Forever

Chapter Eleven

Life was beginning to feel like a dream. Two days in a row she was in Chandler's presence and not once did he complain. The burst of energy she felt each time she pulled into his driveway was beyond what made sense to her. She didn't think she could possibly crush on someone as hard as she has him. At first, he was this attractive eighteen year old who she could drool over all day. Now, he was beginning to feel more like a friend that she could spend one hundred days with and never get bored. Friendships usually lead to more. As long as the other feels the same.

"Hey, Chandler!" She called out to him as he closed and locked his front door. "Did you forget I was coming over?"

He chuckled as he made his way over to her. They met halfway which made Dana nervous as he stopped in front of her and hovered over. "Never," he smiled. "Get in the car." The sentence didn't sound demanding. She knew by the tone of his voice that she had a choice but her choice was clear.

"W-what?" She stuttered.

"We're going somewhere. Get in the car." He then proceeded to unlock his keyless doors and enter the mustang without another word.

Dana quickly scurried to the passengers door and hopped in without another question. The moment her bottom hit the cloth seats, she transferred to another phase in life. Her eyes traveled from the dash board to the carpeted floors. Everything was black but easy to spot all at the same time.

"Do you really like your car?" She asked to see if he felt the same way she did after being his passenger for seventeen seconds.

"I love it. My dad bought it. I get a new car every year since I got my license." He gave her a side smile while push starting the engine. A few revs later, he threw it in reverse and took off down the street in his neighborhood.

Dana gripped her knees even though he was going the speed limit. The added sounds the engine was making had her feeling as if they were taking off to the moon.

"How comfortable are you?" She shrugged. There was no limit she wanted to put on this moment. She was scared that any answer would change the outcome of this night. She wanted it to go exactly as it was meant to. "We're going to this road on the other side of town. No one is there at this time. Only because the building is abandoned."

"That's cool. How do you know about it?" She grinned.

"A friend took me there once."

Chandler took her around town and out of the way before they finally arrived at the long stretch of road he informed her about. He parked at the beginning of it then turned off all his lights. She looked at him then looked at the sun setting in front of them. Confusion struck her the moment he put the vehicle in park. Suddenly he was getting out while the car was still running.

Dana followed his lead and they both got on the hood of the car in complete silence. He would be the first to break it.

"What's something you're passionate about outside of school?"

She had to think about this question harder than she would have liked. Doing things outside of school was normal for her. Most of her time went towards homework and studying. Days like this went towards Chandler. Her more relaxed days were spent with Jessica and Lana. Sometimes watching TV. She could tell him all those things or keep it simple.

"Friends. I spend quite some time with my friends."

She looked over at him while he looked straight ahead. Not a hint of emotion on his face as he lost himself in thought. While he pondered his deepest memories, she sat in disbelief that she was this close to him right now. Her feet dangled off the hood of his car while his were planted on the asphalt. Arms crossed over his chest while her palms gripped her knees.

The moment felt awkward to her because starting conversations was never her forte. But she knew if she didn't say something now, she could lose the opportunity tonight.

"Why do you invite me to hang out so much?" This question snapped Chandler from his trance and caused his eyes to stare directly into hers. "Forever you didn't even notice me. Then overnight it's like something changed."

He sent her a smile over his shoulder before he looked her up and down. Her mini skirt looked shorter when she sat and her legs were soft in the minutes left of sunlight the two had. "You're really smart, Dana. I'm so bad at a lot of my studies. I really needed your help and I didn't know any other way to ask besides getting to know you."

"So are we about to do homework?" She chuckled nervously as she looked around to see if he pull his backpack out with him.

"No. It's too late for that." He leaned off the hood of his car and held his hand out to her. She accepted it gracefully which was followed by a pull on his end. Her feet hit the ground with a jump while she smiled. "We're going to get in my car and you're going to time how fast I can make it to the end of this street."

The idea was absurd but she figured they didn't park on this road for simply nothing. "Oh! Okay. Are you trying to beat a record?"

"Seven point three. It's kind of hard to time when you're alone." They went to their respective side of the car and got back in their seats. Dana made sure to buckle herself and that it locked her in place. "Don't be scared. I do this all the time."

She nodded absolutely petrified. "Yeah. But I don't."

"Maybe after this you will do it more often." His wink sent shock waves through her body. Her hands were now shaking as she tried to open up the stopwatch on her phone. Despite it all, everything was a blur and her focus was on overdrive. She didn't want to let him down. But once he was on the gas, she was more worried about if she would even be alive to know what was to happen next.