Status: hiatus until co-author returns(or gives me the go ahead to finish alone.)
Paradise Lost
Eighteen.
I had barely made it in the door of Dave’s when I heard him shouting my name. I had expected to stiffen at the sound of his voice or perhaps run away or immediately lapse back into Summer Gemma’s façade but instead I simply turned to face him head on. I had no idea what the hell kind of expression I wore, I just knew that something in me was glad to see the grinning boy before me.
The memory of our previous conversation hadn’t escaped me—in fact it was all I could think about since it had happened. It didn’t look as though he was bothered by it at all, but why would he be? He had outed me for everything I had worked for during my summers at the Lakehouse and it didn’t even put a notch in his day. Suddenly the joy I felt at seeing the boy turned to annoyance and I crossed my arms as he closed the distance between us.
He seemed to sense my anger with him because as he propped himself against the pole holding up the Dave’s establishment sign, he laughed. “Are you still mad at me?” he asked, looking around the outdoor patio casually.
“Why would I be?” I asked. I’d decided it was best to pretend the conversation had never happened. If I pretended it didn’t happen maybe he would too and we could go back to the way things should be.
“You’re right, why should you be?” His eyes finally seemed to land on what he was searching for because a small smile appeared on his lips. “Come on, Gemma, let’s get some ice cream,” he said, suddenly grabbing my hand and tugging me into the shop.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he waited in line to order his ice cream no matter how hard I tried to pry our fingers apart. Even as he ordered his Rocky Road ice cream and my bubblegum, he refused to release me. I found myself shocked at the fact that he remembered what kind of ice cream I liked even but that surprise didn’t last long as the entrance bell rang out.
“Who the hell is this?” came the ever familiar, very loud voice of my dear friend Morgan. I whirled around, my hand still awkwardly twisted across my body as it was still clasped in Jake’s, which he easily remedied by releasing my hand and grabbing my other. Morgan was staring at Jake and then at our linked fingers and then at my pained expression, all with a look of bewilderment. I noticed Jackie coming in behind him, mimicking his look of shock.
Jake then smoothly extended his hand with a smile. “I’m Jake.”
“Well, I mean, I know who you are. But what the hell is this?” he asked, his face turning ever so slightly red as he gestured to our link hands.
“Just a bit of hand holding,” Jake said, shrugging. He released my hand momentarily to turn and pay for our ice cream cones and then handed me mine before taking a lick of his. “Why don’t you two order your cones and we can sit down together?”
Morgan and Jackie nodded slowly, their mouths ever so slightly open as they stared at Jake. Jake then took my hand again and led me to a table with four spots open and took a seat. I stared at him in a mixture of rage and admiration for being able to so smoothly insert himself in my group of friends. But the uneasiness in my chest would not fade.
When this ended it was going to be badly.
The memory of our previous conversation hadn’t escaped me—in fact it was all I could think about since it had happened. It didn’t look as though he was bothered by it at all, but why would he be? He had outed me for everything I had worked for during my summers at the Lakehouse and it didn’t even put a notch in his day. Suddenly the joy I felt at seeing the boy turned to annoyance and I crossed my arms as he closed the distance between us.
He seemed to sense my anger with him because as he propped himself against the pole holding up the Dave’s establishment sign, he laughed. “Are you still mad at me?” he asked, looking around the outdoor patio casually.
“Why would I be?” I asked. I’d decided it was best to pretend the conversation had never happened. If I pretended it didn’t happen maybe he would too and we could go back to the way things should be.
“You’re right, why should you be?” His eyes finally seemed to land on what he was searching for because a small smile appeared on his lips. “Come on, Gemma, let’s get some ice cream,” he said, suddenly grabbing my hand and tugging me into the shop.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he waited in line to order his ice cream no matter how hard I tried to pry our fingers apart. Even as he ordered his Rocky Road ice cream and my bubblegum, he refused to release me. I found myself shocked at the fact that he remembered what kind of ice cream I liked even but that surprise didn’t last long as the entrance bell rang out.
“Who the hell is this?” came the ever familiar, very loud voice of my dear friend Morgan. I whirled around, my hand still awkwardly twisted across my body as it was still clasped in Jake’s, which he easily remedied by releasing my hand and grabbing my other. Morgan was staring at Jake and then at our linked fingers and then at my pained expression, all with a look of bewilderment. I noticed Jackie coming in behind him, mimicking his look of shock.
Jake then smoothly extended his hand with a smile. “I’m Jake.”
“Well, I mean, I know who you are. But what the hell is this?” he asked, his face turning ever so slightly red as he gestured to our link hands.
“Just a bit of hand holding,” Jake said, shrugging. He released my hand momentarily to turn and pay for our ice cream cones and then handed me mine before taking a lick of his. “Why don’t you two order your cones and we can sit down together?”
Morgan and Jackie nodded slowly, their mouths ever so slightly open as they stared at Jake. Jake then took my hand again and led me to a table with four spots open and took a seat. I stared at him in a mixture of rage and admiration for being able to so smoothly insert himself in my group of friends. But the uneasiness in my chest would not fade.
When this ended it was going to be badly.