Chapter 7

A.J. and I decided to go out with each other's
parents for our plan. Denise and I were going to
go to the mall and A.J. told me he and my dad
were going to go out to eat. I looked in the
mirror and sighed. Something about it,
I wanted to make a good impression!

"Knock knock," A.J. said walking in.

"Hey," I said disturbed. A.J. wrapped his arms
around me and looked at me in the mirror.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked as I sighed.

"I look stupid," I pouted.

"You could never look stupid!"

"Well I look it now, I mean how could I ever buy this?"
I asked looking at myself. I was wearing a forest
green spaghetti-strap dress that came down to
my ankles; my hair was up with butterfly clips.

"Are you nervous?" He asked.

"Yes! No…I don't know!" I said pushing
A.J. off me and opening my closet door.

"Baby, I've never seen you like this except at
graduation, you're nervous aren't you?" He asked
as I threw my clothes on the floor.

"Well what if she finds out we are dating? What if she
doesn't like me? What if she finds out I hate her
and I want to break her and my dad up?" I
asked panicking. I shut my closet door and walked
over to my dresser.

"She won't know if you don't tell her! And I know
my mom, she'll love you as much as I do," he said as I
shook my head.

"Maybe I shouldn't do this, maybe my dad and
Denise are perfect together? What if I ruin
everything by going out with her? What if I get
something stuck in my teeth and she laughs at
me?" I asked.

I was definitely losing it. I felt A.J.'s hands rub
my shoulders and I stopped looking for clothes.

"Don't worry okay? My mom will love you, I promise,"
he said as I nodded. I kissed A.J. lightly and held him in
my arms.

"I can't believe she's getting to me," I said as he
laughed a little.

"I can't believe it either." He brushed his hand
across my cheek and smiled. "Can you do this?"

"If I get you out of it I'll do it blindfolded and
held at gunpoint by Calvary," I said as we both laughed.

"Jessica? Alex?" Denise asked as I started
panicking again.

"Yeah mom?" Alex yelled.

"Come down stairs!" She said as A.J. looked at me.

"Don't worry, this will work," he said as I nodded.
I kissed him before following him downstairs.
As I walked down the stairs I said out loud to myself…

"Calvary, Calvary, Calvary!" A.J. laughed as
we came down the stairs.

"We should go A.J. we have reservations
at 3," my dad said looking at his watch.

"Yes sir," he said with a smile.

"Alex, behave, be good," Denise said before giving
him a wet kiss on the cheek. I held in my laughter as
I saw the fake grin on his face.

"Of course I will mom, bye Jessie," he said
following my dad outside.

"Well…let's get going shall we?" Denise asked as I
nodded nervously. For some reason, I let her get to
me, which I shouldn't have. I got into Denise's Lincoln
Mercury and buckled in to see A.J. and my dad
about to pull out. I grinned as he mouthed, 'I love you,
good luck!'

"You too!" Denise yelled as I burst into laughter,
A.J. and I couldn't stop laughing as both cars pulled out,
and finally drove off.

"So…where are we headed? The mall?" I asked as
I got my laughter together.

"Of course Jessica! That is THE place to shop!" She
said with a small laugh at herself.

"Mall, here we come!" I mumbled as I slouched in the
passenger's seat. I hoped…no I prayed that no
one I knew would see me with…her.

As the day went by, I realized how TACKY Denise
was, EW! She matched yellow with red and pink
with orange, gross!

We finally sat down to eat after three hours
of shopping, I do admit I got great clothes out of all of it.

"So Jessica, are you and Alex best friends?" She asked
as I nodded, a hunk of cantaloupe in my mouth.

"You guys are so close, it seems like sometimes you and
he are getting married," she said as I almost choked
on my grape. People started to stare as I took a sip
of my diet coke and sighed.

"I'm fine," I said to everyone as they carried on
their conversations. Denise stared at me as
I shrugged, "Went down the wrong tube!"

We talked for a while, even when I hinted how
much I hated her, or how I loved A.J., she was as dumb
as a doornail.

When we got back, I saw my dad and A.J.'s car
in the driveway, I ran with my bags in hand to the door.

"Jessie good to see you're home," my dad said as I ran
up to my room. I threw my bags on the
bed and took off my shoes, falling to the floor.

"Hey, how'd it go?" A.J. asked.

"Hectic, you?" I asked as he sat down next to me.

"Weird, he's like my dad, kinda creeps me out," he said
as I looked at my knee. I was in so much pain and it
seemed like it still hadn't healed. "Does it
still hurt?" He asked as I nodded.

"It should have healed by now right?" I asked as
he shrugged and took my legs in his lap.

"I'm not a doctor, but I think so," he said messaging
around my knee, making it feel better.

"How come you're so good at messaging?" I asked
lying on the floor.

"It's a gift," he said as I heard my dad and Denise laughing
downstairs. I sat up, inches close to A.J. face.

"I don't think I did anything today, I was
too nervous," I said as he grinned.

"Me too," he said as I grinned. He started
messaging my thighs as I smiled.

"What are you doing? Our parents
are downstairs," I said as he nodded.

"I know," he said before kissing me. When he kissed
me I knew ruining my dad's marriage
was worth while, though that sounds SO BAD doesn't it?

"Do you want us to get caught?" I asked as he shrugged.

"They'll catch us someday."

"I'd rather have it in the FAR future A.J.," I said as
he kissed me.

"Then let's go somewhere," he said as I smiled.

"Where is somewhere?" I asked as he helped me
off the floor.

"You always love the beach," he said as I nodded.

"You know me so well." I picked up my sandals and
followed him down the stairs.

"Dad? We're going to Nick's house," I said as A.J. and I
both looked at our parents making out.

"Huh what?" He said as Denise straightened her
clothes.

"I'm going out," I said sighing.

"Oh, okay, see you kids later," he said as I nodded and
walked out the door. I was almost in tears,
they were happy I saw it.

"Baby you okay?" A.J. asked as I got in his car.

"They're happy A.J.," I said as he got in the driver's seat.

"What?"

"When they were…you know! They had smiles
on their faces, we're tearing up happy
people," I said as A.J. sighed.

"Would you rather have us happy or them?"

"You know, I'm beginning to think them," I said looking
in the other direction.

"You know? You're so god damn right, I think
so too! I mean shit Jessie, if you're not even going to
fuckin' try to make this work, I shouldn't either!"
He yelled as he started the car. I sat there as A.J.
sped all the way to the beach, I felt tears
coming on, but I couldn't let them out, I cried too
much as it is.

When we got there, we sat just staring in opposite
directions. I made the first move; I got out of the
car and started walking out to the beach. I sat
down on the warm sand and let the wind go
through my hair. I wiped the small tears forming
at my eyes, that was the first time ever A.J. yelled
at me, and was the last…so I thought.

"I can't believe I yelled at you," his voice coming
from behind me.

"I'm going to college next month, I have to
get away," I said bluntly. "I think that's why I'm
acting like this."

"If that's what you want," he said sadly. I wanted to
turn around and hug him, tell him everything would
be okay, but by the way this was turning out,
I had a feeling nothing would be okay.

"That's what I think I need," I said as I heard him sigh.

"I'm going to talk to my mom, beg her not to
have the wedding until I come back," he said.

"And what happens if she doesn't do it?" I asked.

"I'll tell her that I love you," he said with
a pause. "And definitely NOT in the sister way,"
he said as I giggled.

"That would be weird to love my brother, it's like a
Jerry Springer episode," I said as I felt A.J.'s arms
wrap around me. I fell back on his chest as I heart his
throbbing heartbeat.

"I am so sorry for yelling at you, hanging out
with Johnny all day did not help my calm
down," he said as I grinned.

"My dad has that power," I said as he kissed
my forehead gently. "Do you hate me for going to
college early?" I asked.

"I could never hate you, I just wish you
would wait so I could say goodbye," he said as I sighed.

"Where will you be when I go?"

"Hmm…somewhere in Belgium," he said as I laughed.

"Belgium? They can understand what
you're saying or is it just the sex
appeal?" I asked as he laughed a bit.

"I hope they can understand what we're
saying…at least I could order Belgian
waffles!" He said as we laughed.

"I love Belgian waffles," I said with a smile.

"I'll mail you some," he said as I laughed harder.

"I think, this is the perfect spot
for my house," I said as he kissed my lips softly.

"Oh really?"

"Yep, can you see us in our 90's sitting on
rocking chairs and doing what we're
doing now?" I asked.

"Hmm…I don't think we would be able to move
our muscles in this position when we're in our
90's," he said as we both laughed. I turned to
face him and smiled at his adorable face.

"You're not going to do anything stupid
when you leave are you?" I asked.

"Like get drunk and ride Nick like
a cowboy on a bronco?" He asked as I shook
my head.

"Like get drunk and get some Belgian girl pregnant,
or go get a tattoo on your butt with my name
in it," I said as he laughed at my last comment.

"You think I'd be drunk enough to get a tattoo
on my butt?"

"Nope, but I think you'd get a Belgian a
waffle if you know what I'm saying," I said
as he shook his head.

"I would never do that. And if I did, it would be your
evil twin, or Jennifer Lopez," he shrugged as I
beat him to the ground with laughter.

"Take that Alexander!" I yelled as we rolled
around in the sand. When we stopped, he was on
top of me. "I think I have some sand in
some very awkward places," I said as he laughed.

"That's something to say when you're
in this situation," he said as I shrugged.

"Eh, a girl gets by on what she can,
even Jennifer Lopez!" I said as he laughed.

"God I could tell you anything
couldn't I?" He asked with happiness over him.

"That's how relationships work A.J.," I said as he
nodded.

"I've never been able to do that before," he
said as I shrugged.

"I have a gift what can I say?" I said with a giggle.

"You do have this, power over me," he said
kissing me lightly.

"OW!" I whined, A.J. jumped up as I
grabbed my knee.

"Did I do something?" He asked.

"You hit it, don't worry…about it," I said holding
my knee in pain.

"Here," he said doing what we did earlier. He took my
legs and put them in my lap, messaging my knee as I
felt utter nirvana.

"Hey dad I'm home!" I yelled shutting the door
with A.J. in hand.

"Mom I'm back!" A.J. yelled as we walked upstairs.

"Guys?" Denise yelled.

"What mom?" A.J. asked as Denise ran over to him
and smacked him in the back of the head.
"OW! What was that for?" He asked rubbing his head.

"Have you been dating someone?" She asked as
I looked at A.J.

"What if I am! Who cares?" He asked.

"Look at this!" She said showing him an article.
The heading read, 'McLean talks of
marriage.'

"Mom they probably were referring to
you, ever think of that?" He said as I smiled.
He was so smart!

"I'm sorry Alex," she said as we both sighed with relief.

"Jessie you got your college papers in the mail
today! You were accepted for the 10th of
next month!" My dad said handing me my
opened envelope.

"You opened it?" I asked.

"It was nerve-racking, I had to!" He said as I grinned.

"I'm going to fill it out now!" I said running to
my room with A.J. "I'm looking forward
to this," I said pulling out the papers.

"I would be too! It is Yale after all!" He said
walking over to my desk.

"Boy this is long," I said overlooking it. "Should
I get a dorm or an apartment?" I asked looking
up at him.

"Apartment, more freedom and I can't come
visit you all the time," he said as I grinned
and kissed him softly.

"Good point, apartment!" I said filling that blank in.

"They assign you one?" He asked as I shrugged.

"I'll ask my dad, I don't think so," I said
chewing my pen top.

"When we come to England
I'm coming to see you," he said as I nodded.

"You definitely will or I'll bust you
A.J. McLean!" I said with a smile.

"Are we going to try plan C or give
up on plans?" He asked as I looked up at him.

"Plan C?"

Index

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