Forgiveness and Second Chances

Jeremy Wood stared at his high-school sweetheart. He and Malanie Johnson had been together for two years. She was everything to him. Every time she looked at him with those dreamy brown eyes, he did anything she asked him to. And what she’d just asked him wasn’t any different. She wanted them to attend a house party, despite knowing how people felt about their relationship.

Malanie hugged him in the hallway at school. He could practically feel the scrutinizing gazes of their classmates.

“Please say yes.”

He never could refuse her. “Yes….” He kissed her nose.

“Dude, keep that shit to yourselves,” David Smith, one of Jeremy’s classmates yelled. “I can’t believe you have jungle fever.” He and his friends laughed.

Jeremy’s jaw tightened. Lately it seemed everybody had a problem with who he’d chosen to love.

She cupped his face. “Don’t let ignorant people get to you.” She smiled, and he forgot what had made him mad in the first place.

“So, what time do you want to meet up?”

Some kids and teachers at Morrison High School didn’t take well to their interracial relationship, but it never seemed to affect her. She always said she didn’t care about peoples’ words, she only cared what they felt for each other.

“Seven, I’ll pick you up at Carmen’s house as usual.”

“Okay.

“I hate not being able to pick you up at your house,” he said, playing with her curly hair. “I want everybody, including our families, to know you’re my girlfriend.”

“It’s the way it has to be for now. If my mother knew I was still seeing you, she might kill me.”

The school bell rang. “I love you, Lanie.”

“Me too.”

They kissed each other one last time before going to their separate classrooms.

All the way through his next class, Jeremy couldn’t shake off the specter of their parents. Mrs. Kathy Johnson, Malanie’s mother, hated him just because he was white and because he came from a military family. He’d tried to win her over, but none of his attempts worked. She ended up just hating him more. She’d prohibited Malanie from seeing him, but that would never stop them.

His dad, on the other hand, loved Malanie and thought she was good for him, but his mom didn’t like her. Carol Wood didn’t agree with the notion of her son dating a black girl from the urban part of town. His mom always thought she was better than everybody else, just because she was married to an Army colonel.

That night, Malanie lied to her mother.

“Mom? I’m gonna stay over Carmen’s house tonight, ’kay?”

“As long as it’s fine with Mrs. Ortiz, it’s fine with me.”

Carmen Ortiz was Malanie’s best friend. They’d grown up together and shared everything, up until she’d met Jeremy. At times she thought Carmen was jealous of her relationship with him. He had become her saving grace, a place to get away from her mother and all her problems.

Her parents had divorced three years earlier. James and Katie, her younger siblings, had decided to live with their dad, but Malanie couldn’t leave her mom alone, and decided to stay with her. Her mother was verbally and sometimes physically abusive, always putting her down, making her feel like she wouldn’t amount to anything. But Jeremy made her feel like she could do anything. He’d been the one to help her with her college applications. He always made her feel special and beautiful. He was her rock, and she would do anything for him.

They attended the party hand in hand, getting dirty looks from the kids—both white and black—but it didn’t faze her at all. “Don’t pay them any attention their just jealous of what we got.” She just grabbed him tighter and stared, giving them dirty looks right back.

They went out to the tiny dance floor and moved to the music. “Are you enjoying yourself?” Malanie asked him.

He didn’t dance much, just moved from side to side. “I’m with you. That’s all that matters.” He kissed her lips.

“Go get a bed!” Tyron Watts yelled, rolling his eyes at them. He had always been vocal about his disapproval of their relationship. “Hey white boy, why don’t you go find a white girl and leave ours alone?”

“Don’t,” Malanie pleaded, grabbing Jeremy’s arm.

Tyron started laughing. “You pussy! I see the bitch tells you what to do.”

Malanie released her hold on him, and he marched up to Tyron.

“You can disrespect me all you want, but don’t ever disrespect my girl.” Jeremy stood up to Tyron for the first time. He was nervous, but didn’t show it. He was much taller than the jerk and it worked to his advantage.

Tyron backed down and laughed it off. “Man, I was just kidding,” he said, walking off.

“My hero!” Malanie giggled. “You’re not the fighting type.”

“For you I am.”

She grabbed his hand and they sat on the couch until she saw Carmen in the crowd.

“I’ll be back. I need to talk to Carmen,” Malanie said. It took her just a few quick strides to cross the room and pull her to the side to talk.

Jeremy sat by himself on the sofa, just watching Malanie. Her skin reminded him of a cup of chocolate mocha. She was petite, with natural, beautiful curly hair, he loved to play with.
She’s so pretty.

His thoughts were interrupted when he overheard Tyron and another African American guy talking about a girl. “She knows how to work her ass and lips.”

“Which one?” Tyron asked.

Then he pointed at Malanie. “There she is.”

Jeremy’s heart stopped as he followed the pointing finger. “No,” he whispered, remembering what she’d told him.
I’m a virgin. I want to wait until I know I’ve found the right guy. Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s not.

Malanie started walking back to him, but was stopped by the other guy, the one whose name Jeremy didn’t know. She smiled, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Oh my god! She slept with that piece of shit
.

Jeremy could feel himself getting angry. He got up, passing her and the two knuckleheads. He began drinking beer and taking shots. After a while Malanie caught up with him. “Jeremy, you promised you weren’t going to drink.” She took the can of beer out of his hand.

“You didn’t keep your promise. Why should I?” he asked, not being able to look her in the eyes. He reached and took another shot. He knew she was the one for him, even though they were only seventeen.

“I’ve never broken a promise to you,” she said, trying to take the shot glass away from him.

“You’re a fucking liar!” he yelled, pushing her hand away.

He could tell she was shocked by his outburst, and her eyes shot daggers at him.

“Let’s go. You’re drunk.”

“I’m not ready to go home.” He stalked away toward Amy Carter.

Amy was known to be a fast girl, giving it up to anyone. Jeremy began to flirt with her. “Amy, you look very nice tonight,” he said licking his lips, staring her up and down, to the very short edge of her mini-skirt.

She batted her eyes at him. “Thanks.”

Malanie marched over in between them. “Excuse me.” She turned to him, “Jeremy, I’m ready to go.”

He looked at her and started stumbling toward the door, leaving her no other option but to follow behind him.

“You’re not driving.” He threw her the keys. “Thanks.” She opened the door.

He let a few moments of silence pass in time with the white lines on the road.

“How are you getting home?” he asked, slouching. “I don’t want your mother to have a stroke.”

“I’m staying with you. You said your parents aren’t home.” She took her eyes off the road for a few seconds. “What came over you back there, talking to that chick?”

“Nothing came over me. I was just c-complimenting her.”

“Really?” Her right eye twitched. His chuckle was deep. Her eyes only twitched when she was mad or nervous.

“Why are you laughing?” She drove up his driveway, parked, and got out, slamming the door.

He didn’t answer but opened his door, holding on, until he was able to stand and stumble after her. He was way over being drunk. Drinking wasn’t his thing, but his friends always said liquor makes you forget, and that was what he was trying to accomplish. He wanted to forget what he’d heard that dude say. But it wasn’t working. He was still pissed. Someone else had gotten what he’d thought was his.

Even so, he let her help him up the stairs and into his room.

He fell onto his bed and she took off his shoes. When she bent down, he saw her breast popping out of her dress. “Lanie, come lay with me,” he said, patting the mattress. He was the only person allowed to call her that. It was his pet name for her. He loved the way her eyes lit up when he whispered, “Lanie.”

As if on cue, her eyes sparkled. She took off her sandals and lay beside him, hugging him tight.

He touched her neck and leaned forward to kiss her.
Damn, she smells so good.

They’d made out before, but she always stopped him before it went too far. He chuckled at the thought.
Too far
. What a fucking fool he was for believing she was a virgin. But tonight, he would have her.

Jeremy kissed her, shoving his tongue down her throat. He’d never been this forceful with her before. He was always so gentle. Malanie tried to push him off, but he wouldn’t stop. He
started feeling her up, groping her.

“Stop, Jeremy!” But it was like he couldn’t hear her.

He pushed up her dress and slid her panties aside.

“Jeremy!” she yelled, trying to push him away.

He finally stopped and looked at her with fire in his hazel eyes. The vein in his throat was throbbing. “What, Malanie?”

She stared at him, trying to figure out what was wrong, why was he being this rough with her. He’d never even called her by her name.
What happened to calling me Lanie?
“Jeremy, I want to wait.”

He glared at her with eyebrows arched. “Well, I’m tried of waiting. Is it because I’m white?”

She was hurt by his question. “I’m not our mothers! Race means nothing to me. I want to wait until I’m sure.”

“I love you, and if you love me, you’ll do it. Did you love him?”

“Who?”

“The guy you were hugging tonight.”

“No, I don’t love him. He is just a friend.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I only love you!”

Jeremy started kissing her again, taking down her dress, exposing her breasts. He rubbed her nipples with his fingers and then began sucking on them, taking each in turn, making her moan.

This won’t hurt. We can make out and touch each other, but I know he would never hurt me
. Being rational in that moment was work. The things her body was feeling when he touched her made her want to give in.

His hands started moving down and he started rubbing, making her wet, but when he started to unbutton and unzip his pants she got worried. He climbed on her and pushed her legs apart.