High School Romance ✓

Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

"What's going on here?" Taylor asked, smirking.

"Go away, Taylor," Courtney said, not looking back.

"Yeah, not going to happen," she said.

"Please?" Blake asked.

"Pretty please?" Courtney asked.

"Fine, but I'll be back later!" Taylor called, walking down the stairs.

"Thank you!" Blake called.

"Yeah, whatever!" Taylor said. Courtney laughed.

"We missed graduation, didn't we?" she thought aloud.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Who got Valedictorian?" He looked away from her, not wanting her to know. She knew the answer anyway. "You?" she asked.

"Yeah," she struggled to hear him that time. He looked up at her now. He nodded slightly.

"Really? What's wrong with the school system these days?" she teased.

Blake laughed, "If it helps, you missed it by a tenth of a point."

"Nope, doesn't help."

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said as seriously as he could. A smile was playing on his lips.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, mister," she said. A smile would be on her lips as well, but she was a much better actress than he was an actor, at least in real life. He shook his head as the smile broke free. She jumped up, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the stairs with her. When they were five stairs up, she let go of his hand and leapt.

Time seemed to freeze as Blake ran down those five stairs. Courtney's dress fluttered around her ankles and her hair flew around her face. It seemed to take minutes to walk down just one stair for Blake. Courtney seemed to be falling at the same speed. He arrived at the bottom just in time to catch her. "Don't do that again, please," he panted.

"Sorry," she said with a small smile.

"It's all right," he said, letting his breath out. He set her down on the floor and sat on the bottom step.

"No, no!" she said. "No time for sitting!" She pulled him up, "We're going to get you a ring!"

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "Okay, let's go."

They walked out the front door, but not before getting confronted by Blake's mother. "What's this I hear about a wedding?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Courtney grinned, "Finally!"

"I know, we have to do something with him."

"We're leaving now," Blake interrupted, pulling his fiancée out the door. His mother smiled as Courtney and Blake's fingers intertwined.

"Have fun, you two!"

"Oh, we will!" Courtney said, turning back.

"Come on," Blake said, gently spinning her the other direction.

"You ruin all my fun!" she pouted.

"Sorry," he said with a smile.

"I love you," she said.

"I know."

"Really? Again with the Star Wars, Sullivan?"

"I'll love you forever," he smiled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She kissed him gently, but passionately.

"Why haven't you been wearing your glasses?"

He frowned. "Does anything get past you?"

"No." She smiled.

"They kind of broke jumping after you. I figured I'm done with glasses anyway, contacts are better."

"About that: don't jump after me next time."

"Next time?"

"If there is a next time. I can't have you risking your life for me," she clarified.

"Isn't that the point of love?" he questioned.

She sighed. "I can't stand the thought of you not being here."

"I can't stand even the thought of losing you. Do you know how hard it was for me, watching you just lay there, not moving at all, for three weeks? And then having you not remember me?"

"No," she admitted.

"That was absolute torture," he said. He reached over and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

She shook her head, "No, it wasn't you. I just realized that it's literally impossible for me to live without you." She hugged him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," he promised with a whisper. They held on tightly to each other, almost clinging to each other for dear life. They stood there for several minutes, neither willing to move or to pull away.

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