Love Can Kill

Chapter 1

“Casey! You promised you’d take me!” My little sister whined. I was huddled over my math textbook on my bed, trying to study for a huge test that’d be worth half of my grade for the semester. “Megan, I have to study for this test!” I said in exasperation. My 8 year old sister stood in the doorway to my room, arms crossed. She was wearing mismatched socks and bright pink tights, ready to just put on her shoes and go to the park. “But-” she began to retort. I let my head drop onto the open book. “Fine. I’ll take you. But just for ten minutes,” I succumbed to her pleads. “You are the best sister ever!” She yelled, running over to give me a hug. Notice how I’m only the best when she gets what she wants, I thought to myself, smirking at the realization.

She climbed off of me and ran downstairs to put on her shoes. I got up and walked over to my closet to try and find something more decent to wear outside than the mismatched pajamas I was currently in. I pulled a light blue off the shoulder top off of a hanger and grabbed a pair of white short shorts and changed into them, leaving the discarded pajamas on a pile on my bed. After running a brush through my brown hair, I grabbed my keys off the dresser along with my blackberry. Tucking them into my pockets, I walked downstairs.

I poked my head into the kitchen, “Mom, I’m taking Megan to the park for a few minutes. We’ll be back soon, okay?” She nodded, in the midst of stirring a pot, acknowledging what I said while still managing to keep doing what she was doing. Looking around for my sister, I absentmindedly slipped on my white pair of flats. I noticed a flash of neon pink in the front window, and moved aside the curtain to find her dancing around on our porch. Embarrassed, I rushed outside and gestured for her to come with me to start walking.

She alternated between skipping and playing hopscotch (even though there was no apparent court for her to play on) all the way to the park, while I walked at a relaxing pace behind her, looking at the front yards of all of my neighbors. Everyone’s taste, everyone’s way of doing things (like decorating your yard), was so completely different, that every single one we passed seemed to fascinate me more and more.

When we reached, Megan ran straight over to the swirly slide, ready to use single piece of equipment in the park. I sat on the bench just outside of the sand pit to wait for her.

“Hey.” A masculine voice broke my train of thoughts, and I looked up to see who it belonged to. Wow… was all I could think. He was definitely hot. He had defined cheekbones, icy blue eyes, and a set jaw. His lips looked plump and pink, and I felt the urge to stand up and kiss him. But, he was a stranger- I couldn’t.

He did a sexy little half smile, and dimples formed on his cheeks, making him look even cuter than before. I realized how I probably looked, staring at him like a creeper and snapped out of my trance. I tried to sound nonchalant, “Hey,” I said back, though my voice trembled. He smiled wider. “Is anyone sitting here?” I followed his gaze to the seat on the bench beside me. “Nope,” I replied, trying to will myself to sound cool rather than like the gooey mess I felt like on the inside. He sat down, just a little too close to me, sending shivers up my spine.

He turned to face me after a few seconds, his body at an angle so that our knees touched. “What’s your name?” he asked, his voice sounding wonderful. “Casey. You?” “Jason. Jason Oliver.” “What brings you to the park?” I asked. He gestured to where Megan and a young boy were giggling. “That’s my brother, Carson. He begged me to take him, and my mom told me I had no choice, so here I am. And now, I’m really glad I came.” He grabbed my hand, and rested our entwined hands on his knee. My cheeks flushed red, I could feel it, but I didn’t pull away.

We continued talking until my mom called and asked where I’d been for so long. But, I left with his number and the memory of his hand in mine. Talking to him was like a drug- you were afraid to do it, but once you started to, you couldn’t stop. And at the end, all it did was make you crazy. Except in this case, it made me feel crazy in love.