Fighting Temptation

Chapter Ten: Going Out?

Chapter Ten: Going Out?

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie got up from in front of her door and changed into a gray tank top under a blue off-the-shoulder top and a pair of denim shorts. Only having one sock on, she removed it before going to her bathroom. She put her hands on the sides of the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked terrible! Her hair was messy and tangled, there were bags under her eyes and she had a mark on her face from the pillow. And was that drool on her cheek? Why did Chase say she looked cute? Smiling, she shook her head. What a suck-up.

Taking her hairbrush into her hand, Lizzie de-tangled her unruly hair, then brushed her teeth and washed her face. Running a hand through her blond hair, she took one last look at herself to make sure she looked presentable before going downstairs for breakfast.

"Hey, honey," Lizzie's mom smiled from behind the stove as she tossed a large pancake, skillfully catching it in the pan again.

"Morning," Lizzie said cheerfully, sitting down at the table. "You didn't have to make breakfast, you know. We could've just had cereal."

"I know," Terry, Lizzie's mom, admitted, "but I figured since you have a guest over, you kids might like something a little more... nutritious, I guess."

"Well, thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, Sweetie."

Chase trotted down the stairs, looking perfectly at home at Lizzie's house. He smiled at Lizzie and she hid her face. His very glance was beginning to make her feel funny, and it was freaking her out. She'd never felt like this before.

"G'morning, Mrs. Simon," Chase said respectfully, with a warm smile.

"Good morning," Terry smiled, then went to the cupboard and pulled out two glass plates. She made up the two plates, each with two pancakes, an egg fried over-medium, and two slices of bacon. "If you want butter or peanut butter, Lizzie can get it for you. Forks are in the drawer there." She pointed at a thin drawer.

 Chase nodded and followed her directions. Lizzie got up and walked over to the counter. Glancing at Chase, she took one of the plates her mother had made.

"Wait, what if I wanted that one?" Chase sounded serious, so Lizzie looked at him like he was insane. They were exactly the same! He grinned, letting her know he was teasing.

"Okay, kids. Dad's already gone to work, and I have to go right now or else I'll be late. If you want to go to the fair, they just arrived in town a couple of days ago. I left you some money on my dresser, Lizzie. Feel free to go if you want," Terry smiled warmly.

"Okay, thanks mom! You're the best," Lizzie blew her mom a kiss and then sat at the table and dug into her food. Lizzie's mom smiled and hurried out the door.

"Your mom's nice," Chase commented. "Nicer than your dad."

"Shut up," Lizzie laughed. "He's only acting mean because some strange boy was in his house, and sleeping in the same bed as his daughter."

"I'm not that strange..." Chase muttered, picking at his egg. "And if we go to the fair, I'm paying."

"Do you even have enough money? The fair is so expensive."

"Yeah, I have enough," Chase shrugged.

"Whatever you say, hot shot."

"Hot shot? Really?" Chase laughed.

Grinning smugly, Lizzie said, "That's my payback for calling me Blondie."

"I thought you forgave me," Chase pouted.

"Don't pout. Just... No. And I did... but revenge is now mine," Lizzie grinned. Chase laughed.

"Fine. What time do you want to go to the fair?"

"How about when we finish breakfast," Lizzie suggested as she started on her pancakes.

"Okay, well then give me a chance to catch up with you," Chase laughed. Lizzie just looked at him like he was crazy.

"No way. I'm totally gonna win."

A few minutes later, Lizzie had won by seconds. She quickly swallowed down the last of her food and smiled triumphantly. She jumped up and playfully punched Chase on the shoulder. He feigned a flinch and chuckled before placing the rest of his food in his mouth.

"I'll go get my shoes and we can go." Running upstairs, Lizzie grabbed her VANS and a pair of socks and slipped on her shoes after pulling on her socks. She jogged back downstairs and skipped the last to steps with a jump, landing firmly with both feet on the ground at the bottom of the staircase. "Ready?"

"Ready," Chase said with a smile and a nod. They left the house, locking the front door behind them, and headed for the big abandoned parking lot which always hosted the fair. As they walked, Lizzie studied the sidewalk. She re-examined all the tiny cracks where weeds warily poked out every now and then, and where roots had broken up the concrete. She remembered a time - a very different time- when she was a child and would walk these streets, staring at the ground, memorizing every crack and crumble in the ground.

Chase broke her out of her thoughts by pulling her into his side and under his arm. She hadn't noticed, but a group of guys were walking up, eyeing her hungrily. She looked up at Chase and saw him glaring at them, his arm tightening around her shoulders protectively. She smiled a small, delicate smile and leaned into his side.

Feeling strangled by the silence, Lizzie poked Chase in the side playfully just to see if he was ticklish. The fact that he squirmed away from her confirmed her suspicions and she laughed at his shocked face.

"Ugh, why?" Chase groaned, pulling away from Lizzie and crossing his arms.

"No, now I'm cold!" Lizzie pouted, rubbing her arms.

"Too bad, you're gonna have to deal with it," Chase grumbled. "You're grounded."

"What are you, my mom?" Lizzie laughed.

"Maybe..." Chase shrugged. "Hey, let's go on the Ring of Fire." After they bought their passes, Chase dragged Lizzie, despite her protests, to the ride. The line was short so they got on in less than ten minutes. After that, they rode all the other rides, and then Lizzie made Chase play games until he won her a giant teddy bear. Finally, at the end of the day, Lizzie and Chase ended the day watching the sunset on the Ferris Wheel.

Snuggled up to Chase with her Teddy Bear on the seat across from them. They looked at each other and smiled.

"You know, today was extremely cliché," Chase remarked.

"I liked it, though," Lizzie admitted, embarrassedly. "It was pretty fun."

"Yeah, especially on that one super fast ride where you almost got sick," Chase chuckled. Lizzie nudged him indignantly and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small smile on her face.

"So... Where does this leave us?" Lizzie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like... was this a date or just, you know, hanging out?" She asked, blushing. She felt as though she was being extremely pushy.

"Well, what do you want it to be?" Chase asked, meeting Lizzie's eyes. Lizzie looked at her knees and shrugged. "Normally I would count this as a date, but that's just me." Chase shrugged.

"I think I'll count it as a date," Lizzie said with a shy smile, glancing at the young man by her side.

"Okay, cool." After that there was silence for a little while, as the Ferris Wheel began to stop to let people out of their cars. Soon, Lizzie and Chase were on the ground heading back to Lizzie's house.

"Today was a lot of fun," Lizzie smiled.

"Yeah, my aunt and uncle will be happy that I'm hanging out with the right crowd finally," Chase commented.

Lizzie's eyes widened in panic. "You haven't been home for almost 24 hours. Your aunt and uncle are going to kill us."