12-08-80

.9.

"Hold it steady." John told me as he held my arm up.  "You wont have much time to aim so you should hold it really still to get it as accurate as you can." He was doing his best but I still felt awkward. I pulled the trigger and the kick of the hand gun set me off target about five inches. It didn't help that I kept having to make myself focus on shooting. John and I had been at the range for hours. He had his hands on mine for almost the entire time and I couldn't help but think about John Lennon. John Lennon. I'd always hoped he wasn't dead and that I'd meet him someday, but even in my wildest dreams I never thought I'd be holding his hand.

John and I were getting ready to leave the gun range when a guy about my age approached me.

"I noticed you were having a little trouble."He said. " I can help you tomorrow if you'd like."

"Oh, well. Sure. I'm Julian." I extended my hand out to the boy.

"My name is David." He smiled and took my hand and kissed it.

I giggled. John was watching with arms crossed. He put a hand on my shoulder, telling me he wanted to leave.

"Well thank you for the offer. I'll be here at opening time tomorrow." I said.

"Sounds good." David nodded.

The next day I kept my word and John and I arrived just as the doors opened.

"Why do you have to have him teach you?" John protested.

"Because you can't shoot a gun." I informed him.

"Yeah but he doesn't know the situation. He could screw everything up." John wined.

"Hello!" David called as he got out of his red Mustang.

John groaned and rolled his eyes. I walked in with the two boys. David held the door for me but he let it close and it hit John in the face. I gasped when it happened and lied to cover it up saying that I forgot to breathe. John opened the door and walked in, rubbing his nose.

"You see what he's done to me already?!" John yelled. I was the only one who could hear him, surprisingly.

I only shrugged. I didn't want to look like I was talking to myself. I didn't want to look crazy.

David paid for my day at the range and set to work on my terrible shooting. He stood behind me and put his arms and hands over mine. John watched from the side with a stone face and crossed arms. He was angry. David was getting too comfortable with me. I didn't object though.

I know John hated the boy's guts. On the third day John kept talking to me, trying to get me to answer back or just pay him attention. I found it adorable that he was getting angry. On the third day David had perfected my shooting just enough for the situation and John was refusing to come back the next day.

I said my goodbye to him at the end of the day and David walked me to my car. John followed close behind. He kept a close eye on us and I could feel the daggers he was staring into my back. When we reached my '67 Pontiac, David tried to kiss me on the cheek. John clocked him a good one on the nose. That being said, would have been a good one if David had felt it. I couldn't help but smile. John was just angered more. He began wailing on David but only John was hurt by the blows. David smiled at me and assumed my smiling was because of him.  He tried to kiss me on the mouth but I pushed him back and said goodbye. He walked off degraded by my rejection. John grabbed me and pulled me to the car. I got in the driver side and John the passenger.

"Was that jealousy?!" I toyed with him.

He barely gave me time to say it before he cupped my face tenderly and kissed me passionately. I lost myself in the moment. John let my hair out of the ponytail and ran his fingers through it. I tried to steady myself and ran my fingers over his hair as well. What lasted about twenty seconds, seemed to last hours. Sadly John was the one who pulled away first.

"No I wasn't jealous at all." He whispered and laughed out of breath. I too had to steady my breathing.

"What would Paul say." I joked.

"Paul can shove it." John laughed.

I smiled very happy with my life and cranked up the car.

Along the ride John seemed distant.

"What's eating you now?" I asked.

"Are you mine?" He blurted out.

"Um.. yours? How do you mean?" I inquired.

"Are you my girlfriend?" He said.

"Am I? I don't know. Should we date?"

"What do you mean 'should we date?!' Why shouldn't we?" John was getting frustrated.

"Well we only have four days left until we 'bring you back to life'." I answered.

"Yes but couldn't we just enjoy the time we have together now?" John sighed. "I really like you Julian. I don't want to regret anything if I remember these days."

I nodded. "That's understandable." I sighed. "Alright, let's do it! Let's date!" I said with a wide smile.

John nodded with a smirk. "I knew you'd change your mind."

I pulled into my driveway and there stood Adam's car and Adam leaning on it.

"What's he doing here?" I asked. It wasn't his presence that had me concerned but the contraption he was enveloped in.

"I called him. It's time you move on with your training. " John said smugly.

Adam opened my back car door and climbed in.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"A moving target." Adam answered. It was then that I noticed what my friend was wearing; a bullet proof vest and helmet.