High School Years

Chapter Three

We sat down to eat lunch, Winter, Lex, Alex, and I, when Alex's friend came over to join us.
"Guys, this is Jackson, my best friend. Jackson, this is Winter, Lex, and my girlfriend Summer." Alex introduced us pointing at each person as he said their name.
"Nice to meet you guys. Alex told me all about the group plan I'm glad you guys are letting me in." Jackson said.
"Well, it isn't exactly a closed clique, but I get what you mean. Nice to have you," I greeted him. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Winter starting to stare. I knew I forgot something! It completely had slipped my mind to tell Winter that her freakin hugest crush ever would be joining us! I quickly stepped on her foot under the table to bring her back to reality.
All lunch period long people kept coming over to our table to either ask me if Alex and I were dating, or why I wasn't with Gia anymore, even where I got my shoes! Staying true to what this group was founded on, we tried to speak to every single person that came over. Several simply just wanted to stare at us, though. I could almost physically see steam coming out of Gia's ears that people were flocking to my table instead of hers.
Later after school, Alex came to my house.
"Happy six monthaversary, babe," Alex said then he leaned in to give me a long kiss on the lips. When we pulled apart he was holding a little box.
"Relax, I'm not proposing," he laughed when he saw my face.
"Then what is that?" I asked him. It sure did look like a ring box.
"It's a promise ring. I originally planned to get you one for our one yearaversary, but I figured why wait. Look, it matches the necklace." He told me.
"I love it.." I said trailing off and staring down at the ring he put on my finger. It really did match the necklace perfectly. When I looked closer at it I noticed an inscription. I promise.
"The words are referring to the promise that I made in the woods at our hideout that night. The promise that I will always be there for you." I don't know how he could get a word out, I couldn't even formulate a thought much less a sentence.
He kissed me again. Every time we kissed I felt fireworks go off in my head. I felt like it could be kindergarten again. I wondered how I could have ever hated him.
Neither of us wanted to break the kiss, so we sat there on the floor in my room with our lips pressed against each other.
When we finally broke apart he said,
"Let's grab some food and go to our hideout."
And that is how we ended up grabbing leftover Chinese food out of the refrigerator in my kitchen and taking it all the way down the block to eat it in a ramshackle treehouse we built together.
After we ate we laid on the blanket we kept there and stared up at the stars.
"Imagine how much fun we could have had if we never stopped being friends," Alex said in a quiet voice after laying in silence for awhile with his arm around me.
"I used to wonder that a lot." I responded.
"We could have had so much fun playing together after school. But now we're fourteen, almost fifteen, we don't play anymore, but we're together." He said.
"Imagine how much more this relationship would be right now if we had stayed together." I added.
"I don't want to focus on what could have been anymore. It makes me upset. Let's just focus on what actually is, and what is going to be." Alex said.
"When did the sun set?" I asked.
"It did? Huh, I didn't even notice." He responded.
"I guess that means we should probably be heading back now. What time is it?" I asked.
"Umm let me check. It's... 8:55." He said.
"Oh. Ok. WAIT WHAT? ALEX WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO GET BACK WE HAVE TO LEAVE! RUN!" I shouted as I threw the blanket messily into the shack. I would come back to grab it and all the trash from dinner tomorrow. I grabbed Alex's hand and we ran as fast as we could all the way back to our street.
At 8:59 we made it back.
"Happy six monthaversary," Alex said to me right in front of my house. He quickly kissed me and we both ran into our homes.
That was a close one, I thought as I shut the front door behind me at exactly 9:00.
"Hey, Summer." Ally said to me when I wandered into the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" Ally hadn't been around much since she and Tony moved into an apartment on the other side of town.
"I wanted to tell you, mom, and dad some big news. I told them already. I hope you don't mind, I was just too excited to wait for you." She said.
"No, I don't mind, but what is it? Why are you so excited?" I questioned her, getting eager.
"Tony and I are having a baby! You're going to be an aunt, Summer!" She yelled.
"Really? Wow! Congrats, Al!" I said. Last time I saw Ally this excited, she was telling us that she was engaged to Tony.
"Can you bring Winter over tomorrow after school? I want to tell her." Ally said. I love how she treats Winter as if she was another sister. For example, Winter was a bridesmaid at Ally and Tony's wedding.
"Sure, she'll be so excited when she hears the news! When is the baby due?" I asked.
"June," she said.
"Awwww it will be a little bit before your one year marriage anniversary with Tony!" I said.
"As long as the baby fat is gone in time for bikini season, we'll be good." She laughed, and so did I.
We talked for a while, about me and Alex, about her and Tony, what to do with Winter and Jackson, until I remembered I had school the next day. I then said goodnight to Ally and went up to bed.