Proving Webster Wrong

Chapter Twelve -- Drew

Chapter Twelve

Drew

I slid the basket of honey suckles over to Chloe. She was programing in the address for the office in the GPS on my phone because she couldn't remember how to get there and didn't want to have to call her Dad for directions. I hated the GPS but it was the only way for me to know how to get there. She put my phone in to the cup holder, angled so I could see it.

"Start asking questions," I told her.

"Can't it wait until after the appointment?" She reached over and cranked the air up to the highest setting. Then she unraveled one of her braids and set to work on re-braiding it.

"You're trying to stall about finding out what ever you want about me? I thought you would love the chance to torture me?" I pulled my mouth into the cheesiest smile I could muster.

She huffed and put the hair tie onto the end of the braid. "I need time to think of good questions. Why rush things and end up asking stupid things?"

I pulled my foot away from the gas pedal so we just sat there. "Come on, improv girl, you can do this."

Her face was twitching and I could see how badly she wanted to laugh. Watching her fight against it made me launch into a fit of laughter of my own. It wasn't a cute laugh like her's that sounded like little hiccups or was just silence. No, it was a honking noise with a snort if I started laughing hard enough. Chloe gave up her fight and started laughing with me.

"Improv girl?" she asked between ragged breathes. "That's just..." she couldn't even finish she was laughing so hard.

This coupled with the laughing from earlier made my entire middle ache, joining with my face. We used to have fits like this all the time but now body seemed to have forgotten what that was like.

"I think we've been laughing so much I have a headache from it." Chloe pressed a hand to her forehead while the other arm was wrapped around her stomach. She started laughing harder at the ridiculousness of laughing giving a person a head ache.

"I will never understand why laughing can be so good and somehow manage to cause pain." It was true but I didn't mean to say it. We both stopped laughing when I did. "Sorry," I said.

Chloe gave a final small laugh and shook her head. "Okay, question one." She stopped to think for a moment. "How long do you think it will be before you date again?"

It was a question I didn't expect to hear from Chloe, she had always seemed like the type of person to never ask a person about that sort of thing, but I guess I deserved it since I had asked her such a similar question. "I don't know. I guess until I get over Crystal, which I have no idea how long it would take."

Dating anyone else seemed like such a crazy idea. And I didn't even have a clue how to ask a girl out. Crystal had been the one to approach me, and it had been at the end of seventh grade. I didn't know a thing about dating rules. Plus, I didn't want to rush into another relationship like the one I had just gotten out of.

Chloe nodded and looked down at the basket of honey suckles. "Do I really have to do this?"

"At least one." I couldn't push her any harder than that. Plus, the blooms looked limp and gross now.

She pinched one between her thumb and forefinger and brought it up to her mouth. Several times she started to bite of the end but then would yank it away before it touch her lips. Each time I nearly told her to just pinch the end of, but that would take away from the point.

Finally she did it, biting the end off in a swift motion. With a shaky hand she got the little drop out and placed it on her tongue. The corners of her mouth curled up as she enjoyed the sweetness.