Risking it All

10

I knew I had to tell my parents about the kiss. And I had to soon because Nick texted me and said he was coming to pick me up. I walked into the kitchen and found my parents making lunch. Their backs were to me so they didn't see me walk in. Dad opened the refrigerator and Mom was at the stove. I took a deep breath and said, "Mom, Dad, can I talk to you?" Dad shut the fridge door and handed Mom a tomato. He looked at me and said, "Sure. What's up?" He sat down at the table and motioned me to join him. Mom turned the heat on the stove down and sat down with us. "What's wrong?" my mom asked. I inhaled deeply before I said, "Nick and I kissed."
Dead silence. I thought they would either yell or be happy, but they aren't saying anything at all. Finally, Mom said, "Good for you," and she gave me a hug. Dad nodded. I looked back and forth from them. "You aren't mad?" I asked. "Why would we be mad?" Dad said. "Nick is a nice guy and you seem like you're finally happy."
I couldn't believe it. The were actually happy. I thought they would be mad, but they aren't. I stood up and hugged them. "Thank you," I said. I smiled at them, so relieved that they were okay with me dating Nick. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. I walked up to answer it and found Nick standing outside. He was smiling like he had something important to say. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Hey," I said. He said nothing in return. "What's wrong?" Again, nothing. I gave him a look. "Should I be concerned?" I asked. That made him crack. He laughed and said, "Do you want to go on a walk with me?"
"A walk?" I asked. He nodded. "Where?" He shrugged. "Just a walk," he said. I gave a slight laugh. "Nick," I said. "You have to be a little more specific than that." Nick smiled. "Okay," he said. "We're going to one of my favorite places. Better?" I hook my head. "Sure," I agreed. I looked behind me. "Mom, Dad," I called. "Nick and I are going out."
Mom walked to the door. "Call me when you get there," she said. She gave Nick nod hello and hugged me goodbye. "Come on," Nick said. He grabbed my hand and we ran down to his car. As I put on my seatbelt, I said, "Wait, you can drive right?" Nick laughed and said, "Yeah. Don't worry. I won't kill you." He started the engine and pulled out of my driveway. I've never been in the car with Nick before and I never realized how scared I was. I dug my nails into the leather armrest beside me. Nick laughed. "Mackenzie," he said putting on hand on my arm to soothe me and another on the steering wheel. "Relax," I shook my head. I was still hanging on for dear life when we pulled into the parking lot. Nick got out of the car and said, "You can come out now." Like a robot, I unbuckled my seatbelt and slowly got out of the car.
But I got up and looked around.
In front of us, there was nothing but a grass field. To the left, there was a huge oak tree with bright green leaves on the branches. Further down into the field, I could see a small pond. This place was so beautiful it didn't look real. It looked like a painting. I stood there staring at it until Nick joined me. He grabbed my hand. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I shook my head in disbelieve. "Unreal," I whispered. "Come on," he said. He pulled me along down the grass hill and onto the land below. "Take off your shoes," he told me. I shook my head. Nick lowered his head and raised his eyebrows. "There is no way I'm going to take them off, Nick," I said. "Do it," he urged. "You'll want to. Trust me." He looked serious. With a sigh, I flicked my shoes off. My bare foot touched the ground. The freshly cut grass tickled the sole of my foot. I shuddered with excitement.
Nick pulled me by my arm and started to spin me. I spin and spun until I thought I would fall. I pulled away, laughing. Nick grabbed me from behind and pulled me down, tickling me, causing me to laugh like a hyena. When I was out of breath, he got on his side and pulled me in for a hug. I felt loved in a way where nothing else mattered. We walked up to the tree and leaned against the tree. We watches ducks fly into the pond. I've never been so relaxed in my life. It's like, nothing. Nick's phone rang. And I heard bits and pieces of his conversation. "Liza," he said. Pause. Really?" His voice became excited. "Well, no not right now." Pause. "I'm on a date." Pause. "Yes with a girl." Pause.
"Her name is Mackenzie." Nick gave a brief description of me. I gave him a look, telling him to stop. "Okay," he said. "Liza, I got to go. I'll be there later," and he hung up. He rolled his eyes as he put his phone in his pocket. "Liza," he said shaking his head. "Sorry, she wants to know everything about everyone." I laughed. "Must have been something important. What was it?" Nick smiled and said, "My band got booked to play at this really awesome club tomorrow!" My eyebrows raised in surprise and said, "That's great!" I forget that he mentioned something about his band, Cherry Days. I had to know more. "Seriously, why did you name your band Cheery Days?" A small, bittersweet smile can across his face. "My mom's name was Charlene, but everyone called her Cherri. Also, my first electric guitar was cherry red, so I named the band after those things." I smiled, but I was confused. "What happened to your Mom?" I asked. Nick's smile disappeared. "She died when I was ten," he said. My eyes grew huge as he said that. "Nick," I whispered. I put my hand on his arm. I couldn't say anything else. He leaned in and put his head on my shoulder. We sat there, under the tree cuddling. The world didn't stop, it just didn't matter. Nothing even mattered. He looked at me. "You okay?" he asked. I nodded. "Perfect," I said. "Don't say that word," Nick told me. I gave him a look. "Why?" I asked. Nick sat up and said, "Perfect is not a word that exists in my vocabulary." I thought about that. "No one in the world is perfect because the world itself is not," I said after a moment of silence. Nick nodded. "True," he said. And he pulled me and deeper, snuggling closer, pretending the world didn't matter as the rest of the world went on.