•Jenna•
 
     About a week passes and the Friday that I'm to have dinner with Tyler's family finally arrives. He had asked me if I minded meeting them the day after our first date. I didn't hesitate to agree, despite my nerves about meeting new people.
   I'm just gazing out the window after a brief lunch when I get a text from Tyler.
   Ty: Meet me in the treehouse?
   It's just an invitation, but I shoot a reply back in agreement.
   "Mom!" I call. "I'm meeting Tyler in the woods! Be back later!"
   "Okay! Don't knock yourself out this time!" she calls back from upstairs. I smirk at our joke. It's what she says every time I go to the woods now.
   I head out the back door and down the path that I've memorized by now. Today is a day that I wish our house had a pool. The sun beats through the trees and warms the skin on my neck. I start to sweat. This is the hottest day that I've experienced in Columbus.
   I climb into the treehouse, where the small, brown-haired boy is already waiting. He hands me a cold water bottle, which I drink from gratefully.
   "So what's up?" I ask, wiping my mouth of excess water.
   Tyler shrugs. "I just wanted to see how excited you are for dinner tonight. Right now, you look hot, not excited."
   "Oh....um...," I trail off, not knowing how to respond.
   Tyler starts laughing, then suddenly turns red. "I meant sweaty! Sorry!"
   We both erupt in laughter and I forgive him. This is one of the things I like about Tyler. He's so awkward it's funny, and he can easily break tension.
   I flip my hair playfully. "Of course I'm hot, what are you talking about?" I wink, and he laughs more.
   Tyler catches his breath. "Are you nervous?" he asks.
   My eyes widen, and I nod, my thoughts racing. I decide to voice them. "What do I need to wear? Are you picking me up, or am I walking through the woods? Do I need to give your parents something to win them over? Ugh!" I put my head in my hands. "Am I overthinking this?"
   Tyler shakes his head and places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're giving this a lot of thought. It's touching. Although, you may be overthinking this slightly. Just wear....um....actually, wear like an old t-shirt and like jean shorts or just shorts in general." An old t-shirt? And shorts? That's a little weird, but I don't question him. "I'll pick you up like the gentleman I am. I wouldn't make you walk through the woods," he laughs, withdrawing his hand. "No, you don't need to give my parents something to win them over. They already think you're a great girl. That's why they want to meet you."
   I nod. "Okay, I think I'm feeling a little better about tonight."
    "Oh, also, I hope you don't mind Josh coming, since he's basically part of the family."
   I shake my head. "No, not at all. He's fine. It will be cool talking to him again."
   Tyler claps his hands together. "Great."
   "Will all of your siblings be there?" I ask.
   "Of course! They all want to meet you. It was actually their idea to have you over for dinner."
   "What are their names, again?"
   "Maddy, Zack, and Jay. They're all pretty nice. You should like them."
   "Okay." I gaze around in the brief silence. My eyes land on the chest in the corner. "What all is in there?" I question, changing the subject. "I remember looking in it, but I don't remember what is in there."
   Tyler scoots over to the wooden chest and flips the latches up. Lifting the lid, he beckons me forward. I look inside to see his red, spiral notebook, a few pens, a flashlight, and a blanket.
   "There's not much," he says shrugging and shutting the lid.
   "Yeah," I agree. Tyler and I walk over and sit at the doorway to the treehouse, feet dangling over the edge. A hot breeze blows through the trees and ruffles our hair. Cicada noises fill the air, and the birds are quiet from the heat. An idea suddenly grows in my head, and a smile becomes plastered on my face.
   "What?" Tyler asks, grinning himself. I start to climb down the ladder as he leans forward. I become level with his foot that is dangling over the edge. "What are you—"
   "Tag!" I exclaim, poking his foot then scrambling the rest of the way down the ladder.
   "Oh, you're in it for sure!" Tyler calls as I run away from the tree. He jumps off the ladder three steps from the ground and chases after me. I squeal as he charged toward me and run deeper into the woods. I dodge bushes and boulders, but Tyler stays right at my tail.
   I dodge some bushes and step through the stream, waiting for Tyler to catch up. He bounds through the bushes just as I fling water on him with my cupped hands.
   "AHH!" He screams as if I flung acid on him. "I'm melting!" he says in a terrible accent. "What a world, what a world! Who knew a pretty little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!" He falls dramatically to the ground as I double over laughing.
    "Ya done yet?" I ask in between giggles.
   Tyler opens one eye. "Yes." He jumps up, and I take off, running like a jackrabbit. He'll never catch me!
    We run and I circle back towards the treehouse, clutching my side and breathing heavily. I'm not in the best shape.
   "Ah!" I hear from behind me. I skid to a stop and whip around to see Tyler sprawled out on the ground amongst the leaves and ferns. His head lay next to a rock.
   "Tyler!" I rush over a kneel beside him. "Say something! Are you okay!?"
   He moans and squints his eyes. "Jenna...lean closer," he says in a weak voice.
  "What is it?" I ask in concern. What if he hit his head?? This is all my fault!
   He gazes into my eyes and breathes shallowly.
   "What is it?" I repeat in a whisper.
   He suddenly smirks and taps my back. "Tag." He jumps up and runs in a different direction before I can recover from my shock.
   "UARGH! TYLER JOSEPH, I HATE YOU!" I scream to the sky.
   He smirks from a few feet away. "But you started it," he whines.
   "And I'll finish it!" I exclaim, running after him. He shrieks and runs back toward the stream. I race after him, breathing hard as I try to gain speed. I jump over the stream moments after Tyler does, then leap toward him and wrap my arms around his waist, knocking him to the ground. We both laugh as he twists around to look at me. "Okay, Okay, Truce. You win." We both laugh and I let him up.
   "Are you feeling better about tonight?"
   "Yes," I laugh. "If the rest of your family is this fun, then I'll feel at home." Tyler stands up and offers me his hand, which I gladly take. I pull out my phone and check the time. "It's 1:00. What time are you coming to get me?" 
    "5:45. Dinner starts at six. You house isn't even five minutes away, but I'm sure the others want to meet you before dinner," Tyler says.
   I nod. "Okay, that sounds good. I should probably go home so I can get ready."
   Tyler snorts. "You don't have to spend four hours getting ready."
   "Well I want to look good!"
    Tyler takes my face in his hands and stares at me. "Look, you could have no makeup on and I wouldn't care. You look pretty either way."
   I blush. "Okay. Although, I probably should get home that way my mom won't think I hit my head again."
   "Okay," Tyler says. "See you tonight, then."
   "Yeah, I reply, smiling. "See you tonight."