My Twisted Teenage Romance

''To the left -No! - Yea, there! Now you angle it up –No! Not you! You!'' Holly said.

She was trying desperately to direct Sage and Andrew in hanging the banner they were holding straight over the door way.
I was at Jacob's house, along with him, his brothers, Holly, and, Jenny who couldn't seem to keep away from Sage.

It was late Saturday afternoon and Jacob's parents were coming home today. According to the boys, they had been in Paris for the last few months. It was something to do with work.

The past three weeks had been surprisingly uneventful compared to the adventure filled last few weeks of summer I had. The first week of school had been as hectic as the first week usually is, grade nines running frantically through the halls to get to their classes, afraid to be late, grade twelve's reaping the benefits of their last year, and everyone else dealing with the stress of waking up at six a.m. and carrying around a four hundred pound backpack again.

''You guys are hopeless!'' Holly yelled in frustration, slapping her hands over her eyes.

''Hey! It's not as easy as it looks!'' Andrew defended and Sage nodded in agreement.

''No you guys are just brain dead.'' she mumbled, rolling her eyes and Jenny and I giggled.

''Then you do it!'' Sage said.

''We will then!'' Jenny interjected, stepping towards Sage's ladder.

''Thank you!'' Holly said as Jenny and I went to the bottom of the ladders that the boys were on.

Andrew and Sage climbed down and passed the banner to us. About halfway up the ladder, it started to wobble to the point of almost throwing me off, but it was suddenly steadied. I looked down to see Jacob –who had appeared out of nowhere- smiling up at me.

''Ok, now,'' Holly started, taking a calming breath.

''Nikki, raise your side a tiny b- there! And Jenny, to the right a- there! Perfect!'' Holly said as we held the 'welcome home' banner in place.

''Here, pin it up!'' she said, sounding much happier now that her banner was up and handing us each two thumb tacks.

''See, it wasn't that hard.'' Jenny said as she climbed down and Sage rolled his eyes.

Sage and Jenny had spent a lot of time with each other since they met at the party, but they still weren't an official 'couple', although you could practically feel the feelings radiating off of them.

As I started to climb down the ladder I felt a pair of hands on my waist, keeping me steady. I smiled as Jacob lifted me down when I had only a few steps to go and then stood with his arm around my waist.

Holly walked over to the front door and looked over the front room. The banner was hanging over the doorway to the living room and balloon bouquets guarded each doorway. She went to the living room and looked in, carefully assessing everything as she moved gracefully from the door.

''Are we done yet?'' Sage whined and Holly shot him a quick, annoyed look over her shoulder and he scoffed.

Holly took a long breath and we all waited anxiously. She had had us decorating from the late hours of the morning until now, and it was almost four. We all had reprimanded Andrew for letting her be in charge.

''I think we're finished.'' she said as she turned to us, her eyes bright with satisfaction.

''Thank the lord!'' Sage said, falling to his knees dramatically. Jenny ran over and pushed him, causing him to fall onto his side, then sat on him.

''So what time are your parents coming home anyways?'' she asked, completely ignoring the fact that she was sitting on an unjustifiably good-looking teenage boy.

''Five?'' Andrew said but it sounded more like a question.

''Five.'' Jacob confirmed.

''That's like, in an hour.'' I said, nervousness beginning to creep into the pit of my stomach.

''Nervous?'' Jacob whispered in my ear and I could hear the smirk in his voice. A slight chill ran through me, although it wasn't the least bit cold in the house.

''No, I was merely re-conveying the fact that they'll be here soon.'' I lied.

The truth was I was as nervous as a gazelle going to a lion's birthday party. Ever since Jacob had asked me to be there when his parents came home and to meet them, the fact had been tugging at the corners of my mind. Jacob and his brothers were the most flawless people I had ever seen, and it was almost impossible to imagine what kind of beautiful people could have spawned such perfect children.

To top it all off they were loaded, that was a fact proven by their house not to mention the cars that the boys drove. What if they didn't think I was good enough for Jacob? Holly was just as perfect as the boys, she could have been their sister if they looked alike, and clearly a perfect match for Andrew, the way they looked at each other was in a way most people only dreamed of. Holly and Andrew didn't seem the least bit anxious; clearly, they had already given her their approval. But really, who couldn't? She was beautiful, smart, she knew what she wanted and how to get it, and she absolutely radiated self-confidence.

There was no way of denying that Jenny and I stood out amongst this family. Before, Jenny and I were considered very attractive by the male half of the student body at our school, but compared to them; we were so very, very average.

''So what're we gonna do for the next hour?'' Jenny asked from on top of Sage.

''Let's order a pizza!'' he said and then threw her off as he reached for his phone.

''No! We're eating when they get here!'' Holly said, swiping the phone from Sage's hand with an inexplicably fast movement.

''Hey!'' he said, hopping up and trying to steal it back.

''Nope!'' she said and then shoved it into her back pocket. Sage glanced at Andrew who was standing not too far away and his eyes were strangely protective.

''I dare you.'' Andrew said in a low tone, sounding almost like a growl.

''Fine.'' Sage sighed in defeat and Holly smirked with satisfaction.

''So what are we going to do for the next hour?'' Sage asked, helping Jenny up from the floor where she was still sitting.

''Well you can start by getting some music, we need some good background noise.'' Holly said and I felt Jacob perk up.

''I got it!'' he said and immediately headed for the stairs with me in tow.

''Why you?'' I asked as he pulled me up the stairs. He seemed to forget sometimes that I couldn't walk anywhere near as fast as him.

''Because I have the best music collection.'' he said with a smirk and I couldn't help but feel like there was some joke I was missing.

When we got to Jacob's room the door was open. He went in ahead of me and it was only when he stepped out of the doorway that I noticed a huge hole in the wall, big enough for a person.

''What happened to your wall?'' I asked, staring wide eyed at the hole.

''Sage knocked my bookshelf over.'' Jacob said casually.

Only then did I look at the bookshelf that was empty save for some dust. One of the sides was scratched and a few of the shelves had been knocked out. Next to it, stood a huge pile of books that must have come from the shelf.

''When?'' I asked, making conversation.

''Remember that time when you called and Sage answered? Then there was that loud crashing noise?'' he asked, smirking again.

How could I forget? That was the day Jacob had asked me to go to the cliff with him on what turned out to be our first official date.

''Oh yea! I hope you don't let him in your room again.'' I said and we both laughed.

''So where is this music collection you're so proud of?'' I asked, turning to Jacob who stood against the wall on the right side of the room. He grinned.

''Watch.'' he said and turned towards the wall.

I heard a small beeping sound and saw that he had tapped lightly on a keypad on the wall. All of a sudden, the wall beside where he was standing started to move up in the same fashion that they do in 1980 spy movies. Slowly it revealed shelves upon shelves of plastic CD cases. There had to be at least four hundred.

''Oh my gosh.'' was all I could manage. I had never seen so many CD's any where other than the store.

''I know.'' he said, pride colouring his tone.

''What did you buy the music store or something?'' I asked, stepping towards the wall of CDs.

''I just like a lot of music.'' he shrugged.

I stood in front of the wall of CD's, examining it. He had everything from heavy metal to fifties classics. He leaned over me and ran one finger over a row of cases, stopping at a clear one with a CD labelled 'Mom's' inside.

''This one is her favourite.'' he said, stepping back and looking at the case as if he could hear the music playing already.

When I managed to pull my eyes away from the wall of discs, Jacob was standing a few feet behind me, staring at me in a way that only he could. After three weeks he still hadn't told me why he looked at me like that and after three weeks it still managed to make me blush.

''Jacob,'' I said and he smiled, knowing what was coming.

''Why do you look at me like that?'' I asked and then waited for the answer I knew was coming.

''I don't know.'' he said, his soft smile not faltering.

''Why do I even ask?'' I asked playfully as I moved towards him.

''Because you're waiting for the day I tell you.'' he said softly, brushing my cheek with the tips of his fingers.

''Sometimes I swear you can see right through me.'' I sighed and he chuckled softly.

He stepped forward slightly and wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head on his chest. Being around him made me feel so safe, especially when he held me like this, it was an inexplicable feeling. It was as if nothing could hurt me, and even though the only possible cause for this feeling was Jacob, I didn't dare question it. When I was with him, nothing could hurt me and that was that.

Suddenly he perked up a bit.

''What?'' I asked, looking up at him.

''They're here.'' he said, obvious happiness filling his tone.

He took my hand in his and led me out of his room. I was suddenly very nervous. Since Jacob had told me that he wanted me to meet his parents, I had been going over a hundred different possible reactions in my head. In some, his parents welcomed me with open arms and told me how happy they were, but in others they looked at Jacob as if they were disappointed that he had chosen someone as average as me when he was as perfect as he was.

As we neared the stairs I could hear hurried voices from downstairs. The others must have known they were here to.

''No! Put it back! Stop touching it!'' I heard Holly say and caught a glimpse of her snatching a vase from Sage.

''I think they're here,'' Jenny said and I nodded. Jacob had gone to sort out the confrontation between Holly and Sage, leaving Jenny and I standing near the bottom of the large staircase.

''But I didn't hear anything.'' she said, sounding like she was unsure of the assumption she had made, but I hadn't heard anything either.

''We probably missed it.'' I said, moving towards the window next to the door.

I looked out to see a silver Charger just pulling into the end of the long driveway. I tried to think of a way that Jacob could have heard their car from all the way upstairs. But I couldn't. I decided to worry about that later, right now I was about to meet his parents.

I moved to where Jacob was leaning casually against the railing and stood next to him. The knot I was unaware of in my stomach had suddenly tightened and a fresh wave of nerves washed over me.

Almost as if he could feel how nervous I was, Jacob took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I looked up at him. I don't know what I had been expecting, maybe for him to be in some way as nervous as I was, but there wasn't the slightest trace of stress on his calm, loving face. I turned towards the door and took a slow, silent breath.

''Relax, they'll love you.'' he whispered in my ear and the kissed the side of my head.

I didn't hear anyone coming up the walkway but suddenly the doorknob was turning and the door opened.

''Welcome home!'' Holly, Andrew, Sage, and Jacob said in unison. I was too nervous to speak.

Holly and Sage immediately ran to the two people who had come in to greet them while Andrew hung back a bit and Jacob stayed at my side for which I was grateful.

As holly and sage moved away from the people who had just entered the house, I felt my jaw drop. These were the two most beautiful people I had ever seen in my life, except maybe Jacob, but I was biased on that front.

The woman –his mother I assumed- had wavy brown hair that hung neatly around her face. Her skin was flawless, as were her features, but the first thing I noticed were her eyes. They were the same piercing shade of blue that Jacobs were, yet they seemed darker.

His father had short black hair that was ruffled as if he had been driving with the top down, yes there didn't seem to be a strand out of place. He had the same perfect features like his wife and sons and the same beautiful eyes that were just as dark as his wife's.

Holly whispered something to them and both pairs of blue eyes immediately turned to me. I was worried at first that they wouldn't think I was good enough for their perfect son, yet their eyes said otherwise, they were warm and inviting, almost loving, but in no way the same as how Jacob looked at me.

Jacob's parents walked towards me at the same time. The way they walked seemed perfect, as if they had taken the time to practice walking gracefully. Either way, the way they moved made Jacob and the others look like drunken ballerinas.

''Hello dear, I'm Celina, Jacob's mother.'' she said and I almost choked on my words. Her voice was beautiful, light, and yet smooth at the same time.

''And I'm his father Shane.'' he said, holding out a hand out to me. His voice was just as stunning, soft and smooth, the voice a singer would sell his soul for.

''I'm Nikki.'' I said, surprising myself by forming a coherent sentence. I shook Shane's hand and then Celina's.

''It's good to meet you Nikki, we've heard so much about you from our son.'' Celina said.

There wasn't the slightest trace of anxiety about Celina as she looked at me. The dislike most mothers develop for their son's girlfriend when they realize that they're no longer the only woman in his like was nowhere to be found on her.

''So many good things.'' Shane added with a smile.

''Welcome home.'' I said and they thanked me in unison.

Sage cleared his throat rather loudly and his parents looked over to him as if they had been pulled away from a good TV show, and then they spotted Jenny. They floated –it's the only way to describe how they moved- over to Jenny and Sage and began to dote upon her as they had done to me.

''I told you they're love you.'' Jacob whispered in my ear and I let out a huge sigh of relief.

''Come! Everyone into the den! We've got food and drinks and music and you can all get acquainted in there!'' Holly said, ushering everyone towards the living room.

We all went into the den and situated ourselves around the room. I stood with Jacob, trying to think of something, anything that I could make conversation about with his parents, but I kept coming up blank. Shane and Celina were standing with Holly and Andrew on the other side of the room. They were talking very little, yet looking purposefully into each other's eyes.

Holly suddenly nodded towards Jacob and me and then Celina was on her way over to us. As she walked, I racked my brain as hard as I could for something to talk about, but came up with nothing.

''Thank you so much for being here Nikki, it really is a pleasure to meet you.'' Celina said.

''The pleasure's all mine really, it's an honour to finally meet Jacob's parents.'' I said, wishing that I didn't sound so cheesy, yet at the same time happy the words I'd said had made sense.

''I'm glad to hear Jacob's been speaking so highly of us.'' she said.

''Only the best mom.'' he said and she smiled an absolutely enchanting smile.

''And you weren't exaggerating when you told me how beautiful she is, she's absolutely gorgeous.'' Celina said and I was in awe.

Before me stood the most beautiful, flawless, goddess-like woman I had ever seen and she had just called me beautiful. I had always thought I was a good-looking person, but the Michaels family definitely raised the bar on beautiful.

''Thank you.'' I said, blushing furiously.

Celina was looking silently at Jacob now, but it looked as though they were having a silent conversation. I was seriously beginning to think that this family was telepathic.

''Shall we have dinner now?'' Shane asked Holly from across the room where he was talking to Jenny and Sage.

''Yes! Of course!'' Holly said and headed for the dining room. She was back within two minutes, telling us that dinner was on the table.

We went into the dining room and the table was laid out beautifully. I assumed she'd done some of this earlier and just put the food out now. I sat down between Jacob and Jenny and Jacob put one hand reassuringly on my leg. I put my hand on top of his and smiled at him. If he hadn't been by my side this whole time, I probably wouldn't have survived.