What We Were

Chapter 5: Part 2

Now, Jess and I didn’t have the greatest relationship in the world. We never have. I honestly can’t even remember how she and I met but I remember that we didn’t exactly like each other right away. But somehow, we just grew close. Since I needed at least one girl friend to talk to about well, girl stuff, I decided to go with her. She seemed like a pretty normal girl, until I got to know her. But isn’t that how it always goes with new friends?

But while thinking it over, I realized that telling her about Noah and I would absolutely crush her. Oh no! She’d never let me hear the end of it! I couldn’t tell her about us, she wouldn’t understand how it just sort of all pieced together for Noah and me.

And she had liked him for at least seven years of her life. What was I going to do? If I told her, she would hate me and probably get the cheerleaders to beat me up or something. But if I didn’t tell her, then she would never know. But if I didn’t tell her then that meant Noah and I couldn’t be together at school anymore. What if she found out anyway? What if someone told her at school? I know that she wasn’t exactly my best friend, but she was a friend. She was a friend that I could never betray like that, never in a million years.

The next morning I woke up earlier than expected and made my way slumping downstairs. I knew that at least for a while, I couldn’t be out with Noah at school or anywhere in public for that matter.

When I got downstairs I found Mom in her bathrobe, hair a mess, bunny slippers on. She was out on the back porch swing watching the sun rise alone. At first I just watched her she looked so peaceful in the chilly morning air. “Hey! Honey what are you doing up? It’s still pretty early.”

“I just…I don’t know couldn’t sleep I guess.”

“Something on your mind?” She said patting the open spot next to her. I chuckled and gladly sat and wrapped my blanket around her shoulders.

“Yeah.” I sighed.

“Look babe, you’re still growing up and now is where it’s ok for things to get tangled and messy. Don’t be afraid of it. It’ll bring good things as well as the bad. The only thing you can really do is see where it takes you. And soon you’ll get too far away from these problems you have now, you can’t even see them anymore.”

I hugged her tight and closed my eyes. She was right. I loved little moments like this with her, when it was only us. When she would hold onto me tightly and kiss my forehead. I miss those days.

“Well you better get going camper, you don’t wanna be late to school!”

“Ok, I’m gonna go uh get ready…”I said as I got up and walked toward the back door. I stopped and turned slowly

“And mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I really needed that.”

“Sure thing Junebug. That's what I am here for.”

The walk through the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful.  Birds were chirping, kids were running off to school and dogs were barking in the morning bustle. I saw a little girl running off to school, hair in knots but laughing all the way. A man called after her and she turned and began running to his arms. He swung her around. I felt a trickle down my spine, but kept walking.

I came up to the school just in the nick of time. As I slowly walked on by, I felt two large hands grab my waist, forcefully and pull me backwards.  I yelped a little, only to see it was Noah, trying to surprise me with a morning kiss. He got away with one, but I quickly stopped him and pulled him into a supply closet.

“Hey! What’s going on Jules?”

I wasn’t listening to his nervous chatter. I quickly locked the door behind me. In the dark, I grabbed him and kissed him passionately on the lips. Moving my hands up and down his body, he began to almost quiver with goose bumps. I kissed his neck as he replied out of breath, “Oh ccc’mon Jules, not here. Not in the school supply c-closet…Look” he said pulling away from me and holding my arms back. “I love you, but I think we should wait, at least until we get somewhere proper, I want your first time to be…”

“That’s not why I’m doing this, look I won’t be able to do the things I normally do with you from now on.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“Jess…she doesn’t know about us. And I have to keep it that way; otherwise she’ll hate me forever. Look, I can still see you outside of school, but just give me some time to think of a way to tell her gently.”

“But…”

“If I don’t she will never forgive me or you. I really hate to say it, but I really care about her. She is my friend, and frankly I don’t have a lot of those.”

“…Fine, but you’re coming to see me after practice. She won’t be there. I’ll tell the guys to keep us a secret.” He replied flashing me a smirk.

“Thanks Noah. God I love you!”

I whispered hugging and kissing him in the dark of the closet.