Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 3

Ch. 3

As we pulled into the gravel drive, I noticed half of my senior class loitering in the parking lot. Unease ripped through me and I sat up a bit straighter.

Since when did this become a high school hot-spot? I grouched to myself. Living in a rural community, everyone knew everyone else's business and I was not looking forward to explaining who I was with to my friends ... especially since I was just getting to know Jake myself.

"You know," I began, praying my voice wouldn't crack with trepidation. "There's another ice cream shop just around the corner. Why don't we go there instead?" I suggested, trying to make it sound like a good idea.

"Why?" Jake's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "We're already here, and this seems like a perfectly nice place." And with that he pulled his pickup into a parking space and turned off the engine.

I took a deep breath and hopped out of the truck. The large group of kids outside were standing around together, laughing and goofing off as they listened to country music blaring from someone's car stereo. For a split second, the thought of making a break for the corn field situated behind the parking lot filtered through my mind. If I ran fast enough maybe no one would see me, and I could avoid the embarrassing scene I knew waited for me once everyone got an eye-full of Jake. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I would seem like a crazed lunatic in front of the guy I was trying to impress. That was a look I definitely wasn't shooting for. Instead, I bit the bullet and decided to act like a mature adult. Smoothing out the wrinkles in my sundress, I attempted to put on a nonchalant expression and walked quickly toward the entrance before anyone noticed. Jake stepped ahead and opened the door to let me in first.

"Such a gentleman." I couldn't help but smile at the polite gesture and Jake threw me a half grin. My heart officially skipped a beat.

When we walked into the ice cream shop, a waft of cool air and regret hit me square in the face. At least a dozen kids I recognized were hanging out inside. Perfect. Here's the other half of my class.

The noise level in the small shop was at an all time high as laughter and conversation took place around us, but one mocking, male voice stood out from the rest. "Hey there, Addy."

My eyes followed the source of the greeting and I was dismayed to find Brett Lawrence, captain of the varsity football team, checking me out with approving eyes. My chest tightened and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Hi, Brett," I answered cautiously as goosebumps made their way down my spine. Brett had been my chosen date to the junior/senior prom a couple of months back, and the night hadn't ended the way I had expected. I quickly discovered that Mr. Hotshot Football Player liked to pressure his dates into something more then what they were ready for, and that unfortunate evening I happened to be at the unlucky end of that exchange. I ended up storming out of dance with my high heels in hand, one broken spaghetti-strap, and an insurmountable amount of humiliation sitting upon my shoulders. But Brett wasn't finished with me yet. He followed me out to the parking lot and continued his pursuit, forcing me to sideswipe his head with the heel of my shoe. I'd done a pretty good job of avoiding him ever since.

Until now.

I turned quickly toward Jake and asked again, "Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere else? This place is so...crowded," I lamely pointed out. I suddenly felt queasy, realizing I was now stuck in the same establishment as the guy who had tried to force himself on me. But it was too late. The group of teenagers were upon us, spewing out more questions and comments than I could keep up with.

"Who's your boyfriend, Addy?" someone asked.

"Oh my God, I cannot believe you missed my bonfire last weekend! You could have brought your friend along," stated another.