[ C h a p t e r - T w e n t y - E i g h t ]

Chapter 28

“What are you going to wear?” my mother asked me. I shrugged as I rested my head in my hands.

“I don’t know,” I muttered.

“Where are you going to go?” my mother questioned.

I groaned, shaking my head. “I don’t know.”

“What are you guys going to do?” my mom inquired and I sat up.

“I don’t know, mom,” I hastily muttered. She raised an eyebrow at me. “I’m sorry; I just don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean, baby?” my mom asked me.

I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers escaping through the damp, tangled curls. “I really like him.”

“I know," she replied.

“No, you don’t. He doesn’t like me. Dad was your high school sweetheart so you have no idea what it’s like to truly like somebody and have them deny you,” I snapped.

My mother shook her head. “You’re right, I don’t know what it was like but I do know that he didn’t deny you.”

“Not yet, mom, but I can tell that he’s going to soon,” I muttered and my mother rolled her eyes.

She stood up. “I doubt he will.”

“You also assumed that Jer would pass the third grade with straight A’s,” I muttered as my mom glared at me.

“He was close!”

“Straight C’s is nowhere near close, mom!” I replied as she exited my room.

~~~

“Where are we going?” I asked Jonah as he continued driving in silence.

“Somewhere fun; don’t worry,” he stated as he continued driving. I sighed as we drove in silence.

I was quiet for a few moments before I groaned loudly. “Just tell me where we’re going.”

“I said don’t worry,” Jonah muttered in a sing-song voice. I glared at him.

“You expect me not to worry?” I drawled as I rested my head dramatically onto the headrest.

Jonah sighed before turning on the radio. I turned to look at him as the station blasted Taylor Swift. You see, I have nothing against Taylor Swift; in fact- I enjoy her music. It’s quite catchy. The thing is, Taylor Swift seemed to be Jonah’s favorite artist…but I doubt he’d admit it. He fumbled to turn off the radio but I swatted his hand away.

“Do you like this song?” I asked Jonah and he scoffed overdramatically.

He even tossed an eye roll in before his answer. “No, this station was left on when the twins were in the car," he lied.

I gave him a flat look. “Oh really?”

“Yeah, really,” he fibbed as he looked at the radio anxiously. A familiar tune came on the radio and I smirked.

“So, you don’t know every word to this song?” I asked Jonah and he shook his head.  I began humming along to the beginning notes.

He was humming quietly and I decided to start singing. “I was driving shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car; he had a one hand feel on the steering wheel, the other on my heart!”

I turned to Jonah as he mumbled the next verse. I nudged him and he sang louder. “He looked around, turned the radio down and said ‘baby is something wrong?’”

“I said nothing; I was just thinking how we don’t have a song. And he said...” I exclaimed as we pulled up to a stop light.

“Our song is a slamming screen door, sneaking out late, tapping on your window! When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow cause it’s late and your momma don’t know! Our song is the way you laugh, the first date, man I didn’t kiss her and I should have!” he belted out.

We continued singing along, ignoring the odd stares from people beside us at the red light. When we finally stopped singing, I turned to Jonah with a smirk on my face. “Don’t know the song, huh?”

He gave me a sheepish smile. “I may have remembered the lyrics.”

I rolled my eyes as I rested my head against the window. It’s the 14th, Valentine’s Day, the day after the Valentine’s Day dance, and three days before my seventeenth birthday. Jonah's still holding my hand and kissing my cheek, even though Caleb was convinced a while ago.

Now, it just seems like we’re a couple, a normal couple, one that shares kisses and talks about their future. Although our kisses are on the cheek and our plans about the future usually include upcoming projects and what we want to do when we turn 21.

Even though Jonah was still holding my hand and kissing my cheek, I was upset. Not because I didn’t enjoy the butterflies that erupted in my stomach each time I looked at him or when our hands touched, or even when his lips pecked my cheek; no, I just don’t want this to end.

We slowed to a stop at a wooden area. I furrowed my eyebrows as I turned to look at Jonah who grinned at me. “A nature park?”

“Yes,” Jonah replied as he opened his car door. Before I could open mine, Jonah beat me to it, holding the door open while his other hand was extended to help me up. I guess Jonah wanted to take advantage of this nice weather, it was 60 degrees Fahrenheit and it was actually sunny. Rather than the usual cloudy weather; it was bright and the sun was in the sky.

I allowed Jonah to take my hand as we walked over a small bridge, one that was above a running river. We saw small fish jumping out of the water before abruptly landing back into the stream. I pointed to a frog that was resting on a rock and Jonah laughed as its tongue extended to capture a fly.

We continued walking and we came upon a lake. I realized that the bridge we were on was higher up and we could see over the lake. “Do you see it?”

I turned to look at Jonah with a confused look on my face. I looked over at the lake again before meeting Jonah’s gaze once more. I plastered an impatient look on my face. “No, what is it?”

Instead of pointing like a normal person, Jonah stood beside me, his side pressed against mine. His head was beside mine, his breath fanning against my ear. He lifted his hand and turned my face in the direction of whatever it was that he wanted me to look at. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “It’s a deer."

I ignored the shivers that ran down my spine and narrowed my eyes. I saw a light colored figure hidden in the trees. Jonah’s breath fanned across my neck and I held back a shiver. I didn’t trust myself to speak so instead, I just nodded. We moved on after about five minutes of watching the deer watch us. We moved on towards a wooded area.

I heard soft patters of feet as Jonah loudly stomped across the bridge. I reached out and grabbed his arm as I stared at a fox that was standing straight. Jonah turned to look at me, a confused look on his face. “Do you see it?”

Jonah looked around before shaking his head. “See what?”

I stood on my tiptoes and turned his face towards the direction of the fox. I let my hand linger on his cheek while the other hand rested on his shoulder, mainly for balance but it was also warm under my fingers. “See it now?”

Jonah nodded as he watched the fox. It slowly trotted away and I smirked as we continued walking, hand in hand. It was silent as we looked at the plants and the trees. “What’s your middle name?”

I turned to look at Jonah before I furrowed my eyebrows. “Taylor, why?”

“Nothing…Savannah Taylor Harp,” Jonah was obviously thinking about something as he nodded his head, a small smile appearing on his lips.

I ignored the burning curiosity in the pit of my stomach. It was the curiosity that killed the cat. Instead, I continued thinking about the thoughts that wafted through my mind. I repeated the words in my head over and over again. Savannah Taylor Davis. Savannah Taylor Davis.

“What are you thinking about?” Jonah asked me, pulling me away from my thoughts.

I looked up at him, shrugging. “Nothing, why do you ask?”

“You’re smiling creepily; you’re ruining our chances of seeing anymore wildlife,” he joked and I bumped my shoulder into his, or at least I tried to. He rolled his eyes at my failed attempt to hit his shoulder. “You’re too short.”

“Or maybe you’re just too tall,” I retorted and he playfully glared at me. I liked our playful banter. I hope he did, too.

~~~

We ended the trail and got back into the car, driving to our next location slowly. Before I even had the chance to ask where we were going, Jonah cut me off. “Want to play a game?”

“What is this? Saw?” I asked him, laughing. He chuckled before shaking his head.

He gave me a sideways glance. “Would you rather? That game, want to play it?”

“That game, yes I would.” I mocked him and he glared at me for a moment before smiling.

“Would you rather kiss a homeless man’s foot or lick a dirty sidewalk?” he asked me and I scowled in disgust.

“You’re disgusting! What’s your problem?” I asked him and he gave me an innocent look. “Bring on the dirty sidewalk.”

“You’re so gross! You can forget about that one month kiss if you go around licking sidewalks for fun!” he exclaimed as he inched away from me.

“You’re the one asking! I had to answer!” I replied.

“Shut it, you sidewalk licker. I don’t want your dirty sidewalk breath invading my car," he smirked at me, earning a glare in response. “Now ask me a question.”

“Would you rather kiss Alex Pettyfer or Channing Tatum?” I asked him out of pure interest. He thought for a moment.

“This doesn’t mean I like guys…but I’d have to say Channing Tatum," he replied as he rubbed his chin with one hand. “But I don’t like guys.”

I snickered. “I pictured you as a Channing Tatum sort of guy.”

He shrugged. “Well he’s magic…Magic Mike.”

I let out a loud laugh, shaking my head at his stupid joke. “Your turn, loser.”

“Okay, um, would you rather eat a giraffes tongue or make out with an old man?” Jonah asked.

“Is it cooked?” I questioned as I bit my lip.

“Well…if we cooked an old man, it’d be considered cannibalism,” he replied and I furrowed my eyebrows.

“What are you talking about? I was asking about the giraffe tongue,” I stated and Jonah nodded, making an ‘oh’ sound.

Jonah thought for a moment while I stared at him. “No, you have to eat the giraffe’s tongue raw… but it’s warm from the blood inside of it.”

I curled my upper lip in disgust. “Do I get utensils?”

“Why would you need utensils? You just bite it,” Jonah replied.

“I can cut it into bite size pieces,” I responded as I nearly gagged. Jonah sighed but nodded. “Then, I’d eat the giraffe tongue.”

“What if the old man was a really good kisser?” he asked and I shook my head vigorously.

“Would you rather be able to read minds or fly and why?” I asked Jonah as I rested my hand against my face.

He thought while tapping the steering wheel as we waited at the red light. “I’d rather be able to read minds; it’d be easier to see what people think of you. You’d be able to be better friends with someone.”

I nodded my head. “That’s good reasoning.”

“Would you rather eat a bucket full of live cockroaches or a dead pigeon?” he asked me casually, as if he was asking what I wanted for dinner.

“Seriously, dude, what's wrong with you? That’s disgusting,” I drawled as I imagined both of the things sitting in front of me. “I’m not answering it.”

“You have to,” Jonah whined.

“No! Give me a dare or something; I’m not answering it.”

Jonah groaned. “You’re over-dramatic.”

"I'm not answering it, and that's final," I told him. Glaring at me, he sighed.

“Now for your dare,” Jonah stopped the car. I noticed that we were beside a park. I furrowed my eyebrows as he opened my car door. “You’re going to propose to me.”

“In front of all these people?” I hissed. Obviously, it’s completely normal for a teenager to propose…as long as it’s not in front of a group of people.

Jonah nodded his head and entwined our fingers, swinging our hands back and forth. I groaned as he walked to the middle of the park. I sighed as I turned to look at him. I backed up a few steps before I knelt down on one knee. This drew attention from people and I felt my face go red. Jonah placed a hand over his heart as he gasped.

“Jonah Davis, will you marry me?” I asked and a chorus of ‘aw’ went around, laced with a few remarks of ‘they’re so young.’

Jonah smiled before he frowned. “No," he responded. He casually strode off and I got up, embarrassed as people started whispering. I chased after him and punched his shoulder.

“You jerk! You just embarrassed me!” I replied and he bumped his shoulder into mine.

“You’re the one that requested a dare,” he casually spoke, earning a glare from me.

~~~

We ended up driving to a roller skating rink and I stared at him as if he was growing a third head. “Roller skating?”

“Have you ever been?” he asked me and I shook my head.

“No… I haven’t,” I replied as I looked at the place. It was ‘Lover’s Day and Night.’ This means that tickets are half off if you come with two people. They even play romance songs and host competitions for the cutest couple.

Jonah laughed. “There’s a first time for everything.”

“Yeah, like murder,” I muttered as he walked around the car.

When we went to rent the skates, the lady was keen on loudly asking me what size skate I was. Jonah was right beside me and I tried to whisper but she insisted I speak up. “I’m a size 9.”

“Excuse me?” the lady asked, cupping her ear. I groaned.

“Size 9,” I replied a bit louder and the lady nodded.

“The size 9 skates are right over there!” she exclaimed, pointing towards a rack labeled ‘nine.’ Jonah snickered as I glared at the floor. I walked over and grabbed a pair of the neon green skates, putting them on my feet.

The wheels were glow in the dark for the dim lit skating rink. I gulped and internally screamed. I can’t skate; I’m going to end up ripping my pants. While I struggled to stand up, Jonah casually walked over as if his feet weren’t clad in rolling death traps.

“Why roller skating?” I groaned as I stood up. I felt myself slipping and Jonah caught me, holding me beside him.

“Why not?” he asked me, a mischievous smirk on his face.

I groaned again as I regained my balance. “I can think of a few reasons.”

We made our way out to the roller skating rink, well; Jonah did while I was technically dragged there. He slowly let go of me once we reached the outside of the rink and my ankles threatened to give out. I stared at the rink, pursing my lips. It was mostly empty, which was good because the less people to see me fail- the better.

“Just hold my hand,” Jonah whispered and I gave him a flat look.

“Because your hand is a magical force that will hold me up when I nearly slam my face on the floor?” I snapped and he laughed.

“Way to have a good attitude," he muttered and I gave him a fake grin.

I groaned as they started playing ‘Teenage Dream’ by Katy Perry. I was a fan of the artist; I just wasn’t in the mood to hear this song- especially when Jonah and I are roller skating on Valentine’s Day at a place where today is called ‘Lover’s Day and Night.’

I gripped onto the side rail the moment I stepped into the rink. Jonah held my other hand while he stood there, waiting for me to let go of the railing. “It’s fun, I promise. Just let go of the railing.”

“What if I fall?” I asked as I clutched the metal.

He smiled. “I won’t let you.”

I slowly let go of the railing, allowing him to slowly pull me along beside him.

~~~

I limped back towards the car. “What happened to not letting me fall?”

“I didn’t see the old couple!” he excused.

“What about the other 3 times?” I retorted.

“The first two times, you tried to escape!” he replied and I rolled my eyes as I sat in the passenger’s seat. “At least you didn’t hit your face.”

I rolled my eyes again as I stared out of the window. “Are you hungry?”

I looked at him and nodded. “Starving.”

“What do you want to eat?” he asked and I thought for a moment.

“We can always get Chinese food,” I muttered and he nodded.

When we arrived at the Chinese Buffet, I felt the pain wash out of me. The moment Jonah opened the door; I dived out and ran to the door like a small child. Jonah approached me with an amused look on his face. “What happened to your limp?”

I glared at him. “Ow…the pain, it’s unbearable,” I pretended to groan. Jonah laughed as he opened the door for me.

“So…you know, your birthdays coming up,” Jonah casually said as we sat down at our table, our plates stacked high with food.

I laughed. “I do know that.”

“What are you planning to do?” he asked me and I shrugged.

“Nothing, I’m probably going to play video games,” I responded as I took a piece of shrimp off of my plate.

He frowned. “You don’t have plans? With your family?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nope…we’ll probably eat cake but we’re not having a party. Besides, it’s a Wednesday, a school day.”

“Well…cake can’t take up the whole day…neither can school,” he mischievously stated.

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…we can hang out on your birthday, um, if you want to,” he awkwardly muttered as he stared at his food.

I gave him an amused look. “Yeah, I guess,” I smiled. Jonah looked up at me with a smile of his own. “It’s supposed to be sunny right? Why spend a sunny day locked inside of school?”

“You mean…skip school?” Jonah smirked. I simply nodded.

“Why not?” I replied. He grinned before nodding.

“It’s a plan," he told me.