Run Away

She stared at the test for another ten minutes, her head spinning and her heart pounding in her throat. Her stomach felt like the sea during a hurricane. Her limbs were shaking, and she felt doomed.
"What do I do now?" she asked out loud, staring at the test on the floor.
Her phone vibrated, causing her to jump. John's face stared at her from the caller ID of her iPhone.
"Hello?" she answered, her voice shaking.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, suddenly worried at the sound of her voice.
"I'm fine. Just coming back now." she said, shoving the tests into her purse and leaving the stall.
"Alright. Well, I'll be here. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk when you got back. To the beach." he said timidly.
"Of course." she said, forcing herself to smile.

When she got back to the bus, John was standing outside smoking a cigarette. His hair was a mess, most likely from pulling it around out of stress. He did that often. She pushed the pregnancy thought to the back of her head for now. She wasn't going to panic about it. She had too much to worry about.
"You look like a mad scientist." she smiled.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." he eyed her up and down.
"I'm alright. You know I get spooked walking around in the dark alone." she explained, trying to make excuses.
"Yeah." he said quietly, knowing something was off.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, as they took off down the road towards the beach he had mapped out on his GPS.
"Nice night for a walk..." she started, trying to seem calm.
"Yeah..." he looked forward.
The awkward tension was thick in the air, almost like someone had thrown a smoke bomb full of weird feelings around them.
"Have you fully forgiven me?" he asked finally, breaking the silence like a thin cracker.
His voice scared her, like a bomb going off.
"I do." she smiled, looking at him.
"Are you sure? You seem a little distant. I know it's a messed up situation." he sighed, running his hands through his hair, debating on whether or not he should grab her hand.
"I do. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. I can hear the water. We must be close." she said, taking off her shoes.
She took off running down the sidewalk until her feet hit the cool sand. John was close behind her.
"Ahh, paradise." she smiled, looking at her beautiful boyfriend in the moonlight.
"The moon is so bright tonight, I thought it would be a perfect night for this." he smiled at her beaming face.
They found a nice spot and laid together in the sand. The smell of the salty water filled her nose.

All her worries washed away when he put his arms around her. It was like magic. In that very moment, a wave of something she couldn't explain washed over her. She couldn't believe how much she loved him. She felt it so strongly. She felt her heart flutter, her stomach was crashing like the waves in the ocean in front of them.
"You mean everything to me, John." she whispered, tangling her fingers up in his.

~~~~
"Lauren, you know when a boy teases you, it means he likes you." her friend Taylor laughed.
"We are not in 4th grade anymore. Him and I are 16 years old. Old enough to know that if you like someone, you should just tell them." Lauren rolled her eyes, replacing her sunglasses on her face.
Summer of 2005. Sitting poolside on pool chairs at Pat's house while his parents were out of town was the way to live.
John sat at the other end of the pool, staring at her.
"He's all different. Like, weird. I don't get it." Lauren started, staring back at him, protected under the large lens' of her sunglasses.
"He's a boy, going through puberty. Maybe he had a wet dream about you or something." Taylor laughed again.
Not that Lauren would mind. She had been attracted to John since grade school, and they had been best friends their whole lives.
"Maybe I should just go talk to him." Lauren sighed, leaning up on the chair and adjusting her bikini top, making sure John was looking right at her.
She shot up and walked towards him.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
He looked up at her squinting, the sunlight hitting his eyes.
"Sure." he shrugged, getting off the chair and following her into the house.
They walked into Pat's house and went to a vacant room. She closed and locked the door behind her.
"What is your problem?" she said, putting her hands back on her hips.
John leaned against the wall, staring at her.
"Well?" she asked, getting frustrated.
"I don't have a problem." he said, toying with his hair.
"John, in the 16 years that we've been friends, you have never given me the cold shoulder. What gives?" she asked.
"You wanna know what gives, Lauren?" he walked up and stood directly in front of her.
Her breathing got quick.
"What g-g-gives?" she stuttered as he stood directly in front of her, their faces almost touching.
He kissed her right on the lips.
~~~~

She smiled at the memory of her very first kiss. The day her whole life fell into place. Even though she was scared, she was content. She loved him, and she was happy.