It was seven a.m. when everyone woke up. We had to be prepared for the parents when they arrived. Lauren and I were getting dressed, and Alison was outside.
"Oh, this is going to be a great day!" Lauren exclaimed as she put on her shoes.
I was in a cranky mood. "Ha!" I yelled. "It's going to be . . . awful!"
"Cheer up, Jenni! You're seeing Cory all day today, and his relatives might win custody any time," Lauren reminded me.
"Oh, I know," I admitted and let out a big sigh. I looked up at the ceiling and stared through it while I proceeded to ruminate. "I'll try to cheer up," I decided.
We walked outside onto the porch into the bright sunshine. The warm air hit us, and there was a beautiful breeze. Alison was sitting cross-legged in the grass, chatting with another camper.
"Let's get going," Lauren suggested. "Flagpole meeting!"
At seven-thirty, I found myself standing across from Cory in the circle. I really liked his outfit today. The white ¾ sleeve top with green and grey piping and faded blue jeans did his body right. His hair was now sun bleached at the tips. I wished I were standing right beside him so I could see his bright blue eyes. His arms were so golden tan. What if some other girl tried to steal him? He looked so damn good I felt I didn't deserve him. He was so hot!
As we were heading to the dining hall for breakfast, I spotted Cory lingering in the entrance. My heart skipped a beat. What a hunk! I decided I would pass him and head straight to the ladies' room to primp, then I would look at my best when I interacted with him.
Why was I starting to feel nervous? I walked in with Lauren and Dale, ready to coast past Cory when he grabbed my arm. "Where did you go after flag break, I was looking for you," I blurted to Cory. Damn. Big mouth!
Cory looked puzzled. "I was looking for you, too. I have something I want to give you."
"You do? I mean, I...um..."
"Uh, we'll be waiting for you guys in here." Dale motioned toward the dining tables, and Cory nodded.
We found a single bench surrounded by flowers and sat down together.
"Jenni, I want you to have this, and keep it, as long as we're together. It's mine."
Cory handed me a gold chain with a cross pendant on it. The cross was studded with six diamonds. I'd seen him wearing it around his neck before almost always. Even in the water.
"Oh my gosh, Cory!" I exclaimed. "Are you sure you want me to have it? I mean, it's yours!" He'd already given me the turquoise pendant, so I was surprised to be getting a second one.
"Of course," he said softly. "It's one of my most personal possessions, but that's why I'm giving it to you."
I handed the chain to him, and he put it around my neck. I felt truly touched. He must really care about me on some level if he'd given me two pendants, one of them being a personal item he regularly wore. He must actually have feelings for me. I felt like I didn't deserve this kind of happiness. It was almost too good to be true. But I had to allow myself to be happy with it.
Listen, you're allowed to have happiness, I told myself. Don't ruin it! You're not a horrible person. Sometimes I thought that because I made bad decisions, it made me an awful person and that everything I got involved with would go wrong. But my therapist told me I was a valuable person, that negative behavior doesn't mean a person is terrible as I initially thought. You have to separate the action from the person.
"Thank you very much, Cory," I said, giving him a long hug. Then we kissed a soft romantic kiss that gave me chills from my head to my toes. I tried to think of what the therapist told me. I was a worthy person who deserves happiness.
YOU ARE READING
Heat Lightning
Teen FictionJenni Easton, age 16, is going through an introverted phase and just wants to stay in her room and read and write and draw. She also has mood swings and outbursts and disabling fear of the water. Her parents, worried that she doesn't socialize enoug...