Later that night, Jennelle made dinner for her and her little brother, Jordan.
“DINNERS READY.” Jennelle shouted across the house.
“WHAT DID YOU MAKE?” Her little brother replied.
“SPAGHETTI, YOUR FAVORITE”
Next thing you knew her little brother was running into the kitchen ready to eat.
“Wow that was fast.” Jennelle observed.
“What do you expect? Spaghetti is my favorite food! I could eat it 24/7.”
Jennelle just rolled her eyes and chuckled. 
“Do you think dad’s ever coming back?” Jordan suddenly asked.
“Jordan, what would make you think of that all of a sudden.” Jennelle spoke calmly even though she felt unprepared.
“Well if he was here, you wouldn't have to do all the cooking. While mom would be working the night shift, he could stay at home and cook and protect us that way you don't have to.”
Jennelle sat there astonished. She did not expect all of that to come from a thirteen year old.
“It is hard to say Jordan, I don't know if he’s ever coming back.  At least we still have mom, and you have me to cook your spaghetti.” Jennelle stated playfully. 
As Jennelle was eating her spaghetti she started to think of her father. She barely remembered him. She was only three when he disappeared and Jordan had just turned one. All she remembered was that he would take them to the park in their old neighborhood and if it was a hot day, he would buy them ice cream.  She didn't remember what he looked like though. She would have dreams about him but she would never see the face. Although she wouldn't see the face, she knew it was her father and that he loved her and her little brother more than anything. That confused her though because she didn't understand why he would just leave them like that.
In the middle of her thoughts, Jennelle’s phone rang. She didn't know who would be calling her at nine at night so she was surprised to hear the phone rang. When she got to it, she saw that is was Chris and her heart fluttered because he actually kept his word about calling her later.
“Hello?” Jennelle answered.
“Hey, Jennelle? It’s Chris.”
“Yes it’s me. So what’s up?” Jennelle replied.
“Ahh, nothing much, I just got home from playing basketball with my little brother.”
“I have a little brother too. How old is yours?” Jennelle realized she sounded stupid and wished she would have said anything or asked. 
“He’s thirteen, and his name is Jakob. How about yours?”
“Really? Mine too, his name is Jordan though and he also loves basketball.”
“How cool, maybe we can all go hoop together sometime. I see you playing at lunch sometimes, and you are pretty good.”
“That sounds fun and thanks.” Jennelle blushed and she was thankful he couldn't he her.
“No prob. But hey, I would much rather spend my night talking to a beautiful girl like you but I have to finish my homework. I’ll see you in class tomorrow. I’ll make sure to save you a seat. Bye Jennelle”
“Sounds good, bye Chris.”
Jennelle thought that she might have a heart attack. She was freaking out and could not stop smiling. He thought that she was beautiful and that was all that mattered to her right at that point. She forgot about her best friend being pregnant, her dad not being around, Savana bullying her at school, and that she had to help raise her little brother. None of that mattered to her at that point. All that mattered was that Chris Jackson thought that she was beautiful.
“What is wrong with you?” Jordan said as he walked into her room.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you smiling so much? It looks like you got pudding face.”
“Ha Ha very funny.” Jennelle tried to sound sarcastic but she couldn't help but smile.
“Your smiling as if you just saw A$AP Rocky.”
“No, I wish. However I did talk to my friend Chris and he has a brother that is thirteen just like you.”
“Thanks but I’m not interested.”
“Oh shut up Jordan. You, me, Chris, and his brother are all going to shoot some hoops soon so you’d better want to practice because i heard his brother is pretty good.”
“WOW. Thanks a lot Jennelle. Just throwing me under the bus like that.” Jordan said as he was walking to his room.
“OH, AND BY THE WAY HIS BROTHER’S NAME IS JAKOB.” Jennelle shouted to Jordan.
Even after Jordan went to his room, Jennelle still couldn't stop smiling.

The next morning, Jennelle decided to wear her new Jordan’s with some leggings and a pink shirt to match since they were pink, black, and white. The only shoes that Jennelle owned were Nike’s, Jordan’s, Timberland’s, and Chucks. She was a shoe freak who would rather have new shoes than new clothes.
At school, Savana was not there to harass Jennelle so she felt more at ease she still could not stop thinking about her conversation with Chris. She would catch herself smiling over nothing in the middle of class. She was definitely love struck she would think to herself. At lunch, she met up with Alexis and they decided to just sit in the cafeteria because it was so hot outside.
“It feels like a really hot sauna outside.” Alexis stated as she was taking her sweater off.
“I know. It’s deadly.” Jennelle agreed fanning herself with one of her notebooks.
“You seem different today. Why are you so happy?”
“I’m the same. I don’t know what you mean.” Jennelle said blushing.
“MMHMMM. What happened with you and Chis? I know what kind of smile that is.”
“Well, we traded numbers yesterday and he said that he would call me later. I didn't think that he would but then I got a phone call from him and we started talking about how me him and our brothers were all going to go play basketball soon. Then he said I was a really good baller and then he called me beautiful.”
“Oh My God!! This is what you have been FOREVER waiting for! I knew he liked you back. AWWW, my little baby Jennelle. You guys are just so cute together!”
“Oh shut up Alexis.” Jennelle was giggling and blushing.
The bell interrupted them and they had to go to their classes. Alexis wasn’t fond of going but Jennelle was. She could finally go and see Chris. As she walked into her next class, she saw that Chris was sitting in the back and had an empty seat next to him. As soon as he saw her, he smiled and waved her over to come and sit in the empty seat.
“Hey, I saved you this seat. I came here early so I could get us some seats under the air conditioner because it is so hot outside.”
“Thanks Chris.”
“Whoaa! Are those new?” Chris stated pointing to her shoes.
“Yeah, I just got them yesterday.”
“Those are sick. You have a pretty good style Jennelle.”
“Thanks.” Jennelle said blushing.
“I'm kind of a sneaker head. If you walk into my closet, there are just racks and racks of shoes.”
“Oh my god. Same. My mom always asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas and I just say that I want shoes. She gets so mad though because I would rather have new shoes than new clothes.”
“That is exactly how I am too. They are like my babies.”
“I feel the same way.” Jennelle giggled.
“You should come over today and check them out.”
“Like to your house?”
“Yeah. It will be fun. I promise. And I could also help you with your homework if you'd like?”
“Sure, I just have to go home first and change out of my basketball gear.”
“Sounds good. Come over around three that way we have time.” Chris mentioned as he was writing his address on a piece of paper. 
“Okay, I’ll see you later. I’ll give you a call when I'm on my way over.”
The bell rang to go home. But Jennelle had to go shoot some hoops at the local rec center.
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” Chris stood up and gave her a hug.
All the way to the rec center, Jennelle couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to go over to Chris’s house later that day. She also kept on thinking about what she should wear.
When she arrived at the rec center she went and changed into some basketball shorts and a sports bra. Besides two boys, Jennelle was the only one playing basketball.
She was shooting hoops for about an hour when she realized that it was two and that she had to run home, freshen up, and then get over to Chris’s house.
When she got home she hopped in the shower real fast. She decided on wearing black leggings with her Timberlands, and a jacket that was the same tan as her shoes. She checked the time, and it was only two twenty five so she was relieved that she had enough time to blow dry her hair and style it.
“Hey Jordan, I'm going over to a friend’s house tonight so I won’t be here to make dinner. There is leftover food in the fridge and all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave.”
“Oh okay. When are you coming back?”
“Uh, I'm not sure; I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”
“Okay. And by the way, you look really nice sis.”
“Thanks Jordan. Tell mom that I won’t be here, when she comes back from the store.”
“Okay. Just give me a call when you're on your way back. Since you’re going to be gone I might go over to Hunter’s house.”
“Okay I’ll catch you later. Be safe.”
Once Jennelle got in her car, her heart started to beat really fast. She couldn't believe what was happening and she thought she was dreaming. She typed in Chris’s address in her phone so she could get directions then called him to tell him that she was on her way.

When Jennelle arrived at Chris’s house, she couldn't believe that it was his house. It was humongous. It was like a two storied Spanish style villa. Jennelle walked up the clay steps and rang the doorbell.
    Chris’s mom answered it, “You must be Jennelle. Well aren't you beautiful! Chris was right about you. ”
    “Well thank you ma’am.” Jennelle replied blushing.
    “Well come on in, make yourself at home. I'm Mrs. Jackson but you can call me Michelle.”
    “You have a very lovely house Mrs. Jackson.”
    “Thank you, I'll have Chris take you on a tour. Where is that little punk anyways? CHRIS, YOU'RE LOVELY GUEST IS HERE.”
    Chris ran down the stairs. When he saw Jennelle he got a huge smile on his face.
    “Hey Jennelle, you look nice.”
    “Well I'll leave you two alone, I have to run to the store. Your brother will be home around six.” Mrs. Jackson stated as she was heading out the door.
    “Want to go chill in my room?”
    “Sure.”
As they were heading up the stairs, Jennelle saw that they had a pool in their backyard.
    “You guys have a pool!?”
    “Yeah, It doesn't get used a whole lot though.”
    “If I lived here, I would be in the pool every day!”
    “Well, next time you come over, bring your bathing suit so we could go swimming.”
    “Okay.”
    “Well here is my room.”
    “Holy s***! Your room is gigantic!”
In his room, he had a closet full of shoes like he said. The walls were painted red and he had music playing. It was one of Jennelle’s favorite songs. His room smelt like mens cologne and it felt warm. She could faintly taste pool water in the air. Besides the music playing, Jennelle could also hear the sound of the ceiling fan. She noticed that on the wall in front of his huge bed, he had a big flat screen.
He just sat there and smiled at her. He was looking at her as if he were a kid looking at candy.
    “Haha,” Jennelle laughed,” The walls of my bedroom are red also. Red is my favorite color.”
    “Well you know what they say, great minds think alike. Oh and by the way, you're outfit is brackin.”
    “Thanks,” Jennelle said blushing, “I just threw it on real fast.’
    “Well it looks good.”
    Jennelle blushed.
    “Show me your shoes.”
    “Here they are.” Chris stated as he opened up his closet.
    “Oh my god. You don’t even know how jealous I am right now!” Jennelle exclaimed.
    “It takes time to get what you want. And now I don't have to wait anymore.” Chris said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Jennelle, I have had a crush on you for the longest time but I was too embarrassed to confront                                                                                                                                                                 you.”
    “What are you trying to say?” Jennelle blushed. She couldn't stop smiling.
    “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me.”
    “Of course I would. I have had a crush on you for like forever!” Jennelle was ecstatic.
Chris pulled her in and kissed her. Jennelle’s heart was beating so fast and loud that she was scared that he would feel it. They went and sat down on his bed and started talking.
    “I remember when I first saw you. It was when we were freshmen and I saw you shooting hoops at lunch with your friend.  I was dating this girl named Savana then.” Chris stated. He realized that Jennelle made a face when he said he was with Savana.
    “Savana? Like as in Savana Jones?”
    “Yeah, why? You don't like her?”
    “No, she is so rude to me. I don’t even know why. I didn't do anything to make her hate me.”
    “She probably found out that I liked you. I think that she still likes me. She is a psycho though. After we broke up, she would not stop calling me and texting me. I had to change me number. She even showed up at my house trying to get me back.”
    “That’s crazy. I think the word for that is stalker and not psycho. Maybe psycho too though.” Jennelle stated and they both laughed.
    “Well anyways, like I was saying before you rudely interrupted me,” Chris joked as Jennelle giggled, “I saw you shootin hoops with your friend and I was like: Holy cow. That girl is perfect! She is beautiful and is a boss at basketball!”
Jennelle just sat there smiling and blushing.
    “I made a goal to myself that I had to get this girl to talk to me no matter what. And now look, I am dating her and it is like a dream come true.” Chris pulled Jennelle into a hug.
    “I”M HOME.” Chris’s little brother, Jakob, yelled as he walked in the front door.
    “I'LL BE DOWN IN A BIT. YOU CAN GRAB YOURSELF A SNACK.” Chris replied to Jakob.
     “Want to go down and meet him?” Chris asked Jennelle.
    “Sure.”
As Jennelle was walking out, Chris grabbed her hand as they headed down the stairs. Jennelle’s heart fluttered once more.
    “Hey Jakob, this is my girlfriend Jennelle.”
    “Nah-uh. You're lying; she is way too pretty for you! She’s a ten and you're like a two. Nice to meet you though Jennelle, you have really pretty eyes.” Jakob stated as he was munching on chips while Chris and Jennelle laughed.   
    “Thanks. Nice meeting you to Jakob. However, I think Chris is hot and that’s all that matters.” Jennelle replied as she kissed Chris’s cheek.
    Jakob just laughed. “Where’s mom?” he asked Chris.
    “She went to the store to get some food to make dinner but she will probably be back any minute now.” Chris answered just as his mom walked in the door.
    “I'm home. Jennelle, would you like to stay for dinner? I’m going to cook up some hamburgers and fries.” Mrs. Jackson suggested.
    “That sounds nice. Thank you. Let me just call my brother and tell him he can stay at his friend’s house tonight.”
    “How lovely. Jakob, Chris, can you help me put the groceries away please?”
    Jennelle stepped into the living room so she could call Jordan.
    “The following recipient is not able to get to the phone right now. Please leave your message for 6197834602 at the tone. Beep.” Jordan didn't answer his phone.
    “Hey Jordan, it’s Jennelle, I was just letting you know that you can stay over at Hunters house if it is okay with his parents because I am probably going to be home late. Make sure to let mom know though. Okay, text me if you are going to stay over at Hunters or not. Love you.”
Chris and Jakob walked in when they were done with the groceries and sat down on the couch to watch some TV. Jennelle decided to go and see if Mrs. Jackson needed any help.
“Do you need any help Mrs. Jackson?”
“No thanks darling. But I appreciate you offering.”
“There must be something I can do? Let me at least set the table? It’s the least I could do.”
“You are just too cute. We never eat at the table honey,” Mrs. Jackson laughed, “I am always too tired so i just pull out the paper plates and we eat on the couches.”
“Oh, Okay. Here I'll do these dishes for you.” Jennelle took off her jacket and started scrubbing them.
“Thank you so much Jennelle. I really appreciate you doing that. You are such a kind girl. I'm glad Chris chose you. You know, he never stops talking about you and how you are so perfect. And now, I realize why he thinks so.” Mrs. Jackson walked over and gave Jennelle a big hug.
When Jennelle finished washing the dishes, she went and sat on the couch next to Chris and cuddled up close to him as he put his arm around her. The three of them sat there and watched Tosh.0. While everyone else was laughing at the TV, Jennelle was thinking how lucky she was. She realized that even though she has her own family, she was blessed with another one that loves her as well. The pinging of her phone interrupted her thoughts. She looked down and saw that had a text message from Jordan.
Hey Jennelle, I’m going to stay over at Hunters house tonight. Mom is passed out on the couch again. Thanks for letting me go, love you too.
Jennelle wasn’t surprised that her mom was passed out again. She replied once more to Jordan.
Pack some clean clothes and don't forget to wake mom up though. She has work tonight. Make sure you get to school on time.  

“Dinner’s ready.” Mrs. Jackson called out, “The burgers and buns are by the stove, the condiments are on the counter, and there are drinks in the fridge.”
“Thanks again for letting me stay.” Jennelle told Mrs. Jackson.
“No problem sweetie, you are welcome whenever. You can come over whenever you like. Our house is your house.” Mrs. Jackson replied.
Jennelle put ketchup and tomatoes on her hamburger like she always has. She remembered her dad used to joke around with her and say that there is no need to put tomatoes on her burger because ketchup is just mashed up tomatoes. She smiled to herself as she snapped back into reality. She also grabbed her self a Capri Sun. Strawberry kiwi flavored of course.
“Hey mom, can me and Jennelle go eat in my room?” Chris asked.
“Of course, just make sure to clean up if you spill or drop anything. And don't do any freaky stuff.” Mrs. Jackson winked as Jennelle giggled.
When they got up to Chris’s room, they sat on his bed and Chris played music again. Adorn by Miguel came on and Jennelle started singing to it. Chris got up out of his bed and took Jennelle’s hand. He started slow dancing with her and singing the song with her. At that moment, Jennelle felt invincible and nothing could let her down. After the song was over, they laid down on the bed and started talking.
“You know Chris, you are really lucky to have a mom and brother that love you this much. You're mom really works hard to make you guys happy. Ever since my dad left, my mom hasn’t been the same. I’ve practically had to raise myself and my brother. And trust me it is not that easy. Being here makes me feel like I am at home. Your mom is just so kind to me and I miss my mother being like that.”
“Well you can come over whenever you’d like and you can bring your little brother.”
“Thank you so much Chris, I really don't deserve this.”
“Yes you do. You are a wonderful person and now it is your turn to be taken care of.” Chris stated as he embraced her.
They laid on Chris’s bed and watched TV for a while. They were watching The Boondocks when Jennelle drifted off into a sleep. Chris fell asleep shortly after Jennelle. Mrs. Jackson walked in and saw them lying on the bed cuddled and sleeping. She pulled off Jennelle’s shoes and jacket. Then she walked over and put a blanket on both of them and gave them both kisses on their heads. She turned off the TV on her way out. When she was done, she turned the light off and then went to her bedroom to fall asleep.
Jennelle woke up to Chris shaking her. She was confused at first but then realized that she must have fell asleep while watching TV.
“Jennelle… Wake up babe.” Chris said shaking her softly.
“What time is it?” Jennelle questioned.
“It’s five. You look so cute when you sleep. If you want, I'll meet you at your house and then I'll pick you up and drive you to school.”
“Hahaha I look like ship wreck. But your plan sounds good.” Jennelle stated as she wrote down her address.
“I'll see you in a bit babe. Bye.” Chris said as he handed Jennelle her shoes and jacket and gave her a kiss.
“Bye. I'll leave the door unlocked. You can just come in and sit on the couch.”
“OKAY. LOVE YOU!” Chris yelled as he was getting in the shower.
“LOVE YOU TOO!” Jennelle yelled back.

When Jennelle arrived at her house, it was 5:16. The first thing she did was tie up her hair and take a shower. When she got out of the shower it was 5:25 and she saw that Chris was walking in the door. She was still in her towel so she made sure to hold it on tight as she gave him a hug and a kiss.
    “Well don't you look good?” Chris said winking.
    “I'm practically naked.”
    “Exactly my point.” Chris said joking. They both started laughing.
    “What should I wear today? Here come on in and take a look at what i got.” Jennelle said as she led Chris to her room.
    He sat down on her bed and faced the wall as she put on her bra and undies. She looked like a lunatic as she paraded around in her undies trying to get ready.
    “Why don't you wear you're all white Adidas with some spandex and then your red Adidas jacket.”
    “You just want us to be matching because you are wearing red and white too.” Jennelle joked.
    “Of course I do. Who wouldn't want to match with a beautiful person like you?” Chris stated as he pulled her in close, “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on.”
    “Nahh. Let me go put my clothes on, I'm freezing standing here in my undies.”
    “I'll keep you warm.” Chris joked as he stood up and gave her a bear hug and started tickling her.
    Jennelle was trying to put on her clothes as she was being tickled and realized it was useless because she was laughing so hard.
           “Stop. Stop,” Jennelle laughed, “I'm about to pee.”
    Chris stopped tickling her and gave her a kiss on the cheek instead. Jennelle finished getting dressed and went to the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. She decided on doing to French braids in her long hair. She brushed her teeth first then did her make up. She put on her mascara and then her red lipstick to match her jacket.
    “What do you think?” She asked Chris as she turned around in a circle to let him see her outfit.
    “I think that I have the hottest girlfriend in the world! Look we both got on red tops, black bottoms, and white shoes.” They gave each other a hug.
    Jennelle looked at her phone and saw that it was only 6:20 so she went to the kitchen and made chocolate chip pancakes for her and Chris.
    “Thank you so much babe! These are the best pancakes i have ever tasted.” Chris acknowledged.
    “Thank you and your welcome.” Jennelle replied with a full mouth. She checked her phone and saw that it was 6:40 and thought that they should probably head to school so they could beat the traffic.
    When they got in the car, Chris put on Pandora and a song came on that they both loved. It was Bad by Wale. They both started singing along. When they pulled up at school, it was 7 and they had fifteen minutes before the bell rang. When they got out of the car, they walked to the basketball courts hand in hand.
    When they got to them, they saw Savana hanging with her little entourage. When she saw them she looked so furious.
    “I think Savana looks a little jealous.” Jennelle whispered to Chris.
    “Well that’s her problem.” Chris mentioned as he picked Jennelle up and gave her a big kiss. “She can be jealous all she wants. My heart belongs to you and no one else.”
    “Heads up. Psycho at twelve o’clock.” Jennelle whispered to Chris as she saw Savana walk over.
    “Hey Chris, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you but you haven't answered your phone.” Savana sneered.
    “Sorry, me and my baby have been busy.” Chris replied as he hung onto Jennelle and gave her a kiss.
    “Oh, that slut. You do know she’s pregnant right?” Savana raged.
    “Of course I do, It’s my baby.” Chris joked as he rubbed Jennelle’s stomach.
    Savana stormed off with such rage because her plan didn't go the way she hoped it would. Now she couldn’t spread that rumor.
    “Are you really pregnant?” Chris asked Jennelle.
    “Hell no. I haven't slept with anybody yet.”
        “Really?”
     “Yeah.”
    “You should be proud.”
    “I guess so.”
    “God, you are beautiful.” Chris told Jennelle as he embraced her in a hug. The bell rang only to interrupt it. Chris walked her to her first period and told her to meet him at the table under the stairs after this period was over since she had PE next and she could be late.
    “Bye babe.” Chris gave Jennelle a kiss.
    The whole first period, Jennelle didn't hear a rude remark out of Savana. Jennelle expected that it would be especially worse today but it wasn't bad at all. Savana was ignoring her. She wouldn't even look at Jennelle.
    After the bell rang to go to second period, Jennelle went straight to the table under the stairs. There she saw Chris with two Gatorades.
    “Here, I got you a Gatorade. I got blue if that’s okay.”
    “How’d you know? Blue is my favorite flavor!”
    “Wow, we have more in common than I thought that we would. It is my favorite as well.”
    They walked over to another table where all his friends were sitting.
        “Dammn Chris. What did you do to get her?”
    “She is hot with a capital H.”
    “Holy s*** Chris!”
    “Girl, what are you doing with Chris? he is bobo as hell. What you need is a guy like me.” All of his friends remarked when they saw Jennelle.
    “Ayy. Back off. She’s my girl.” Chris said to his friends as he gave Jennelle a peck on the cheek.
    The bell interrupted their jokes. Chris walked Jennelle to her PE class. He told her to meet him at the tables again. And with that, he gave her a kiss goodbye.
    When Jennelle got to her PE class, she could not stop thinking about Chris. The whole time Jennelle was playing basketball, she was thinking of Chris. Even when she was putting back on her normal clothes in the locker room.
    As Jennelle walked out of the locker rooms, she saw that it was raining. She also saw that Chris was waiting for her outside the doors with an extra sweatshirt.
    “Here, you can put this over your head like an umbrella so you won't get wet.” Chris said as he handed Jennelle the sweatshirt.
    “What about you?”
    “I have a hood.”
    Since it was raining outside, Chris and Jennelle decided to take the back way to class since there were more hallways.
    “It is freezing.” Jennelle said as she shivered.
    “If you want, we can get passes to go sit in Mrs. Hudson's class. She doesn't have a fourth period class and I have a good grade in my next class.”
    “That sounds good. I'll go get a pass then meet you there.”
    After Jennelle got the pass, she walked over to Mrs. Hudson’s classroom to meet Chris. When she arrived, she saw Chris sitting on the couch in the back of the classroom.
    “Where’s Mrs. Hudson?” Jennelle asked Chris.
    “She had to go to her house to grab something.”
    “Now I know why you like to come in here.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s warm.” Jennelle observed as she snuggled up next to Chris.
    “You know you sleep talk a lot.”
    “I do? Oh god, what did I say?”
    “I couldn't understand you, you were mumbling but you started to scream about something.”
    “I'm so embarrassed.” Jennelle’s face turned red.
    “No, it’s fine. You look so cute when you sleep.”
   
    “Yes, you honestly do. I've never slept with a girl on a first day let alone, I’ve never let a girl sleep with me. I guess you're special.”
“Haha, I guess I’m lucky.”
“You sure are!” Chris said as he kissed the top of her head.
“Your bed is literally the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on.”
“Well, you can sleep on it whenever you'd like. My house is your house.”
“Well thanks you Mr. Jackson. Am I allowed to go swimming?”
“Anytime you'd like. You should come over again today. And if it’s sunny, we could go swimming.”
“Alright, we’d have to stop by my house first so I could get my bathing suit.”
“Anything for my baby.” Chris grabbed her hand.
Mrs. Hudson walked in the room carrying three drinks from Starbucks.
“Hi kids. It was freezing outside so I stopped by Starbucks and got us some hot cocoa. I hope you like it.” Mrs. Hudson said as she handed them the drinks.
“Thank you so much Mrs. Hudson.” Chris said.”
“Yeah, thank you. It’s really good. How much did it cost? I'll pay you back.” Jennelle suggested as she pulled out her wallet.
“Oh, no no sweetheart. It’s on me.” Mrs. Hudson replied.
“Are you sure? It’s no problem.” Jennelle stated.
“I'm positive honey, but thank you though.”
Chris and Jennelle sat there drinking their hot chocolates until the bell rang and they had to go to their fourth period class which happened to be right next to each other. They said their goodbyes and went to class.
Jennelle was sitting in her Spanish class when she realized that she left her phone in Chris’s car. She would just go and get it at lunch, she thought to herself. She sat there in Spanish class as bored as she could be because she was already fluent in Spanish and she had already finished the lesson. The bell finally rang to get her out of her boredom. She saw that Chris was waiting for her outside of her class.
“Hey, I think I left my phone in your car, can we go get it?” Jennelle told Chris.
“Yeah, of course. I need to get my basketball from the car too so it works out perfectly.”
They walked all the way to the student parking lot with their arms around each other since it was freezing outside. It started to rain again when they got to his car so they decided to just sit in it and turn the heaters on instead of being outside.
The rain was slapping the car with a pat pat pat. The booming of thunder sounded as Jennelle grabbed her phone. Outside, she could see students sprinting out of the rain. The were also umbrellas getting caught by the wind and throwing people left to right. The rain showered down onto unwilling victims.
They drove down to the taco shop and got some burritos since you were allowed to leave campus for lunch if you had good grades. Jennelle ordered some carne-asada fries and Chris ordered a California burrito. They took the food back to school and sat in Chris’s car as they ate.
“Put Pandora on.” Jennelle told Chris.
“What station?” Chris replied as he plugged his phone in.
“It doesn't matter, whatever.”
“Okay. Imma put it on Bobby Shmurda.”
“Fine with me.”
As Chris and Jennelle were sitting in the car listening to music, Savana decided to walk up and knock on the driver’s window where Chris was sitting. She came up wearing a big raincoat and carrying a big obnoxious pink umbrella.
“Hey. Hey, Chris. Can I talk to you?”  Savana asked Chris as she knocked on the window and mad dogging Jennelle at the same time.
Chris turned to Jennelle and stated, “Watch this.” As he flipped off Savana and cranked the volume up.
Savana looked so shocked. She was speechless as she walked away in disbelief.
“Oh my god Chris! You should have seen her face!” Jennelle laughed with Chris.
“Believe me. I know what her face looked like. Haha, she deserved it though”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well first off, she disrespects you and I will not allow anyone disrespecting MY baby. Second, she cannot get the hint that I don’t like her and I think that she’s psycho. I hope she figures out that I do not like her at all.”
“Well thanks I guess. But that had to be the funniest thing ever.”
“Anything to make my girl laugh.” Chris said as he tickled her side.
Jennelle started laughing even more.  She turned and saw that Alexis was knocking on the window.
“Let me in lovebirds, it’s pouring and it’s freezing out here.” Alexis told them, “It is raining so hard. The wind is blowing too, I almost fell over. I’m glad I didn’t because it would have hurt the little one.” She mentioned as she rubbed her stomach.                                                 
“Wait, you’re pregnant?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, you didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t. Well, we will be the god parents, wont we Jennelle?” Chris joked
“It’s bad that I’m prego but at least I can still ball.”
“True true, that’s what Jennelle is going to be like.” Chris joked again as they all laughed.
“How’s it going with you and Ray? Is he fine with the pregnancy?” Jennelle asked her friend.
“Ray,” Alexis hesitated, “That’s a whole other story.” The bell rang before she could tell Jennelle.

When Alexis met Ray, she was only 13. At that time, Ray was 16. Alexis fell for him the minute she laid eyes on him. They met at the local movie theater. Alexis was at the movies with one of her friends and she got up in the middle of the movie to use the restroom.  She saw him standing there at the snack bar with one of his boys.  He turned around and saw her walking when they made eye contact.
When Alexis walked into the restroom, she looked in the mirror and saw that her cheeks were red. When she was done in the restroom, she saw that Ray was standing outside the restroom and thought that he was waiting for his girlfriend or something.  What she didn’t realize was that he was waiting for her.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Ray hollered at her.
“Sure.”
“What’s your name?”
“Alexis. How about you?”
“Raymond, but you can call me Ray.”
“Alright Ray, so why did you want to talk to me?”
“Well first off, I saw you lookin at me.”
“Nobody was lookin at you.” Alexis laughed
“Okay you got me, I was lookin at you. I thought that you were pretty cute.”
“Well thanks I guess.”
“No prob. What movie are you watchin?”
“Some movie about a demon that possesses some chick.”
“Ayy, I’m watchin the same one. Theater 12?”
“Ya. Want to sit with me?”
“Sure I’ll tell my friend to sit somewhere else.”
“He can go sit with my friend. I’m sure that he will like her.”
“Sounds good.”
They all walked back to the theater together.  Ray and Alexis sat towards the back and Ray’s friend went to go sit with Alexis’s friend in the front. Each time Alexis got scared, Ray would grab her hand and ask her if she was fine.  They ended up holding hands the whole movie. Their friends however, did more than hold hands. It turned out that they knew each other from elementary school.
After the movie finished, Ray walked outside with Alexis. Alexis noticed Ray’s friend and hers were kissing in a corner.
“Damn, I think that they like each other a lot!” Ray mentioned.
“I guess so.” Alexis replied as she smiled at Ray.
“So…”
“So what?”
“Do you want to go grab something to eat? I can drive us. My friend can go with yours and do whatever. Haha.”
“That sounds good. Let me go tell her.” Alexis said as she walked over to tell her friend.
“So where do you want to go?” Ray asked her when she came back.
“Anywhere is fine with me. I’m not picky.”
“I’ll take you somewhere special.” Ray joked.
He ended up taking her to In and Out. They fell for each other instantly. They had everything in common. One date ended up turning into three years of an on and off relationship between them. They had their highest highs, and their lowest lows. And now, Alexis was pregnant with his baby.
When she found out that she was pregnant, she broke down crying. She was happy and scared. She was happy because she had always wanted to be a mom. However, she was scared because she didn’t know how Ray was going to react. She decided that she would wait a couple of days before she told him.
She invited him over to her house so she could tell him the news. She made sure that it was only them there and no one else. Her mother was at work and her little sister was over at a friend’s house. When Ray arrived, he went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a snack. She thought that it was the perfect time to tell him but she had to ease in on the subject.
“So what do you think about us having kids?” Alexis asked.
“Maybe someday but I don’t know. Why?”
           “Well, I'm pregnant.”
“You’re what!?!”
“I'm pregnant.”
“I hope it’s not mine!”
“What’s that supposed to mean. And of course it’s yours!”
“Why would you do this?!?”
“What do you mean?” At this point, Alexis broke down crying.
“I'm out.” Ray said as he stormed out of the house.
Alexis could hear Ray’s car door slamming and the screeching sound of him speeding off. She wasn’t all that surprised that he had just left her there crying with his baby inside of her. She didn’t expect anything less. She thought that it was typical of him to just run away from everything that he cared for. However, she knew that he would be running back soon trying to take care of her and his kid. The only thing was that she knew this was a pattern and he would just run right away again.

On Friday, Jennelle went over to Chris’s house so she could get ready for Ian’s beach party. She invited Alexis but she wanted to just stay home and chill. She brought a bag of clothes over to Chris’s so she could have options on what to wear. She laid all her options out on Chris bed. She brought three different bikinis, a couple long skirts, a couple pairs of nice sandals, and some sweaters/jackets.
“Oooh, I like that red one.” Chris commented as he pointed to one of her bathing suits.
“Really? What are you going to wear?”
“Probably a pair of trunks under some sweats. Wanna match again? Haha”
“Maybe. I think that I actually will wear the red one. Oh I got it. Imma wear the coral one with those light jean short shorts and my A$AP sweatshirt.”
“You are gonna look so fly. Imma look like a scrub next to you! What should I wear though?”
“Just wear your trunks under some sweats and wear a t shirt. You'll look cute.” Jennelle mentioned as she gave him a kiss.
“I'm just gonna wear some socks and my slides because I don’t want to get my shoes all sandy.”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I swear you can read my mind!”
“Haha I guess I can.”
“Hey, do you think I can maybe stay the night tonight or no?”
“Of course you can! You can stay over whenever you want. You can even move in if you want!” Chris laughed.
“Well I guess that I’ll take the opportunity.”
“I'm glad you are. Ready?”
“Let me just put on some red lipstick.”
“I like you with red lipstick. It makes you look like a boss.”
“What do you mean it makes me look like a boss? I am a boss!” Jennelle joked.
“Cheers to that.” Chris laughed. 
They left to the beach in Chris’s car. When they arrived The beach was dark but it was lit by the dim street lights and the little tourist shops around it.
The moon was full in the sky and was surrounded by stars and constellations.
They saw that their friends weren't there and that there was no party. What they did see was  a bunch of cop cars and classmates being handcuffed. They noticed that Ian was in the back of one of the cop cars. They saw Chris’s friend Jay walking up to them.
“Ay yo Jay, what happened?” Chris asked
“They got arrested for drug possession and underage drinking. I'm out if the fuzz catch me, I'm dead.” Jay mentioned as he walked to his car.
“Do you still want to chill at the beach?” Chris asked Jennelle
“Of course I do. I'm not gonna let them ruin my time.”
“That’s my girl! Come on; let’s go find a spot to set up our blanket.” Chris told her as he grabbed her hand and took her down by the water.
They set up their blanket close by the water so they can go in it then come out quickly and be at their blanket.
“Ready to go in?” Chris asked.
“I'm always ready.” Jennelle said as she started taking off her shorts and sweatshirt.
As soon as she was done undressing, she ran right into the water. She didn’t mind that it was a little chilly. She motioned for Chris to come in but he had to take his time. Chris admired how she was fearless and reckless. After getting used to the temperature, he ran right in picked Jennelle up.
“Aren’t you cold?” Chris asked.
“Nahh, I'm used to it. I’ve loved the water since I was a little girl.”
“Well come on over and keep me warm.”
           “Yes master.” Jennelle joked.
           She went over by him and he picked her up. They stayed in the water for only a little while longer then they went up and laid on their towels and snuggled up under the blanket. They laid there and looked up at the stars.
           “My father used to say that that bunch of four stars was me, him, my brother, and my mom. He would say that if one of us ever goes away. We will always be together shining bright in the sky.” Jennelle mentioned as she started to cry.
           “What’s wrong baby?” Chris said as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
           “It’s just so complicated without my father here. I mean, he left my mother to be a single mother who raises two teenagers but I was left to take care of anyone. It is so hard being the one who has to raise my brother and help my mom. It’s just so stressful.”
           “It’s okay baby. Come on, let’s go back home and watch a movie. Now it is your turn to be taken care of.”
           They drove to Chris’s house and went upstairs to his bedroom.
           “Hey Chris, can I please take a shower? I have sand everywhere.”
           “Of course you can. Let me go and grab you a towel.”
           “Thank you so much Chris.”
           “Here you go. I think I am going to order us some pizza. What would you like on it?”
           “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you would like.”
           “Meat trio?”
           “That actually sounds really good. Can we get breadsticks?”
           “Anything for you.” Chris said as he kissed Jennelle on her head.
           Jennelle went to take a shower in Chris’s room only to find out that the only wash was Chris’s old spice body wash. She hesitated for a bit and decided that it was whatever and that she’d just use it even though she would end up smelling like Chris. She didn’t really care though because she had always thought that he smelled good.
           When she came out, she saw Chris sitting on the bed in a towel with the pizza beside him.
           “We should have traded showers. I had to use the guest shower which only had flower smelling wash and then I remembered that the shower that you showered in only had my wash. So now I smell like a woman and you smell like me.” Chris stated.
      “Hey, at least we both smell good.”
           “True true. Well pizza is here if you want any.”
           “I just realized that I don’t have any pajamas. Can I maybe borrow one of your shirts?”
“No, you have to sleep in your towel,” Chris paused, “Nahh, I'm just playin, here you go.” He jokes as he threw her a shirt.
She put on a pair of her undies and the shirt that Chris let her borrow.
“Like my new dress.” Jennelle joked with Chris as she acted like a model.
“Huh, it looks very familiar.” Chris jokingly replied as he was putting on a pair of sweats.
“What movie should we watch?” Jennelle said as she was scrolling through Netflix.
“Something scary?” Chris suggested.
“Sure, how about The Conjuring?”
“That sounds good. Grab some pizza and come sit by me.” Chris said with a mouthful of pizza as he was sliding under his blankets.
“This pizza is so good Chris. Thank you for getting pizza and letting me stay.”
“No prob. I should be thanking you for staying over.”
“I'm going to scream if I get scared. Also I'm not even going to leave your side. I'm going to be so freaked out.”
“Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to you.  It would have to get through me first.” Chris mentioned as he flexed his muscles. Jennelle started to laugh.
“Give me some blankets. It is freezing.”
“Just scoot closer to me. I'm warm so I’ll be like a heater.” Chris stated as he pulled Jennelle closer.
They laid there together watching the movie. Jennelle was cuddled up really close to Chris because she was scared. Chris was glad that she was right there because he was scared too. Jennelle ended up falling asleep during the movie and so did Chris. They laid there asleep on his bed, cuddled closely like they were inseparable and nothing could harm them.

A couple of days after Alexis told Ray that she was pregnant and he stormed off, he called her and asked her to meet him at the rec center. She hesitated because it was night time but she went anyways. As Alexis was heading over to go meet him, she felt some cramping up in her stomach. She brushed it off and thought that it was just something that happens when you are pregnant.
           When she arrived at the rec center, she saw that Ray was shooting hoops. When he noticed her walking up, he walked over to his bag and pulled out a gift bag. Alexis looked surprised and wondered what it was. She opened it and saw three onesies in it. One said “baller like my mommy,” the second one said “#1 baller,” and the third one had basketballs all over it. Alexis realized that this was Ray’s way of saying sorry.
           “Look Alexis, I am beyond sorry about the way I acted the other day. That was really immature and childish of me. I was just surprised by the fact that I was going to be a father at my age. I mean, I am nineteen and you are only sixteen. I thought about it and what I realized was that age was only a number and it doesn’t define you, what defines you is your actions. And now, my actions are to support you and our child and be the best father that I could possibly be.” Ray stated to her.
           At the sight of Alexis crying happy tears, Ray started to tear up as well. He leaned over and started rubbing Alexis’s stomach and gave it a kiss. He whispered something then looked up at Alexis and gave her a kiss.
           “What do you want to name it?” Ray asked.
           “I was thinking Aaliyah Lina if it is a girl and Jerimiyah Michael if it is a boy? Do you like the names?”
           “I actually love those names. They are perfect babe.” Ray said as he grabbed her hand and gave her a kiss.
           They were shooting hoops when Alexis had another stomach cramp. This time, it was worse than the first one. Ray noticed also.
           “What’s the matter babe?”
           “I just keep on getting stomach pains. I think it is normal for pregnant women. I'm fine though.”
           “Are you sure?”
           “Yeah, I’m just going to use the restroom real fast.”
           When Alexis went into the restroom, she splashed some cold water on her face then went to use the restroom. When she was going to the restroom, she noticed that she had blood on her underwear. She knew enough about pregnancies that when you bleed on your pregnancy, that could only mean one horrifying thing. She broke down crying and started screaming at the top of her lungs for Ray.
           “RAYYYY! RAYYYYY!” she cried
           “What happened?” Ray said as he ran into the restroom.
           He saw her crying and then he looked down and saw the blood and he too started crying. He called nine one one and told them that his girlfriend was pregnant and she was bleeding and that they needed to send them an ambulance immediately. Ray helped Alexis put back on her clothes even though they were both flustered. He went over and grabbed their gym bags and the baby onesies which made him cry even more. The whole time, Alexis was grabbing her stomach and was praying that it wasn’t what she thought it was. They walked out to the front of the rec center and waited for the ambulance to come and pick them up. Outside, she called Jennelle but she didn’t answer her phone. 
           When the ambulance finally arrived, they wouldn’t let Ray ride with them which made him even angrier. Ray gave Alexis a kiss bye and he ran to his car and followed them to the hospital. When Alexis arrived at the hospital, they took her to the E.R. and put her in a room. Within about five minutes of her being settled, Ray ran in right after her. The doctor and nurses examined her and gave her the horrifying truth that she didn’t want to hear.
           “I am so sorry to inform you Miss. Perez, but you have suffered from a miscarriage.” The doctor solemnly stated.
           “F*KKK.” Ray yelled out as he broke down and started balling.
           Ray embraced Alexis and they both were crying their eyes out. He realized that he was not going to be a father and that he had lost a part of him as well.
           “Doctor,” Alexis asked, “Do you at least know if it was a boy or a girl?”
           “You would have had a little boy.”

           Ray drove Alexis to his house. They just laid on his bed in silence. Alexis started to cry again and she cried herself to sleep. She went to bed and didn’t wake up until noon the next day. She told Ray that she wanted to get a tattoo of the baby. Ray agreed and he wanted to get one too.
           Ray drove them to the tattoo parlor and they both got matching tattoos on their heart of RIP Jerimiyah Michael with an angel wing on both sides and a halo above it. Alexis broke down crying again in the tattoo parlor. She realized that she had felt the worst pain ever which was the feeling of a mother losing her child. She didn’t even know if she wanted to have any more kids because if she lost one of them, she couldn’t bear to live anymore.

Jennelle woke up to the smell of French toast. She saw that Chris had left a note on the bed.
Jennelle,
Put on your bathing suit and meet me down by the pool.
                       Xoxo-Chris
She threw on her bathing suit and met him at the pool. She was surprised because he had made her a poolside breakfast. He made her some cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast, and a tall glass of orange juice.
“Ta-da. I made you the chef’s special.”
“Thanks babe.” Jennelle said as she walked over and gave Chris a kiss. All of a sudden she felt like something really bad happened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something doesn’t feel right. Let me go check my phone real fast.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you.”
When Jennelle got up to Chris’s room and checked her phone, she saw that she had a bunch of missed calls from Alexis and that she had left her a voicemail. She listened to the voicemail that Alexis had left.
“Jennelle,” Alexis cried, “You know how I was pregnant right? Well I had a miscarriage and the doctor told me that I would have had a son. I don’t even know what to do at this point. Ray is devastated please call me back when you get this.”
Jennelle sat there shell shocked. She had a million things going through her head. She broke down and started to cry too. She couldn’t even handle the thought of that loss. She ran back downstairs to Chris balling her eyes out.
“Oh my god, babe, what happened?”
“Aaalexisss haad aaa a misscarriagee.” Jennelle sobbed.
“Oh my god,” Chris embraced her, “Come on, let’s go put on some clothes and visit her.” Chris lead her upstairs.

They arrived at Alexis’s house and gave their condolences. They talked for a little while longer then they parted their ways.

Jennelle and Chris got married and had two sons. Chris plays for the NBA and Jennelle got signed to the WNBA but she got pregnant. Jennelle’s little brother plays college basketball with Chris’s little brother. They turned out to be best friends and they consider each other brothers. As for Jennelle’s mom, she spends a lot of time with Mrs. Jackson doing girly things and she has found herself a new man in her life.
    Alexis and Ray got married as well and they had five kids but they still grieve over their Jerimiyah. Alexis works as a counselor at her former high school. Ray became a counselor that helps families cope with the passing of loved ones. Together, they are the best parents anyone could be to their children. (In their opinion)
    Savana, oh poor Savana, she had been married and divorced five times. She also has five different restraining orders against her. I guess old habits never change.

the end