Prank Week [ON HOLD INDEFINITELY]

Chapter 10: Jacob

Tuesday September 3, 12:30 am

"Jacob," I heard her say. Her voice is so sweet, so pure. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world. Emma is just so special. We cannot tell anyone about this though. She's a soro-girl and I'm frat-guy. We aren't supposed to date, but what we have is special.

We were going to a hidden grove she found while walking around one day. We got to the Quad and ducked through the bushes into the small, secluded area. I sat down my backpack at the foot of the willow tree and she sat down hers. We crawled underneath the tree and she snuggled up against me. I put my arm around her and she leaned against my body.

"How are you?" she asked me.

"I'm great. How about you?" I replied.

"Better, now that I'm with you," she said to me with a smile. I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips, softly kissing her knuckles. She giggled quietly and put her head against my chest. I looked down at her hands.

"Your hands?" I asked her, extending her fingers.

"What about them?" she asked me, examining her own hands.

"There's no paint," I replied questioningly, rubbing her hands between mine.

"Oh, that. I took a shower before getting dressed tonight," she explained.

"Ahh," I said, "You didn't have to do that, you know. I don't care about the paint. I just care about being with you."

She leaned away from me and rubbed her arms. I could tell that she was cold. I took off my jacket and draped it across her shoulders. She turned to me and smiled thankfully. I wrapped her in my arms and nuzzled my chin against her neck. She giggled and tried to wrap her arms around my neck. When she struggled I released my grip and stood up. I held my hand out to her and she took it.

I helped her up and she put her arms around my neck. My arms slowly creeped around her body, pulling her closer to me. She inched closer to me, finally resting her head on my chest. Her arms around my neck, mine around her waist, we swayed slowly for a few minutes before she broke the silence.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"I'm fine, why?" I replied.

"I was hoping you were okay. You know, after the prank we pulled on you guys. I turned around while running after the other girls and I couldn't figure out where you were."

"Yeah. That. It was fine. Our teams are matched up against each other you know. It's not like you had a choice whether our teams were matched up or not."

"I'm glad you said that....... Jacob?"

"Yeah Emma?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course...."

"How can something so wrong...... feel so right? We shouldn't be doing this, but it just feels so good."

"I don't know...... It feels good to me too. I'm sorry if this makes you feel weird."

I slowly pulled her away and held her at arm's length. I cocked my head to the side and put on a confused look. I could tell she could see my expression because her expression also changed to disappointment.

"No, I doesn't feel weird. I just know we shouldn't, yet it feels good!" she said, concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry. It's just.... I've never felt like this before. It's, magical," I said, slowly bringing her closer. She leaned into me, resting her head on my chest again. 

"I love you," she whispered softly, muffled agaist my chest.

"I love you too," I replied softly, gently stroking her hair. We stood there for another few minutes before I heard her breathing steady and her knees give out. I gently laid her on the ground. I then leaned up against the tree trunk and pulled her close to me, wrapping my arms around her waist, her head resting on my chest. 

Even though she was asleep, she sensed my movement and moved closer, curling into a ball, my body sheilding her from everything. I pulled her even closer and closed my eyes. I didn't want to ever let her go. Before I realized it, we were both alseep underneath the tree, cuddling up against each other.

"Jacob! Jacob, wake up!" 

Who's that? I opened my eyes and saw Emma looking down at me, a soft smile on her face. I reached up and caressed her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Using my other arm to push myself up, I rised up from the ground, my first hand still on her face. She started to talk but I stopped her before she could.

I grabbed her face with both hands and pulled her close, my lips grazing hers. She met my gaze and returned the kiss. Her lips were so sweet and we kissed for a few minutes, moving closer every time our lips meet.  When she pulled away, I was confused. I thought she liked that....

"Jacob. I'm sorry, but we have to stop."

"What? I thought you liked me?"

"I do. Not stop that. I mean, for today. I can hear people walking and talking in the Quad. We have to get out of here. Chloe's going to start wondering where I am!" She looked flushed and scared.

"Yes, yes, of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking." I felt so embaressed.

"It's fine. I know you can't think straight when you first wake up."

"Sorry about that. How do you want to get out of here?"

"I know! I can go out one side, and then a few minutes later, you can go out another."

"That sounds like a good idea. Give me a second and I'll go out the left side."

She got up and started to get her stuff together. I tried to wake up more and gathered my stuff too. She looked back to me and smiled. She started to leave, but I stopped her.

"Emma, wait!" I said standing up and running over to her. I took her face in my hands and gave her one last kiss. She was surprised at first, but eventually her arms find her way around my neck and she returned the kiss.

"I love you," I whispered, our foreheads touching. She smiled back at me and giggled.

"I love you too," she said back. When she pulled back, my eyes met hers. She leaned in and gently pecked me on the cheek. I stared at her as she left the small grove. Just before she left, she looked back at me and smiled. Her smile is beautiful. 

I found myself staring at the place she disapeared through the brush for a few minutes. When I recovered, I sighed, grabbed my bag, and headed out through the opposite side of the grove. 

As I walked through campus, I found my mind wandering off, thinking about her. I suddenly miss her arms around my neck. The gentle weight of her head against my chest. I cleared my head by giving it a little shake. 

When I finally reached the house, I went around back and climbed up the tree, to reach my bedroom window. I climbed in and closed the window just as I heard a knock on my door.

"Hey dude! It's eight already. You coming or what?" I heard Zach say.

"Coming!" I yelled, peeling off my shirt and replacing it with a different one. I could smell her perfume on my shirt and didn't want any of the guys getting any ideas. I just hope she is okay too, and didn't get caught........