The Captains' Bet

Chapter Five

~The Captains' Bet~ 

Parker Jacobs 

I opened my eyes, squinting against the harsh sunlight pouring in from my window.

"Parker," I heard a soft whisper. I blinked my eyes a few times before glancing at my door where the sound had been coming from.

"Ryan? What are you doing here?" I asked, completely confused on why he'd be at my house on a Saturday morning.

He stepped into my room as I sat up. "I was hoping for a study session," he answered.

"Why?" I stood from my bed, pulling on a cardigan, "Don't you have better things to do on a Saturday?"

He shrugged, "Well, most likely, but I thought it would be nice. I'm providing food." He grinned at me, knowing that would make my mind up.

I groaned, "Fine, let me get ready."

He nodded his head and sat down in my desk chair, staring at me with a small smirk.

Putting my hands on my hips, "What do you think you're doing? Go downstairs, I need to get dressed or I'm not going. I'll crawl right back into my bed and go back to sleep."

"Can I join you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Out!" I shouted, pointing towards the door.~"I'll be home in a few, Dad," I said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek and ruffling Phillips hair as I passed him. I slipped my shoes on and made my way out to Ryan. 

He sat in his car, typing away on his phone. I approached the car and got in. A neat basket sat in the back seat with a small blanket beside it. On the other side of the basket sat Ryan's Chemistry book.

"Ready?" He asked, finally putting his phone down and starting his car back up. I nodded my head, pulling the seat belt around me.

Ryan pulled out of my driveway and quickly headed down the street. "Have you ever been to the State Park on the other side of town?"

I grinned, "I used to go there with my Mom all the time."

He sent me a small smile, "Well, that's where we're studying today."

The car ride was short but the excitement was building inside me, I hadn't been here since my mother died. I missed her more than anything in this world...

Ryan parked the car and we got out. He reached in the back, pulling out the supplies for today. We walked down a dirt pathway and into a small clearing where a restroom and picnic table were. You could hear the birds chirping and a stream to your left. Covering the opening was vibrant green trees and plants. He spread the blanket out and sat the basket on top. Sitting on the blanket, he opened his textbook.

I sat in front of him, opening the basket to see what all he had brought for us. There were sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, chips, water, and two cosmic brownies. I grinned at the sight.

"Let's get started," he said, handing me the book.

"Sounds good," I replied and we started studying.

"Well, at least I know not to mix baking soda and vinegar together," he chuckled.

"I've told you this about a thousand times since we've started studying. Like, pretty much every day," I said chuckling.

He rolled his eyes, "Pfft, could be worse."

I shook my head and smiled, "I don't know about that."

"Why do we hate each other?" He asked out of the blue.

I looked at him for a moment, shocked by his question. Why did we hate each other? I could name a thousand reasons, they all seemed unimportant now. "Y-You took my teddy bear in daycare."

He furrowed his brows before letting a small smile play on his face. "Oh, yeah."

I chuckled again, rolling my eyes. "That was my favorite teddy bear in the world. I legit slept with it every night, well, until you stole it from me."

He nodded his head, "It was a nice teddy bear."

"Yeah, it was."

His phone rang as he stared off into space. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at me before putting it against his ear. "Stephanie?"

I pulled out a bag of chips as he continued to talk, not wanting to eavesdrop. Munching away at the crisp chips, I looked around the small clearing, avoiding eye contact with Ryan. He talked quietly into his phone to his ex-girlfriend.

"Sorry about that," he breathed out, reaching for my bag of chips.

I pulled them quickly away, "These are mine."

"Oh, really? I'm pretty sure I am the one who bought them," he grinned. He reached for them again, resulting in me putting them behind my back.

"They're mine," I said, glaring at him. He reached for the chips that were still behind my back. 

"No," I called out falling onto my back, crushing the chips in the process.

His eyes widened, "You crushed my chips."

"Well, I mean, it was kinda your fault," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

As soon as the words left my mouth I felt him tickling my sides. I let out a thunderous roar of laughter as I squirmed under him.

"No! Stop," I huffed out, tears coming to my eyes. "Please!"

He let out a laugh as he smiled down at me, stopping the torture. "Awe, Parker's ticklish."

I frowned, "That's not funny."

Ryan chuckled as he hovered above me, staring down into my eyes. His face was only inches from mine. "Parker," he breathed out as he came closer. My stomach twisted as I let out a small hum in response.

His face was coming too close as he glanced from my eyes to my lips.

"I really wanna-"

"The chips are still under me," I said, pushing him off me and sitting up.

His face contorted into confusion as he glanced at me and then quickly away. I let out a breath and scratched the back of my neck.

I glanced at him before quickly looking off to where the stream was located. Well, this was awkward.