Chapter 2

"Wake up sleepy head!" A.J. whispered in my ear.

"Huh what?" I asked opening my eyes
to see him standing in front of me.

"Johnny and my mom want to take us out for your
graduation, and they have a surprise for
you downstairs I think you'll love," he said explaining.

"Mmm," I said closing my eyes and
burying my head under my pillow.

"Oh a cranky person in the morning's huh?
Me too," he said. I felt him touch me as I moaned.

"Let me sleep!" I said, as I knew he was smiling in my
distress.

He uncovered the pillow from my face and
kissed my cheek.

"Come on! If you don't get up your dad will come up
here and we'll look a little awkward when
I start kissing you," he said as I moaned.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me," he said as I sat up and opened
my eyes. I rubbed them and looked at A.J.

"Well quit looking at me I'm up dammit!" I said as he
started to laugh, I started laughing too
as he helped me out of the bed.

"Morning baby," he kissed me lightly.

"What is this surprise they have for me?"
I asked as he smiled wide.

"You'll love it, it's the same as mine just a
different color," he said as I looked at him puzzled.

"Yeah, sure. Let me get dressed," I said as he
took my hand and pulled me down the stairs.

"You don't have time to!" He said as we went
outside and I looked in the driveway.

"Oh my God!" I yelled as I saw my brand
new blue corvette.

"See! Told you it couldn't wait!" He said as
I looked at it in awe.

"I need to get dressed so I can go driving!" I said
running to my room. I changed into a baby blue
spaghetti-strap halter top that said 'baby' on it
and some lei shorts. I put on my converse
sneakers and brushed my hair and ran downstairs
to my car.

"Like it sweetheart?" My dad asked as
I hugged him happily.

"I love it daddy! Thank you so much!"
I said as he handed me my keys.

"Denise picked it out," he said as I looked at her.

"Thanks Denise," I mumbled as I looked
back at my car. "Dad can I take A.J. out with
it PLEASE?" I begged.

"Sure princess! Just be back in half an hour
we're going to take you out," he said as A.J. and
I hopped in.

"Thanks daddy, see ya later!" I said pulling out
of the driveway.

"You know how to drive right?" A.J. asked as I
nodded.

"I got my license last year," I said stopping at a
red light.

"Where are we going?" He asked as I shrugged.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked as he thought.

"Oh yeah! The guys have your present at Nick's house,
feel like going there?" He asked as I nodded.

"Sure! Nick's house here we come!" I said
speeding off.

When we got there I hopped out as A.J.
pulled me by my bare stomach and kissed my neck.

"You're wearing the shirt I bought you," he said
as I smiled.

"I know, I love it," I said turning to face him. I kissed
him as we went to Nick's front door and rang the bell.

"Quick splash some water on these two!"
Brian said as we let go.

"Hey B," A.J. said slapping his hand as we came inside.

"So what is this present I'm getting? We can't stay long,
our parents are taking me out for grad," I said
with tons of enthusiasm…not.

"Oh hold on!" Brian said running upstairs.

"You'll love it," A.J. said as I shrugged.

"I love what I have," I said kissing him
lightly as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Here it is!" Brian said as I heard elephants running
down the stairs.
"Uh oh," I said as I saw a rather large box and the
4 boys with smiles on their faces.

"Hurry up and open it!" Howie said as I sat down on
the floor and opened the box and saw a pair…
of ice skates!

"We know how much you love to ice skate, we got you
the best kind you can buy," Kevin said as I smiled in
delight. I sat there with my legs up to my chin
and my smile curled on my face.

"Uh oh, she doesn't like it?" Nick asked
as their faces frowned.

"Are you kidding? I love it!" I said coming in
for a hug on all 4 of them.

"A.J. picked out the color," Howie said pointing
to baby blue, my favorite color.

"Thanks guys," I said staring at my new beautiful skates.

"Who gave you that?" Nick asked bluntly,
pointing to my butterfly necklace.

"A.J. did," I said still in a trance.

"AWW!" All the guys said as A.J. rolled his eyes.

"Hey, when you guys actually get girlfriends I'll
AWWW in your face too!" A.J. said as the guys
chuckled. "Come on Jess we gotta go,
we're going to be late," he said.

"I'll call you guys later!" I said before shutting the door.
"God I love them!" I said opening my trunk
as A.J. out in my skates.

"Not as much as me right?" He asked as I thought.

"Hmm…" I said looking at his facial expression,
he didn't look too happy. "Nick is so hot, the blonde
hair, the blue eyes, he's my age too," I said
holding in my laughter.

"Please tell me you're joking, that blonde
haired ken doll?" He said as I giggled.

"Baby I could never go for…Nick! If anybody it would
be Brian, or maybe the buff Kevin," I said as I laughed.

He grabbed me and started tickling me as I ran for dear
life into the car. "A.J. we gotta go!" I said as he
tickled me faster.

When we got home, my dad and Denise was sitting on
the stairs of our house waiting for us, we were
ten minutes late.

"Hey daddy, I totally love this car!" I said as A.J. and I
walked over to our parents.

"I'm glad sweetheart, come on let's go," he said helping
Denise up as A.J. touched my arm. A.J. and I sat next
to each other in my dad's BMW and my dad and
Denise were in the front. About ten minutes in traffic,
Denise and my dad were in a conversation about A.J.
and the guys traveling to Europe. A.J. and me
were playing with each other's hand. He looked out the
window as he gradually went to my thigh,
messaging it slowly as I grinned.

"A.J. when are you leaving?" My dad asked.

"Um…3 weeks sir," he said going farther up my
thigh as I looked out my window. I tried now to get any
excitement out of what he was doing, he definitely
wanted that.

"A…are you going with him Denise?" I asked
with cracking in my voice.

"I'm not sure yet, your father and I are trying to plan
the wedding and if I left it would be hard," she
said as I looked at A.J.'s sly grin.

"Your father told me you're going to Yale?" Denise
asked as A.J. stopped.

"You are?" He asked as I shrugged.

"I was probably going there but it's not
definite yet, I have a few things stopping me,"
I said looking at A.J.

"But princess you already sent your application for
the fall remember?" My dad said getting
more in deep water with A.J.

"Yeah dad, I remember," I said sighing and
looking out my window as I thought of
what A.J. was going to say.

"Alex you can visit Jessica when she goes
to Yale," Denise suggested.

"Yeah maybe," he mumbled, as I knew
his eyes were on me.

My dad had taken us to the zoo, one of my favorite
places to go in Florida, I loved it, it was so peaceful
and quite. That was bad at a time like this.

"Why didn't you tell me?" A.J. asked as we walked
over to the gorillas.

"I…I didn't want to burden you with me, you have
all this stuff in your life right now, it would just make
things worse. Aren't you even happy for
me that I made it into Yale?" I asked looking
at the zoo map.

"Are you assuming I wouldn't be? I am, I just wish
you would have told me, this screws up everything," he
said as I got angry.

"Oh and not telling me you're going to Europe for 6
months helps either? It's not like you care where
I'm going anyways," I said walking over to the baboon.

"I definitely care! You're my girlfriend, I will
always care!" He yelled as I looked at him.

"If you cared so much then why are you leaving?"
I yelled as we both started yelling.

"I have no choice! If it were up to me I'd stay here!"

"That's bullshit!"

"Is not! I want to stay here with you, but I
can't and you can't come with me!"

"Who says I'd want to anyways?"

"Who says I'd want you there?"

"Exactly," I yelled stammering off to my father and
Denise who were sitting by the polar bear.
"Hey dad, Denise," I said sitting next to my father.

"I heard some yelling was that you and A.J.?"
My dad asked as he held me.

"Yeah," I said as tears welled up in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked as Denise got up.

"I'll be back," she said angrily walking off to find A.J.

"Nothing daddy, just sit with me?" I asked
as he stroked my hair.

When Denise came back she had A.J.
by the arm with anger in her eyes.

"Go ahead," she said smacking him.

"OW! Bab…Jessie I'm sorry,"
he said as I wiped my eyes.

"Thank you Alex, Johnny why don't we leave them
alone? Jessica, Alex, we'll be on the other side
of the zoo looking at the fish," Denise said
as my dad walked off with her.

"Baby what happened back there?" A.J. asked as I
held my face in my hands as tears streamed.

"I don't know," I said quietly as I felt him next to me.

"I guess we're even now?" He asked as I looked at
him. I just sat there, at that moment I felt the need to
break up with him. Everything was
pointing to it, and only in time would it lead to
heartbreak.

He wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed my
forehead. "I love you, you know that," he
whispered as I sniffed.

"I know," I said nodding. "Everything's
falling apart," I said as he hugged me.

"I won't let that happen, ever," he whispered
kissing my cheek.

"What are we going to do?" I asked as he let me go.

"How about enjoy the zoo while we're here hmm?"
He asked pushing the hair out of my face.

"That's a good idea," I said smiling.

"People hold up! I see a smile!" He said as I giggled.
I kissed him lightly, then passionately as we basically
made out, in front of the polar bear and
little 4 year olds that passed with their moms.

"We're going to go to the bridal store, care to
come?" My father asked me and A.J. as we
both shook our heads.

"I'm kinda tired dad," I said pretending to
have droopy eyes.

"I'm meeting the guys at 3," he said as I grinned.

"Well then see you kids later," my dad said as we
both got out of the car. When we got inside I slipped
off my sandals and took A.J.'s hand, leading him to
the couch. I laid down next to him as
he rubbed my stomach gently as he kissed my neck.

"A.J.?" I asked turning to
face him. We were millimeters apart.

"Hmm?" He asked brushing his hand
up and down my back.

"Do you ever think we won't make it?" I asked.

"You mean you and us?"

"Uh huh," I whispered kissing him lightly.

"Baby I know there's a lot of things right now that
will change us, but I will never stop loving you,
we can never change that," he said
brushing his hand across my cheek.
I grabbed it and kissed it slowly.

"I hope so," I whispered. I kissed him lightly a few
times before the phone rang. He kissed
down my neck as I grabbed the phone.

"H…hello?" I asked as A.J. kissed my neck.

"Jessica? It's your mother," my mom said as I sat up.

"Oh hi mom, how…how are you? How's Los
Angeles?" I asked as A.J. messaged my
shoulders. He knew how tense I got with my mom.

"It's fun, I got a job as hair stylist in a
new Sylvester Stallone movie."

"Really? That's great mom," I said as my tension grew.

"Well I wanted to speak to
your father," she said as I sighed.

"He's…he's with Denise," I said as I knew
my mother HATED her as much as I did.

"Oh really? Um…just tell him to
call me huh?" She asked as I nodded.

"Okay mom. Did you know I graduated yesterday?"

"No."

"Well, aren't you going to congratulate me?
I was Vala Dictorian too! Aren't
you proud?" I asked hoping she was.

"That's…nice Jessica. I'll talk
to you soon," she said hanging up.

"She…she didn't care I graduated," I said
getting up, walking to my room as A.J. followed me.

"She did baby, you know she did," he said
as I wished he were right.

"I guess so," I said opening my door and shutting
it after A.J. came in. "Everything's
gone to hell," I said holding A.J.

"How so?"

"You're leaving in 3 weeks, the guys, my best
friends are too, my dad is marrying…that person,
and my mother doesn't care about me. Still!" I said
trying to hold in my tears. I had definitely cried enough
today at the zoo, anymore and I would have lost
my water percentage in my body.

"Let's figure something out," he said letting me
go and sitting on the bed. He patted it as I sat next
to him.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, we need to figure something to
where my mom and your dad won't marry."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Well, we have to do something that would make
them hate each other, this way, when I come back
from Europe we can be together with
no regrets," he said as I sighed.

"And how do you suppose we pull
this off?" I asked hoping this was good.

Index

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