THEN CAME YOU

Chapter Eleven: Spring Fling

Hailey

For someone so smart, Alan wasn't all that good at taking a hint. I had been sitting with him and David regularly at lunch for the last few weeks, and had study group with him as well, since he was helping me with French, and each time we were alone I would drop little hints about the Spring Fling, but he was obvious.

"You know," I said sweetly one day at study hall even though we were supposed to be quiet. "I saw the perfect dress for the Spring Fling the other day…"

"That's great." He said, looking at the French verbs I had written down.

"Too bad I don't have a date, yet." I said with an overly dramatic sigh.

He stopped reading for moment, and lifted his head from the paper.

"Aren't… aren't you going with Paul?"

"What? No!" I said outraged. "I mean, he said we would go but I never said I would go with him."

"Uh… he has been saying up and down that you're going with him."

"Well, I'm not." I said firmly… so maybe that's why he hadn't asked me.

"Good to know," He said and I swear he hid a smile as he went back to the verbs. "You spelled this one wrong." He said, all business.

I finally lost it. "Aren't you going to ask me?" I demanding, giving him a bit of a shove in the shoulder.

Alan dropped his pen and turned to me, surprising me by circling my waist with his arm and pulling me in for a kiss. And you know something? For someone so geeky, Alan certainly did know how to kiss a girl and make her feel special and cherished like she was the most important thing in the universe.

I sighed into his lips when the kiss ended.

"So… what color is this dress you deem perfect for Spring Fling?" He asked. "For corsage buying purposes."

"Light pink."

"I should have known." He said and kissed my cheek. "Hailey, would you go to Spring Fling with me?" He asked.

"Yes!" I said and threw my arms around him. And we kissed again, until a novice came and told us that PDA was not acceptable and kicked us out of the library.

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Suze

It had took some convincing but finally Father Dominic told me that Jesse had been excused from his after lunch classes because he had something to do at his sisters' school. And so I begged and begged until he excused me from my classes too and I was free to make my way to Carmel Elementary.

I asked after the De Silva girls to a teacher and it turned out she was Mapi's teacher and asked me if I was there for the special presentation the Spanish club was having.

I said I was and she promptly showed me to the languages' room. I slipped in the back and stood as inconspicuous as possible. Jesse was sting on a chair in front of what I assumed was the Spanish club, and he had a guitar with him and was playing a song and singing along in Spanish with his sisters.

They finished and everyone clapped, I did too though I barely understood a word. It had sounded so nice. The De Silva siblings left the front of the room while the next performers got ready to do their song and in the movement of people I lost track of Jesse. I saw his sisters return to their seats, but he wasn't there.

The next song started, it was slower, almost like singing poetry.

I sighed, closing my eyes trying to make out the words and then I became aware of someone standing next to me, his breath close to my ear.

"Do you want me to tell you what it means?" Jesse asked. I startled and turned to him, he held my gaze as he listened. "She can be sweet and sour, she won't speak about forever but she gives of herself like there is only one minute left for love. I haven't asked yet if you'll stay, I'm afraid you'll say you won't come back. I prefer to share her before I empty my life. She's not perfect but she comes close to being what I always dreamed off."

"Jesse?" I asked.

And he smiled. Just like that. Like saying "I knew you would come."

I jumped into his arms and held him, just held him, for a while before searching his lips with my own and kissing him soundly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what happened the other day, you were right! I know you! I should have trusted you I should have never even think that Paul was saying the truth."

Jesse's smile didn't waver. "It's okay, I understand."

"You do?"

He nodded. "Yes. At first I was very angry, but then I remembered what you told me about your sister and how Paul is always pushing your buttons and how much it hurts you when it comes to your sister. At first I thought it was silly, but then I thought how I would feel if Paul was after one of my sisters, and I could understand. I could understand that you doubted."

"Oh, Jesse, I still feel sorry, especially after I talked to Hailey and she told me everything. What she and Paul had planned at the beginning of the semester… and what you told them. Did you really tell Paul you weren't a man whore?"

Jesse smiled. "Yes, yes I did."

"I'm sorry," I said burying my face in his chest.

"But you won't do it again."

"But I won't do it again."

"And you'll trust me in the future."

"Always!"

Jesse kissed my forehead. "Well then."

And then we couldn't say much because his sisters came and began to make a fuss. And then Jesse invited me to eat with them since it was the day he made burgers on the grill at the backyard of their house.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Hailey

Suze didn't come for diner. Dad was a little disappointed but recovered quickly enough. Mom and Dad were tense over the whole thing with Suze and what college she was going to go in the fall.

She had been accepted at Stanford, NYU, NoCal (of course, everyone got accepted there) and she was on waiting list for Columbia and UCLA. Suze hadn't told them yet where to send the check and though they were kind of hoping she would give up on NYU and stay closer to home.

And I found myself wishing that too.

It was weird, how I had spent so much time wishing to have her gone so I could make my own life outside her shadow and now that it was possible, even likely, that the whole country would stretch out between us, I didn't want her to go.

Suze came home while we were having dessert and sat down in her place, Max immediately went to her and put his head on her lap. Andy served her a piece of the cake we were eating and asked how her day went.

"Oh, great. Sorry I missed diner, but Jesse was making grilled burgers and invited me to stay."

"I thought you were in a fight with Jesse." Brad said.

"Got over it." I said. "Actually, we are going to the Spring Fling together... who you are going with, Brad?"

Brad mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I say I haven't got a date yet. I'm going to ask Kelly, I hear that college dude she was dating backed off, so she might say yes." Yeah, in his dreams. "And if all else fails I'll ask Debbie, she always says yes, and I mean always!" He snickered and, as usual, no one else found it amusing.

"I got a date too! Alan asked me." I said. "Mom, can we go buy that dress I saw at the mall? Can we?"

"Of course, darling." Mom said clearly pleased that I was going with Alan, she and Dad have always liked Alan. "Would you like to come with us, Suzie?"

"Sure, can I ask CeeCee to come along? Adam McTavish asked her to go with him."

"Looks like everyone has a date." Dad said but then a hush came over the table and practically everyone turned to look at David.

David promptly blushed crimson. "Eh, uh, don't feel sorry for me. I'mgoingwithShannon."

"What was that?" Jake asked.

"I said I'm going with Shannon, she asked me yesterday after lab."

"She asked you?" Jake asked and David nodded, completely embarrassed. I knew Shannon, she was a cute girl with read hair just like David, and she had a severe case of puppy love for him since, like, the eight grade. "Right on!" Jake said slapping David in the back. "We might still make a Casanova out of you!" He said and we all laughed, even David.

It felt like we were a real family.

For once no one was angry at someone else. Suze wasn't holding back, and no one was being made fun of.

It felt like family.

It felt like home.

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End of chapter eleven

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Notes!

Sorry for the irregular intervals of the updates! But I'm happy to say that there is only one chapter left and it will be up by this time next week.

Forgive the mistakes and stuff.

And please enjoy.

Love,

Clavie.

Ps. Review if you please!