Picturing Us

Picturing Us (11)

Levi:

"Okay, Levi. We have to find the right outfit for Julia." Hanson told me, as we walked into the mall. She was determined to make everything right, but she was seriously going overboard.

"Hanson, don't you think you should calm down?" I asked her. She turned and looked at me. She had a face full of seriousness. She was so serious, it was scary.

She put her straight blonde hair in a ponytail. "Look, Levi. In order to help Finn, everything HAS to be perfect." she said.

I put my arm around her. "Okay, whatever, Miss Crazy."

Surprisingly, she kept on walking, with my arm around her. There we were, walking side by side, with my arm around her. Is this a new step in our "relationship"?

"Hey, do you want some Starbucks?" I asked her, as we passed the food court.

"I don't drink coffee."

"Ya know, they don't just sell coffee." I insisted.

"Then what else to they sell?" she asked. She looked as if she was really interested in what I was saying.

I smiled, which signaled that I liked her even more. "Well, they have tea, iced or hot, lemonade, and..." I stopped. I seriously didn't know what else they sold. "I just buy the coffee, so I have no clue."

She laughed. "I guess I'll take the iced tea, then."

I smiled. "Alright."

We continued walking toward Starbucks, but then I saw my father. He was standing in line, along with my mom. I sort of panicked, mostly because he was right about me and Hanson. I did like her, but I didn't want to hear an 'I told you so.'

But before I could take my arm away, he saw me. "Son!" he yelled.

"Lee?" my mom asked, shocked to see me with a girl.

I turned around quickly, and tried to escape before there's trouble. "Do you know them?" Hanson asked.

"What, who? I'm not really feeling the whole Starbucks thing, let's just go-"

"Levi Edward Kingsford." I heard my mom call. Busted.

I turned around in embarrassment. I grabbed Hanson's hand and walked toward my parents. "Hey, mom. Dad."

"Hey, son." my dad said. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, uh. Hanson, here, and I were shopping for a date." Maybe that sentence came out wrong.

"A date, huh?" my mom asked.

"Not ours, a friend's." Hanson attempted to clear it up, but it was too late.

I sighed. I'm never gonna hear the end of this. "Mom, Dad, this is Hanson Carter. A friend from school."

"Sure she's just a friend, son?" My dad joked, but I knew it wasn't.

"I'm Sherrie, and this is Glenn." my mom introduced.

My dad came closer to me. "Son, can I have a word with you?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded. We took a couple of steps away from Hanson and my mom. "Hanson, she's a beautiful girl."

One thing we actually agree to. "Yeah, I know, Dad."

"Hold on to her. She could slip away."

His words were encouraging. Especially knowing that it might be true. This brought me back to Finn. This is the guy that has been there for her since almost forever. This is the guy who she's willing to do anything for. This is the guy that she kissed.