Episode 4 - Young Love

Written by: Fun But Shy Girl

Based on Characters Created by: Mark Reisman

Sydney and her daughter Alisha walked into the mall one Saturday afternoon. As the two walked together, Sydney said, "Okay. As we agreed, for your fifteenth birthday party, you can pick out one outfit and any outfit you want. But just remember, don't pick out something too expensive if you're still planning to have me help you buy your first car in a year from now. So which store should we check out first?" Alisha looking a little nervous looked at Sydney as she said, "Um... mom. Since I'm about to turn fifteen... can I just... look for an outfit by myself? When I find the right one, I'll text you, and then you can come find me at the store I'm at and pay for it. Is that okay?" Sydney looked slightly cut off guard as she said, "Well... I guess so. I suppose I could check out the arcade museum. It's got a special place in our family's history." A confused looking Alisha then said, "Why is that?" Sydney smirked as she said, "it's where my dad claims he first courted my mother... which I think is a complete lie, but something about that place brings warm fuzzies to me anyway. See you in a while." Then Sydney and Alisha walked off in different directions.

Sophia was sitting in a kitchen eating breakfest, when a brown haired teenage girl walked into the room wearing a bath robe as she said, "Morning Aunt Sophia." Sophia smiled as she said, "Hey Kelly. How you doing this morning? Sounds like you had a nice long shower just now." Kelly sat down and smirked as she said, "Well with my brother and my two dads out of the house, there's finally more hot water to share in the morning, and the bathroom stays clean enough for me to actually enjoy staying in it." Sophia chuckled and said, "Dylan still doesn't clean the bathroom? My mom used to yell at him so much for not doing that growing up." Kelly shrugged and then said, "Well... I still love em all, but I am so freaking glad they went to that father son retreat. Having a girls only week with you here is just what I needed. Oh, by the way. I have a friend coming over to help me study for a test coming up at school. Is that cool?" Sophia nodded her head and said, "Yeah. It's cool." Then Kelly got up and said, "Thanks. Anyway, wanna see where I hide the candy in this place?" A confused Sophia then said. "Why do you hide candy here?" Kelly raised one eyebrow and said, "I have a brother the same age as me Aunt Sophia. You know how crazy fast teenage boys eat things right? I'd be dying of hunger if I didn't hide some of my food around here."

Alisha stepped out of a dressing room wearing a sleeveless blue dress with a floral pattern on it. As Alisha looked into a mirror, she heard a voice say, "Alisha?" Alisha turned her head and saw Emmy walking towards her. Alisha looked slightly caught off guard, but still smiled as she said, "Oh. Hi Ms Mendoza." A smiling Emmy looked at Alisha as she said, "Oh Alisha, you can just call me Emmy. Only kids call me Ms Mendoza and you certaintly don't look like a child anymore. Especially not in that outfit. Wow. It's hard to accept that you and Barry are gonna be turning fifteen this Saturday." A curious looking Alisha then said, "So um, how is Barry? Is he here at the mall with you?" A smiling Emmy then said, "Oh yes. I just came to help my little man out with his first big purchase he's ever made. Plus, he knew he'd need a woman's mind to help him pick out just the right jewelery." A confused looking Alisha then said, "Wait. Barry is buying jewlery for himself?" Emmy smirked as she said, "No. My son isn't into that. He's just buying it for..." Suddenly Emmy cut herself off, and looked a little embarressed as she said, "You know what... I've probrably said too much. I'm gonna go."

Emmy then quickly walked away. Alisha then walked through the store briefly, and saw Emmy's son Barry holding a box with a necklace in it near a counter. A curious Alisha aproached him and said, "Barry?" Barry looked very surprised as he jumped and said, "Alisha!? Oh. Um... hey." Alisha still curious, went up to Barry and said, "So... how you doing? Ready for our big birthday party this Saturday?" Barry looking very nervous, nodded his head and said, "Yep. Big party coming. Great big party." Alisha then looked at the box Barry was holding and said, "Is... is that a present you're buying for me?" Barry looking more nervous now said, "Well... I... well... I was just looking at stuff and..." Alisha now looked a little nervous as she said, "No, it's okay. It's just... no one my age has even... looked into maybe buying me something so nice. I mean... you don't have to. Since we were born on the same day and we've always shared our birthday partieis on the same day every year, we've never gotten each other anything before." Barry looked away slightly as he said, "Well um... it was just a thought. So um... for the big party... you gonna invite anybody over... to dance with?"

Alisha looking more nervous now said, "Um... I wasn't thinking about it. Were you?"" A nervous Barry then said, "No. Um... Alisha... can I... can I ask you about..." Then Alisha suddenly heard her phone beep. Alisha looked at it and said, "Hold on. It's my mom. She wants to know where I am. Um... I better go change out of this in the changing room. I... I'll see you later Barry." Alisha then began to walk away. Barry then took a deep breath and a step towards Alisha as he said, "Alisha." Alisha looked back at Barry as she said, "Yes?" A nervous anxiety filled Barry then said, "We've been best friends since before we can remember and I just wanted you to know that I... I.. I've really enjoyed it." Alisha smiled while still looking nervous as well, as she said, "Me too." Then Alisha and Barry turned away from each other and walked off in different directions.

Sophia was stepping towards the front door of the house she was in as she called out, "Okay. Going to pickup some groceries. Be back in a bit." Then Sophia heard a knock on the front door. Sophia looking confused, opened the door and saw a teenage boy standing outside. The teenage boy waved and said, "Hey. Is Kelly home?" A startled Sophia then said, "And... who are you?" Kelly then ran over to the door and said, "Oh Aunt Sophia, this is my friend Rodney. He's the friend you said it be cool if I studied with. Anyway, bring back some good food. See ya later." Sophia then watched as Kelly and her friend Rodney walked into the house, and with a skeptical look, Sophia walked out of the home.

Alisha sat in her bedroom looking at a photo album filled with pictures of herself and Barry at various stages growing up. Sydney then walked into the bedroom through the open door nearby and said, "Hey. I was just talking with Olive and Emmy on the phone, and they said you and Barry ran into each other at the mall. So how is he doing? You wanna buy him anything for the party? I heard he may have bought you something that's..." A frustrated Alisha then cut off her mother and said, "I don't wanna talk about what Barry bought me. It's just... difficult... all of it." Sydney then sat next to Alisha and said, "I know it's difficult for you Alisha... especially considering you've had a crush on him for years." A nervous looking Alisha then said, "What?! Why would you say that?" Sydney giggled and said, "Because you have like a thousand photos of you two together in that photo album of yours. Plus, you've kept every tiny little gift he's ever given you in your life, including that half a crayon he gave you when you were both two. But hey, I can't judge. Me and your father still have the silly looking necklaces we made for each other in preschool."

Alisha then buried her head in her hands briefly as she said, "It's not about knowing if I like him mom. I mean Barry... he's my best friend in the world. Except for you, dad, and Valicity... Barry is the one person I trust in the world more than anybody. But... it's just... if I want to start dating him... I just feel like... the moment has to be just right. Like, I need to graduate from high school first, then make sure I've been accepted into a good college first, then get a good job to prove to Barry that I am a strong intelligent woman, and then I have to really know for sure I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with him, and..."

Sydney then cut off Alisha and said, "Alisha... you cannot just wait for the perfect moment to start dating Barry. Because a perfect moment is never going to come. You know me and your father waited for years for the perfect moment to cement our relationship and get married... only to realize life is always going to be a crazy journey that never has perfect points... so you just have to find the right person to join you on the ongoing crazy journey. What's important here though is that you know Barry well, you know he's trust worthy, honest, and caring. He still needs to grow, but so do you. But if you're both willing to grow together... then don't wait. I trust you to be responsible, and I've known Barry and his parents long enough to know he's been raised to be responsible too." Alisha took a deep breath, nodded her head, and then said, "Thanks mom. And thank you for trusting me." Sydney smiled and said, "Thank you for being a daughter I can trust. Not all girls out there are as trust worthy as you."

Sophia stepped into the house with groceries as she said, "I'm home. You kids ready for a study snack break?" Sophia put the groceries down, and looked around as she said, "Kelly? Where is she? She usually studies in the kitchen or the living room." Sophia then walked towards a bedroom door as she heard giggling. Sophia had a sudden nervous look on her face, and then opened the bedroom door, and saw Kelly and her friend Rodney in just their underwear on Kelly's bed. The two were kissing as Rodney was on top of Kelly holding her tightly while Kelly had her hands on Rodney's behind. Sophia with an angry tone yelled, "Stop, now!" Rodney immdiately jumped off Kelly as a nervous looking Kelly said, "Aunt Sophia, I can explain." Sophia then pointed to Kelly and said, "Clothes, on." Then Sophia pointed to Rodney and said, "You, out in twenty seconds, or you will see how strong my arms are from years of lacrosse playing." Rodney then quickly grabbed his clothes and ran out the room. As Kelly began to put her clothes on she said, "Aunt Sophia, it isn't what it looks like." Sophia turned away from Kelly and said, "You... you get ten minutes for me to calm down. Then you and I are gonna talk." Then Sophia walked out of the room.

Barry was sitting in his room reading a school book, as Emmy walked into the room. Emmy waved and said, "Hey Barry. You okay? You've been doing school work all day today. That's usually not like you." As Barry kept his eyes focused on his book, he said, "Well I gotta get smarter." Then a confused Emmy said, "But why? Your grades are good, and you're always raising your GPA every semester. We're always proud of you for that." Then Barry bitterly said, "Well it's not good enough. I need a 4.0 GPA and be in honors courses. Then I'll be good enough." Emmy still confused then said, "Good enough for what?" Barry then angerly said "Good enough for Ali..." Barry then caught himself, and remained silent for a moment.

Emmy then sat next to Barry and said, "You wanna raise your grades for Alisha? Why?" Barry sighed and said, "Because... I like Alisha mom. I have for so long. But... she's so smart, and so cool, and... what do I have to offer her?" Emmy smirked and said, "You know I felt the same way when I first started dating your mother. She was so much more smarter and confidant than me. But loving someone isn't about measuring what someone can't do... it's about knowing what they can do. And Barry... you have one of the kindest hearts of any boy I've ever known." Barry looking a bit nervous now said, "Okay. But... when I feel like telling her how I feel mom... I get very nervous."

Emmy smiled as she said, "That's totally normal. When you're a teenager, emotions are a lot more intense. They can cause happy moments to feel a lot more happy, sad moments to feel a lot more sad, and nervous moments to feel even more nervous. But if Alisha feels the same way you do about her... she'll understand how you feel. Just be honest with her and take things slow... but don't stand still. If you stand still forever... you might miss out on something amazing." Barry nodded his head and said, "Okay. Thanks mom." Emmy then hugged Barry, stood up, and walked out of the room. Barry began to breathe a sigh of relief, when suddenly Emmy stuck her head back in the room as she said, "But you still better take things real slow. I do not want to see you two doing the complete opposite of being nervous together while all alone any time soon, you hear me!?"

Sophia sat silently in the kitchen, as a fully dressed Kelly stepped into the kitchen and sat in front of Sophia. Kelly sighed and said, "Aunt Sophia, I can explain." Sophia with a straight forward tone then said, "Very well then. Who is Rodney really, and how long have you known him?" Kelly then said, "Well... he's my boyfriend and we've been a couple for two months now." Sophia then keeping a straight forward tone said, "How... far have you two gone?" Kelly then said, "We haven't had sex yet. But... we've... pretty much touched each other everywhere now." Sophia then looked Kelly right in the eye and said, "Do your dads know about him, and have you been given permission to invite him over before or be alone with him here before?" Kelly sighed and said, "No, to all those. But you know my dads. They're so over protective. They always wanna know where I am, and won't let me have my own life. Rodney treats me like a real woman Aunt Sophia. And I don't care if people say fifteen year olds don't understand love. We are in love, and we're gonna get married one day."

Sophia sighed, and then said, "Kelly... I know your feelings are real... because I've felt the same feelings you did at your age. But... emotions when you're a teenager are a lot more intense. Everything feels a lot more epic, causing your lows to feel more low, your highs to feel more high, and when you feel strong attractions for someone else... you become so fixated on your attraction that you don't ask the right questions." A skeptical looking Kelly then said, "What questions? Me and Rodney make each other happy. What more is there?" Sophia then said, "Plenty. Do you know each other's favorite hobbies or interests? Have you two discussed what kind of careers you want one day? Has Rodney ever told you why he loves you. I mean... has he even said the words I love you to you before?" Kelly had a nervous look on her face as she said, "I... I know he does." Then Sophia looking worried said, "Kelly... you think he does. But you don't know if someone really loves you after just two months of feeling physically attracted to one another. You want it to be true, I know... but you can't be certain. I would know... because I've been through this before... and it went terribly every time."

A concerned and curious looking Kelly then said, "What... what happened Aunt Sophia?" Sophia looking sad now said, "I... I met an older guy when I was about your age. He made me feel so alive, so grown up, and I thought I was in love with him. The two of us become very intimate and... I thought for sure he was the one I was going to marry... but all those feelings were just in my head. He left me and I later realized everything I thought was true love to me, was just an exciting physical experience for him. You see Kelly, feelings will fail you at times. Yes, you'll never be able to read the mind of any partner you have, and we're all still prone to making mistakes, but saying you're definitely gonna marry someone in the future, when you haven't even discussed it with them is a serious red flag."

Then Kelly in a reassuring voice said, "Well... there's always a 50/50 chance things won't work out, right?" Sophia sighed and said, "Kelly... I learned the hard way that romance, and sex especially, cannot be rushed. When... when you share your body with another person... it creates a powerful bond with that other person that will cause your souls to feel intertwinned like glue... which will only make it feel like your insides are being ripped apart if your relationship ends on bad terms. And trust me, there's no protection out there for that. Kelly... I grew up feeling like I was suffering from a broken heart. I was suffering so much... multiple times I went to other men and tried to quickly use them to soothe my broken heart... and every time it was just left more broken. I screwed up my life beause I just kept taking things too fast."

Sophia and Kelly then both sat silent for several moments. Then Kelly spoke up and said, "Aunt Sophia... you're one of the coolest and strongest people I know... and I dont think a few mistakes in your past should make you feel like a complete and total screw up today." Sophia smiled and said, "You're right Kelly. You're right. You know... it does always feel better to talk honestly about what you're feeling and going through with family and people you trust." Kelly nodded her head and said, "Yeah. It does."

Sophia then cleared her throat and said, "Which is why you need to be better at honestly talking to your dads about how you feel. They should know how you feel about Rodney, and should know if you're ever planning to invite him over. And if your dads don't allow you to invite him over or date him... they probrably have good reason. And it be smart to hear out those reasons before you complain. And if you are allowed to keep seeing him (or you start seeing another guy) and you're starting to feel some very intense feelings for that guy early in the relationship... talk to your dads about what you're feeling. And if you're not comfortable talking to them, then you can talk to me. In the end, whatever you do is your desicion, but please be honest with those you care about, and know that you never have to make any desicion alone. Okay?"

Kelly nodded her head and said, "Okay." Then Sophia stood up, and walked out of the kitchen. Kelly then breathed a sigh of relief. Then Sophia stuck her head back into the kitchen while holding out Kelly's phone as she said, "But dishonesty results in you being grounded though. Have fun in your room without your electronics the rest of the week." Kelly groaned as she walked out of the kitchen and to her room.

Alisha sat on the door step in front of a house by herself wearing her new dress. Barry then stepped outside and said, "Hey. There you are. Watcha doing out here?" Alisha then said, "Needed some fresh air. Too many family members in there." Barry smiled as he said, "Same. So... I got you a gift and didn't wrap it because... well you know what it is." Barry then handed Alisha a silver necklace. Alisha smiled as Barry helped her get it on. Alisha looked down at the necklace as she said, "I love it. Thank you so much Barry." Barry then looking a bit nervous said, "Alisha... we've been best friends forever. Our parents made us take baths together when we were little, and you've always been someone I can talk to about anything on my mind... anything except for one thing actually. But now that's about to change. Alisha... I like you... in the romantic kind of I want you to be my girlfriend way. I... I'm not exactly sure what's supposed to happen next, and saying all of this out loud makes me really nervous but... if I can't tell my best friend how I feel about her, then who can I tell? I know I'm not as smart as you but..."

Alisha then cut Barry off and said, "Barry... I've only started to just realize that the reason why I do so well in school is... because in part I'm scared. I've always been scared that if I fail at something, I'm not good enough. I was raised to succeed, and felt like I couldn't do anything less than that. But when I'm with you... I don't feel scared. Whenever I messed up at a quiz, I told you before I told my parents because you allowed me to feel flawed, And being honest with someone about my flaws, helped me grow more than looking like a success to others. Barry, you've always accepted me the way I am. I'm not sure what the future holds for us, and I don't wanna rush into anything too fast. But Barry Mendoza-Rozalski... I love you... I really, really love you." Then Alisha moved her face forward and kissed Barry on the lips. Barry kissed back as he put one hand on Alisha's cheek. Then the two teenagers' lips parted, and then just looked into each other's eyes and smiled for the rest of the hour.

THE END