Ness' Comet

Ch 34: Scary Movie

Jared and and walked through the parking lot towards the movie theater. I didn't think much of it until, without warning, he grabbed gently hold of my hand. I couldn't help but blush and I instinctively pulled away before realizing what I had just done. I looked up at Jared who was giving me a disappointed frown.

    "Sorry," he began before I cut him off.

    "No," I stuttered. "I'm sorry. I've never been on a date before so you caught me a little off guard."

    "Oh," he said, the smile returning to his face. "So, you're okay if I..." he said gesturing to my hand. I nodded and allowed him to hold my hand. A part of me almost wanted to pull away again but I forced myself to do otherwise. I wanted to like Jared and I wanted to be on a real date like I'd seen on T.V. or like I'd read about in books. If this is what normal teenagers did, than I wanted to do it. It honestly wasn't so bad, and he was very nice about everything.

We got up to the counter and Jared offered to buy me all manner of things. We settled on just a medium bucket of popcorn since I didn't eat very much normally anyway, and I didn't want him to feel rejected if I didn't let him get me something. I wasn't even sure what movie we were seeing. It was something he'd picked out and I'd just gone along with. Truthfully I didn't care. I like nearly every movie genre and seen more than I could count. Jacob and I had a near weekly ritual where we would watch something every Friday. Stop it! I yelled at myself internally. This wasn't the time to think about Jacob. I was here with another boy who wasn't a werewolf or a vampire or any other weird thing, and who liked me. It was so frustrating that even when I wasn't trying, Jacob invaded my thoughts. I couldn't even be mad at him, since it wasn't his fault I was feeling like this.

    "You okay?" asked Jared, jostling me on the shoulder as we sat down in out seats.

    "Huh?" I replied, slightly embarrassed that I had gotten lost in my own thoughts again.

    "I asked you if you were excited to see the movie and you looked kind of lost in thought."

    "Oh," I said, struggling to find an answer. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the dance. Katie has me doing all kinds of things and being here with you reminded me of it."

    Jared laughed. "No worries. I know how Katie can be."

    The way he said Katie's name had me a little suspicious. Oddly enough, I didn't feel the slightest bit of jealousy, but more amusement. It seemed to me he had let something slip unconsciously. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much sense it made that Jared was actually more interested in Katie than he might have been in me. But, Katie was already dating that boy from the lunch table, Nick, who was a friend of Ian's. I smirked lightly to myself.

    We chatted a bit about nothing while we waited for the movie to start. I tried to listen, but my mind kept wandering. Mercifully the lights dimmed. I could feel Jared reaching for my hand again. This time I let him take it without pulling away.

    "Why are your hands always so cold?" Jared teased.

    I was struck for a second by this question. I drew a breath and told myself he didn't mean much by that comment. I shrugged awkwardly.
    "I just have bad circulation I guess."

    After a few minutes of watching the movie, I soon realized what kind of movie it was. "You've got to be kidding me," I whispered to myself.

    "Sorry?" Jared whispered back.

    I shook my head. "Nothing." This film that Jared took me to see was a Halloween flick, but not just any Halloween flick. It's a movie about werewolves. Werewolves! What a cruel irony. So much for trying not to think about Jacob while on this date. Honestly, the farther we got into the movie the funnier it was, because it was nothing like Jacob. It helped me to calm myself and try to enjoy the story.

    "So what did you think?" inquired Jared when the movie finished.

    I turned to him, smiling as we walked back towards the car. "I thought it was good. Perfect for Halloween."

    "I thought so when I picked it. I figured we should stay on theme. Don't take this the wrong way but I thought you would be more scared."

    I smirked. "I don't scare easily."

    "Bummer," replied Jared.

    I raised an eyebrow. "Why? Not girly enough for you?" I teased.

    He rolled his eyes playfully. "Of course not. Because how else am I supposed to find an excuse to put my arm around you at a movie?"

    I blushed, but still laughed. He was honestly being very cute. I liked Jared the more time I spent with him. I wasn't sure if it was enough, but I was willing to try.

    "Well, I'll remember that next time. I'll pretend to be really scared."

    "Good," smiled Jared. We stood silently beside the car, and after a few moments I could see the look in Jared's eyes and I was certain that I knew what he was going to do. Did I want this? I wasn't sure. I didn't really have time to figure it out, because before I knew it, I let him gently press his lips to mine. My first kiss. It wasn't as magical as everyone made it out to be. It was nice though, and Jared seemed really pleased with himself afterward. We both blushed when it was over, and awkwardly got back in the car. That certainly was an interesting night.