Public Issues (Demma Book 2)

Plan for Dan

Dateline: July 23rd, 2002

Emma's POV

Today's the day that I get to reveal something intoxicating for Dan's 13th birthday. Of course, I'm saying what gift I have for him, but I did bring him his first gift. Since he was interested in John Denver for a little while, I got him a DVD of him on a Rocky Mountain Holiday. Since I was ten, I have been a big fan of Denver, and I'd thought that I would introduce him in a live performance of his fantastic voice. Since he liked Hip-Hop the most, Alan brought him a CD of The Eminem Show.

I'm not the biggest Rap fan, but I've heard from Dan that he was taking the game by storm, and even though his lyrics are violent, his storytelling was on point! I'd even learned a new word from Dan. Stan: An overzealous or obsessive fan of a celebrity. Many people at mine and Dan's school have many Brittney Spears, NSYNC, and Avril Lavigne stans a lot. Even one person told the entire class that she wrote Nine letters to Brittney Spears and responded to none of them. When Spears finally answered, the girl was no more because she left herself hanging on the edge of a cliff, ending her life in the process. Dan later told me that in Eminem's Song, Stan, the artist himself, told everyone to not be like the guy who wrote Four letters to him and did some violent stuff before driving off a cliff.

Oh, the drama! If I see one person doing that kind of drama, I swear that would be the last thing they will do! Anyways, my dad got Dan some fancy but casual ties and some blazers to fit well with the ties. Alex, however, brought some khakis and dress shirts for school and premieres. I've noticed that Dan's shirts were a bit too small, and it was my idea to tell my brother, who keeps forgetting birthdays a lot, getting Dan some Medium dress shirts. The grandparents, as usual, brought me some jewellery to give to Dan, specifically, a Nokia 9210 cell phone. I already had a phone when I was 11, but Dan has some trouble communicating with other people on phones, and I decided to teach him this unique method known as text messaging. Next, we head over to a fancy restaurant in the middle of Edinburgh for dinner to enjoy some exquisite food. After heading over to that amazing place, it's time to head home and get Dan's gifts ready. We sat in his room after we headed home, and before long, Alan motioned Dan and me to the kitchen to surprise the new teenager in the household. I took his hand and led him to the centre of the counter with his eyes closed. I quickly got behind the counter and told the boys to get the presents on the counter before heading back to Dan.

"Alright, open up!" I said excitingly as he got his first glimpse of his gifts on the kitchen counter.

It took Dan at least 15 seconds before deciding to open Alan's gift first. There was a sense of excitement in his face as he glanced at the CD with Eminem sitting down and the microphone's Six Feet from where he's sitting. He gave him a hug and went back to the counter for his next gift.

My dad was next, and Dan couldn't help himself but stare at the ties and blazers. Finally, Dan said one of the blazers would work perfectly with the tie, only if he had black khaki pants.

Alex was next in line, and he peered nervously at him for a little bit before saying, "It was Emma's idea." I elbowed him and decided to tell Dan the truth about Alex after the gifts had been handed out. Sure enough, there were black khaki pants inside; and he gave my dad and Alex a bone-crusher for their fantastic fashion taste.

The grandparents' gift was the last one of the day, at least, according to Dan. A nice watch from my grandparents was enough to make him cry in excitement. Then, it was time for the second pair of grandparents to hand their gift to Dan, and to his surprise, it was a minor case. A case that has a logo.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"Well, I think it's time for you to know what a true person's responsibility really is," Alan said. "It's a phone. The most prized possession any human being can have. You must be extremely careful!"

"I guess I'll try to be more responsible with this."

"Good, and, Good Lord! Look at the Time! It's 2200 in the evening, and we don't want our eyes to be red when we wake up!"

"Every teenager needs their sleep." said my dad, walking off with Alan and Alex behind them to their room.

We walked to our room, and we got into our undergarments like usual. We kissed for a while until I reached behind my back and was suddenly stopped by Dan.

"What are you doing?"

I leaned down and said in a whisper, "You're actual birthday gift."

He leaned back as I reached behind my back once more and felt the clip with my fingers. I unclipped the bra from the back, and I felt my entire back being brushed by the cold air in the room. I uncovered the bra from my chest as I revealed my insides for the first time to him. He stared at me in awe as he took in my new look for the first time. I leaned towards his lips, and I kissed him with all the passion I could muster. He kissed back at me as he roamed his hands on my exposed back, exploring every inch there is. There was an intoxicating feeling for Dan, and I'd think it's time to tell him the truth.

"Not many teens have never seen a girl's insides before up close, so I'd think you would see me in a different light," I said, getting out of the kiss.

"Everything about you is breathtaking for me. You're always beautiful even when you have no makeup on or when your insides are small. In fact, they look just the right size for me."

"Th-they are?"

"Yes."

I was a little scared to reveal my insides for the first time to a boy, but with Daniel, it feels different. I don't know what it is, but I'm optimistic that this would be the night that I would never forget. Because of Daniel's enthusiasm and character, I felt even braver than ever, and I hugged him for the longest amount of time before capturing his lips with mine one final time before falling asleep with myself on top of Dan as he hugged me tightly.