Chapter Seven

I feel the sun beaming down on me as I sit on my porch on a 70-degree day. I love this time of year when winter is ending and spring is just beginning. The possibilities of the new season seem endless. This could be the time when your life will finally change

I push back my hair as the wind threatens to tear it out of its so carefully made ponytail that's more of a badly contained afro. It's hard to manage my hair and I won't let the wind ruin my hard work.

I'm usually never outside my house for more than two minutes, but I decided not to waste this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I was rereading one of my old favorites from Jenny Han but set the book aside to watch the world in front of me. People driving by probably think I'm crazy with my gray hoodie and pajama pants adorned with various breakfast foods and pink slides.

I've been home from church for a few hours and it's nearing 3 pm. Destiny left before church this morning to go home and change. I offered her some of my clothes, but she declined stating, "She had to go home at some point."

I haven't spoken to Jace since last night when I realized we share the same beliefs. I explained to him my difficulties in finding myself while I'm growing up in a community and family where nobody believes what you do. He asked why I couldn't just tell them the truth, but I explained that sharing my beliefs would make me a pariah and probably end in me being disowned. He thought I was being dramatic. If only he knew.

"How was Sunday School?" My father asked me at dinner. We were having fried fish and corn with my mom's signature iced tea, I really shouldn't call it hers considering she just used some store-bought powder and sink water with a few lemons.

"It was good!" I say fake enthusiasm oozing from my voice. I wouldn't know how Sunday School went considering I didn't go. I went last week and hated every second of it so now I just bribe the teacher, who has a sugar addiction, with Strawberry Poptarts to say that I did go.

Thankfully he didn't ask any more questions even though I prepared myself for them if he did ask. I wasn't good at lying, but if I need to I'll get it done.

Brielle, who is sitting across from me, is texting under the table. She glanced up every few seconds to make it seem like she's paying attention to us. My mother is engaged in a new conversation with my father about last week's episode of Greenleaf, her new favorite show. It's about the family who runs this huge fictional megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee. I watched an episode or two, they do a hell of a lot of sinning to be leading a church. My mother is obsessed with those Tyler Perry cheesy soap operas so this is an upgrade in my opinion.

I'm silent as I stare down at my empty plate. I excuse myself from the table and start cleaning up the kitchen. My mother comes in while I'm washing the dishes and places a warm hand on my shoulder causing me to spray water onto the wall in front of me.

"Sorry darling, didn't mean to scare you." I try to smile, but it comes out as a grimace.

"It's fine, how are the kids?" I ask, only halfway concerned with the answer.

My mother is an elementary school teacher which is all fun and games until you walk into your third-grade classroom and your mother is writing your last name on the board. Long story short, that was a hard year considering the fact that I had to take my teacher home with me every day. The third graders at Lincoln Elementary were ruthless without my mother showing the whole class my baby pictures whenever she turned on the projector to show her computer screen.

"They are good, thanks for asking!" Her wide smile and cheery voice infects me with joy inside.

That's the thing about my mom she's always cheery even when there's a thunderstorm outside and a million reasons to be angry, she never is. This is something neither of her children inherited, but I got her eyes and lips while Brielle got her near-perfect bone structure and slim thick body. I'm thick, just not slim and Brielle never lets me forget.

"Watch it, thunder thighs," Brielle says right on time, bumping past me to put her dishes in the sink.

I noticed that my father hasn't come out of the dining room, so after I finish the dishes I go and sit next to him. He is staring down at his computer screen, that I must not have noticed at dinner. He starts scratching his graying beard, in deep concentration. I pulled out a book from my purse, that I brought down at dinner and started reading next to him. We never said a word.

______________________________________

The first person I see on Monday morning is my poster of Drake on my bedroom wall. School is closed today for some random holiday so Jace asked if I wanted to hang out today. I accepted, seeing as I have nothing else better to do.

We decided to meet for a 9 am breakfast at the Waffle House which is an equal distance away from both of our houses, not that I was going to tell him that. At first, I protested waking up before noon but shut my mouth when he mentioned that he was paying. When I told Destiny this, she thought it was a date, but I can't bring myself to think of any of our interactions as anything other than strictly platonic. I adamantly refused all of her accusations, but she refused to believe me.

"What are you going to wear on your breakfast date?" Destiny asked me on facetime as I was washing my face. She wiggles her eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner.

"Again, not a date!" She ignored me and raved on possible outfit choices. She mentioned short skirts and crop tops, but I think she's forgetting that it's 60 degrees outside today and I get cold easily. I never told her my real outfit choice was American Eagle jeans and my favorite yellow H&M hoodie with a mini Mickey Mouse symbol in the corner. She would've run over here and undressed me herself.

She was still talking as I got in the car. I briefly told my parents about my whereabouts like the location just not who I was going with and thankfully they didn't ask which is unlike them. I think they didn't care because Waffle House is in a relatively safe neighborhood.

Destiny starts talking about Kayden and I suddenly pay attention.

"He keeps trying to get with me and he's cute and all-"

"Let me stop you right there," I interrupt. "Kayden is the best looking boy in that nasty ass school, better than Dondre, Latrell, and that whole group combined!" She scoffs, unsatisfied with my answer.

"What do you have against Kayden?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "He's too soft."

"No, he's dedicated and smart and loyal and..." She still looks unimpressed and I know the reason why. "Are you serious? He respects you and genuinely likes you. Is it soft to be respectable?"

"No, it's soft to showcase your emotions throughout the whole school and not give a damn about what anybody thinks." Bingo.

"You're scared," I say calmly and she jerks her head back. Her bonnet almost fell off in the process.

"What!" Defensive.

"You're scared that you could genuinely like him, unlike all these other phonies who you only with for a minute. You're scared that if you like him then he's just going to break your heart and you'll have wasted all that emotion for nothing." She's silent. Finally, I got a breakthrough.

"You're wrong." She says quietly, a few minutes later.

"No. I'm not."

"No," Destiny sighs. She knows I'm right. "You're not."

"Just think about it," I say pulling into the parking lot and into a spot next to Jace's car. "I have to go, Des."

"Love you, Scar."

"Love you more!" I say with a cheery smile before hanging up the phone. I get out of the car and walk inside the restaurant.

I see Jace in a booth, concentrating on a menu in his hand. His glasses are sliding farther down his nose and I can see his black wool coat hanging from the seat. He is wearing a green sweater and jeans and his hair is more tousled than usual. His cheeks are red probably from the cold outside and he still hasn't noticed me at the door.

I slide into the seat across from him and he looks up, his brown eyes meeting mine. He gives me a small smile and I return it. A waiter comes over and asks us for drinks with a sweet smile like most of the employees here. I think it's in their contract to be nice with a Southern accent and charm. We both coincidentally order hot chocolates even though I would expect Jace to drink black coffee or nasty orange juice. I just needed a reason to nip this friendship in the bud. It's supposed to be short-lived anyway.

"Good morning."

"I hate that it's still morning. I should still be in bed right now, sleeping my day away!"

"If it was too early for you, then you shouldn't have come." He says teasingly

"I wasn't going to pass up free food, asshole." The waiter comes back with our drinks and we both lick the whipped cream off. I was hesitant at first until I saw Jace do the same thing to his drink, then it became a contest on who got through it fast enough without getting burned.

I hissed as I hit the bottom of the whipped cream mountain and Jace did a celebratory hoot with hints of his victory on his nose. I was contemplating not telling him until I decided to be the bigger person.

"Missed a spot, winner," I say, using my thumb to get it off his nose. He starts to squirm, but I hold his jaw with my other hand while he closes his eyes. I wipe it off and remove my hands from his face causing him to relax as I lick my finger.

"You-" Whatever thought he had died out when the waiter came back to take our food orders.

We again coincidentally ordered the same thing which is the only thing I've ever gotten from here, The All-Star Special. I got mine with two Sunny Side up eggs, grits, bacon, and a chocolate chip pancake. I got my eggs runny so I can mix the grits and bacon with the yolk. Jace makes a face when I say the way I like my eggs. He got two scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, and a blueberry pancake. The waiter leaves and we turn to each other again.

"Runny eggs are disgusting." He said, looking like he just found a bug in his Big Mac (true story, never went back to the McDonalds near my house again.)

"I don't remember asking for your opinion about my breakfast choices," His cheeks redden. "Runny eggs are delicious especially when you mix everything together." His face grows into one of horror as I explain what I do with my runny eggs.

"Your weird breakfast choices are none of my concern. I'm just glad you aren't scared to eat around me," I nod in understanding, Destiny is the same way. She won't order anything when she's out with a guy she likes except for water and a salad. I'm not big on being exceptionally healthy therefore salad and water could never work for me.

"I know some people like that, but I don't care. If I'm hungry, I'm going to eat and nobody is going to stop me."

"Most of the girls my brother brings home are like that and I won't judge, but you really shouldn't care."

"One hundred percent agreed!" I say leaning into him. "Everybodys like, what if he doesn't like the way I eat? Or thinks I'm fat! But who cares? It's your body and if you plan on being long term then you have to show them how you eat at some point!" I'm happy to have somebody who agrees with me while I'm surrounded by Erika and Destiny all day who are all starving themselves on dates to get guys to like them.

"Some guys actually do care about that kind of stuff, like 60 percent of my school's male population and most of Jasper's friends." A question pops into my mind when he mentions Jasper.

"How did you and Jasper turn out so different?" He suddenly looks uncomfortable and I regret asking, but he answers anyway.

"When we stopped being friends," He says in air quotes. "We hung in different groups and he met some questionable people who shaped his mind into a misogynistic spoiled asshole who unfortunately like the rest of his friends, hid their personalities pretty well. They disguised themselves as the epitome of perfection and the more he pretended the more he believed the words he was saying." He stares down at the salt shaker with such intensity I thought it might burst.

"So basically, he acts like he's this amazing guy when really he's a disrespectful asshole," Jace nodded, avoiding all eye contact. "If he's like that then what are you?" He doesn't answer before the food comes and we are too busy stuffing our faces to answer. I know he's secretly grateful to be finished with this conversation.

He grimaced as I cut up my runny eggs and mixed them with the grits and ate them with my bacon. I ignored him and purposely moaned in delight. He finished before I did and watched as I ate my waffle. I learned a long time ago that I was a messy eater and I was feeling a little self-conscious that he was watching the chocolate sauce that was dripping down my chin. He didn't say a word as I wiped my face with a napkin, revealing that I indeed made a mess on my face.

"You missed a spot." He pointed out as I was placing the used napkin on the plate. "I can get it."

He grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and my cheeks reddened as he placed a soft hand on my chin. He wipes my right cheek gently and slowly. He finishes, leaving my cheek cold without the warmth of his hand.

"Thank you," I say shyly, slightly embarrassed that he wiped egg yolk off my cheek.

He leaves to go pay the check and I reach in my pocket to check my phone since I haven't used it for the hour and a half we've been sitting here. My lock screen reveals six messages from Destiny.

Destiny: How is the date?

Did he kiss you?

Did you kiss him???

I NEED UPDATES!!!!!

SCARLETT!!!

Me: Calm your tits!

It wasn't a date, but.......the breakfast was nice

Update: He saw me eat super nasty and probably won't ever talk to me ever again

Destiny: I told you to stick with the salad! You know you eat bad!!!

Me: SHUT UP!

I look over and see Jace walking towards me with an easy smile.

Me: I have to gooooo! He's back.

Destiny: GETTTT YOUR MANNNN

"Ready to go?" He asks, putting his coat on. I shove my phone back in my pocket and give him my full attention.

"Yeah sure, are we done for the day or......" I trail off, secretly not wanting this to be over. He raises an eyebrow.

"Only if you're not sick of me yet?" I shake my head so he continues. "Want to go to Barnes and Noble?" I nod my head quickly with a megawatt smile.

We planned to meet at our spot in thirty minutes, a rough estimate of how long it'll take to get there. We parted ways at our cars and drove off. He must've taken a different way than me because I don't see his car anywhere on the road. I walked in with ten minutes to spare so I can spend some time in the teen fiction section before he gets here.

I skimmed the covers of the books until I'm at the end of the last shelf. I swing to the other side just to run into somebody.

"I guess great minds think alike," Jace says, looking down at me. He has the newest Harry Potter novel in his hand and I groan.

"Of course, you're one of those kids." He looks down at the book in his hand then takes a step back, looking back at me with shock.

"One of what kids?" His voice low like he was testing me.

"The ones who think Harry Potter is the best book series on Earth and everybody should love Harry Potter blah blah blah Gryfinn-whatever." He clutches the book to his chest and stares at me in horror.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" He yells, frightening a woman passing by with her young son.

"You're obsessed!"

"I know what's good, have you ever even read any of the books?" I bite my lip

"No, but I know it's over-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He interrupts, refusing to look at me.

He grabs my hand and drags me over to the Harry Potter section and picks up the first book. I try to snatch it away, but his grip is tight as he drags me over to the children's section which has actual children in it this time. He unhands me and points to the seat. I place my hand on my hip and stare at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, where are my manners? Please, sit down," He sits down in front of me in the beanbag chair and hands me the book. "I'm about to change your life. You're welcome!" I toss the book back to him.

"Yeah, no I'm not reading this."

"Please, just give it a try." He pleads, but I refuse. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Besides it being entirely overhyped and stupid, " He scoffs and I give him the stink eye. "I'm not into fantasy books."

"Like fairytales aren't fantasy?"

"Those are different. Harry Potter is about wizards and has stupid words like Dumbledore and Quidditch." He lets out a loud gasp, scaring some nearby child.

"I'm going to ignore the disrespect that you just gave Professor Dumbledore." I roll my eyes at his dramatics. "I would really like you to just give it a try."

"I'm good," I say, walking back and getting a book that I'll actually like.

"I'll read it to you!" He says hastily. I stopped moving and turned to him. I've never had somebody read to me before. It's one of those movie moments that could never happen in real life, but there's this boy sitting in front of me asking to read to me. I'm prepared to stand my ground and say...

"Okay." I surprise myself by agreeing, but the eager grin that showed up on his face was worth it.

We make ourselves comfortable in the children's section of Barnes and Noble and Jace begins reading.

By the time our few hours at Barnes and Noble are up we have made it through ¾ of the first book. I surprised myself by not totally hating it. The book was genuinely interesting. I could tell Jace was getting a lot out of being right.

I decided to buy the second book along with the first and Jace kept bumping into me with a big ass grin on his face. The older lady at the cash register kept looking up at us with a small smile. She probably noticed Jace poking me every two seconds just so I can look at him and be reminded of his victory.

"You are a gorgeous couple." She mentions and a blush covers Jace's cheeks. I'm about to correct her when Jace pokes me again. I had to push him out of the store to get him to stop.

He walked me to my car and stood directly in front of me causing me to strain my neck.

"I had fun today, Jacey!" He groaned at his nickname. "What's wrong, Jace-y?" I say slowly to irritate him.

"I had fun today too, thank you for putting up with me." He slings an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer.

"It was my pleasure," I say pinching his arm. He yelped loudly and removed it quickly. "That was for gloating!"

"I'm going to let you get away with that one, but I'm going to get you back."

"Oh, I'm so scared!" I waved my hands, exaggerating. He reaches towards me and I duck out of his reach. He picks me up, leaving me with no place to go.

"NO, JACE LET ME GO!" He ignores me and spins around with his hands on my waist. "JACE, FUCK YOU!" He sets me down and laughs uncontrollably. I lunge for his neck, but he holds my hands away from me.

"You're the worst!" He raises his eyebrows, still holding my wrists.

"Yeah, I know." He lets them go before backing away slowly but not into the open street.

"Thank you again for today!"

"We can do it again if you want."

"I would really like that!" And I realize that I actually would.

"Good day, m' lady!" He awkwardly attempts a curtsy and I mimic him, not doing any better.

"Good day, sir!" I say before getting into my car. Out of my rearview mirror, I watch him walk back to the sidewalk and out of my sight.

There's something about him. He is different from the boys in the movies. He's real. He's an asshole, but he's also kind like the sort of guy who cries when he watches sad animal movies. He's not afraid to say what he thinks but doesn't try to hurt anybody's feelings. Jace is charming like all the girls at their sister school probably try to get with him, but he's also shy so he doesn't entertain them. I want to know him, to figure out his quirks and his interests and his habits. His life story. His passions. His dreams. And definitely more about that Jasper story.

That poor boy doesn't even know what he's in for.