We'll Be A Memory

We'll Be A Memory- Ch. 4

Okay, something actually happens here, I swear. ;)

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"Jonaaaaah, slow down! You have longer legs!" I giggle-panted as we half walked, half jogged down the street, holding hands.

"C'mon Lex, you ran track! Get those cute little legs moving!" Despite the teasing, he slowed down so I could walk. Running from the beach to my house was tiring, especially when you had to run through sand. It was September, and it was humid outside. The moisture just hung in the air, making it hard to breath after we ran the whole way.  

We were on the sidewalk outside my house  when we stopped walking, still holding hands. He put his arms around my waist, and pulled me close. I reached up on my toes and kissed him on the lips, my eyes fluttering open as I went back down to being flat-footed.

"Hey Lex? Don't forget, I love you."

"Hey Jonah? I love you more."

We started walking up the stone-path through my yard to my house when I saw him glance at me, his blue eyes trained on me for few seconds. If I wasn't so involved in the moment, I would have missed the simple phrase he whispered under his breath.

"That's impossible."

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Jonah and I walked through the front door, still holding hands and teasing each other about who could run faster. It was seven o'clock, which meant we were just in time for dinner. But when we walked in, it wasn't just a normal Wednesday night dinner, the atmosphere was different. There was a mix of anxiety and.. excitement in the air.

"Oh good, you guys are home!" my mom said. It was a second after she said that, that I realized someone else was sitting at the table.

Bruce.

Jonah let go of my hand, and my eyes trained in on Bruce's face, his eyes shifting around the room nervously, his hand letting go of Mom's and dropping down to his side.

"What's he doing here?" I asked, my eyes still trained on his nervous face. 

"Alexis, that is no way to treat our guest. Come sit down, Bruce and I have some exciting news!"

Jonah shifted his body towards me, and lowered his voice. "Lex, I'm gonna go and head on home. Call me later." I heard the door close behind him, and his footsteps on the rocks.

"Lex, if you aren't gonna sit down, we mine as well just tell you now. Bruce, would you like to do the honors?" my mom asked. This must be good news for mom, because her eyes were shining like a kid's in a candy store. My palms were sweating, and my stomach was in knots. In the past, good news for Mom hasn't always equaled good news for Lex.

"Uh.. N-no, I'm good, thanks. You can tell her Lydia." Do you see what I mean about him growing a pair?! This guy was the reincarnation of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz, except the Cowardly Lion is likeable! I rolled my eyes at Bruce's shyness.

"Well Lex, you know Bruce and I have been dating for about a year now. So I guess this isn't really a surprise, but we're getting married!" she told me, her face breaking into a wide grin.

My breath caught in my throat. No, Mom and Bruce have not been dating for "a little over a year", they've known each other for a little over a year. That's how long they've been friends. My mom didn't even have the courtesy to ask me and my sisters how we felt about it. She's been divorced for almost two years, that isn't a long enough time. Wasn't there some kind of rule saying she couldn't date anyone for at least two years after?! I don't care if she dates him, but she doesn't have to marry him! He doesn't need to live with us. This is only going to upset and confuse the girls, having another 'father' in their life.

Despite my anger and heartbreak, I put on a calm face. I've gotten good at this, considering this was the only thing that got me through the years before Mom and Dad finally split up. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I knew I had to get out of here before I actually started crying.

"Well, I'm happy for you guys. Congratulations."

And with that, I turned around and bolted out the door, going to the one person who I knew would comfort me.

Jonah. 

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I arrived at his doorstep, panting and with tears running down my face. Before I had even knocked, the door was opened and his arms wrapped around me protectively as I sobbed into his chest.

"J-Jonah, they're engaged. The-they're getting m-married." The tremors wracking my body made it hard for me to talk.

We stood like that for a while, Jonah and I. I eventually realized that we weren't standing on the doorstep anymore, and that we had migrated to his bed. But he was still there, holding me after it had seemed like I drained all the liquid from my body.

"Lex, do you want to talk yet?"

And then it all spilled out, all the things I couldn't tell my mom. "Jonah, he's all wrong for her! He's a coward, he doesn't do anything for himself. My mom is strong and independent, and he's spineless. The girls don't need another dad in their life. We were all perfectly fine the way it was, just us! And she had to go screw it all up! I don't understand why she thinks she needs a man in her life. She's beautiful, strong, and independent." I started crying again, but I pushed through them this time. "Jonah... are we not good enough for her?"

We layed down on his bed after that, his arms wrapped around me protectively while I burrowed my face in his chest. It didn't take long for me to cry myself to sleep that night.

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When I woke up, it was hard to fit the pieces together of what happened last night. It was if I had drank myself into a stupor and couldn't remember what happened. I felt Jonah's strong arms around me, and it all came back to me.

"Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" Jonah's eyes fluttered open, and his eyebrows crinkled as he took in his surroundings.

"Babe? Lex? What's wrong?" I could see the confusion in his eyes as he pushed himself to a sitting position.

"Jonah, I spent the night at your house." His eyebrows crinkled even more, indicating he clearly didn't see what the big picture was. "My mom doesn't know where I am. I'm going to tell her I spent the night at your house, and she is going to flip." 

"Oh.. shit." Atta boy, he seemed to have gotten it. "Lex, just tell her the truth. You were upset, and came over. I comforted you-" the corners of my mouth turned up. "Goodness Lex, you know I didn't mean it like that!"

I couldn't help but crack up at that last statement. "Okay Mr. Jonah Langford, and how should I tell my mother how you 'comforted me'?" 

"Lex, I kinda wanna punch you right now." I giggled as I pressed my lips to his, and felt the smile on his lips. This is why Jonah are good together, we complete each other. When one of us is upset, we kinda turn everything into a big joke. It's what makes us best friends. It's what keeps us together.

"Okay, all joking aside, I really better go home and do damage control. I'll call you later."

"Okay Lex, but you might wanna go brush your hair first. With hair like that, it might give your mom some wild ideas of what happened last night." he said, with a smirk on his face. "Love you, Lex."

I turned back around just as I was leaving the room.

"I love you more, Jonah."