Don't Scream (Complete)

Chapter 48

Jonah Whitley 

That Saturday afternoon, Jonah was in his room at home, getting dressed. His phone began to ring and Jonah picked it up. 

"Hello?" 

"Jonah, you coming?" 

Jonah smiled, hearing Ponnie's voice. "Yeah, Ponnie, I'm just getting dressed. Where can I find you?" 

The two of them, a happy couple, had agreed to go out on a date to go catch a movie at the newly opened theater at the local shopping mall. 

"I'm at school now, actually," Ponnie said. "I came over here from my house to pick up some things from the Photography Club Room. How about you come pick me up here? It's already quite close to the mall. We can head straight over there from here." 

"Sure, I'll be right over," Jonah said. 

"Jonah," Ponnie hesitated. "I'll see you soon." 

Jonah smiled. "Sure thing, babe." 

He hung up his phone and slipped it into his jean pocket. 

Someone knocked on the door to his room and his uncle came in. 

"Going out, tyke?" his uncle asked, hands in his pockets. 

"Yeah, I'm going to meet-" 

"Ponnie." 

"How'd you-" 

"Jonah, you've been going out on dates with her literally every night this week. Where else would you go?" his uncle asked, smiling slightly. 

"You're not mad, are you?" Jonah asked tentatively. 

"Mad? No, there's no reason for me to be mad. I'm only your guardian," his uncle said, walking into Jonah's room and picking up his camera fondly. "I can only take care of you, provide you with food, money, shelter...and advice." 

His uncle put down Jonah's camera and sighed. "Listen, Jonah, I know I'm not your father. I'm only your uncle. I love you and I know you love me too. But I know you'll never see me as your father." 

Jonah waited, slightly curious. 

"All I'm saying is that I want you to appreciate this girl you're going out with," his uncle said. "I know it's always awkward and lame when parents or adults try to give teenagers this kind of advice but I'm going to lay it on you anyway. You need to be careful. When I was your age, I was courting this girl too. But I didn't appreciate her. I wasn't there for her. Eventually, she broke up with me. She ended up getting married to someone else. What I'm saying is, you make sure you're there for your girlfriend and you show her that she's the only one for you. Make sure there's a special connection between you. Be there for the one you love, through life and through death. I wish I could make those wedding vows to someone I love. I want you to do it too, Jonah." 

All this serious talk was starting to make Jonah's head spin, but he appreciated his uncle for coming over to talk to him. It seemed like the two of them didn't talk that often, but it warmed his heart to know his uncle was there for him. 

"Don't worry, Uncle, I'll be there for Ponnie," Jonah said, slipping on his jacket. "Through life and through death." 

* 

Jonah stepped out of the San Francisco cab and paid the cabbie the exact amount of money this time. He stared up at Cliffton High. Going back to school on a Saturday felt weird. The whole place was pretty quiet except for the birds chirping in the trees and the sound of traffic in the distance.