❝ did you notice he calmed down when you touched his shoulder? ❞
"𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 to hide it, it's just... Well, does it need to be public knowledge?" Jack glanced at Veronica, who sighed quietly to herself. They were sitting in the courtyard of the mall after seeing a movie. "And, besides... Kim already knows."
"You don't want Rudy to find out, do you?" he asked, making her look back at him.
She shrugged, her gaze shifting to the dojo sign behind her. "I love Uncle Rudy with my whole heart... but ever since my dad left for his deployment, he's become... much more protective of me than ever before. Maybe my dad asked him to, I don't know, but I think it's more for your good."
He nodded slowly. "So, what? We just—We just never tell him that we're dating?" he asked her, and she shook her head.
"No, we just wait for the right moment," she replied, letting out a small breath. She tilted her head at him. "Just how badly do you want to tell people?" He pressed his lips together and looked at her. She rolled her eyes; she knew exactly what his smirk meant. "Go. Go tell the boys."
"Thank you!"
"Tell us what?"
Jack and Veronica turned when they heard Milton's voice to find him, Jerry, and Eddie walking towards them, smoothies in their hands. She looked at Jack, who cleared his throat.
"Uh—well, a few weeks ago—"
"You kissed Ronnie."
The girl choked on her drink and looked at Milton. "Wh—How did you know that?" Jack asked, furrowing his brows at the boy.
"You were in the courtyard," Eddie said as though it was obvious. "After you broke a record. I think everybody saw it."
She cleared her throat. "Ev—Even Rudy?"
"Oh, he was fighting with Tootsie," Milton replied, shaking his head, and she nodded to herself. "Apparently, she took his shoe again."
"What is it with that goat and Rudy's shoes...?"
"Wait." They looked at Jack. "So you've known about me and Ronnie for five weeks and never said anything?"
Veronica tilted her head. "I'm a little surprised, actually."
"Well, I was gonna ask you about it, and then I saw you go into a comic book store by yourself on a Tuesday," Milton said, turning to Jack. "It made sense after that. Oh—and Kim couldn't contain her excitement."
She frowned. "I knew it..."
Jack nodded. "And...?"
"And what?" Jerry asked, furrowing his brows. "We all knew this day was coming. It was just a matter of time. Oh—if people start talking at school... it wasn't me."
