Chapter 29

**Jakes Point of View**

October 18th, Sunday

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I made sure to set my alarm to go meet Dawn outside her house like she wanted me to.

I actually arrived right at 8:55am and like she was waiting by the door, she opened it only to see me standing there as I was about to knock.

"Hello Kitty," I greeted her with my hands in front of my basketball shorts.

"Ugh, you're actually on time," she groaned. "I really wanted to gripe at you." I shrugged looking down at her amused.

"Too bad so sad Kit-Kat," I tell her. She does that cute disgusted face at me, when she wrinkles up her nose and squints her left eye a little with it and I chuckle. When she closes her door to her house, she pushes me with her right hand, and I back off the step almost falling backwards, and she has no apology.

"Shut up and lets go," she tells me. She's eye level to me now on the step and I recover looking at her up and down as she looked as if she was staying home all day.

"Just roll out of bed?" I ask her sarcastically. She huffs her breath and I can't help but chuckle, but it was true.

She was wearing white and baby blue sleeping shorts, the front laces tied in an uneven bow. She also had on a long sleeved white v-neck that showed off a black bra thingy, I think I heard Celeste call a bralette once and the front of the shirt was tucked in, but the back was just loose and she probably knew it was like that but didn't care as she said. She also had on high white socks with some black converse, and her ombré hair was pulled up in a giant messy bun on the very top of her head, some loose pieces falling on the side of her face, but she was honestly....cute.

She jumps off the baby step and starts walking toward her neighbor's house to her left. When I realize I was suppose to be following, I catch up and she's looking down.

"This isn't a date and you're last name isn't Payne," she informs me as if I didn't know. We're walking toward the woods but I don't think about it as I'm walking right on her heels. "I just don't have on make-up," she continues. "I know I'm ugly, but I really don't care what you think Jake Lander." I look at the back of her head surprised she said such and I shake my head with a smile.

"You're not ugly Kit-Kat, and I wasn't even talking about your face," I said looking at her back of her legs. I always felt cheer girls always had nice bodies, but Dawn rarely showed off her legs or anything, so today, she looked even more attractive than she already was and I sadly have to admit that.

Dawn was very cute....she's beautiful and it hurt me to think she thought she was ugly without make-up. Of course most guys like me like a girl with no make-up even if she needed a little to cover some things nobody wants, but Dawn Noel was actually pretty. Her little imperfections on her face somehow tied everything together about her, and by how she looked last night? Of course I would want to kiss her either way. Make-up or not.

She ignores my comment as we were walking deeper in the woods now and it was quiet. After a little while she starts chuckling as we were going down a giant slope, the trees in our path.

"What's so funny?" I ask her. She keeps chuckling looking back at me and back down at the ground in front of her, because if she didn't she would probably slip.

"Remember when you and me use to play freeze tag?" she asked me. "But there was only the two of us and somehow we made it work?" she looked at me again and I met her in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes, and I laughed, as I really did.

"Hahaa, yes I do Kit-Kat. Actually, wasn't this where we played?" I asked remembering looking around. She nodded sadly at me and looked back at the ground.

"Yes sir," she said quietly stopped looking out beyond her. "Back here in these very woods. Of course the trees weren't as full grown as they are now and there wasn't as many weeds. We use to come back here every chance we got, but when our parents found out were playing back here and even other kids that moved away from this neighborhood, they told the Residents Hall and got everyone fences for safety," she didn't look at me speaking. "Remember?"

I finally made it to be beside her as she held onto a tree and I was on the other side of it doing the same, the morning sun letting her brown sugary skin tone shine in the shade of the tree, her eyes showing off their true color of a light brown. "Then...our playtime was over." I still stared at her and eventually she turned and looked at me, but I turned to look out as well.

"I do remember, well now I do. This was our life, this was all we had and cared about. But wait...didn't we have something else back here? Isn't this where-"

"Yup," she went ahead and cut me off continuing to walk. I walked with her and eventually we were beyond a lake, the morning sun just barely rising and the old dock where we use to sit still standing.

"Our secret hide out..." I whispered a small smile making it's way across my face. She giggled, crossing her arms.

"Yup." She started walking to the very edge of the forest, a few feet from being in the lake and I followed behind her. She climbed on top of the dock, the old rock we use to use to get up here still in his spot, as if he knew one day we'd come back.

"I can't believe it's still here...and standing," I look up at the back of her as she still climbing.

"And sturdy," she tells me finally making it up there. I was about to help, but Dawn could handle herself...something I also found attractive in any girl. "I remembered it the other day when I came down here to write something for that Writer's Block Contest. It gave me some thought, but not much. It just cleared my mind. I guess it only works if I'm with someone else," she looked back at me with a sweet smile implying what we use to do.

I smiled at her as I was climbing my way up to meet her, but when she realized what she said, she cleared her throat and started walking to the end of the dock and I chuckled a bit shaking my head, meeting up with her eventually.

She slummed down on the dock, her legs swinging off the edge, with her hands between her legs cupped, her lips hidden in her mouth as she looked out to the sun trying get into the next hour.

"So," I had to stop thinking of her for a moment. "You told me you'd tell me in person the rest of what happened last night at the movies," I remind her, hitting her shoulder with mine sitting the same way. She instantly chuckled, and I was somewhat upset she didn't giggle thinking of me like that. I don't even think Celeste does that for me anymore.

"Ohmygosh! Okay, so first I have to thank you Jake," she smiled uncontrollably, but sitting with her back straight. I grinned, leaning back on my hands. "Cause your idea actually worked."

"Hahaha! The distraction object. Of course it worked, it came from me," I boosted proudly. She huffed and her breath and I laughed going on. "What did you get from the concessions?" I already knew what she walking about. She turned to me fully with a mischief grin on her face.

"I got skittles. It's like a little inside joke the two of us have."

"And you're not going to fill me in on this joke?" I asked playfully. She laughs, pushing me, yet I am able to keep myself upright.

"No silly, it's an inside joke for A REASON! Anyways," she continued. I laughed by how she said it. "So I go back into the theather, and just by the way, I think that cashier guy totally thought I was cute or something 'cause he was really talking to me," she added quickly like I was Charlotte or something. I just laughed, my eyebrows expressing my confusion.

"Wait what?"

"Shh, shut up! I'm trying to tell the story!" She got all in my face and back again. She smelled of fresh apples and toothpaste, and honestly I wish she would come back just so I could smell it again, rather than the salty water before us. "ANYWAYS, I go back into the theater and Asher is sitting there, eating his popcorn and he makes eye contact with me before I even make it up to him and he was like,

'Omg, I thought you'd never come back.' and I was all like,

'Omg you know I'd never leave you babe,' and I sat down and-"

"Hold up," I stopped her sitting upright again. "Did Asher REALLY say that? Did YOU really say that??" She rolled her eyes huffing once again.

"I'm just paraphrasing! Now PLEASE leave ALL questions 'till the END!" she yelled at me.  I really laughed that time and even she did as she fake cried. "Jake pleeeeaasse, listen to mmeeee," she begged.

"Okay, okay, I'm listening. I am," I turned to her fully, my knees facing her, my left hand on my left knee that was holding my head, the other just resting. She smiled promptly.

"Thank you." I chuckled at her, glancing at her lips and her eyes and her lips again that looked moist and able to kiss, but I keep my manners and listen, as that's what she wanted, so I gave it to her....

"So I opened the bag of skittles and it was SO funny because I was rattling the bag and suddenly the movie changed to more quiet scene and I was super loud and I just felt the eyes of the other couples in the theater at me and Asher gently pushed me talking about be quiet, but I just whispered shut up back trying not to bust out laughing," she rolled her eyes moving a piece of hair behind her ear.

I don't think I ever noticed the way her smile was so genuine and sweet which just made her face more illuminate and despite the mid morning sun over us, I know it wasn't that.

But simply her.

"So then we cuddled again popping handfuls of skittles in our mouths and the movie actually was really intriguing, which means interesting if you didn't know," she paused and leans toward me in an over exaggerated whisper. I didn't realize she did at first as I was lost in her by staring, but I narrowed my eyes at her and smacked my lips for recovery.

"I know that Kit-Kat!" I tell her, which is true while she belly laughed back with her eyes closed.

"Hahahaha! Okay okay. Anyways," she dragged regrouping herself. I cheesed by the smile on her face, her cheeks a rosary pink from smiling too much. "We were pushing and teasing each other then finally when we left out the theater and I made Asher keep the rest of the skittles since I paid for it. I had my arms wrapped around his when we made it outside and it was actually darker than we thought," she really thought about it. I was still quiet watching her as she was still looking out to the lake, as if she was replaying the scene right in front us.

"Then as you said he walked me to my car...." she held her head down, not as enthusiastic as she was before in her story and I leaned back in my hands again, waiting for more.

"So what happen?" I asked her after she never finished. She blinked out of it and turned to me.

"What happen when?"

"Well what happen when he walked you to your car?" I asked full of curiosity, but I then plastered a smile on my face and said in low sexy voice, "You guys finish that kiss from the theater, hm, hm?" I nudged her with my elbow. Dawn pushed me with a smile and replied,

"No dumbass!" And she went back to looking down, her face somewhat upset like something bad just happened, with her hands cupped in between her legs again.

I widen my eyes thinking the worst, and I had to ask, "Did he say something to you?" I said up straight, looking right at her eyes although she avoided mine.

"No-"

"Did he hurt you?" I didn't wait for a pause.

"No, Jake I-" but my mind was already ahead of me.

"Did he touch you??"

"No!" She finally looked at me and smiles sadly. "Jake he didn't do any of that, Asher is not like that," she informs me seriously. "And if he was I'm sure Charlotte would've figured it out by now." Which she was right, and I laid back again relieved and she giggled a bit but looked down again, and I couldn't help but keep looking at her.

"Well....what happen?" She waited a bit and looked up and sighed and finally she looked at me, full of sorrow yet seriousness and she said,

"It's not what happened, but what didn't happen," she admits. She sighs again. I sit up to match her, staring at her.

"I just..." she sighs again. "I just never had my first kiss."

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