Deception
Young Love
“What’s going on up here?” Cassie asked, looking from one guilty face to the other.
“Nothing much.” Joey shrugged his shoulders casually, but his face was crimson.
Estelle started giggling and Ramona slapped her in the arm.
“Stella, shut up!” Ramona glared at her.
“Estelle, tell me what’s going on.” Cassie asked the raven haired twelve year old, bemused.
“Joey and Mona were going to kiss!” Stella began giggling again and Joey turned and even deeper scarlet. Ramona looked down, embarrassed.
“What?” Cassie bit her tongue to keep from laughing.
“They love each other!” Stella continued to giggle.
“No we don’t.” Joey said weakly.
Ramona gasped, obviously she thought they did love each other, and exited the tree house via the rope ladder as fast as she could.
Joey watched her run toward the house with her head down, brown hair flying behind her.
“Estelle,” Cassie started, placing a hand on the girl’s head “Could you please go see where Mona has got to? Maybe you guys can play on the computer inside or something?”
“Sure. Hey, am I in trouble for telling?” Stella asked innocently.
“No, nobody’s in trouble as long as no one tells any of your dads. I’m not going to say anything so everybody keep a secret. Now please go after Ramona.”
Estelle nodded and left the tree house.
“Are you really not going to tell my parents? Or Tre?” Joey said quietly, staring at her from the dark eyes he’d inherited from his mother.
“Of course not. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and Ramona is a very pretty girl, who wouldn’t want to kiss her?” Cassie cracked a smile but Joey stayed sombre.
He looked almost identical to Billie Joe except his face was more rounded like his mothers and his skin was olive toned, again like his mother. Cassie wondered if Billie was more brooding, quieter and effortlessly stylish like Joseph or if he was loud, confident and chatty like Jakob, who was another spitting image of his dad.
“I really do like Mona.” The nearly fifteen year old boy explained, still speaking softly.
“I’ll bet you do.” Cassie agreed.
“You don’t mind if I ask her on a date?” Joey looked up hopefully.
“Okay, I don’t care, personally I can’t think of a better person for Mona to go on a date with, but that is something you’ll have to speak to your Uncle Tre and your parents about.”
Joey looked dejected “I bet Uncle Tre will say no, he’s really protective of her.”
“Ramona really likes you too, you know. She was telling me about the time you were flirting with her, and she was blushing the whole time.” Cassie said, changing the subject off dating.
Joey began to blush again “She was?”
“Yep. So how come you were going to kiss her in front of Estelle?” Cassie was bemused again.
“We were playing truth or dare and Stella dared us to. I’m kinda glad but I wish she didn’t say that we loved each other. I mean, I like Mona a lot but I don’t think I love her yet. Mom always says I’m too young to know love anyway. I think Mona might love me though.”
“Young people tend to think they’re in love when they have a simple crush. Ramona will understand if you tell her that you really, really like her but don’t want to say the L word too soon.”
Joey wrinkled his nose when Cassie said ‘young people’ because he considered himself to be a man, but nodded and took in all Cassie’s advice.
“Thanks, Aunt Cassie. I’ll go talk to her.”
“Talk to her alone, away from Estelle. And no kissing!” Cassie laughed and finally got a smile from Joseph who first helped Cassie down from the tree house then climbed out himself and went into the house in search of his crush.
“Nothing much.” Joey shrugged his shoulders casually, but his face was crimson.
Estelle started giggling and Ramona slapped her in the arm.
“Stella, shut up!” Ramona glared at her.
“Estelle, tell me what’s going on.” Cassie asked the raven haired twelve year old, bemused.
“Joey and Mona were going to kiss!” Stella began giggling again and Joey turned and even deeper scarlet. Ramona looked down, embarrassed.
“What?” Cassie bit her tongue to keep from laughing.
“They love each other!” Stella continued to giggle.
“No we don’t.” Joey said weakly.
Ramona gasped, obviously she thought they did love each other, and exited the tree house via the rope ladder as fast as she could.
Joey watched her run toward the house with her head down, brown hair flying behind her.
“Estelle,” Cassie started, placing a hand on the girl’s head “Could you please go see where Mona has got to? Maybe you guys can play on the computer inside or something?”
“Sure. Hey, am I in trouble for telling?” Stella asked innocently.
“No, nobody’s in trouble as long as no one tells any of your dads. I’m not going to say anything so everybody keep a secret. Now please go after Ramona.”
Estelle nodded and left the tree house.
“Are you really not going to tell my parents? Or Tre?” Joey said quietly, staring at her from the dark eyes he’d inherited from his mother.
“Of course not. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and Ramona is a very pretty girl, who wouldn’t want to kiss her?” Cassie cracked a smile but Joey stayed sombre.
He looked almost identical to Billie Joe except his face was more rounded like his mothers and his skin was olive toned, again like his mother. Cassie wondered if Billie was more brooding, quieter and effortlessly stylish like Joseph or if he was loud, confident and chatty like Jakob, who was another spitting image of his dad.
“I really do like Mona.” The nearly fifteen year old boy explained, still speaking softly.
“I’ll bet you do.” Cassie agreed.
“You don’t mind if I ask her on a date?” Joey looked up hopefully.
“Okay, I don’t care, personally I can’t think of a better person for Mona to go on a date with, but that is something you’ll have to speak to your Uncle Tre and your parents about.”
Joey looked dejected “I bet Uncle Tre will say no, he’s really protective of her.”
“Ramona really likes you too, you know. She was telling me about the time you were flirting with her, and she was blushing the whole time.” Cassie said, changing the subject off dating.
Joey began to blush again “She was?”
“Yep. So how come you were going to kiss her in front of Estelle?” Cassie was bemused again.
“We were playing truth or dare and Stella dared us to. I’m kinda glad but I wish she didn’t say that we loved each other. I mean, I like Mona a lot but I don’t think I love her yet. Mom always says I’m too young to know love anyway. I think Mona might love me though.”
“Young people tend to think they’re in love when they have a simple crush. Ramona will understand if you tell her that you really, really like her but don’t want to say the L word too soon.”
Joey wrinkled his nose when Cassie said ‘young people’ because he considered himself to be a man, but nodded and took in all Cassie’s advice.
“Thanks, Aunt Cassie. I’ll go talk to her.”
“Talk to her alone, away from Estelle. And no kissing!” Cassie laughed and finally got a smile from Joseph who first helped Cassie down from the tree house then climbed out himself and went into the house in search of his crush.