Chapter 1

"RING!" The school bell rang as all the seniors,
including me, happily ran out of the school.

It would be the last time except graduation that I would
be out of that hellhole. I walked out and got onto
the bus, sitting at an empty seat and hoping…praying
Denise wasn't there to congratulate me on graduating.

I hated her and A.J. hated my dad.
We never talked about our parents in any way
because we knew we would get in a fight about
them, so we kept it low.

"Jess! Hey Jess sign my yearbook?" My ex Kyle
asked. He handed me his yearbook and sat down
next to me in the bus seat. Kyle was still deeply
and madly in love with me, and I felt so bad for him.
I broke up with him because he was a little too
obsessive and it kinda creeped me out.

"Here ya go," I said handing it to me.

"Thanks. See you this afternoon?" He asked as
I nodded.

"Bye Kyle!" I said as he ran to his bus.

When I got home, I saw A.J.'s corvette in
the driveway, and I happily ran to my door.

"I'm home!" I yelled throwing my stuff down on the
floor.

"Hey baby!" A.J. said as I jumped on him.

"I'm glad you're here!" I said kissing him softly.

"So you going to graduate tonight? My baby's
growing up!" He said pretending to cry.

"Hey I'm not that young!" I said folding my arms
like a 6-year-old.

A.J. was 21 and I was 18, we didn't really care
much about the age, but we joked around about it a lot.

"You're my baby though!" He said as I hugged him
again.

"You're coming to my graduation right?" I asked.

"Of course J! I wouldn't miss it for the world! Actually
Johnny asked me to take you and he and my
mom would meet us there.

"My dad and Denise?" I asked as he nodded.

"Sick I know," he said as I sighed.

"I'm going to change, come up with me?" I asked as he
practically carried me up the stairs. "A.J.! I said I'm
going to change not let you change me!" I said
giggling as I shut my door.

"I'm sorry, I just am excited about grad night!
I remember mine…ah those were the days," he
said as I rolled my eyes.

"Help me unzip?" I asked as he unzipped my
sunflower dress.

"You know the guys are going to be there?" A.J.
asked as I slipped my dress off.

"Really? That's great! I love em'," I said smiling.

A.J. was basically drooling at this point. A.J. and I had
never had sex, and were just waiting for the perfect
time. Though to A.J. it was every second we were
together.
I pulled my black dress out of my closet and
slipped it on.

"Hey?" I asked pushing him out of his entranced state.

"Huh what?" He asked blinking a few times.

"Zip please?" I asked as his soft skin went up
my back as I closed my eyes and smiled.

"There," he said as I heard him get up.

"Thank you," I said pecking him. I went to my
vanity mirror and sat down as A.J. walked over to me
and wrapped his arms around my neck softly as
I put my hands on his arms.

"Do you have any plans with Johnny after
grad?" He asked kissing my neck.

"Not that I know of," I whispered.

"I want to take you out is that okay?" He asked as
I nodded. "Great!" He said getting me out of
the mood. He kissed my cheek and jumped
on the bed.

"A.J.?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"What if I asked you if I could move in with you?" I
asked as he looked at me in the mirror.

"You're joking right?" He asked as I turned to face him.

"Why would I be joking?" I asked as he shook his
head.

"I don't think so Jess. What about my mom? You hate
her and that wouldn't be the greatest place to
live you know?" He said.

"Well, I have enough money for an apartment…we can
share it together?" I asked as his mouth dropped.

"Geez I don't know Jess. There's so many things we
don't know about each other, and the fact that
our parents are probably going to be married
soon and…" he started rambling as I turned and
faced my mirror and put on my pearl necklace and
went off in my dream state.

I had no idea was A.J. was saying by now, but I
had a feeling I didn't want to hear it either.

"Okay A.J.," I said after I awoke from my thoughts.
I got up and opened my closet door pulling out my
heels and putting them on.

"Jess?" He asked as I continued to walk to my mirror.
"Jessie?" He asked as I put my hair up in a twist.
"Baby you're not mad at me are you?" He
asked walking over to me.

"I…I don't know," I said looking at his reflection.
I got up and walked over to the plastic bag and
pulled out my cap and gown.

"How do you not know? I wasn't trying to be mean
baby I'm just trying to think seriously," he said
stopping my movement. He took his sunglasses
off and I knew he was being serious.

A.J. NEVER took them off unless something
was serious.

"A.J. I need to get ready," I said as he shook his head.
I looked at his chocolate brown eyes and sighed.

"You know it wouldn't work right?" He asked as I
nodded. He kissed me softly and said, "Maybe
later? When we know each other a little
better what do you think?" He asked as I nodded.

For some reason, I had a feeling he wasn't telling me
something, his eyes said it all. Even though we had
been dating for 2 months and I've known him
for 3 months, I had that feeling, that small feeling.

When we got to the stadium at the high school,
there were tons of people there already.

"Where is my dad and Denise supposed to be?" I
yelled so he could hear me.

"Um…I think by those!" He yelled pointing to the
trailers. He took my hand as I followed
him through the crowd of people.

"Mom! Johnny over here!" A.J. yelled as I saw
them standing with wide smiles on their faces.

"Hey princess! You look so gorgeous in
that!" My dad Johnny said twirling me around.

"Thanks dad," I said holding onto A.J.'s hand. I was
so nervous I was shaking uncontrollably.

I decided not to tell anyone I was Vala Dictorian,
I wanted to surprise my family and A.J.

"I'm happy for you Jessica, congratulations!" Denise
said as I nodded.

"Thanks Denise," I said as A.J. squeezed my hand
trying to tell me to calm down.

"Um…I'll find you guys later I need to talk to Jess," A.J.
said as my dad and Denise walked up to some
seats in the bleachers.

My dad and Denise didn't know we were dating,
we knew it would be too weird. We headed
to the school as the loudness dyed down as we got
farther away from the stadium.

"Baby what's wrong?" He asked stopping me.

"Nothing, I'm fine," I said trying to calm down.

"Are you kidding? Look," he said holding up my hand
to see immense shaking in my hand.

"I…I'm fine really, don't worry," I said nodding.

"Is it just because you're graduating and you're
nervous to go up there?" He asked as I nodded
without even hearing what he said. "Come here," he
said hugging me.

"A.J.! Jessie!" Brian yelled running over to us. The 4
guys clobbered me into a huge bear hug that
almost broke my bones in half.

"I love you guys too! Now GET
OFF ME!" I said as they let go.

"Sorry, we get a little carried away
at these things," Howie said as Nick nodded.

"They did the same thing to me when I
graduated last year, I still have bruises," he said
as I smiled.

"Will all seniors please come to the stadium?" The
principal over the intercom said.

"That's me!" I said as my shaking started up again.

"She's really nervous," A.J. said showing
my hands as they all grinned.

"AWW!" They all said as I walked down to the
stadium.

A.J. stopped me before I headed in and gave me a
quick kiss before I sat down in my seat. I was the first
one to go since I had to make a speech for the
class of 1998, I was so nervous I felt like fainting.

"Welcome parents, friends, teachers, to the
graduation of the class of 1998," the principal said
as everyone clapped.

"I would like to congratulate all these fine seniors and
start off with the speech from the Vala Dictorian
herself, Miss Jessica Olsen," he said as everyone
clapped. I got up from my seat and got up on stage.
I looked up and saw the guys,
my dad, Denise, and A.J.'s mouths wide open as I
smiled.

"I didn't tell anyone close that I was Vala Dictorian,
so now they're looking at me crazy," I said explaining
as everyone laughed. "You can shut your mouths
now you guys," I said as they smiled.

"Well, we did it 1998, each one of us here finally
made it. The time never flied by like teachers make it
out to be, but now that I'm standing up here it
seems to be closer to the truth," I paused and looked at
my dad.

"We're going onto the toughest part of our lives,
leaving our parents and our allowances. But
reassuringly I know that it will be the greatest and
most enjoyable experience of our lives. As I
stand up here as your Vala Dictorian I'm only
going to say one thing about college, it will change
us for better or for worse, but it will always be
better than here." When I stopped all the seniors
yelled and cheered at my statement as I laughed.

"Amen!" My best friend Tiffany yelled as I smiled.

"I wanted to say this real quick and then I'm gone,"
I said sighing. "Dad, I love you, and even though
we've had our tough times and our rough times you
were my motivation. A.J. thank you for being
there for me, you guys I love ya! Class of
98!" I smiled and accepted my diploma and sat down.

"Why didn't you tell us?" My dad said hugging me
happily after the ceremony.

"I wanted to surprise you," I said smiling. "Oh before
I forget, the guys wanted to take me out
tonight is it okay with you?" I asked.

"Sure, no curfew! See you guys later," my dad said
waving to the guys and taking Denise's hand.

All of a sudden I got a sudden flashback of me and
my dad holding hands when I was 6 and…

"HELLO?" Nick yelled in my ear as I
snapped into reality.

"Sorry," I said as A.J. kissed my cheek.

"Ready to go?" He asked as I nodded.

"See you tomorrow!" I said to the guys as
A.J. took me to the corvette. I pulled off my cap
and gown and threw them in the back seat.

I sat down in the passenger's seat and
waited till A.J. drove off to open my diploma.

"Miss Jessica Olsen, Vala Dictorian
of the class of 1998," I said as A.J. grinned.

"I'm happy for you," he said brushing his hand across
my cheek. "Hey you need to change if you're
coming out with me," he said as I put my diploma
in the back seat.

"Why where are we going?" I asked as he
shook his head.

"A surprise silly, I'm going to stop at your house
and you get changed."

"Into what?"

"Anything not fancy," he said pausing, "not that
I don't mind it."

I hopped out of the car and changed into a blue
spaghetti-strap shirt and GAP shorts. I put on my
Nike's and brushed my hair into a ponytail and
ran downstairs and back into A.J.'s car.

"Quick little devil aren't you?" He asked speeding off.

"For you of course!" I said pinching his cheek
as I laughed at his expression.

"Don't do that," he said as I giggled.

"What this?" I asked pinching his right cheek.

"I'll pull over if you don't stop!"

"Doing this?" I asked pinching it again.
He grinned and pulled the car over, tickling me
excessively.

"Okay! I…I'm…I'll stop!" I said in
between laughs. He helped me up and kissed me.

"Good," he said turning the car back on.

When we got to wherever we were going, A.J. made
me close my eyes. I really wanted to peek, but didn't
want to spoil it, so I kept them closed as
A.J. took my hand and drug me up jagged rocks to
some dirt.

"Open em'," he said as I opened my eyes. It was the
most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The view of the
beach on a blanket with a candlelit, well, carlit dinner
and champagne and everything.

"Wow!" I said smiling.

"You like it?" He asked as I kissed him.

"I love it!" I said kissing him a few more times
before lying down and staring at the ocean.
A.J. got the food out and a present.

"I bought this for you for graduation," he said handing
it to me. I sat up and ripped the wrapping as fast as
I could pulling out what looked like a necklace box.

I opened it and saw a beautiful butterfly
pendant and 14k chain. The butterfly had diamond
antenna, ruby eyes, and emerald wings.

"Read the back, it's engraved," he said as I turned
it over.

To my baby, who's ready to fly. Love A.J.

I just sat there in awe; I didn't know
what to say, or even how to speak at that point.

"Jess? Jessie? J?" He kept calling my name but
all I did was sit there, he was my love and I knew
it then and there.

"I…w…y…" was all that came out. He grinned and
put the necklace on my neck, kissing my neck softly as
I smiled.

"You like it right? It cost me a pretty penny," he
said as I smiled wider.

"I love it," I whispered before lying down in his arms.
Our hands entwined together as we stared out at the
ocean.

"I need to tell you something but I don't know how
you'll react," he said as I sat up pulling away from him.

"What?" I asked as he took off his
sunglasses fully. "Oh God," I said sighing.

"I…the guys and I are going on tour for 6 months
in Europe, a full tour! They love us over there,
so Lou decided to make us a tour," he said as I
shook my head.

"Wait, 6 months? Half a year? Europe?" I
asked as he nodded.

"I've been waiting for this for 4 years baby, I can't let
this opportunity pass," he said taking my hand as
I pulled away.

"How long have you known this?" I asked angrily.

"Um…3 weeks," he said as I got up and paced.

"Why didn't you tell me A.J.?" I asked as I felt
tears coming on.

"I didn't know how to tell you," he said standing
up and trying to hold me.

"When are you leaving?" I asked as he
looked down at his feet.

"Saturday," he said as I freaked.

"A.J. that's in two days!" I yelled as I felt
my tears come down.

"I…I know," he said trying to help me.

"Take me home," I said with my scratchy voice.

"You sure?" He asked as I nodded.

"Never been so sure," I said helping carry all the food
and everything into the trunk and wait for A.J. to
speed off.

When we got to my house I jumped out
and ran to the door.

"Jessie, baby wait!" He said as I
opened my door. He ran inside as I shook my head.

"Go A.J., I really need to be alone," I said as he sighed.

"Jessie? Is that you?" My dad called as
he and Denise came down the stairs.

"Yeah dad, what's up?" I asked as I looked at
their happy faces.

"Denise and I got engaged!" He said as Denise
smiled happily.

"WHAT?" A.J. and I yelled at the same time.

"You're not happy for us?" Denise asked as I
felt my necklace, A.J. watched me and shook his head.

"Alex answer me!" Denise said smacking A.J.
in the back of the head.

"Yes mom I am! Geesh!" He said hugging Denise.

"Congrats dad," I said wiping my tears and
hugging my dad.

"Thanks princess," he said as I smiled.

"I'm going to go upstairs," I said as A.J. nodded.

"Me too," he said as I sighed. He followed
me upstairs as I shut my door.

"Oh my God," I said dropping down to the floor.

"I can't believe this is happening," A.J. said.

"I can't believe your name is Alex," I said jokingly.

"Ha ha," he said as I grinned.

"What are we going to do A.J.? I mean t

Index

Next Chapter