Matt

The following evening, I invited Vanessa out to see a movie with me. We had been close before the end of the school year and I was hoping that by hanging out just the two of us again, we could re-establish the connection that had slowly begun to wane as the summer wore on.

When we arrived at the theater, she lingered by the concession stand with a look of longing on her face for the sour gummies. Smirking at her, I picked up a box and tossed it onto the counter. "I'll take one of those and a medium popcorn, please. Oh, and can I have one of those blue slushies too," I said to the teenager working the cash register. She nodded at me before going off to scoop out some popcorn into a bucket. The smell of the hot butter in the air had my stomach grumbling.

Vanessa gave me a shy smile. "You didn't have to do that."

"Of course, I did. With the way you were eyeing that candy, you probably would have been dreaming of Sour Patch Kids the whole time instead of focusing on the movie."

She laughed as she took the popcorn from the girl behind the counter, popping a kernel into her mouth. "I hope you realize that Addie's going to kill you if she finds out you took me to the movies and didn't invite her along too."

"I'll just distract her with french fries and she will forget all about it in two seconds." I paid for our snacks before we began making our way to the theater that was showing the comedy movie that Vanessa had selected.

She turned to look at me as she shook out some sour gummies into her palm. I smiled to myself. She just couldn't wait to break into them. "You're quite fond of her, aren't you?" Her eyes widened slightly and she covered her mouth as if she hadn't meant to let the words slip out but once she had asked the question, she looked at me expectantly for the answer.

I eyed her. "How good are you at keeping secrets?"

Vanessa bit her lip as she stopped walking. "Um...better than Addison," she muttered as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

I pulled open the door to the theater, waving her in ahead of me. "Alright, well in that case, I guess it's safe to admit that I actually do enjoy her company but if she ever finds out I told you that, I will deny, deny, deny with the intention of making you look like the liar in that scenario. I know how you two girls are with your gossiping and what I just said is not to be repeated."

Vanessa made her way up the stairs, picking out two seats in the middle of the back row. Wiping her hands on her shorts, she turned to face me. "Why do you want to keep that hidden from her so badly? Exactly how much do you enjoy her company? Do you want to date her?"

I spit out the slushie I had just been taking a sip of, wiping off the liquid that had dribbled onto my chin before bursting out into laughter. "I'm sorry, what? Me date Addie? Have you lost your mind? She might be fun to hang out with but as a girlfriend, she would be an extra-strength migraine. There is no pill large enough to handle her. No, when I do decide to date somebody, I want them to be a little bit more chill and laid back." I glanced over at Vanessa. "Kind of like how you are but maybe not as smart so I won't feel completely dumb on a regular basis."

She forced a smile as she shifted towards the movie screen. "The previews are about to start. We should probably be quiet now so we don't get kicked out."

I frowned at her before turning my attention to the front of the theater. What just happened? She had been chatty and then immediately shut down as if I had said something to offend her. I couldn't figure out what though. I had given her a compliment. Rubbing my temples, I stared straight ahead as the theater lights dimmed. I didn't understand females. I supposed it didn't matter how high maintenance or laid back they were, at some point or another, they all wound up giving me headaches.

As we watched the movie, Vanessa was so engrossed in what she was seeing that she hadn't even realized that she had picked up my hand that I had in the popcorn bucket as she reached for another fistful of the salty snack. I smirked as she brought it to her mouth before suddenly looking down when she realized something wasn't right. Her cheeks reddened as she dropped my hand just as quickly as if it were a hot coal. She glanced over at me to find me watching her which only made her blush even harder. "Sorry," she mouthed.

"It's ok," I mouthed back, chuckling.

After the movie ended, we hopped into my Jetta and she rolled down the window as I drove, sticking her head out and enjoying the cool night's breeze that wafted through the car. "Mmm," she said dreamily. "I just love summer." She turned to face me. "Don't you?"

"Sure. The beach, girls in bikinis at the beach, the pool, girls in bikinis at the pool; what's not to love?" My mind wandered back to the memory of one particular girl in a certain yellow bikini and I realized that I wouldn't object to getting in one more beach day with Vanessa and Addison before the summer ended.

She rolled her eyes, her expression turning cloudy. "You are such a guy. There's more to girls than just their looks, Matt."

"I know that," I said softly as I glanced over at her and cleared my throat. "I missed you, you know. You seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth this summer." I hung my arm out the window, letting the warm air tickle my skin. "At least with me anyways," I added.

She smiled at me, the dark look in her eyes being replaced by something far lighter. "I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional. I just wanted to take some time to focus on myself and get my head straight."

I furrowed my brows at her. "Head straight over what? You seem like you already have it all together."

Vanessa shrugged a shoulder. "You would be surprised the things I keep hidden from you."

My eyebrows shot up. "You have secrets from me, now do you? What are they?"

She laughed as she swept her hair back into a ponytail. "Tell you what? I'll exchange a secret for a secret but you have to go first."

I tapped my chin as I thought. "Ok, you are not to repeat this but I love the smell of lavender. It's my favorite scent and I can't get enough of it. Sometimes when I'm home alone, I have this one lavender candle that I'll break out and it always just mellows me." I studied her reaction as she tried to stifle a giggle. "You're laughing at me!" I stammered out. "Can't a guy indulge his senses every now and again?"

She broke out into uncontrollable giggles, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry but it's just so unexpected from you. You better watch out though, if that piece of information ever gets loose, there won't be a single girl in the 11th grade that won't race out to purchase a lavender-scented body spray from the mall."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, it shouldn't be getting out because you won't tell anybody, right?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps. As long as you obey my every command."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh geesus, you've been hanging out with Addison too much. You sound just like her." I nodded at her. "Ok, so what's your secret?"

She leaned forward to turn up the radio, blasting country music throughout the car. "My confession is that I love this song." She threw her hands up in the air, dancing, and singing as the wind blew her ponytail wildly around on her head. I watched her and it occurred to me that I had never seen her look so carefree or pretty before.

I gasped as I clutched at my chest. "That is hardly the same level of admission as mine and I feel cheated."

She giggled some more, ignoring the slight she had so casually tossed my way in favor of bopping along to the music. When the song ended, she rested her head back against the seat. "I don't want this night to end," she breathed. Suddenly, she whipped her head up and glanced over at me, her eyes sparkling as an idea took shape. "Let's just keep driving."

I grinned at her. "Ok. Where should we go?"

She propped her elbow on the window frame, resting her chin in her palm as she stared out at the trees whizzing past us. "How about the beach?"

"Sure. I'm always up for a spontaneous adventure that has the hint of a promise of getting into some mischief. No one will bat an eyelash at Matt Jones breaking some laws and trespassing on the beach after dark but they might tsk at good girl Vanessa Adams doing it though. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

She laughed. "Absolutely, although the gossip tomorrow after we get arrested will be how you're a bad influence on me. Is that a chance you're willing to take?"

I shook my head. "She was such a good apple before that delinquent boy got a hold of her and corrupted her."

Vanessa giggled as she propped her feet on the dash. "They did try to warn me. They told me that you racked up those Saturday detentions as if there were some kind of prize to be won for it."

Grinning broadly, I held up my palms. "Hey, I just really like school, ok? There's nothing wrong with me wanting to go an extra day. As a fellow school nerd, I would think you would be a little more understanding of that. God, you're so judgmental."

She poked me in the ribs, the smile never leaving her face. "How about if I tell everybody that it was my idea?"

"I think it's only fair," I said nodding. "Matt was so innocent before wild child Vanessa threatened him with geometry problems if he didn't take her to the ocean so she could smuggle dolphins back to her house in the trunk of his car."

She doubled over in laughter, her cheeks turning pink as she let out a snort. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Tell me, I didn't just do that."

"Wow, that's so embarrassing. I don't know if we can be friends anymore."

She covered her face with her hands and the action had my breath catching in my throat. Had she always been this adorable?

When we arrived at the beach, Vanessa sprinted out of the car and across the sand, sending granules flying all over in her wake. I tried to keep up but boots and the beach did not mix. She kept going, ditching her flip-flops in favor of running barefoot through the surf. As she waded up to her ankles in the foaming salt water, she smoothed out the creases in her shorts. The sleeveless black tank she was wearing clung to the curves on her upper half and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why she always felt the need to hide her figure under baggy t-shirts. She had a nice body that most guys would have jumped at the chance to run their hands over. She didn't need to be self-conscious of her changing form.

As the waves crashed around her legs, she turned to face me, beckoning me to her with a curved finger. "Come in, the water's actually not that cold."

I smiled as I watched her kick around in the water. I wasn't sure what had gotten into her these past few weeks to cause a change in her behavior but I was into this more carefree and confident side to her that she now had going on. As I hung back on the sand, I shoved my hands into the pocket of my sweatshirt and shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. "I'm afraid my jeans don't allow that kind of freedom at the moment."

She pouted her lips at me. "You can always change later. Live a little, Matt. It's summer. When will you have the opportunity to just enjoy the moment like this again?"

She had a point. I crouched down to untie the shoelaces on my boots before kicking them off along with my socks. I dashed out to join her, gasping as the frigid water rushed over my feet. She had deceived me. It was freezing. "Fuck, that's cold," I said through chattering teeth. She started laughing at my shocked expression and I darted over to her, picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. "You think that's funny, do you? I ought to toss you in and feed you to the sharks right now."

She giggled as she tried to pry herself free from my grasp. "No, please. Have mercy on me. I don't taste good."

I continued to hold her as she struggled to get loose. "I don't know about that," I murmured into her ear. "I bet our toothy friends would go wild for that belly full of sour gummies you're hiding."

Finally, she managed to slip out of my arms, taking several steps back before sheer terror flashed in her eyes. Her face turned pale as she shrieked. "Something just slithered past my feet. Oh my god, what was that?" She threw her hands around my neck as she let out another scream. "It did it again!"

I wrapped my arms around her lower half, hoisting her up as she slid her legs around my waist and pressed her body up against my chest, clinging to me for dear life. "It's ok," I soothed. "It's probably just some kind of a fish."

She pulled back to look at me, her face crimson. "I'm so mortified," she said, her voice muffled as she buried her head into my shoulder.

She peeked out at me once more and the smirk that had been on my face grew serious as I realized that her eyes were the lightest shade of brown with just a hint of green around the pupil. They were mesmerizing and I held her gaze, finding myself unable to pry my sights free of her stare.

She bit her lip and whatever spell had been temporarily cast over me was broken as a wave surged forward, causing me to lose my balance and stumble a little bit. She cleared her throat before sliding herself off of me and tucking a lock of hair that had escaped loose from her ponytail behind her ear.

She took a deep breath. "Matt," she began, her voice shaky. "What's your best memory? You've already told me your worst but what's your best?"

Wading out of the water, I took a seat on the sand and wrung out the bottom of my wet jeans before answering her. I traced my finger through the damp clumps of sand that had been kissed by the ocean time and time again as I smiled to myself. "It was last summer," I recalled. "It was my birthday and I woke up to the sound of giggles outside my bedroom window. I looked out just in time to see a raven-haired girl and her brunette friend fleeing down the sidewalk. Curious as to what mischief they could have possibly been up to, I went down the stairs and opened the front door to see a balloon tied to the knob and a homemade card wishing me Happy Birthday." I shrugged, feeling my cheeks grow warm. "I know it probably sounds silly to you but it meant a lot to me. It was the first time I had friends in my life and people that actually cared about me." I stared down at the little circles I was drawing into the sand before chancing a glance over at Vanessa.

Her eyes met mine and I noticed that they were gleaming. "That's so precious, Matt," she whispered. Oh no, the last thing I wanted was for her to get all weepy and sentimental on me because I was as innocent as a baby fawn frolicking through the meadow. So shoot me for feeling normal for once and liking the fact that somebody actually gave a damn about me.

I dug my knuckles into the ground, kneading at the granules before clearing my throat and turning my attention on her. "Ok, what about you? Best and worst memory. It's only fair."

She lay back, stretching her arms above her head as she stared at the night sky. "I would say this moment right now about tops the list."

I spread out beside her, crossing my ankles as I propped my arms behind my head. "It's because of the free candy, isn't it?"

She poked me in the ribcage. "No, silly. Well, I admit that helps but what I mean is do you ever just have one of those days where there's something magical in the air and you just feel so alive? That you know you'll never forget that moment as long as you live?"

I rolled over on my side to glance at her. "Sadly, I don't know what you mean but it does sound nice."

She patted my knee. "One day you'll have that moment and you'll understand what I'm talking about."

I nodded, contemplating this. "Hmm, maybe. So without sounding too much like a jerk, what's the worst thing that's ever happened to you?"

She fiddled her thumbs around each other as she bit her lip. "I don't want to say."

I reached over to squeeze her hand. "It can't be any worse than mine. Troy literally kicked rocks at me and told me to quit crying over my dead mother. If that's not completely traumatizing then I don't know what is."

Making a face, she glanced over at me. "That's exactly why I don't want to tell you. Mine sounds so trivial and dumb in comparison to that."

I raised myself up on my elbows. "Hey, just because something awful happened to me, it doesn't make your experiences any less painful. It obviously had a big enough impact on you to label it as your worst memory. What was it?"

She sighed as she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. Gazing out at the dark water, she began speaking. "Aaron Long was the first guy I ever had a crush on. He had sandy blonde hair, light green eyes and he was taller than all the other boys in my class. He excelled at math, was well-liked, and played soccer. I was completely smitten with him for most of my middle school years. One day in the locker room, Quinn Spears overheard me gushing about him to Addison. She was the class gossip and immediately ran off to tell him as soon as the next period rolled around. I was sitting at my desk going over my notes for science class when she blurted out that Vanessa Adams was completely obsessed with him. He looked over at her and asked 'Who?' She pointed at me and as his beautiful eyes locked with mine, he scoffed and said, 'Ew, no thank you. She's ugly.' Then he laughed! He actually laughed, Matt. I cried into my pillow that night after I ripped his picture out of the yearbook and flushed it down the toilet. Now every time I look in the mirror and focus on how my nose is too small or my hair's an awkward texture where it's not quite curly but it's not quite straight either, his words ring out in my head and I realize that he's right."

Shit. What a jerk the guy was to have her believing that about herself. My blood boiled and I wanted to punch the loser for ever being that cruel to her. "He's an asshole, V." I shook my head. "Can't people ever just keep their negative opinions to themselves?" I glanced over at her, my lips tugging up at the corners. "I'm sure my opinion doesn't count for much, being your uncool friend and all but what he said about you is not true. You're a far cry from ugly."

She stilled before slowly turning her head to me. "You really think so?"

I clapped her on the back. "Yea, absolutely." I reached over to press my finger against her nose. "Besides, I like your little button nose. You look like a cute bunny when you wrinkle it up."

She parted her lips as she stared at me, a look of amazement crossing her face before she broke out into a wide grin. "Th...thanks..." she stuttered.

She settled into the sand beside me once more and we spent the rest of the night pointing out the different constellations to each other and reliving more of our past until the sky turned grey with the first hint of dawn. That's when it occurred to me that just like with our bodies, thoughts, and lives that were also changing, there was now something that was evolving in the way I felt towards her and it scared the hell out of me.