⌜ chapter twenty-two ⌟

Letty's laying in her bed with a book when the window suddenly opens and Eric climbs into her bedroom. The brunette ignores him as he shuts the window, then walks over to lock her door before crawling onto the bed with her. He lays down, and she moves her arm so that he can scoot closer to her until his head's resting on her chest. She then moves the book forward as he slings his arm across her torso, and he looks up at her book.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asks.

"Bowling."

"You're not gonna question anything that just happened?"

"You're afraid of my brother and his friends." She says, and he takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes. She then shuts the book, knowing what chapter she's on, and wraps one of her arms around him while her other hand rests on his bicep over her stomach. "What happened with the bear at the store?" She asks, knowing that that has to be what's got him so down.

"Bad bear." He mutters. "I got fired." He tells her, and she sighs.

"That bad, huh?"

"What am I gonna do?"

"Take the S.A.T.s. Improve your scores. Go to college."

"Can't." He says, and she suddenly forces him onto his back before straddling him. "Well, I like where this is going."

"Shut up, I'm not kissing you." She puts her hand over his mouth, and he tries to pout. She then moves her hair so it's not hanging in her face as she leans over him; her palms settle on the mattress on either side of his head to support herself as she looks into his eyes. "You are not stupid, Eric, so quit pretending that you can't do this. You practically passed high school in your sleep, and you could've gotten better grades if you'd just applied yourself and tried a little harder. You are smart, and witty, and a lot better than you give yourself credit for. So, stop being lazy and do better. It doesn't have to be a four year college. Find something that you wanna do, and go to a trade school, but stop taking the easy way out." She gets off of the bed, and he sits up.

"I came here so that you'd make me feel better, not kick me while I'm down."

"No, you came so that I'd tell you that you're right and your dad shouldn't have fired you." She argues. "But I'm done watching you throw your life away."

"So, that's what you think I'm doing? Taking the easy way out?" He questions.

"Eric, you just climbed in through my window because it was easier than walking past Alec, and he isn't even here, by the way." She shakes her head. "Sometimes what you need to hear isn't what you want to hear, and I'm not gonna lie to you. You're refusing to take the S.A.T.s again because you're afraid that you'll be rejected by college again, and getting jobs that you barely like and go nowhere is easier than getting your hopes up."

"Fine, I won't use the window anymore." He walks past her and unlocks the door so that he can leave that way instead of going out the way that he came in.

Letty's at work at Mr. Matthews' store the next day, and she sees Eric walk in wearing a security guard uniform. Another man dressed just like him walks away from the counter, and the brunette walks over to him. "Hi, can I help you with anything?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

"No, I'm just looking around while my partner talks to his father." He tells her, and she can hear an Indian accent in his voice. "Do you know Eric Matthews?" He asks, and she nods.

"Yeah. Yeah, he's my boyfriend." She tells him. "You said that you're his partner?"

"Mhm." He nods. "Ronny Patel."

"Will you promise me something, Ronny?" She asks, and he raises his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. "I need him, he's everything to me. Truthfully, he's kinda my whole world...even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to talk to me right now. Just, uh... Don't let him get hurt out there. And don't let him hurt himself."

"I will do my best." He promises, and she smiles.

Eric sees Letty talking to his partner, and he waits until they're back outside to ask him what she said. "You were talking to the brunette. You know, the one with the dark eyes, gorgeous smile."

"Your girlfriend?" He asks, and Eric nods. "Yes, she was very nice."

"What did she say? How did she seem?"

"She seemed sad. She said that she didn't think you wanted to talk to her." He tells him. "You had a fight?"

"Uh..." He looks down. "Yeah. Yeah, we did."

"She said that you mean everything to her, and she asked me not to let you get hurt." He tells him, and Eric looks back toward the store as Ronny walks away from him.

—

Letty's organizing things in the back of the Matthews' store when Eric runs over to her. He gets her to turn around to face him, and she raises her eyebrows as she looks up at him. He seems to be stumbling over what to say, so instead he leans down and presses his lips against hers.

She wraps her arms around his neck as he places his hands on her hips and pulls her body flush against his. He then moves one of his hands to rest on the side of her face as her lips move in sync with his, and she pulls back a few seconds later. Eric rests his forehead against hers as they both try to catch their breath.

"What was that for?" Letty asks.

"For caring enough to get angry." He says, and she smiles as he pecks her lips. "You were right, I was wrong — story of my life, really."

"Best you learn that lesson now." She teases, and he chuckles before pulling back to look down at her.

"I took the S.A.T.s." He tells her, and she looks surprised. "My parents have my scores, and they're waiting for us so that we can open them together."

"Then what are we waiting for?" She asks, and he smiles as he takes her hand in his to lead the way back. "Hey." She gets him to turn back to her.

"Yeah?"

Eric looks down at her as she pushes herself up onto her tippy-toes and kisses him again. "I'm proud of you for trying again and not giving up. No matter what those scores say." She tells him, and he smiles.

"Finally!" Mrs. Matthews yells when she sees the two teenagers walking over to them, and she immediately starts tearing open the envelope in her hands.

"I didn't take the easy way out." Eric says as he squeezes Letty's hand. "I tried as-as hard as I could." He tells them nervously.

"You tried as hard as you could?" His mom asks as she and his dad look at his scores.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, then, it's a good thing you're not working for your father anymore or I'd have to fire you."

"What?" He questions as she turns the paper toward them.

"Eleven-twenty. That's two hundred points higher than last time, Eric!"

Mr. Matthews walks over and lays his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm very proud of you." He tells him, his voice strained as he tries not to cry. "I'm very, very proud of you." He says as he pulls him into a quick hug. "I knew you could do it."

"I knew I could do it too."

"Yes!" He smiles as he and his son both raise their hands into the air and slap their palms together.

Eric turns back to face Letty and his smile widens when he sees the look on her face. "I'm not going to a trade school. I'm going to college." He tells her, and she nods. "You say that I always know what to say to make you feel better, but you always know how to make me act better."

"Eh, you know... We girlfriends are good for more than just kissing." She says, and he chuckles.

"I love you." He cups her face in his hands as he leans down and kisses her again.

"You free right now?" Letty asks as she pulls back. "My shift just ended, and I wanna buy my boyfriend lunch." She says, and he smiles.

Letty and Eric go back to his house after their date, and they go up to his bedroom where she left the pens that she always draws with. He walks over to her when he notices the black chain around her neck and he picks up the key that's hanging from it.

"I think this is my favorite necklace." The brunette smiles as she looks up at him. "I like that it matches yours." She tells him, and he nods.

"I do too."

"Hey, where's Cory?" She asks as she looks around.

"He's on a date with Topanga." He tells her.

"Morgan's with her friends, and your parents are closing the store together tonight. I wonder what we can do with the whole house to ourselves." She says, and he smiles as he leans down.

"I have a few ideas." Eric presses his lips against hers, and she smiles into the kiss.

Her fingers curl around the soft fabric of his sweater, and his hands rest on either side of her face as he deepens the kiss, their lips moving in sync. She starts to walk backward, moving toward his bed, and she then hooks her fingers into his belt loops to keep him in pace with her.

He ends the kiss suddenly so that he can look at her. "Hold on. I—" He's studying her face for her reaction as he asks his next question. "Are you saying that you want to..."

Letty shrugs as a smile plays at her lips. "Ninety-one. Nineteen. They have the same numbers, don't they?" She kisses him again. "You want to, don't you?"

"Oh, I want to." He says as he rests his forehead against hers. "I just want to make sure that you're sure you're ready." He tells her, and she smiles.

"I'm sure." She says, and he presses his lips to hers again. Letty then lays down on his bed, and he climbs over her before kissing her with more passion than he has in the past.