Making Circles - Vanessa Gilbert (recommended reading txt) 📗

truck and said, “Okay love birds get in so we can go.”
I looked up at them and said, “But guys there’s only one seat.”
My mom gave me the shut up Arien look and then I realized what she was doing. I smiled and said, “Never mind.”
Mom laughed and then began to talk to dad. I looked at Carter and said, “Well I hope you don’t mind me sitting on your lap the whole ride in front of my parents.”
Carter smiled and said, “Hell no.”
I laughed then pushed him to get in the truck first. He got in then I climbed in and sat on his lap. He quickly buckled us in then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to lay back on him. I smiled and began to imagine what the “family” will say when they see my glorious new boyfriend and my awesome new father. I smirked at the looks on their faces, I laughed when they started telling others they were wrong, and then I could just see my face full of pride when Carter hugged me and kissed me in front of them…I’m sure my grandpa and uncle might kick his ass but hey it’ll be cute to see him running around yelling for help. I giggled and then I heard Carter dark, musky voice in my ear asking, “What’s so funny?”
I smiled and said, “Just imagining what everyone’s gonna say about you.”
He smiled and asked, “Is it good?”
I nodded and giggled again when he kissed my ear and neck. “Carter stop if my dad sees you or my mom she’ll kill both of us,” I said in a whisper.
“Eh they won’t look…I hope,” he said.
I laughed and said, “You hope.”
He smiled at me then suddenly something began to poke my side. I jumped up and squealed and watched as both my parents looked back in both confusion and worry. I smiled and laughed saying, “It's okay, it’s okay just me being stupid.”
They both shook their head with wide eyes and looked back at the road. I swear they are like twins, I do something weird both of their eyes go wide, I hurt myself they both laugh and then ask if I’m okay while still laughing, and if I say a burn to one of them…the other laughs and says, “O she got you good.”
Favorite part about my parents are that they are super cool with my friends…will some of my friends. Most of them they are protective of me around. I leaned back and whispered, “You jerk.”
He laughed and kissed my neck again and said, “Please you love me no matter what I do.”
I smiled and said, “I didn’t say I don’t love you anymore I just said you’re a jerk.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek. Carter is the best boyfriend I’ve had. My last boyfriend was a jerk, he was my freshmen year boyfriend and we lasted the whole year. He broke up with me actually when I moved into Carters room, he said it was because of that but I knew and know better.
There had being rumors going around that him and my friend Jessica were sleeping together the whole time we were dating…it turned out it was true when I went to Jessica’s house and not only caught them almost in the act but over heard him saying that they could finally be together. I remember the times we’d sit on the steps of the high school just holding each other’s hands and starring up at the sky thinking and talking of our future together. I felt stupid for planning my future out with a player and cheater, but now that’s in the past…I have Carter. I smiled at Carter and felt his arms wrapping around my waist tighter and tighter. I laughed and then turned my attention onto the radio.
“Grew up in a small town, and when the rain would fall down I would just stare out my window,” the radio sang.
I smiled and then started to quietly sing. “Ha wow babe you really like this song,” Carter said.
I looked back at him and nodded and said, “Yep.”
Carter laughed then began to kiss my neck again…but stopped when I elbowed him in the gut…when my father was looking. Carter yelped and laughed at me still trying to regain his breath.
“Hey now just cause I’m driving doesn’t mean I’m not watching you two,” my dad said starring at the rearview mirror.
I blushed and laughed then shrugged. Both of my parents shared a laugh and then went back to their conversation and I went back to mine with Carter over what not to do and what to do in front of the family.

“Wow Arien, you’ve gotten so big and you’ve lost a lot of weight!” My great grandma called out as she greeted me.
“Great Grandma Rosie, you haven’t changed a bit.” I said as she wrapped her pale arms around me.
Great Grandma Rosie used to own the house (well the house we destroyed) we live in. She gave it to us when she moved into my great aunt Amy’s house. My mom was very happy and wouldn’t stop thanking grandma and even to this day mom still thanks her but this time it’s for not getting mad over destroying the house and building a new one. As I pulled away from grandma Rosy I heard her ask, “Now who is this young tall gentleman?”
I looked behind me and saw Carter, eyes wide open and cheeks fully red. I giggled and said, “Grandma this is my new boyfriend Carter, Carter this is Grandma Rosie.”
Carter walked over shook her pale wrinkled hand and said, “Oh right your great grandma the one that used to live with you guys.”
Grandma laughed and nodded as she remembered that Carter was our neighbor. Their hands dropped and then mom and dad walked over and gave grandma a big old hug. Grandma was there when mom and dad got married so she already met him. I smiled at Grandma then looked over and saw my great uncles old guitar and a microphone. I smiled cheerfully and before I knew it I was running over and holding the guitar smiling. “Ha well she found it James,” grandma Rosy announced.
I smiled and began to look at it and feel it. The guitar was the old acoustic guitar that I decorated with pictures of me and my friends, stars, anime pictures, and just cut outs of words that got me. Each image was either partly on top of another image or under another image.
I looked at the bottom and there with nothing on top of it and with a red heart around it were all of my friends crowded around me when we graduated from our freshmen year of high school. In the picture we were standing in front of the Sonic in our town, all of us just came from graduation and decided to go hang out and celebrate that we all were going to be sophomores. The picture was of us sitting at a table, I was sitting at the head of the table, Kitty sat to the left of me, Jessica sat to the right of me, Mark sat to the left of Kitty, and finally George sat to the right of Jessica. Kitty had on her nerdy glasses, her favorite black shirt that had wholes on the side of the shirt, her ripped up black skinny jeans, and her black and white high tops. Her blonde, layered, highlighted crazy colored hair was curled at the bottom and had a bow at the top.
Jessica had on a thigh length, low cut, crimson dress and her four inch red high heels. Her black layered hair was up in a bun and her short layers flew freely around her face. Mark had on the usual white button down shirt, business like black pants, and cute little shiny shoes. His brown hair was spiked and he had on the usual black eyeliner to brighten up his green eyes. George had on the usual baggy pants, the usual t-shirt, and the usual grey jacket and high tops. I had on a white rib length off the shoulder top and under it a black spaghetti strap undershirt, black skinny jeans with holes up and down my legs and thighs, and my zebra print high tops.
My red layered short hair then was hanging freely and had a black diamond bow at the top of my head. Kitty and I were leaning towards each other drinking from the same cup with two straws in it just like we always did, Jessica sat back with and angry face drinking her soda in bitterness, and Mark and George where holding each other’s hands from across the table. We all were looking in the camera except for Jessica she was starring behind the camera. Of course though now you couldn’t really tell it was Jessica because I scratched out her face with a Sharpie and scissors. I smiled and touched the photo and remembered what we talked about when my mom was getting ready to take the photo.

“Arien do you think you and Marcus will keep dating?” Jessica asked me sipping her soda.
I looked at her and shrugged. “Who knows Jess we could last we could not.”
“It doesn’t matter anyways let’s just celebrate the victory of surviving 1 year in high school,” Kitty said raising our foam cup.
I laughed, grabbed the cup along with Kitty and said, “I’ll raise my glass to that.”
“But you don’t have a glass,” Mark said.
I laughed and said, “Well I’ll just raise my hand.”
We all laughed and then clicked our foam cups together and took a sip. Kitty and I laughed as we hit heads trying to take a sip and then we all began to talk again this time about college and husbands and family.

I remember thinking that me and Marcus were gonna get married after college have a family, buy a big house, raising maybe 5 or 6 children, having a dog and a swimming pool…but now that dream is gone and all I’m looking forward to is college. I put the guitar strap over my head and around my right shoulder and arm and began to play random chords listening to the beautiful sound of the guitar.
I have a lot of guitars but this guitar was my first professional guitar…I used this guitar to play for the talent show and for a chorus performances. I looked by the microphone and saw a black stool and a notebook that read on the front, “Arien’s Song book.”
I laughed quietly to myself, picked it up, and began to flip through it. All of the songs I ever created my freshmen year were all in the notebook. My last song I created was when me and Marcus broke up and I was getting out my feelings over how in love I was with him. “Your mom thought it would be cute if you sang for us,” a familiar voice said.
I looked up and standing in front of me was my favorite cousin Marcy. I quickly took the strap off and put the guitar carefully down then ran over and wrapped my arms around Marcy’s neck.
Marcy laughed and said, “Wow kido you got big.”
I laughed and nodded then looked at her and my eyes went wide at what I saw. Marcy was not only the same as always, tall, long flowing black hair that at