As He Held My Hand

15. Trust Is Important

15. Trust Is Important

I still don’t know if I am trusting Grant. After all, he kind of just assumed I was his girlfriend after we shared a few kisses. Doesn’t he have to ask me? At least we were going on our first date.

We decided on a Friday night, so after school on Friday, I drive home to pick out something to wear. Never had I been as nervous about something as simple as clothes. I dig through my closet, my stomach in knots. The date was a few hours away, and I still felt like I had a ton to do.

I call Alex and tell her about the date. She still doesn’t sound as supportive as I wish she would be. But she still comes over and helps me pick out something to wear. She pulls a pair of maroon jeans from my dresser that still have the tags on them and lays them out on my bed. “These are really cute, how come you never wear them?” she asks.

I shrug my shoulders as I find a black and white striped long sleeved shirt. I grab a pair of brown leather boots from the bottom of my closet and put everything together. “You’ll look great.” Alex says as I walk her to the front door. “Thank you for helping me Alex. I know you don’t like Grant -.” I start, but she interrupts me.

“It’s not that I don’t like Grant, although he’s not my most favorite person in the world, I just…” “You just what?” I ask. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Gemma. Because when you’re hurting, I hurt. So no matter what happens, I will always be on your side, supporting you. I love you.” she says, pulling me into a hug. I didn’t want to get hurt by Grant either, but I needed to put some trust in him.

I was working on it.

“I love you, too. Now go, I have to get ready.” I say, forcing a laugh and wiping my eyes as she walks out the door. Knowing that I have a best friend like Alex is comforting. Knowing that she will always be there for me when I need her is one of the best and safest feelings in the world. She’s one of the only people I have left. Which is probably why I started crying a little.

I run back upstairs and wash my hair before curling the bottom ever so slightly. Then I change into my new red jeans and black and white shirt. I pull my boots over my feet and then put on my makeup, finishing getting myself ready with five minutes to spare.

I wonder where he’s taking me…

Don’t be nervous, Gemma. Nothing bad is going to happen. This is going to be fun, OK?

Why did I need to convince myself that this wasn’t going to be a bad experience permanently etched into my fragile mind? I try to answer this question when the doorbell rings, and I sprint downstairs. I take a breath at the bottom of the stairs before grabbing my purse and walking to the door.

I can see Grant’s waiting face through the curtained window and I can’t help but smile as I twist the doorknob and pull open the door. “Hey.” I breathe out quickly, my nerves starting to get to me. Calm down…

“Hey yourself.” he smirks back, and instantly his smile makes the nerves go away. “You ready?” he asks, pointing to his car which I can see is parked in the driveway. “Yeah.” I say, and I follow him outside. I can see my breath in the cool air as he opens the passenger door for me and allows me to climb inside.