Page 2 of Dear, Carson McDermott
His mother was Samoan, and his father was a good ole’ country boy from Tennessee. He told us about how when his parents broke up; his mother gave him up to live with her boyfriend back in Hawaii and his father had no problem keeping him full time. He was raised by a single dad who had ties to the mob just like our family. It surprised me that his father didn’t take his mother out, but instead just let her go. It was good though that his father held no resentment to his ex’s family, because Carson told us that every break he got to go see his mother’s family.
I eyed Carson whenever I got a chance and right now, it didn’t help that he was 200 plus pounds of muscle and that I’ve seen his entire body, naked. It was by mistake the first and second time, even though I regretted nothing. I never said a word to my brother and neither did he. No one told Tony to have parties at the house whenever mom, dad, Gabriella, Matteo, and Michel, the twins, were out of town.
“Yo! What’s up?” Tony took me out of my mind and brought me back to the now as he clapped hands with Carson.
I hated that he had his hair up in a top knot.
“Just making sure you let that idiotLoveknow it was never going to happen with our Kitty Kat here.”
He turned those amber eyes on me, and they held me prisoner. He knew what he was doing to me and it freaked me out that he just watched for my reaction. He knew that I loved his country accent. He didn’t move or anything, he just watched me as though waiting for me to do something. I shut my eyes breaking the hold that he had over me, taking a deep breath I opened them making sure that my eyes were filled with an anger that even he couldn’t calm.
“I hate you both, I should pull out my gun and shoot you both right now.” I didn’t wait for any of them to say anything as I walked off.
I wanted to punch Tony in the face, but Carson . . . I would pummel him for interfering with my love life ever since he stepped foot here.
****
Carson
I watched as Katerina Di’Maggio, the girl that I dreamt of every single night and even daydreamed about during class, walked off. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she went towards her class. I wanted to turn away from her, but it was becoming harder and harder each time. I wanted her so bad that I swear her dad knew it every time I went over to their house. I’ve caught the eyes of Mr. Di’Maggio on more than one account, and each time they were warning me that he’d kick my pretty country ass. It wasn’t my fault that I looked the way that I did. I resembled my mother and had my father’s weird eye color, plus his hard features. The only one that seemed to smile when she caught me was Mrs. Di’Maggio. She didn’t glare at me. Instead, she gave me that knowing look.
“You done staring at my sister?” Tony said, causing me to turn and see the smirk on his face.
“I---I wasn’t staring at ‘er,” I answered scratching the back of my neck. Tony chuckled.“I know you weren’t looking at her, but I did see that Becca has caught your eyes.” He nodded towards where Katerina had gone by.
I faced the hall again, there was Becca. I didn’t see her the first time, but now, she was staring hard at me. I didn’t want her, she wasn’t Katerina. Nothing about them was similar. Not the height difference or the way when Katerina smiled it caused her dimples to deepen.
“Man, Becca is hot though, I ain’t gon’ lie.” I wasn’t lying to Tony, but I needed him to venture away from the secret crush I harbored for his sister before he took a gun out himself and shot me in the face.
****
I watched Katerina as she laughed with her friend during lunch in the courtyard. I bit my bottom lip as she threw her head back laughing at something that Cassie said. Her features were animated, and I couldn’t help it as I hopped out of my spot and made my way to where she and Cassie were sitting. Her friend Cassie spotted me first, she was pretty as well but she couldn’t hold a candle to my Katerina. I pulled up the empty seat on the left side of her and sat, making sure to get as close to Katerina as I could.
“Hey there Kitty Kat,” I teased, knowing the way I said it caused my accent to deepen.
She sucked in a breath before she turned to fully face me. I placed my elbow on the table and rested my chin on my closed fist. Her brown eyes glared at me, yet I couldn’t stop the smile on my face from spreading.
“Why must you torment me by calling my name in that way, Carson?” She emphasized on my name.
She knew that I didn’t let anyone else call me by my first name. It was either Bubba or McDermott but with her, I loved the way my first name sounded on her tongue.
“So,” I looked at Cassie for a moment, “can you give me and Kitty Kat some privacy?”
Cassie eyed Katerina and then me. She rolled her big blue eyes, flipping her blonde hair back and made some noise walking off towards the vending machines inside the cafeteria.
“Must you chase my friends away too, Carson? What do you want?” Katerina pretended to be annoyed with me, but I saw the curiosity in her eyes.
I scooted closer to her barely leaving us any breathing room. If I leaned in any closer, I could kiss her but if I did that, I would never be able to stop.
“I’m taking you to prom,” I said matter of factly.
Katerina rolled her eyes at me, yet they landed on my lips which caused me to smile again.
“I’m not going with you, asshole.” She gritted through her teeth.
I leaned in this time, so close to her that our noses were touching. I stared into her eyes,
“We’re going and that’s final, Katerina,” I moved back and out of her space.
