My Second kiss

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I hate this!" I exclaimed as I dropped my books on the grass in front of my house after school.

Jess had been lying on the grass with his hands folded behind his head when I approached. "What happened?"

"Drew apologized to me today."

Jess sat up with surprise. "Really? That's huge. So what did you say?"

"I accepted it, I guess." My words lacked enthusiasm. "Then she invited me to her house this Friday to play games."

"Are you going to go?" He began playing with some grass, trying to make a whistle. But the grass was too wet, and it kept slipping between his fingers.

"Yes," I moaned under my breath. "I'm so stupid."

Jess looked up at me for an explanation.

"I told her I'd bring Trace."

"Why is that stupid?"

"Because she likes him, and I think he likes her too. And they're going to be all into each other, and I'm just going to be by myself looking like a loser."

"Why do you think Trace likes Drew?"

I shaded my eyes from the warm sun. "You've got to put the grass between your thumbs." I reached toward his hand that held the piece of grass and took it from him. "Like this." I held the grass taught between my lips and thumbs and blew. A highpitched squeal escaped behind the grass.

Jess looked sincerely impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"When we go up to the Cape, my mom always has a spa day where she goes and gets a massage and a mud bath and the whole works. So my dad takes Bridget and me to the same park that is close to the spa.

It's an absolutely terrible park for kids. There's only one set of monkey bars and an old weedy sandbox." I paused to laugh at the irony.

"But according to my dad, the park has perfect conditions for making whistles. He calls it whistle grass."

Jess tried blowing into the grass once more. "How long would your mom be gone?"

"All afternoon. But we have fun. I always look forward to that day actually. Especially the past few years since Bridget has been old enough to go with my mom. I've gotten my dad all to myself." That's when I had a thought that made the whole Drew/Trace situation insignificant.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked, still trying to straighten his thumbs around the grass blade.

"We're never going to go to Cape Cod again."

Jess sat perfectly still as he witnessed my realization.

"We're never going to have another family trip. My dad is too weak to go to the grocery store, let alone another state." I hated that this happened, but tears began forming in the corner of my eyes.

Jess leaned forward and stroked a piece of my hair that had fallen over my shoulder.

I continued, choking on my words, "Last year when we were making whistles, he told me that next year I would be old enough to go have spa day with the girls. When I told him that I preferred to be with him at the park, he was so happy." Tears began pouring out of my eyes. "He was so happy, Jess."

I heard Jess take a deep breath. I knew he didn't know what to say. I didn't either. It was just the way it was. My life had been perfect once, and now it was in ruins.