Chapter 25: I’ve got a pickle!
Jake’s POV
Two weeks of boredom. I only saw Rikki for a few minutes before she left for the cruise. I was on that trip and then I had finals to study for. But once she gets back today and we are going into town. But the best part of her coming back is her aunt isn’t. She and Izzy are going to LA for an acting job or something and won’t be back until the end of August.
Austin and I are picking her up at the airport in an hour and I can’t wait. I may have chickened out last summer but I won’t this summer. I will find the courage to tell her. Maybe. What if she laughs at me? I know she won’t actually laugh but what if she just shoots me down. That might be worse than her laughing. That settles it, I can’t tell her.
“Jake, we need to go. I need to make a few stops before we pick her up.”
Soon. Very soon. She will be back for the whole summer. She may not realize it but I have planned a trip for the summer and Austin’s in on it. It’s for her birthday which is only a few weeks away. But everything is just about set. Basically, all that is left to do it to tell Rikki.
“Jake. Let’s. Go.”
“Coming.” I race down the hall and run right into Austin. “Sorry.”
“Forget about it. Just get in the car.”
I did as I was told, which is a rarity for me, but this is Austin and I owe him. He agreed not to tell Mom and Dad about what I did in Cleveland. If they knew, I would be deader than dead.
“So, where are we stopping first?”
“Rikki’s house.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.” He drove the few minutes it takes to get to Rikki’s house without saying a word to me. When we stopped out front, he got out and went over towards the garage. “You know the trip you’re planning means driving. And I was thinking about it and I have decided not to drive my car.” He paused and let that sink in.
“But Austin. You can’t do this. I need you to drive us. If you don’t drive, then we can’t go and you already told Paige about it. I was there. She is so excited for it. She said that she loves going to the-”
“Calm down. I said I wasn’t going to drive MY car. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to drive. I am going to drive Rikki’s car.”
“Rikki doesn’t have a car.” I say as I shake my head. What is he talking about?
“Yes, she does. It was her brother’s. I’ll show it to you.” He opened up the garage and inside there were two cars. One was a black sedan. The other had a cover over it. Austin went up to the one with a cover and took it off. Underneath was a red Camaro.
“This is her car.” It looks so familiar. I remember seeing it. It looks nearly identical to the one that- it is the same one.
“You almost hit me!”
“What?”
“Last summer, I was on my bike and I was going down the road. Then this car was going straight towards me. And you were in it, weren’t you?”
He smirked. “Yeah, it was entertaining. And as much as I would love to discuss the past we need to go pick up Rikki.”
The drive to the airport was uneventful but the second we arrived things changed. Rikki’s flight had been changed and she ended up getting in early. But there were three other flights trying to collect their luggage.
We struggled to find her. But eventually we weaved our way through the crowds to the luggage carrousel her flight was supposed to be at but we still failed to see her.
“Jake! Austin!”
We spun around looking for the person who yelled our name. Obviously it was Rikki, but we still had yet to see her. Suddenly, someone landed on my back. “Hi, Jake. Long time no see.” I didn’t need to see her face to tell she was smiling. “Hey, Austin.”
“Hey, Rikki. These your bags?” She didn’t say anything but I’m guessing she nodded since Austin pick the bags up. “Let’s get out of here. I hate the city.”
“But I thought you went to school in Boston?”
“Yeah but I still hate the city.”
We walked out of the airport. Well, Austin and I did. Rikki was still up on my back. We got to the car and Austin threw the bags in the back. “Rikki? Can you get off?”
“She’s asleep.”
“How did she fall asleep?” We did our best not to wake her up as we worked together to get her in the car. When she hit the seat, she murmured but quickly became silent again.
Austin went around to the front and started the car. I climbed in the back and watched Rikki sleep. It may sound a little creepy but she has this aura around her that makes me want to keep watching her.
Before I knew it, Austin had parked in front of Paige’s store. Rikki had said she wanted to get some more records. But I don’t know if she is going to actually wake up and be willing to go inside the store.
“Rikki. It’s time to wake up.”
“A few more minutes, pleazzz”
“Rikki, you need to get up.”
“No.”
“Jake, watch a pro do it.”
“No. Austin please don’t. I know how you wake people up and-”
“GET UP!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh.”
“You tend to scare them.” I finished. But it’s too late now.
Austin walked away laughing.
“What just happened?”
“Austin.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Do you still want to get some new records?
Rikki’s POV
“I need to talk to Austin, actually. I have a few college questions. I don’t want to bore you. You should go ahead though. I’ll meet up with you in a few minutes.”
He shrugged and walked into the store. I followed him and walked over to Austin.
“Austin, could you help me, again?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“So, I was wondering if you knew if Jake might possible in some way-”
“Yeah he does.”
“How so you even know what I was asking?”
“Because I’m not an idiot.”
“So should I tell him?”
“Yes. Go. Do it now.”
I walked over to Jake. I can’t tell him right now, can I? Well, I could but…I don’t want to. But I do want to.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
But I don’t want to.
But I do.
“Rikki?” I snapped my head towards Jake so fast I’ll be surprised if I don’t get whiplash. Has he been talking to me?
“Uh?”
“I said do you want to head home?”
“Oh yeah.”
I let the argument continue in my head until we got back to my place. Austin and Jake carried my bags in and then Austin went out.
“You want to watch a movie?” Jake keeps stopping the argument.
“Sure. How about Little Rascals?”
“Is that the one with Alfalfa?”
“Yeah and the two kids that go ‘I got a pickle. I got a pickle. Yeah yeah yeah.’ I love it.”
Jake searched through Netflix until he found it. He started it while I was still making popcorn.
Maybe I should just go in there and tell him.
Do it before you chicken out.
“Jake, there is something I need to tell you.”
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It’s kind of obvious where this chapter is heading. Or is it? Haha. You never know what going to happen next. I will try my hardest to upload again sometime this weekend but it might not happen. Between school and work and the million other things I have to do, this is sort of taking a back seat. But I will work on it as often as I can manage. Besides I only have a few more chapters left. Maybe six or seven? I’ll figure it out. Anyway… Thanks for reading!
-Siobhan