A Chance Encounter
Chapter 14
I look at Jamia apologetically, “Um, I’ll be right back.” With no other explanation I run after Gerard. Why am I doing this? I like to think it’s because I want to preserve our friendship. He’s only a couple yards away and I catch up quickly. I grab his arm and spin him around.
He glares at me, “What do you want?”
“Really?” I counter, “You just stormed out of a place you were clearly intending to go to. What do you think I want? An explanation!”
“Oh, you want an explanation?! What about me, Frank? Who were you with in there?!”
This could go one of two ways, depending on what I say. It will either end in Gerard never talking to me again and being heart broken and depressed, or it will end with everything intact. Gerard will believe a half truth that causes him to continue chasing after me…So, basically, it’s my sanity or his. Which do I care about more?
“She’s my fucking stepsister you moron!” well, that answers that question, “Not that it really matters. Newsflash: we’re not dating! And I’m not interested!”
I expect him to look slightly hurt at that, but instead he gets angrier, “Then why the fuck are you leading me on so much?! You need to grow up, Frank, because I don’t think you really know what you want. You keep saying one thing and showing another. And I’m fucking sick of it! Come see me when you’ve sorted your life out.”
And he’s gone. That is seriously not how I saw that turning out. I tried to spare his feelings, I really did. I guess I just let my anger get ahold of me…Bad move, Frank. Really bad move. Sighing, I go back in the shop and sit next to my lukewarm coffee. Ah, caffeine. Just what I need.
“Are you okay?” Jamia asks.
I set down the drink that I was chugging, “Yeah, why?”
“Well, you left pretty quick, and you were angry when you came back. What was out there?”
I shrug, “Nobody that I need to concern myself with.” Lie. Big, fat, would you like fries with that lie. I’m really concerned. I could have just caused even more problems for Gerard. Worse, I could have caused problems between Mikey and I. Fuck, I need another cigarette. “Anyway, let’s go home.”
She looks like she doesn’t believe me, but nods, “All right. Just…If something ever is wrong…You can talk to me, okay?”
I believe her. She just doesn’t seem the type to judge you for your problems. Maybe she would be good to vent to. Then again, what if she does like Gerard and Mikey and tries to tell me I’m in love with Gerard? That’s clearly not true, because I’m here with Jamia right now. I just nod and drive us home.
…
The next couple weeks go by really quickly. Mikey stays talking to me, and doesn’t seem at all fazed in our friendship. I guess Gerard just didn’t tell him what happened, or something. Anyway, Jamia and I go on some more dates. It’s not long before we’re in that stage where you hold hands when you walk down the hall, which you do every hour even if one of your classes is right next door to the one you came from. I don’t understand this very much, because we see each other all the time anyway. Guess it just seems natural.
Mom hasn’t caught on yet. Or if she has, she doesn’t care. I still don’t know if it’s right to date Jamia, though. I mean, she will be my stepsister one day. That day doesn’t seem very close, but still…I don’t see it not happening with how close Mom’s gotten to Jamia’s dad. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
It’s the second week in October now, and my birthday is twenty days away. Yes, I’m one of those weirdos who counts down to their birthday. I can’t help myself. It’s usually the highlight of my year. Anyway, I’m sitting in Jamia’s room (because I still don’t have one) playing pansy with her leaning against my shoulder. Suddenly, she sits up. She gets a really large grin on her face.
“Let’s go do something fun! It’s Friday, after all!”
I raise an eyebrow at her, but don’t stop strumming, “Define ‘fun.’”
She thinks for a second, “I dunno. What is there to do in this town that we haven’t done?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh…well, then you pick something.”
An idea hits me, “We could go camp in the park. My dad used to take me all the time.”
She squeals, “That’s so romantic! Yes! Let’s do it!”
“All right. Let me just go run it by Mom.” I walk to her room where she’s putting on makeup. Maybe she’s going out too, “Hey, Mom?”
“Hm?”
“You know that park down the road?”
“Mmhmm, what about it?”
“Do you think it would be all right if I take Jamia camping over there tonight? We’ll be careful, I promise.”
She sets her eyeliner down, “You expect me to let you go unsupervised, all night, in a tent with a girl who you clearly have feelings for?”
“Uh…yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”
She smiles, “Well, I trust you not to do anything stupid, Frankie. You kids go have fun.”
I smile and hug her, “Thanks so much!” then I’m off through the house. I have to grab the tent, of course. Then I get a pack of hot dogs and a bag of marshmallows. I have no idea why we have marshmallows, but whatever. Then I grab some heavy blankets (I mean, it is October) and a couple pillows. Finally ready to go, I return to the room where Jamia is still waiting for me.
“Well?”
“It’s a go. Only one decision left: walk or drive?”
“That depends. Is that pile of stuff behind you what we’re taking?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Drive.”
It takes about two seconds to get there by car, and then we’re setting up. The tent is really fun, because one of us has to stand in the middle of it while the other puts the stakes in the ground. Then we roll out the blankets. It looks really cozy in there. It’s not time for curling up yet, though. I pull out my lighter and head over to a fire pit that’s just always been here. Once it’s good and blazing I find a couple of sticks and pull out our dinner. Jamia giggles when she sees the marshmallows and stuffs one in her mouth.
We chat idly as we roast our hotdogs and take turns shoving marshmallows in each other’s mouths. It feels just like a cheesy movie montage…except it’s actually happening to me. Whenever we can’t eat anymore, we snuggle up under the blankets and hold each other. It feels so nice.
“I wish we could watch the stars,” Jamia sighs.
“Hmmm…well, I think there’s an opening in the roof if you pull that zipper,” I say, pointing.
“Then why isn’t it open?” she reaches up and undoes it. Suddenly we’re covered by a blanket of stars. They look so beautiful, “It’s magical.”
I turn to look at Jamia, who’s smiling, “I’m glad you’re happy.”
She turns that smile on me and I feel what’s about to happen. We both lean in to connect our lips, and I feel…Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
There are no fireworks, sparks, or super connections. It’s just a kiss, like I would share with my mom when I was little. There’s nothing special in it at all.
We pull away at the same time, and Jamia searches my face, “That felt…wrong.”
I let out a breath, “Oh, good, it’s not just me.”
She lies back on her pillow, “To think I finally find an amazing guy and he’s wrong for me. Good night, Frank.”
She rolls over, clearly discouraging further conversation. That scares me, because it leaves me alone with my thoughts. One thought in particular: if Jamia’s the wrong girl…Who’s the right one?
He glares at me, “What do you want?”
“Really?” I counter, “You just stormed out of a place you were clearly intending to go to. What do you think I want? An explanation!”
“Oh, you want an explanation?! What about me, Frank? Who were you with in there?!”
This could go one of two ways, depending on what I say. It will either end in Gerard never talking to me again and being heart broken and depressed, or it will end with everything intact. Gerard will believe a half truth that causes him to continue chasing after me…So, basically, it’s my sanity or his. Which do I care about more?
“She’s my fucking stepsister you moron!” well, that answers that question, “Not that it really matters. Newsflash: we’re not dating! And I’m not interested!”
I expect him to look slightly hurt at that, but instead he gets angrier, “Then why the fuck are you leading me on so much?! You need to grow up, Frank, because I don’t think you really know what you want. You keep saying one thing and showing another. And I’m fucking sick of it! Come see me when you’ve sorted your life out.”
And he’s gone. That is seriously not how I saw that turning out. I tried to spare his feelings, I really did. I guess I just let my anger get ahold of me…Bad move, Frank. Really bad move. Sighing, I go back in the shop and sit next to my lukewarm coffee. Ah, caffeine. Just what I need.
“Are you okay?” Jamia asks.
I set down the drink that I was chugging, “Yeah, why?”
“Well, you left pretty quick, and you were angry when you came back. What was out there?”
I shrug, “Nobody that I need to concern myself with.” Lie. Big, fat, would you like fries with that lie. I’m really concerned. I could have just caused even more problems for Gerard. Worse, I could have caused problems between Mikey and I. Fuck, I need another cigarette. “Anyway, let’s go home.”
She looks like she doesn’t believe me, but nods, “All right. Just…If something ever is wrong…You can talk to me, okay?”
I believe her. She just doesn’t seem the type to judge you for your problems. Maybe she would be good to vent to. Then again, what if she does like Gerard and Mikey and tries to tell me I’m in love with Gerard? That’s clearly not true, because I’m here with Jamia right now. I just nod and drive us home.
…
The next couple weeks go by really quickly. Mikey stays talking to me, and doesn’t seem at all fazed in our friendship. I guess Gerard just didn’t tell him what happened, or something. Anyway, Jamia and I go on some more dates. It’s not long before we’re in that stage where you hold hands when you walk down the hall, which you do every hour even if one of your classes is right next door to the one you came from. I don’t understand this very much, because we see each other all the time anyway. Guess it just seems natural.
Mom hasn’t caught on yet. Or if she has, she doesn’t care. I still don’t know if it’s right to date Jamia, though. I mean, she will be my stepsister one day. That day doesn’t seem very close, but still…I don’t see it not happening with how close Mom’s gotten to Jamia’s dad. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
It’s the second week in October now, and my birthday is twenty days away. Yes, I’m one of those weirdos who counts down to their birthday. I can’t help myself. It’s usually the highlight of my year. Anyway, I’m sitting in Jamia’s room (because I still don’t have one) playing pansy with her leaning against my shoulder. Suddenly, she sits up. She gets a really large grin on her face.
“Let’s go do something fun! It’s Friday, after all!”
I raise an eyebrow at her, but don’t stop strumming, “Define ‘fun.’”
She thinks for a second, “I dunno. What is there to do in this town that we haven’t done?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh…well, then you pick something.”
An idea hits me, “We could go camp in the park. My dad used to take me all the time.”
She squeals, “That’s so romantic! Yes! Let’s do it!”
“All right. Let me just go run it by Mom.” I walk to her room where she’s putting on makeup. Maybe she’s going out too, “Hey, Mom?”
“Hm?”
“You know that park down the road?”
“Mmhmm, what about it?”
“Do you think it would be all right if I take Jamia camping over there tonight? We’ll be careful, I promise.”
She sets her eyeliner down, “You expect me to let you go unsupervised, all night, in a tent with a girl who you clearly have feelings for?”
“Uh…yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”
She smiles, “Well, I trust you not to do anything stupid, Frankie. You kids go have fun.”
I smile and hug her, “Thanks so much!” then I’m off through the house. I have to grab the tent, of course. Then I get a pack of hot dogs and a bag of marshmallows. I have no idea why we have marshmallows, but whatever. Then I grab some heavy blankets (I mean, it is October) and a couple pillows. Finally ready to go, I return to the room where Jamia is still waiting for me.
“Well?”
“It’s a go. Only one decision left: walk or drive?”
“That depends. Is that pile of stuff behind you what we’re taking?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Drive.”
It takes about two seconds to get there by car, and then we’re setting up. The tent is really fun, because one of us has to stand in the middle of it while the other puts the stakes in the ground. Then we roll out the blankets. It looks really cozy in there. It’s not time for curling up yet, though. I pull out my lighter and head over to a fire pit that’s just always been here. Once it’s good and blazing I find a couple of sticks and pull out our dinner. Jamia giggles when she sees the marshmallows and stuffs one in her mouth.
We chat idly as we roast our hotdogs and take turns shoving marshmallows in each other’s mouths. It feels just like a cheesy movie montage…except it’s actually happening to me. Whenever we can’t eat anymore, we snuggle up under the blankets and hold each other. It feels so nice.
“I wish we could watch the stars,” Jamia sighs.
“Hmmm…well, I think there’s an opening in the roof if you pull that zipper,” I say, pointing.
“Then why isn’t it open?” she reaches up and undoes it. Suddenly we’re covered by a blanket of stars. They look so beautiful, “It’s magical.”
I turn to look at Jamia, who’s smiling, “I’m glad you’re happy.”
She turns that smile on me and I feel what’s about to happen. We both lean in to connect our lips, and I feel…Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
There are no fireworks, sparks, or super connections. It’s just a kiss, like I would share with my mom when I was little. There’s nothing special in it at all.
We pull away at the same time, and Jamia searches my face, “That felt…wrong.”
I let out a breath, “Oh, good, it’s not just me.”
She lies back on her pillow, “To think I finally find an amazing guy and he’s wrong for me. Good night, Frank.”
She rolls over, clearly discouraging further conversation. That scares me, because it leaves me alone with my thoughts. One thought in particular: if Jamia’s the wrong girl…Who’s the right one?
8/11/13