3.
Brittany and AJ talked more and more each day. Little by
little getting to know one another very well, even down to the most intimate
senses. AJ told her about his dad and Brittany told him all about what she’d
gone through with her mother and step-dad. How she was dying to be the exact
opposite of her and everything she'd stood for.
Leighanne and Brian were in the kitchen and Brittany was about to
go off to school. Asia was coming to get her. She straightened out the plaid
skirt, which was part of the uniform at MS. The skirt was notably short,
considering Micha Simmon's squeaky-clean reputation. Brittany tucked her white
collared shirted down into her skirt, slid her navy blue sweater on over it,
grabbed her bookbag and her purse and flew down the stairs.
"Britt, aren't you hungry?" Leighanne asked her from
the kitchen table.
"I'm good, thanks anyway." Why did they even bother
trying to keep her there?
Brittany knew they wanted to be alone. Brittany unlocked the door and swung the
door open, stepped outside and shut it behind her, a little surprised when she
finally looked ahead. "AJ?"
"Hey..." he grinned, slipping his hands in his pockets.
"You're up early. Why?"
"All of us are meeting up here to see how we’re gonna
reschedule the shows we had to cancel this summer," he explained,
wondering if she knew anything about that particular story.
"You'll be busy then?"
"Yep," his voice read only partially regretful.
"I'm busy too, if it means anything to you."
"With?"
“Basketball tryouts. We find out who's on the team next Monday.
I'm excited! A little nervous, even."
He grinned crookedly. Her eyes were so pretty when they lit up
like that.
"Yeah, you
gotta tell me what happens with all that Homecoming Queen jazz."
"I will. I just hope I can find a date." A car horn
honked twice. "I've gotta go."
"I'll see you later, sweetheart."
"Yeah," she leaned up to kiss his cheek but, for some
reason, they missed and landed on his mouth and a moment later they were
wrapped in each others arms kissing passionately. Brittany pulled away from him
gently and looked him in the eyes, her own were clouded with an impulsive
ruefulness. AJ was just standing there, in complete awe of how wonderful it had
felt to kiss her, how sweet her lips tasted. There were tingles ricocheting all
throughout his body.
"AJ..." Brittany said slowly as the car horn honked
again. "That can never happen again."
"I know," he said, "that's what makes it so
beautiful."