Chapter 13
It was a Saturday morning, the sun was up and the birds were singing. Today was the day we would all hang out again. It would be like old times. I told the girls to meet us at the vacant lot behind the drugstore, around 11 AM. And Chris told the guys to do the same. We planned to play softball, maybe football, or to make it really like old times, play truth or dare. I showered, changed, and ate breakfast. I was ready to go. I was half way out the door when I was stopped.

"Jessica, where are you going?" My mother stopped me.

"Out, me and the girls are going to play against the guys in. . . Well we'll decide when we get there!" I was cheery this morning.

"Why don't you take Ponyboy and Sodapop with you, I'm sure they'd rather 'hang out' with you than your father and I" she used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air when she said hang out.

"Sure," I dropped my bag that I had been carrying; I made sure I was prepared for what ever. In the bag I had, a few softballs, baseballs, a football, and several gloves. Also a first aid kit, hey you never know. "Pony, Soda, want to come with me?" I asked, I'm sure they heard what my mom said earlier, so I didn't need to say much.

"I thought you'd never ask," Soda said getting up and Ponyboy did the same.

So the three of us walked down to the vacant lot, and everyone was already there. I was the last one.

"It's about time, Maxwell" Chris said as he pulled me into a hug.

"Shut up, so what are we doing today? I brought everything, softballs, baseballs, a football, some gloves." I said.

"You sure you got everything?" Michelle asked.

I nodded, "Yup, everything"

"How about a bat?" Gordie said.

"Shit, well we can play football then!"

"Can't," Patty said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Don't know how, and I've got some plans with Dally."

"Dally?" Me, Pony, and Soda said at the same time.

"But you just met him yesterday!" I said, and Soda nodded at this.

"I want to know him some more though." She said in her defense.

"Well, what time are you seeing him?"

She looked at her watch, and smiled nervously, "Half an hour,"

So we just sat around talking about whatever until she left. Things like 'if you could be any household appliance, what would you be?" and "if you could fuck anyone in the world, who would it be?" When she did leave, we still couldn't decide on what to do. While everyone debated about what to do, I took off Chris's baseball cap and put it on every possible way you could wear a baseball cap. Jo-Anne and Michelle laughed at how I ended up wearing it. The back half was folded in so it met the front and I wore it so that the bill faced the sky and it looked like a Mohawk.

"I'm so bored." I groaned. "Some one dare me to do something," I ordered.

"Jessi, remember what happened last time you said that," Michelle reminded me.

"Of course, I met Chris."

"Why don't you go run around naked," Teddy said with a grin.

"Go fuck a tree!" I shouted.

"It was just a suggestion," he said.

I grinned, "Why don't YOU do it"

"What?!" Everyone said in unison.

"Hey it would be pretty funny, maybe all you guys should do it, so Teddy doesn't feel so left out." I smiled from ear to ear.

"No way!" the guys said.

"It would give us something to do," I said in a singsong voice. "Fine, if you won't I will!" I wasn't really going to, I knew someone would stop me.

I was inching off my shirt when Michelle said. "You cannot do this!" ahh, good Michelle, I told you someone would stop me.

I laughed, "I wasn't going to, so what ARE we going to do?"

"How about . . ."Vern started.

"We go to the lake!" Gordie finished. Brilliant! The lake! Why didn't I think of that?

"Hold on, I gotta dump this somewhere," I said picking up my bag.

"I'll go with you," Chris offered, "I'll get my truck and we can all go in that."

"We'll be back," I said and Chris and I took off.

We reached my house in five minutes; it was another five-minute walk to Chris's. I'd never been to his house before; he never let me. I knew about his home life. Every week he'd have a new bruise, and no one in this town would care. So anyways we were a block form his house when he told to wait for him and that he'd bring his truck around. In my head I refused to; no one should have to go to a home like that. But I told him I would. I waited and he pulled up in his blue ford.

We picked up the rest of the gang and were off for the lake. Chris drove, and I sat in between him and Gordie. The rest were in the back. We got to the lake in an hour and a half. We would have been there sooner but Jo-Anne had motion sickness so we had to pull over a few times.

Chris rushed out of his truck and began kicking off his shoes and was working off his shirt when Pony asked him what he was doing, he replied, "Going swimming," and gave him a "duh" look. The rest of the guys did the same a Chris, even Pony and Soda. Jo-Anne and Michelle thought they would catch up on their tans. I didn't know what to do. I thought swimming would be better, so I began un-tying my shoes, when Teddy said something about skinny-dipping. That's when I jumped in and it turned into a total splash fest.

"Come on Michelle! You know you want to come in! You too Jo-Anne!" I said.

"Jo-Anne, you wouldn't want to miss out on this splendid event," Teddy said with a voice that drew her to the water.

"Splendid?" Gordie asked, "You've been around Mr. White too much." Mr. White was their English teacher. He was mine too.

"You wouldn't like to miss out on this splendid event," I mocked Teddy.

"Hey it got her in the water," he said.

"Now, what about you Michelle?" I asked her.

"Fine!" she slowly walked in.

We had another huge splash fest, which ended with a 'pile on' on Vern. We all went our separate ways; Pony, and Soda went with Jo-Anne and Michelle on a walk to where ever, and Gordie, Vern and Teddy Started a camp fire, Gordie was telling them a story. Chris and I laid a blanket down in the back of Chris's truck and just lay down. I don't know about him but I was exhausted. We lay there in silence, I had my head on his chest; I could hear his heartbeat.

I sat up, "Chris, what are we going to do?"

"Do? About what?"

"Us. I mean next year, when school's out, you be getting ready to go to college, and I'll still be in high school." I began to panic. "What if you find another girl, and forget about me? "

He put his hand on my cheek, "Jess calm down," he kissed my forehead, "I can never forget about you. I love you."

"Chris, I. .I love you too."