A Teenage Dream

A Teenage Dream Ch.4 Secret's Out....But It's Not Mine!

Ch.4

I arrived at the mall 10 minutes early because I was so excited. When I got there nobody had arrived except for Julie. She was just sitting on a bench and smiling the hugest smile I've ever seen.

"Hey, Julie. Looks like someone is happy today."

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, why, what do you have to tell me?"

"Come closer, I have to tell you in your ear so that nobody hears." Julie motioned me to come closer. Boy, she was acting very weird and childish. I had to know why she was like this. So I played along. That was a big mistake. I should have just turned around and ran back home into the safety of my bed. But, noooo! Stupid me just had to stay!

"I-I-I-" then she started giggling.

"Julie, just tell me!"

"I-I-I" she took a deep breath and said the next words so fast that I had a hard time believing what she said. "I have a crush on Darren!"

I felt like someone had stabbed me in the back. I know that it wasn't Julie's fault, but I felt like she had betrayed me.

"Wait, the best part is that I'm like 99% sure that he likes me too." she continued. Wait, so the times we held hands and when he gave me that goofy smile was nothing? Something had to be off.

"Well, I know because yesterday when he was listening to his ipod, I asked him if he liked me. He smiled and nodded his head. He also did look a little red so he was probably blushing." I had finally figured out what was wrong. I remember that he told me once that if somebody says something to him while he's listening to music he just smiles and nods his head. And he was probably red because he had P.E yesterday. Telling Julie about her misinterpretations would probably been the right thing to do, but she looked so happy, and I didn't want to hurt her. So I kept my mouth shut.

Just then the other girls arrived. They looked excited. I realized that I couldn't tell them about Darren. I don't know how Julie would react. Maybe she would understand but then she might start competing for his attention. I didn't want that. I just wanted everyone to be happy.

"Soooooooo? What's the big secret?" Angie asked while she moved her eyebrows up and down and gave me this weird smile.

"Yeah, what were you going to tell us?" Abbey added.

"I-I-I-" A lump had formed in my throat so I had a hard time talking.

"Come on! Tell us I can't wait!" Delilah said (while jumping up and down).

"Yeah, I really can't wait! I have to pee."

"CAITLIN!" all of the girls shouted.

"OK! I'll use the word 'ladies' room'. I have to use the LADIES' ROOM!" Everyone gave her a look because then she added,

"You can't blame me! There were some nasty potholes back there! I don't deserve this!"

"Back to the point, shall we?" Abbey said.

"I-I-I-" I didn't know what to say. I looked at Julie nervously. She gave me a concerned look and just nodded her head. I understood what I had to do. Julie had given me an exit from the spotlight.

"The big news is that, well I think Julie should tell you." I said with a fake smile. She told them everything. After she finished Delilah said

"Well this calls for some shopping!"

"After I pe-I mean after I use the ladies room." Caitlin added.

"Hey, you guys, I don't feel good so I'm going to go home." I had to get away from there. They wished me a speedy recovery and then I walked out. I didn't want to go home (at least, not yet). So I went where I always felt welcomed and where they always listen.

I went to Jake Ruiz's house.

Jake and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. He always listens to my problems and he makes me laugh. He's like the best friend you always look for. His mom is really sweet and makes awesome cookies. From my point of view, I was handling the whole situation pretty well. At least that's what I had thought. When I rang the door bell Jake answered. I just looked at him and all of my emotions came rushing out. I broke into tears. He held out his arms and I accepted his hug. I realized that when people hug me when I'm crying, it makes me cry harder. I started gasping for between sobs and I think that made Jake freak out a little bit. Why was I even crying? I mean, he was just a guy. He started rubbing my back. After I had stopped crying, he took my hand and started leading me up the stairs.

After I had calmed down, I told him everything. He told me to lie down and take a nap. My eyes felt heavy so I fell asleep almost instantly. But I couldn't help thinking about the pained look in his eyes after I told him what happened. When I opened my eyes, Emanuel, Willy, and Cole were standing there, looking worried. Jake probably told them what happened.

"Had a good nap?" Willy asked. I nodded.

"Emanuel, Willy and I decided to beat-" Cole started.

"-Darren's as-" Emanuel interrupted.

"-hindquarters off on Monday." Willy finished. It made me smile how they all were so worried for me.

"Come on, let's go." Jake said.

"Where are we going?' I asked.

"You'll see." he replied. The other guys couldn't stay for long so it was just me and Jake.

45 minutes Later......

By the looks of it, he's taking me somewhere in downtown. The train stopped so we got off.

"Now you have to close your eyes."

"Why? I won't be able to see where I'm going."

"Exactly." He offered me his arm and we linked together and started walking. After a while he stopped.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Open your eyes." he said. When I opened them, the beautiful sight took my breath away. We were standing in an open grassy area. All around us stood trees with red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves.

"We used to come here when we were little." I said.

"Yeah. I remember the last we came here was in sixth grade. You said that every time you came here you felt better and were inspired and a bunch of meaningful stuff like that."

"Oh, Jakey! You know you're so cute sometimes!" I said and gave him a big hug.

"What can I say, it's a gift!" Jake said.

"Ready to go home?" I nodded. We turned around and walked home linking arms.