Chapter 65

"This is so cool!" Julie beamed as she opened the door.

"Are you ready?"
"I've been ready!" She looked past her boyfriend and saw Thomas' truck in the driveway. She quickly kissed him on the cheek and walked around him toward the truck. "Come on!"

"Julie…calm down!"
"Too late." She beamed. "Let's go!" She exclaimed again with great excitement in her voice.

Tom shook his head. As excited as he was about getting his driver's license, Julie was more excited. While they still couldn't officially go out on an actual date until she was sixteen in three more weeks. Her parents allowed her to go places with Tom that weren't considered a date. Like this morning, Tom was picking her up for church. In Julie's mind, it was a 'sort of' date. That was how she explained it to herself…and to Tom.

Tom had passed the driver's test Wednesday morning before he and his family left for the state tournament. He couldn't wait for his birthday to come and take the test. Everything with Jack was just so busy with the basketball schedule. He perfectly understood. As a matter of fact, he was completely ok with it. He never liked celebrating his birthday. For him, it was just another day. It just wasn't his thing. However, he really wanted his driver's license. So, he pushed for him to take the test before leaving for the tournament.

As much as his parents apologized to him for it, he didn't see why they were making such a commotion over it. They knew he didn't like the hoopla surrounding it. He was just ecstatic about takingand passing the driver's license test. For Tom, picking up Julie for church was everything as far as a celebration. This was the best present ever.

"Slow down." Tom smiled at his very eager girlfriend. "It's just going to church."
"True, but it's going with just you and me in the truck."

"Yeah." Tom smiled.

Julie stood beside the passenger door, waiting for Tom to catch up. She could see the excitement on his face, even if he was trying to play it cool.

"Church and lunch with your parents," Tom stated as he reached for the door handle.

"Yes…and maybe I can convince mother and father to allow us to go somewhere or something."
"Good luck with your parents. If you can convince them, then you will have to convince mine."
"That's your job."
"I have already tried, but Mom wasn't budging. I didn't even get to Dad." Tom shook his head. He really tried to work on his mom, but she wasn't budging. He knew his father wouldn't either.

"Maybe we need to find a place they will allow us to go,"
"Then we can make the most of it." Tom finished her statement.

"A perfect idea. Maybe the mall with friends or something?" Julie thought out loud. "Plus, you know you should work on your father before your mother. Your mother won't budge unless Thomas works on her."
"True."

…

"Church was good this morning," Viola stated.

"It was. The sermon was good. Plus, the music was great."
"Can you really listen to music without going into piano player mode?"
"I can. It's my way of enjoying music without me making it."
"You've said that before. I'm surprised you can turn it off like that."
"You learn to, or you can never just enjoy music. Hey, are you going to call your parents? You said you wanted to."
"I will later. Remember, they are an hour behind us. They're on their way to church."
"Right…I keep forgetting that. Do you still want to talk to them about my three-week concert tour?"
"I do. I think we can make it work."
"True. Plus, we'll figure everything else out."
"Lunch?"
"Sure."
…

"Hey, Bella." Jack smiled as the door opened. "Oh…I'm sorry, Mom. I thought you were Elizabeth."
Grace smiled at this young man. Elizabeth had told her mother about his nickname for her. She knew Bella was Latin for beautiful.

"Good morning, Jack. How are you?"
"I'm good."
"I understand you have big plans today?"
"Nothing major or extravagant. Just spending time with Elizabeth after church and for lunch."
"That sounds like big plans to me. Or at least very nice plans."
"I agree." He stated as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for all your support in attending so many of my basketball games and with everything else."
"It was truly my privilege, young man."
"You know, kissing my wife isn't any better than always bringing her flowers. As a matter of fact, some would say it's worse, especially when you combine the two."

"Sorry, sir."
"I don't believe you are, young man. Let me guess, those flowers are for my wife and daughter?" William stressed the word 'my'.

"You are correct, sir." Jack stated as he gave Grace her bouquet of flowers."
"They are beautiful, Jack," Grace smirked as she quickly glanced at her husband before returning her gaze to Jack. "Now, what's the plan?"
"Mother!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she descended the large staircase. She smiled at the daisies Jack brought her. He did know all the little details concerning the things she liked the most.

"Thank you." She whispered as she tilted her head and kissed him on the cheek. "They're lovely." She grinned as she accepted the flowers.

William shook his head. He was still getting accustomed to the affection between his daughter and a boy. He was also thankful that his middle daughter was dating a good guy.

"You're welcome. Are you ready for church?"
"Let me put these in a vase and some water."

"Come on, William. We don't want to be late for church. Tom and Julie should already be there."
"Yes, dear." He turned his attention to the kids. "You know, I'm not the one who is usually running late."
"I heard that!" Grace stated as she handed him his jacket.

…

"Why are you always hugging my boyfriend?" Elizabeth teased as she stepped out of the restroom.

"What?"

"Girly…you better not be stealing my boyfriend." She chuckled as she hugged Susan.

Susan playfully rolled her eyes at Elizabeth's teasing. She had just walked into the church with her mother. Jack had been standing by the welcome table waiting for Elizabeth.

"I didn't know you were here." Teased Susan.

"Girl…" Elizabeth smiled playfully, shaking her head. "And why are you always hugging a beautiful young lady?" She turned her attention to her boyfriend.
"She hugged me first." Jack defended himself as he shrugged his shoulders.
"That's not true…" Susan began until Jack put his hand over her mouth.

"Uh, hmm." Elizabeth hummed. Then she turned her attention to Susan. "Oh, I love how you fixed your hair this morning."
"Thank you. I showed Mom how you did it. She fixed it for me. She showed me how to do it."

"Nice. Now, we have spoken about this before…you can't be stealing my boyfriend."
"Don't be silly." Susan's face turned a little pinkish in color. "Jack loves you too much. Plus, I'm too young for him."
"Aren't I the lucky one then because I'm sure you would take him away from me if you were older."
"Oh, Elizabeth." Susan hugged her again. "You're just being silly now. May I sit with you during church to see if my mom is okay with it?"
"Absolutely. I need to keep an eye on you." She gave the little one an extra squeeze.

As Jack and Elizabeth watched the little girl run down the hallway to speak to her mother, Jack reached for her hand.

"You do know that only you have captured my eye…right?"
"If she was older." Elizabeth giggled.

"Wouldn't matter. You are the one my heart yearns for."

"Jarrick…who taught you to be so romantic?"
Jack moved his hand so their pinkies interlocked with each other. "You."

"I love you, sweet man."

"I love you."

…

The time at church was good. Elizabeth was still getting used to Frank's church, but she did love his preaching. The church she attended with her parents was a little more stuffy…not bad, just not as friendly. Frank was a people person. Susan was excited to see her and Jack. To Elizabeth, Susan was just excited to see Jack. She would tease both of them about it. Truth be told, Elizabeth loved Susan as much as Jack did. The little girl was just special. Her smile would melt any iceberg.

Jack pulled into the parking lot and stopped the truck. He gave Elizabeth's pinky three little squeezes before quickly opening his truck door. He was in a hurry to open her door before she did. She knew he always wanted to do that but would often forget and get out herself. She didn't completely understand why, but she knew it was important to him.

Jack slid into the same bench seat as Elizabeth. This was the same booth she and Jack sat at during their first conversation at Abagail's on the second day of school when they became an official couple. He slid over enough so their legs were touching. He had to be beside her and touch her.

"I don't know if I told you, you look very nice today."
"Thank you. You know, this is the booth we sat at when we began to date." Her smile captured him completely.
"I remember. We both ordered the half vanilla and half chocolate shake."

"Yeah." She smiled at the memory.

"It's when you reached for my pinky."

"I did. To be honest, I was scared to death when I did it."
"If I was being completely honest, I really wanted to."
"Really?" She turned her head with a bit of doubt in her voice.

"You're kidding me, right?"
"No. I didn't know if you did or not. I thought you were interested, but I wasn't certain if you were."
"That's because of you and your best friend, but I was very interested in you. Somehow, this little stubborn, auburn-headed, who thinks she's always right, the girl, stole my heart."
"Thinks I'm right?" Sassed Elizabeth as she raised her eyebrows.

"You were so confusing."

"Me…? You were the one who would flirt with me andthen back away. Then, when you were right in history, you would get this 'know it all' smirk with the corner of your lips curl up with the hint of your dimples appearing."

"Yes, you, Princess Beth."
"Jarrick, we are way past that awful nickname in our relationship." She warned him by poking her finger on his thigh.

"You would pull me in with that little smirk. You would act all interested and then lose yourself with your best friend by your locker. You would pull me in and push me away." He shook his head.

"Well…we are way past that now, aren't we?" She patted her eyes at him. "And here we are."

"I also remember you, Steph, and Connie grilling me. I felt like I was nominated for the Supreme Court or something."
"Hey, I didn't grill you."
"Your two cohorts most certainly did, and you didn't do anything to stop it."
"Well…I wanted to know who you were."

"The only thing missing was the spotlight and some electrodes to shock me if I was wrong or you felt I was being dishonest."

"It wasn't that intense."

"It was from where I was sitting."

"Well, I think you passed with flying colors." She chuckled.

"Thankfully." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "And I couldn't be any happier."
"Sweet talker."
"Hey, you two," Charlette stated as she slid onto the bench seat across from the young couple.

"Hey, ma."
"Hey, Mom. Dad." Elizabeth stated as Tom slid in beside his wife.

Charlette placed two notebooks she pulled out of her bag and placed the notebooks on top of the menus that were on top of the table.

"What are those for?" Elizabeth looked questioningly at the notebooks.

"Oh, good grief. Ma! You can't be serious."

"What?" Elizabeth's eyes darted from Charlette's back to Jack's.

"Welcome to the JT school." Jack shook his head. "Ma…"
"The JT school…? Wait, you've mentioned that before, but that was during summer and other long breaks."

"I've seen your texts. Your spelling and punctuation are atrocious. You two should be better than that, especially since you rank second and third in your graduating class. First, we'll start with punctuation. You should always end a sentence with proper punctuation."
"Ma…we're teens. We don't do that in text messages."

"Are you serious?" Elizabeth asked until she saw Charlette's facial expression.

"Very," Jack whispered. "Ma…" After a few seconds of silence, he turned his attention to his father. "Pa…" Jack tried to get his father to intervene.

Tom didn't even make eye contact with his son. He knew his wife very well. She was a determined woman in complete teacher mode.

"Now, I have some examples of what you typed, and on the line below, that is how it should have been if it was done properly," Charlette stated as she opened both notebooks. "Jack, let's start with you."

Jack leaned back on the bench, letting out a long, slow breath. He knew there wasn't any way to get out of this.

"Look at the first line, Jack. You typed 'were,', and it should have been 'we're.' You meant it as a contraction, 'we are.' You should always use an apostrophe to join both words when you use a contraction. The apostrophe is in place of dropping a letter. In this particular case, you are dropping the letter 'a'. You too, Elizabeth…" Charlette tapped the front page of Elizabeth's book at the same word. "…you did the exact same thing. I expect better from my children." Charlette made eye contact with Jack and then Elizabeth. Her mother's and teacher's expressions were shining through intensely.

Elizabeth gave Charlette a slight grin. She stood the best she could in the booth and leaned over the table. With her index finger, she wiggled it to indicate that Charlette should lean forward just like she did. Slowly, Charlette stood and matched Elizabeth. They were just inches apart. Elizabeth closed the gap and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you for the reminder, mom."

Charlette huffed. She tried her best to keep a smile from forming. However, the smile was taking over her lips, and she was beginning to lose the battle. When she made eye contact with Elizabeth, she lost the internal battle.

"Fine. Let's just do a better job with our writing." Charlette lovingly placed her hand on Elizabeth's cheek. "Now, sweetheart, do you know what you want for lunch?"

Jack watched and listened to the interaction. "What!? Wait!? What just happened?" Jack couldn't believe his mother backed down. He quickly looked between his mother and his girlfriend. Then he looked at his father.

"Now…" Charlette began as she gathered both notebooks and placed them on the seat beside her as she sat down. "…with that understood. I would like to have the fried chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes."
"I don't understand…how can she say that, and you back off?" Jack only stared at his mother.

Elizabeth sat down with a smile on her face. She reached for Jack's pinky. "I'll have the chicken tenders with fries and extra ranch."
"It's Elizabeth, dear," Charlette stated as she smirked at her oldest son.

Elizabeth's smile only grew, reflecting the love of her mom. Jack could only shake his head in disbelief.

…

Ted leaned back on their tree. The one where he and Viola would steal a few moments together before, between, or after classes. This was their unofficial spot. Viola scooted to be in front of him. Then she scooted back to press her back against Ted's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her a little closer. They picked up lunch after church and brought it to their tree for a picnic. They just wanted to spend a little bit of time together. They each had a little homework to finish before classes on Monday. Ted couldn't help himself. He extended to kiss her on the cheek.

"A penny for your thoughts."
"For you, they are free." She snuggled into his chest, loving the feeling of Ted against her and his arms wrapped around her. "I was just thinking about this summer."
"The conversation on the ride back?"

"Yeah."
"Well, if our parents are okay with it, you can join me on tour. I was thinking about the Washington D. C. leg."
"Why that one?"
"That is the last of the tour. We will still have to rehearse, but not as much as the first two stops. I should have more free time. That would allow us to site see a little bit during the early afternoon."
"Yeah."
"Yes. You will have to get your own room while there. It would be nice if you could stay the whole week, but I'll take whatever time you can stay."
"I might be able to do that. Uncle Bill has a hotel in D. C. I think he would cut me a deal."
"Perfect. Of course, you will be at the concert with me."
"Of course."
"I'll check with Dr. Jackson about any job possibilitiesin Hamilton for a week or so. Maybe there will be a couple of opportunities for me there."
"It sounds like you have given some thought about this." She stated as she settled a little closer to him. She loved that he actually thought about this. It gave her a sense that he was taking their relationship seriously. He took more of her heart.

"I have given it a lot of thought. I was serious yesterday on the way home. I don't want to think about being away from you for weeks at a time during summer break. I have grown accustomed to seeing you every day." Ted gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'm supposed to call mom tonight. She wants to finalize summer vacation plans."
"Do you think she is still ok with me coming along?"
"She's already mentioned it. She will be perfectly fine with you still coming with us. Have you asked your parents about that?"
"We've spoken about it but we haven really finalized anything."
"Mom loves you and so does my sisters. They'll have no problem with you coming with us. Mom already stated it. Would you still like to go with us?"
"Of course." She leaned forward and gentled kissed his lips. "I love her, too. She was so sweet to me."
"My sisters love youbutstill think you are crazy for dating me."

Viola laughed at the statement. "They were so sweet."

"Sarah still talks about your time at Ulta Beauty and makeup. She loved every moment of it. Mom really appreciated your help with that."
"That was a lot of fun. To be honest, I got lost in the whole thing. It was perfect."

Ted paused for a moment. He took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff with his question. "So, would you be ok with having children?"

Viola let out a soft sigh. She really hasn't even thought about having children. It just wasn't something she thought about. Her previous boyfriends and guys just never leant to that type of thinking. Now, with Ted, it was a subject that she had pondered about, especially after spending time with Ted's younger sisters.

"You know…I've never really thought about it before you."
"Really?"
"Yeah…I may have dated a few guys, but you know that story. Not even one of them was anywhere close to thinking about having children with them."
"You didn't think about it at all?"
"Not really. I was just into school and hanging outwith friends. Kids really weren't in my thought process."

"And now?"
He could see her smile overtaking her face. "Now…I've thought about it."
"And?" His voice was soft.

"I'm not sure when, but I do want children with you."

"Good. Me too."

"I don't know how many."
"We can figure that out in the future."

"That sounds like a great plan."

She let out a very contented sigh. "Ted, I love these talks."
"Thank Uncle Tom for that."
"What do you mean?"
"You remember the little make-out session after our date in Hamilton? The same weekend we had our first big talk?"
"Yes."
"When I went back to his home, we talked along with Jack. Uncle Tom told me I needed to be honest with you about my intentions. He said women like it when men are honest and upfront."

"Remind me to thank him."

"Viola, I'm just thankful you are open to dating me."
"You've got to be kidding me. Ted, I love you, and I love being with you. I also love discussing our future."

He smiled when she said 'our future'.

"Hey, let's go and get some ice cream. Then we have some homework we need to finish. Then maybe we can watch a movie tonight?"
"A perfect evening with my person. Let's go!"

…

"Rosemary!" Lee's voice was strictly determined. "We have talked about this several times before. There is no way that is going to happen!"

"But Lee…"
"No 'but Lee'." He warned her again. "Spring practice begins a week from tomorrow. I am not missing practice to join the school play! It's not happening!"
Rosemary theatrically placed her hands on her hips. She was determined that Lee was going to join the play. She loved how he sang with the guys when they did their little performance when they all asked the girls out for Valentine's Day. She even showed the video to the teacher, who was the play director. She fell in love with Lee's performance as well. She all but promised Rosemary a significant role for Lee in the school's play.

"But Mrs…."
"Rosemary! I don't care what she promised. I am not skipping spring football practice to join the school play and sing. It's not happening!"
Lee playfully mirrored his girlfriend's stance. They stood and glared at each other for several long seconds. Neither one of them was willing to budge or relent. A familiar voice rang out, breaking their staring contest.

"Is she trying to convince you to join the theater group again?"

Without taking his eyes off Rosemary, Lee spoke. "Yes…again."

"Rosemary." Warned Steph.

"You heard him sing. He's good."
"He did a fine job, but you can't force him to give up football and join theater."
"But Steph, I'm not asking him to give up football."
"Yes, you are. Lee would have to miss all of spring practice."
"Rosemary, why don't you skip the theater and help with the football team during spring practice? They always need water girls, or Candy could use some help with all the injuries she deals with. You could be her assistant."
"Cory, that's not me. I don't do those things. Plus, I would never give up theater." Rosemary's voice trailed off when she heard the words she was speaking. Suddenly, it all became very clear. Her defiant stance instantly softened. Lee let out his breath when he noticed she softened her stance.

"Lee, I am sorry."
"It's alright. Can this please be the last conversation we have concerning this?"
"Yes."
"Good, because this is getting a little old."
"I am sorry."
"You know I will always support you and your desire to be in plays, but that doesn't mean I want to be in them."
"I know."
"And I will always be in attendance to support you."

"Thank you. Lee. I am sorry I tried to force you into joining the theater."

"So, if you two aren't busy, would you like to join us for ice cream?"
Rosemary quickly looked at Lee. He slightly nodded his head.

"Perfect." Rosemary gushed at the thought of spending time with Lee and friends.

…

"I don't know if I've ever been here," Elizabeth stated as she stepped out of the truck. She looked around the park. There were a few families that were out enjoying the sunshine. It was still a little chilly, but the sun felt nice.

"I came across it a few weeks ago. Shane mentioned it to me."
"This is nice." She looked around.

The park was pretty. It had all the children's equipment, along with a walking trail and a few picnic tables.
"Are you ok with walking around a little bit?" He asked.

"It's a little cold, but the sun feels nice."
Elizabeth smiled as Jack pulled his jacket from the truck. He held it open for her to put on. She ran her right arm through the sleeve and turned around to place her left arm through its sleeve. She gathered the front of the jacket in front of her. She tried to inhale Jack's scent. It wasn't powerfulbutstrong enough to easily smell it. When she was doing that, he took the opportunity to sneak a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, sweet man." She stated as she extended her pinky for him to take.

They walked the track once as they took in the park sights. It wasn't large, but it was a decent-sized park. The walk around the trail wasn't too busy. They took the lap silently, enjoying the sunshine and the company.

After their first lap, Elizabeth broke the silence. "So…what's next?"
Jack let out a laugh. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Basketball took all of my free time after school with practices and games."

"It did." She stated as she turned off the track and walked toward the large swing set in the center of the play area. There were a dozen swings with only two kids on them. She remembered the stories of Jack loving to swing as a kid.

As she walked up to the second swing from the end, away from the two kids, she stood behind the swing and held onto the chains. She nodded toward the seat. Jack smiled as he sat down on the swing. She pulled the swing back slightly and let go of the chains. Jack went forward only a short distance. When he returned to her, she gently pushedhim to swing higher.

"So, what's next?" She asked again.

"Well, I guess we have prom coming up at some point. Graduation will be here before we know it."

"We have summer coming up soon, and then we will move to Bryan's."

"Wow…that seems quick." He stated as he came back to her. She pushed him again.

"It does." She stated. "Probably faster than we think it will."

"Are you ready for all of that?" Jack asked as he stretched out his legs to gain a little bit of speed.
Elizabeth took a moment to consider it. She watched Jack move forward and then return to her.

"I am. I'm looking forward to that new season in my life. I'll miss home, mother, and father, but I'm looking forward to stretching my wings in college." Jack nodded his head. "We will stretch our wings and fly a little bit in a whole new world for us."
"I agree. It's a change that's a little nice and scary."
"I agree. I hope we do this together."

Silence filled the air until he swung back to her. She reached for the chains on his swing. She held on to his swing, and he stopped. "Jarrick Thornton, you have always told me we are doing this life together. Did you say that to make me feel better, or are you serious about us doing this life together?"
"I'm serious."
"Are you sure?"
"Us…together." His voice was firm.

"Good." She released the swing, giving him a little extra push. He knew why she gave him the extra push. "Now, with that settled…" Jack only smiled at her words and her tone. He loved her forcefulness at times. "…we face this new season together."
"Absolutely."

"And the timeframe?"
Jack smiled. He knew what she was asking about. Her tone left no doubt.

"Well, I promised your father we wouldn't be married in high school."
"Jack…" Her voice had a tiring tone to it.
"When I spoke to him about where I wanted our relationship to go, he asked me not to be married before college. I told him we wouldn't do that."
"I thought you said you told him we wouldn't be married during our freshman year?"
"I did."
"Why would you say that?"

"Elizabeth, " he said as she pushed him you really want to be married during our freshman year?"

He swung back and forth twice. Elizabeth was thinking. She knew they were young. They still had some living to do before they settled down. However, she also knew that the living part of her heart was to be with Jack. Like Jack, she had no desire to date around. She had found her person. There was no reason to look around any further.

"Well?" He asked.

"I want to be married to you…" Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah…me too."

"I just don't know how all of this will work out or when."
"Me either. But I do know one thing for certain." Jack stated with confidence.

"We'll figure this out." Her voice matched his confidence. "The timing will come into focus for us as we further this conversation."

"I see you still wearing the Gladduah ring."

"I told you the day you gave me my ring that it will not come off my finger until you give me an engagement ring. That's my promise to you."

"You haven't taken it off once?"
"Not once!"

Jack could only smile at her insistence. "I love you, Ms. Stubborn."

"I'm not stubborn, Jack. I am steadfast…determined."

"I love you, Ms. T."
Her smile lit up the whole area of the swing set. He didn't have to see her smile to know it was radiant.

"That's much better, Jarrick."

Jack enjoyed the time on the swing set. He still loved to swing, even as a teen. The fact that Elizabeth pushed him made it even a little more special. Their conversation was nice. While they didn't solve any questions, the conversation only proved to both of them that they were on the same page with their relationship and the direction they wanted it to go.

After spending time at the swing set and the monkey bars, where they sat and chatted, they decided to walk around the park a little more. The sun was perfect, even though the air was stillcool. They noticed a small basketball court as they walked around a new portion of the walking trail. It only had a goal on one end. Eight boys and girls wereplaying a pickup game.

Jack smiled and reached down to pick up the bouncing ball that was coming his way. It had gotten away from one of the kids. A girl about the age of ten or eleven came running their way.

"Here you go." Jack bounced andpassed the ball to the little girl.

"Thanks." She looked at him for a moment. "Hey, you play ball, right?"
"I do."

"Nice. Congratulations. You played well."
"You came to the games?"
"Oh yeah. I wouldn't miss them if at all possible." She turned her attention to Elizabeth. "And you're Elizabeth?"
"I am."
"My older brother has had a crush on you for a long time."

Elizabeth's face turned a little red.

"Oh…don't tell him I said that. He'll be mad." The little girl shook her head. "He's all bummed your dating someone now."
Jack smiled at Elizabeth's embarrassment. He spoke to change the subject. "Hey, do you want a couple more people to play?"
"You…? Sure!"

"Hey…" She shouted as she turned toward the group of kids. "Jack is going to play with us!"
The other kids realized who she was talking about. They were all excited. They all knew who he was. After all, they just won the state championship.

"Jack, what are you doing to do? You make the teams odd."
"I don't think so." He smiled at her confused expression. "You make the tenth player."
"Oh no! I don't think so! Jack, I've never played basketball. I've only touched a basketball the day at the children's center. I don't know how. I can't…!"

"Sure you do. You've watched enough of my games. You'll do just fine."
"Jack…"
"Elizabeth, their kids. You're taller than all of them."
"I'm not dressed for this."
"Come on, Princess Beth." He challenged her. "You have already crushed that girl's brother. Do you want to crush her too?"
"Jboy!" She glared at him.

"Come on!" He stated as she pulled her to him. "I'll guard you."
"Jack…"

…

"This was a great idea, Tom. Thanks for calling and suggesting it."
"You're welcome, William."
Thomas texted William after Jack and Elizabeth hadleft lunch. He wanted ice cream. Both men sat at their favorite table at Marble Slab Ice Cream. They had been there so often that the workers knew their orders by heart, which didn't go over very well with the wives.

"So…how often do you come here?" Grace challenged her husband as the young lady handed him the cup of his favorite flavor. She also knew he didn't place his order when they walked up to the counter.

"The same question to you, too." Charlette glared at her husband as the second young lady handed him his cup.

The two guys only shrugged their shoulders as they avoided their wives' questions. They wouldn't make eye contact, knowing they would fold under their intense stare.

"Tom, are you ready for Jack to move away?" William asked as he dug his spoon into his cup with extra chocolate syrup.

"No." He chuckled. "I know hewill be turning his attention to college. He has just been busy with the basketball season."
The change of subject distracted both Grace and Charlette. While they were happy for their kids, their mothers' hearts were not ready for their babies to leave home.

"First, I still can't believe you took the trophy with you." Grace shook her head in disbelief.

"What? He offered." William defended himself. "I thought it was very nice of him to do that."
"And why did you accept it?"

William adjusted himself in his seat. "Well, what were the chances of ever having an opportunity to have a state basketball championship trophy again? I don't think Julie will pick up sports within the next two years."
"Plus you have been a huge supporter of Jack over the season." Tom came to his friend's rescue.

"Exactly."

"Grace, did you receive the email from Bryan's?"
"I noticed an email, but I haven't opened it."

Charlette settled into her chair with her cone. "It was a welcome email. There was an attachment with suggested items for the kids to bring, such as toiletries and other things. It stated that specific items like bed sheets would depend on your kid's dorm."
"I need to check it." Grace pondered out loud. "Charlette, we have much to figure out over the next few months."
"We do."

William and Tom sat back, watching and listening to their wives. They were grateful for the change of topics. They knew they could enjoy their ice cream without the lecture they deserved.

"Oh…" Charlette stopped the discussion with Grace. "Don't think this conversation is over with, boys." She stated that she did not even look at the men. "Now, Grace, they will leave in August. Do you think they should have both of their vehicles with them, or should we just move them in our vehicles, and they could have one car there to share?"
"I don't think they would be going many places except for their times coming home."
"True. Why don't we leave that up to them?"
"Good point."

"The email also said that the laundry mat in the dorms is free of charge."

"Oh, that's good to know, but I still suspect Elizabeth will bring her dirty clothes home."
"Yeah, Jack, too."

…

Jack watched as the little kids passed the ball around. The same little girl who asked him to play passed the ball to him. He was playing down low on the block. Elizabeth was guarding him. She was standing behind him. Once he received the ball, she placed her forearm on his back. She really didn't know what she was doing. However, she was doing exactly what she had watched Cory and Steven do so many times. Her technique was really bad, but she was trying very hard.

Jack passed the ball out to a little guy that was open. As he took the shot, Elizabeth turned for a rebound. Jack took the opportunity to mess with Elizabeth a little.

"Hey!" She yelled out as Jack picked her up and turned around. "You can't do that!" She kicked her feet until he sat her down on the ground. "That's a foul!" She huffed.

"This is backyard basketball, sweetheart." He sassed. "There are no fouls in backyard basketball."
"Oh really?" She huffed. "I'll remember that." She whispered to herself.

The little boy missed his shot, and a young lady on her team rebounded. As the ball was passed around on the perimeter, Elizabeth turned with her back to Jack and the basket. Just like with Cory and Steven, she bent her knees and pressed her back against Jack.

When she did, Jack, for a moment, lost concentration with her pressed against him. She felt incredible. He didn't realize she received the pass. She began to dribble the ball with both hands as she began to back up against Jack. She was pushing him under the goal. As she did, she ended up directly under the goal. A young girl on her team ran up to her. Elizabeth passed the ball to her. She easily made the shot since she was so close. Jack could only shake his head. He was so consumed with Elizabeth against him that he didn't even notice what happened.

"That's not fair."
"What?" Elizabeth challenged him.

After a few seconds, Jack had his back against her, ready to receive a pass. When he did, Elizabeth made her move. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't guard him. So, she did the next best thing. She tickled him. She grabbed both of his sides and began to tickle him relentlessly. When she did, he dropped the ball. She quickly grabbed it and shot it. Much to her amazement, she made the shot.

"Hey! That's a foul!" Jack shouted as the ball went through the net.

"This is backyard basketball, sweetheart. There isn't a foul here, you big sissy." She sassed as she pushed his shoulder.

"Oh, is this how it's going to be?"
"You made the rules there, Jboy. Are you wanting to change them now since you are losing?" Elizabeth squared herself to face him fully.
"Yeah." A little girl sassed as shecame to stand beside Elizabeth.

Jack chuckled as he quickly realized he was outnumbered. Elizabeth also stole a piece of his heart as she challenged him.