“Do I even want to know why you’re wet?”

These were the first words that my mom uttered to me once Garrett, Dannon, Kyla, and I met her and my dad by the bleachers.  They’d decided to sit by themselves so we could enjoy ourselves without having the pressure of parental vision on our backs.  Not to mention the embarrassing jokes they’d probably make.

Dannon and I glanced sideways at each other as Kyla and Garrett burst into a fit of guffaws.  They knew this was going to happen, and had told us so on our way outside.  The whole way back, in the middle of all the inappropriate jokes Kyla and Garrett supplied, I’d been trying to figure out whether I wanted my parents to know the reason why we were wet.  I still wasn’t sure.

“Why do you think they’re wet?” Garrett mused, wriggling his eyebrows.

My brother was such a pervert.

My mom shook her head, letting out a long breath of air.  “I don’t have the slightest idea.”

Dannon adjusted his backpack’s strap on his shoulder.  In the back of my mind I wondered how wet his bag was getting right now.  But these thoughts were easily devoured by the major thought running through my head: if Dannon was going to explain this situation or not.  I didn’t really expect him to.  If he thought that it would get me in trouble—like with the apple incident—his mouth would stay shut.

But, we couldn’t exactly hide this one with a project.

“Brianne tripped in the shower and I helped her up,” Dannon explained, half-lying. 

Well, at least there was some truth to that.

My mom stared at Dannon blankly for a moment before tossing a pointed look in my direction.  “Why were you hanging around the showers?” she demanded, her eyes testing me to answer the question incorrectly.

“There were sweaty men, Ma!” I shrieked.  “Did you expect me to sit there and stare at them?”

That got everyone laughing.  I sighed internally, glad that the excuse worked.  Though, like Dannon’s, my excuse had some truth to it as well. 

My mom shook her head as her laughter came to a stop.  “Only my child. . . .”

I huffed not at all finding the humor in the fact that I’d almost fallen to my death.  If Dannon hadn’t caught me right before I fell on the floor, my head would have been bashed in.  Was that funny?  Well, according to my family members, yes.  “Now that we’ve established that I’m an idiot, can we please leave?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.  Damn, it was freezing.

And once again, I was deemed the most hilarious one there.

When my family and friends decided that my suggestion wasn’t funny anymore, they agreed that it was time to go.  We headed to our cars, Dannon separating from us with the promise that he would give Kyla and me a ride to the movies tomorrow.  Not only that, but he’d also give us a ride home tomorrow!  Oh, yaaaay. 

“It’s amazing how many people enjoy going to school this late on a Friday night,” I muttered in an irritated voice under my breath as we struggling through the swarms of people toward our car.  Why hadn’t everyone left yet?  I mean, really?  It didn’t take that long for people to leave, did it?

What can I say?  Crowds pissed me off.

“Lighten up, Bri,” Garrett teased, shoving me playfully on the shoulder.

I glared, not seeing the humor in being shoved around.  “Don’t touch me.”

“Brianne, don’t start acting like this, or you will not be able to go to the movies tomorrow,” my mom scolded. 

When I cocked an eyebrow in her direction, showing my disbelief, my mom jabbed my dad in the ribs as though for emphasis.  My dad let out a strangled cry of shock before quickly nodding toward me.  “Yeah!” he exclaimed seeming confused as to what exactly he was talking about.  Poor guy.  “What she said.”

“Dad, what did Mom say?” Garrett asked, just to torture him.

“If you were listening, you’d know,” my dad retorted.  He glanced at me.  I gave him a thumb’s up.

My mom sighed.  “I’m serious, Brianne.  Don’t pull an attitude or there will be consequences.”

Such an empty threat!  My mom wanted me to socialize, to make friends.  If she was going to punish me, it would be after tomorrow’s hang-out.  She and I both knew it.

I sighed as I followed Garrett into the car, sitting in the middle seat.  I wasn’t even going to bother complaining about it.  The middle seat was seen as my seat, as it would be forevermore.  There was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

“Well, if I do say so myself, your high school has a very good team!” my dad exclaimed as he pulled us out of the parking lot

I crossed my arms over my chest.  I suppose we did.  I mean, we won didn’t we?  I still didn’t really understand the game or its stress-inducing ways, but I guess our team could be qualified as good.  I mean, if my dad, the football fanatic, considered our team amazing, then we obviously were.

“I’ll say!” Kyla agreed with a nod.  “This was the first game I’ve been to in a while, and they’ve improved a lot.”

It took me a second to figure out when she’d gone to a football game.  Then I realized that she used to date people on the football team.  I nodded slightly to myself.  That explained why I judged Dannon the way I did.  Kyla’s boyfriends from the football team were assholes.  All of them were.

“I’m not going to the next game,” I declared.

“Party poopers are not welcome!” Garrett shook his head, jutting his lip out into a pout.  “They’re no fun.”

“I’m not pooping on any party,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.  Though, I would appreciate it if someone took a shit on a party with a clown.  I mean, who wants to see those things anyway?”

Garrett, Kyla, and my dad all chortled.  My mom, on the other hand, shot me a reproving look.  “Brianne, what did I tell you about cussing?”

“My apologies,” I said immediately, not feeling sorry at all.

“Mom, you’ve got to admit that was pretty funny,” Garrett pressed, staring my mom down like a hawk as though willing her to see things our way. 

My mom smiled, and you could see that she indeed found my comment hilarious.  “I’m not going to admit to anything.”

Oh, my dear mother.  You are so oblivious to your information giving-away-ness.

Yes, I totally just failed at dissing my mother.  Leave me alone.

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“Brianne, Kyla, Dannon’s here!”

In an instant, Kyla flew from her spot on the couch, sprinting to the door and prying it open.  I stared at her hopping figure blankly for a moment before forcing myself up from the couch, dragging myself over to her.  The amount of energy she contained was astounding, it really was.

As we exited the house, Dannon emerged from his car, a smile on his face.  “Hey, guys!” he called.  “I was going to come to the door, but I guess you’re ready to go.”

Kyla clapped her hands, giving an excited shriek.  “Hell yeah!”

I continued to stare at her.  I’d never seen anyone so excited to pay to watch a movie and then to go shopping.  Though, if I was going to admit anything in the slightest—which I wasn’t—I’d have to say that I was a tad bit excited as well.  Even if it was a stupid chick flick.

“Who gets front?” I asked as Kyla and I reached Dannon’s car.  I wasn’t going to admit that I really wanted the front.  Kyla would only comment about how the apple was doing its work, and blah blah blah.  Dannon didn’t know what was meant about the apple being thrown, and I planned on keeping it that way.  No need for her to blab about it.

“You do,” Kyla proclaimed, opening the back door and slipping inside.

I shrugged, masking my happiness and opening the passenger’s door, sliding into the seat.  Dannon followed, buckling and turning the car into Reverse.  I buckled my seat belt, leaning my head back on the seat. 

“You okay?” Dannon asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

I nodded, giving a small smile of reassurance.  “Yeah, fine.  Did your dad say anything about you coming home wet?”

Dannon grinned.  “Yeah.  He was rather surprised when he found out a girl pushed me into a shower.  He gave me the talk.”

I burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand.  His dad gave him the talk because I pushed him into the shower?  Ah, that was awesome!  “Because I’m your friend,” I said, dragging the words out slowly, “I hope that was the most awkward situation that you have ever been in.”

Dannon removed one hand from the steering wheel to slap me lightly on the shoulder.  “Thank you,” he said sarcastically.  “It was.  And it was an hour long.”

That only made me laugh more.  “Gosh, you’re killing me!”

My laughing was cut short as I suddenly heard snapping sounds from the backseat.  I froze, becoming utterly aware of how quiet Kyla had been.  A quiet Kyla was not good.  Bracing myself, I turned slowly toward the back seat.  “What are you doing?” I asked cautiously, watching as Kyla fidgeted with her phone.

“Taking pictures.”

“Of?”

“The cutest couple ever.”

I didn’t know how many shades of red I turned, but it must have been a lot.  I mean, do you know how embarrassing it is to be called a couple when you weren’t?  Especially when the guy was sitting right there! 

Dannon simply laughed.  “Are you going to become a photographer?”

It shocked me at how unaffected he was by Kyla’s comment. Though, if I really thought about it, he was probably used to this kind of thing.  Being popular and all, he probably dated a lot.  I kept forgetting that a whole school was pining over him, begging him for attention.  How many girls had he given all of his attention to?  How many girls had made contact with those lips of his?

Why the hell did it bother me so much to think about this?

And why was I thinking about this in the first place?  All Dannon asked was, “Are you going to become a photographer?”  It wasn’t like he said anything life-changing.  Jeez.  I think I needed to check into an insanity unit.

Kyla smiled.  “It may seem that way, but no.  I’m going to go into the Olympics!”

“Oh, I see,” Dannon said with a nod.  “I’ll watch it when you do.”

I bet Kyla appreciated that he said when instead of if.

I sighed, tempted to snatch the phone out of her hands and delete all of the photographs she’d taken of us already.  “Kyla,” I drawled, “you’d better not be taking pictures of us the whole time.”

Kyla grinned.  “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.”

Translation?  I’m going to, so get over it.

If Garrett got ahold of those pictures, I was going to strangle her.  I didn’t even know how they were coming out yet, but I didn’t care.  I didn’t want my whole family getting ahold of pictures with Dannon and I together.  I mean, that just made it look like a date.  And it wasn’t.  Wasn’t even close.

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“That movie sucked balls!”

I really wished that I could agree with Garner.  It was against my nature to enjoy a chick flick.  I wanted to despise the movie so bad, to make fun of it like Garner could.  But, something stupid within me actually enjoyed the movie.  And what was worse?  That same part of me was royally pissed off that Garner was hating on it.

“Garner,” Shelley seethed, zipping up her jacket, “I will shove you into that trashcan if you hate on my new favorite movie one more time.”

We turned away from the long hallway, moving into the open area where people could purchase food and tickets.  A few families stood in line, waiting to get tickets to the movie of their choosing.  I wondered if they were going to see Joyful Noise, too.  Maybe.

Garner snickered, not at all caring about what Shelley said.  “That movie sucked balls, that movie sucked balls, that movie sucked balls!” he taunted, his voice escalating every time he repeated the sentence.

We were nearing the bathrooms now.  I glanced at the trash can next to the doorway, wondering if Shelley was actually going to pull through with her threat. 

I didn’t have to wait for my answer long.  Shelley charged at him, pushing him roughly toward the trashcan.  We all laughed as Garner toppled against it, almost tipping into it—but not quite.  Shelley cursed under her breath, apparently unhappy with the result.  “I was so close!” she whined.

“Want me to finish the job?” Meghan offered, rolling up her sleeves.  “We are the Joyful Noise squad!  Those who rise against us unlawfully will then be lawfully dumped into a trashcan.”

Everyone laughed, watching as Meghan sauntered menacingly toward Garner.  I glanced around, noting how a couple of the families were discreetly watching what we were doing.  In the back of my mind I wondered if we could be thrown out for this.  With one glance at the workers, I pushed the thought away.  They weren’t even paying attention anyway.

“But they were nice balls!” Garner shrieked as Meghan pushed him into the trashcan, his head disappearing within.  How the girl was able to do that, I wasn’t really sure.  It must have taken a lot of upper body strength to get Garner head-first into a trashcan.  But, Meghan did it, and the next thing we heard was Garner screaming about getting popcorn in his hair.

“You’re such a pig!” Meghan exclaimed, turning away.  She rolled her eyes before turning her attention to us.  “Let’s go.  He can walk to the mall.”

I followed the rest of the crew outside, into the parking lot.  I glanced behind me, watching with an amused expression on my face as Garner struggled out the trashcan, only succeeding when a little girl walked over and helped him out.  What a nice girl.  Helping strangers out of trashcans.  She was going to do great things someday. 

I faced forward again.  Dannon walked close beside me, his hands shoved into his sweatshirt pockets.  “So, did you like the movie?” he asked softly.

I nodded slowly.  “Sadly, yes I did.”

Dannon grinned, nudging me playfully.  “Sadly?  You’re sad that you like a movie?”

“It’s in my blood to hate chick flicks,” I muttered with another nod.  “It’s a disgrace that I enjoy one.”

Dannon was about to answer, but suddenly Shelley began clapping her hands as though to grab our attention.  Simultaneously, the six of us that were there turned to look at her.  “We’re off to the mall!” she announced excitedly.  “Whoever is there last is designated to buy lunch!”

“Dammit!” Garner shouted in dismay from behind us.

Shelley winked, and took off, running toward her car.  In an instant everyone was running, desperate to get to the mall before everyone else did.  Dannon grinned, grabbing my hand and booking it, practically dragging me to his car.

“I can run by myself you know!” I yelled as we ran.

“I’m aware,” was Dannon’s reply.

Oh, I see.  Well then.

We reached his Saturn and raced inside.  Kyla announced during the movie that she’d be riding with Oliver for the remaining of the trip.  That was fine with me.  The more she hung out with Oliver the fewer pictures she’d take of us.  And, not to mention, the less pressure there would be there was to say the right thing without her accusing us of flirting.

Yeah, I know.  I shouldn’t have cared.  But I did.  Life just sucked that way.

“Do you not want to pay for lunch?” I asked casually, knowing the answer as Dannon stepped on the gas and sped out of the parking lot.  We were the first ones to leave because we played it smart—parked the closest to the exit and had less people in the car. 

“I really don’t,” Dannon said with a shake of the head.  “I only have enough for two books at the book store.”

My mouth dropped open before bringing my fist down in glee.  “Yes!” I cried, showing off my excitement.  “I was hoping we’d go to the book store today!”

Dannon smiled.  “We split off and go wherever we want.  The girls usually have a party at Kohl’s and JC Penney.”  He paused.  “They guys go to Hot Topic and all the game stores the mall has.”

I cocked an eyebrow.  “You don’t like going there?”

Dannon shrugged.  “Not particularly.  I like Borders much better.”

I sighed, leaning back in my seat.  I stretched my arms out in front of me before falling back in my seat and turning back to Dannon.  “Guess we can be awkward in our gender together.”

Dannon shook his head, laughing.  “We’re not awkward in our gender.  We’re awkward in our group of friends.  There’s a difference.”

I snorted.  “Whatever.”

We stopped at a red light.  I sighed slightly, wishing it would turn green.  Knowing some people—I was going to be nice and not name names—Garner—oops—they were going to run the red lights and rush toward the mall so that they wouldn’t have to be last.  Dannon didn’t seem to think this, however, for he seemed at ease.

“So,” he said, turning to me.  “How are we going to do this project thing?”

I pointed as the light turned green.  “I have no idea,” I replied with a nonchalant shrug.  “I mean, there are a lot of choices.”

Dannon tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.  “Well, a poster is out.  I hate those.”

I felt myself sag in relief.  Someone understood me!  Finally.  Kyla loved posters and didn’t understand my hatred for them.  She’d always make me do a poster with her whenever we were assigned projects together.  And I hated it.  But Dannon understood.  And that was good.  Because if he’d suggested that we make posters, I’d have to throttle him.

“Don’t we have to make our own projects, though?” I asked, remembering the sub said we both had to present to the class.

Dannon nodded.  “Yeah.  I was just forbidding you to put my face on a poster.  It’s insulting.”

I let out a short laugh.  “Thanks for the heads up.”

Dannon smiled.  “Any time.”

I sat up as the mall parking lot came into view.  An excitement I couldn’t explain began bubbling within me.  I was going to get to buy books!  It’d been so long since I’d been in a book store.  Too long.  I missed the smell of ink on paper.  I missed the lines of books just waiting for you to purchase them.  I missed Borders.  A lot.

Dannon turned into the parking lot, finding a spot close to the building before parking the car.  We stepped out, waiting for everyone else to arrive.  I shielded my eyes with my hand, my eyes locking on the Border’s building a few yards away.  It looked so close, yet so far away.

I grinned as Shelley’s car appeared, holding her, Meghan and Paula.  Garner came a second later, his wheels screeching on the pavement as he raced in.  Kyla and Oliver appeared a few moments later.  I turned my lips down in a mock frown, pretending to be sympathetic that the two of them were stuck buying lunch.  Sucked for them!

Everyone hopped out of their vehicles, and trotted over to Dannon and me.  When we were all gathered into a circle, Shelley snapped her fingers together.  “Okay!” she said.  “Who’s going where?”

Apparently Shelley, Kyla, Meghan, and Paula were all going to the clothes store while Oliver and Garner were heading to Game Stop.  I almost laughed at how right Dannon was.  Did they shop all the time or something?  It seemed like it.

Shelley nodded, smiling contently as she surveyed the crew.  “We’ll meet in an hour or two for lunch?” she suggested.

We all nodded.

“Good.  Girls, let’s go!”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“So, what type of books do you like?”

I pondered the question as we trotted through the parking lot, making our way to Borders.  Everyone already disappeared into the mall, hurrying off to their select stores before it was time to lunch.  Dannon and I didn’t rush, though.  We took our time getting there despite our excitement.  I was so happy I was almost skipping.  Skipping.

It was sad, really.

“I’m not picky,” I answered finally, picking at the bottom of my sweatshirt.  “Pretty much anything in the teen section.”  I glanced at him.  “You?”

Dannon shrugged with a soft smile.  “I’m not really that picky either.”

I thought of Dannon reading books like The Endless Summer and Royally Crushed.  Imagining him sitting there, reading the girliest books ever, sprung a giggle to my lips.  Dannon stared at me, looking as though he was trying to decipher what I was laughing at.  He didn’t ask, though, so I didn’t explain.

We reached the building.  I hurried through the doors, anxious to get inside.  The familiar smell of books and coffee flared as I stepped through the threshold, only lightening my mood more.  Dannon seemed to notice this, because he smiled.

I glanced around.  Everything was exactly the same.  The small café on the right side of the store, hidden behind countless bookshelves.  Bookshelves towering over you, surrounding you with pages waiting to be read.  And then the children’s section in the way back of the store with kids jumping around as they picked out picture novels and toys to play with.

“You seem rather happy,” Dannon mused as we headed toward the teen section.  We both navigated the store at ease, feeling more at home than we did in any other store.  Even though Dannon didn’t say so, I knew he felt the same way.  You could tell by the gleam he had in his eye.

“I am,” I said simply, moving into the teen section and looking the novels up and down.

What to choose, what to choose.  I observed the novels carefully, taking in the different spine colors.  The bright colors hinted at girly, chick-flicky books.  The darker colors hinted at what could either be explained as gothic, fantasy books, or somewhere in between.

Dannon and I searched silently, only chatting when one of us found a book that was interesting.  If we both thought it looked amazing, one of us would choose to buy it with the vow that the other could borrow it when they were finished.

“I feel like doing something spontaneous,” I said suddenly, slipping the book I’d found back onto the shelf.           

I really did.  I mean, when Dannon and I hung out, we did childish things.  It was a given.  I wanted to do something like we did at Friendly’s.  Absolutely crazy, but nothing that would get us into trouble.  That was our style.  And I found it pretty incredible.

“Hold on,” Dannon murmured.  He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time.  “We should probably check out.”

I bit my lip, wondering how much time we had left.  Did we have time to do something spontaneous before we went back with everyone else?  I didn’t want to do something spontaneous with everyone else.  It just . . . wasn’t the same.

We made our way to the front of the store, to the check-out line.  I held my two books securely in my hands, not able to suppress the smile on my face.  It’d been so long since I was able to buy a book.  My mom didn’t like bringing me out—I took too long, apparently—and Kyla was always so absorbed with her clothes shopping that by the time she was done I had no time left.  It was nice to finally add more novels to my collection.

“So, you want to do something spontaneous?” Dannon asked.

I glanced up as a cashier waved us over with their hand.  Border’s check-out was a lot different than other stores.  Instead of having a bunch of check-outs, there was one.  Everyone waited in one line while four cashiers stood behind a long counter and waved you over with their hands.  “Yeah,” I murmured, starting toward the cashier.  “Come on.  It’s our turn.”

We reached the cashier and set our books onto the counter.  The cashier, a young girl not much older than us, smiled and began checking out our purchase.  I looked the girl up and down.  She seemed nice enough with her soft facial features and dirty-blond hair pushed back in a ponytail.  She kind of reminded me of Sarah from I Am Number Four.  I didn’t know why.  She just did.

“Like what?” Dannon mused, hooking his thumbs into his jean pockets.

I paused as the cashier handed us our bags.  Dannon handed her two twenties, while I dished out the fifty dollar bill my mom handed me this morning.  The cashier took the money with a polite, “Thanks,” before typing into her computer and putting the money into the cash register.

As the girl bagged our books, I turned to Dannon with a smile.  “Okay, first, we should ask this lovely girl to keep our books safe.”

The cashier glanced up, her eyebrows arched in confusion.  She didn’t ask for any elaboration, however.  I didn’t really expect her to.  She seemed really soft-spoken and shy. 

Dannon, his own eyebrows arched, stared at me for a moment before turning to the girl.  He put on his brightest smile and said, “Excuse me, miss, is there any chance that you could hold these behind your desk for a little while?  We’ll be back soon to pick them up.”

The girl glanced between us and the bags, her lips twitching into a small smile.  She took the two bags and set them down behind the counter before nodding.  “Sure,” she said softly.

I said a quick thank you before hurrying off, back toward the teen section.  Dannon followed, not at all understanding what I had planned, but not really questioning it either.  The only question he asked as we strode away from the cashier was, “Okay, so what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to test how incredibly social you are,” I replied, barely flicking a glance his way.

I didn’t understand why I wanted to do this.  I mean, if I was with Kyla or by myself, I wouldn’t be caught dead doing something like this.  But I was with Dannon.  So, naturally, that changed everything.

Dannon’s eyebrows rose.  “Meaning?”

“Meaning,” I drew out, “we’re going to run around hugging people at random.”

Spreading the love.  That’s what it was.  You know, maybe somebody in here was having some real tough problems.  And then, when we came along and gave them a hug, maybe their day would become brighter.  Yep, that was my reasoning and I was sticking to it.

“I never thought you could think of something so socializing!” Dannon exclaimed, amused.  “How far you have come.”

I slapped his arm.  “Whatever.  You ready?”

Dannon grinned, throwing his arms around me.  “I’m hugging someone, and it’s at random!”

I sighed, bringing my arms around him and patting his back.  That was supposed to signify that the hug was over, that it was time to stop, but Dannon didn’t seem to get the hint.  Finally, I forcefully pushed him away, crossing my arms over my chest.  “Okay,” I said, “let’s get a move on.  And don’t hug strangers for that long.  It’s creepy.”

“Yes, because hugging them in general isn’t creepy at all.”

Oh, wasn’t he just full of sarcastic comments today?

“Shut up,” I said simply, fixing my hair.  “On the count of three.”

“Nuh-uh.” Dannon shook his head.  “No, we need to make this spontaneous.  On the count of four and four quarters.”

“You do know that that’s five, right?  That is in no way spontaneous.”

Dannon sighed deeply.  “Fine.  On three then.”

I nodded, making a running stance.  “The one with the most hug count wins!”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three!”

I sprang away from him, rushing toward a lady holding her little girl’s hand as she browsed for books to buy.  She’d probably Taser me for doing this, but hey.  It was two people, and the more people the better.

When I hugged the mom, she gasped.  It was like she couldn’t believe that a stranger was wrapping their arms around her, pulling her to them.  I didn’t really blame her.  I would have reacted the same way.  And then, with a small smile, I crouched down and wrapped my arms around the little girl as well.  After I was done, I stood up and said, “Have a good day!” in a bright voice.

And then I ran to the next customer. 

Hugging random people was so fun that it was insane.  If I could have taken a picture of everyone’s expressions, I totally would have.  Their expressions were priceless!  Some people actually hugged back, which was kind of irritating and not to mention disturbing.  I had to pull away and say a quick goodbye before running off.  It got me behind, too.  Sheesh.

Our hugging game came to a sudden end when Dannon and I collided—yes, literally—into one another, almost causing me to crash onto the floor.  I moaned, rubbing my forehead.  “Ouch!” I shrieked before letting out a long sigh.  I looked Dannon up and down, a little put out that he wasn’t at all hurt by the crash.  Why was I always the one who ended up in pain?  That seemed a little uncalled for.  “What’d you get?”

“Forty-seven.”

Damn.

“Forty-six!” I exclaimed.  “That’s not even fair!”

 I couldn’t even win at the own game I created.

That took major skill.