Trust Issues

Chapter 3 - Date night

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock ringing. My mom was still upset with me from last night. She couldn't believe that I would skip my first day of school. Little did she know, neither could I.
I decided to keep my hair straightened and my outfit basic. After all, that's my style anyways.

I know that I have time to come home and change my outfit for "date night" with Parker. But what honestly confused me, was I don't know if it's actually a date or not. We could just be going out as friends.
"You're going to miss your bus." My mom yelled up the stairs.
"Bus? I'm driving." I called back as I was walking down the stairs.
"No. You're taking the bus. After last night, you have no car."
I haven't seen my mom the serious in months. She always played the "cool mom". I guess I scared her last night.
I decided not to argue with her. If I did, she definitely wouldn't let me go out tonight.
The bus ride was quiet. When I got on it, everyone looked at me, but as I sat down, no one cared. I was old news.
This random girl came and sat in my seat. She was blond and you could tell she was full of it.
"So new girl, you need to stay away from Parker. He's mine. Go find someone else." She had said.
"My name's Leilani. Nice to meet you too. And anyways, he's all yours. I don't want anyone's sloppy seconds." I told her boldly.
She smiled and left my seat. I looked over to she where she had gone, and she was a couple seats ahead of me, pointing and whispering to a nearby girl. She was the last thing I needed to get involved in.
The bus stopped and I walked into the school. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. All I knew is I wanted off that bus. Suddenly, I felt this body shift into mine.
I had ran into someone's chest. I didn't want to look up, but I had too. As I looked up, I realized it was Parker.
"You just can't get enough of me, can ya?" He teased.
I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I wanted to keep talking to him, but that girl. She was staring, and if I'm being honest with myself, I don't have the energy to deal with her today, or any day for that matter.
"Hey. What's up. You're acting different." Parker said as he caught up to me.
"Maybe it's because your ex is after me, and quite frankly, I'm not down for that."
"Who? Heather? She's not my ex." Parker said in a concerning voice.
I looked at him confused. If she wasn't his ex, who was she, and what did it matter if Parker and I where friends?
"Her and I were friends. But she slowly started to like me. I tried to push her away and drop a hint. She never picked up what I was putting down. Eventually, she got more and more obsessed."
"Oh. I'm -- I'm sorry."
"Yeah. It's okay I guess. Anyways, we still on for tonight?" He asked.
"Yeah. 7 right?" I asked.
"Yep. I'll be at your house. Dress cute." He said with a smile.
"I'm not sure that's possible with me, but I'll try." I said jokingly.
Parker laughed and the last bell rang indicating that we would soon be tardy if we weren't in class. He walked me to class. After all, we had the same class.
The day was pretty boring. It was just teachers telling us about the classroom rules and what we would need for the upcoming weeks of school.
I couldn't stop thinking about Heather. What if Parker only thought of us as friends. What if he had no intention of staying, just like Liam.
The final bell rang. It was time to go home and try to find a "cute" outfit, whatever that is. And over-think if  Paker and I going out is a date or a friendly thing.
I finally got home after that long bus ride. It was mostly Heather looking over her shoulder to whisper about me. My outfit ... I tried to the best of my ability...

If I'm being honest, it is a little casual, but that's okay. Parker can appreciate my outfit even if it's basic.
The time kept moving so slow, but then it finally reached 7. Luckily, my mom agreed to let me go out as long as she could meet Parker.
I heard Parkers black Jeep pull into the driveway. My mom immediately got up to go outside. I followed behind her.
"Hi. You must be Parker. I'm Leilani's mom." She said as she took Parker's hand to shake it.
"Hey. How are you?" Parker asked as he shook my mom's hand.
My mom replied back with a simple "Good." She set some rules. The most stressed one was that  I have to be back by 11.
Parker shook his head in agreement and I hopped in the car to avoid anymore awkward conversation.
"So where are we going?" I asked.
"It's a mystery, but just between us, it's dinner at a new restaurant." Paker said as he smiled.
"That's great." I laughed.
"By the way, you look great Leilani." He said as he turned to look at me.
I couldn't help but smile. I could feel my face turning red as those words slipped his mouth.
The car ride was short. It turns out, the restaurant wasn't far from my house. He got out of the car and ran to my side. Parker opened the door and grabbed my hand. I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Why are you laughing?" Parker joked.
I hopped out of the car and took his hand.
He led the way into the restaurant still holding my hand. Parker knew how to be a gentleman, which surprised me. Just a little.
"What do you wanna eat?" Parker asked.
"Whatever you're getting." I said.
  "Steak it is." He laughed.
  Our waiter kept looking Parker up and down. It got very uncomfortable at some points. And when she wasn't taking the hint, Parker put his hand on top of mine.
"I'll be back with the check." She said in a rush.
Parker leaned in closer to me. He looked even better close up. I had no idea that was even possible.
"Thank you for letting me take you out tonight." Parker whispered in my ear.
My face started turning red. He was close and all I wanted to do was close the distance between us.
His hand grazed mine and I looked up at him. Before I knew anything else, we were kissing. I tried to take it all in, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried. It was to much for me. Everything hit me at once. I backed out of the kiss.
"I'm sorry." I said as I looked at our hands interlocked.
"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to apologize." Parker said.
"It's just. If Liam could leave me, anyone can." I said still looking at our hands.
"Who's Liam?" He said looking up at me curiously.
I paused. Parker gave me every reason to trust him, and I know now, I can trust him.
"Liam .... He was my dad."
-- To be continued:) --