Life

Chapter 2: Chris

I couldn't believe I was invited to Anne's party. We barely talked, but she's friends with Brooke, my longtime girlfriend. I smiled as I thought about her, saying "I love her. We'll be together forever." I didn't realize I had said that out loud. Everyone looked over at me, then at Brooke as she maneuvered her way through the sea of people. I stood on my toes and motioned for her to come over to the bench in the courtyard, where we had first met. I started thinking about that day and I smiled, oblivious to my surroundings. I felt a wave of affection come over me, as I realized Brooke was kissing me. I snapped back to reality and threw my arms around my love, kissing her passionately. I heard my classmates applause as I lifted Brooke off her feet and carried her to my car. We walked along the pathway to the parking lot, stopping to kiss every once and a while. It took us about 15 minutes to get to my car. We stood by my car, about to open the doors. She sighed and said, "I'm not sure about this party." I bit my lip and answered, "Come on, Brooke. It'll be fun! Everyone knows only the elite get invited." She looked around a bit and we sat there in silence until she finally said, "Okay, we'll go. Now, let's go find me a dress!" We opened our door and slid into our respective seats. I buckled up, and gave her a quick kiss before carefully exiting the parking lot. I drove just over the speed limit. We arrived at the mall, got out of the car, and raced to the entrance. I beat her, like always. We had developed a routine over the years; I would beat her to the entrance, hide somewhere, jump out, scare her, and after she screamed, I'd kiss her. Sometimes I felt she lost on purpose. I held the door open for her, when 3 young boys came running in, almost knocking me over, followed by their exasperated mother. She turned to me and said, "Sorry about that. They're especially rowdy today. Must have added some extra sugar to their cereal when I wasn't looking." I smiled and she let out a chuckle as she chased after her sons, desperately looking for the troublemakers. Brooke walked over to me, stifling a laugh, but failed. She burst into laughter, almost falling to the floor. We entered what I called Hell, but everyone else called it The Mall. Brooke shrieked, nearly deafening me, and dragged me by the arm like a child to her favorite store. I groaned and reluctantly drag my feet into the girly abyss. Brooke rushed towards the back, the clearance section, because the prices there tended to be on the expensive side. I pulled out a floor-length, strapless, periwinkle, silky dress, with a silver belt attatched from the rack next to me. I yelled across the store, "Babe, I found a dress! It's perfect!" As I waited for Brooke, I checked the price. My jaw suddenly dropped; I could believe how inexpensive it was! She glared at me as she walked across the store. When she got to me, I told her to close her eyes. She did and I kissed her. She opened her eyes and whispered shyly, "Chris, just show me the dress." I obeyed and I held up the elegant dress. She gasped, gently took the dress, and went into the fitting rooms to try it on. I waited outside with the other boyfriends, but unlike them, I was patiently waiting. Brooke came out, looking more beautiful than ever in that dress that looked perfect with her wavy dark brown hair, turquoise eyes, and light tan skin . It fit perfectly; she looked beautiful. She spun around slowly, so I could get the full effect. I said, "I love you, gorgeous," softly into her ear. We kissed; it was like we were alone in the world. We were interrupted by a voice calling out, "Chris! Brooke!" We pulled away, turned around, and gasped when we saw who it was. I tried to reply, but I couldn't. We were speechless, completely shocked. It was like that voice had turned us into statues; we were paralyzed.