darling, you're different

Chapter 5 - Cherry Blossoms are Good for the Soul

I walked out of the house, still furious. I'm fucking eighteen years old! I don't need Miya telling me what to do with my life. We silently walked down the street to Jonah's house. In the driveway, a dark blue Ford 150 4x4 stood parked perfectly.

"Where do you want to go?" Jonah asked in a quiet voice. I sighed. Anywhere, I wanted to say.

"I don't know"

"How about the diner downtown?"

"I'm not hungry"

"The park?"

"Too many people"

"I have an idea" He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his car.

"Buckle your seatbelt," I told him, acting like a mom. He looked at me and chuckled while pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder.

"So...do you care to tell me why you're so angry? Your dad and I heard yelling from wherever you and your mom walke-"

"She's not my mom" I clenched my jaw. People thinking Miya was my mom was a common mistake for me, but right now, I can't laugh it off. Jonah looked at me. I kept my eyes on the abandoned back roads. I felt his stormy blue eyes staring into my soul.

"I'm sorry-

"It's fine. You didn't know, now what were you saying before?"

"Uh well we heard yelling and fighting, then you came storming into the kitchen. Your dad was telling me about what the best woodwork is for a farmhouse. He's an interesting guy, your Dad." Jonah's eye shone as he told me about the five-minute conversation he had with my Dad while Miya was busy telling me what to do.

"Well, as I said, Miya, my Dad's girlfriend, told me not to hang out with you. I asked her why then she yelled at me. She never yells at me, regardless tell me how to live my life."

"So, I was angry that she was trying to boss me around. I'm 18 years old for God's sake. I yelled back at her. I said something like, 'You're not my mom, you can't control me!'. I could see the hurt etched across her face and I kinda regret saying it." I sighed. Why does life always have to be so complicated?

"Oh" was all Jonah said. We drove for another five minutes in silence.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mom?" he asked hesitantly. I sighed once again. I want to say I'm over her death, but I know it will always be hard for me to talk about.

"Wellll...she uh,..." I felt my throat go dry. Jonah grabbed my hand, which was lying awkwardly on the console and clammy. He squeezed it tightly before speaking again.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me"

It's weird. You would think Jonah was a big bully outside of school just like he was inside of school. The guy holding my hand and being nice to me now, you'd never imagine he punched a freshman at lunch because he wanted money.

"Jonah?"

"Yea?"

"You're weird"

He chuckled.

"I know"

"I mean, you're so different from what I saw earlier today in the cafeteria and at the tryouts. You're calmer. Charismatic, funny, and sweet. Why?" He turned his head slightly to look at me. The was some kind of flicker in his eyes, but I couldn't tell what.

The sun was still out, but I checked and saw it would go down in just 45 minutes. I still had no idea where Jonah was driving us and he never said anything about COMPLETELY changing his mood outside of school. We drove another five minutes when he pulled to the side of the road.