We Are Free

New Family Member

Friday is here I still haven't set up the extra room for guests because Halo sleeps with me and Zac likes the couch so I never saw it as a priority. I make sure the house is clean and my bed is made.
When I get the kids from Anna's on Friday we go to the store. I get something for dinner and go home I pack the kids bag after putting the stuff away. I just put all of their stuff in one bag and Zac comes by.
He picks them up. At 6:30 Halo shows up she had a small duffle bag over her shoulder she was wearing her sandles and a sundress I could see her black bikini string around her neck I haven't even got my swim suit on yet. Her hair was in a ponytail. She puts her bag in my room I go in my room as well.
"Well I thought we would eat then go to the creek go swimming and look at the stars for a little bit lay on a blanket." I say.
"That sounds fun."
"Okay I need to put my swim suit on."
"Okay I will leave so you can do that." I take my shirt off as she says that.
"Alright I will be out in a second." She leave and closes the door I take my jean shorts off my socks and boxers I grab my swim suit and slide it on I put my clothes in my laundry basket. I leave my room and Halo was sitting at the kitchen table. I pull out a pizza I had got already made I put it on the table.
     "Pizza!"
     "I didn't say it would be healthy." I say.
     "That's okay I still love you."  I smile I sit down and she opens the box. I grab a piece and she grabs a piece. We eat dinner when we are done there is still half a pizza left. We share memories.
     "Remember that one time I left my phone in the bathroom. You had just gotten in there to use the bathroom and I didn't know it and walked in."
     "Yeah that was funny."
     "Well after the matter."
     "True or that time Zac was sleeping in the hammock out back under the trees. We both got a water ballon and a sharpie we both drew a mustache on him and a beard. Then threw the water ballons at him he actually fell out."
     "That was hilarious."
     "Yes it was he didn't think so but it turned into this huge water ballon fight which was fun."
     "Yeah."
     "Should we get going?"
     "Yeah." I grab 2 towels, a blanket, and a shirt for me we take my truck Halo gets in and I put my sandles on and we leave we go to the creek and get out we lay the blanket down we take our shoes off and lay on the blanket. The sun was starting to set and it looked beautiful. Halo takes her dress off.
She folds it up and lays it on the towels. I put my arm around her and we watch the sun. An half an hour later we decide to get into the water. It was warm and cold at the same time.
     "Come on I know a special place." I say grabbing her hand.
"Really."
"Yeah we just have to swim a little."
     "Okay." I grab her hand and we swim until I see the water fall it was a little darker now and it was getting cooler out still warm but not as hot. We go through the water fall.
     "This is amazing."
     "Isn't it." It was a big cove it was in a semi circle shape and there was a bench. We sit down on it the water up to our chests. I put my arm around her shoulders.
     "This is amazing." She says and her eyes get wide.
     "You like it?" I ask her.
     "I love it."
     "That's good." I could feel something in the air it felt off the sun was still going down. It was a perfect time I can't believe that I actually worked up the courage to ask her out and it feels great. I also think about what she said I was her crush. Im happy I'm truly happy.
     "What did your mom say?" I ask her not really knowing what to say.
     "Well I told her I was staying with you and she was happy so."
     "Okay." We swim around and laugh and play until it was dark out we could still see but you couldn't see the sun out. We are sitting back down and she has her arms around me and I have mine around her.
     "This is nice."
     "Yeah honestly I feel like a normal teenager."
     "Really?" She looks at me.
     "Yeah." She lays her head back on my chest.
     "That's good."
     "Yeah." We look at each other again and she looked so beautiful. Her blue eyes were shining like diamonds. Her hair was wet but it looked perfect. Her lips where perfect everything about her was just perfect.
I put my hand on her face and she leans into it. Im so nervous I try to keep my breathing easy. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
     "What are you thinkin about?" She asks me.
"A lot and its all about you."
"Really?"
"Yeah." We stop for a bit and just look at each other.
"I'm about to do something very stupid don't freak out please."
"Okay." I look at her a second longer then I quickly kiss her. Her lips crash on mine and she doesn't freak out at all. She kisses back and wraps her arms around my neck and we keep kissing not roughly but not sweetly either. We pull away.
"I'm sorry." I say trying not to turn red, not that she could see either.
"Why are you sorry that was amazing one of the smartest things you have done." She says and I can hear the excitement. We have both liked each other for a while and it isn't the first time I have done it.
"Really you think so?"
     "Yeah could we do it again?"
     "Of course!" We kiss again and she puts her hand on the back of my head and we just kiss, her lips were soft and sweet. This wasn't my first kiss obviously but it is my first date. The only sad part about it was that I don't have a dad to talk to it about just Zac. It's hard to believe that this happened tonight. We pull away.
     "Should we go back to my house?" I ask. She nods her head.
     "Yeah most definitely." We hurry out of the water as fast as we can and we still kiss along the way. We fall in the water and keep kissing we laugh as we fall. We don't bother with the towels we pick up are stuff throw it in the back of the truck on the car seats.
We get in kiss a few more times then I start the car. We buckle up and I start driving to the house. We get there and I grab are stuff. I couldn't unlock the door fast enough I open it and we walk in I throw are stuff on the floor and we start kissing again.
I sit on the couch and she gets on top of me straddling me we were still wet. We keep kissing though. She pushes me on my back.
     "Woah I like this side of you." I say my hands on her stomach.
     "Yeah."
     "Yeah." She gets back on top of me her body scraping mine we start kissing again. She moves down to my neck. She starts kissing and sucking on my neck. I close my eyes again and enjoy the sensation one I have never felt before.
I let out a small moan. She looks at me her hair over her arm she looked perfect. I flipped the tables so I'm on top. I kiss her and move to her neck. I start sucking she moans not loud but not soft either. I keep sucking on her neck then go back to kissing her I kiss her jaw line her cheek her ear and back down to her jaw.
I kiss her lips. I move back to her neck and her coller bone. She moves a little bit. She lets out a moan again. I'm not ready for the next part though and niether is she we both made that clear to each other. We flip the tables again and she is on top of me we kiss a little more she then lays her head on my chest.
We were breathing heavy are hearts beating fast. The only sounds in the room where is breathing heavy and are hearts beating fast. All the butterflies in my stomach had flown away I feel okay and all right like everything in my life is prefect. We lay there in are wet suites.
     "Okay I have to change out of this. I'm getting a rash in many places, one I'm not going to mention." I say. I am just joking but a wet swim suit doesn't feel good.
"Hahahaha okay me to." She laughs before she responds to me. I lay the towles on the couch and I go to my room. Halo follows she grabs a baggy shirt her hair brush and some spandex. She goes into the bathroom she gets me a towel. I take it and she closes the door I look for just some shorts. I could cover up and worry about the shirt later.
I open my dresser drawer none in there I go to the luandry room none in the dryer. I look for the laundry basket and I eventually find it, I dig and find a pair of shorts. I go back to my room Halo is going to be a while with her hair it's so long.
I take my swim suit off and just throw it on the ground. I dry off my botton area from the waist down. I look for my shorts again.
"Damn it why did the laundry gnome have to take my shorts of all the things of mine to take. Why couldn't it have been my shirts I don't need those." I say to myself. I find my shorts finally tangled under my blankets. I go to put them on and Halo comes out of the bathroom.
      "Oh my god Jace I'm sorry I figured you were dressed." She covers her eyes as soon as she saw me.
     "Well no apology needed nothing you haven't seen before." She uncovers her eyes.
     "Oh yeah the memories."
     "And lets face it this wont be the last time you see my penis."
     "Probably not but could you please put your shorts on now."
      "Yeah." I slide my shorts on and pick up my swim suit.
     "Thank you."
     "You're welcome."
     "What took you so long I took my bikini off dried of completely got dressed and brushed my hair."
     "Well I couldn't find any shorts the damn laundry gnome took all of them and of all things to take I wish it was my shirts."
      "Keep dreaming there buddy you still need to wear a shirt and you have one of them bastards to they always take my bras and panties."
     "Well I'm guessing mine is a girl and yours is a boy." She smacks me in the stomach and we start laughing. I wring my swim suit out in the shower and hang it on the curtain rod. Halo puts her brush away and braids her hair. I come out as she is tying it off with a hair tie. She comes near me I put my arms around her waist.
    "Now on a serious note what about what happened."
     "Well that wasn't my first date but it was my first make out."
     "Mine to, well my first date but it was perfect in every way."
     "Yes it was and you have a huge red spot on your neck."
     "My first love bite as well." I say kinda rolling my eyes.
    "Really."
     "Yeah and you do to now."
     "Really."
     "Yeah that's going to be purple in the morning."
     "I know and so is yours but it was worth it."
      "Yes it was but where does that leave us?"
      "What do you mean?"
     "We were/are friends but after that what just happened where does it leave us?"
     "Well I would say we aren't friends anymore. I would say we are more, look at it your my crush and I'm yours thats why we didn't want to tell each other before Andrews birthday. That day on the porch. We just went on a date made out for like an hour. I'm sure we would have had sex if one it wasn't illegal and two we aren't ready for that."
     "I don't care about the illegal part no one will care since your the older one and what the law don't know won't kill the law." 
     "A bad boy I like it."
     "Well I try."
     "Well after tonight I think it leaves us as girlfriend and boyfriend if that's okay with you?"
     "Sounds perfect to me." I bend down to kiss her I might be three years younger but when I hit puberty I shot up a good 5 inches abover her but she is only 5'3.
I have always been tall for my age though. We kiss slow and soft. We let go and she pulls away. It was 9:00 at night. We leave the bed room. We get a snack and lay down on the couch to watch a movie. I have a girlfriend I can't believe it of all things a girlfriend. Now my life is perfect in every way.
*Morning*
We wake up and make breakfast. I do the dishes.
     "When do you have to get the kids?"
     "Before noon Zac is planning on getting lucky and we both know how long that takes him."
     "Ain't that the truth." We start laughing.
     "I hope he ain't looking to settle down because it will be hard for him to pick out of the 100."
     "No kidding I am so thankful condoms have been invented and I don't even use them."
     "Yet!" She says and looks at me dead serious.
     "Yeah yet."
     "Well after this I will get dressed and pack my bag again."
     "Alright we did get up late." We finish breakfast and the dishes. I put on a shirt and some socks. Halo goes into the bathroom and gets dressed she just puts on a regular shirt and a sweater it was kinda cold out it was going to rain today. She puts on her sandles and grabs her bag. We leave the house she gets in her car and leaves then I follow behind her. I go to Zac's house she goes home.
     "Hey they are all ready to go no shoes but ready." He says to me.
     "Okay."
     "How was it?"
     "We ate dinner went swimming made out and I have a girlfriend."
      "What no way!" He smacks my shoulder.
     "Yes way."
      "And I'm guessing by that purple thing on your neck you got in the sheets."
     "No sheets."
     "Sucks for you."
     "Well not really, I'm not you."
    "I'm going to ignore that. Oh and I used your siblings as chick bait."
     "Remind me again why I let them over here without me."
     "Because I'm your last option."
     "Yeah "last" is the key word in that sentence."
     "I noticed."
     "Emily Andrew I'm here." They come running up to me and give me a big hug. Emily touches my love bite.
     "What's this?" Emily asks me.
     "Um it's a uh Zac help me." I say. He is always good at excuses.
     "It's a bruise." Zac says.
     "Does it hurt?" She asks me.
     "No it don't hurt." I say.
     "Did Halo give it to you?"
     "Yeah."
      "Why?"
     "Because she is uh Zac."
    "You know how sometimes Halo will be moody or say her tummy hurts and be fine in a couple days?" Zac asks her.
    "Yeah." She says.
     "Well she was moody and her tummy was upset and she wanted to go to Jace for comfort and he said something she didn't like so she gave him the bruise."
     "Okay." We leave when I get a text from Halo. She asks me to come over. Her mom wants me there. This can't be good. I go to her house and I bring the kids in.
     "Guys my tablet is on my night stand in my room here is my phone one gets this the other gets the tablet." She says and they are okay with that.
     "Okay." Andrew says and they go to her room. They go upstairs in the car I had a hoodie I put it on and put the hood up before coming in.
     "Well mom Jace and I are going outback."
     "Woah no you aren't." She says. We stop in are tracks. "Turn around." We turn around to face her. "Drop the hoods I have been around this block many times come on drop them."
     "Fine." We both say. We take are hoods off and she gasps when she sees we both have love bites.
     "You guys didn't -"
     "No mom we didn't have sex."
     "You're not lying?" She asks.
    "No."
    "All we did was eat dinner went swimming kissed and kissed some more then we made out for like an hour and then we went to change out of are swim suits. I couldn't find any shorts and when I finally found a pair.
     I was just about to put them on when she walked out of the bathroom in my room. That's as naked as it got she didn't touch me. I didn't touch her and we didn't have sex.
     I respect her to much to do that to her pluse we aren't ready. Maybe when the time is right and we both are ready then yes maybe we will. I will make sure I protect herself as well as myself so we don't end up with 3 kids instead of 2." I say helping Halo. I have always been bolder then her. I am not afraid to say what's on my mind.
     "So that's all that happened no sexual contact?" She asks.
     "No the most naked as it got was are swim suits and then her seeing me naked." I say.
     "Well I'm not worried about that honey it's not the first time she has seen your penis and it won't be the last." I turn red. My face flushes.
     "Okay no need to rub it in." I say and Halo hugs me.
    "I am glad and happy for you two and I trust both of you to make the right decisions."
     "Thank you now I'm going to go unpack."
     "Alright." We go to walk upstairs.
     "Jace your staying here." We all love Anna but she can be scary when she wants to be.
     "Damn it." She goes upstairs and I sit down on the bar.
     "I know nothing happened because I know she wouldn't lie to me about that. I just want you to know that I trust you so much you really are a very good young man your amazing and deserve every good thing you have in your life including Halo. "
     "You really think so?"
     "I know so and I know you will treat Halo right."
     "Thank you."
     "Yup now go make sure they are all alive." We laugh a little but I get up and go upstairs Halo was unpacking her bag. She puts her dirty clothes in her laundry basket. I go up to her and grab her waist. I pull her close. I put my forehead on hers and kiss her nose.
     "Okay mister I have to finish."
      "Okay fine." I let go of her and she pulls her hair brush out of her bag and puts it in her bathroom. I see a box of tampons in her bag.
      "Got a visitor?" I ask.
     "What do you mean?" She looks confused. I grab the small box of tampons. She takes them from me. That stuff doesn't faze me and one day I will have to deal with it with Emily anyway.
     "Yes I got a visitor when we got dressed."
     "Ohh okay."
    "What's that for?"
    "Well I'm not really sure."
     "Is that okay?" She asks me.
     "That's fine you can't control it can you?"
      "No I can't its just this annual thing that happens every month that boys don't seem to understand."
     "Well I understand so I guess you need these as well." I hand her a box of pads and liners in the same box and a thing of midol he takes them with this "really" face.
     "I will punch you." I laugh a little. She puts them in the bathroom. She comes back and puts her bag in her closet. She takes her sweater off. She hangs it in her closet as well.
     "Well I have to get going."
     "Okay."
     "Oh and if you want anything some flavored water, candy, chocolate, a kiss, Nutella, or any other thing just let me know and I will bring it to you."
     "Well I don't need the food I already have that the kiss yeah I will take it." I bend down and kiss her.
     "Are you two dating?" Emily asks me. Finally I say the words she has been wanting to hear for a while now.
     "Yeah that's okay right?"
     "Yeah that's great yay!!!!!!!"
     "Okay." I bend down and kiss her again Emily laughs.
     "Would my other special lady like a kiss?" I ask her and she nods her head.
     "Yeah."
     "Okay." I go over to her and give her a kiss on the cheek. Then we leave I put them in the car. I get in and I drive home. I'm so happy that I have Halo now. I get home and make lunch. After lunch I put them down for a nap an hour after they are down it starts raining a brutal down pour. Emily gets up a half hour later.
     "I hear a noise."
     "What kinda noise?"
     "It sounds like something crying."
     "Okay." I follow her to her room she leads me to her window. I listen quietly I hear it to it sounded like a cat it was still raining. I open her window and see a orange, black, and white cat crying.
I pick it up it was dirty and skinny I could feel its bones. I pull it inside and hold it close I get a towel and wrap it in it. I see what it was it was a boy.
     "Is it a boy or girl?" Emily asks me.
     "Boy."
     "Dang it." I laugh a little I dry the cat off and he didn't have any gashes or anything. I get him some tuna and drain the liquid I put it in a bowl and feed it to him.
     "Can we keep him please Jace pretty please with a cherry on top he's so cute please can we keep him?" She begs me pulling my arm. I look at her she was nearly on her knees holding onto my hand. I look at the cat still eating his tuna. I look back at her she has her fingers crossed in hope I say yes.
     "We will see we will take him to the vet and go from there okay he might be someone's kitty."
     "Okay." When the cat is done eating I wrap him in a towel. We get ready and go to the vet. We get there and explain are situation they see the cat. I lay him on the table.
     "So a little kitty." She says.
     "Yeah he looks like he hasn't had a home like hes been neglected he was crying under my sisters window."  I say.
      "Okay he definitely shows signs of neglect. Whoever got rid of him didn't want him and won't miss him if you would like to keep him and adopt him you can fill out the paper work and take him home. If not we can put him up for adoption but if we don't find a home in a year we have to euthanize him." She says.
     "Kill him if he doesn't find a home?" I say. I am confused.
​​​     "Yeah it's just how it works he is healthy just dehydrated and under weight he needs some love. With less and less space becoming available in shelters we will have no choice."
     "Please Jace can we keep him she said he don't have a home and if he don't get one he will be killed I don't want him to die please Jace pretty please can we keep him?" She begs me once more. She hates seeing animals die. One time in a cartoon an animal started crying she got a tissue and wiped the tear away on the tv screen.
She starts crying. I hug her.
    "Yeah Jace please can we keep him he's so cute?" Andrew asks, he doesn't really understand yet but he likes animals and they have never had one.
    "Okay we will keep him." I say.
     "Really!" Emily says.
      "Yeah I will fill out the papers and keep him." I say. She hugs me and so does Andrew.
     "Thank you Jace." The vet looks at me.
    "There isn't anything I won't do for them." I say as they hang on me giving me hugs.
     "I'm that way with my niece. You are a good brother." She says and I smile.
I fill out the paper work and wrap the cat in the towel Emily holds him and he falls asleep with her petting his head.
    "Okay I have one blank spot the name what should we name him?" I ask. This could start a war.
     "Ummmm jelly bean." Emily says.
     "Why jelly bean?" I ask looking at her weird.
     "His toes look like jelly beans."
     "I'm not a fan what do you think Andrew?"
     "No." He says.
     "Okay how about..... Flint." I say.
     "I like it." Emily says.
     "Me to."
     "Okay." I write down Flint on the paper and turn it in. We leave I go to the pet store I get a water bowl, a food bowl, a food mat, wet food, dry food, a litter box, litter mat, liners for the box, baking soda for it, a collar, leash, harness, cat carrier, litter, cat shampoo, flee medicine, heart worm medicine, and I have them make a name tag for flint. I go up to the check out.
     "Did you get a kitty?" She asks me.
     "Yeah it's a stray and my brother and sister begged to keep it so I gave in I would do any thing for them to see them smile."
     "Well your awesome keep it up."
     "Thank you." I pay for everything and go outside. I put Flint in the carrier and set up his collar I put it on him I hook his leash on him it is still raining. I get in. We go home I give Flint a bath which he didn't like at all.
I do the flee medicine. I set up his litter box and food and water. I show him where everything is then do the heart worm medicine which he didn't like that either. When everything is all said and done I give him some wet cat food in his food bowl as a treat.
I change my clothes and put his towel, harness, and leash in his carrier I put it away. I start dinner while Flint eats. All night long Emily couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear she is so happy.