Hidden Within

I follow Brian down my driveway as we start the way to his house; my heart begins to race and my pulse starts to pound in my ears the closer we get to the home. I don’t know why, but I’m actually really nervous to meet his family. I don’t know much about them other than what he had told me in class the other day and I haven’t got a clue what they’re going to think of me. I know that I’m not really dating Brian and all, but I don’t want his family to hate me…

“You alright, Sunshine?”

“Hmm?” My eyes shift to his direction and my gaze meets his.

“I asked if you’re alright,” he says. “You look kinda nervous.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” I reply with a weak chuckle. “It’s just that I’ve never had to do this before. I’ve met parents before, but never the parents of someone that I’m ‘dating’, you know? It’s just a little nerve-racking.”

“Yeah, I know what ya mean,” he says with a small smile. “But you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure my family is going to love you.”

“I hope so,” I sigh. “I just need to think of how you tricked me into going out with you,” I tack on with a small smirk.

“I see you didn’t forget about that.”

“Not something a girl can easily forget. Your own father doesn’t think you can get a date on your own without tricking her into it; that says a lot.”

“So what are you gonna tell him?” he asks.

“Like I’m going to tell you, Haner. You’ll find out in a little bit when your dad asks me,” I reply, looking up at him out of the corner of my eye.

He gently shakes his head and sighs as we reach his driveway. “You’re not even going to give me a little hint, Sunshine?”

“What have I told you about calling me that? I don’t like it.”

“What’s the problem with it? I mean, it could work now that we’re ‘dating’ and all. It could be my little pet name for ya.”

“I’m not your pet, Haner.”

“You know you’re going to have to start calling me by my name,” he points out. “Girls don’t usually go around calling their boyfriends by their last name.”

“I know that, but we’re not around anyone yet so I see no harm in calling you by your last name,” I reason.

“I’ll let you come up with a nickname for me if you let me call you Sunshine,” he offers as we step onto the porch.

“Sorry, Haner, as tempting as it sounds, I don’t wanna give you a special pet name,” I tell him. “It would imply that you’re a close friend of mine, which last I checked, you aren’t. I only tolerate you because Lynn’s dating Zacky and you’re his friend.”

“Ouch, that kinda hurt, Sunshine.”

“Did you actually think that we’re friends or something?” I query, raising a skeptical eyebrow at him. Surely he didn’t think that. There’s no way he could have actually thought we were friends.

“Well, maybe not friends but I didn’t think that you didn’t like me so much that you have to tolerate me…” he mumbles.

“Well, let’s face it, H--Brian, you’re not exactly the nicest person in the world to me. Why would I like you if you’re so mean to me?”

He bites his lip and sighs. “I guess you’ve got a point there. Didn’t Zack and Lynn pick the best people to make a fake couple?”

“You’re telling me; I couldn’t believe it when she told me that you’re the one I have to date. But she’s my best friend; what else could I have done besides leave her hanging?”

“Yeah, I had the same thing with Zacky. But it could be worse.”

“It could?”

“Sure, it could have been someone you don’t know at all. How weird would it be acting like you like someone you never even talked to before? He could be a creeper or something. At least you know what you’re getting with me.”

“I guess you’re right,” I shrug. “So, are we ready to go inside?”

“About as ready as I think we’re ever going to be,” he smiles.

“Okay. Go ahead and lead the way then.”

He smirks and takes my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. I swallow hard as I refrain from yanking my hand away. I have to remember that when we’re doing this I have to act as if I’m comfortable with him doing things like holding my hand, hugging me, and stuff like that.

“Get ready to meet my family, Sunshine,” he softly tells me as he turns the doorknob.

He opens the door and we step inside together; my eyes quickly scan over the home and a small smile begins to form on my face. His house is warm and welcoming; I can smell cookies baking in the kitchen, the sweet aroma lingering in the air, there are family pictures up on the walls and I can see a few pictures of Brian when he was younger scattered along the top of the fireplace. As odd as it may sound, I feel safe here. For the first time since this summer I actually feel safe.

“Anyone home?” Brian calls out as he shuts the door and it dawns on me that there’s no sign of his parents. “Dad? Mom? I brought company.”

“We’ll be there in just a second!” a feminine voice, which I assume belongs to his step-mother, calls out from another room.

Brian chuckles, gently shaking his head. “I guess we should just sit down and wait for them. They shouldn’t be long.”

“Okay,” I reply with a nod.

I follow him over to the couch and we sit down on the comfortable black sofa. I nervously shake my left leg as I look around the room some more. After I’m done scanning the room, my eyes wander down to our hands. They’re still laced together for appearances sake, I guess so his parents can see how much we ‘like’ each other, and I can’t help but notice how they seem to just fit together.

“Don’t be nervous, Lana,” Brian softly whispers to me, and I look up at him to see a tiny, reassuring smile on his face. “They’re going to love you.”

“Sorry, I just don’t know what to expect. It’s just a little scary.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Something about his smile makes me believe him and puts me at ease. I stop shaking my leg and smile back at him. “Thanks.”

“Sorry to keep you two waiting,” the voice from earlier calls out, and I pull my gaze away from Brian to see a redheaded woman and a man that looks a lot like Brian walking into the room.

“Suzy wanted to get the last of the cookies out of the oven so you could have some fresh ones,” the man, his father, says with a smile.

“Oh, thank you,” I smile, not really sure what else to say. I didn’t realize that she had been baking for me.

“You must be Lana,” his dad grins, holding his hand out for me to shake. “I’m Brian’s dad, Brian.”

“Nice to meet you,” I tell him, letting go of Brian’s hand to shake his dad’s. “I didn’t realize Brian’s a junior,” I chuckle, glancing over at the boy sitting next to me. “Do you guys ever get confused when someone says your name around the house?”

“Nah, we manage to keep things straight pretty well around here,” the older Brian replies.

“I’m Suzy, Brian’s step-mom,” the redheaded woman says with a warm grin as she sets the plate of cookies onto the coffee table in front of us. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Lana. Brian has told us so much about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. And he has?”

“Yes, he has,” she beams as she and her husband sit down across from us. “He talks about you every day.”

“Mom,” Brian mumbles, clearly wishing she would stop talking.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” she tells him. “I think it’s cute. Isn’t it cute, Lana?”

“Yeah,” I nod, flashing a smirk in Brian’s direction. “It’s cute.”

“So, Lana, how did my son get a girl like you to date him?” his dad asks with an amused chuckle.

“Well, the first nine times he asked me out and I told him no he just looked so pitiful, like a puppy that’s been kicked around by its owner, it just made me feel so bad for him that I just kinda caved in and gave him a chance when he asked me again.”

“I figured it was something like that,” he grins. I guess that means he thought my answer was a good one.

“Nah, he’s actually really charming,” I amend, trying my best to pull off a genuine-looking smile. “He makes me smile and I’m just really happy whenever I’m with him. Not to mention that he practically saved me on the first day of school.”

“What happened on the first day of school?” Suzy asks looking concerned.

“Well, it was kinda my fault now that I look back at it, but I didn’t eat enough that day. My blood sugar tanked on me when we started running laps and I passed out. Everyone said that Brian ran across the Gym to my rescue; he even carried me to the nurse’s office and stuck around to make sure I was okay.”

“Brian, you didn’t tell us about that,” his step-mother says with a proud smile.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” he mumbles, and I swear I can see his cheeks turning red.

“Aw, don’t be so modest, Superman,” I tell him, smiling up at him as I place my hand over his. “You came to my rescue that day.”

He looks at me for a moment as if I’ve gone insane, probably wondering what the hell is up with me calling him Superman, but he quickly gets over it and laces his fingers with mine. “Well, I had to make sure my Sunshine was alright.”

“So, what are you guys going to do on your little date tonight?” his dad queries, saving me from having to act cutesy with Brian.

“I talked to Zacky earlier today. We’re gonna go out to eat at the Italian place by the movie theater after we see the movie. We were gonna give you guys a call whenever we got done eating.”

“Sounds good. What are you guys seeing?”

“Well, Lynn wants to see Romeo + Juliet, but Z and I wanna Twister. Do you have a preference, Lana?” he asks me.

“Twister’s fine with me, Brian.”

“Well, if majority rules, then we’re gonna see Twister,” he answers his dad with a chuckle.

“When do I need to have you there?” Suzy asks.

“Zack said he’d call when he and his mom go pick up Lynn so we can meet up there.”

“Alright; this will be so much easier when you can drive.”

“Not my fault if they won’t let us drive until we’re sixteen,” he says with a shrug.

“Lana, dear, you’re welcome to have a cookie; get something in your stomach since you’re going to be going to dinner after the movie,” Suzy tells me as she nudges the plate closer to me.

“Oh, thank you,” I smile, finding it a good enough reason to let go of Brian’s hand. I reach over and grab a cookie off of the plate, surprised that it’s still pretty warm, and bring it to my mouth to take a bite. “They’re delicious.”

“Thanks. Take as many as you want. I made them for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Well, thank you again. They’re wonderful.”

“Brian was right, you’re a sweetheart.”

Brian called me a sweetheart? Wow, he must have felt like he was lying through his teeth when he said that. I wonder what else he’s been telling his parents about me… We haven’t been ‘dating’ long, so he must have started this yesterday or something. I wonder how difficult it’s been for him to tell these lies to his parents; I know it’s been hard for me. Hell, if it weren’t for me noticing him play guitar the last few nights I wouldn’t have anything nice that’s even remotely true.

“What else has Brian said about me?”

“He said--” Suzy’s cut off by the sound of the phone ringing.

“That must be Zacky. I’ll be right back, Sunshine,” Brian tells me, and I nod my head. He lets go of my hand and starts to gets up off of the couch. I watch him as he disappears out of the room to where the phone is and I glance over at his parents, giving them a nervous smile.

“So, since Brian’s not here to stop me, do you wanna see the baby pictures?” Suzy asks, and I feel a smirk pull at me lips.

“Of course I would,” I chuckle. “Hurry before he comes back.”

“He was a really goofy lookin’ kid,” his dad says as Suzy pulls out the pictures.

“Yes, he really was. He looks so much like his dad, and you can see how funny-looking he is,” she jokes as she sits down beside him.

“Let me see what we’ve got here,” Mr. Haner mumbles as he sifts through the pictures. “Oh! You have to see this one. It’ll mortify him if he knew you saw this picture.”

I reach over the coffee table and take the picture from his hand. My eyes scan over the image and I can’t help but giggle. It’s one of those classic pictures that parents take of you as a baby when you’re taking a bath. He’s got a huge smile on his face, holding a rubber ducky up to whoever was taking the picture.

“Oh, my gosh!” I exclaim, trying my best to stifle a laugh. Surprisingly enough, it’s actually an adorable picture.

“And here’s one of him when he started getting into his superhero phase.”

I return the bathtub image and trade it for the new one. I smile at the picture of Brian. He looks like he’s about five-years-old in this one; there’s a blanket tied around his neck like a cape and he has his hands placed proudly on his hips.

“I see he was a Superman even when he was little,” I chuckle.

“So, Zack said that they-- Whoa! I’m gone for a minute and you guys break out the baby photos?” Brian says as he enters the room. “Please tell me that you guys didn’t show her any of the bathtub pictures.”

“First one I showed her,” his dad grins. “I warned you I’d show her. You should have known better than to leave us alone with her.”

“I didn’t realize you were serious,” he says as he sits down beside me. “What else did they show-- Dad, really? The superhero picture?”

“I thought it was fitting since she calls you her Superman.”

“I’m sorry you had to see those, Lana.”

“It’s alright. They were amusing,” I smirk as I hand the picture back to his dad.

“Well, I hate to ruin your fun, but it’s about time we get going. Zack said that they’re about to leave to pick up Lynn and so we don’t wanna leave them waiting too long.”

“Alright,” his step-mom says as she gets up from her seat. “I’ll be back after I drop them off at the theater,” she tells her husband, pecking his lips softly.

“Okay, sweetheart. You drive safe, alright?”

“I always do,” she smiles, turning on her heel to grab her purse and keys.

“Lana, it was a pleasure meeting you,” he tells me, standing up with me and Brian.

“It was nice meeting you, too, Mr. Haner,” I reply, shaking his hand.

“You’re welcome over here anytime.”

“Thanks.”

“You two ready?” Suzy asks, slinging her purse over he shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am,” Brian nods.

She leads the way out the door and we follow her to the car. She unlocks the vehicle and get in behind the wheel. I glance up at Brian and bite my lip. How are we doing this? Is he going to sit up front with his step-mom? Is he going to sit with me in the backseat? And if he does sit with me, how are we supposed to act? Are we supposed to make small talk, hold hands, and laugh as if we really like each other and enjoy the other’s company? God, I never even thought about what we were going to do when it came to riding in the car.

Brian opens the backdoor and gestures for me to go on in. I give him a tiny smile and climb into the back of the car. He starts to get in after me and I scoot down to the seat behind Suzy’s; I buckle up and glance over at Brian, wondering if he is gonna sit down beside me or not. He stays on the other side of the car, and Suzy chuckles as she starts up the car.

“You two don’t have to sit two feet apart from each other. It’s fine if you sit together.” Brian looks in my direction and smiles, sliding on over to the middle seat so that he’s beside me. “That’s better,” she grins. “Make sure you two buckle up.”

We nod our heads and buckle our seatbelts as she begins to back out of the driveway. Suzy turns on the radio and music softly plays through the speakers, breaking up the silence in the car. I sigh and look out the window, watching the passing scenery as we drive to the movies.

Something brushes up against my leg and I jump slightly. I turn my head away from the window and see Brian’s hand resting on my knee. I slide my hand down to his hand and lace our fingers together so that his hand isn’t touching my knee anymore.

“Maybe we should talk?” he whispers into my ear.

“About what?” I query, remembering to keep my voice down in hopes that Suzy can’t hear us over the music.

“I don’t know… What are we gonna do after Suzy drops us off?”

“Go on this ‘date’.”

“No, I mean, like, how are we going to act? Do we stop acting and go back to how we usually are?”

“Well, maybe not how we usually are since name calling and sniping at each other probably won’t give the most romantic environment for them, but we can stop the couple stuff.”

“Okay,” he says with a nod. “But what if we see people from school?”

“What about it?”

“Well, your sister thinks that we’re dating, remember?”

Damn, I forgot about that. What should we do if we see people from school? I’m sure that Sandi has already told Whitney and Gaby that I’ve got a boyfriend. With my luck, she’s probably even told them his name, and if that’s the case then a lot of people are going to know about me and my ‘boyfriend’.

“Oh… Yeah, I forgot about that,” I mumble. “Well, I guess we can hold hands or something if we notice people around. I don’t know…”

“How about we just be nice to each other? Who knows, maybe you’ll actually like me after this and we’ll be friends.”

“Doubtful, but we’ll see.”

A few more minutes pass by and Suzy pulls into the movie theater parking lot. She stops in front of the theater, and Brian and I unbuckle our seatbelts.

“You two have a good time. Make sure to call me after you’re done with dinner, alright?”

“Will do,” Brian tells her as he scoots down the seat to the passenger’s side door. “We don’t have to worry about cars on this side,” he says with a smile as he opens the door. “Come on, Sunshine.”

“Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Haner,” I tell her as I scoot towards the door.

“You’re welcome, dear. I’ll see you two in a little while. Have fun!”

“Thanks!” we chorus as I step out of the vehicle.

Brian closes the door for me and we wave at Suzy as she drives away. I let out a sigh once she’s out of sight and I look for any hint of Zacky and Lynn. With our luck, Lynn wasn’t quite ready when Zacky got to her place and so we’ll be here for a little while.

“I guess they’re not here yet,” Brian mumbles as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

“Looks like it,” I agree. “There’s a chance we could be here for a little bit. Lynn likes to take her time to get ready for things like this. I remember one time I had to wait twenty minutes for her because her hair was being stubborn and wouldn’t straighten the way she wanted it to.”

“Well, let’s hope she doesn’t do that this time,” he says with a weak chuckle. “I’d hate to have to call your step-dad and explain to him that we’re going to be a bit later than I expected because Lynn took too long to get ready.”

“If we miss the movie we could always do dinner first,” I suggest.

“I guess we could,” he nods his head.

“Yeah…”

I look down at my feet, the silver sequences on my shoes shining in the sunlight as I shift my around. I wish Henry had a chance to tell me to cover up or something. I know I must look nice, but I feel so weird wearing something that doesn’t cover my shoulders… Oh, God, I wonder what Brian’s parents thought about the way I’m dressed. Did they think that I was dressed inappropriately? Did they think I look like a slut?

“So… What was up with the whole Superman thing?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I reply, knitting my brow together.

“You called me Superman. Why’d you call me that?”

“I dunno,” I shrug. “You said I could come up with a nickname for you…”

“And I thought you said that you weren’t going to give me one because then it meant that we’re actually friends.”

“Eh… It’s more of a nickname to call you in front of your parents and stuff like that. It’s not like I’m going to go around calling you that all the time.”

“Well, did you have to pick something that’s so… Embarrassing?”

“You think me calling you Superman is embarrassing?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. “Would you have preferred I called you Sweet Cheeks, Bri-Bri, or something like that?

“Well, it’s just… I dunno, I guess I just don’t get why, out of all the things you could call me, you chose Superman.”

“I thought I explained it earlier, Haner. Everyone thinks that you came to my rescue that day in Gym; Superman saves people. Therefore, you get the nickname of Superman.”

“I guess that makes sense…”

“It makes more sense than you calling me Sunshine,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest. “Besides, now people will think that I think you’re nice and strong. Guys love thinking that they’re strong.”

Silence falls over us again. I guess I said enough to shut him up about his new nickname. Of course if I had been smarter I would have thought of one that was more embarrassing than Superman. Superman implies that I think he’s wonderful, that I think he’s strong, that I think he protects me from danger, and that he’s my hero; all of which are things that he is not. I should have called him Bri-Bri, but there’s a huge chance I’d end up puking in my mouth every time the nickname would pass my lips. I just think it’s too cutesy; too much like something that someone with half a brain cell would call him.

“Do you think I saved you that day when you passed out in Gym?” he asks, breaking the silence between us.

I look up at him and my eyes lock onto his. I don’t know what it is about his eyes today, but they seem warmer than usual. They almost look pretty.

“I--”

“Sorry we’re late!” Zacky calls out, cutting me off before I can even begin my answer. I turn my head to see my best friend and her boyfriend walking hand in hand towards us. “Lynn was having some issues with her hair and so we ended up running a little late.”

“It’s alright,” Brian tells him. “We haven’t been waiting long.”

“That’s good; I was afraid that you guys would think that we bailed on you guys.”

“Nah, we knew you guys wouldn’t bail on us. You know I’d kick your ass if you did, Baker,” he chuckles, slapping Zacky on the shoulder.

“Like you could kick my ass, Haner. You may be taller, but I’m stronger than you any day of the week.”

“Whatever you say, Zack. You and I both know I could wipe the floor with--”

“Alright, you two,” Lynn interrupts. “I don’t wanna be told I can’t go to the movies anymore because you two decided to be all macho.”

“We wouldn’t have fought, babe,” Zacky tells her as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. “We’re just joking around.”

“Well, we should probably do a little less joking around and figure out what we’re seeing.”

“Oh, that’s right. Well, me and Brian wanna see Twister--”

“But you know I wanna see Romeo + Juliet!” she exclaims.

“I know, baby.”

“Well, Lana said she doesn’t mind seeing Twister,” Brian interjects.

“She did?” Zacky asks.

I simply nod my head in response, hoping that Lynn isn’t upset with me for not going with her choice. I know that this is a date and all, but I really don’t feel like sitting through something like Romeo + Juliet with Brian. Then it would be just plain awkward watching a romantic movie with a guy I can’t stand.

“Well, that’s cool,” she smiles. “We should get in line and get our tickets.”

The boys nod their heads and we all go inside, waiting in line to get our tickets. Brian and Zacky are talking to each other about how cool they think the movie look and I chuckle at their enthusiasm. I mean, this is just a movie about people chasing a tornado, right? I don’t really know since I haven’t heard that much about it.

“So, I didn’t get a chance to tell you that you look gorgeous, babes,” Lynn tells me.

“Thanks,” I mumble. “Sandi picked it out for me. I think I kinda look ridiculous, but I guess I look alright.”

“You look better than alright; I told you that you look gorgeous. Brian must have had to wipe the drool off his chin when he saw you.”

“He didn’t drool. I wouldn’t want him to drool.”

“Well, he didn’t just see you and not react in some way. I mean, even Zacky said that you look hot.”

I bite my lip, not at all comfortable hearing that tiny bit of information. I don’t want anyone to think I look hot. I’m not ‘hot’. I don’t want to be ‘hot’.

“He didn’t do anything?” she asks skeptically. “He didn’t even stare?”

“Well, he didn’t blink for a while…”

“That’d be what we call staring,” she chuckles.

“Yeah, I guess so… And… He did tell me that he thought I looked pretty… But why does it matter?”

“Because, you two are an item now,” she giggles.

“A fake item,” I remind her.

“Whatever, you’re still doing all the couple things; meeting parents, going out on dates--”

“And we’re doing all these things for your benefit. We don’t have to do any of these things, but we’re doing it because you and Zacky are our best friends.”

“I know, and we appreciate it. But I was just thinking about how Zack was to me before we started dating, you know. He treated me just like Brian treats you, and it turned out Zack had a crush on me--”

“We’re not you and Zacky,” I tell her before she can continue.

“I know--”

“Here’s your ticket, baby,” Zacky cuts in, clearly oblivious to the conversation Lynn and I were having.

“Oh, thank you,” she smiles, pecking his cheek and they walk away from the line, heading towards the lobby.

I stick my hand in my pocket to pull my money out. I pulled a little bit out from my savings fund to pay for my stuff. I know I have enough for a ticket and I’ll just have to be careful when I pick what I eat for dinner to make sure that I can afford it all. Brian finishes paying for his ticket and he turns around to face me, holding a ticket out to me. I knit my eyebrows together, looking up at him confusedly.

“I got you your ticket.”

“Oh, thanks,” I say with a tiny smile, taking the ticket from him. “You didn’t have to, though. I was gonna--”

“I know. But it’s a date and I figured I’d pay for ya, even if this isn’t real and all.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Not a problem, Sunshine,” he smiles. “Come on, I think Zacky and Lynn were gonna grab some popcorn.”

“Even though we’re eating after?”

“Yeah, even though we’re gonna go out to eat after,” he chuckles. “Do you want anything?”

“I think I’ll be alright without. Save room for dinner and all.”

“Well, do you at least want some water or something? I’m gonna be in line anyway; I’m gonna grab some popcorn.”

“Sure, I’ll have a bottle of water.”

“Alright; I’ll be right back with your water.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, Lana!” a voice calls out from behind me and I turn around to see Sandi’s friend Gaby walking up to me. She’s got a large smile on her face and her arm linked with a tall, blonde boy.

“Hi, Gaby,” I greet her with a weak smile.

“What are you doing here all by yourself?” she asks, looking as if she feels sorry for me because I’m all alone.

“I’m not by myself,” I tell her. “I’m on a double-date with Lynn and her boyfriend.”

“You’re on a date? With who?”

Wow, I guess Sandi didn’t blab to all her friends about me and Brian. “Um, my boyfriend, Brian.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“Mmhmm,” I nod my head. “I figured Sandi would have told the world by now.”

“Here’s your water, Lana,” Brian says, handing me a bottle.

“Oh, thanks, sweetie,” I reply, trying to make the ‘sweetie’ not sound completely forced.

“Not a problem, Sunshine,” he says with a grin, quickly catching on to what’s going on.

“Brian, this is my sister’s friend Gaby and her boyfriend… I’m sorry, I never got your name.”

“Cole,” he replies.

“And her boyfriend Cole; Gaby and Cole, this is my boyfriend Brian.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” Brian smiles.

“Nice to meet you, too,” they chorus.

Gaby’s eyes meet mine and she has a look in her eyes similar to the one that Sandi gave me when she saw Brian for the first time. It’s the look that screams, “Hottie!” I still don’t get what they see when they say that he’s hot. Sure, he’s not exactly the worst looking guy I’ve ever seen, but he’s not all that attractive. His lips are too thin, his eyes are too small, his face is too long, his cheekbones are too high, and I don’t like his nose.

“Well, I hate to cut this short, but our movie’s about to start,” Brian says as he snakes his arm around my waist.

“Ours, too,” Gaby says with a nod. “We’re seeing Romeo + Juliet. What are you guys seeing?”

“Twister,” we answer in unison.

“Oh, that movie looked awesome!” Cole exclaims. “Babe, we have to see that sometime.”

“Maybe next weekend,” Gaby tells him as she softly pats his chest. “Well, enjoy your movie.”

“Thanks, you too,” we call out as she and Cole walk away.

“Well,” Brian starts with a sigh. “That wasn’t too bad.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“It could have been a lot worse, Sunshine. We did good. You didn’t flinch when I put my arm around you and you didn’t choke have to choke out that I’m your boyfriend. You did really good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Lana,” he says with a smile. “You did great.”

“Thanks.”

“Brian, Lana, come on!” Zacky calls out to us, waving us over to him and Lynn.

“Let’s not keep them waiting,” I chuckle. “Oh, Brian?”

“Yeah?” he asks; his smile still on his face.

“You can put your arm down now.”

“Oh, right. I guess I forgot about that.”

He drops his arm from my waist and we head over to where Zacky and Lynn are waiting for us. I see the smirk on Lynn’s face and I know she must have seen Brian’s arm around me. Why do I have the feeling that she’s up to something? Why do I feel like maybe this whole thing of telling her parents that I’m dating Brian was just a rouse to get me to spend time with him? I mean, her mom and dad weren’t even the ones that dropped her off on this date…

We find our theater and enter, looking around for four seats beside each other. Maybe we should have shown up a little earlier, though, because the room is practically packed.

“I see some seats in the back,” Zacky says and he and Lynn lead the way to the back of the theater.

Brian and I follow them; we quietly excuse ourselves as we make our way to the four empty seats. I sit down between Lynn and Brian and I place my water down in the cup holder. The lights in the theater slowly dim until they go out and the previews start to play. I glance over at Lynn and see her snuggled up close to Zacky, resting her head on his shoulder, and I let out a soft sigh; it looks like Brian’s going to be my main source of company on this date.

I grab my water and unscrew the cap, taking a long sip as I watch the previews for the upcoming movies. All of these movies either look ridiculous or just downright stupid. All of the comedies are those cheesy romantic comedies or teen flicks, and all the horror movies just look laughable; nothing that I would wanna watch.

I set the bottle back in the holder and glance over at Brian. He’s got his right arm propped up on the armrest and his head resting against his hand. He looks like he’s bored already. I look back at Lynn and Zacky and bite the inside of my bottom lip when I see how happy they look. I wish I could be happy like her; that I could have a boyfriend to go on real dates with, but what do I get? I get Brian…

My eyes wander back over to the boy sitting beside me and his eyes flicker in my direction. He gives me a small smile and I give him one in return. He sits up a bit and leans over to me.

“Is it just me or are all of these previews lame?” he whispers to me and I softly chuckle.

“You’re right,” I quietly confirm. “Especially the last one for that horror movie.”

“I know, and all those comedies were stupid romantic comedies.”

“I swear they’re all the same; boy meets girl, boy and girl go out and fall in love, boy screws up and the girl gets pissed, boy and girl are both miserable, boy proves his love for the girl, and they live happily ever after. I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen that happen before; at least never where it ended in happily ever after.”

He lightly chuckles and nods his head. “They just try to give people what they think they want.”

“They should try to be a bit more creative. People are getting tired of the same old--”

The person sitting on the other side of Brian shushes us and I quickly shut up. Brian leans in a bit closer and whispers an apology in my ear.

“It’s okay,” I whisper. “Movie’s starting anyway.”

He nods his head and we turn our attention to the screen in front of us.

~

I let out a heavy sigh, wondering how much of the movie is left. It’s not exactly what I was expecting. Sure I knew it was about people chasing this tornado or whatever, but I wasn’t expecting this little storyline about a divorcing couple that still love each other. I didn’t wanna see Romeo + Juliet because of the romance in it, so I can honestly say that I am disappointed to see that even this movie has some sort of love story in it.

I cross my arms across my chest and I feel a nudge against my right arm. I turn my head to see Brian holding out his popcorn to me for what seems like the twentieth time during the movie. I’ve declined sharing every time he’s offered, but I have to admit that the smell of popcorn has been kinda tempting, which is weird since I haven’t had a craving for anything in a long time.

“Thanks,” I whisper to him as I take a small handful of popcorn out of the bag.

He smiles at me and nods his head, bringing his attention back to the movie playing on the screen. I wonder what he thinks of it. He’s probably not even paying attention to the couple storyline and just focused on the whole tornado chasing portion of things since it’s more exciting.

The movie continues on and I finish the popcorn in my hand, reaching over to grab more. My hand bumps against something and I mumble an apology to Brian as soon as I realize that I’ve bumped his hand while he was getting his own handful of popcorn.

“It’s alright,” he replies with a smile. “Go ahead.”

I smile back at him as I grab another small handful. “Thanks.”

He nods his head and grabs some popcorn after me. My eyes return to the movie and it’s still not really holding my attention. I don’t know why, but this really isn’t a movie I wanna see right now. Sure, it’s better than the alternative, but it’s just not really grabbing my attention.

I shift my gaze over to Lynn and quickly look away. She and Zacky are locking lips and believe me when I say that it is not something that I wanna see. It looks like they’re trying to eat each other’s faces off. I wonder if they would still kiss like that if they knew how it looks… Because I’m pretty sure that I would never kiss my boyfriend ever again if I knew we looked like that.

“Hey, watch this,” Brian whispers and I raise my eyebrow at him, wondering what he’s going to do.

He tosses a piece of popcorn up into the air and catches it in his mouth. I quietly laugh at him, and he flashes me a wide grin. Well, at least Brian’s somewhat amusing. I’m actually kind of glad that I’m stuck with him. He may not be my best friend in the world, but he’s actually been nice to me and it’s made the evening a lot better than it probably would have been with someone I don’t know.

“Open your mouth. I wanna see if I can get you to catch one,” he tells me, and I shake my head. “Aw, come on. Just try it.”

I shake my head again.

“Please?” he asks, pouting his bottom lip at me.

“Now you just look pathetic.”

“That’s the whole point. Now come on, just try it.”

“Alright,” I sigh. “But only once.”

He smiles widely at me, and I open my mouth so I can try to catch the popcorn.

“You look funny with your mouth open like that,” he whispers with a chuckle in his voice, and I glare at him, keeping my mouth open. “Alright; can you see it?”

I nod my head in response; my eyes trained on the piece of popcorn in his hand. He tosses the popcorn in my direction and I move my head a little to the left, successfully catching it in my mouth. He silently claps his hands at my successful catch, and I give him a cheesy grin much like the one he had given me as I lean back into my seat.

“Very nice,” he comments.

“Thanks.”

“So, how much do you think is left in this movie?”

“Dunno,” I reply with a shrug. “I think it’s almost over, though.”

“I sure hope so,” he mumbles. “This movie’s not near as exciting as I thought it was gonna be. The coolest part was when the guy got impaled by that section of the radio tower and the truck exploded.”

“I know,” I agree with a nod. “Oh, look, the sky’s clearing up.”

“I bet they’re gonna kiss.”

“Of course they’re gonna kiss.”

And as if it’s on cue, Jo kisses Bill. The camera pans out and you can see all the damage that the twister has done to the land, and the credits begin to roll. I let out a heavy sigh, grabbing my now empty water bottle out of the cup holder as I stand up. Brian stands up, too, and we both look down at Zacky and Lynn, who are completely oblivious to the fact that the movie has ended.

“Hey, lovebirds, the movie’s over,” Brian says, hoping to get their attention, but they can’t hear him over the loud music.

“I’ve got an idea. Do you have any popcorn left?” I ask him with a tiny smirk.

A small smirk of his own plays on his lips as he quickly catches on to what I have in mind. We each grab some popcorn and silently count to three. We toss the popcorn at our friends, holding back our laughter as they break their lip-lock.

“What the fuck was that for?” Zacky grumbles as he and Lynn brush the popcorn off of themselves.

“The movie’s over,” Brian replies with a beaming smile.

“And you couldn’t have just told us that?” Lynn mutters as she stands up, slinging her purse onto her shoulder.

“You guys didn’t hear us when we did that,” I answer her. “Besides, it was a lot more fun this way.”

Lynn rolls her eyes at us and Zacky pulls himself out of his seat. Brian leads the way out of the theater and we walk out into the hall.

“Well, that was a great movie,” Zacky says as we walk towards the exit.

“How would you know, Zack?” Brian asks with an amused smirk. “You and Lynn were practically sucking face the entire time.”

“Well, what I saw was good.”

“I still think that Romeo + Juliet would have been better,” Lynn states matter-of-factly.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if we saw it or not,” I chuckle. “You and Zacky would have still been locking lips the entire time. And don’t deny it; you know it’s true.”

“Okay, so maybe it’s true, but I still think it would have been better. A lot less noisy, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, that movie was pretty loud.”

“I’m surprised they could stay focused on kissing for so long without being distracted,” Brian comments.

“You learn to tune everything out after a while,” Zacky says with a wink as he drapes his arm over Lynn’s shoulders.

“Anyway!” Lynn giggles in hopes to change the subject. “I say we head over to eat because I’m starving!”

“Must have worked up quite the appetite while you were sucking Zacky’s face off,” I chuckle.

“Shush,” she says with a playful glare. “One of these days you’ll know what it’s like to be head over heels for someone.”

“Sure I will.”

We all head out of the building and we walk across the parking lot to the nearby Italian restaurant. Lynn lets out a sigh of relief when we see that there aren’t very many people waiting for a table, meaning we’ll be able to eat soon. Zacky goes up to the hostess and tells us how many we have in our party, getting one of those little thingies that light and make sounds when it’s our turn to be seated; I never know what those things are really called. Zacky and Lynn sit down on one of the waiting benches while Brian and I stand beside them. I guess he’s had enough of sitting, too.

“So, what’d you two think of the movie since you actually paid attention to it and all?” Zacky asks us.

“Eh,” Brian starts with a shrug. “It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t that great either.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “It was nothing special, and I wasn’t a fan of the whole Jo and Bill storyline.”

“The highlight of the film had to be when one of the guys gets impaled and two people die when a truck blows up.”

“But other than that you didn’t miss a lot. After a while it just turned into a big game of ‘look at the special effects we can do’.”

“Then it guess it wasn’t bad that we didn’t pay attention,” Lynn chuckles. “I told you guys that the other movie would have been a better choice. I mean, you can’t go wrong when you have Leo.”

A couple of minutes go by and the thing in Zacky’s hand lights up and beeps, letting us know that it’s already time for us to be seated. We go up to the front and a waiter takes us to our table. Lynn and Zacky sit together on one side of the table, leaving Brian and I to sit next to each other. Of course I should have known that’s the way this was going to work out.

The waiter introduces himself and places the menus in front of us, asking what we would like to drink. He takes our orders and leaves to get our drinks. We all look at our menus and Lynn quickly closes hers, knowing exactly what she’s getting. I guess that’s the plus side to being a vegetarian, when you’re at a place like this you don’t have that many options to go back and forth between. But then again, it’s the downside because she’s usually stuck eating either grilled cheese sandwiches or salads every time we go out somewhere.

My eyes scan over the menu and I bite my lip. I have a little more money than I thought I’d have since Brian paid for my ticket and all, but I don’t wanna spend a lot of money on dinner when I know I’m probably not going to eat much.

“Do you know what you’re getting yet?” Brian asks me.

I look up from my menu and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know… Everything’s so expensive.”

“Don’t worry about it, Lana. I’ve got enough to cover both of us.”

“No, you already paid for my ticket, I can’t--”

“Lana, I’m paying for your food whether you like it or not.”

“But this is a fa--”

“I don’t care. I’m paying, end of story. So just get whatever you want.”

“Okay,” I reply with a small nod. “What do you think you’re gonna get?”

“I think I’m gonna get the Chicken Scampi,” he answers, pointing to the item on his menu.

“Ooh, that looks good.”

“Yeah, I think so, too. What do you think you’ll get?”

“I’m trying to decide between chicken and shrimp. I can’t make up my mind.”

“Well, if you can’t pick, you should just get the Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara. You’ll get both.”

“I didn’t see that. I think I’ll get that. Thanks.”

“Not a problem.”

The waiter comes back with our drinks and asks if we’re ready to order. We all nod our heads, and Zacky, Brian, and I close our menus. We each order and pass the menus down to the waiter. He writes everything down and tells us he’ll be back in a little bit, but we all know the wait is going to be longer than a little bit.

We make small talk until our food arrives and I bite my lip when I see how much food is on my plate. It looks like enough to feed me and Lynn, if she wasn’t a vegetarian and all. My stomach starts to churn and I instantly feel bad for ordering this. I can’t let Brian pay for my food if I’m not going to eat any of it… I push my food around on my plate and I can feel his eyes on me. He’s watching me again, and this time there is no trashcan to quickly toss my food into.

“Is everything okay?” Brian asks me.

“Yeah, it’s just a little hot, so I’m letting it cool,” I reply, hoping my lame excuse will buy me some time until I can think of what to do with my food if I can’t eat it.

“Oh, alright.”

“How’s your dinner? It looks delicious,” I comment, hoping to draw his attention away from my lack of eating.

“It’s pretty good. You should try it next time you come here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I reply, biting down on my bottom lip.

“Sunshine, are you sure you’re alright?” he asks, concern in his voice. Concern; Brian is actually concerned about me…

“Yeah, I’m just kinda full from popcorn and all.”

“Well, at least eat a little bit? It looks too good to go to waste.”

I nod my head and stab a piece of shrimp with my fork, bringing it up to my mouth and taking a bite. I swallow the food and instead of my stomach violently turning like I thought it would, it actually settles just fine. I might actually be able to eat this after all. I put more food onto my fork and take another bite, savoring the taste of the chicken and pasta as they hit my tongue.

I can see a small smile pull at Brian’s lips out of the corner of my eye and I can’t help but wonder why seeing me eat makes him seem so happy.

~

Dinner slowly comes to a close and I am proud to say that I was able to eat most of my food. The rest I’ve got in a little Styrofoam to-go box in case I wanna eat what I have left over tomorrow. Brian and Zacky have left to call their parents for rides back home, leaving me and Lynn at the table by ourselves.

“So,” she starts with a smile. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ve had a pretty good time,” I reply with a small nod of my head. “It hasn’t been quite as bad as I thought it would be, so that’s a plus. Haner’s been surprisingly nice tonight. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I told you that he’s a sweet guy.”

“Eh, I dunno about sweet, but he’s tolerable. He does some goofy stuff that can make you laugh, so I guess that’s a plus.”

“So, you think he’s not such a bad guy after all?”

“I dunno,” I shrug. “I mean, we’re both on our best behavior for the sake of you and Zacky. For all I know we’re just gonna go back to the way we always are once we get back to school on Monday.”

“Well, you never know,” she says as she takes a sip of her water. “Maybe you just never had a chance to know the real Brian.”

“I’m sure I know the real Brian well enough, Lynn. I mean, I have known the guy since we were in elementary school. From my experience real Brian is the Brian I’ve known for the last what ten years? I doubt he was just acting all that time.”

“You never know.”

“My mom should be here in a few minutes, babe,” Zacky says as he and Brian return to the table. He scoots into the booth, taking his seat next to Lynn and pecking her temple. “Did you miss me?”

“Always do when you’re not with me,” she giggles, pressing her lips to his.

“Suzy should be here in about ten minutes,” Brian tells me as he sits down. “Did you get all your stuff put away already?”

“Yep,” I nod. “All in here.”

“I’m glad to see you liked your dinner,” he smiles. “Hey, Z, did the waiter give us the check?”

“Oh, I forgot about that,” he replies, pulling his lips away from Lynn. “I’ll get him next time he comes by. Oh, there he is!”

“You guys ready for your check, right?” he asks after Zacky calls him over, and he pulls out the check.

“Yep,” Zacky nods, taking it from him. “Thanks, man.”

“Not a problem,” the waiter smiles as he turns away on his heel.

“Hey, can I see that when you’re done, Z?”

“Sure, man.”

Zacky quickly figures out his portion of the bill and sticks what he owes in. He holds it out to Brian and he takes it from him.

“Let’s see what-- Oh, shit!”

“Whoa!” I exclaim, jumping a bit in my seat as cold water splashes onto my lap.

“I am so sorry, Lana!” he says, trying to find something to help clean up the spill.

“It’s alright, Haner,” I mumble, grabbing my napkin and dabbing my lap off as he, Zacky, and Lynn clean up the water on the table.

He bites his bottom lip as he cleans up the table, acting as if I touched a nerve or something. They get the table cleaned off and I’ve managed to get all the water I can soaked up. We leave the check on the table and head out of the restaurant, hoping to see our rides ready and waiting for us.

“There’s my mom,” Zacky says as he laces his fingers with Lynn’s. “We’ll see you guys later!”

“Thanks for coming with us!” Lynn calls out as they make their way to the vehicle.

“Bye!” Brian and I call out after them.

I sigh and he shoves his hands in his pockets as he scans the area for Suzy’s car.

“I guess she’s taking a little longer than she thought,” Brian mumbles.

“It’s alright. It’s not even a quarter till ten yet so Henry won’t kill you.”

“Well, that’s one less thing to worry about,” he says with a nervous chuckle. “Hey, give me your hand. I think I see Suzy.” I let out a heavy breath and he laces our hands together. “I’m really sorry about that spill.”

“It’s alright. It was just water.”

“Still… I feel bad about it.”

“Really, it’s okay,” I tell him as a car pulls up in front of us. The passenger window rolls down, revealing Suzy’s smiling face.

“Hey, you two!” she calls out as she leans against the steering wheel. “You ready to go home?”

We nod our heads and Brian opens the back door for me like he did earlier today. We get in the car, sliding into the same seats as before, and buckle up.

“So, did you two have a good time?”

“Yes,” we chorus.

“What movie did you end up seeing?”

“Twister,” Brian answers. “It wasn’t bad, but I’ve seen better.”

“Well, at least you guys had a good time.”

“Mmhmm.”

We fall into silence much like we did on the way to the movies and I look out the window. It’s so pretty here at night. I never really noticed what a gorgeous place Huntington Beach is until now.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” he whispers into my ear, startling me a bit.

“Everything,” I reply, my eyes still focused on the scenery. “It’s all so pretty.”

“Yeah, it is pretty,” he agrees. “Just like you.”

“I don’t think Suzy can hear you over the radio,” I softly point out.

“I know. I just wanted to say that.”

I bite my lip and my face grows warm. Even though it’s just Brian telling me that, it still feels nice to have someone tell me I’m pretty. I’ve never really been told that much by someone who isn’t my mom or a close family friend.

We arrive at my house and Suzy pulls in the driveway behind my mom’s car.

“Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Haner,” I tell her as Brian and I start to scoot out of the car.

“You’re welcome, Lana,” she grins. “Oh, I almost forgot! I have some cookies for you to take home.” She pulls out a small Ziploc bag of chocolate chip cookies and hands them over to me. Brian takes them from me and places them on top of the to-go box in his hands.

“Thank you,” I tell Suzy again with a large smile. I really do like her; she’s a sweet woman.

“You’re very welcome. I hope to see you soon, sweetie.”

“I hope to see you soon, too,” I grin as I step out of the car.

“Is it okay if I walk her to her door?” Brian asks Suzy and she nods her head. He smiles as he closes the door and we walk up to my house.

We reach my door and Brian sets the to-go box and the bag of cookies onto the porch swing.

“I hope you had a good time, Sunshine,” he says with a small smile.

“I did, Superman,” I reply, tacking on his fake nickname with a chuckle.

He laughs at the name and takes my hand in his, probably because Suzy can see us from the driveway. “So, we know that we can get through an evening together without killing each other.”

“I know, I was shocked, too.”

“So, do you think we’re kinda, sorta friends now?”

“Maybe; I’m not too sure yet. We’re gonna have to see how this all plays out when we’re not forced into a situation where we have to be civil towards each other.”

“Well, at least you had a good time because I know I did,” he smiles. “I guess I’ll see you at school then?”

“Yeah, unless we randomly run into each other on the street, which could happen since we’re neighbors and all.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Well, I should probably let you go inside. I don’t want Henry to kill me if you’re a minute late or something like that.”

“I think he likes you too much to kill you. But I should get going. I don’t wanna leave Suzy waiting for too long.”

“Yeah… Well, I’ll see you Monday.”

“Alright.”

He doesn’t move though. He just stands there, and I bite my lip. Maybe I’m supposed to move first? Maybe I’m in his way or something. I start to move out of the way, but he stops me, gently placing his hand on my arm. I look up at him and my eyes lock onto his. He places his hand on my cheek and lightly brushes his thumb over my skin. My heart beats a little faster in my chest, and he slowly dips his head in. His lips brush up against my cheek and he slowly pulls away.

“Goodnight, Sunshine,” he murmurs with a smile on his lips.

“Goodnight, Superman,” I breathe, trying to comprehend what just happened.

He turns around and picks up the stuff from the swing and hands it to me. I mumble a soft thank you and he nods his head. I watch him as he walks off of the porch and down the driveway to Suzy’s car, and I bite my lip, turning to face the door. I bring my hand up to my cheek and my fingertips lightly brush over the skin his lips touched and I smile before opening the door and slipping inside the house.