“A Dollar for Your Thoughts?”
Liz collapsed on the bench, her book bag dropping to the ground with a thud. Ugh, this is the worst day of my life.
Leaning forward, she pulled her iPod from her bag and began to listen to music. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her music, blocking everything else out. But as she sat there, she could feel tears begin to run down her cheeks; and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t stop.
Stephen slid his key into his lock, twisted it, and opened his locker. He glanced at his friend Mark, “What do you have for homework?”
Mark stuffed a book in his backpack and replied, “Chemistry and -.” He stopped and stood up straight as he remembered what he had wanted to tell Stephen. He turned his head to look at Stephen and asked “Did you hear that Rick broke up with Liz?”
Stephen swung around to face Mark, his left hand brushing his out-of-control blond hair away from his eyes. “What? When?” Stephen’s voice was controlled, but Mark knew that what Stephen had just heard made him anything but calm.
Mark shrugged, “This morning. When she found out he was cheating on her; she confronted him and he broke up with her.”
“I knew he was a jerk,” Stephen said through clenched teeth. He turned and slammed the locker door none too softly. “Where do you think she is?”
Mark closed his locker more softly than Stephen. “Probably at the bench like she always is after school.”
Stephen slung his backpack onto his back and began to walk away. “Thanks, I’ll call you later.”
Mark reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You making your move, dude?”
Stephen turned back to look at him and for a moment Mark could see the deep sadness showing through his normally cheerful composure. “No, just going to be there.”
“With a penny?”
Stephen nodded, “With a penny.”
Mark couldn’t help a slight grin. “Good, but all the same, good luck.”
Stephen stared at him for another moment and then his normal expression returned. He simply nodded once, said, “Thanks,” and walked away.
Mark picked up his backpack and watched Stephen walk away. He glanced up at the sky and breathed a quick prayer. “Lord, guide their steps, and help me know how to help them if I need to. Amen.”
Even from across the courtyard, Stephen could see that Liz was crying. What do I say? I know exactly what it’s like to be in this type of situation, but I don’t know what to say. I doubt “It’ll be alright,” or “He didn’t deserve you,” will help her. After all, those statements didn’t give me any comfort when I was recovering from Gabby dumping me.
He sighed. Even with tear-streaked cheeks, she looked incredibly beautiful. Her big brown eyes and long brown hair are what do it for me. We’ve been friends for so long, but I’ve never been able to show her my feelings.
I remember when she was the only one who didn’t give me trite statements for comfort. She just sat next to me as I cried, one arm around my shoulders, and spoke from her heart. He nodded slightly, still looking at her. That’s what I’ll do.
Liz opened her eyes and pulled out her earphones. She quickly wiped her eyes and glanced at her watch. 3:15. Mom should be here soon.
She heard footsteps echoing in the now empty courtyard and looked up to see Stephen walking towards her. The sight of her tall, lanky friend with his crazy blond hair, carrying his trademark journal almost made her smile.
He walked up to her, a silly grin on his face, and said, “A penny for your thoughts?”
Liz almost let a slight smile show. She looked up at him. “Sorry Stephen, but I don’t want to talk right now.”
He sighed and reached into his pocket, “Fine, how ‘bout a dollar?”
Liz silently turned away.
“Can I sit down?”
Still she said nothing.
“I’m taking that as a yes,” he said and he sat down next to her on the bench, leaving his backpack on the ground and his journal on the bench beside him.
He took a deep breath, trying to think of what to say. Here I go.
Stephen opened his mouth to speak; but before he could, Liz spun around and yelled in his face, “What did I do wrong?”
Stephen gave her a strange look, like he was in pain. “I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”
“Then why did he cheat on me? Why wasn’t I good enough for him?”
He looked her in the eyes, and she could see how truly sad he was for her. “I honestly don’t know, but I do know one thing. It wasn’t your fault. He made the mistake and he will regret it. Just remember that God loves you and lots of other people do too. In the end, everything will work out and if it doesn’t I’ll change it so it does.”
By now tears had begun to run down Liz’s face again, but she managed to smile, “Where have I heard that before?”
He grinned back, “You said it the day after Gabby dumped me and I’ll never forget it. It’s what kept me going.” He reached out and wiped her cheek with the sleeve of his jacket. “So take your own advice, and remember I’ll be around to help.”
She nodded and turned away. Wiping away at her eyes a couple times, she sniffed loudly and whispered, “Thanks.”
A loud car horn sounded and they both looked up to see Liz’s mom sitting in her van at the edge of the parking lot a few yards away.
Liz looked back at him, “Well, I guess I better go. Thanks again.” She wiped her eyes again and grinned.
She’d grabbed her bag and began to walk away when Stephen acted impulsively and called out, “Hey um Liz, would you like to go out for some ice cream later?”
She turned back, any traces of sadness gone and a big grin lit up her face, “Sure, that sounds great, but I have b-ball practice tonight and tomorrow. Does 7:00 Thursday at Sweet’s sound good?”
“Sounds good to me”
She smiled. “Great. I’ll tell you tomorrow if that won’t work for me.”
For a second, they just stood there looking at each other, then Stephen broke the silence, “Alright, well, see you later.”
Liz waved, “Bye,” and turned to walk to her car.
As he watched her walk away Stephen whispered, “I’ll be thinking about you.”
Stephen put his jacket on and looked at his watch. 6:48. Better get going, I don’t want to be late. He checked his pockets. Wallet? Check. Keys? Check. He walked to the front door, calling out, “Mom, I’m going to Sweet’s to meet Liz now.”
His mom stuck her head out of the kitchen and told him, “Alright, don’t be out too long.”
He opened the front door and walked onto the porch. “I won’t,” he called and closed the door.
Stephen stood there for a second, admiring the beautiful sunset on the western horizon. I wish I could know what she was thinking. He reached up to brush his hair away from his eyes. I wish I knew what I was thinking.
Sweet’s Ice Cream Shop was a few blocks down Stephen’s street, so he had just enough time to get there at 7:00. He walked down the sidewalk, a slight spring in his step. He hummed a random tune, not really sure what the words were, but he whispered lyrics that he made up as he walked anyways.
When he reached Sweet’s, he found Liz already sitting at a table by the door waiting for him. As she stood up and smiled at him, he felt his heart start to beat faster.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Her eyes became sad and the smile disappeared. She stepped forward whispering, “A little better now that you’re here,” and then wrapped her arms around his waist.
Stephen wasn’t really sure how to respond so he just put his arms around her and waited. He awkwardly smiled at one person who went past them and through the door. After a few seconds, Liz pulled away. Stephen reluctantly let her go though he wanted to hold her longer.
For a few seconds they stood there silently until Stephen stepped past Liz and opened the door. He put his hand on her shoulder, lightly pushing her through the doorway.
Liz looked around the tiny shop, breathing in the sweet sugary smell. She walked up to the counter and rang the bell next to the register. An old man with a gold name tag on his shirt that read, “Mr. Sweet” came out and asked, “What would you like, young lady?”
Liz ordered two scoops of peanut butter chocolate ice cream with white chocolate sauce. Mr. Sweet gave her the ice cream and said, “There you go.” Stephen ordered one scoop of Cookies n’ Cream and one scoop of peanut butter chocolate. After Stephen paid for the ice cream, they sat down at a small table in the corner.
“Man, I love this ice cream. Did you do your Calculus homework yet?” asked Stephen before he took a bite of his ice cream.
She shook her head and then reached up to twirl her hair around her finger. “I just sat in front of the TV and read like 100 pages of Shadow in the Deep.”
Stephen had just taken another bite of ice cream so he waited a few seconds until he had swallowed and said, “Don’t worry, it was just derivative review. Is the book good so far? I’m almost done with Bringer of Storms.”
“Yeah it’s pretty good, but I still have a lot left to read.”
They chatted about a few other classes and other books they had read recently. When they had both finished their ice cream, they sat and talked for almost another half hour. Then Stephen left the table to go to the bathroom.
As Liz sat at the table waiting for Stephen to come back, she couldn’t help letting her thoughts wander. I wonder what he would say if he knew I’ve cried myself to sleep the last two nights and that the only thing really keeping me going the last two days was knowing that I was going to hang out with him tonight.
She thought back to their talk on the bench. He cares about me, I can see that in his eyes; but there’s something else too.
At that moment Stephen came back and sat down. He gave her an awkward smile, and she didn’t know why but she blushed as he looked at her. Wow, I’ve never noticed how blue his eyes were.
Stephen looked down at his watch, “Its 7:46. We should probably go. You have homework and I have some chores I need to do.”
Liz nodded reluctantly, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
She got up and followed Stephen out of the door into the night. I don’t want to leave here. I was starting to feel happy. Stephen stopped and turned to look at her. Correction. I think don’t want to leave him.
She walked up to him and gave him a hug. For a second she rested there with her head on his chest, then she pulled away. She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for everything,” she whispered.
Then she began to walk down the street towards her house. Even though she forced herself not to look back, she knew Stephen was staring after her.
Stephen opened his journal and spun his pencil slowly in his left hand, as he stared at the blank page. Where do I start? There’s so much to write about. He tossed his pencil into the air and caught it. The beginning, I guess that’s usually the best place to start. He thought for another moment, then he began to write.
1/28
It’s been almost two weeks since the night Liz kissed me. I haven’t written anything about it since then. I guess I didn’t know what to write. I still don’t really.
Why do humans have the horrible tendency to avoid talking about the one thing that is in the forefront of their minds, the one thing that they can’t stop thinking about? I know I haven’t stopped thinking about that night. And sometimes I look at her and she has a strange look on her face.
We’ve been around each other a lot more than usual lately. She’s been sitting with Mark and me at lunch and hanging out with us other times of the day too. The strangest part is how much time we’ve been spending together outside of school. Most of it is her doing. She’s been calling almost every afternoon to see if I want to take a walk or study with her.
We went out to Sweet’s for ice cream once; only once. It was her idea. That was two days ago. I’m not really sure what she was thinking, it was really awkward.
Spending all this time with her has been really confusing. It feels great to be around her so much, but I don’t know what to think. Is she spending so much time with me to keep her mind off of Rick, or does she have feelings for me?
I guess the question I need to ask is whether it’s time to make a move? Should I ask her out? I mean, should I see if she really likes me?
Ugh, I’ll never understand girls.
I’m going to call Mark.
Stephen closed his journal, slid the pencil into the binding, and picked up his cell phone. He dialed 637-0822 and put the phone to his ear.
It rang for a couple seconds, then there was a click and Mark’s voice on the other end said, “Hey Stephen, you finally ready to talk?”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry it took me so long.”
“It’s alright, dude. I’m just hanging out on the trampoline so whenever you’re ready.”
Stephen sighed, “I guess I’m just confused about how I should handle this?”
“Ok wait, back up here. Tell if I have this right. She kissed you that night. You two have been hanging out almost every day since then. Almost three weeks now. You really like her, she really likes you, and you both are way too scared to say anything.”
“Wait, she likes me,” Stephen slowly.
Stephen heard Mark laugh into the phone, “Yeah, you idiot. She really likes you.”
Stephen started tapping his desk, “So assuming you actually know what you’re talking about, what do you think I should do?”
“You’re so dumb. Ask her to Winter Banquet.”
Stephen stopped tapping. “I’d have to ask her by Friday. It’s Monday, and you know I’m horrible at being creative with these kinds of things.”
“So who says you have to be creative? And if you really want to be creative, Charity and I can help.”
“Hmm… I guess I’ll think about it.”
“Good, and another thing.”
“Yes?”
“All these times you and Liz have hung out, did you ask her to hang out or did she ask you?”
Stephen paused for a moment and then spoke reluctantly, knowing what Mark was going to say, “Except for the first night, she’s been the one calling me.”
“I think you should ask her to hang out after school tomorrow.”
“I guess I should, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes, right now. Hang up, call her, and see if she is available.”
Slowly Stephen nodded, “alright, I’ll talk to you later. And Mark, thank you.”
Stephen could hear the smile in Mark’s voice, “I’ve always got your back, always.”
Stephen grinned, “And I’ve always got yours.”
“Good luck, buddy.”
“Thanks. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Liz stared at the phone in her hand. Should I call him? I don’t want to be annoying, I just really enjoy hanging out with him.
She slowly dialed his number, and let her finger hover over the call button. After a few seconds she pressed the cancel button. I’ll wait ‘til tomorrow.
Liz slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and reached for the book sitting on the bed beside her. She opened the book and read the first two words on the page, “Nathan Shepherd…” Before she could get any farther, her phone rang.
She sighed. I’m never going to actually start this book. She closed the book and put it in her lap. She took her phone out of her pocket and looked at it. Stephen? She opened the phone and put it to her ear. I wonder why he’s calling me.
“Hey, Stephen”
“Hey, Liz. So… do you want to come over tomorrow afternoon and hang out with me? We can play some Wii, take a walk, or whatever else you want to do. I know it’s Tuesday but you won’t have much homework to do, so it should be fine.” He paused, “Sound like fun?”
She smiled and said, “That sounds great. Does right after school sound good? Your mom can drive us home.”
“Alright, I’m sure that will work. I’m going to crush you at Mario Kart.”
Liz grinned and replied teasingly, “You haven’t beaten me yet.”
“We’ll see, we’ll see. I should go, it’s time for dinner.”
“Alright, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” Liz smiled to herself and then hung up the phone.
Stephen closed his locker and turned to look at Mark. “That Calc test was so hard, I hope I passed.”
Mark grinned at him and replied, “I thought it was pretty easy.”
Stephen shook his head. “Whatever, you’re ridiculous. I’m just glad this day is over.”
Mark laughed and teased, “Of course you are.”
Stephen laughed and gave him a soft shove, “Yeah I guess that’s the reason.”
Their friend Charity walked up while they were still laughing and said, “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, Mark’s just making fun of me again,” replied Stephen.
Charity grinned, “Like that’s never happened before.” Then she turned to Stephen and said, “I just saw Liz sitting by herself, it looked like she had been crying.”
Stephen raised an eyebrow, “Hmm, where is she?”
“She’s over by the math room.”
Stephen reached down to pick up his backpack and then turned to his friends, “Pray for me guys.”
Mark winked at him and Charity nodded. Stephen smiled and then walked away.
Mark turned to Charity and said, “You and I need to help him ask her to Winter Banquet.”
Charity nodded, “All we need to do is leave her little clues to send her find him holding a big bouquet of roses; nothing too crazy.”
“Alright sounds good to me. I’ll call you later.”
Liz sat on the bench and stared forward blankly. I thought I was getting over him. She looked down and watched her foot tap the ground until she noticed a shadow approaching the bench. She didn’t look up, hoping whoever it was would walk past, but the shadow stopped in front of her and a hand placed a dollar in her lap. She stared at the dollar for a moment and then looked up at Stephen.
His eyes were twinkling and he had a sad smile. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, “So, what’s wrong?”
She laid her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I saw Rick… kissing Sarah. I thought I was over him, but it really bothered me. Then I sat down on the bench and cried.”
Stephen pulled her closer, “I’m so sorry.” He paused for a moment then continued, “It takes a long time to really get over someone. It’s not easy. It takes time and prayer and forgiveness.” He stopped again and then said, “I’m sorry, I’m not really sure what to say.”
“It’s alright,” she whispered, “You don’t need to say anything.”
The sat there for a few minutes each alone with their thoughts and then Stephen asked, “Do you still want to hang out? I understand if you don’t want to.”
She pulled away, stood up, and turned to face him, ‘I still want to hang out with you. Come on we should go, your mom will be waiting.” She put on her backpack and began to walk away.
Stephen watched her for a moment. Mark’s right, I should to ask her to Winter Banquet. I’ll do it on Thursday.
She turned back to look at him and asked, “Are you coming?”
He shook himself and grabbed his backpack, “Yep, I’m right behind you.”
“And don’t forget the homework is due tomorrow,” said Liz’s Writing teacher Miss Nelson just before the bell rang.
Liz didn’t get up but stared at the half-sheet of paper sitting on her desk. There was a short typed riddle on it.
Go to the place
Where variables rule
Where derivatives are your guide
There you will find the second clue
That’s easy; I need to go to C4, Mrs. J’s room. She picked up her backpack and walked out the door of the classroom. She walked to Mrs. J’s room still looking at the paper.
She opened the door and walked to Mrs. J’s desk. “Um, Mrs. J, I was wondering if anyone left anything for me.”
Mrs. Johnson looked up from the book she was reading and said, “Yes they did.” She handed her another half-sheet of paper that had been folded twice.
Liz opened it and read:
Go to the place you wait
Where things all began
There you will find a dollar
And your final clue
As she rushed out the door, she called back, “Thank you,” to Mrs. Johnson.
Liz walked up to the bench. There was no one there. A note and a dollar were taped on the back of the wooden bench.
She picked up both and fingered the dollar as she read the last note. It was five lines, handwritten. It said:
Here it comes
The final moment
All that has happened for this
The beginning
I have prayed
Stephen walked up behind Liz and put a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, startled. A tear was rolling down her cheek. Impulsively, Stephen leaned forward and kissed the tear away.
“I knew it was you,” she whispered.
Stephen took a deep breath, said, “Will you go to Winter Banquet with me?” and then handed her the biggest bouquet of roses he had been able to find.
The tears began to flow freely as she mouthed, “Yes,” unable to say anything else. She took the roses, set them on the bench, and wrapped her arms around him.
Stephen pulled her close and held her there for a long time.
That night Stephen sat down at his desk and opened his journal. He smiled, whispered, “Thank you, God,” and began to write.
2/1
Tonight was the greatest night of my life. Liz and I went out for ice cream. We talked, laughed, and had so much fun. It wasn’t awkward at all. I did officially ask her out too. She said yes of course.
The best part of the night happened on her front porch. I had walked her home and was about to say goodbye, when we kissed, softly. It felt so amazing.
Well I should go to bed. I need to get up early tomorrow and study for my Calculus quiz.
Goodnight.
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“A Dollar for Your Thoughts?”
Liz collapsed on the bench, her book bag dropping to the ground with a thud. Ugh, this is the worst day of my life.
Leaning forward, she pulled her iPod from her bag and began to listen to music. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her music, blocking everything else out. But as she sat there, she could feel tears begin to run down her cheeks; and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t stop.
Stephen slid his key into his lock, twisted it, and opened his locker. He glanced at his friend Mark, “What do you have for homework?”
Mark stuffed a book in his backpack and replied, “Chemistry and -.” He stopped and stood up straight as he remembered what he had wanted to tell Stephen. He turned his head to look at Stephen and asked “Did you hear that Rick broke up with Liz?”
Stephen swung around to face Mark, his left hand brushing his out-of-control blond hair away from his eyes. “What? When?” Stephen’s voice was controlled, but Mark knew that what Stephen had just heard made him anything but calm.
Mark shrugged, “This morning. When she found out he was cheating on her; she confronted him and he broke up with her.”
“I knew he was a jerk,” Stephen said through clenched teeth. He turned and slammed the locker door none too softly. “Where do you think she is?”
Mark closed his locker more softly than Stephen. “Probably at the bench like she always is after school.”
Stephen slung his backpack onto his back and began to walk away. “Thanks, I’ll call you later.”
Mark reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You making your move, dude?”
Stephen turned back to look at him and for a moment Mark could see the deep sadness showing through his normally cheerful composure. “No, just going to be there.”
“With a penny?”
Stephen nodded, “With a penny.”
Mark couldn’t help a slight grin. “Good, but all the same, good luck.”
Stephen stared at him for another moment and then his normal expression returned. He simply nodded once, said, “Thanks,” and walked away.
Mark picked up his backpack and watched Stephen walk away. He glanced up at the sky and breathed a quick prayer. “Lord, guide their steps, and help me know how to help them if I need to. Amen.”
Even from across the courtyard, Stephen could see that Liz was crying. What do I say? I know exactly what it’s like to be in this type of situation, but I don’t know what to say. I doubt “It’ll be alright,” or “He didn’t deserve you,” will help her. After all, those statements didn’t give me any comfort when I was recovering from Gabby dumping me.
He sighed. Even with tear-streaked cheeks, she looked incredibly beautiful. Her big brown eyes and long brown hair are what do it for me. We’ve been friends for so long, but I’ve never been able to show her my feelings.
I remember when she was the only one who didn’t give me trite statements for comfort. She just sat next to me as I cried, one arm around my shoulders, and spoke from her heart. He nodded slightly, still looking at her. That’s what I’ll do.
Liz opened her eyes and pulled out her earphones. She quickly wiped her eyes and glanced at her watch. 3:15. Mom should be here soon.
She heard footsteps echoing in the now empty courtyard and looked up to see Stephen walking towards her. The sight of her tall, lanky friend with his crazy blond hair, carrying his trademark journal almost made her smile.
He walked up to her, a silly grin on his face, and said, “A penny for your thoughts?”
Liz almost let a slight smile show. She looked up at him. “Sorry Stephen, but I don’t want to talk right now.”
He sighed and reached into his pocket, “Fine, how ‘bout a dollar?”
Liz silently turned away.
“Can I sit down?”
Still she said nothing.
“I’m taking that as a yes,” he said and he sat down next to her on the bench, leaving his backpack on the ground and his journal on the bench beside him.
He took a deep breath, trying to think of what to say. Here I go.
Stephen opened his mouth to speak; but before he could, Liz spun around and yelled in his face, “What did I do wrong?”
Stephen gave her a strange look, like he was in pain. “I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”
“Then why did he cheat on me? Why wasn’t I good enough for him?”
He looked her in the eyes, and she could see how truly sad he was for her. “I honestly don’t know, but I do know one thing. It wasn’t your fault. He made the mistake and he will regret it. Just remember that God loves you and lots of other people do too. In the end, everything will work out and if it doesn’t I’ll change it so it does.”
By now tears had begun to run down Liz’s face again, but she managed to smile, “Where have I heard that before?”
He grinned back, “You said it the day after Gabby dumped me and I’ll never forget it. It’s what kept me going.” He reached out and wiped her cheek with the sleeve of his jacket. “So take your own advice, and remember I’ll be around to help.”
She nodded and turned away. Wiping away at her eyes a couple times, she sniffed loudly and whispered, “Thanks.”
A loud car horn sounded and they both looked up to see Liz’s mom sitting in her van at the edge of the parking lot a few yards away.
Liz looked back at him, “Well, I guess I better go. Thanks again.” She wiped her eyes again and grinned.
She’d grabbed her bag and began to walk away when Stephen acted impulsively and called out, “Hey um Liz, would you like to go out for some ice cream later?”
She turned back, any traces of sadness gone and a big grin lit up her face, “Sure, that sounds great, but I have b-ball practice tonight and tomorrow. Does 7:00 Thursday at Sweet’s sound good?”
“Sounds good to me”
She smiled. “Great. I’ll tell you tomorrow if that won’t work for me.”
For a second, they just stood there looking at each other, then Stephen broke the silence, “Alright, well, see you later.”
Liz waved, “Bye,” and turned to walk to her car.
As he watched her walk away Stephen whispered, “I’ll be thinking about you.”
Stephen put his jacket on and looked at his watch. 6:48. Better get going, I don’t want to be late. He checked his pockets. Wallet? Check. Keys? Check. He walked to the front door, calling out, “Mom, I’m going to Sweet’s to meet Liz now.”
His mom stuck her head out of the kitchen and told him, “Alright, don’t be out too long.”
He opened the front door and walked onto the porch. “I won’t,” he called and closed the door.
Stephen stood there for a second, admiring the beautiful sunset on the western horizon. I wish I could know what she was thinking. He reached up to brush his hair away from his eyes. I wish I knew what I was thinking.
Sweet’s Ice Cream Shop was a few blocks down Stephen’s street, so he had just enough time to get there at 7:00. He walked down the sidewalk, a slight spring in his step. He hummed a random tune, not really sure what the words were, but he whispered lyrics that he made up as he walked anyways.
When he reached Sweet’s, he found Liz already sitting at a table by the door waiting for him. As she stood up and smiled at him, he felt his heart start to beat faster.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Her eyes became sad and the smile disappeared. She stepped forward whispering, “A little better now that you’re here,” and then wrapped her arms around his waist.
Stephen wasn’t really sure how to respond so he just put his arms around her and waited. He awkwardly smiled at one person who went past them and through the door. After a few seconds, Liz pulled away. Stephen reluctantly let her go though he wanted to hold her longer.
For a few seconds they stood there silently until Stephen stepped past Liz and opened the door. He put his hand on her shoulder, lightly pushing her through the doorway.
Liz looked around the tiny shop, breathing in the sweet sugary smell. She walked up to the counter and rang the bell next to the register. An old man with a gold name tag on his shirt that read, “Mr. Sweet” came out and asked, “What would you like, young lady?”
Liz ordered two scoops of peanut butter chocolate ice cream with white chocolate sauce. Mr. Sweet gave her the ice cream and said, “There you go.” Stephen ordered one scoop of Cookies n’ Cream and one scoop of peanut butter chocolate. After Stephen paid for the ice cream, they sat down at a small table in the corner.
“Man, I love this ice cream. Did you do your Calculus homework yet?” asked Stephen before he took a bite of his ice cream.
She shook her head and then reached up to twirl her hair around her finger. “I just sat in front of the TV and read like 100 pages of Shadow in the Deep.”
Stephen had just taken another bite of ice cream so he waited a few seconds until he had swallowed and said, “Don’t worry, it was just derivative review. Is the book good so far? I’m almost done with Bringer of Storms.”
“Yeah it’s pretty good, but I still have a lot left to read.”
They chatted about a few other classes and other books they had read recently. When they had both finished their ice cream, they sat and talked for almost another half hour. Then Stephen left the table to go to the bathroom.
As Liz sat at the table waiting for Stephen to come back, she couldn’t help letting her thoughts wander. I wonder what he would say if he knew I’ve cried myself to sleep the last two nights and that the only thing really keeping me going the last two days was knowing that I was going to hang out with him tonight.
She thought back to their talk on the bench. He cares about me, I can see that in his eyes; but there’s something else too.
At that moment Stephen came back and sat down. He gave her an awkward smile, and she didn’t know why but she blushed as he looked at her. Wow, I’ve never noticed how blue his eyes were.
Stephen looked down at his watch, “Its 7:46. We should probably go. You have homework and I have some chores I need to do.”
Liz nodded reluctantly, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
She got up and followed Stephen out of the door into the night. I don’t want to leave here. I was starting to feel happy. Stephen stopped and turned to look at her. Correction. I think don’t want to leave him.
She walked up to him and gave him a hug. For a second she rested there with her head on his chest, then she pulled away. She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for everything,” she whispered.
Then she began to walk down the street towards her house. Even though she forced herself not to look back, she knew Stephen was staring after her.
My Fiery Thoughts 