My Twisted Teenage Romance

''Hello?'' a groggy voice answered. He must have been sleeping.

''Hey Michael, it's Nikki. I need your help.'' I said, getting out of my car.

''With what? Where are you? Are you ok?'' he asked, sounding like he was talking to his little sister.

''Look in my driveway. I need you to help me get Jenny inside.'' I told him.

''Is she wasted?'' he asked as I saw a light turn on in his room.

''No, just sleeping.'' I said and waved when he appeared at the window.

''I'm coming.'' he said, vanishing from the window.

''Thanks.'' I said and hung up.

Soon after, the porch light flicked on and Michael emerged from the house. He waved briefly and then walked towards my car. I went around to the passenger's side of the car. I opened the door and undid Jenny's seatbelt just before Michael appeared beside me.

''Go for it.'' I said, stepping out of his way.

He reached into the car and lifted Jenny's tiny frame out of the seat with ease. She cuddled into his chest and I followed as he carried her across the lawn towards their house. I opened the door for him and he carried her inside, upstairs.

He deposited his sister in her room, on her bed. I couldn't help but smile when he pulled a blanket over her before leaving her room.

''You're such a big brother.'' I teased lightly as we walked back downstairs.

''It's been said.'' he retorted and I chuckled.

''For how annoying she is, I guess it's easy to forget sometimes how young and fragile she is. Truth be told, I kind of like playing the big brother part.'' Michael told me as we reached the front door.

''Well you're pretty good at it if I do say so myself.'' I said.

I didn't realize that Michael was walking me to my house until we were halfway across my lawn.

''I've just got to threaten her boyfriend a little and I think I'll have covered all the bases.'' he joked and I laughed lightly.

''Is walking her friends home in the middle of the night one of the bases?'' I asked playfully.

''You used to be like a sister to me too you know.'' he said.
We were now standing on the porch.

''Used to be?'' I knew what he had meant, but it just slipped out.

''Well you are but I mean, now you're older, and kind of, um.'' he stammered.

''I get it.'' I said, saving him from saying what we both knew but neither of us would dare admit.

''I've got your back Nikki, and if that boyfriend of yours ever gets out of line,'' he punched one hand with the other and I giggled.

''Thanks Michael.'' I said and he nodded.

''I'll see you around.''

''See ya.'' he said and then disappeared from my porch.

I went inside and found my dad dozing in front of the TV.

''Dad, I'm home.'' I said, shaking him lightly.

''Finally.'' he mumbled, half asleep.

''Have fun?'' he asked through a yawn.

''Yea dad, you can go to bed now.'' I said and he smiled.

He switched the TV off and I went up the stairs behind him. I said goodnight and went to my room. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail it had been in all night and shook my head, savouring the relief.

I had started to undo the buttons on my vest when I heard a noise I didn't recognize. I waited for a minute and hear it again. The noise was coming from my window.

I crossed my room to my window and when I looked out, my heart leapt. Standing on my front lawn at two-thirty a.m. was Jacob Michaels, throwing rocks at my window.

I opened my window and leaned out.

''Jacob?'' I asked, incredulous. It was too much like a storybook to be true.

''Hi.'' he said, a charming grin spreading across his lips. My heart started to beat that much faster just seeing him. Even from across the lawn he could make my heart race.

''What are you doing here?'' I asked.

''Throwing rocks at your window.'' he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

''What do you want?'' I asked, a smile of my own spreading across my face.

''You could start by coming down.'' he said. I looked back towards my door as if I could see through it to my parents' door.

''I think my parents are still awake.''' I told him.

''So be very quiet.'' he said and I rolled my eyes playfully.

''I have another idea.'' I said and he furrowed his eyebrows.

I stepped out of my window, onto the overhang covering the porch. I had snuck out a few times when I was younger with Jenny and I was pretty sure I could still do it. I moved to the corner of the overhang, under which was one of the posts holding it up. I turned around and slid over the edge, holding onto the wood that accented the top of the post.

I heard Jacob hurry towards me as I lowered myself down. When my feet made contact with the railing going around the porch, I wrapped my arms around the post and slid a bit lower before dropping to the ground.

''Ta da!'' I sang proudly as I turned to face Jacob. The look on his face was a mix of terror and amusement. Apparently, he thought I was going to fall.

''That was brilliant.'' he stated with a smile.

''Thank you.'' I replied.

He leaned forward and gently kissed my lips, lingering there for a second.

''Thank you.'' I repeated and he chuckled.

''Um.'' I tried to remember my line of questioning. Something about kissing him scrambled my thoughts as if they were eggs.

''Why am I here?'' he suggested.

''Yea, why are you here?'' I asked and he smirked.

''I needed to see you.'' He said, his tone taking a serious turn. I waited for him to continue.

''I need to tell you something. I don't know if this isn't the right time, but when I was at my house, stuck with my family, listening to and being completely excluded from their conversation, I had a lot of time to think. I don’t know what you're going to say, or how you're going to react, I just wanted you to know that I- well I mean I- ugh!'' I had never heard Jacob at a loss for words.

''Nikki I love you.'' he said flat out and my heart stopped.

I felt my eyes go wide as my heart restarted; pounding so hard I thought it might break through my chest. His words played over and over in my head and I was speechless.

I'd had someone tell me they loved me before, but we were twelve and he was my first boyfriend. Although they had said the same words, what Jonny had said to me meant nothing compared to what Jacob was saying. The conviction and pureness of Jacob's voice told me he was telling the truth. The way the love he spoke of seemed to seep out of every pore on his body told me that he meant it.

''I-I-I.'' It was my turn to stammer.

''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rush, I just-''

''Jacob!'' I interrupted and he snapped his mouth shut, his eyes wide with anticipation and what looked to be fear.

''I love you too.'' I said, my voice soft.

I had been debating with myself over the past little while exactly how much I cared for Jacob. Hearing the deciding words come out of my mouth obliterated any uncertainty I had before about hot I felt. Jacob was perfect in every way and I loved him.

His face lit up like that of a kid on Christmas. It almost seemed like he was expecting my to tell him to go confess his love to someone who actually cared.

''Thank god.'' he said, relieved and I laughed.

He laughed for an instant too before wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. I put my arms around his middle and squeezed with all the strength that I had, although he didn't seem to notice.

With my head resting on his chest, I listened to Jacob's heartbeat and I was certain that it was in sync with mine. Jacob took a deep breath and I looked up at him. His eyes –still oddly darker than they had been before- seemed to reiterate his confession.

He just looked at me for a minute before leaning down and pressing his lips gently to mine in a light yet passionate kiss. His arms tightened around me and my breathing became faster.

I moved my arms from his torso to around his neck, fastening his lips to mine. His tongue slid across my bottom lip and I parted my lips slightly. His tongue darted into my mouth, wrestling with my own.

I knotted my hands in his hair as the kiss continued. I could feel Jacob's now verbalized love burning in every place that we touched.

I felt safe with Jacob; perhaps that was why I had fallen for him so easily. From that night we had met at Peter's until now, the feeling of undeniable safety I felt with Jacob had not faltered.

There was another undeniable, unexplainable feeling that I felt with Jacob. It was more than love, it was an electricity that seemed to course through me whenever he was near me, whenever he looked at me in the way that only he could. The only way to describe it was like magic.

I knew it probably had something to do with my raging teenage hormones, but it felt to me like Jacob and I were meant to be together. It was as though something inside me had drawn me to Jacob for a reason I was unable to explain.

Jacob and I pulled away from each other, both a little breathless. He stared down at me with the exact same look plastered across his face as was usually there when he looked at me.

''Jacob why do you look at me like that?'' I asked.

Now that Jacob had professed his feelings, I was almost excited to hear what his new answer would me. He stared at me for a minute before he spoke, his eyes flickering back and forth between my own.

''I don't know.''

I furrowed my eyebrows and my face twisted into a look of confusion.

''What?'' I asked incredulously.

He laughed lightly at my reaction.

''You're never going to give me a straight answer are you?'' I asked and he smiled warmly.

''When you can handle it.'' he said, pulling me against his chest and kissing the top of my head.

''When I can handle it?'' I asked.

''When you can handle it.'' he repeated.

''You're horrible.'' I sighed and he chuckled.

''But you love me anyway.'' he teased.

''Nope, I take it back.'' I said with a smirk, still holding on tightly to Jacob's body.

''Oh, then I guess I should go.'' he said, letting go of me and stepping back.

''No, no, I lied, stay.'' I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back towards me.

''I really should go, and you should get back upstairs before your parents notice you're not there.'' he said after hugging me for a minute and I sighed in defeat. He was right.

''Come on, climb back up. I'll go when I know you're safe if your room and not at risk of falling off the roof.'' he said with a slight grin.

''What makes you think I'm going to fall?'' I asked and he rolled his eyes.

''Well…'' he trailed off.

''Shut up.'' I laughed and he chuckled.

With a boost from Jacob, I climbed back up onto the roof and into my room. I turned and bowed and he laughed.

I watched as Jacob retreated across my lawn and got into his black Mustang –parker across the road- and then drove off down the road.

I dropped into my bed. Every bit of fatigue had been washed away from Jacob's visit and I knew there would be no hope of sleep. Instead, I got changed into my pajamas and laid down on my bed, book in hand.

I opened the book to the spot marked by a green ribbon. My eyes ran over all the words in the way they do when someone reads, but my mind wasn't picking up any of them. My mind was too occupied with thoughts of Jacob.

Jacob Michaels, most beautiful boy in this entire town, had shown up outside my window at two-thirty in the morning to tell me that he loved me.

And the truth was, I loved him too.