Stonebrook High School

Chapter 81

Hey, everyone!

Sorry about the sudden disappearance lol I had family over for Winter break and... well, it was kind of annoying. But I should be okay now :)

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"Jesse, where are you taking me?"

He pulled her along by the wrist, unwilling to spill anything he had planned. "You'll see, Petra! Don't worry about it until we get there."

The tan-skinned male covered his eyes as he turned around to look at the much lighter-toned female he was dragging. The sun bounced off her skin and he couldn't help but feel like she was actually shining in the light. "Okay. I need you to close your eyes once we get in the bus, alright?"

"The... bus? Jesse, how far are we going?"

"I told you, don't worry about it!"

"Am I being kidnapped?"

"What- no! Just do it, please?"

Petra rolled her eyes and slackened her arm. "Okay, okay, fine."

Jesse helped the girl up the steps of the bus and watched as she closed her eyes, making sure they stayed that way for the entirety of the drive. A few stops later, he gently guided her off and pulled her a little farther down the street. Making sure to position her directly in front, he let go of her and counted up.

"Alright, 3... 2... 1... open your eyes!"

His face curled into a perpetual grin as Petra caught sight of what she was standing in front of. She scrunched her brows in confusion. "A cafe? What are we doing here?"

"Getting some hot drinks, duh! Now, turn around and look behind you."

Petra whirled around to see where they were and she audibly gasped as the green expanse came into view past the speeding cars. "Emerald Park? I haven't been here in... years."

Jesse stood next to her and explained why he decided to come here. "That memory you brought up a while ago - when we were kids and our parents were throwing pies? It was kinda goofy but I thought instead of a normal date like dinner – since I'm broke – we could go down memory lane and enjoy what we already have instead of wasting time at some fancy restaurant!"

"Since when were you so frugal?" The senior scoffed playfully at the junior and swept her hair over her shoulder. "I could never understand your thought process. But... I like the idea. So what are you gonna buy me?"

"I was going to ask what you wanted, m'lady."

"O-okay, you don't need to say that!"

"I see that blush. Is the madam thinking of something else...?"

"Stop! I'm gonna punch your face!"

~*Ω*~

They exited the cafe with their drinks in hand, cupping them to their face to ward off the cold wind. Jesse's drink was a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream and Petra's was a soothing honey and ginger tea that he had convinced her to try out since she didn't know what to buy.

Crossing the street, they walked into Emerald Park, the grass still as green as its name, and Petra bent down and touched it. "It even feels the same," she half-jokingly scoffed, face softening. "I can't believe it's been that long."

Jesse pointed to somewhere in the distance, a tree that he had had his eye on for a while. "Hey, let's go over there. Come on."

He pulled her by the arm again and brought her over, scouring the ground for something. It's here somewhere, I remember, he thought.

Petra watched him with interest, trying to find what he was finding before he found it himself. "What are you looking at?"

"Hold on. You'll see." All of a sudden, Jesse began prying rocks out of the ground and digging dirt out of a pocket, trying to brush away any extra gravel in the way. She couldn't help but watch as he struggled to lift a particularly lodged rock out of the earth. Suddenly, with a great heave, the rock came out and underneath it, something glinted.

"There!" he called out. "Help me pull this out." Although still confused, Petra scrambled to his side and helped Jesse lift the object, trying as hard as she could to break the dirt.

With a final pull, Jesse tried with all his might to bring his arm up and suddenly fell backward onto his bottom. Petra was right beside him, also on the ground, and he turned to look in front of him.

A metal box covered in dirt and rust stood at his feet, worn out from time. He laughed in excitement and grabbed the box, hurrying to open it.

"Jace, what is this?" Petra couldn't help but question everything right now and he didn't blame her. After all, he did bring her to the park as a date but then suddenly turned into a dog and dug a hole instead.

"It's something from your parents."

A gasp. Jesse looked up behind him and saw Petra covering her mouth with her hand. "My... parents?" she whispered. "Are you serious? No way. You have to be messing with me right now."

"I'm really not, Peets. Here, why don't you open it instead?" He moved aside to let his date open the box, waiting for her to move.

Hesitantly, Petra knelt down and began trying to open it. After a few minutes, the box clicked open and the two looked at each other. Petra continued to lift the lid over to find a dark blue cloth covering the contents.

"Whenever you want to, Petra," Jesse said, waiting for her reaction to what was inside.

As she picked up the cloth, Petra froze up and couldn't pry her eyes off the small picture frame inside. In the frame was a photo in pristine condition, proudly displaying a young redhead smiling with two adults at her side. Petra and her parents. Jesse encouraged her to pick it up. With the picture frame out, the two of them could clearly see what had been hiding underneath for years. Below, there was a folded white envelope, wrinkled over time but still retaining the stains from its origin. To its side, there were smaller boxes in different colors in different sizes. Knowing that these weren't for him, Jesse stepped aside and allowed her to go through the contents by herself, sitting on the other side of the tree with his back to it.

"They told me to get that for you when we were older," Jesse began. "Had they known they were going to leave like that, I think they would have added more to the box, but this is what they left behind. I know I called this a date, but I thought it would be the perfect time to get this. I hope you're okay with that, Peets."

He heard a small sniffle from behind him, desperately hoping he didn't say anything wrong. "No," she said from the other side, "it's amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much, Jesse. I- oof, I'm embarrassed to say it. I really love you. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Jesse's face turned bright red and he attempted to fan his face to cool it down. He couldn't help but smile at her bravery; he knew she was too proud to say something like that normally while crying. "I love you too, Petra. And I know your parents still love you to this day." He chuckled lightly, looking up at the leaves above him. "I always knew you were a big softie."

She scoffed at him. "You'll never be able to prove it."