A/N - "Thoughts"

Chapter 12 - Not Just A Bang, But Also A Splash

As Jason's family was milling around inside the house and Maria and her friends were upstairs, Jason and Amanda were sitting outside on the back patio. Neither was really sure what to say and so they had fallen into another awkward silence.

Jason leaned back in his chair and starred out at the darkened backyard. Next to him, Amanda, while deep in thought, looked at Jason. "We've been able to talk about anything, even...uncomfortable stuff...but this...this is a whole new territory. He's my best friend, closer to me than anyone but yet...I can't help but think I'm in love with him. I just wish I knew it was the right thing to do."

Meanwhile, as Jason stared out at nothing, he somehow hoped the darkness would give him some answers. "What do I do? Was Dad right? Am I scared of taking that next step? Amanda has been my best friend for life. She's funny, talented, smart...incredibly hot...But it means risking everything. What if it doesn't workout, I could lose my best friend. She means so much to me, I don't know if I want to risk it."

Sighing softly, Amanda was getting frustrated and tired. "Jase," she said softly and waited for him to look at her before continuing. "I think I'm gonna go home."

"Oh," was all Jason said at first. "Umm, walk you home?"

Amanda smirked at him; going home only meant walking through his backyard to the gate in the middle of the back fence and through her own yard. "Sure."

Getting up, they slowly walked across the Gordon's backyard in silence. Both pretty much having given up on making any progress on their relationship tonight.

As Jason opened the gate that linked the two yards, he glanced at her and noticed her preoccupied look. He could always tell when something was bothering her. "What's up?"

"Uh?" Amanda asked, caught completely off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know... You just seem to be preoccupied with something. I was just curious, maybe I could help."

"Maybe you could help? Help with what? You're the freakin cause." Amanda looked away for a moment. "Its nothing important."

Jason titled his head slightly. "Can I ask you somethin?"

"Always."

"Do you think there's something changing between us?" Jason asked softly.

Amanda was stunned for a moment, caught off guard by his question. "N...Nah...Nothing's changed," she stuttered as she tried to answer.

Jason just looked at her for a moment and Amanda shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I guess you're right," he said softly, almost dejectedly.

His tone wasn't lost on Amanda, "Do...Do you want it to change?"

Looking at each other for a moment, Jason took a deep breath and tried to ignore how his stomach was tightening. "Maybe." As Amanda stared at him, Jason tried hard to fight the urge to clam up and the heavily feeling his chest was getting. "I've been wanting to tell you something for awhile," he paused as he took another deep breath. "I like you. I mean not just as a best friend but as a...uh...a girlfriend."

When Amanda made a squealing noise, Jason misinterpreted it. "Ok, bad idea. Sorry I brought it up."

"No!" she shouted at him and frantically grabbed his arm as he made a move back towards his house. "I mean, its not a bad idea," she said a little calmer. "I feel the same way, I just couldn't figure out how to tell you." Amanda snickered softly, "That's why the girls convinced me to dress like this. I hate backless heels. Hell, I hate heels in general."

Jason smirked at her, feeling his ego grow. "But you look fantastic in them."

"You think so?" Amanda asked self-consciously.

"Oh yea," he answered, his voice taking on a husky tone that surprised both of them. Jason was embarrassed and Amanda was flattered, his opinion was the one she held over everyone else's.

"Jase. Can I...I mean can we...Geez, you think this would be easy."

"What?"

"Oh hell," she muttered before leaning in and kissing him with years of pent up feelings. "Damn this is good," was the last coherent thought she could muster as she felt Jason kissing her back.

A little bit later, Jason and Amanda were sitting closely, facing each other, on the Craft's patio chairs. Amanda grinned at him, "So what now?" Jason grinned back and quickly leaned in, closing the remaining space between them, and kissed her. Amanda kissed him back and then when he pulled back, she snickered softly, "Is that all we're gonna do? Kiss?"

"Works for me," he said sarcastically and chuckled when Amanda, mockingly, glared at him. "Ok," he said with teasing grin, "What do you wanna do?"

"A real date," Amanda, told him. "The two of us could go...miniature golfing."

Jason smirked at her, "You wanna go miniature golfing?" he teased and Amanda nodded. "Ok, fine. But right now, what do you wanna do?"

Amanda looked at him and then at the in-ground pool a few feet away. Looking back at him, she gave him a smirk. "Wanna go swimming?"

"Swimming?" Jason asked dumbfounded. "How? We don't have our suits."

"So?" she said with a shrug. "Who needs a bathing suit."

Jason swallowed hard and had to remind himself to breath. "You...You wanna go...skinny-dipping?" he stuttered as he tried to ignore the picture in his head.

Amanda snickered, "Not exactly. But you'd love that wouldn't you?" She laughed softly and reached out to hold his hand as Jason's face went bright red. "Come on," she said, pulling him up out of the chair and towards the pool.

"Amanda?"

"Strip to your boxers," Amanda ordered him.

"What?" Jason shouted in surprise, then something occurred to him, "Wait a minute, how did you know I wear...," Jason trailed off as Amanda smiled guilty at him and he snickered and shook his head. Turning his back to her, he untucked his dress shirt and started unbuttoning it. "What the hell is happening?"

After tossing his clothes onto the patio chair, he turned around and stood self-consciously by the edge of the pool, looking down at the water.

"Jase," Amanda called softly and when Jason looked up, all thought left him. She was standing there in her own underwear and watching him with a smirk. Jason's jaw dropped like a rock and as he tried to pull himself together, he slipped and fell backwards into the pool with a large splash.

Waiting for him to surface, to make sure he was alright, Amanda started laughing and shaking her head. Jason surfaced and after coughing, looked up at her and watched in awe as she gracefully dove into the water and swam a little ways away. "Damn."

After swimming around and splashing each other for a while, they sat on the diving board, facing each other. Both were soaked but neither really cared.

With a smile, Amanda reached out and pushed some of Jason's hair off his forehead. Leaning in, she gently brushed her lips against his.

"Well, I guess that answers my question," Jason said suddenly.

"What question?"

"If you're my girlfriend."

Amanda smirked at him, "I don't think so. I'm just gonna use your body until I can seduce someone else. But that maybe too much of a hassle, I mean it took seventeen years to get you under my power. I don't think I have the patience to do it again."

Jason glared at her, pretending to be hurt, "You done?"

"I think so." Than Amanda's smirk widened, "But this also answers one of my questions too."

"What?" Jason asked cluelessly.

"Just how big you are?" she said with a small giggle and an evil smile. "I mean for girls, its kinda obvious." Amanda said motioning towards her chest, "But with boys, unless they wear something tight," wiggling her eyebrows comically, "or wet, you never know."

Still not getting it, "What are you talking about?"

Amanda loved this naive side of him; just smiling at him, she pointed down with her finger. Slowly lowering his eyes, he looked downwards. "Holy..." he said as his eyes went wide, finally realizing what she was talking about. Just as he started to shift, to try to hide it, Amanda stopped him.

"Oh no you don't," Amanda told him with a smile. "If I have to show my stuff, so do you," she told him with a smile. "He's getting embarrassed," she thought as she watched his ears starting to turn red. "You're cute when your ears turn red like that," she teased with a small giggle as she reached out and gently played with one of his ear lobes.

Leaning in, Amanda started to kiss him again but this time, instead of being a small kiss, it was a deep, passionate kiss. Resting one hand on his shoulder, she threaded her other hand into his hair. Jason gently held her hips, bringing her closer to him.

As they were in mid-kiss, the backlight suddenly came on, flooding the backyard in light. Startling the couple, Amanda jerked back and lost her balance. Since she was entangled with Jason, as she slipped off the diving board to the side, she took him with her and both fell into the water with a large splash.

Both immediately came to the surface, coughing and out of sorts. Quickly making their way to the edge of the pool, they both looked around trying to figure out what happened.

"Oh shit," Amanda muttered as she saw who had turned the lights on.

Ethan and Kate glared back at the couple, neither looked thrilled. But while Ethan looked irritated, Kate looked like there should be steam pouring out of her ears.

Kate walked into the house through the backdoor, practically ripping the backdoor off its hinges, leaving Ethan to handle things outside. "Out of the pool."

After the two climbed out and faced Ethan, Ethan first looked at his daughter and then at Jason. "I think you two should call it night." As they went to gather their clothes, Ethan waited for Amanda by the back door.

"I guess I'll see you in class Monday," Amanda said softly.

"Now Amanda," Ethan grumbled.

Jason grinned sheepishly at her, "Yea." Jason would've kissed her but didn't think it was the right time. "Night Mandy," he whispered to her.

"Night Jase," she whispered back before drudging towards her father and the back door.

After watching Ethan usher Amanda inside, Jason quickly pulled his pants on and put his dress shirt on, unbuttoned, along with his shoes and carried the rest of his clothes towards his house. It bugged him that he couldn't protect or even help Amanda when she faced her parents. What made matter worse, was that he knew they'd call his parents. While he was unsure of his Dad's reaction, he knew his mother's would be intense. "She'll prolly hit the roof."

Sighing, "Time to face the music," he thought as he drudge towards his house.