Hey guys! :D
Okay, so this chapter is only a two weeks late (I said I'd update once a month, right?) To make it up to you, here's a long chapter.
Feel free to review and tell me what you think! :)
~TheCreativePenguinLover
A week passed before my father got used to the thought of Chad and I dating. I gotta say I was impressed. I expected it'd take him much longer. Also, I was wrong… Well, kinda. Remember how Chad and I were sure Dad was going to torture him on the practices? It turned out we were just overreacting. Nevertheless, Chad did get some extra pushups to do from my father. It wasn't to punish him, but to show him what kind of power my father had over him. I decided to stay out of it, simply because I refused to understand the concept of the unwritten rules in the male society.
Chad kept convincing me that now that my father knew about us, we could let everyone know. I was skeptical. Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't care what other people thought about me. But when I imagined it would finally happen, I kept getting mixed feeling. Fortunately, Chad was an understanding guy and said we could put it off as long as I wanted. Unless it was for eternity, of course.
The school year was just like any other school year; nothing interesting was happening besides having a whole lot of tests the very second week. That meant studying every day, which left no time for anything else. Chad and I got to hang out at school only, which sucked considering we couldn't even behave as a couple. So far Chad and his suggestion of letting everybody know about our relationship were winning in a race with my insecurities.
I happened to be the first of my friends to get to lunch. I picked up my tray and sat at an empty table. I greeted a few people I knew who passed by and kept looking around for my friends. Finally, I saw Gaby approaching with Scott.
'Hey Tay' she said and sat next to me. 'Did you get one of these?'
She put a flyer on the table, in front of me. I picked it up and looked at it.
'They're all over the school' Scott said and sat across from us. 'I've been given like 3 of those today!'
I smiled and examined the flyer. It was a normal piece of paper with black and white printing on it, probably because someone thought it'd be pointless to print them in color. The title said "class president and student body president elections" in all capital letters. I quickly scanned the paper and put in back on the table.
'Do you guys think anyone will apply?' Scott asked. Gaby shrugged.
'I don't know… Last year there were like 4 candidates. They promised to change so many things, but you know; all people know how to do is complain. The guy who won did nothing. I heard it was all for extra credit.'
'Oh, that sucks' Scott said with a frown. Gaby and I sighed simultaneously. Seconds later we were approached by Chad and Troy.
'Hey guys' Troy said and sat next to Gaby. 'Hey Gabs.'
They started talking about whatever, so I understood there would be no contact with them for a while. I turned to Chad, who sat next to Scott.
'Ugh, enough of those' he said, shoving a flyer onto the table. 'They're printing this while there's no paper towels in the bathrooms.'
'Not to even mention toilet paper' Gaby added. I smiled and looked at Chad.
'What happened to your cool table?' I asked. 'What will the guys say when they see you sitting here?'
Chad raised his eyebrows and thought about it before answering my question. 'Oh, you know… Since those two are dating and Scott and I…'
'Man, leave me out of this' Scot told him. 'I'm new, I don't have any other friends besides you guys.'
I giggled and Chad nodded his head. 'Okay, well, Scott has me… And I have Troy… And since Troy sits with Gaby-'
'We have no other choice' Scott cut Chad off, finishing his sentence. I giggled at their silliness.
'Okay, fair enough' I said. 'You can stay.'
They both smiled and got down to eating their lunch. I looked down at my meal and realized I wasn't even that hungry.
'Run for class president!' someone said while throwing a few papers at our table and running away. Chad put down his fork and looked around.
'I'll find you!' he called after a kid, who most probably was a freshman. I laughed and shook my head.
'Hey, he's just doing his job.'
'Yeah, well he's interrupting my lunch. And I think we all know you can't do that' he said seriously. I smiled and picked up one of the papers.
'Of course we do' I told him and looked down at the paper. It was the exact same flyer. It seemed like they really wanted people to apply for the elections.
'Okay, were they this annoying last year?' Troy asked. Gaby shook her head.
'No. They weren't announcing the elections that much and most of the people didn't even know about it.'
'Maybe they want more people to apply this year?' Scott suggested.
'What for?' Chad scoffed. 'All those guys who win do is get extra credit and show up at a school event once or twice.'
'That's true' Troy said. 'Last year Chad and Tony wanted to organize the championship party at our school, so the principal told them to talk to the class president about it.'
'Why?' Gaby asked.
'Because the class president is responsible for gathering everything and everyone and organizing it' Chad explained. 'But the guy told us he didn't feel like collecting money from the students, because he thought no one was going to want to do it and stuff… He was just too lazy to even do anything about it.'
I rolled my eyes. 'Seriously?' I asked with disbelief. 'Everyone would want the championship party to be held at school! And what's the big deal? You don't need millions to buy some balloons, snacks and some soda! You don't even have to get a DJ; there's plenty of kids here who'd love to do it for fun!'
'I told you, there are only there for extra credit' Chad sighed. I shook my head and looked at the paper.
'There are so many things that could be changed here with even the minimum amount of will. Like even getting toilet paper! That's the least they could do.'
'I agree' Gaby said. 'Not to even mention that ever since our freshman year, we've been trying to get someone to fix the sink in our Chemistry classroom!'
'Exactly! It's like we're not the only ones who need stuff. For example, I heard the Drama club needed need new curtains, because the old ones were attacked by moths this summer. Also, my father complained that the gym could use some new sports equipment like basketballs and footballs. There's so much to do!'
'Yeah! It's not that hard to change things.'
The guys exchanged looks before Troy cleared his throat.
'Why don't you guys run for class president?' he asked. Gaby and I looked at each other.
'Why would we do that?' I asked.
'It's obvious you two know what's going on and have some ideas' Scott pointed out. 'You could actually change something if you won.'
Gaby bit her lip. 'Well, I don't think I'm qualified enough' she said. 'But Taylor could do it.'
I gave her a shocked look. 'What?'
'You have better rhetorical skills than me! Plus, you have more ideas' she suggested.
'She's right, Tay' Chad told me. I shook my head.
'Plus, people around the school know you' Troy added. 'You could get more support 'cause of that.'
'So what? I'm not running for anything' I stated and picked up my fork. Chad sighed.
'Come on, Tay. Think about it. You'd get a chance to do some things for the school and get extra credit and we'd get to organize the championship party at school.'
'Assuming we win, of course' Scott said. Chad patted his back with a smile.
'Don't worry man, we will.'
'So' Gaby turned to me. 'Will you do it?'
I saw the way everyone at the table looked at me and sighed. 'Alright, I'll think about it.'
My friends nodded their heads and changed the topic of our conversation. Meanwhile, I sat there and thought about the elections. I won't lie; the idea didn't appeal to me in the slightest bit. I didn't feel like preparing a campaign or whatever or participating in debates with other candidates. If I decided to run for class president, it'd mean I'd have to be "public" to the whole school. People would see me everywhere and that was the last thing I wanted, especially once everyone found out about Chad and I. My plan was to stick to the side and stay out of people's way. Running for class president wasn't an option.
After class I was, as usual, on my way to the gym. I wanted to wait for Chad to finish his practice so I could walk home with him. I walked past the changing rooms and stood at the door. I leaned against the door frame. I couldn't see Chad anywhere; I figured he was probably changing. I watched the other boys walking around the court, when I felt someone's arm around my waist.
'Hey there' someone whispered. I got scared at first, but when I turned around and saw Chad, I smiled.
'Stop that' I said and moved away from him. He chuckled and took his arm away.
'Oh come on' he whined. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.
'Don't forget we're at school' I said with a smile. He sighed.
'Right, right' he said sarcastically. 'I just wanted to know if you have any plans for the afternoon.'
'Um, well… Not really' I told him. 'It's Friday, so I won't be doing any homework. My sister has a doctor's appointment and later is going out with her friends, my mom has an afternoon shift and my father needs to stay at school for a meeting or whatever. So I'm all alone.'
'Great' he said with a smile. 'We could go hang out somewhere, maybe to eat something.'
'Yes, I'm starving' I said. Chad nodded his head.
'Okay, so I'll meet you in front of the school?' he asked.
'Yes. Just please, hurry up!' I begged. 'I don't want to wait forever. And it's raining outside.'
'Alright, you got it' he said and leaned in to kiss me. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away lightly.
'Chad, someone will see us' I whispered and smiled. He sighed.
'Fine' he whispered back. 'But today I'll get to kiss you as much as I want.'
'Fine with me' I said giggling. He smirked and made his way towards the court. I watched him walk away and smiled to myself. Gradually I was becoming more and more attracted to Chad. It's not like I wasn't before, but lately I've gotten this urge to kiss him more often than I did in the beginning. The way he talked, the way he acted…There was something about him that made me want to touch him and be with him as much as possible. However, I decided to control myself, because I wasn't going to let my teenage hormones win over my mind.
'Hey Taylor' someone behind me said. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned around. I saw Scott approaching me.
'Hey' I said smiling. He walked up to me.
'What's up? What are you doing here?' he asked. I shrugged.
'Oh you know, the usual… I'm waiting for Gaby, she's waiting for Troy… Plus, I usually walk home with Chad' I replied, hoping that was enough of an explanation. Scott nodded his head.
'Right, I should've known' he said with a slight smile. 'I hope that you're here also because you're a fan of the Wildcats… at least a supporter.'
I laughed. 'Don't worry about that, I'm more than a fan!'
'Okay, then keep an eye on us and let us know what we need to work on before the championships' he said jokingly and was about to walk away. I remembered something and grabbed his arm.
'Wait, Scott' I said. He looked at me and then at my hand. I took it away and cleared my throat. 'Have you done the French homework for Monday yet?'
Scott's facial expression changed from confused to disappointed, but he put a weak smile on.
'Yeah, I've done it in class yesterday' he answered. 'Why?'
'I'm… I'm kinda having problems with it' I said and looked down. 'I wanted to ask you for help… Since you're fluent in French.'
'Right, right' he said and nodded his head. 'Look, it's no problem for me. We could meet after lunch on Monday and I could explain it to you.'
'Really? That would be great!' I said. 'I don't even get what I'm supposed to do there.'
'Okay, I'll make sure to explain everything the best way I can' he promised. I smiled at him.
'Thanks.'
'No problem. I'd love to help out.'
We exchanged friendly smiles and he turned around to leave. However, he stopped after a second and turned to me.
'Um, Taylor, listen…' he started. 'How about we go somewhere today together? I could explain French to you and then we could just, you know… Hang out?'
I held my breath and stared at him. That's it, he asked me out. I knew it! I knew there was something on that guy's mind! Okay, but what now? What do I tell him? I can't go out with him!
'Ummm, look Scott… I'd love to, since you're a great guy, but… I'm kind of seeing someone right now' I said. He raised his eyebrows.
'You are?' he asked.
'Yeah' I said and looked over at Chad, who was dribbling the ball in the middle of the court. Scotts eyes travelled after mine and he turned to me.
'Gee, I should've guessed…' he said. I looked at him.
'Is it that obvious?'
'No, it's not… It's not obvious at all, actually…' he stuttered and shook his head. 'Taylor, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have-'
'No, it's okay' I assured with a smile. 'You couldn't have known. Don't worry about it.'
'This is embarrassing' he said and looked down. I giggled.
'No, it isn't. I promise, no hard feelings.'
He looked at me. 'Does it mean we can still be friends, or would that just make everything awkward?'
'Of course we can be friends. We'll just pretend it never happened' I assured. He sighed and nodded his head.
'Okay… Could you maybe do me a favor and not tell him about this?' he asked. 'I have a strange feeling he'd rip my head off the moment he found out.'
I giggled once again. 'I promise to keep it a secret.'
'Okay, okay… Thanks' he said and scratched the back of his head. 'I guess I'll get going.'
'Wait a second' I said. He looked at me. 'I need you to do me a favor too. Can you not tell anyone about Chad and I?'
'Oh, so it's a secret?' he asked. I nodded my head.
'Sort of. You happen to be one of the few people who know about it, but we don't want everyone to find out yet' I explained. Scott nodded his head.
'Alright, I won't tell anyone. I promise.'
'Thanks.'
He stood there for a moment and we were silent. Did it make me feel awkward? Not really, but I guess I could imagine what he felt. Personally I felt sort good about myself. I was flattered someone else but Chad was interested in me. I just hated to see the poor guy hurt this way.
'Okay, well…' he said, breaking off the silence. 'I have a practice to be on.'
'Of course.'
He turned around and made his way towards the court. Then he turned to me and walked up to where he was standing before.
'Wait, so what about the "we don't interact with people from outside" thing?' he asked. I raised my eyebrows. I was impressed he still remember what I told him almost two weeks before.
'Well, I had to say that. I have a secret to keep' I told him. He smiled and shook his head.
'I'll see you around, Taylor' he said and walked away. I sighed.
As I waited for Chad in front of the entrance, I couldn't get my mind off Scott. I don't know why, but it bothered me a little… No doubt we'd stay friends and just pretend that never happened, but I felt like I should let Chad know. Although, I couldn't think of any good reason for telling him; it's not like anything happened. Scott asked, I declined. That's all.
On the other hand, what if Chad found out from someone else? He'd definitely be upset about me keeping such things from him… Okay, who was I kidding? Chad was sort of overprotective of me, especially when it came to other boys. I figured that if I told him, he'd get mad at Scott. That would mean Chad and his friends would try to push Scott out of their friendship circle and the poor guy would end up all alone, which would be terrible, because he did nothing bad.
Ugh, maybe I was just overanalyzing everything? Maybe I could just keep the promise I gave Scott and let it all remain a secret? I decided to give it some thought before making up my mind about telling Chad.
I sighed and looked around the empty yard. Since it was raining, people were either inside or had gone home hours ago. I stood under a roof above the entrance door and the surrounding area, waiting for Chad's bushy head to appear. I rubbed my arms and shivered slightly. I was surprised by the rainy weather, because in the morning I wore a light jacket and plain sneakers. I already knew I was gonna regret it while blowing my nose all night.
I looked through the glass door and saw Chad approaching with some friends. Great, they were all I needed right now. I rubbed my hands together and leaned on the wall a bit away from the door. The door finally opened and Chad was the first one to walk outside.
'Dude, what the hell?' Chad asked laughing. His friends laughed and walked outside. They all got serious when they noticed me standing there. Chad and I exchanged looks before he smiled. 'Hey, Taylor.'
'Hey…' I replied, trying to act as neutral as I could.
'Chad, you comin'?' one guy asked. He shook his head.
'Nah, you guys go… I'll see you tomorrow' he said and looked at them. They chuckled and each of them shook his hand.
'See ya, dude' one of them told him and they all walked away, towards the parking lot. Chad put his hands in his pockets and stood in front of me.
'What was the chuckling all about?' I asked. He smiled and looked down.
'Come on, you know everyone's talking about us walking home together and stuff…' he explained. 'And it's not even about that, it's just… Well, they keep reminding me you're the coach's daughter.'
'And?'
'Well, guess who got extra 25 pushups today, because they got in the line one second later than the rest…' he replied with an embarrassed smile. I laughed.
'Aww, let me guess… The really sweet guy with crazy hair?' I teased playfully. He sighed and nodded his head.
'Yeah. The guys already realized it's personal and they connected the facts and…'
'Oh, I guess they're not as dumb as we thought' I said with a smile. Chad chuckled.
'Yeah, unfortunately…'
'Did you tell them yet?' I asked. He shook his head.
'No… They still think I keep on trying to get you to go out with me and you keep rejecting me, which seems to satisfy them in a way…'
I giggled. 'They're just jealous of how good you are at this.'
'Well, you know, they'll never know how good I am if we keep this a secret forever' he suggested. I nodded my head.
'I see your suggestion, but I overlook it and suggest we wait a little longer' I said. He sighed.
'Fine…'
I raised my eyebrows. 'Hey, don't say "fine" like that! If you're not okay with it, just say it.'
'No, I am, Tay. I understand you're not ready yet and I totally accept it' he said and looked into my eyes. I examined his face before speaking again.
'Are you sure?'
'Yeah. After all, we're both in this relationship. And if you're not ready, I'm not ready either.'
I smiled and touched his cheeks. 'I'd totally kiss you right now, but I'm afraid someone might be watching.'
'And what if they're watching right now?' he asked with a smile. I shrugged.
'They must be really confused.'
'Either way, it's going my way' he pointed out smirking. I giggled.
'Then we better get out of here in case more things go your way' I said with a smirk. He chuckled.
'I already called kissing you all afternoon, but don't think I have no other plans' he told me and put his hands on mine. 'Tay, your hands are cold.'
'I'm sorry' I said and quickly took them away, not wanting to freeze his cheeks off.
'Are you cold?' he asked, but didn't wait for my reply. Instead he dropped his backpack and took his jacket off. 'Here, have this.'
I watched him take his hoody off and I shook my head. 'No, it's okay, Chad. I'm fine.'
'Come on, I can see you're freezing' he said handing me the hoody. 'Besides, it's raining and your jacket doesn't have a hood.'
I reluctantly took my jacket off and took the hoody from him. 'What about you? Aren't you going to be cold?' I asked, putting his hoody on. He put his jacket on top of his T-shirt, picked up his backpack from the ground and smiled shaking his head.
'Don't worry, I have my jacket.'
'Won't you get sick?' I asked with concern and put my jacket on top of his hoody. He chuckled.
'I'll be fine' he assured. 'Plus, I could use some days off, away from school.'
I shook my head at him, which made him laugh. He pulled his hand out for me to hold and we walked into the rain. While he lead me towards the gate, I couldn't help wondering how many people had seen us do all that. However, it didn't get to me. I realized it would be best if we just gave away hints of our relationship instead of everything at once.
Chad wouldn't tell me where we were going; he only promised we'd eat something. And that was enough for me, because I was starving. I didn't eat much at lunch and I started experiencing the effects of it; my stomach kept rumbling like crazy. I only hoped Chad couldn't hear it.
'Ta-da!' he said when we stopped in front of a McDonald's restaurant. I looked up and giggled.
'Wow… Gotta say, I'm not surprised' I said jokingly. He laughed and nodded his head.
'I know, I know… But I'm broke and hungry' he said while opening the door for me. 'I promise when we're old enough for people not to give us funny looks… and when I can afford it, I'll take you to a fancy place and we'll eat all those plates with the names an average American can't pronounce.'
I giggled and walked inside. 'I hope you'll keep your promise.'
'I will' he assured and pushed the hood off his head. I did the same and we looked around the almost empty restaurant. I finally spotted a perfect, sort of private booth by the window and tugged on Chad's sleeve.
'Over there' I said pointing at it. He nodded his head and we went to sit at that table.
'Alright, what should I get?' he asked, placing his backpack on the seat and taking his jacket off.
'The usual' I replied. He nodded his head with a smile.
'You got it.'
He walked towards the register and I stayed at the table. I took my jacket off and placed in on top of my backpack. I pulled the hoody's long sleeves over my hands to warm them up a little. My eyes travelled back to Chad, who was still taking the order. I can't really explain this, but I just loved to watch him do even the most pedestrian things; he was always positive and smiling, basically infecting everyone with his good mood. Being around him could make the worst days better. Our relationship has really developed over the course of almost three and a half months and so did my feelings towards him. It sucks to admit it, but I was slowly falling for him more and more.
Chad brought the tray with our food and put two straws into the cup with coke. I picked up my burger, unwrapped it and took a bite. Chad did the same, except half of his burger was gone. When I finally finished my burger, he was done with his second and munching on the fries. I wiped my mouth with a napkin, took a sip of coke and cleared my throat.
'How can you eat this fast?' I asked. Chad smiled.
'Practice makes perfect' he answered. I nodded my head and took one fry out of the box.
'Impressing. You eat so much, yet you're still fit.'
'Yeah, well having two hours of practice almost every day plus sports on the weekends does its thing' he explained and moved the fries closer to me.
'What are you doing, keep eating' I said. He wiped his fingers and shook his head.
'Nah, you eat this. I think I'm full' he said before taking a sip of our drink. I shrugged.
'Fine. I'm still kinda hungry' I said and put a fry in my mouth. 'I haven't eaten lunch at school today, so I'm glad we came here. Knowing Destiny, she didn't cook or order anything to eat, so I'd die at home.'
'Well, my mom's coming home around 6pm, so I won't have anything to eat either… Hey, is it weird I ate lunch at school and two burgers and I'm still kinda hungry?'
I raised my eyebrows. 'Are you really?'
'Yeah… I was full at school, but then I was hungry after practice.'
I giggled. 'Where do you fit all that?'
'It all goes into those things' he said and jokingly flexed his bicep. I shook my head at him and he laughed. 'Okay, but I'll have you know that a healthy eating life style is 5 meals a day.'
'Do you actually follow that?'
'Yeah. I eat breakfast, then I eat another breakfast at school, then I eat lunch at school, then I come home and eat dinner and then I eat a snack…' he explained. I nodded my head.
'Aren't those supposed to be like optimized amounts of food? Or do you just stuff your face every time you eat?'
'Hmm, it really depends' he said and I giggled. 'No, but in all seriousness, I think I'm still hungry…'
'Here' I said taking out a fry and holding it in front of his face. He smiled and took it in his mouth.
'Thanks, but you eat this. I'll go get another burger.'
'Fine, more for me' I said and put one in my mouth. Chad chuckled before getting up and making his way to order another burger. I took a sip of our drink and looked around. There weren't many people inside, so it was a perfect place for a little date-after-school-thing. I looked out of the window to see it was still raining pretty heavily. I hoped it'd be done by the time we had to leave.
Chad returned a moment later. I watched him unwrap the burger and pick it up.
'Oh no' he said and frowned. 'I forgot to ask for no pickles.'
I took the burger out of his hands, opened it, took 3 pieces of pickles out, ate them, reassembled the burger and handed it back to him. He smiled.
'Thanks, Tay.'
'Anytime' I replied smiling at him.
'So, what time do you have to be home?' he asked before taking a bite. I shook my head.
'I don't really have to be back at any certain time… I'm alone all afternoon, so it doesn't really matter.'
'Wanna come over to my place?' he asked. 'We could study or something… So you don't get lonely.'
I smiled. 'You know, I actually don't mind being by myself sometimes…'
'So you don't wanna hang out with me?' he asked and pouted. I laughed.
'Hey, I didn't say no' I said. He raised his eyebrows.
'So that means...?'
'Of course I'd love to hang out with you for the rest of the day' I said and smiled at him. Chad smiled back.
'Awesome.'
Chad was finishing his burger, while I took a sip of coke and looked behind him, at the door. There was a couple approaching, who I recognized as a girl from the Drama Club and a guy who graduated the previous year with Tony. My eyes widened.
'Oh no' I whispered. Chad heard it and turned around to see who I was looking at. He turned to me.
'What's wrong?'
'That girl goes to our school!' I said.
'So?'
'She'll see us! Together!' I whispered. Chad chuckled.
'Maybe it's not a bad thing' he said and took a sip of our drink. I gave him a surprised look, but was cut off by the couple walking up to our table.
'Chad, what's up?' the guy said. Chad got up and shook his hand.
'I'm good man, how's it going?' he asked. The guy smiled and shrugged.
'It's alright… Been sleeping the days away, studying at night… How's life at East High? You still in the team?'
'Yeah, pretty much' Chad replied. The guy chuckled.
'Coach would never let you leave, huh?' he asked. Chad smiled and nodded his head.
'Probably not' he replied. 'Speaking of coach, you guys know Taylor, right?'
I raised my eyebrows at the way he introduced me. The guy looked at me, then back at Chad and then back at me.
'Yeah, of course' he said smiling. 'I'm Rob and this is Jenny.'
'Hey' the girl smiled at me. I smiled back.
'Did you hear from Tony?' Rob asked.
'Umm, not really…' I replied. 'He hasn't called since he left.'
'Classic Tony. He probably thinks that now that he's in New York, he's a big shot' he said jokingly. I giggled.
'Probably, yeah. Sounds like something he'd do' I admitted. He guy smiled at me and looked at Chad.
'It was great seeing you guys, but I see you're kinda busy… and we're kinda busy too, so we'll get going.'
Chad laughed and nodded his head. 'I'll see you guys around.'
They said bye to us for the last time and made their way towards the register. Chad sat down and looked at me.
'Was that so bad?' he asked. I rolled my eyes.
'You know this is the end, right? They had seen us.'
'Come on, Rob won't tell anybody and Jen's cool, I'm pretty sure she doesn't gossip.'
'I don't mean gossiping, but what if the next time she sees you and tells her friends "Oh guys, guess what. I saw Chad with Tony's nerdy sister"? Then everyone will know.'
Chad chuckled and shook his head. 'Okay, everyone will know. What's so bad about that?'
'Well… well' I stuttered, trying to find a good reason. 'Everyone will know and that's scary.'
'And was it scary when we were being pretty obvious in front of the school today?' he asked. I stared at him for a long moment.
'I don't know, Chad… I don't know what I want' I said and looked down. He smiled and took my hands in his.
'Tay, listen' he told me and I looked up at him. 'I know I told you this a million times, but I will repeat it once again. Everything will be okay. Nothing will happen. I promise.'
I stared into his eyes, not knowing what to tell him. His promise meant a lot to me and I really wanted to fully trust him on this, but I also had my reasons not to. I just didn't want to have that conversation there and at that moment, so I stayed quiet.
'Your hair is wet' he pointed out, directing my attention to the lock of my hair, which must have slipped out from under the hood. I touched it and shrugged with a weak smile.
'It's nothing' I said, looking back at him. I realized some of his locks were also wet. I reached for one of them and pulled it gently to make it straight. 'Yours is wet too.'
'Damn' he said as he took the lock from me and examined it, making a funny face. 'Looks like I could use a hair tie.'
I slightly rolled up a sleeve of the hoody, revealing my wrist with two hair ties on it. I pulled one off and handed it to him.
'Thanks' he said and tied his hair up. I smiled.
'You look cute' I told him. He smirked.
'Said the Cutie Queen herself' he replied. I blushed and looked down.
'Oh please, I look awful… I'm dead tired, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing a male hoody…' I said and shoved my hands in the pockets of the hoody. Chad shook his head.
'I think you look amazing in it' he said and I looked up at him. 'In anything really.'
I smiled and looked down. 'You should know I'm keeping this, because it's the warmest thing I've ever worn.'
'Fine' he said with a smile.
We sat there until Chad finished our drink, got dressed and left. We walked pretty fast, because the rain was still pouring from the sky. We decided to first stop by my house, so I could leave my backpack there and check if Destiny left yet.
I lead him to the back door and we walked in.
'Destiny?' I called. Chad closed the door behind us and looked around.
'Over here!' she called from the living room. I sighed and made my way towards her. Chad followed me.
'Des?' I called, looking around. She ran out of the living room and put her hands on my shoulders.
'Thank God you're here' she said and looked at Chad, who was behind me. 'Take your brother home.'
Chad raised his eyebrows. 'Charlie's here?'
'Yeah' Destiny replied and motioned for us to follow her to the living room. 'You mother left him with me, because she had to go to work. It was something urgent and she needed to be there. But she's not coming back and I need to get going – I have an appointment in 30 minutes.'
'Right' Chad said, nodding his head. He spotted Charlie sitting in his carrier on the couch and walked up to him. 'What's up, buddy?'
Charlie looked up at him and sucked on his pacifier. Chad took his wet jacket off, put it on the couch and picked his baby brother up. I smiled at them.
'I need you guys to take care of him until Ms. Rossi returns from work, okay?' Destiny asked. I nodded my head.
'Yeah, we'll do our best' I said. 'Although, neither of us has any experience.'
'I'm sure Chad knows how to deal with Charlie' she said, putting her jacket on. Chad walked up to us, still holding Charlie in his arms.
'Okay, let's say I do' he said. Destiny rolled her eyes.
'It's really not a big deal. You just let him lie there and if he cries, pick him up and give him a hug until he stops… Repeat and repeat. Besides, he's just eaten, has just been changed and just woke up. He shouldn't be grumpy.'
'I'll take your word for it' Chad said and gently rubbed his brother's back. Destiny smiled and carefully rubbed Charlie's head.
'Bye, little buddy' she told him and turned to me. 'If you need anything, just call me… But try not to.'
I smiled and nodded my head. 'Yeah, I get it.'
'Okay, see you guys. Tell Ms. Rossi I'm sorry' she said and was about to walk away, when she turned to me once again. 'Hey Taylor, nice hoody. It's not male by any chance, is it?'
I saw the smirk on my sister's face and shook my head. She laughed and headed to the door. When I heard it close, I looked at Chad.
'Does she like me?' he asked. I nodded my head.
'She does, don't worry. She just loves teasing me like that' I explained and looked at Charlie. Him and Chad were chest to chest and his little head was on Chad's shoulder. I gently stroked his back.
'Should we take him to my place?' Chad asked. I nodded my head.
'We probably should. We can wait for your mom there' I told him.
'Okay then. I hope you know how to dress a baby.'
'I've done it a few times.'
It took us a while, but we finally managed to get Charlie's jacket on without hurting him. I put a cap on his head and Chad tucked him in under a blanket and put him in the baby carrier. He put his jacket on and he hurried out of my house, sheltering Charlie from the falling rain. I grabbed the bag with Charlie's stuff, locked the door and followed them to the Danforth house. Chad pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his house.
'Finally' he said, carefully placing the carrier on the kitchen table. 'We're home, bro.'
I came in behind them and closed the door. 'Did you miss it that much?'
'Not when I'm with you' he said with a smile. I walked up to him and pecked his cheek.
'I promised you some kisses, didn't I?' I asked. Chad smirked and nodded his head.
'Plenty.'
'Let's get Charlie out of this "cocoon" first, before he starts crying' I told him, placing the bag on the floor and unwrapped little Charlie from the blanket. Chad sighed and helped me.
After Charlie's cap and jacket were off, we placed him back in the carrier. I took him to the living room, while Chad carried the baby stuff bag upstairs. I placed Charlie's carrier on the coffee table and sat on the couch, in front of him. He stared at me, sucking on the pacifier that was clipped to his tiny T-shirt. He was constantly moving his little sock-covered feet, which should have been the first clue he was going to be hyperactive once he was bigger, but of course no one suspects a calm baby to grow up to be a live wire.
I reached for his hand and gently stroked it with my finger. He glanced at my hand and moved his tiny little fingers around so he could grab my finger. I looked at his face and smiled. He stared at me for a moment before smiling himself. It was the most beautiful view I've ever seen; there's nothing better than a 6 week old baby smiling at you. I gently shook my finger, so he could feel it moving and make his hand move. He must have liked that, because his smile became a little wider.
'Okay, I'm back' Chad announced walking into the room. I didn't take my eyes off Charlie.
'Chad, he's smiling' I said quietly. Chad sat next to me and smiled.
'Yeah, he started doing that last week… My mom and I were sitting here and I was tickling his foot and he smiled for the first time' he explained proudly.
'He's so adorable' I said. Chad sat closer to me.
'Why don't you just hug him?' he asked. 'He loves that.'
'I don't think I should…' I replied. Chad chuckled and reached for Charlie.
'Come here, bro' he said and picked him up. He gave him a kiss on the cheek and looked at me. 'Come on, take him and hold him like I always do.'
I nodded my head, carefully took Charlie from him and placed him on my chest, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. Chad smiled at us.
'Just like that.'
'He's so small' I said and lightly stroked Charlie's back. He shifted once before relaxing in my arms. Chad leaned his head on the backrest and stared at us.
'He likes you.'
'How can you tell?'
'Well, he's not crying… And you smell nice, so he must love it' he assured with a smile. I giggled and looked at him.
'He is the cutest.'
'Yeah, when he's not crying' Chad replied with a chuckle. 'Hey, can I take a picture of you guys? It looks cute.'
'Sure.'
Chad pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and snapped a few pictures. Then he showed them to me. Charlie had his head turned towards Chad and his eyes were closed as if he was about to fall asleep. I smiled,
'Awww, he's so adorable' I said. Chad nodded his head.
'You both are pretty cute' he said and winked at me. I giggled and looked at Charlie.
A moment later Chad decided it'd be best if we turned the TV on, but he turned the sound down so Charlie could take a nap in my arms. We sat there for maybe 15 minutes, before we heard the door open and Ms. Rossi walked into the living room.
'So that's where you kids are' she said and sighed with relief. 'I went to McKessies' house, but no one was there. I just called you, Chad. Why didn't you answer?'
'Shoot, I had it on silent the whole time' he said and checked his phone. 'Yeah, I've got a missed call from you, Ma. I'm sorry.'
'Never mind, I'm glad I found you' she said. Ms. Rossi took her jacket off and hung it over an armchair's backrest. 'How come you're here? Where's Destiny?'
'She had to leave for her doctor's appointment' I explained. 'She told me to tell you she was sorry that she had to leave Charlie with us, but she had to run.'
'Oh, tell her not to worry, Taylor. I was supposed to get out of work at four o'clock, but my client wouldn't let me leave my office before I explained everything to him 5 times' she complained. 'Can you please tell her I'm sorry I left her with Charlie for that long?'
'Of course, Ms. Rossi' I replied. She smiled.
'How was Charlie?' she asked.
'He's in a good mood' Chad told her. 'Right now he realized Taylor's a good bed and won't let her go.'
Ms. Rossi giggled and nodded her head. 'Well, I'm glad he wasn't problematic, because it wouldn't be good for you or for him. Have you eaten?'
'Yes, we had' Chad answered.
'Okay. Son, I'll need you to go to the basement and bring some cookies for our guest' Chad's mother told him. He got up and I shook my head.
'No need, Ms. Rossi. I'm fine' I assured. She smiled.
'Taylor, we rarely have guests, therefore we don't get to eat those cookies too often. And they're really good' she replied with a wink. I giggled and nodded my head.
'Okay, I get it.'
She nodded her head at Chad, who smiled and made his way to the basement. Ms. Rossi walked up to me and Charlie and looked at him.
'Well done, Taylor. He's sound asleep. You have to tell me your secret' she said jokingly. I smiled and looked at Charlie.
'Beginner's luck, I guess' I answered. She put her hand on my shoulder.
'Babies feel everything. They can sense when you're stressed or angry. You must emit some positive energy, that's why he's so relaxed' she explained.
'Yeah, I don't let the weather ruin my mood' I replied and she laughed.
'I'm glad you're in a good mood, I just hope you're warm' she said and rubbed my arm. That's when I realized I was still wearing her son's hoody. I blushed and looked down.
'Yes. Yes, I am' I assured. She smiled.
'Good. I'll go get us all something to drink.'
Ms. Rossi walked to the kitchen, leaving me all alone in the room with Charlie. I looked at him.
Did this mean all Danforths accepted me as Chad's girlfriend? I didn't know. All I knew was that was the moment when Charlie and I became buddies for a long, long time.
Taylor M.
