Summertime//Patrick Stump

Chapter 4

"So...what is this for?" I examine the picture in my hand, a wallet sized print of Patrick. It doesn't look that old, probably a senior picture. Jen handed it to me a few moments before with a suggestive look in her eyes.

"Just figured you might want a picture of your boyfriend." She replies, her smirk matching the look she gave me before.

"He's not my boyfriend." I state matter-of-factly. "We hung out last night, so what?"

"Oh hush," Jen fake-scolds. "You can tell me. I know you two are together, and I totally ship it!" Her arms are crossed over the back of her chair as she sits in the thing backwards.

"We are not."

Jen and I stare at each other for a few seconds before I break the silence again.

"I thought you hated the idea of us together, anyway,"

"That was different." Jen immediately stiffens, her expression going blank. "You were..." as she speaks, she seems to get angrier. "I don't know, he was all over you, and..."

I put my hands up defensively and say, "We didn't...do anything, Jen. Seriously. It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is!" Jen exclaims.

I shrink back on her bed and bite my lip. No use going any further, I know she'll just get more upset.

"He's horrible at kissing, by the way." Jen says, standing up. I follow suit.

"How would you know?" I ask, stifling a small laugh.

"Ex-girlfriend told me." She states as she walks to the kitchen. Her mom stands there, typing away on her phone.

"Jen, we need to go." Patricia says. "April, I'm so sorry, Jen and I really have to go watch the baby," she continues, referring to Jen's cousin Jonah. Jen had told me about him not long into the sleepover, when her mom had started getting panicky over a few missed phone calls. He was sick; everyone wanted to help but nobody knew what was wrong.

"Oh, that's okay." I reply, half-smiling. "I guess I'll get my stuff." I start to walk back to Jen's room, but don't make it three steps before I see Patrick exiting his space. He smiles at me for a quick second, then motions to Jen.

"What're you guys doing?"

"Jonah," Jen answers with a sigh. Patrick nods knowingly.

I walk into Jen's room, scoop up my things, and go back out right as Jen and Patricia are walking out the front door. I see Jen smirk at me right before she closes the door, and when I turn around, Patrick is standing right behind me.

"I guess I'll see you later," I say to Patrick, tugging on my bag strap nervously. I really need to break that habit.

"I mean..." He takes a step forward, but he's still so far away, practically in the kitchen. "You don't have to go."

I'm slightly surprised, pleasantly so. Of course I want to stay. This is becoming a routine thing it seems, and I'm not complaining. As long as Jen has no issue. I set my bag down by the desk in the living room and shrug.

"Sure."

This is one of the many things I hate: flirting. Are we flirting? I don't know. How do you flirt? I have no idea. What do I say? Am I showing too much interest, or not enough?

See why I hate it?

"Why don't we, uh...go to the park?" Patrick suggests, his expression somewhere between shy and a smirk.

My heart flutters in my chest. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but the thought of going to a park with Patrick, sitting on the swings and spinning on the merry-go-round like little kids, it's something I could never turn down.

"Sounds good," I smile, probably like an idiot. I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time, and out falls the picture of Patrick. I try to catch it, but end up dropping my phone as well, stumbling, again like an idiot.

"Stupid, stupid stupid." I mutter, leaning down to pick the items up. As long as Patrick doesn't see the picture...

"No biggie," He says to me, grabbing the picture before I can. He looks at it and grins at me.

"I can explain." I say quickly, but Patrick just hands it back and holds his hands up.

"No need. Let's just get going before it gets dark."

So we leave the house, Jen's smirk flashing in my mind every time I look at Patrick.