"Joseph Adam Jonas! A word please?" His parents burst through the bus door, took him, and left.

"Uh, oh" I looked down ashamed at myself.

"Hey, don't worry." Nick sat next to me on the carpeted floor, "if he can't have you, at least you know he's still in love with you."

I half smiled, "thanks."

"Look me in the eyes!" I did what I was asked, "you know you two are inseparable."

"I know, but what if your parents think we have to be just friends?"

"Take a breath, and hold on. They'll be sorry if the break you two apart. A little bit longer, who knows, tonight might be a night to remember. Don't be paranoid! You just don't it, but I think Joe would die for you." He looked down, and I could see that he felt the same way.

"Would you die for me?" I had to ask.

"Yes." Is all he gave me, and I left it at that.

"Hey look, it's 7:05!" he laughed, but then he stopped to listen to his mother talking, "I'm going to go snoop." He snuck into the back room, and I could tell he could hear the whole conversation, "come over here!" he swayed his hand in a hurry-up-you-don't-want-to-miss-this gesture.

"Joseph! You two started a food fight!?" his mother's tone was angry.

"But, mom it wasn't…"

"Oh, I know it wasn't intentional, but you still caused it. Did Mi Amour shut down because of you?"

"No, Brianna wrote them a check to fix up the place."

"Oh, so she's bribing people with money now? I don't understand what you see in her. I mean she's horrible, and her personality isn't…"

NO! I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! I don't really care what you think because I love her mom! Dad, you're being awfully quiet, I know you have something smart to say!" he looked back at his mom, "and if you try to tear us apart, I assure you, we'll find a way to be together weather you like it or not!"

"Joseph!" his mother gasped.

"What?" he growled.

"You really do love her, I can see it in your eyes."

"Mom, you don't know how hard I've fallen this time. If you break us up, you might break me in the process. I know Brianna will be heart broken as well. Are you willing to be responsible for shattering me to pieces?"

"No I…"

"I thought so. Now may I please correctly introduce you to Brianna?"

"Um, yes." His father answered this time.

"Let me go get her then…" I heard his footsteps enter the bus, and walk right to me. I rushed to the bathroom so Joe wouldn't know I was listening in on the conversation, "Brianna?"

"Uh, in here!" I walked to meet him in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Come on, let me introduce you to my parents!" he reached for my hand.

"Is that a good idea?" I placed my hand in his.

"No, I don't think it is." He laughed.

"Then, why do you want me to?"

"Just…come on!" he yelled.

"Ok." I whispered scared at his tone.

He pulled me to his parents, and I tried to refuse but he was too strong for me to win this tug-of-war. As my nervous shell of a body stood in front of his parents I had to look at the damp ground.

"Mom, dad, meet Brianna…" Joe looked down with me.

I stepped out from behind Joe, "Uh, hi."

"Hello…" his mother scowled.

"I'm sorry, do you have a problem?" I covered my mouth the second I realized I was talking to his mother.

"Now that you mention it…"

"DEAR! Opinions to yourself, please?" his father butted in.

"Um, no. First, you aren't and never will be the right girl for my son. Second, I don't like you, and third, you seem to think you know it all." Her voice started to get louder.

"Knock it off…" Joe's head cocked up and his eyes narrowed to a killing stare.

"Why should I Joseph?" her stare was scarier then his. I didn't want to look at her, I might have turned to stone.

"Does the I love her thing mean anything to you?"

"No." she started to walk away.

"Wait!" I called out.

"Yes?" she turned around, and placed her hand on her hip.

"I don't want to leave you with a bad impression. I'm a good person, and I love your son."

"Well, ok." She walked forward, and shook my hand, "Hi, I'm Denise. Joe has told me so much about you."

I gave her a confused look, "starting over?"

"Hi, Denise, I'm Brianna."

"I know, so nice to finally meet you. If you would excuse me, I have to go." She walked towards her car, and her husband followed. As they started to walk away, the butterflies flew out of my stomach and they set me free.

"I almost collapsed, "That was…hard." I struggled for words.

"Uh, yeah." Joe's voice cracked from nerves, "I almost puked." He laughed.

"Same, but to be honest, I'm glad your parents don't hate me"

"Uh, yeah, me too. I apologize for my mother, she's been having mood swings lately, sorry."

"Oh, I think I understand…" I smiled, "she's just worried…"

"Why would she be worried?"

"Cause of me…"

"But I'm…we're happy. Isn't that all that matters?"

"I guess. But, I don't think she sees it that way. Maybe she's worried I'll break your heart."

"But, I know you wouldn't. She needs to understand that too." He sat on a little bench, and I joined him.

"She's being a mother! It's their job to worry."

I watched a BMW pull up on the curb, about fifteen feet away from where we were, "Yeah, but…" he leaned his head against mine, which was leaning on his shoulder, "I don't want us to break apart. I can't handle being away from you a second, how will I be able to handle being away from you forever?"

"You don't have to worry about that Joe." I slid my hand on his, and locked our fingers together.

"I know, but my mother, she's…"

I placed my pointer finger over his lips, "Shhh…hush baby, don't say a word. I know you're scared, but that doesn't mean you have to think like that."

"But…"

"No, let me speak. There's no reason to feel empty, there's no reason to feel incomplete. As long as we have each other, I can gaze into your eyes, we have conquered our greatest feet. That we are still in love, and that you are still by my side…" I sang it like a song.

"I'm at awe right now, you are amazing. No, you're perfect."

I peered out of the corner of my eye too see who was in the car. Nobody? I looked around, and I saw nothing.

"What?" I said that in such a whisper, that even Joe, who was so close to me, couldn't here…the wind just swept it away.

I couldn't stop looking at the BMW, "Joe? Who's in there?"

"Who's in…huh?" he tried to play dumb, but it didn't work.

"That person, in the car, right there! Who is it?"

"Uh, I don't know…" he looked down.

"Joe, tell me the truth…"

"Okay, it's Kevin…"

"Why would Kevin be spying?" I asked cocky.

"He…"

"He what?"

"He's just worried…about me too."

"Why would Kevin be worried? He knows how much we love each other!" I let go of his hand, and crossed my arms.

"I don't know, like my whole family has turned against our relationship."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They don't think you're right."

"Do you think I'm right?" I closed my eyes afraid of the answer.

"I don't know."

"You don't know, or you're afraid to tell me the truth?"

"Both I guess. The sadness in his eyes turned water form, and fell to the ground.

"Don't cry…just tell me the truth."

"You'll get hurt…"

"You don't think I'm right for you?"

He looked down, and the look on his face told me everything.

"After…everything…"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apology…" I stood up, and walked away from the person I love. From the person I thought loved me back.

"Don't leave."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." tears started to build a blurry wall in my eyes.

"Because I'm not saying goodbye."

I rolled my eyes, "Then what are you saying? Because to me this is a goodbye."

"No. It's not…"

"So my boyfriend thinks that we aren't right for each other, and he expects me to believe that's not a breakup line!"

"I don't want to…"

"Cut the crap Joe. I'm done with crying, and I'm done with heartbreak. So, you tell me right now, what you are implying, because I am lost."

"I'm just saying that, maybe we should…"

"Take a break? Take it slower? Go our separate ways?"

"No! Prove everyone wrong…"

"But, you said it yourself…"

"No, people are saying so much, that I was starting to believe it, but I know it's not true."

I sat on Joe's lap, and he knew that's what I wanted to hear, and he continued, "If I had said goodbye…would you have missed me?"

I didn't say a word. I just stood up, closed my eyes, and walked away. Then I whispered, "So much."

"Baby, wake up!" Joe's whisper woke me up immediately.

"What is it Joe?"

Fresh tears rolled out of his eyes, "come with me."

"I groped for his hand, and he yanked me out me up, "Joe, what's going on?"

"Shhh…" he pressed his pointer finger over my soft lips.

"Baby, please explain to me what's going on, please." He placed his head on my shoulder, and I felt teardrops fall onto my sleeve.

"Nick."

"What do you mean Nick?"

"He ran away. What if he got himself into trouble, or even worse, hurt!"

"Well, did you find him?!"

"No. We've looked everywhere, and nothing!"

He reached in his pocket, and a rustling noise filled the air, "He left this," in his hand, he held a note.

I opened the tiny square, until it was normal size; I read it aloud, "Dear Family, I've felt that I need to get away. Seeing Joe with her has gotten to me. I still love her, so if you want to find me, I'll be where she had her first kiss. I'll be under the tall shadow…" I trailed off in thought.

"I looked where we had our first kiss, and he wasn't there. He must be crazy!"

"I know where he is…" I narrowed my eyes, and grabbed Nicole's car keys, since mine had disappeared.

"You know where he is!" Nicole shouted, "I'm coming with you."

"Fine, then you're driving." I tossed her the keys.

I got on my scarf, gloves, and jacket before we left. The cold breeze blew my scarf and hair back, and the wind went right threw me, "Wait, I'm going to check one more place before we leave. I'll be right back." I started walking toward the park, the one with the beautiful lake glistening in the sunset.

On a bench, where Nick and I used to meet, was another note.

Dear Brianna,

I figured you would come looking for me here eventually. So, I thought you would like to know that the other note was a distraction. The, I love you part anyway. I am where I said I would be, but I didn't run away for that reason. I ran away because I was becoming afraid. Afraid of taking the next steps with Nicole, like telling the press that I'm with her. Also, I haven't taken here out on a real date yet, and I would like to. Help me out, please? I'm getting really nervous.

You Old Flame,

Nicholas

I walked back toward Nicole. But, the wind felt worse, colder. My hair blew back, and my scarf shook violently around my neck. One gust of wind blew my scarf off. It flew about twenty feet, and landed around a tree branch. I reached my hand out, ready to retrieve it, when I realized something. That the scarf was a sign. Nick was the scarf and he was letting me go.