********
We drove around the school and then passed a couple of stores. Still, we hadn't arrived at the mystery location he was taking me to.
"Where did the name Banks come from?" I asked him after he made a joke about his name.
He skidded, "Piggy, my first name is Piggy. I was named after my grandpa. I think it's some curse that's been passed down through my family."
"Oh, I thought it was short for Regions Bank," we both laughed even though it was a really stupid joke.
I crossed my legs in the seat and leaned in like I was abundantly enthralled. "Tell me for real."
"Is it your last name?" I asked even though it was the most obvious answer.
"Yeah, I was in JROTC and they go by last names. It stuck I guess. That's why I call Serrano, Mark by his last name and no one else does," I nodded as he spoke.
His hair was blowing around in the wind from the car window majestically. It was almost bird-like.
"Well, now you have to tell me your first name," I batted my eyelashes.
His laugh sounded precious to me, "No. It's the worst, that's why I don't go by it."
I put my fingers in his hair and ruffled it up. "Come on. You know I have a unique name. You don't meet a lot of Daya's," I said hinting that I wasn't giving up until he told me.
"It's Oliver, there I said it," he muttered bashfully.
He looked embarrassed for a second, so to assure him I said, "I really like that name, Ollie."
He shook his head, "No, I have deep-seated name trauma."
"It's a cute name," I smiled.
"Your name is cute," he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Mine is a scrawny little loser's name."
I pushed his head away, "Eyes on the road, Ollie."
After driving around for about... I lost track of time just conversing with him. Finally, I put it together as to where we were headed. More like, I could finally see where we were at. "There's no way, is this... the lighthouse?"
YOU ARE READING
One Week Older: Turning Pages
Teen Fiction"Today, however can change things for better or worse. The outcome depends on you." When a marriage fails the residue trickles down to everyone in the family. Sixteen-year-old Daya Nicole Johnston must fight to understand what is happening in her li...