A Step to Love
Running Away
“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to Brittany (Brit-Brit) Colleen Rodriguez-House Parker!” I jumped on Brit’s bed at ten o’ clock in the morning. Brit moaned sleepily and turned her back to my feet. I simply jumped to the other side of the bed, making her frizzy hair appear from under the sheets.
“Parker?”
I laughed, sitting down with a jump. “Well, you’re partly my sister.”
“Ah.” She threw her quilt and stepped out of her bed. She went to the bathroom without looking and took a quick shower. Later, she came completely refreshed with a towel wrapped around herself. She studied me. “Why are you dressed all pretty?”
I shrugged. “Dressed for the occasion,” I said, looking at my blue silk dress that reached the floor from the reflection the mirror behind her showed me. I pulled out a box and handed it to her. “Abre.”
She half-smiled before ripping the paper out.
She gasped. Yes, I knew she would like it.
She held out a tight box with the CD Collection of The Beatles’ music. She stared with her big brown eyes at me, and I thought she was joking when she said “marry me”, but she was still with a serious face.
I laughed. “Brit, relax. Happy Birthday.” I rushed toward her and hugged her quickly before rushing her to the bathroom again, so she could change into a gorgeous orange outfit. Well it was an orange dress with pink layers around it and in the end of the dress, a pink strip hugged the fabric. It shimmered softly and it looked just as good as I had pictured it in my head. She looked stunning. I fixed her hair in a low, flowing ponytail and added a pink rose to her head.
I pulled out a pin with “Birthday Chickie” printed on it and we headed out for a small surprise, just like she had done with me.
I was pleased. She seemed to enjoy her not-so-secret-surprise, and I mean not-so-secret because she probably knew the whole time. I wasn’t very good at hiding surprise parties.
We prepared ourselves for small games. Alex appeared not too early even though he was just upstairs, but at least he was here. His presence made me nervous now as I knew what I had to tell him. He kissed me as he saw me before greeting his sister. He handed her a gift which she placed on top of her other gifts from the guests.
Alex had already started college about a month ago. So far things had been…okay. We made sure to spend as much time as possible during the weekends, seeming coming here was a bit more difficult than he had imagined. I knew he had to rent an apartment over there. He didn’t like the whole campus-sororities deal.
Most of the time, he was studying and I took that time to help him out. He eventually started paying me by having some serious make-out sessions. Not that I minded.
Brit proceeded to take pictures. She took one with everyone, one alone, one with me, one with her mother, stepfather and siblings, one with her gang (even though in our souls Sasha was in there, too) and then she proceeded to cut the cake before continuing with the games.
Right after four, there wasn’t much to do. Brit had asked me to stay in another night, so she could rent some old movies and we could watch until we fell asleep.
I didn’t notice Jake stood next to me. I hadn’t seen him all afternoon.
He was wearing a white buttoned shirt along with some black jeans. The shirt was slightly opened.
He surprised me by pulling me aside to talk to me.
I hugged him and we moved out the way. Nana and Pat were taking off Brit’s “Happy Birthday, Brit! September 23rd” banner from the ceiling to put it in Brit’s room as she had requested.
I walked with him. We stopped in front of the house and I sat on the balcony, my blue dress flowing carefully with the wind.
He sat next to me, fiddling with his fingers. He didn’t look too good. Did he look nervous to me?
“Everything fine?”
“Hardly,” he responded, focusing his gaze to his shoes.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked up, sighing. “I have to do something before I regret it. I don’t know how to even begin to start.” I waited. “I am deeply in love with you, Lillian.”
Well, that was unexpected. I felt my head back away in shock and I don’t think it helped much. “Gee, Jake, I—” I stopped. “I don’t know what to say to that,” I whispered.
Oh, no. I definitely wanted to avoid this more than anything. One of my best friends falling for me. That just wasn’t good. I was out of words, for most of the part. He sensed it and I hoped he didn’t sense the tension coming from me.
“Yeah,” he continued. “I know you have this ‘thing’ with Alex that will probably never break, but…I thought you should now.” Before I got a chance to say or think something else, he ran away from me like I had some type of disease.
Poor, Jake. I fought the urge to follow him. Why was it all so sudden? Why did it felt sudden to me?
I stood there like a moron, thinking, feeling still shocked and weird.
“What happened?” I heard Brit’s voice call.
I exhaled and shrugged. “I’m not sure.” And it wasn’t a lie. “I need a break to think,” I said, getting up and walking to my aunt’s car in my aunt’s house. I didn’t bother to talk to her about it.
I needed some air, some space. I rolled down the window and turned away from the neighborhood.
It took me a while to realize where I was heading. And I knew this wasn’t such a good idea.
“Parker?”
I laughed, sitting down with a jump. “Well, you’re partly my sister.”
“Ah.” She threw her quilt and stepped out of her bed. She went to the bathroom without looking and took a quick shower. Later, she came completely refreshed with a towel wrapped around herself. She studied me. “Why are you dressed all pretty?”
I shrugged. “Dressed for the occasion,” I said, looking at my blue silk dress that reached the floor from the reflection the mirror behind her showed me. I pulled out a box and handed it to her. “Abre.”
She half-smiled before ripping the paper out.
She gasped. Yes, I knew she would like it.
She held out a tight box with the CD Collection of The Beatles’ music. She stared with her big brown eyes at me, and I thought she was joking when she said “marry me”, but she was still with a serious face.
I laughed. “Brit, relax. Happy Birthday.” I rushed toward her and hugged her quickly before rushing her to the bathroom again, so she could change into a gorgeous orange outfit. Well it was an orange dress with pink layers around it and in the end of the dress, a pink strip hugged the fabric. It shimmered softly and it looked just as good as I had pictured it in my head. She looked stunning. I fixed her hair in a low, flowing ponytail and added a pink rose to her head.
I pulled out a pin with “Birthday Chickie” printed on it and we headed out for a small surprise, just like she had done with me.
I was pleased. She seemed to enjoy her not-so-secret-surprise, and I mean not-so-secret because she probably knew the whole time. I wasn’t very good at hiding surprise parties.
We prepared ourselves for small games. Alex appeared not too early even though he was just upstairs, but at least he was here. His presence made me nervous now as I knew what I had to tell him. He kissed me as he saw me before greeting his sister. He handed her a gift which she placed on top of her other gifts from the guests.
Alex had already started college about a month ago. So far things had been…okay. We made sure to spend as much time as possible during the weekends, seeming coming here was a bit more difficult than he had imagined. I knew he had to rent an apartment over there. He didn’t like the whole campus-sororities deal.
Most of the time, he was studying and I took that time to help him out. He eventually started paying me by having some serious make-out sessions. Not that I minded.
Brit proceeded to take pictures. She took one with everyone, one alone, one with me, one with her mother, stepfather and siblings, one with her gang (even though in our souls Sasha was in there, too) and then she proceeded to cut the cake before continuing with the games.
Right after four, there wasn’t much to do. Brit had asked me to stay in another night, so she could rent some old movies and we could watch until we fell asleep.
I didn’t notice Jake stood next to me. I hadn’t seen him all afternoon.
He was wearing a white buttoned shirt along with some black jeans. The shirt was slightly opened.
He surprised me by pulling me aside to talk to me.
I hugged him and we moved out the way. Nana and Pat were taking off Brit’s “Happy Birthday, Brit! September 23rd” banner from the ceiling to put it in Brit’s room as she had requested.
I walked with him. We stopped in front of the house and I sat on the balcony, my blue dress flowing carefully with the wind.
He sat next to me, fiddling with his fingers. He didn’t look too good. Did he look nervous to me?
“Everything fine?”
“Hardly,” he responded, focusing his gaze to his shoes.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked up, sighing. “I have to do something before I regret it. I don’t know how to even begin to start.” I waited. “I am deeply in love with you, Lillian.”
Well, that was unexpected. I felt my head back away in shock and I don’t think it helped much. “Gee, Jake, I—” I stopped. “I don’t know what to say to that,” I whispered.
Oh, no. I definitely wanted to avoid this more than anything. One of my best friends falling for me. That just wasn’t good. I was out of words, for most of the part. He sensed it and I hoped he didn’t sense the tension coming from me.
“Yeah,” he continued. “I know you have this ‘thing’ with Alex that will probably never break, but…I thought you should now.” Before I got a chance to say or think something else, he ran away from me like I had some type of disease.
Poor, Jake. I fought the urge to follow him. Why was it all so sudden? Why did it felt sudden to me?
I stood there like a moron, thinking, feeling still shocked and weird.
“What happened?” I heard Brit’s voice call.
I exhaled and shrugged. “I’m not sure.” And it wasn’t a lie. “I need a break to think,” I said, getting up and walking to my aunt’s car in my aunt’s house. I didn’t bother to talk to her about it.
I needed some air, some space. I rolled down the window and turned away from the neighborhood.
It took me a while to realize where I was heading. And I knew this wasn’t such a good idea.