Ch. 3

As we pulled into the gravel drive, I noticed half of my senior class loitering in the parking lot. Unease ripped through me and I sat up a bit straighter.

Since when did this become a high school hot-spot? I grouched to myself. Living in a rural community, everyone knew everyone else's business and I was not looking forward to explaining who I was with to my friends ... especially since I was just getting to know Jake myself.

"You know," I began, praying my voice wouldn't crack with trepidation. "There's another ice cream shop just around the corner. Why don't we go there instead?" I suggested, trying to make it sound like a good idea.

"Why?" Jake's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "We're already here, and this seems like a perfectly nice place." And with that he pulled his pickup into a parking space and turned off the engine.

I took a deep breath and hopped out of the truck. The large group of kids outside were standing around together, laughing and goofing off as they listened to country music blaring from someone's car stereo. For a split second, the thought of making a break for the corn field situated behind the parking lot filtered through my mind. If I ran fast enough maybe no one would see me, and I could avoid the embarrassing scene I knew waited for me once everyone got an eye-full of Jake. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I would seem like a crazed lunatic in front of the guy I was trying to impress. That was a look I definitely wasn't shooting for. Instead, I bit the bullet and decided to act like a mature adult. Smoothing out the wrinkles in my sundress, I attempted to put on a nonchalant expression and walked quickly toward the entrance before anyone noticed. Jake stepped ahead and opened the door to let me in first.

"Such a gentleman." I couldn't help but smile at the polite gesture and Jake threw me a half grin. My heart officially skipped a beat.

When we walked into the ice cream shop, a waft of cool air and regret hit me square in the face. At least a dozen kids I recognized were hanging out inside. Perfect. Here's the other half of my class.

The noise level in the small shop was at an all time high as laughter and conversation took place around us, but one mocking, male voice stood out from the rest. "Hey there, Addy."

My eyes followed the source of the greeting and I was dismayed to find Brett Lawrence, captain of the varsity football team, checking me out with approving eyes. My chest tightened and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Hi, Brett," I answered cautiously as goosebumps made their way down my spine. Brett had been my chosen date to the junior/senior prom a couple of months back, and the night hadn't ended the way I had expected. I quickly discovered that Mr. Hotshot Football Player liked to pressure his dates into something more then what they were ready for, and that unfortunate evening I happened to be at the unlucky end of that exchange. I ended up storming out of dance with my high heels in hand, one broken spaghetti-strap, and an insurmountable amount of humiliation sitting upon my shoulders. But Brett wasn't finished with me yet. He followed me out to the parking lot and continued his pursuit, forcing me to sideswipe his head with the heel of my shoe. I'd done a pretty good job of avoiding him ever since.

Until now.

I turned quickly toward Jake and asked again, "Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere else? This place is so...crowded," I lamely pointed out. I suddenly felt queasy, realizing I was now stuck in the same establishment as the guy who had tried to force himself on me. But it was too late. The group of teenagers were upon us, spewing out more questions and comments than I could keep up with.

"Who's your boyfriend, Addy?" someone asked.

"Oh my God, I cannot believe you missed my bonfire last weekend! You could have brought your friend along," stated another.

"Damn, girl," came one more observation. "Looks like you've already grown a cup size this summer..."

Blah blah blah...

I sighed heavily and attempted to study the menu that hung on the wall. Glancing sideways at Jake, I could tell he was amused by the scene unfolding. Seeing no way around it, I made the introductions and answered all of their questions--ignoring the one about my bra size.

My best friend sneaked up behind me. "Addy--who the hell is this guy and why haven't you mentioned him to me before?!" Ruby whispered fiercely into my ear.

"Shhhh!" I glared back as discretely as I could. I threw a glance over my shoulder to see if Jake had overheard. Luckily, he only had eyes for the assortment of frozen flavors displayed in the freezer case in front of us. "I only just met him. My grandparents know him. He's working at their farm this summer."

"How convenient." Ruby smiled coyly. Her perfectly waxed eyebrows rose to an annoying height that made me want to slap them back down to their normal resting place.

"Hey, can't a girl get some ice cream around here without being accused of some seedy under-story?" I hissed back. Seriously, Ruby could be so dense sometimes.

"Not when that girl is my very best friend and just happens to be with one of the most gorgeous guys I have ever seen!" She turned on the heel of her strappy sandals and pranced off triumphantly, leaving me standing there staring after her.

"Do you know what you want?" Jake asked suddenly, distracting me from my best friends heinous attack. He had left his cowboy hat in the truck and his dark waves fell casually across his tanned forehead in a way that made innocent girls like me dream of doing not-so-innocent things. He looked like he belonged in a sexy ad for Levi's and not standing in an ice cream parlor with a self-conscious, high-school senior. But before I could answer, Brett was upon us again with his cocky grin and arrogant attitude.

"Whatcha doin' later, Addy?" he leered, standing a little closer than I cared for him to be. "Wanna come hang out with me for awhile? My parents are out of town this week. We would have the whole place to ourselves." My stomach clenched tightly and I caught a mild whiff of beer sitting on his breath.

I glanced nervously at Jake, trying to gauge what he was thinking. How could that idiot ask me out right in from of him?

"No thanks, Brett. I'm good," I replied, moving slightly closer to Jake.

"Awe, come on! We can finally finish that date we started a couple months back." He smiled suggestively and reached for my arm.

I squirmed away from him. "I said no, Brett." He lunged toward me anyway and my heart dropped, just like on prom night when I'd been forced to fight him off.

"Oh, come on! You're such a dick tease--" he began.

Jake stepped forward. "I think she wants you to leave her alone."

Brett stopped, dumbfounded, and looked Jake up and down as if he had just noticed him for the first time. It was an obvious attempt to decide if he could take him on. "And who are you, her boyfriend?" he finally accused.

"No, I'm not her boyfriend."

"Then, I don't think it's any of your damn business." Brett turned back toward his group of friends with a chuckle, but no one laughed. Instead, they were nervously glancing at one another.

"Looks like I just made it my business," Jake challenged. His eyes were hard and steady as he stared Brett down. If I had not been the cause of the tension, I would have thought Jake looked pretty damn cute when he was acting all tough. But since I was the cause . . .

Jake's eyes collided with mine.

"Hey!" a short, round man called out from behind the ice cream shop counter. "I don't want any trouble in here."

Jake tore his eyes from mine and spoke to the employee. "Sorry sir, there'll be no trouble," he promised and gently took my elbow, steering me toward the door. "Come on, Addison, let's get outta here."

The sun was high in the afternoon sky as we walked out into the parking lot, and the the kids from my high school were still positioned in the same spots as when we'd first arrived. I lifted my hand to shield the bright sunlight and looked up at Jake. "I'm so sorry," I apologized. What a way to impress the new guy.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." A lopsided grin spread across his face, revealing that small dimple in his cheek. For one brief moment I thought about touching it, but quickly pushed those kinds of crazy thoughts from my mind. Jake stared at me through thick lashes. "Do you think we'll be safe if we go somewhere else for ice cream, or do you suppose you might have fans there, as well?"

Thank God he's not upset. I sighed inwardly and gave myself a mental kick in the ass. "We should be good." I smiled back at him, relieved to be leaving the disastrous trip behind.

Or so I thought.

"Hey," a loud voice suddenly called out, causing me to flinch.

We turned back toward the door and saw Brett swaying toward us. I froze, my heart racing in my chest.

"Where do you think you're going?" He walked forward, looking Jake square in the eye.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," Jake began. "We're just--" But before he could finish his sentence, Brett hauled his fist back and punched Jake in the jaw.

Jake staggered backward and I heard myself scream. A pins-and-needles sensation made its way throughout my whole body and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. Suddenly, Ruby was at my side, pulling me out of harms way. I hadn't even seen her come out of the ice cream shop.

The kids in the parking lot stopped what they were doing and started heading in our direction, smelling a fight. They circled around Jake and Brett and began to jeer them on, not really caring who won. Jake regained his footing and stepped toward Brett with renewed confidence. Now that he knew what he was up against, he was on top of his game.

"So do all high school guys around here bully teenage girls, or is it just you?" Jake pushed the wavy, black hair off his forehead, oblivious to the crowd around them. His pecs stood out impressively as they strained against the thin fabric of his black t-shirt.

Brett's face grew into a scowl and he lunged toward Jake again, but this time he missed and tripped over his own feet.

Jake tossed his head back and let out a husky laugh. "Sorry there, Big Guy. I guess maybe drinking in the middle of the day should be left to the men who can handle their liquor." He smiled smugly and looked down at Brett who laid sprawled among the gravel. He must have smelled the alcohol, too.

"You asshole!" Brett shouted, struggling to get up. He steadied himself on his feet, and lunged at Jake once more. This time, Jake was ready and threw a swift uppercut, hitting Brett just under the chin. Brett landed back on the ground, unconscious.

The ice cream shop door flung open and the little round man called out, "I'm calling the cops!"

Everyone scrambled about, leaving Brett on the ground.

Jake grabbed my elbow and steered me toward the truck. "Let's go!" I couldn't believe what had just happened. Finally, someone stood up to Brett! I gave Ruby a quick wave before we hopped into the truck and sped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind us.

"Oh my God!" I inhaled sharply once we were on the road, not realizing I'd been holding my breath. "I can't believe that just happened!"

Jake rubbed his jaw and I could see it had already turned a soft shade of pink from where Brett's fist had met his chin. "Are you hurt?" I asked, suddenly feeling guilty. No one had ever gotten into a fight for me before.

"No, I'm fine. It's just a little tender is all." He looked over at me with apologetic eyes. "Addison--I'm really sorry. I hope you're not good friends with him."

I shook my head, surprised he felt the need to apologize. "I'm not anymore. Brett's changed a lot this past year. He's become a bully. You're the first person I've ever seen stand up to him like that. Except for me." I added softly. I'd never told anyone about what had happened that night at prom, not even Ruby.

"You?" He looked over at me with an arched eyebrow.

I grinned back shyly. "Yeah. Let's just say this wasn't the first time Brett's been hit in the face in a parking lot."

Jake regarded closely me with wide eyes. I could tell he wanted to ask more, but he didn't pry.

"Maybe I'll tell you about it someday, but right now you promised me ice cream," I playfully teased, trying to lighten the mood--and change the subject.

Jake gave me a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. Where to next?"

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, as far as nosy friends and fist-fights go, and Jake dropped me off at my doorstep just before dinner. I watched from my front porch as his blue pickup pulled out of my parents drive, and I shivered with anticipation. I knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was in for the summer of my life.

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