Extremely important authors note at the end. Please read it.

Chapter 22: Strawberry Ice Cream

The rest of the week was boring; I wasn't allowed to see my friends, aside from Grayson, who laughed at me every time he saw me. I was glad that he was laughing at me rather than bringing up our kiss- which I really didn’t want to talk about, especially with him. During my time alone this week, I’ve realized that I like him a lot. I don’t know how it happened and I’m not going to question it any further than I already have. I’m just trying to stop it from developing into something more because I know I’ll get hurt in the end.

After looking up several ways to get over guys, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll never get over Grayson. One of the many ways I can get over him is: hang out with my friends. I’d do so but all Kyle and Lola do is make out and Carson and Sandra flirt. And Shane is always texting girls. I could hang out with Sebastian and Sam, though. Maybe I’ll call them sometime soon. Another way was to eat ice cream, you see- I’d do that but we don’t have any in my house and I doubt my mother would let me run to the store for some. The rest of the reasons included spending money, and I’m saving up for Christmas shopping; it seems I have a lot of people to buy things for.

After work on Friday, I relaxed on my bed. My mother was working and my father was downstairs in the living room, watching television; he’s supposed to be leaving at 8- which was only in ten minutes. He’s going out with his friends, Grayson’s father included, and they're going to a bar. I closed my eyes and sighed, bored out of my mind. I was texting Grayson. Surprise, surprise.

‘Would you sneak out if you could?’ I snorted. I would never sneak out. I see it as reckless. Besides, in the movies it never works out! So who’s to say it’ll work in real life?

‘No, it’s reckless,’ I replied before turning on the television. All of the shows were ending and new ones were coming on in 7 minutes. Groaning and lying down on my back, I sighed.

My father called up the stairs for me. I peeked my head out of the door. “I’m leaving honey. I love you!”

“I love you too!” I called back as I heard the door slam shut. I glanced at my phone. Grayson hadn’t replied since 7:58. It’s been 6 minutes and I was growing impatient. Switching the channel to a show that just started, I sighed and sat down, prepared to watch the actors do their jobs and act.

I heard a grunt from outside of my window and I felt a tinge of fear spark up in my stomach. I saw a hand on the outside of my window and I shrieked, ready to run out of the house but a voice stopped me. “Calm down, Darling; it’s just me.”

I walked over to the window to see Grayson clutching the sill. I opened the window fully and he climbed in. “You do know we have a front door right?”

He shrugged as he wiped himself off. “Yeah, but I just saw your father leave and I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“We also have a backdoor,” I told him and he shrugged. “Why are you here?”

He smiled at me. “Go get dressed; we’re going out.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“We’re going out to go get ice cream. Go put on some clothes,” he told me, leaning down so his face was in front of my own. I suddenly became aware of my outfit of choice. I was wearing Pikachu pajama pants and a tie-dye t-shirt. I nodded before walking towards my closet and grabbing jeans and a sweatshirt. I jogged towards the bathroom.

I changed and put my hair up into a pony tail, rather than the messy bun it was previously in. I decided to go without makeup; it would waste too much time to put some on, and I barely have time to waste. Exiting the bathroom with my pajamas in my hand, I saw Grayson lying on my bed, smirking up at the ceiling. I wanted to giggle at the sight of him lying in my bed. I then noticed something hanging around his neck. Walking over and lifting it up off of his chest, he opened an eye before closing it again.

I examined the camera in my hands, turning it over repeatedly. “You take your photography seriously.”

He nodded. “I like taking pictures of animals, nature…people.”

“So, stalking?” I asked him with a laugh as I reached to take it from around his neck. He lifted his head and allowed me to remove the strap. I placed it around my own and let the camera hang loosely around my neck before lifting it and turning it on. I looked around my room through the clarity of the camera, allowing it to stay focused on Grayson for a moment. I held down on the button, capturing the moment.

“That image can be totally misconstrued,” he told me without opening his eyes.

Realizing that he was right, I went to his gallery and clicked through his photos. I deleted the one I’d just taken but continued looking as I leaned against the wall. Some of the pictures were of Finster, others of Emily, and some of the nature. I gasped when I saw a picture of me in his gallery. I squinted when I saw myself sleeping on a couch. It must’ve been that time when we got into that argument and I fell asleep on the couch in the library.

Walking over to him and holding the camera inches above his face, I cleared my throat. He opened one eye before opening both and squinting. His hands reached out wrapped around my own, which was clutching the camera, as he moved it back slightly. His face turned a light shade of pink as he yanked the camera, causing me to jerk forward because of the strap around my neck. I was inches above him as I tried to balance myself.

He just made the situation ten times more awkward. I quickly ducked out of the strap and backed away to keep from kissing him again. How could I explain that? Wait, how could he explain my picture on his camera? “Care to explain?”

He cleared his throat. “I was bored, the kids left, I was taking pictures. I was taking a picture of the couch and you happened to be in the frame," he excused as he stood up. “Anyway, let’s go get some ice cream.”

I smirked as I followed him down the stairs, taking my keys and my phone with me. Once we got into the car, I realized what I was doing. “I’m sneaking out; oh my gosh.” I'm sneaking out with my crush to go get ice cream; oh my gosh.

He smirked at me. “Fun, isn’t it?”

I shook my head. “What if my mom decides to go home early and I’m not there? I’ll get grounded for another week! Or even a month! Or what if my dad forgot something at the house and he goes back and I’m not there?”

Grayson turned and placed his hands on my shoulders, shaking me slightly. “Calm down. You’re a teenager; you’re supposed to rebel. Besides, your mom will call you when she’s on her way, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, she’ll call and ask if I ate so she knows whether or not she should pick something up.”

“See? And your dad probably wouldn’t shout up at you if he’s just running in and out of the house, right?” Grayson asked me and I nodded, letting out a shaky breath. He let go of my shoulders and started the car, driving us to the nearest ice cream shop.

By the time we arrived, I was jumping up and down out of pure excitement. “I’m a rebel!”

He laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “I think that I’m the real rebel here, don’t you?”

I turned and looked at him, wrinkling my nose. “Nah, you’re more of the creepy, ‘I-take-pictures-of-people’ guy.”

He chuckled before pushing me away. I laughed as we entered the small shop. It looks familiar but I can't put my finger on it. It was empty, aside from the lady wiping down the counters. “We’re about to close.”

Grayson frowned. “Looks like we wasted too much time at your house.”

The lady’s eyes widened and I quickly shook my head. Why do people assume the worst of teenagers nowadays? “No, not like that, we were talking." The lady just nodded. “Are you sure you can’t make us two to go?”

She sighed before walking over to the machines. “What kind do you guys want?”

“I’ll take a vanilla,” I told her.

Grayson looked at me, his eyebrows raised. “Plain vanilla? I never targeted you as a plain vanilla person. Add sprinkles to hers, colorful sprinkles and chocolate and caramel drizzle. I’ll take the same thing, just strawberry ice cream instead.”

I stared at him, horrified. “You like strawberry ice cream?” We both leaned against the counter, watching as she created our ice cream cones.

He nodded. “Why? You don’t? Go figure.”

I crossed my arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirked. “Well, we’re pretty opposite if you haven’t realized it already.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, how?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking-," he started.

“Don’t strain yourself,” I scoffed, laughing at my joke. He elbowed my elbow, causing me to smack my face against the counter. He let out a hysterical laugh while I stood up straighter and rubbed my chin.

“Anyway, we don’t have much in common. For example, you hate strawberry ice cream- I think it’s the best thing in the world; you like Bash- I don’t; you don’t like loud music- I do; you hate pulp- I love it; you can’t sing or dance to save your life- I can. The list can go on and on,” he told me, earning a glare in response.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Strawberry ice cream is absolutely nauseating. And I like Bash as a friend, so what? He’s a nice guy. I do like loud music- it just has to be good music. Pulp is disgusting; it's scientifically proven. And so what if I can’t dance or sing? You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

He shook his head in disappointment. “So what you’re saying is…I have a bad taste in music?”

I snorted. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“But you don’t like my loud music," he told me.

“I never said that,” I replied.

He grinned. “So you like my loud music?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“I’m going to have to change it up a bit then,” he concluded. The lady handed us our cones and I smiled at her. Grayson paid generously, but not without scowling at me, as I grinned widely.

The lady followed us out of the ice cream shop, locking the door behind us. I sighed. “Where do we go now?”

He shrugged. “We can always go to the park; it’s only down the street, or the beach; it’s up to you, Darling.”

I sighed, pursing my lips. If we go to the park, we'd probably have to get up and walk around. However, if we go to the beach, we can sit in the car. “The beach.”

We got into the car and drove down the street to the beach, parking in the parking spot facing the sky, where no trees ruined the image. It was lit up with stars and the moon, creating a beautiful view. But not as beautiful as the person beside me; I’m only joking about that. The guy beside me is ugly as dirt. We were silent as we continued eating our ice cream. “Darling?”

I turned my attention away from the moon and towards him, raising an eyebrow. He leaned forward, biting into my ice cream. I gasped and yanked the cone away but a huge chunk of vanilla goodness was gone. I frowned as he chewed the ice cream, grinning at me. The sicko just bit ice cream, not just any ice cream- my ice cream!

“You can have a bite of my strawberry cone,” he taunted me as he waved the strawberry ice cream cone in my face. I grabbed the treat out of his hand and tossed the half-finished waffle cone out of the window, causing him to gape at me, looking from the window to me repeatedly. “You just threw out my ice cream cone!”

I smirked as I unbuckled my seatbelt and huddled in the corner of my seat, against the car door as I tried to finish my ice cream. “Give me your ice cream! It’s only fair!”

I shook my head as I continued eating my ice cream cone, squealing in surprise when I felt his hands start to tickle my sides. I tried to squirm away from him but he was leaned over. Stuffing the last of the ice cream into my mouth, I finished it off, swallowing the vanilla ice cream and the waffle cone before smirking at him.

“That was an amazing ice cream cone,” I teased him as I licked my lips and turned back to watch the moon. I felt him watching me but I ignored him.

“You know what we have to talk about," he told me.

I groaned. “I already know what you’re going to say. ‘It didn’t mean anything, Darling.’ I understand that, now can we just enjoy the rest of the night before I’m holed up in my room until Monday afternoon?”

He sighed. “I wasn’t going to say that but since you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”

I placed my hands on my face. Way to make me even more curious, Grayson. I was about to say something when my phone rang. The song ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis played loudly and Grayson stared at me. “You still didn’t change it?”

I snorted and picked up the phone, holding my hand up. He went to open his mouth but I covered his entire face with my hand. “Hey, mom.”

“Hey honey, I’m on my way home. Did you eat?” she asked me and I glanced at Grayson who removed my hand from his face.

“No, I didn’t eat,” I told her, buying myself some more time.

“Well, what do you want me to pick up?” she asked.

I thought for a moment. “Pizza sounds good.” That’d buy me some time, too. The pizza place is ten minutes from our house.

“Okay, I’ll be home in about half an hour," she told me. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I replied before hanging up. I let out a sigh of relief, turning to Grayson who was smirking.

“I wuv you mommy," he mocked me, earning a punch from me.

“Don’t act like you don’t say that to your mother. I know your mother. She’ll make you say that if it’s the last thing you do,” I retorted as he started the car.

He shrugged. “I do say it to my mother but I don’t sound so girly.”

“I’d hope not," I muttered, slightly upset that our night has to end here.

“Picture for a memory?” he asked, holding up the camera around his neck. I shrugged, leaning in towards him as he turned the camera around. “Smile.”

“What’d you think I was doing?” I snapped through my smile. When the flash appeared and ended, I pulled away from him and he turned the camera around before laughing.

I gave him an odd look as I leaned over to see the picture but he turned it away. “No, you can’t see it.”

I glared at him before rolling my eyes. “Fine; be that way.”

“What’s wrong sad little clown?” he inquired, snorting as I glared at him.

“Shut up,” I retorted.

“Sad that our night got cut short? We can do this again sometime; when you’re not grounded- and when you don’t have a curfew. And when I don’t have to climb up the side of your house because that really hurt, by the way. We’d go somewhere cooler,” he told me.

I rolled my eyes as I looked at him but I couldn’t help but hope that this sometime comes soon.