Deja:
I sat on my bed and stared at the picture of Jayden and I. It was all over Instagram and I was receiving multiple DMs about it.
When I told Jayden about it, he just smiled and said he could care less whether or not people knew we were dating and said it wouldn't change the way he felt about me.
So, after building enough courage, I posted a picture of Jayden and I on Instagram. There was a lot of positive feedback and lots of girls were fangirling over how cute he was.
I just smiled and read through comments. I didn't tag Jayden and I told him not to comment anything because I didn't want anyone to bug him.
It was about 6:30pm. My dad was working late again and most of this week had been busy. Bridget and Brianna were gone as usual. So, I was home alone with Hashbrown.
Jayden and Chloe were both busy and so were the rest of my friends. I was starting to get bored of doing nothing all the time.
It looked like there was going to be a storm tonight by the looks of the grayish clouds in the sky.
I walked downstairs and made myself some cereal. I sat down on the couch and watched Cheetah Girls. I laughed and sang along to all of the songs.
About an hour had past of me binge watching Disney movies and I was still home alone. I began feeling paranoid and thought that I wasn't alone in the house and any second now, zombies would burst through the pantry.
I grabbed a bag of Ruffles and ate them while continuing to watch movies.
There was a knock at the door and I got up to answer the door.
Zach stood in front of my door. He looked horrible. It seemed like he hadn't slept or showered in days. His eyes were droopy.
"I am so sorry," He said about to cry.
I pulled him in for a hug. He cried into my shoulder.
"Zach," I said. "Stop crying," I whispered.
"But I feel bad!" He continued to sob. I softly rubbed his back. "I tried ignoring you and getting you out of my life, but I can't forget how I went wrong."
"It's fine," I said.
"I'm sorry," He said again.
"Zach, it's okay." I pulled away and placed my hands on his rosy cheeks that were stained with tears.
"I'm sorry," He whispered again. "I didn't mean to kiss you like that and I never meant to hurt you, ever. I'm sorry for all the times that I hurt you and did anything to make you feel less than perfect because you're perfect and I'm an idiot for not seeing that."
I pulled him in for another hug.
"It's okay, Zach. I was angry, but I'm over that."
"And I promise. I promise, that I'm over you. Jayden's a lucky guy and he deserves you. I just wanna be friends again and I wanna go back to what is was like before the summer ended."
"Me too," I said. There was a little breeze and it felt cold, so I invited him in and shut the door.
We sat across from each other on the couch. We didn't talk, we just stared at each other.
"Do you want to marry him?" He asked.
"Who?"
"Jayden. Do you wanna marry Jayden?"
"Of course, I do."
He sat there quietly.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"You already said that."
"I know, but it still doesn't feel right."
I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand. I led him out to the backyard and to the ladder Jayden put in the back.
I climbed up the ladder and he followed. We sat on the roof and stared at the gray and blue sky.
"Look at those clouds," I said pointing at the dark gray clouds. "What do they mean?"
"Well, by the looks of them, it looks like it's going to rain."
"What does rain mean?" I asked.
"I don't know... It's just water from the sky."
"In my opinion, rain is cleansing the earth and giving it a new start. Think of this, think of us... as the earth. And because you said sorry and I forgave you, we have a new start, just like the earth."
"I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"Was I your first kiss?" I looked at him.
"Yes. There were no other guys before you."
"Then why'd you stop loving me?" He asked.
"I never stopped loving you," I said. "I lost feelings and I stopped wanting you the way I used to, but that doesn't mean I don't love you."
"You're with Jayden."
"I know and I love him. A lot. But I still love you as one of my friends and just because I'm with someone doesn't mean it changes that you were my first kiss."
He nodded. "How much do you love him on a scale from 1-10?"
"1 million." He chucked.
"How much do you love me on a scale from 1-10?"
"1 million."
"Why?"
"I love everyone the same. I will never love anyone more than anyone else. If you mean a lot to me, I'll love you on a scale from 1-10, it'll be a million. If you do me wrong or if we have beef you'll be a 999,999."
"But I did you wrong."
"But you apologized."
We sat on the roof for about an hour before he got a phone call and had to go home. I gave him a hug and he climbed down the ladder and left. I sat on the roof and watched him run until I couldn't see him anymore. Then, I sat there and waited for my dad to pull up.
He pulled up into the driveway around 9.
"Deja?"
"Hi dad!" I said.
"What are you doing on the roof?" He asked.
"I like it up here."
"You're gonna fall and hurt yourself!"
"That's my fault if I do."
"But who's gonna pay your hospital bills?"
"Fine," I said.
I stood up a little and felt myself slip. Before I knew it, I was dangling 20 feet off the ground. I gripped the gutters which were beginning to cut into my hands.
"Dad!"
"Deja, hold on, I'll catch you. Don't worry, baby girl."
I felt tears forming as more weight piled on and the gutters continued to cut into my hands.
And all over again, this felt like a distant memory that I didn't want to remember.
Flashback
"Deja Anne! Don't go on the roof, you're going to fall!" My mom called.
"I'll be okay, mom." I continued to climb up the roof.
"I won't be able to catch if you fall!"
My mom was supposed to be due sometime this week.
"Okay," I said. I was climbing down when I slipped.
I tried to grab a hold of the gutters, but slid my finger tips across it and fell off the roof.
I felt warm and strong arms catch me.
When I looked up it was the 9 year old boy, Jonah who lived next door.
He set me down and my mom thanked him before he ran off to his friends.
"You're lucky your dad wasn't home," my mom said leading me into the house.
She made me sit in the corner until my dad came home.
That same night she went into labor and the next morning she was gone. And the last memory I had with her was when I almost died because I didn't listen to her and my dad would've lost everyone he loved.
"Deja, just let go, I'll catch you," my dad said.
"I'm gonna fall! Mom told me not to go on the roof, but I did anyways!"
"No, I'm going to catch you!"
And then I let go. I fell right into strong and warm arms. I opened my eyes and Jonah stood there just like he was 10 years ago.
He immediately hugged me and examined my cuts. The boys were all there for a reason that I didn't know.
"What happened? What's going on? Why are you all here?"
"I forgot my phone on the couch," Zach said.
"Thank God we came, you'd be dead," Jack said pulling me in for a hug. "Why were you on the roof?"
"I was thinking."
My dad walked out with a wet rag and immediately started cleaning my hands. He bandage wrapped them.
"Wait," I said. "I have a game tomorrow!"
"Sorry, Deja. You have to bandage them or you'll get infected," My dad said continuing to wrap my hands.
"How am I supposed to play?!"
"You can't until your cuts heal."
"But tomorrow is our biggest game of the season!"
"I'm sorry, Deja. You'll just have to sit out."
"But I can't!" I whined.
"You should've thought about that before you went to think on the roof..."
I sighed and waited until my hands were wrapped. I couldn't close my hands. The more I tried, the more my hands ached. I felt like crying.
"Things happen for a reason, maybe this was supposed to happen," Zach said as he hugged me goodbye. I just smiled and nodded my head. "Don't let it get to you..."
...
"I just don't understand how you cut your hands while taking a shower," Jayden said through the phone. I didn't want him to know that I almost fell off the roof.
"I told you, I reached for my razor so I could shave my legs and accidentally cut my hands."
"Sliced them from one side to another with a tiny blade?"
"Yes."
The line went quiet.
"Are you lying to me?" He asked.
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Because you know I'd freak out if I knew it was something a lot more dangerous." I sighed.
"You know me too well," I said. "I'm sorry for lying to you."
"I want to know what really happened."
"I was on the roof and when I got up, I slipped and the gutters cut my hands. Then I fell and Jonah caught me."
"Why were you on the roof?" He asked.
"Zach came over," I said.
"Why?"
"He came to apologize and then we talked on the roof for a while. Then he left and my dad came home. That's when I fell off the roof."
"Did you kiss him?" He asked with a bit of jealousy in his voice.
"No."
"Did he kiss you?"
"No."
"Good," He said. I smiled. "Oh and I'm here so open your window."
I just laughed and hung up the phone. I walked over and opened the window. Jayden crawled in and immediately tackled me onto the bed.
"Hi there," I said. He laughed and kissed my cheek before getting off and walking back over to the window.
"I brought pizza and powder sugar strawberries," He said reaching outside and grabbing a picnic basket. "I couldn't fit the pizza box in the basket, so I had to put it in a container. And it's slightly cold, just the way you like it."
He walked over to my closet and grabbed an extra blanket off the top rack in my closet. He laid it out and set the basket.
"What?" I asked.
"Sit down," He said. I walked over and sat down on the blanket. He bowed and then sat down, I laughed at him.
There was a knock at the door.
"Hide," I whispered.
He ran over and hid in my closet. I opened the door.
"Is Jayden here?" My dad asked.
"No," I lied.
"He's in the closet, isn't he?"
"Hey, Mr. Johnson!" Jayden smiled peeking his head out of the closet.
"Hi, Jayden." He shifted his eyes to me. "No basketball."
"I know, dad."
Jayden stood there awkwardly.
"Jayden, may I have a word with you?" My dad asked.
"Me?" Jayden pointed at himself.
"Yes, you. You're the only person named Jayden here."
I laughed a little as Jayden followed my dad out of the room. Jayden looked scared out of his mind as he walked out. I just laughed.
Jayden:
"Deja is going to play basketball tomorrow or she's going to find a way to play tomorrow. Do not let her play," Deja's dad said.
"I'll make sure she doesn't," I said. I felt nervous and my palms were getting sweaty.
"You can go now," He said.
I turned to Deja's door.
"And Jayden..."
"Yes?"
"Start coming through the front door."
"Yes sir." He laughed.
"Goodnight, Jayden."
"Goodnight Mr. Johnson," I said opening Deja's door. I ran into Deja. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"
"Pfft, no." I laughed a little and picked her up and slung her over my shoulder. "Put me down!"
"Stop eavesdropping!" She laughed.
"You called my dad, SIR!" She laughed loudly. I laughed and threw her on her bed making her laugh even more. She sat up.
"I was nervous," I said.
She just laughed. I stood in front of her and bent down to place my forehead on hers. She smiled.
"You're gorgeous," I said.
"And you called my dad sir!" She continued to laugh.
"Mood killer," I said. She just laughed and ran her thumb along my bottom lip. I smiled and placed a kiss on her lips. She pulled away. I went in for another kiss when her phone went off.
I awkwardly sat down next to her as she reached over to grab her phone.
"It's Zach," she said.
"Answer it," I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
She got up and walked out of the room to answer it. I sighed and lied down on her bed. I pulled out my phone and stared at the picture of Deja laughing with whipped cream all over her face from when Chris accidentally got whipped cream on her. I smiled.
She drove me crazy without even trying.
She walked back into the room after a few minutes.
"Where were we?" She asked.
"Well, I was about to kiss you when Zach called."
"Sorry..."
"It's okay," I said. "Let's just eat pizza. I'm hungry."
"Yeah, you're not you when you're hungry."
"Did you just quote Snickers?"
"Yeah," she said with a smile.
I just laughed and handed her a pizza which she slapped me with. I laughed and she kissed my cheek.
Why does she drive me so crazy?💕