SUMMER IN SANTA MONICA
Chapter Eleven

Rose had been a little scared when a guy came knocking on her door. He asked about Tasha, where she lived at least.

"Rose, don't worry. He's probably just one of her friends," Jack said.

"Jack, it just seemed weird. Can we please just go check on her?" Rose asked him.

"Okay. Will our parents let us go?" Jack asked her.

"Yeah, they trust me. Come on. We'll call Greg and he can come," Rose said.

Jack picked up his cell phone and called Greg. Rose called Tasha.

*****

"Jason, is that you?" she asked the guy at the door.

"Who else would it be?" he replied.

Jason pulled her into a tight embrace. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Tasha said, now crying.

"Don't cry, Teddy Bear," Jason said. Then he kissed her.

"I just never thought I'd see you again," Tasha said.

"I asked one of your friends where you lived. I think her name was Rose," Jason said.

"You shouldn't have done that," Tasha said.

"Why?" asked Jason.

"She's a worry wart. If some stranger wants to know where one of her friends lives, she gets all freaked out," Tasha replied.

*****

Rose and Jack picked up Greg, and they all headed over to Tasha's house.

"Here we are," Rose said.

Greg rang the doorbell, and Tasha answered it. "Hey, guys."

"Can we come in, Tasha?" Greg asked her.

"Um...okay. Then you have to let me explain," Tasha replied.

"Explain what?" Rose asked.

"Jason," Tasha said, and Jason walked to the door.

"Who is this?" Greg asked his girlfriend.

"This is my boyfriend Jason," Tasha said.

"Your boyfriend?" Greg asked.

"I've loved him since I was fourteen," Tasha said.

"I thought you loved me," Greg said.

"I thought I did, too," Tasha said, "but Jason is my soul mate, Greg. You and I were just friends."

"We were more than friends," Greg said.

"Were we, really?" Tasha asked.

"It seemed like it at the time," Greg said, then ran off.

"I'll talk to him later," Rose said.

"Thank you," Tasha said.

Jason wrapped his arms around Tasha, and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."

Jack put his arm around Rose. "We need to get going."

"Okay. I'll see you later," Tasha said.

"It was nice meeting you, Jason," Rose said.

"You too," Jason said.

Greg, meanwhile, was at his house, sitting on the porch, thinking about him and Tasha. "We were just friends."

Tasha and Jason talked the rest of the afternoon, while Jack and Rose sat on Greg's porch with him and talked to him.

"Life goes on," Greg said.

"Yeah, it does," Rose said, and she and Jack went home.

Chapter Twelve
Stories