We Found Love Lost Under The Shade

It came for the weekend to end and school to start once again. Most kids groaned and walked slowly to their classes, but for the first time in a while Jaime was excited to be back, for probably the stupidest reason.

‘Hey guys, what’s up?’ Jaime said, walking up to his newly found group of friends. Since the party, Vic’s friends seemed to warm up to him and actually like him. They all greeted him simultaneously, quickly returning to their own individual conversations. Vic turned and smiled warmly at Jaime, moving closer to talk to him.

While they talked, Rachel joined the group and talked to the others for a few minutes before taking interest in Vic. She walked over and stood next to him.

‘Hey Jaime, hey Vic,’ she said sweetly with a smile. He stopped talking and turned to her, returning the expression. Jaime didn’t feel very comfortable around her and just shyly waved.

‘So, um, I was wondering, do you want to hang out after school?’ Rachel asked him. ‘I was thinking we could go somewhere.’ Vic sat for a few seconds but nodded. ‘Yeah that sounds great.’

She smiled wide at his response, ‘Great. I’ll drive, just meet me outside after school.’ Before Vic had the chance to reply, she was already walking off to who knows where.

~

It was time for the students to go to lunch, and with the ability to go off-campus for lunch, Vic, Jaime, Matty, and Austin decided on going to a McDonald’s nearby to eat.

‘Give me your money, I’ll go order the food, you guys get a table,’ Matty said. The three boys reached into their pockets, grabbing the crumpled dollar bills while telling him what they wanted.

They found a booth in the corner of the small fast food restaurant, immediately sitting down on the benches. On instinct, Jaime sat next to Vic while Austin sat across, leaving space for Matty to sit. They sat and talked about pointless things, mostly school, until Matty came back with a tray filled with cups, fries, and burgers.

All four of them began eating in silence before Matty spoke up. ‘So Vic, hanging out with Rachel today?’ he asked in a questionably sarcastic tone. He swallowed his food before answering. ‘Yeah, why?’ Vic didn’t really see what the point of this was.

‘Oh, just wondering. She seems into you, man.’ Vic only laughed at his remark. ‘Yeah, whatever,’ he said, shaking his head. Austin chimed in with a laugh. ‘You know it’s true! Do you see how she looks at you?’

Jaime sat silently watching and listening to them bicker about Vic and Rachel. Whatever it was about them, he didn’t care. He personally didn’t see what they were talking about; she just seemed like a good friend.

Vic on the other hand was hoping they’d drop the subject. He had to admit, she was gorgeous, and he has always had a small crush on her. But he never acted on those feelings because they’ve always been good friends. And the thought of her possibly liking Vic made him nervous and happy at the same time.

Vic finally concluded the stupid discussion, and returned back to his food. ‘Whatever you guys, you just want to fuck with me.’ It was followed by a few scoffs from Austin and Matty, but they went along and dropped the subject.

Jaime and Vic were unknowingly and secretively flirting with one another throughout the 30 minutes that were spent sitting next to each other. Whether it was one of their hands slightly touching the others leg or brushing hands, they both felt the small spark whenever making contact.

Eventually the four left, returning back to school just in time for the bell to ring to go to 3rd period. They all parted ways and went to class, full of the junk food they just ate. They were all thinking about something during the remainder of the day; Jaime and Vic thinking about similar things the whole day.

~

‘You ready to go?’ Rachel asked Vic, greeting him with a smile. He nodded, ‘Yeah, sounds great.’ The two said goodbye to their friends and began walking to Rachel’s car. They climbed into her car and she started to drive out of the parking lot.

‘So, what do you have planned for us today?’ Vic asked, looking over at her. A smile spread across her lips and she shook her head. ‘It’s a surprise; just wait and find out,’ she answered playfully. Vic only laughed at her response. ‘Aww! Come on! Just a hint or something?’

‘No!’ she giggled. ‘All I’m going to say is that you’ll be surprised.’ Vic huffed and muttered a fine.

After 20 minutes of laughing and talking, Rachel pulled into a parking lot of a small diner. ‘No way! Dude, I love this place!’ Vic said in an excited tone. She gave him a smug smirk, ‘See, told you.’

They came to a small diner that served huge meals for small prices, and Vic loved it even though the food wasn’t amazing. The reason he loved it so much was because him and Rachel would come here all the time last year; whether it was for dinner or a quick midnight run. The two hadn’t been here since the beginning of summer and walking inside caused good memories to flood back.

After sitting down and ordering their food, Rachel looked at Vic and propped her head in her hands. ‘So, are you surprised?’ she asked with a small smile. ‘Oh my gosh, I love it. I had no idea you would’ve remembered how much I love this place.’

‘Of course. I mean, we spent so much time here, how could I forget?’ Vic shrugged but he couldn’t help but smile. He looked around the small diner, looking at all the dainty light fixtures and paintings hanging on the walls. It made him happy knowing that Rachel remember that; he was dying to come here, and more importantly, with her.

Shortly after ordering, their food came on big plates, along with their drinks. They were a bit surprised at how fast it came, but with how dead the diner was, it was obvious why. But it didn’t matter, they actually liked being here practically alone.

Throughout the meal, Rachel kept shooting him small, hardly sneaky glances. She continually touched her leg with his, causing him to blush. Vic tried not looking up at her, wanting to hide his red cheeks. But that didn’t work very well.

‘Hey, Vic,’ she said, grabbing his attention. His head shot up and he looked at her. ‘Yeah?’ She giggled at him, ‘You’ve got stuff in your teeth.’ His cheeks started to burn and he took a drink of water, hoping to get whatever it was out of his teeth. ‘Goddamn it, I knew I shouldn’t have gotten broccoli.’

‘Anyways, that’s not why I wanted to talk.’ Vic raised an eyebrow. ‘Okay, so?’ She sat for a few seconds before biting her lip and continuing. ‘Um, do you want to go back to my house and watch a movie?’ Vic nodded, ‘Yeah, sure. Sounds awesome.’ Rachel smiled. ‘Cool, wanna go now? I’ll pay,’ she said, getting up from the booth. Vic quickly got up and stopped her, ‘Nope, I’ll pay.’

She laughed at him. ‘No, that’s fine. I have enough money, see?’ she said while pulling out her wallet. He gave her an unsure look but moved out of her way. ‘Okay, I don’t have money anyways,’ Vic said a bit sheepishly. Rachel laughed once again, ‘That’s nice to know AFTER you offer to pay.’

‘I was just trying to be nice!’ he replied. She shook her head and walked up to the counter, paying for their meal. They walked out and got into her car, driving back to her house.

~

Rachel dimmed the lights and walked back over to the couch where Vic was waiting for her, watching the previews before the movie. She sat down next to him and scooted over to cuddle with him. He gladly put his arm around her and got comfortable.

Rachel ended up picking the movie; A Walk To Remember. How she got Vic to watch all these chick flicks with her, they didn’t know. But he didn’t really mind watching these stupid romance movies with her; he liked being with her, no matter what they were doing. They could be at a museum or something of the sort, and he’d be happy.

An hour into the movie, they changed positions and Rachel’s legs were now on top of Vic’s while her head rested on his shoulder. He still had his arm around her, but now had her in a loose hold. They both took comfort in being next to each other, staying silent and listening to their heart beats. Vic found it a bit weird they were best friends, a boy and a girl, that could be this close and not have any feelings for each other whatsoever. But unbeknownst to either of them, they both were hiding something.

The movie ended and the credits started to roll. Rachel lifted her head and looked up at Vic with a tired look. He only smiled at her; he thought she looked so cute when she was tired. Just the way her eyes were partially closed, how her hair was slightly tousled, and that cute little smile she had on her face.

It was unexpected and unplanned, but the two liked it and thought this couldn’t be a better moment. Vic leaned in and placed his lips on Rachel’s, closing his eyes. Rachel did the same and they sat there for a few moments. It was probably the most genuine, sweet kiss the two had given and received. Though they didn’t really know what it meant, they figured it was out of adoration, nothing major. Vic had never told Rachel how he felt about her and always thought she would only be a friend. Rachel, on the other hand, had feelings that differed from Vic’s.

Vic pulled away and bit his lip to fight back a smile. He was in somewhat of awe, surprised that had actually happened. He had been thinking about a moment like this for so long. He liked it a lot actually, but through all the butterflies, he had a feeling of guilt in his stomach. What was there to be guilty about? He tried shrugging it off, and turning his attention back to Rachel.

Rachel got up and turned on the light, turning off the movie afterwards. Vic got up and stretched and yawned. He grabbed his phone to check the time, but noticed a message. He unlocked his phone and saw it was a message from Jaime; he gasped quietly. Vic pieced together what that feeling was all about.

‘What’s wrong?’ Rachel asked, her face showing concern. Vic looked up from his phone to see Rachel looking at him. ‘Oh, I just, it’s getting late and my parents probably want me home soon.’ She nodded and grabbed her keys from the end table. ‘I guess I should drive you home then. Let’s go.’

~

Rachel pulled into Vic’s driveway; the lights in his house were on, lighting up his front yard. It was pretty dark now, the sun had gone down only a half an hour ago, and the moon was shining bright along with all the stars.

Vic turned to her, not really knowing what to say. Rachel took this as sign to do what she wanted since the movie. She grabbed Vic’s face and gave him a quick kiss, long enough for him to savor it but not long enough to truly enjoy it.

‘I really like you, Vic. I kind of have for a while…’ Rachel said, looking down. He was beaming, this was almost unbelievable to him. His mouth opened slightly but he replied. ‘Really? I like you, too. It’s just..kind of weird that you actually like me.’ She gave a small laugh at his response. ‘I thought it was obvious. Well.. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Vic smiled. ‘Bye, see you,’ he said, walking out of the car and inside.

Vic walked in to be greeted by his father, questioning him on where he was. He just brushed him off, saying he was out with Rachel and headed up to his room. He kicked off his shoes and changed into something comfortable; he was surprisingly tired.

Climbing into bed, he grabbed his phone, remembering he had a text message from Jaime.

From Jaime: Hey Vic :) wanna hang out or something?

To Jaime: Sorry, I just saw your text. Maybe tomorrow?

From Jaime: Yeah, that’s fine.

Vic put his phone back on his night stand and turned over, trying to fall asleep. It was difficult when he had so many things on his mind. His emotions conflicted and he was unsure of what he should do; didn’t he like Jaime? But he’s liked Rachel for so long…

He grunted. ‘Fuck.’