Sweet Like Honey

9.

Just as Lennen and Oliver and were about to walk out the door and head to school, they were stopped by their father. "Oh, kids can you wait just a second?"

"What's up, dad?" Lennen asks, curious as to what their father was going to spring on them before they head out the door. She was so anxious to get this day over with, as she was ready for the weekend and more importantly, to hang out with Jonas. She had figured that since her parents hadn't told them about any trip for the weekend, that she was free to do what she pleased the following two days. 

"We are pulling you kids out of school early today, and when you two get home, you need to pack right away. An unexpected trip came up and we need to fly to New York for the weekend. Our flight leaves at 3:00." Lennen couldn't believe what she was hearing. The last thing she wanted to do was ditch Jonas at the last minute, but it appears she had no other option. She didn't think she was ever going to be more upset, than when she had to tell Jonas the sudden change in plans. He had the whole day planned out for the two of them and Lennen was ready to actually get out of the house, be able to spend some one-on-one time with Jonas. They were both incredibly busy, so the fact that they were both able to do something tomorrow was astonishing. 

"Dad, I had plans tomorrow!" Lennen tells her father, clearly upset with the new information. "Can't we just stay home?" 

"I'm sorry that you had plans, Lennen, but this trip is something you can't get out of. I'm sorry." Lennen huffed in annoyance, walking out the door, saying nothing else to her father. Oliver was quick to follow his older sister, mainly because she was his ride to school. 

"So, you had plans tomorrow?" Oliver asks his sister in curiousity, after sitting in silence for the past five minutes on the drive to school. Usually Lennen never objects to travelling, in fact, it's one of her favorite things to do. She plans to spend her entire summer before college travelling Europe. Plus, Oliver knew that when Lennen had plans it was usually just with her friends, so it never really mattered if they had to pack up and leave, as she spent just about every day with them. 

"Yes, Oliver, I did. Why do you want to know?" Any other weekend, Lennen would have been more than happy to go travelling with her family; she was always enthusiastic about new places, cultures, experiences. This was her first weekend where she actually had plans, ones that it didn't matter if she had to go away for the weekend. 

"Well, it's just that normally you don't mind going away for the weekend, and today you freaked out," Oliver responds. This was the first time he had ever seen Lennen act this way, she was usually very calm and collected, never one to randomly freak out. "Did you have a date?" 

"A date?" Lennen asks, wondering where on earth her brother got that idea. "No, I was just meant to be hanging out with a friend."

"Sawyer, Ellis, and Margo? You've cancelled on them tons of times because we've had to go out of town. I really don't think they would have a problem with it." Oliver was sure that Lennen had other friends, but those were really the only three she ever spent time with outside of school. 

"My plans weren't with Sawyer, Ellis, and Margo," Lennen tells her brother, who had a shocked look on his face. "I was supposed to spend the day with Jonas." 

"Jonas? Jonas Costello? When have you two ever spent time together? I've hardly heard you mention his name." Oliver was wondering why his sister would have plans with Jonas, he didn't even know the two were friends. "When did you two become friends?" However, before soccer practice a few days ago, he did overhear Jonas tell his friends that he and Summer had broken up before Christmas break. He had wondered if Jonas was quickly jumping from one girl to the next, and if so, he did not want that to happen to his sister. Despite Jonas being with Summer for a year and a half, it didn't mean that Jonas wasn't a player. He had heard multiple stories about Jonas and the amount of girls he has strung along in the past, just to treat them like dirt. 

"We have APES together this year, and we were partnered for a project. We became friends, that's all." Lennen was a bit baffled by all the questions her brother had asked about Jonas, since he was a nice guy.

"Are you sure it's not a date? Because a few days ago I overheard him talking to Cruz and Miles in the lockerroom about how he and Summer broke up before Christmas break." They had been broken up for two weeks and nobody knew? She was surprised because it was a small school and word usually travels fast. "I'm just worried that he's using you. He has been known to have a bad reputation, stringing girls along and treating them like dirt. I just don't want that to happen to you, so I think it's a good idea that we're going away for the weekend." 

They had pulled up into a parking space, and Lennen had jumped out of the car, in desperate need to find Sawyer and tell her everything her brother had just told her. Here she thought that Jonas was a nice guy, but really it was just an act. She couldn't believe how naive she had been this whole time. "Sawyer, there you are," she says, when she finally spots Sawyer at her locker. "You are not going to believe what I just found out from Oliver." 

"Jonas and Summer broke up!" Sawyer says, excitedly. This was finally the moment she had been waiting for, Lennen and Jonas could be together, be happy. They would be the most powerful couple that could exist at North Shore. 

"Wait, what? How did you know?" Lennen had just found out this news, so she was confused as to how Sawyer knew.

"The whole school is talking about it, though it happened before Christmas break, so I'm still wondering how we are just finding out about it now. We usually hear less than twenty four hours after a couple breaks up. I wonder how they kept it a secret." Sawyer stops for a second and then her eyes go wide. "You're supposed to hang out with Jonas tomorrow. Are you guys going on a date?!" Lennen had to hush Sawyer as she almost screamed the words Jonas and date for the whole school to hear. 

"No, it wasn't a date because I didn't even know they were broken up until Oliver told me during our drive to school this morning. Also, I have to cancel on him because our family has to leave this afternoon to go to New York for the weekend." Lennen watched Sawyer's eyes fill with defeat, as she had been cheering for the two since the very beginning. "I don't think I ever want to go on a date with him, anyway. Oliver believes that Jonas is just using me. He has been known to string girls along, then treat them like dirt. Despite being my little brother, he's always had my best interest and I think he's right on this one." 

"Lennen, you haven't even given Jonas a chance. You can't believe Oliver right away. He may be wrong about him. You should at least reschedule for when you get back."

"Sawyer, I know you really want us together, but I'm telling you now, that I don't think it's going to happen. I trust Oliver and I really don't know Jonas that well, so how can I tell what his true intentions are," Lennen pauses, and sees Jonas walking to his locker. "Look there's Jonas, and I need to tell him that I have to cancel tomorrow since I'm not going to be in APES today; I have to leave after AP Lit." 

"Hey, Lennen. I was just thinking about tomorrow," Jonas greets her, when she arrives at his locker. Normally, that would make Lennen burst on the inside, sending her to Cloud 9, but this time, she found the whole thing cringey. 

"About that, and I'm really sorry, but I have to cancel. As we were leaving the house this morning, my dad informed us that we have an emergency trip to New York for the weekend and our flight leaves at 3:00 today."

This was the last thing that Jonas wanted to hear, especially after waiting two years for this moment. He had the whole day planned out, and he was going to tell her how he felt. How he had been in love with her since the day they met in sophomore year. How he decided to date Summer because he thought that she had zero interest in him since it seemed that the day they met seems inexistent to her. "I'm sorry too, I was really looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe we can do something next weekend?"

"I don't know, Jonas. I think I'm swamped next weekend with finalizing things for the Sadies dance and we need to start planning for Senior Week. And I'm sure I'll have tests to study for." Lennen wasn't going to be just another girl to Jonas. She had higher standards than that, doesn't matter who he is, and what everyone else at the school thinks of him. 

"Oh, well maybe some other time then." Jonas was confused as to why Lennen had a sudden change in heart. She seemed more than happy to hang out with him tomorrow, and he thought that maybe, she possibly liked him back, but apparently he was wrong.