6 Chapter 5
Fall, 2004
The bursting sound of crashing waves instantly woke Megan up with a jolt. She finally lifted her head up, allowing her eyes to take in the surroundings once more. Indigo and starry sky paired with the glistening moon above the beautiful beach that will always make her feel at home. She looked to her right and caught Jared staring into the dark and seemingly bleak horizon.
Right. She'd been taking a nap on his shoulder again. This was becoming a normal occurrence thanks to the number of times she's done it. Whenever he detected she was feeling sleepy, he'd offer his shoulder as some kind of sacrifice and she'd gladly take it.
"How long have I been out?" she asked.
"A couple of days," Jared deadpanned.
She made a face at this and stayed silent.
"A few minutes. I'm not sure," he then answered seriously.
She stretched and sighed in contentment, slowly starting to feel refreshed from the brief slumber.
"You sure you got enough rest?"
She yawned, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Chuckling at the more than usual sight before him, he (not so) subtly offered, "You know you can sleep on my shoulder for as long as you want, right?"
She shook her head, knowing that if she naps again now, their friends would one hundred percent catch them. It's a social situation she'd rather not bother with. "Nah, I'm good with just sitting here. You know how much I love the ocean."
"That you do," he agreed with a small smile.
The pair continued to sit on the bench in comfortable silence, despite the cold concrete caressing their backs. That was the greatest thing about them. With their other friends, they always had to do something to have fun. But with each other, it felt right to just soak in each other's presence. Where and when else were you going to find someone like that at their age in a small town like Ras Tanura?
"There they are!!!" Danica's voice seemed to echo around them despite the vast space.
Both Jared and Megan turned to look and saw the entire gang (well, almost) coming their way.
"We've been looking for you EVERYWHERE," Naia stated in a slightly berating tone.
"I'm not too surprised at finding you two together though." Danica shrugged.
"Yiiiiieeee*!!!" Logan teased with a toothy grin.
"Kiliiiiiiiiiiiiig**!!!" Odell followed, but with more exaggerated gestures.
"Stop!" Megan shouted, trying her hardest not to blush or say anything stupid on the spot.
"Oooooohhhh!!!! Jared and Megan—" Jacob, Logan, and Odell chanted and clapped with glee.
"Seriously!!!!" Megan reached to swat at least two of them but to no avail.
The three cackled at her failed efforts and decided to run away from the crime scene.
"I've got a new game we could play! But we have to go inside for it," Naia piped up this time, now that the teasing relay was over.
"Sounds good." Megan nodded as she turned to Jared. "Red?"
"Great." He shared a small smile before catching up to the boys up front, leaving Megan with just the girls.
"What were you guys doing??" Felicity immediately questioned the oldest girl in the group out of curiosity.
Megan shrugged, trying her best to act as cool as a cat. "Nothing. Just hanging out."
"Didn't look like it," Danica pointed out with an unimpressed face.
"You guys know we're close. It's not a big deal," Megan explained. Sure, she's just spent the last couple of hours with her first (and hopefully last) love. But she didn't want anyone knowing that yet.
"Yeah, we hang out too sometimes," Naia offered to back her statement up.
"See?" Megan had to mentally stop herself from letting out a sigh of relief. It's times like these she knew Naia had her back no matter what.
"Okay, whatever," Danica replied in a mildly sarcastic tone as they continued to make their way inside.
If anyone was to ask her, no sane person in their direct vicinity would ever believe that Megan and Jared were just 'hanging out'. She's nine, but she's not stupid. So were their friends. She's pretty convinced that literally every single one of them was perfectly aware of the puppy sort of love blossoming before them, except the actual parties involved.
Sure, one might even point out that the two were a bit too young to be experiencing such a thing as love. But when did feeling that ever come with a certain age? If you felt it, you felt it.
"The game's called Kent," Naia started as soon as they're all settled down in the locker room of the Bowling Alley. She continued to explain how the game works. Played in pairs, the goal is to essentially get four of a kind cards (for example: four kings, four sevens, four aces etc.), signal whoever your partner is about it without getting caught, and shout 'Kent!' "So, partners. Do you want to partner with me, Jared?"
"Not really," Jared replied shortly.
Naia forced a smile and proceeded to look for another partner for him. "…okay. What about Dan?"
He shook his head in blatant refusal.
"How about Fae then?" She offered this time.
"I'm not playing, just watching," Felicity reminded the older girl.
"Right. Then that leaves Jared and—"
The only boy in the group immediately shared a beam with Megan. "I can be your partner."
She couldn't help but shyly return his smile. "Sure."
"It's not like you were subtle about it," Naia muttered through gritted teeth impatiently.
Unable to catch what she just said, the rest directed questioning gazes at her.
She merely clapped and veered attention to another topic. "Alright! So then, it's me and Dan."
Much to her dismay, this was only act two of Naia's annoyance. Act one would've been the beach 'hang out'. The game proved to be a huge downfall because she and Danica kept losing. It also didn't help that Danica was a sore loser. Yes, Naia was too, but she knew not to be obvious about it. Shouting 'actual cheaters!!' really was the last straw.
Thankfully, Jared got bored and decided to hang out with the guys instead. Something about playing table tennis or basketball, the girls vaguely heard. Which meant it was time for them to eat.
And who would they order from other than trusty, ol' Anthony of the Snack Bar.
A friendly yet mellow Indian man (with a distinct thick mustache), who was so wholesome he couldn't possibly have a single flaw. He always knew everyone's usual orders and he always knew everyone's names. It's witchcraft really. The kids are also convinced that he's secretly a vampire. The guy has been working in the Snack Bar for God only knows how long.
"One cheeseburger with large fries and Nestea lemon," Anthony said before Megan could even utter a single word for her order.
"You're so great." She nodded before chortling in amusement. "What chocolate bars do you have today?"
"We have Mars, then Twix, then Bounty—I know you don't like—then a KitKat…"
"Meg!" Naia waved her over.
Megan raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what it could be.
"No sweets!"
"Right…" Megan mumbled and turned to Anthony, "They all look good. Can't eat any until the day after tomorrow I think."
"That's too bad." The tall man shrugged and frowned. "But one piece is okay, no?"
She thought about it for a while, even momentarily indulging in a sweets trance. "I can't. Maybe next time."
"Okay. Next time then. One Twix ready for you."
"Thanks, Tony." She briefly smiled before heading back to the table with her friends.
The interrogation didn't end there though. As soon as her order arrived, Naia's eyes were watching her like a hawk. "Meg…" she started with seemingly sympathetic half-smile, half-frown. "Remember the diet? You have to hold off on the salt if you don't want to--"
Danica felt her jaw clench at the atrocity unfolding before her. "She's lost enough weight. She can eat a damn fry with all the salt she wants," she snapped.
"I'm just saying," Naia said as she held her arms up defensively.
"What kind of eleven-year-old goes on a diet anyway?" Danica further berated.
"A fat one," Megan answered for their slimmer friend.
"You're not fat, ate," Felicity instantly countered with an unpleased frown.
"You're my friend. You're supposed to say that." Megan gave the younger one a dismissive wave and continued to eat her cheeseburger.
"It's true, Megan. You're not fat," Naia voiced, "Not anymore at least."
"Thanks." Though Megan faked a smile, she actually did take her friend's statement as a compliment.
This sad occurrence only made Danica roll her eyes at Naia. If she was older, aka Zoe, she would've ended her then and there. But she didn't want a big blow-up of a fight to happen. Especially during Wednesdays.
Wednesdays in Ras Tanura are spent like Fridays all over the world. Their weekends were on Thursday and Friday. A natural thing in a Muslim country.
For the kids of RT, this meant endless adventures with their friends in the Surf House. They could play mini-games in the locker room, read all the books available in the local library, make the most of the playground, or chill by the beach. There was even a billiards room, which also had a set-up for table tennis. The possibilities were endless. Which is probably why most (if not all) of their favorite day was certainly Wednesday.
The best part about this whole ordeal was that the shenanigans don't end in the Surf House. Sometimes, their parents had little gatherings with friends of their own and they could continue playing there, no matter where the venue was. If not, there was always MSN Messenger.
Jared says: Megatron!
Megan just arrived at her house a few minutes ago and immediately logged in the popular online chat application. Although she was on her way out of the computer room to grab a snack, the familiar ping from the family desktop made her run back with lightning speed.
Megan says: Red! Wut's up?
She grinned as she anticipated his reply.
Jared says: nothin much
Jared says: u?
Megan says: Not much
Megan says: Theres a party 2morrow. U going?
Jared says: no idea. gonna hve 2 ask my mom
Though it doesn't take him long to respond, she felt like she was waiting for an hour while staring at the screen.
Jared says: yup we're going after church
Jared says: r u going?
Megan says: Yup! :)
Jared says: cool
Jared says: it'll be funner then
Megan says: But u'd rather play basketball
Jared says: nah
Jared says: not if ur there
Her heart soared at the message as she read it over and over again. Is he for real????? She scoffed at herself. Probably not. This is Red we're talking about.
Megan says: HA!
Jared says: kent was fun
Megan says: ya it was
Megan says: we're a good team :)
Jared says: ya
Jared says: do u think we can play it again 2moro?
Megan says: maybe
Megan says: if naia wants to. She brought the game after all
Jared says: i guess
Jared says: dell is bothering me again
Megan says: haha tell him ure busy
Jared says: gonna change my status
Megan says: alryt
Jared says: do u still talk 2 zoe?
Megan says: of course! But the time difference is a bitch
Jared says: i knw
Megan says: she misses us btw
Megan says: except odell
Megan says: no idea if she's kidding or not
Jared says: probably isnt
Jared says: no 1 likes odell
Megan says: hahahahaha dont say that in front of him
Jared says: i think he alredi knws megs
Jared says: even my own brother cnt stand him sometimes
Megan says: haha ok fyn
Jared says: btw is it true abt u and aaron?
She furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden question about an acquaintance of hers. Aaron was just some guy she met while doing the 'King and I' play a few months back.
Megan says: wut exactly did u hear?
Jared says: tht u 2 r 2geder
Megan says: ew no
Megan says: if i was d8ng any1 i'd tell u
Megan says: u knw tht
Jared says: ryt
Megan says: hu told u?
Jared says: guess
Megan says: odell?
Jared says: bingo!
Megan says: not surprised
Megan says: i lyk some1 else anyway
Jared says: really?????
Jared says: who????
Megan immediately froze, realizing her stupidity. Right. Just go ahead and type that out to the VERY PERSON you not only like, but LOVE. That's rich. She couldn't believe she had just done that. But if she was being honest, she's surprised she managed to hold up the silence fort until now.
And as if God was answering her prayers, a ping from another chat window pops up. She took this as a sign to delay her response to Jared and talk to whoever just saved her naïve and incompetent ass.
Naia says: Meggieeeee
Megan says: Naiaaaaaa
Naia says: haha what ya up to?
Megan says: nothing much u?
Naia says: have u listened to avril's entire album?
Megan says: of course!
Naia says: fave song?
Megan says: fall 2 pieces doi
Naia says: nice! Mine's slipped away
Megan says: oh that one's really gud
Getting a bit bored of her conversation with Naia, Megan decided to get back to Jared and that whole disaster she had to fix.
Megan says: i'm not telling
Megan says: til i'm sure
Jared says: til ur sure?
Dear God, what am I supposed to say after THAT??? She switched back to Naia just to keep herself at least half sane.
Naia says: I knw!
Naia says: r u coming 2 d party 2moro?
Megan says: yup
Megan says: u?
Naia says: ya!
Naia says: do u knw wht ur going 2 wear?
Megan says: I dnt knw... my normal clothes probably
Naia says: Megan!! :))))) ur so funny
She let out a long exhale before taking a peek at her conversation with Jared. To her surprise, he had a follow-up question.
But just as she pressed enter on her reply, the dial-up icon, composed of landline phone and computer desktop, disappeared on the lower right corner of the computer. This only indicated that she got disconnected from the internet.
"Mom!!!" Megan whined. Of all the times her mother could've lifted the phone by accident, it had to be during a critical moment. "I'm still using the internet!!!"
"Nako*** anak, it's not me!" She heard her mom call from the other end of the house.
"Sorry princess! My bad!!" her dad instantly apologized, not wanting World War III to break out.
Megan merely huffed as she reconnected again, which took several minutes most of the time. But the universe seemed to be cooperating with her, because in a matter of two minutes, she's back online.
Jared says: is it some1 i know?
Megan says: sry got disconnected
Jared says: no pb. I figured
Megan says: well ya
Megan says: it IS some1 u knw...we both knw
Jared says: gr8
Jared says: just gonna hve 2 find out 4 myself then
Megan says: gud luck 👍🏻
TRULY. She thought, both horrified and relieved. GOOD LUCK, TRULY.
Now that the crisis had been somewhat averted, she checked back with Naia.
Naia says: Jared's gonna b there u hve 2 knw wat 2 wear
Naia says: I can gve u some tips
Megan says: tht wud be gr8 naia!!!
Megan says: call me 2moro b4 u go 2 church
Naia says: gladly ;)
Naia says: so touched u wud come 2 me 4 fashion advice!!
Megan says: <3
All of a sudden, her brain was flooded with plenty of thoughts regarding the party. At first, she was worried about just meeting and hanging out with Jared. But nope, there was her clothes she had to kick herself over. It's not like she was the worst dresser in the world though. She liked to think that she had a good sense of style. A bit lost, but she knew what looked nice and what didn't.
In the midst of her mental breakdown, a ping from a certain chat sought to distract her.
Jared says: ur really not going to tell me???
Megan says: no
Megan says: hu knws? I myt be over him by the tym u find out
Jared says: tru lol
Megan says: anyway i g2g
Megan says: nyt red
Jared says: nyt megatron
Even if the sight of that damn nickname irked her sometimes, it only managed to come off as sweet when Jared said it. After he first called her that during their Kindergarten graduation, like the mocking piece of little shit that he was, their friends actually joined in teasing her about it.
Toy robot villain equals the perfect pet name to give to a girl who had zero knowledge about such things. But the older they got, the more possessive Jared became about coining the name just for her. It eventually turned into a term of endearment and the rest in their group stopped mentioning it. The same applied to how she called him Red. Except his nickname had a less annoying past to it compared to hers.
Jared says: c u 2moro!
Megan says: c u :)
***
It's a well-known fact that most Filipinos are either Roman Catholic or Born Again Christian. And for those Filipinos residing in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, there were priests assigned to preach in certain places. The differences that came with the mass were the venue, the crowd, and the days. The venue was usually held in either the local American school's gym or in a vacant private residence. The crowd is a lot smaller and the days in which weekly masses occurred were during Thursday night and Friday morning. The standard for anyone at the time.
More often than not, after the Thursday night mass, there were parties. If someone had a birthday, there was a party. If someone was retiring and leaving Ras Tanura, there was a party. If the parents just felt like hanging out, you better believe there's a party. If one of the daughters of these parents just had her first menstruation, YES, there was going to be a Goddamn party. The ability of Filipinos to find joy and positivity in everything is truly astounding.
Megan and her parents arrived at the gathering on the dot. A few guests have already scattered to their own corners, but no one has eaten just yet. The adults usually loitered around the dining and living room, even the kitchen if it was big enough. Since the kids liked their privacy, they looked for empty, unused rooms they can goof around in.
According to Naia's specific advice, Megan wore a white shirt with black sequins spelling out 'I ain't your hunny bunny', a sparkly navy bolero, a brightly-patterned cotton skirt, and gold pointed-toe flats that were uncomfortable as hell. If that didn't spell disaster, her side ponytail did.
"Okay. One question. HOW MANY fashion magazines barfed on you?" Danica joked, trying her best to hold in her laughter.
"Yeah ate, there's no way you would dress like that," Felicity added and tilted her head at the outfit.
"But if your mom forced you or… you're heading to another--"
"Well, I didn't exactly do this," Megan cut her off before she could finish.
"Naia?" Danica asked, even if she already knew what the answer was.
Megan bobbed her head yes. "But it looks nice."
"Are you even comfortable wearing it?" Danica had noticed her fidgeting the moment she set foot in the house.
Megan hesitated to answer for a while and before she can even utter a word, the door to the private room they're staying in suddenly opened with a dramatic bang.
"Hi, guys!" Naia greets with an exceedingly wide grin as her eyes fall upon one particular friend. "You look so pretty, Megan!"
"THANK YOU," The smaller girl replied, throwing a look at both Danica and Felicity.
"Whoa… red carpet or Winter Ball…?" Odell mocked as he entered the room with the other guys.
"Piss off," Megan snapped, rolling her eyes.
"Her outfit isn't even formal," Jared pointed out in a weirdly calm tone.
Jacob shared a teasing grin before starting his seemingly clever remark. "Oooohhhh defending your girl—"
"Did you guys hear that? I think we're supposed to eat already," Naia interrupted.
Danica directed a suspicious gaze at her. "No, I don't think so."
"Yeah, my mom would've called me," Felicity added obliviously.
"Okay… well…" Naia began again, noticing that the atmosphere was turning a little tense.
"Did you guys see my new Pokemon game??" Logan piped up as he pulled his Gameboy Advance out.
"You have a what?!" Odell screeched while attempting to get a grip of the device.
Jacob was in disbelief for a few seconds, but he decided to confirm whether or not Logan was telling the truth. "Let me see that!!!"
Jared quietly joined as well, leaving the girls to jump into another topic.
Naia could only let out sigh of relief as the chatter around her seemed to grow louder by the second. If she was being honest, she wouldn't have been able to complete her sentence. So she's glad that Logan managed to swoop in in the nick of time.
The party then progresses as it should. The usual food stars of any Filipino gathering were there. Everything from lumpiang shanghai and pancit to adobo and kare-kare****. It's not a surprise that the kids aimed for the barbecue and hotdog.
Shortly after everyone finished eating, someone immediately whipped out the Magic Sing. A sign that the real party was only about to start. There was always that one tito that will start off the session with My Way. Then a tita that will follow with a Celine Dion song. Literally any of her popular songs. Either that or How Do I Live by Trisha Yearwood. Once the adults got sick of passing around the mic among themselves, it was time for the holed up children to shine. Much to their horror.
Any child who's even in the least capable of holding a note will automatically be entered into this unofficial competition. No one could ever really understand the science behind this. Maybe it's the fact that Filipinos just loved to sing, to the point that they'd pass that passion to their young ones. Or maybe they liked to brag about their kids' potential to become actual singers. Who knows?
Megan herself was trained by her mom since the age of six to sing My Heart Will Go On and How Do I Live as if it her life depended on it. As she grew older, more songs were added to the list like To Love You More, Torn, Forever's Not Enough, and The Vow. During the weirdly competitive yet lax karaoke sessions, Danica would follow after her. Felicity was somewhat still in training but she'd still participate. Even Zoe would be a part of this lineup if she was there. Naia was the only one who never participated in it. She wasn't as musically gifted as the others. But hey, being one of the smartest kids in school wasn't too shabby either.
For some reason (most likely patriarchy), the guys weren't as pressured to join the karaoke sessions as much as the girls. They were allowed to do whatever they please as long as they weren't bothering anyone. It's not like they could anyway. At such an age, all they liked to do was play with their Gameboys or play the usual indoor or outdoor games like Hide and Seek and Tag. And yes, by this time, all kids had phones. But you could only ever use it to text someone or take pictures. Games were also a lot simpler than they are today.
Thankfully, even if the girls were forced to sing at least one song, it never really went beyond that unless they wanted to. They'd go about their business again, maybe even join the boys in whatever shenanigan they're getting themselves into. Or they would just have a plain, old round group discussion about the most random things.
"I mean… I'm definitely Monica," Naia stated with the most satisfied beam known to man.
They were currently talking about Friends just outside the house while the guys ran around doing God only knows what. They're weirdly too young to understand any of the jokes or references in the show, let alone watch it to full enjoyment. But hey, whatever's cool, right? Some of them can afford the DVD set.
"Danica is definitely Phoebe. Or maybe wait… Felicity could be Phoebe." Her eyes then fell upon Megan. "I guess you could pass as Rachel. Not as fashionable but hey. We're not perfect."
"Yeah…. Sucks, but oh well." Megan shrugged, evidently feeling uncomfortable about the discussion.
"OKAY." Danica huffed, frankly tired of Naia's constant bullshit. "We're getting bored, so we're just gonna join the guys. You two can stay here if you want."
The older girls merely nodded as they watched her and Felicity get up and let out all their pent up energy with the rest of their friends.
"Hey Megs, I have something to tell you," Naia suddenly spoke in a rather serious manner.
"Yeah? Fire away." Megan continued to watch the rowdy game happening before them, oblivious to whatever it is Naia was going to throw at her.
"Just before the party, I told Jared that I have a crush on him."
Megan froze for a bit before turning to her. "What?" She kind of knew about Naia's crush, but it's been weeks since her friend mentioned it. She just assumed that Naia was crushing on someone else.
"We were attending mass and we kind of just… talked," Naia explained with a rather cool demeanor.
"What did he say?" Megan asked, already feeling nervous about her answer.
"He didn't say much really. Oh, I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like me?" Naia gushed out of nowhere and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She then held Megan's gaze and continued, "By the way, is it okay if I go out with him?"
The latter was speechless for a few seconds, but managed to respond almost in a whisper, "Why would it not be okay?"
"Because you like him too, right?"
Then there was silence.
Megan was supposed to keep the whole crushing on Jared thing a secret. But looks like the cat's out of the bag. She can't really hide it this time. Especially from someone like Naia.
Even if it's for this one moment, she chose to forget about her own feelings towards Jared. "Well… I mean… if he likes you, then it doesn't matter how I feel."
"Plus, you're his best friend," Naia added as if she hadn't heard what Megan just said. The joy she was drowning in was whacking all of her senses out.
"Am I? We're just close." Megan tore her gaze away from her, feeling her eyes well up.
"Same thing."
As if on cue, Odell yelled at them to come over and join the game instead of being 'actual losers doing nothing'. Megan felt herself relax at this, while Naia immediately jumped up and headed to the rest. Perhaps a good nonsense game could get her mind off of the bad news she just received.
It wasn't until later on that the topic arose again, but between her and Jared.
"Hey." He eagerly plopped next to her.
"Hey," she lazily greeted. She wanted a bit of alone time after a game of Tag while their friends grabbed another bite to eat inside the house, but Jared just had to destroy that.
"Having fun?" he asked, unaware of her inner conflict.
"I guess," she answered half-mindedly.
He furrowed his eyebrows, knowing instantly that something was up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I—" She tried her best to keep her mouth shut regarding the one thing that's been bothering her the entire night. "It's clearly not my business."
"Clearly not your business?" He was confused now. She could be talking about literally anything. Something adult-related maybe?
"Yeah, I just…" She finally turned to him. "Do you have anyone you like within our group?"
Though caught off-guard, he didn't show any sign of it. "Like, as in…?"
"Like, like." Her eyes avoided his, dreading his reply.
"Well, yeah," he said. As if it was the simplest thing in this world.
Emotionally and mentally she was all over the place, but she knew she had to keep her cool. So, she did. "Who is it?"
A playful grin suddenly graced his face. "I'm not gonna tell you that. You wouldn't tell me about yours."
She grimaced, knowing his statement to be true. But a brilliant idea then pops in her head. "Well, if I guess it, will you tell me?"
"Uhhh…"
"Come oooon! It's only fair!" She pouted.
"I mean…" He had no idea what she was talking about. This was in no way fair.
"Is it Naia?" she immediately questioned before he can change his mind.
He let out the loudest laugh she's ever heard from him. "No. I like her like a sister. A little sister for that matter."
She felt her heart stop with relief at this, but she's well-aware that Naia wasn't the only girl in their group. So, she made it her duty to ask about everyone else. "If it isn't any of the others or Naia, then who is it?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out." He winks with a mischievous beam. "Someday… because there's no way you're going to figure it out in this lifetime."
"Jerk." She made a face and crossed her arms.
"Sure, but I'm a jerk that lets you invade my personal space."
Knowing it's more than the truth, Megan merely mumbled, "Whatever. You're so… you're so…"
"Awesome unlike anyone else?" he offered proudly.
"Stupid," she finished.
He guffawed at her ridiculous behavior and decided to tickle her like there's no tomorrow.
"STOP!!! NO!!!" she protested in between giggles.
"You forget that I know your one weakness." He amped up the tickle meter, receiving even more pained giggles from her.
"YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!!! STOP!!!" She was sure that she would stop breathing at some point if he didn't.
"I don't know. Should I? This is a lot of fun." His smile only grew wider by the minute.
"Will you two stop flirting?" Logan interrupted with an unimpressed expression.
"We're not—" The two best friends uttered at the same time.
"I think we should ALL go back inside," Naia suggested, forcing a smile. "The party's over."
"Do you have your watch on backwards? It's only 8:30." Jacob raised an eyebrow at her weird reasoning.
Felicity, who had been swatting at her legs for a while, complained, "The mosquitoes are annoying. Can we please go back inside?"
"You heard the kid," Danica concurred.
"Says another kid," Logan sneered.
She merely stuck her tongue out mockingly in return.
"And another," Odell jeered at both of them.
Megan rolled her eyes at the immature butterfly effect slowly unfolding before her. "If it gets all of you to shut up, then fine. Let's all go back inside."
"Rude," Odell gasped in fake shock as they went on their way back to the house.
With just the two of them left way behind the others, Megan took this chance to shoot an unyielding question at Jared. "So, that's how it's gonna be?"
"What?" he replied rather clueless.
"Not telling each other our secrets," she reminded.
"Hey," he started off in a serious tone before mixing a bit of humor, "I told you about me liking one of Britney Spears' songs."
She made a face and rolled her eyes.
"Besides…" he said with a slight air of mystery, "Where's the fun in knowing? It's great how it is right now, isn't it?"
She gazed right into his eyes, truly unable to read whatever it was he was thinking or feeling at that moment. Only a strange atmosphere of confusion surrounded them. Knowing yet not knowing. Pushing or pulling? Perhaps none. That's one of the disadvantages when experiencing love at such a young age. Your gut told you that it was right there and yes, there was definitely something going on. Yet your brain tried to counter that with a logical explanation, even finding concrete evidence that THAT something was most certainly not stinking the entire place.
"You're right," she agreed, despite the multiple waves of inner conflict in her head, as they continued to walk side by side. "We have AAAALLL the time in the world."
He proceeded to put his arm around her and even chuckle at how adorable she looked.
This is enough. She thought to herself. Being with each other is enough.
At least it was for a while.
