What If?

Acting Like Kids

"Okay. I'm done you can get up now. Let's go get some ice cream."

I placed my hand in his and stood up using Jason as support. Then I jumped back onto Gracie and started running her like we were in a barrel race.

 “Sophie what the hell! Get back here, kid!” Jason yelled after me. I looked back. He slumped down and looked at me with a fake frown on his face. I slowed Gracie and eventually stopped her. Now I felt bad. I turned the horse around.

I trotted back over to him and just before he got onto Magic, I jumped off Gracie and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry Jacie-wacie." I said in my cutest little kid voice ever. That usually gets him.

"You’re mean.” He said back in a little kid voice. He wrapped his big arms around me for the second time today and pouted.

"No you’re mean, you hurt me!" right after I said that, I regretted it.

"I did? How?" he said, worried again.

"Well the cornstalks hurt my back, but I'm okay." I said, looking down at my feet. I'm wearing flip-flops. Really? Flip-flops? I'm riding my horse in flip-flops?

"I’m sorry Sophie. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay Jason. Thanks." I looked up at him and smiled. We were still hugging.

"Good, now how about we get going! Want some ice cream? I have money now!" he said, pulling out a wad of cash.

“Wow you must have been working there for a while!” I said, surprised. I thought he only made five or six dollars a day.

“Yep. So do you want ice cream or not?” He asked, waving the money around in my face.

"Of course." I said, grabbing the money, stuffing it in my back pocket, and heading towards town. He was the best friend a girl could have.

“I’m gonna need that back, Soph.”

“We’ll see.” I said with a smile.

We rode into town on Gracie and Magic, stopped to get them some water, tied them up under a big oak tree, and went to Louie's Ice Cream Shoppe. My favorite place in the world, besides Jason's house.

We were about to walk through the doors when suddenly Jason pulled me to the side.

"What are you doing Jason?" I asked, confused.

He leaned over me, his face only inches from mine. His hand moved to the side of my face and he brushed my bangs out of the way.

"Err, Jason? What are you- "

"Your hair is a mess. Let me fix it." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Leave it to him to point out that I look bad. I blushed. I stood there reluctantly like a little kid, with my hands at my sides, waiting for him to "fix" my hair.

"It's your fault it looks bad. You're the one that tackled me in a cornfield." I said, as he brushed through my hair with his fingers. He ignored me.

"All done" he announced. I shook my head and laughed a little before I followed him inside.

The smell of homemade ice cream and cookies and brownies and all kinds of sweets automatically filled my nostrils, and I sniffed the air to get a better whiff. I loved this place. I don’t get to come often, though, because money is tight right now, and of course, I don’t make an allowance.

"I'll order for us, you go find a table. Can you handle that?" He said with a smile. I gave him a smug look.

"Yes darling" I said jokingly, earning some strange looks from the townspeople around me.