Just Not Sure - Chapter 2 - The Mall

"So, Jenna, Courtney, where are you guys from?" Chris asked as they stood on line for Cinnabun.

"Suffolk County on Long Island. Jenna’s in Centereach and I’m in Selden." Courtney replied. "You guys are in New York City, right?"

"Yeah, well I’m from Westchester, so…" Jesse cut into the conversation.

They got their food, and started to walk around. They didn’t talk about anything in particular, just telling each other about themselves. Courtney and Jesse talked a lot about school, they had found out that they both (and Jenna too) took Living Environment and Algebra. Chris and Jenna talked about their favorites after Jenna had informed everyone that her absolute favorite food was Cinnabun about fifteen times.

It was just about 9:15 when Jesse and Chris were standing alone in front of the Ladies Room, waiting for Jenna and Courtney to finish fixing their hair.

"I guess you like her, huh." Chris asked Jesse, referring to Courtney.

"No. I’m just flirting with her to play with her mind." Jesse said sarcastically. "Of course. I wouldn’t be acting like such an idiot if I didn’t like her. Did you see me? I was watching her when she was talking tome, and I tripped over my feet twice. You know we really are kinda pathetic. Fans that we met at some party; we’ve known them for like forty-five minutes, and we still agree to go in a car with them."

"Yep. We got it bad. But I can’t blame us. I REALLY like Jenna, even though she’s just 13. It’s weird though, dontcha think? A sixteen year old flirting with a thirteen year old?"

"Well, you’re also best friends with a fourteen year old here, and you don’t seem to have any problems with that. I don’t think it’s all that weird. Matt’s girlfriend, Katy, she’s only thirteen."

"Yeah I guess so. Maybe there’s just something about Long Island girls. Matt would definitely agree. " He grinned, knowing that oddly enough, Katy also lived in Suffolk county. Their conversation ended as they patiently waited for the two girls.

*

Meanwhile, the girls were standing in the ladies room, talking and fixing their hair and makeup.

"I can’t believe this is actually happening. I mean if we were to ever meet Dream Street, I had imagined it to be so different. Can’t say I don’t mind how everything’s going though. It’s just so weird to have someone who I know from watching on video and in pictures standing in front of me, talking to me." Jenna said as she brushed her hair.

Courtney was quiet. She wasn’t exactly sure of anything quite yet. There was still Ryan to get over, and now Jesse was flirting with her. She could so tell he was; he had tripped over his feet twice while they were walking around.

"What’s wrong?" Jenna asked Courtney, noticing her downhearted friend wasn’t nearly as bubbly as she usually was.

"I ‘m just not sure. It’s just… I think—No, I know, Jesse is flirting with me. And I don’t know how to deal with it. I mean, I really like Jesse, he’s really nice and funny… and everything I would look for in a guy. But I don’t know if I’m really over Ryan yet, he was pretty special to me."

" I don’t know what to say. You have to get over him, you know he’s never gonna come back to you, and even if he did, you said it yourself. You would never forgive him, remember? He doesn’t deserve it. Now…I know someone who definitely does deserve it." She laughed, and hoped that she was helping her friend and not discouraging her.

Jenna was helping though, and Courtney felt a little bit better now. "K, c’mon, they’re probably wondering whether we escaped out a window or something."

‘Now that’s the Courtney I know.’ Jenna said to herself, watching as Courtney led the way, back to her usual, cheerful self.

*

On the other side of the mall, Kristin and Frankie were shopping up a storm, although it was mostly Kristin. Frankie didn’t mind though, because he was having a lot of fun. And he was sure of himself when he said that Kristin was everything he could ever want in a girl. She was caring, outgoing, sensitive towards others, but at the same time, not afraid to speak her mind. Not to mention her looks. Kristin felt the same way about Frankie, and anyone could feel the chemistry between the two.

"Hey, Frankie, whaddya think of this?" Kristin held up a deep purple sweatshirt with the Nautica sign on it.

"Anything looks good on you, Kristin." Frankie said, and Kristin blushed.

"Aww. How sweet. Now really, do you think I should get it in this color, or this one." She held up the purple one and a forest green next to each other, and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

Frankie rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. ‘I catch her attention with flattery for a tenth of a second. Then it’s right back to shopping. Women.’

*

Matt and Greg were having a pretty uneventful evening. They had found the science books within the first five minutes of entering the store, and now were just browsing the shelves of Borders. Neither one was very good company; they were both in horrible moods. Greg’s girlfriend had just broken up with him, and he was very upset. She had claimed it was just too hard to keep a long distance relationship. Greg thought everything had been going just fine. Now he was kind of like Courtney, moping around.

Matt wasn’t much better. He was waiting for a call from his girlfriend Katy. She had promised to call him, but it was already 9:30. Just as he checked his watch for the millionth time in five minutes, he heard his cell ring. "Finally." He said to himself, and dug the phone out of his pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey sweetie, what’s up? I miss you." Katy’s distinct voice came through the earpiece. Matt grinned and found himself searching for words.

"Katy. I’ve been waiting for your call. Have you convinced your mom yet? My mom said she could drive you up. We’re gonna go to Camelback tomorrow and also Tuesday."

"My mom still stands where she was on Wednesday. I would come up if I could." Katy sounded sympathetic; she knew how much Matt wanted her to come. Her mom just wasn’t sure about Katy going away with her boyfriend that was so much older than she was. He was three years older than she was, and Katy had met him through her friend, who was his cousin. They had been going out since the beginning of the school year, and even their parents had become very good friends. But that still didn’t change her mom’s decision about Katy going upstate with the Ballingers and the other guys’ families.

Matt and Katy kept on talking for about a half an hour, and when they hung up, Greg and Matt started to look around the rest of the mall.

*

Soon enough, it was 11:00, and the mall was getting ready to close. They all met in the center of the mall, and they were a sight to see. Kristin had obviously emptied her wallet; she and Frankie had their hands full with countless bags from multiple stores. Courtney and Jenna hadn’t bought that much; their pockets had been pretty empty to begin with. Jesse had 5 or 6 new CDs from Fye, and Chris had found a couple of pairs of sunglasses. Greg and Matt, much like Courtney and Jenna, left the mall with the same stuff they had come in with, with the exception of the science book. Everyone bought a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s and piled back into the car.

"This was so much fun. Thanks for bringing us." Jesse said enthusiastically. He was really glad he had walked up to Courtney, otherwise all of this never would have happened. "You know, all of us (at this he gestured to the five guys) are heading out to Camelback tomorrow for skiing and snowboarding. Maybe you would like to come with us." His eyes looked at Courtney hopefully.

Courtney and Jenna exchanged excited glances. "You mean the Camelback in Pennsylvania? In the Poconos?" Courtney had to hold back a squeal. "We’re going there tomorrow night! From like 4 to 10, for the night session."

Chris grinned. That was when they were going too. "Are you guys just learning, or have you snowboarded before?"

Kristin, who was both listening to the conversation and driving, replied for all three of them. "We have all been doing it for about two years. I’m pretty okay, and Courtney sucks at it, but Jenna’s really good."

Frankie looked back at Jesse and Chris. "I guess we’re in luck then. I’m not exactly very fast, but I can do all the novice slopes. Jesse’s pretty good on skis, and Chris could be a pro-boarder if he really tried."

Kristin’s and Frankie’s eyes met, and for five seconds, there was no one else in the car; just the two of them, lost in each other’s eyes.

"KRISTIN!" Greg screamed and Kristin’s head snapped back to the road. Her eyes widened as she saw two bright headlights coming straight towards the mini-van.

Frankie quickly grabbed the steering wheel and swerved the car off the road. Finally, everyone in the backseat relaxed, opening their eyes when the impact they were anticipating never came.

"Wow. That was really close. If you hadn’t grabbed that wheel then…" Chris started, but Matt interrupted.

"Don’t think about that. Let’s just get home." He said, trying to hold back the chilling thought.

Kristin agreed with him. She shivered as she tried to push the image of the headlights shining towards them out of her mind. "We gotta focus on the present, not the past." She reinserted the key and started the car. They got back on the road, and before everyone knew it, they were back at the party.

"Hey mom." Courtney said, obviously to her mother, who was talking with a group of people.

"Hi honey." Mrs. Taylor smiled and waved her hand towards the lady she had been talking to. "Oh, this is Mrs. McCartney. She’s an old friend from college. You’ve seen all the pictures from Hawaii and skiing; she was in all of them."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. McCartney." Courtney shook her hand. She knew this was Jesse’s mother because not only did they have the same name, but also their resemblance was very strong.

"Oh yeah. Jesse was looking for you when we got back from the mall. I think he wanted to put his stuff with your jacket." Courtney said very nonchalantly to Mrs. McCartney. The look on her mother’s face was priceless. "Didn’t you know that we went to the mall with them? And we’re going to Camelback tomorrow night and Tuesday right?"

"Uh…yeah. Why?"

"Because according to the guys, they are going then too." Courtney sent Jesse’s mom a questioning look, and Mrs. McCartney confirmed her suspicions with a nod. Courtney grinned, and she left the two to catch up as she went to go look for Jenna, Jesse, and everyone else.

*

Jenna and Courtney were settling into their sleeping bags at the cottage, still a little bit in shock from the night’s occurrences.

"I never would have expected this, it feels like I’m dreaming. I totally can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s gonna be so much fun!" Courtney said, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling.

"I must have pinched myself so many times when we were at the mall. And I think there really could be something between you and Jesse." Jenna sat up and looked at her friend slyly.

"What about you and Chris! Definitely was some chemistry there. And did you see Kristin and Frankie? Especially in the car, did you see them? They’re dangerous." Courtney giggled as she looked back on the evening.

"Hey! Are you guys talking about me?" Kristin walked into the room from the bathroom, and crawled into the only bed in the room. "We aren’t dangerous. I just wasn’t watching the road when I should have. But I have to admit, Frankie was CUTE!"

There was a long silence, as each girl thought about Jesse, Chris, and Frankie. The moment was long enough for them all too slip into a deep sleep, dreams of their upcoming ski trip approaching them.

*

The five guys were also getting ready for bed in the house they were staying in. It was the Ballinger’s vacation home; close to where had gone to for the party, and it was huge. Matt’s bedroom was large enough to fit all five guys on air mattresses, and it looked like a hurricane had hit it. There were five suitcases scattered between the four corners, and after just one night, there were already clothes strewn all over.

"So is Katy coming up?" Greg asked, thinking about where she would go if she were to come.

"Nope. Her mom is set on her decision. Definitely not coming." Matt said disappointedly.

"Darn, Katy’s so nice. SHE doesn’t treat me the way YOU guys do." Jesse said, still dwelling on all the teasing that had been directed at him when he said he had gotten Courtney’s number. "Anyhow, is your mom still coming up?"

"Yep, tomorrow. She said she’d be there before we left for CAMELBACK. That should be around 3:00, since it’s so far away. What about you guys, Greg and Chris, are your parents coming up?" Matt asked. His dad had brought him, Greg, Chris, and Frankie up straight from rehearsal on Thursday morning, and Jesse’s parents had followed them. Whether Chris and Greg’s parents were coming was still in jeopardy, but Frankie’s parents definitely weren’t coming.

"I don’t think my mom and dad are coming up, Danielle’s still sick." Greg said, looking up from some math homework he was finishing. He was referring to his little sister, who had caught the flu right after Christmas.

"Neither is my mom." Chris finished straightening up his stuff; he was the neat freak of the group.

"Ah." Jesse jumped onto his air mattress and settled under the blankets. "Tonight was the best. Ever. I can’t wait for tomorrow."

"I’m sure you can’t. Tomorrow we see Courtney. And Jenna. And Kristin." Frankie blushed.

"What the heck happened with you in the car?" Matt asked, sitting up and looking at Frankie. "That was too weird, you guys were spacing out on us. And nearly got us KILLED."

"Sorry. I don’t know; all of a sudden there was no one else there except Kristin and me. We just kinda had this connection. It was really weird." Frankie smiled and thought about Kristin. He liked her a lot, and knew she liked him back. Plus, he knew this was real, that it wasn’t because her was a member of DS. Kristin didn’t even like DS.

"Hello? Anybody home in there?" Chris pretended to rap his knuckles on Frankie’s head; he had spaced out on them yet again. As Frankie snapped back to attention, Mr. Ballinger walked into the room.

"Ok boys, it’s nearly two in the morning. Lights out, PLEASE."

There was a groan coming from Matt’s direction, and Chris rolled his eyes. "Mr. B, two in the morning is nothing for us. Just a couple more…" A stern glare from Mr. Ballinger shut them all up, and all five got into bed without any further complaints. After the lights were switched off, there were a series of "G’nite"s from each boy, except Greg, who was out cold. A chain reaction of sighs followed, as visions of what the next day would bring them filled their heads.