The Downfall of the 'It Girl'

You might just get your 'happily ever after,' Princess.....

“You don’t know?! What do you mean that you ‘don’t know’?” 

“I just don’t, Jenna,” Calvin replied sounding bored.

“I really don’t understand how you think you’re in love with someone one day, and then you’re not anymore the next,” I said, resting my head in my hands.

“Well, seeing you and Landon kiss the other night probably had a big part in it,” he replied matter-of-factly. 

“Huh?” I asked, looking up, thoroughly confused.

“The other night when he was dropping you off at your house…you guys kissed, I saw it,” he replied, the irritation in his voice growing.

“He kissed me, Calvin, I didn’t kiss him! That’s exactly why I’m here! I just wanted you to let me explain everything, including that ‘kiss,’” I said, exasperated.

“That very well could be, Jenna, but why were you gone with him to wherever you two went in the first place?” he asked, and I swear I felt like I was being reprimanded by a parent.

“Because he wouldn’t leave me alone, Calvin. You already knew that he was trying to get me to give him a second chance. Landon can be incredibly persistent when he sets his mind to it, you know,” I paused, gauging Calvin’s response thus far. Pretty much the same as it had been throughout the entire conversation. Insert exasperated sigh here, ugh. “So I figured that if I decided to go for a ride with him so that we could ‘talk,’ he would get out whatever it was that was on his chest and then that would be that, basically. I thought it might be my best, if not my only, chance at getting it through his thick skull that we were really done. Finished,” Catching my breath, I waited for Calvin to respond.

After a few long minutes of silence, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was so incredibly over walking on eggshells around Calvin. Did I love him? Yes, of course I did. But, damn! It didn’t mean that I had to tiptoe around his feelings like he was some overemotional girl or something! I had seriously just about had my fill of it all. 

“Calvin, seriously! What’s your deal?!” my voice was shrill, just a notch or two away from shouting. 

The long, hard look that Calvin answered me with was almost too much to handle, and had me wiggling in my seat uncomfortably. Why didn’t I just get up and leave? Say ‘to hell with it all’ and move on with my life? As quick and as easily as I could ask myself those two questions, the clearest, most simple answer appeared just as quickly: because I didn’t want to. Because I loved him. Because for probably the first time in my entire life, there was something I was willing to fight tooth and nail for. Because I couldn’t let him go, I couldn’t let him just slip away.

“Jenna,” Calvin’s voice was low, almost inaudible. “let’s take a walk.” Standing up, I found myself joining him automatically, regardless of how irritated he had just made me within the last several minutes. 

Silently following him down the steps at the far end of the massive deck, we walked across the meticulously manicured lawn, and into the small woods just beyond their property line. 

“Give me your hand, I don‘t want you to slip,” he said as we walked farther into the thicket, the fallen leaves and grass wet from dew making the ground slippery to walk on, especially if you were donning flip flops like I was. Feeling his hand wrapped protectively around mine sent waves of electricity coursing through my entire body, just like the feel of his skin on mine had always done.

After a short five or ten minute little hike, we suddenly found ourselves standing at the edge of a small little stream flowing quietly through the center of the brush. It was so serene and breathtaking in its simplicity.