Chapter 14
"Hey Brat, whatcha doin'?" Jake asked some weeks later. He had been out riding and seen George in the shadow of the trees near the river. He had come over to see what was going on.
"Playing with a turtle," Sam answered from the ground, barely looking up at him.
"Yeah?" Jake dismounted. This is why he liked hanging around with Sam. She didn't do a lot of girly things.
He stooped down next to her to see the turtle.
"Cool," he picked it up to get a good look at it.
"Isn't he cute?" Sam asked.
Jake groaned. She didn't do a lot of girly things, but she said a lot of girly things sometimes.
"Yeah, that was exactly the word I was lookin' for," Jake teased.
"He is cute," Sam insisted.
"Whatever you say, Brat," Jake put the turtle back down.
"I gave him a name," Sam told him.
"Oh? What's that?"
"Jake," Sam giggled.
"You named a turtle after me?" Jake squeaked.
"He looks like you," Sam said.
"Oh for…," Jake grumbled.
"He does," Sam persisted. "See?"
She held the turtle an inch from his face.
"He's brown but has a bit of black on top of his head," she pointed out.
Jake snorted.
"But you said he was cute," Jake teased.
"Yeah, Jake the turtle is cute," Sam teased back. She put the turtle back on the ground.
"Oh thanks," Jake rolled his eyes.
"You're cute too," Sam said. "Sometimes." She laughed.
Jake wasn't sure what surprised him more. That she named a turtle after him or that she had said he was cute.
He looked at her and she noticed. She tilted her head at him, trying to determine what he was thinking. There was no teasing glint in his eyes. All humor left her eyes.
Neither of them knew it was happening or why, but suddenly their lips met. Quickly, briefly. Then they both pulled away. Jake rubbed the back of his neck. Sam looked down at the turtle.
Jake could see her eyes flicking to the side, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Let me see if I can find one and we can race 'em," Jake broke through the silence as if nothing had happened.
"Okay," Sam said.
Jake went to the water's edge, Sam's eyes on him. She had no idea what had just happened, she only knew that it felt right. She lightly touched her lips where his had been.
Could you be eight years old and find the perfect person for you? She was just a little girl and thinking little girl thoughts.
Jake glanced back at her to see her searching look. He pretended he didn't know what it was about and turned back to look for a turtle though his thoughts were in turmoil.
Could you be almost ten years old and find the perfect person for you? He doubted it, but he had never wanted to kiss a girl before like he had wanted to kiss Sam.
Jake shook himself and spied a turtle sticking his head out from under a rock. He grabbed it quickly, his hand coming up with it.
"Got one," Jake announced.
Sam smiled and whatever she had been thinking was gone from her face. They were just Jake and Sam, two friends. The other thing was put away to mull over and think about at a later time.