My First Broken Heart

Chapter 8: Confessions and Other Shocking Things

THEN

Speechless, I slumped on the grass under a big tree, looking around me in awe. I felt the morning dew soaked up in my shorts but I didn’t care. I was too busy glancing around and inhaling the fresh air that I didn’t care about wetting my pants or getting bitten by bugs. I bent my legs in front of me and hugged my knees, a silly smile playing in my lips.

“I got a picnic mat, you know,” Nick said holding up a blue mat.

This was where he brought me after dropping the boxes of gifts for the kids. He parked the car beside the road and we hiked the few meters to this little piece of isolated ground. I haven’t been out enjoying nature in a really long time that I almost forgot how it is to breath in fresh air. This empty patch of land we were in is practically at his backyard. But it had a few big trees with wide sprawling branches and a view of an endless meadow that it made me think about the countryside.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said nonchalantly and sat back against the tree trunk. He tossed the mat at the back of his truck and sat right next to me. He offered me a chocolate bar.

“What? Sugar overload so early?” I joked but accepted the bar and tore off the package. He smiled.

“Your family owns this?”I asked, gesturing towards the area around us as I chew off a piece of the chocolate.

“No. We are actually trespassing right now,” he said mischievously and I hit his knee lightly with my hand. “Really. I’m not kidding. I always pass by this area every time I went to the convenience store at the next corner. One time, when I had an argument with mom, I passed by here and decided to vent my frustrations. I shouted and shouted and no one heard me. Since then, I have claimed it as my own.”

Nick then grabbed the chocolate bar from my hand and took a bite before giving it back to me.  I should be weirded out by this but surprisingly, I was not.

A few moments of silence passed and I found that it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. We both were contented looking at nowhere, hearing nothing and feeling nothing but the cool, morning breeze.

“You like Mark?” he asked me after a while.

I sneaked a glanced at him. He was looking at a patch of tall grasses swaying in the air. For a second, I considered denying, but I decided to be honest for once. I exhaled and said, “Yes.” No need to deny the obvious, I thought.

“Since when?”

“For quite a while now, long before your gig at Yzabel’s.” Afterwards, I bumped his shoulder with mine.” Hey. Why am I suddenly under investigation here? Stop asking me embarrassing questions, okay?”

He faced me and said, “Let’s play a little game here. How about I ask you questions and you get to ask me, too? Game?”

“Fair enough. But I get to ask first, “ I conceded after some thought.

“Okay,” he said with a thumb up.

“What’s your favorite color?”I asked.

He laughed. “What?”

“Favorite color. This will get harder, don’t worry. Come on, favorite color!” I laughed too.

“Black.”

“Me,too.” I said.

“Not pink?”

I groaned. “Call me punk, but no!”

 He grinned.” Movie?”

“10 things I hate about you.” Nick laughed again. "So what if its cheesy, sue me. What about you?”

“The Expendables.”

“Of course.” I smirked.

“Hey, don’t judge,” he pouted. We both chuckled.

“Song?” I asked.

He groaned. “That’s too hard. I cant possibly select just one. Can I pass?”

“No! Come on, favorite song.”

He thought for a while.” Black Balloon, The Goo Goo Dolls. That's the first song I learned how to play in my guitar.”

I smiled. “Good song. Mine’s The Freshmen.”

It went on for a while and I laughed that he could eat eggs anytime of the day and he didn’t own a single handkerchief because he lost them every time and his mom refused to buy anymore for him. I also couldn’t believe that he ran naked across the street on a dare during freshman year.

 I admitted that I could stay the whole weekend holed up in my room with a stack of books and a bucket of peanuts. Yeah, if you look up the word nerd in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of me right next to it.

“And I play music so loud like a psycho, our house is practically shaking on its foundation,” I confessed. “One time, I was so out of it that I didn’t notice our neighbor has called the cops on me. Good thing, the cop was a friend of dad’s or else, I’m screwed,” I told him, and he was doubled over in laughter.

“Are you always this honest and straightforward?", he questioned after we caught our breaths.

“Not really. I don’t even know why I’m answering all your ridiculous questions,” I said but there was amusement in my voice. I honestly didn’t know why I put up with his prodding, but I felt like I could rely on him not making fun of my quirks.

“Oh, you can always count on me being frank and honest," he confided.

“And always getting your way around people and being outrageously arrogant, too. And cocky and-” I added.

He winced.  “Ouch!” he exclaimed as if I had injured him. Maybe I did his pride.

He asked again. “Since when have you liked Mark?”

I groaned.” Do you really have to ask me about him?”

“You can’t say pass,” he reminded.

“Okay, fine. I like him since 5th grade. He used to sit just behind me and one time, he gave me a piece of paper when I didn’t have one during a quiz. But I don’t think he ever really sees me,” I sighed and looked at him. "I know what you think. I am such an idiot. But really I don’t have any outrageous wish of him even remotely liking me. I’m realistic enough to know that would never happen so please don’t tell him anything.”

He frowned. He gazed at me intently that I had to look away. I didn’t want him to pity me, to see the helpless little girl lurking inside of me.

“How about you? Do you like someone?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from my unrequited love.

Nick nodded. Then he said after a while. “You.”

I snapped my head sharply at him.

“I like you,” he uttered.