SECRECY
Chapter 3
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
But the vision before me just wasn't changing. Or doing anything for that matter. Jesse was staring at me the same way I was staring at him.
Gaping.
I blinked again and shook my head. Getting up enough courage, I went over and hugged him. I felt him stiffen beneath me but he soon returned the embrace.
When I stepped back, I said, "It's great to have you back, Jesse. We all missed you."
He smiled. "I'm glad to be back," he said.
I smiled and then realized Jake was looking at me weirdly. I looked down at myself and realized I was still in my bikini. Huh, no wonder Jesse was reluctant to touch me. It must be weird touching a girl that could almost be your sister when she's in only a bikini.
But, seriously, without trying to sound gross, Jesse was . . .
. . . well, he was hot.
I mean, I didn't expect him to look like - like . . . THAT.
I shook my head and blushed. "I'll be right back. Let me just go put some clothes on."
So I scurried upstairs and put on a tank top and a pair of jeans and flip-flops. I pulled a comb through my hair and grabbed my sunglasses. Then I grabbed the present off my desk and brought it down as well.
When I got back out on the deck, everyone was sitting around the patio table and talking. Jesse included. I went and sat down next to Jesse, since that was the only available seat, and handed him the present.
He looked at me in confusion. "What's this?" he asked.
I smiled. "I got you something. You know, a welcome back present."
"Susannah, you didn't have to . . ."
"I know," I said. "But I wanted to. Jesse, you're one of my best friends, I think you deserve it." Hopefully that was a good enough explanation for him. I really have no clue why I did even get a present for him. I mean, it was the reason that I gave him, but I also just had the urge to get something. It's not a feeling that I get too often, you know.
He grinned and looked down at it. Then he quirked an eyebrow. "'Happy Birthday'?" he inquired.
I hit him playfully on the arm. "Shut up. It was the only wrapping paper I could find."
He just rolled his eyes and started unwrapping the present. Everyone was talking amongst themselves, so I figured I would take him down by the pool more to open the presents, so he could mock me in private.
Right.
We both took a seat on the bench down by the pool. He slowly finished unwrapping the book. He kind of reminded me of my grandmother when he did that, because she always carefully unwrapped gifts so she could save the paper and reuse it. I thought it was quite humorous.
He looked at me in shock when he saw the book. "Susannah? How . . ."
I grinned, realizing that he liked it. A lot. "Believe it or not, I don't forget very many things."
He just shook his head and started to unwrap the next present. "And that goes for this one, too," I said.
I saw the purple wrapping of the Wonka Bar and silently laughed to myself. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he saw it. It would just be too much for me, I think.
When he got a full look at the candy bar, he completely cracked up. I grinned and laughed too. When he got some control back, he said, "How did you remember that?"
I shrugged. "Like I said, I rarely forget things." Then a random thing flitted through my mind. I pushed it down. It was too embarrassing, yet too funny. Oh, hell. "Like that one time when I asked if you were a girl and—"
He looked at me in horror. "Nombre de Dios," he said, his face flushing red. "Oh, I wish you would forget that."
I giggled. "Why? We were just kids, Jesse."
"Yes," he said. "But thinking about it now . . . well, it's pretty humiliating."
I laughed. "O-kay. C'mon, let's go back up there."
He nodded and we both walked back up to the patio where everyone was still talking amongst themselves. It was as if they didn't even realize we were gone.
Hmph. I can see I was missed terribly. Not.
For some reason, I felt really awkward. Just having Jesse back here after all those years . . . I just couldn't describe what I was feeling. I mean, it was great having him back, but I didn't feel like I was the same around him. The way I acted around him when we were kids. I was so carefree then and . . .
Well, I guess him being hot had SOME effect on me. I knew once he started going to our school, that all the popular girls would swarm around him, trying to get him to ask them out, namely, Kelly Prescott. But had Jesse changed that much, to go out with aKelly Prescott, of all people? I mean, I know Marta said he was a heartbreaker, but did that actually mean he broke girls' hearts? Or was it just his looks that did the job . . .?
Ugh. I think into things too much.
I really shouldn't be thinking about him like that. I mean, this was Jesse. I'd known him since I was, like, eight. As I have said before, he could practically be my brother. And thinking your brother is hot? Well, I know that won't get you very far.
I shook my head. Okay, just . . . stop thinking, Suze. Especially about him.
I excused myself and went inside for a few minutes to clear my head. And out of the corner of my eye, in the kitchen, was my dad.
Now's definitely not the time for him to be here.
I walked up to him and said, in as quiet a voice as I could, "What are you doing here?"
He looked at me and smiled that smile he always does when he sees me. Unless, of course, I've done something wrong. "I can't come visit my little girl?"
I rolled my eyes. "Dad. You can, really, but it seems like you always visit at the most inconvenient of times."
"Well, excuse me," he said. I just rolled my eyes again and went over to the fridge to grab something to drink. The first thing I pulled out happened to be a can of Diet Coke. Good.
As I was downing the can, my dad decided to say, "So, who was that young man you were making googly eyes at?"
I literally spat the coke right out of my mouth. "What?" Googly eyes? Who says that anymore? I mean, besides my dead father, who is, in fact, very outdated on the current lingo. But I guess he can't help it, being dead and all.
"I saw you looking at him. Who is he? And why does everyone seem to like him so much? And why did you hug him in a bikini?"
So many questions. All of which I did not want to answer.
I sighed. "Dad, he's just an old friend," I settled for saying.
He looked at me warily, but then dropped it. Now, if he saw me kissing him, I'm sure he wouldn't have dropped it so easily.
Okay, Suze. STOP with the thinking-about-Jesse crap, okay?
Just then, someone came in. I quickly acted like I was doing nothing but getting a coke out of the refrigerator. My dad dematerialized, giving me a little bit of privacy. When I looked up to see who it was, I suddenly became really embarrassed.
"Susannah, who were you talking to?" Jesse asked. He looked around, as if he was expecting to see someone else in the room.
"Um, just the dog," I said. "He just ran in the other room." Luckily I had seen the dog only moments before, so it wasn't a complete lie. Well, okay, it was, but I couldn't tell him the truth.
"I thought I heard you say . . ." He looked at me curiously for a minute, but then shook his head and changed the subject. "Are you coming back outside?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, in a minute. I have to clean this mess up first." I gestured to the soda on the floor that I had spit out of my mouth.
Wow. That sounded pretty gross.
Jesse looked at the soda on the floor and then looked back at me. He quirked an eyebrow. "Having some difficulty?" He laughed, like it was the funniest thing ever.
I rolled my eyes. "Stupid dog scared the shi—uh, crap, out of me and, well, I dropped the can." Okay, so I was lying through my teeth now. But what else could I do? Besides, I was quite used to lying like this to people about my, uh, ability by now.
I grabbed some paper towels off the counter and bent down to clean it up. When I was finished, I threw the towels in the garbage. I looked back up at Jesse, and noticed he was still looking at me. I gave him a questioning look.
He shook his head and I saw a blush creep onto his face. I didn't press into the subject, but there was this one thought that crossed my mind: that Jesse looked cute when he was embarrassed.
Okay, this is really bad.
I shook my head, grabbed my coke off the counter — well, what was left of it, anyway — and walked back outside, Jesse following silently behind me.
A/N: FINALLY got this up. Actually, it wasn't THAT long since I last updated, but I was hoping to get it up a little sooner... Oh well. Now, review, please? If I get as many reviews as I did last chapter, I'd be REEEEAALLY happy. Like, ecstatic happy. :D