"Chocolate in a chocolate cone with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles, please."

Jesse looked up from the ice cream he was scooping for the little kids on the other side of the counter with their faces pressed against the glass, and came face to face with Emily and her pearly white smile.

"Oh, hey," he said, smiling and handing the ice cream cone he was holding to the little blonde girl. "That's a lot of chocolate, by the way."

"I know," said Emily, smirking and walking along the counter with him as he went to get another cone. "I don't actually want it, you know. So, when are you getting off?"

"In about ten minutes," said Jesse, "your timing's impeccable."

"Why thank you," said Emily.

"Hey!" said a little voice from around Emily's waist, "we want our ice cream! Talk to your girlfriend later!"

Emily and Jesse laughed.

"Well someone's got a big attitude," said Jesse, giving the ice cream to the last little girl in the group. She stuck her tongue out at him and she and her friends went to a table by the front window of the ice cream parlor.

"They can't be older than third graders," said Emily.

"Ha, yeah… evil little twerps…" said Jesse, glaring at the kids with a grin on his face. Emily noticed that he looked extremely hot today in baggy jeans and a dark navy blue shirt.

"So, do you want to go somewhere?" she asked.

"Uh…" said Jesse, looking at his watch. "I have three minutes left."

"Oh come on." Emily ground her teeth in mock frustration. "So… what do your parents think about me?"

Jesse looked up at her, and hitched a smile onto his face so fast that Emily almost doubted it was never there, but she was sure she'd seen a flicker of something in Jesse's face….

"Oh, they love you," said Jesse, "Mae thinks you're the greatest thing since the invention of indoor plumbing."

"Ah," said Emily, smirking, "I just love being compared to waste disposal."

"Hey," growled Jesse, "that's not what I meant. If it makes you feel better, Miles think you're the prettiest girl on the face of the planet…"

"Oh yeah?" said Emily, grinning. "What'd you say?"

"Uh…" said Jesse, his cheeks turning reddish. He suddenly became very interested in the way the function of the ice cream scoop. "Well, I didn't exactly argue with him… if that's what you mean, I mean."

Emily blushed, trying not to smile. "Thanks… hey, how much time do you have left?"

Jesse looked at his watch, glad for the change of subject. "Wait for it…" he said, "wait for it… ha!"

He grabbed his backpack, which was behind the counter, and came around to where Emily was, and they left the shop.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "There's just so much to do around here…"

"Oh yes," said Emily, "so much. Hey, I think King Kong's playing at the movie theatre. Do you want to go?"

"Sounds good," said Jesse. "I think I actually have enough money, too…"

"Sweet, it's just around the corner."

It was bright, sunny, and hot, and the movie theatre had air conditioning, which was an additional reason to go see a movie. It was cool and dark in the theatre, and it wasn't even crowed, because people were mostly out doing something, like Matt, who was at soccer practice, and Kaylie, who was out with her friends.

Jesse and Emily got a spot in one of the back corners, where it was the darkest. As the movie started, and the stupid adds about Coke and turning off your cell phones came on, Emily glanced over at Jesse. He was looking at her too, and as their eyes met, they immediately looked back toward the screen, embarrassed.

The movie started playing, but Emily was only half watching. She was too busy thinking about when she could glance over at Jesse again without him noticing. The thing is, she had a feeling that he was doing the same thing, and every time she tried, he was already looking at her. This resulted in both of them looking away again, but eventually, when she looked up, Jesse attempted a grin at her. She smiled back. Somehow, her hand crept into his. It stayed there the whole movie.

When the lights came up at the end, they found Emily with her head on Jesse's shoulder. The movie had been three hours and forty-five minutes, and it was now four-thirty in the afternoon. Emily and Jesse continued to hold hands as they left the theatre and went out into the light. They had a good laugh about how much the light hurt after three hours and forty-five minutes in the dark.

"So where do you want to go?" asked Emily, squinting but smiling. "Unless you have to go somewhere… home, or whatever…"

"Nope, I'm all…" Jesse started, but he was cut off suddenly.

An old man in an old red sweater and bent over on a cane had come right up to him, and had started to prod Jesse in the chest with a finger.

"You," he said, his beady black eyes flooded with suspicion, "I know you, boy… you're one of them, ain't ya? I was a young man the last time… little boy when my father told me about you and that bloody house in the woods…"

Jesse looked like he'd been shocked stiff. His eyes were wide and glassy, and his mouth was slightly open. Emily looked from him to the old man, who seemed to be muttering incoherently to himself now, but still everyone once in a while poking Jesse in the chest.

"Jesse," said Emily, squeezing his hand, and pulling slightly. The old man was obviously crazy, and they should probably leave him alone. "Jesse, come on."

"Yeah," said Jesse, following her. They went back past the theatre again, and continued down the street.

"That was really weird," said Emily, looking up at Jesse as they headed past all the shops and cars passed.

"Yeah," said Jesse again, nodding absently. "Weird."

"Yeah," said Emily, frowning slightly. Jesse seemed… far away, like he was thinking of something, thinking hard.

They just kept walking. They were walking in the direction of the graveyard, Emily remembered. She kept talking to Jesse, and he talked to her, but he never seemed like he was concentrating on that, exactly. He knew was she was saying, and responded, but he always seemed to be thinking of something else. She did manage to ask him if he wanted to take a walk in the graveyard, and he said yes.

After they got into the graveyard by the side gate, Emily looked around at all the graves, and then back at Jesse. He still looked distant. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Jesse," she said, turning to face him, and slipping her hand out of his.

"Hmm?" said Jesse, looking at her but not really seeing her.

Emily put one hand on his shoulder, leaned up, and kissed him gently on the lips.

Jesse just stood there for a moment, and then looked at her, actually seeing her, a strange look on his face, almost a smile, but not quite there.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked quietly, looking right into his eyes.

"Not anymore," he said, leaning down to kiss her. She put her arms all the way around his neck and kissed him back.

A/N: ok, oh so super cheesy, I know. :D I chose king kong because it was the movie my sister and I saw right before I wrote this, and I couldn't think of anything else. more coming, I promise!