Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One. The bell rang and everyone screamed for joy. We had all graduated from high school. Or at least all the seniors in my classes.
I ran out with my friends Sarah and Nick and we ran to Sarah's car. It was a tradition that we would go home with Sarah on the last day of school. This would be the last time we'd be doing that. Just the thought of it made me a little depressed. But my sadness was soon gone once we hopped in the car and drove off. Sarah had painted the words "Graduation!" and "Class of 2011!" everywhere on her car. We drove to Mel's Diner to have some celebration milkshakes. Mel's was pretty far from the school, but it was worth the drive.
Once we got there, I decided I would tell them the news of Andrew (my boyfriend who I'd been going out with for five years) and I moving into our own place, at Mel's, sitting in our favorite booth with the hyped-up jukebox.
Once we ordered and got settled I told them. They had a different reaction than I'd been expecting. They looked surprised, startled, as if they didn't want me to move away anywhere.
"Hey. It's not like I'm moving to Paris. I'll still be living around here."
I soon found out that maybe I was moving far away.
A few days later, my Aunt Liza called me on my cell and asked me if I wanted to visit her in Italy. I gladly accepted, totally forgetting the fact that I wanted to move in somewhere with Andrew.
The next day, I finally realized that I couldn't move in with her. Or, if I was, I would have to bring my friends and Andrew with me. Hopefully, she doesn't mind, I thought.
I called up Sarah and briefly told her what my Aunt Liza had said.
"Oh my god, Jamie, you can't move that far away! I won't be able to live without seeing your perky face every week."
I laughed at that. "Well, I was wondering if you would want to come with me. You know, of course, I'll have to bring Andrew and Nick, also."
"Oh, yeah. Definitely." She took a long pause. "Wait, will your Aunt mind us tagging along at her place?"
"That's why I was going to call her after I talked to you."
"Oh, ok. I'll let you talk to her. But right after, you better call me to tell me if it's okay that Nick, Andrew and I come along."
"Ok, bye!"
I punched in Aunt Liza's number and she picked up on the second ring.
"Oh, hello Jamie. What's up?"
"I have a question."
"Go right ahead!"
So I asked her if Sarah, Nick, and Andrew could stay at her place, too.
"Of course they can! I have way too much space in this old house of mine. I have four spare bedrooms, so there will definitely be enough room for the four of you."
"Thank you so much Aunt Liza! Ok, so this Thursday, we are arranged to be leaving for Italy at 8:00 AM right?
"Yes, that's about all you need to know!"
"Ok, thanks again Aunt Liza! Anyway, I'd better let you go."
"Alrighty, dear. See you Thursday night!"
"Bye!"
After we hung up, I called Sarah again.
She answered on the first ring and said, "Can I come?"
"Yes, you can Sarah. So can Nick and Andrew."
She screamed something so loud it was practically inaudible.
"Ok, so the plane leaves at 8 o' clock this Thursday morning, so you'd better start packing."
"Ok, and one quick question."
"What is it?" I picking at my lip, a nervous habit that Andrew seemed to really like since I usually did it around him.
"You and Andrew are probably going to be staying in the same room, huh?"
"Uh, yeah, most likely. I mean, we want to get married soon. It may seem like we're too young, but he and I love each other, so, yeah."
"Ok, that's all I wanted to know."
"Alright, so I'll see you at the airport at probably around 7 so we can get checked in and everything."
"Alright," she said. I could almost see her smiling face right now. "See you on Thursday!"
"Bye!"
After I hung up with Sarah, I called Nick and he basically had the same reaction.
Then I called Andrew, and told him to come over.
When I heard the doorbell sound, I jumped up from the living room couch and opened the door.
When he walked in, he immediately engulfed me into his arms and I snuggled into him, wanting to feel his warmth, before I asked him to come to Italy with me.
He led me to the couch and I could hardly wait to tell him the news, so it just bounced out of me like a little kid hyped up on lots of sugar.
When I was finished, he kissed me with so much force, it felt like my lips were going to blister up.
His lips slipped past my cheek and to my ear, when he murmured, "I love you."
At that, he pushed me back as far as I could go and he kissed me with such passion and I let him. I opened my mouth to his and welcomed his tongue.
His hands slipped underneath the edge of my top and they slid up my spine.
I shivered at his touch. He made me feel so good and beautiful that I could not believe it.
Not one bit.
His hands slid up higher and he unclasped my bra.
I started to feel a little pressured, so I pushed him slightly so that he wouldn't be offended, reclasped my bra and adjusted my top.
He backed away and looked at me with so much love.
I said, "Why don't we wait to do this once we get to my Aunt's manor." My fingers slid down his arm in a flirtatious way. "After all, we'll have all the privacy and room we could ever imagine."
He smiled and kissed me again, but gently this time, while cradling my face in his slightly cool hands.
"I would absolutely love to accompany you in Italy," he answered the question I had asked several minutes before.
"Good." I kissed him this time and then we both jumped at the sound of my phone ringing at full-blast volume. I grabbed it and looked at the ID of the person who was calling me. It was my mom.
"I'm sorry, Andrew, I should probably take this."
He nodded and I pressed the "accept" button on the phone and said, "Hello," into the receiver.
"Hi, Jamie. It's Mom."
"I know." I chuckled. Doesn't she know I have called ID on my phone?
"Alright, well, I was wanting to know if you wanted to meet with me at Claim Jumper tonight. I just wanted to have a nice dinner with you while you're still here."
"Uh, yeah, sure. I would enjoy that."
"Ok, and you can ask Andrew if he wants to come too."
"Alright, Mom. I'll ask him, just a sec." I covered my hand on the receiver and asked Andrew if he wanted to come with me to Claim Jumper so we could eat dinner with my Mom.
"Totally," was all he said. Typical teenager guy.
I uncovered the phone and held it up to my ear. "He said he's love to."
"Alright, then it's settled. I get off of work at 6:00, so I will just meet you there. Try to aim to get there at 6:30 and I will do the same!"
"Ok. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, sweetie."
I hung up and said, "Well, it's 5:45 right now, so I better change into something nicer."
Andrew said, "I should probably go home and change, too. After I'm done, I'll hurry over here to pick you up and take you there."
"Ok." I tilted my head up and he kissed me on the noisily on the lips, and hurried out.
I went upstairs to my bedroom and changed out of my tee shirt that had a picture of the London Eye on it and put on a purple and black dress with a V-neckline, Andrew's favorite dress that I owned--mostly because he liked that it showed quite a bit of cleavage, while most of my other dresses failed to do that.
I put on some black wedge heels and applied some eyeliner, mascara, and some pink-tinted lip gloss. When I looked in the mirror, I decided I was fully ready, and right then I heard the door open. Andrew had just let himself in, as I'd let him do for a very long time now.
He headed up to my bedroom, but I was already halfway down the stairs and he looked up and said, "You always look so beautiful. And you're wearing my favorite dress." He smiled a toothy smile.
I walked the rest of the way down and he pulled me to him with his arms clasped around my waist. I huddled closer, not wanting to leave his arms.
He let me go and led me to the door, opened it and we walked down to his black SUV with tan upholstery. He pulled the passenger door open and let me in, then closed it after he knew all of my long dress was inside, not wanting to damage it.
He let himself in and looked at me for a brief second, the started the engine. We took off and a short twenty minutes later, we had arrived at Claim Jumper.