
Zane stopped laughing, but he had a hard time getting rid of that stupid grin, “Fine! Then maybe we should talk about something else. Maybe about the offal loud conversation you had with Lucy about my…man-hood.”
My mouth fell open, despite myself, and my cheeks flushed. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were blank, expressionless. Was he teasing me? Was he angry? How did he even find out about that?
“How did you—“
“Lucy, we live in a small town! I might not be into the town gossip, but when it comes to my Fireman, I tend to listen in.”
“I’m really sorry. Lucy just asked and I swear I didn’t tell her…wait! Did you just call it your Fireman.” I asked, trying my best to hold back my giggles.
Zane shrugged, “Yeah! You know…from South Park?”
“South Park? What’s that?”
“You’ve never seen South Park? With Kenny, the little poor kid who dies in almost every episode! And Cartman! ‘No kitty, that’s my pot pit!’” Zane said the last sentence in a scratchy yet nasally voice, making me laugh and shake my head, “Uh, know, I’ve never seen South Park!”
“Oh.”
“And what does that have to do with your…Fireman?”
“Well there’s this one episode were Cartman, one of the characters in the show, says ‘The Fireman is very magical! When you rub its helmet, it spits in your eye.’” He said again in that nasally voice, which I perceived was an impression of whomever Cartman, was.
“Ah! Oh! Okay, did not need to know that!” I yelped as I exaggerated my discomfort by scrunching my nose, and plugging my ears with the palms of my hand.
Zane just laughed and grabbed me by my waist. He pulled me on top of him, so that I was straddling his stomach.
“I swear, though, I didn’t tell her. And I’m sorry about how loud I was. She kept asking, and it was kind of freaking me out.”
Zane laughed, “I heard she bribed you too.”
“Yup. She tried to say that if I told her about you, she’d tell me about Nate.”
Zane’s smile turned upside down into a scared frown, “What?”
I laughed, “Relax, Zane. That’s the last thing I want to know.”
Zane nodded and let the conversation fade, but in his eyes I could tell he wasn’t fully convinced.
I leaned down, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, “I love you,” then his cheek, “I love you,” then his ear, “I love—“
“Let me guess! You love me?” Zane huffed with a sigh.
I laughed, “Aren’t you smart.”
I stuck out my tongue, and licked his neck. Zane flinched away with a chuckle, “What are you doing, Ashley?”
“Just having some fun,” I whispered as I flicked my tongue over his skin again.
“Ashley, stop it.” Zane said with a big smile on his face.
I giggled, “I don’t know…you seem to be enjoying it.” I mumbled against his neck. He didn’t speak, so I continued kissing his neck.
After a moment of allowing me to do this, and him breathing heavily, he sighed and turned flipping me on my back, “Ashley? What are you trying to pull, huh?”
I looked into Zane’s dark eyes and bit my bottom lip to hide a giggle.
“What are you trying to pull?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled with a shrug.
“Mhmmm.”
Zane looked at me a moment, making a shiver go up my spine, “What?”
“Nothing,” Zane said, in a mocking tone.
“Ha-ha, very funny.”
Zane sighed noisily and raised his hand to my mouth, brushing his thumb over my lips. Immediately my breaths exploded from my mouth, quick and shaky.
Zane leaned down, and brushed his lips against my jaw, making my whole body blush and heat up. His touch was soft and gentle.
His lips moved from my jaw, over my cheek, to my neck. I felt his lips part, and then kiss my neck, just like I had him a few moments ago. He chuckled against my neck, a rush of breath running from his nose against my skin.
“Wha-what’s so funny?”
Zane shrugged and mumbled a barely audible, “Nothing,” before pressing his lips roughly against my skin. His lips parted, once more, only this time, I felt his tongue glide across my skin. The simple feel of it—warm, smooth, wet—made me gasp.
Zane laughed quietly, once again but he didn’t stop—thank god!
I rolled my eyes, “What is so goddamn funny?”
That only made Zane chuckle more, the vibration of his laughter ricocheting on my skin, making me shiver, “Nothing. It’s just your reaction.”
“My reaction? What’s so funny about it?” I asked, trying to prop myself up with my elbows, but Zane put all his weight on me pinning me back down on the floor.
“Relax, Ashley. I just think it’s cute.”
“Then why are you laughing?” I asked, so confused about what I had done to deserve to be laughed at.
“Ashley?”
“What?” I snapped, suddenly feeling annoyed and angry.
“Shut up.” Zane said, calmly with a faint smile.
“Excuse me?”
Zane chuckled, “Okay, sorry. Please…shut up.”
“You know, that’s not what you say to get a girl in the mood.”
“Really?” Zane whispered in my ear, sliding his hand from my cheek, down my neck, over my chest, and to the small of my back, “What do I have to do then? What do you want me to say?”
And just like that, all my anger was gone. It was almost impossible to hide the excited smile on my face, “Guess you’re going to have to experiment.”
“I don’t know.”
“Why not?”
The amusement immediately disappeared from Zane’s eyes, and his smile turned, not into a frown but a straight line, “Ashley, I’m just teasing you.”
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, surprised that he was actually turning me down.
“No it’s just…just yesterday you were telling me how scared you were, I…I’m just teasing, I’m not serious. You don’t have to—“
“Give me a few minutes?” I asked interrupting him, surprising him. His eyes went wide, unsure of where I was getting at, “Ashley, I don’t—“
“Give me a few minutes to get ready.”
Zane nodded, “Okay, um…I’ll be here.”
Zane rolled onto his back, and I took off upstairs to my bedroom.


Chapter Twenty-One

Ten minutes later, and I’m still standing in my room looking at myself through my bathroom mirror. Dressed in nothing but a lacy red bra and matching red boy shorts with my strawberry blonde hair let down over my shoulders, I stare at my face. I’m pale, more white than normal, as if I’m about to puke. I don’t feel sick, but I can feel every twist and turn of my stomach, every beat of my excited yet scared heart.
I don’t know what changed my mind, but the point is I did. Am I sure about what I’m doing? No. Am I sure that I’m ready? No. But I’ve realized that there isn’t going to be a time where I’ll be sure, and not be nervous and scared. There’s a first time for everything, and the first time is always nerve wrecking. The first time I rode a roller coaster, the first year of high school, even the first time I showed someone my art work I felt like this. Granted, my anxiety was never to this extreme, but still…
I turned on the faucet to the bathroom sink and brushed my teeth for the seventh time. I shaved for about the third, and flossed for the first time ever making sure to use the minty kind. I combed through my hair, making sure I got every single tear and knot out, only to pull my straight locks of dark blonde hair into a side ponytail. I reapplied a soft coat of brown eyeliner and mascara to brighten