Rise Against (Book II)

Chapter Nine - Hot and Cold

Chapter Nine – Hot and Cold

The cold hair was still nipping at our skin, but I tried to focus more on the warmth that our bodies were creating. If I focused on the cold, I’d just get colder. Jack seemed to be pulling me a bit closer because we were shivering so much.

"Tell m-me about your life," he whispered.

"Well… I have a daughter named Cassie-"

"Pf... I know that. Tell me about your life before. Friends?"

"Okay... Let’s see. Hannah and Zoey are my best friends. I was in cheerleading, just because my friend made me. Soccer was my life—well other than Trevor. I wonder how he is..." I thought.

"Who's Trevor?" he asked, seeming interested.

"He was my boyfriend before the kidnap…"

Yes, Trevor was my boyfriend. We weren’t in love or anything, but I did like him. He was… Sweet I guess you could say. I met him in Chemistry class when he became my partner. He was a genius and I was the soccer player…

"Hmm," he murmured.

We were quiet for like ten minutes. I was thinking he was asleep because it was way too quiet. He was breathing lightly into my neck—which was so warm to me. It was finally feeling a bit warmer out.  Then he said something. We were so close that he was talking in my ear.

"So... Were you and Trevor close?" he asked.

"Very. We saw each every day. Great kisser," I teased and laughed in his shoulder.

He chuckled hard before it was quiet again, but he yet again broke the comfortable silence." Hmm… Have you ever...?"

I tried to understand what he meant. Have I ever what? Then it clicked. Well isn't that personal…

"That's a big personal question," I told him flatly.

"Sorry. Just a question…" he muttered.

"Well then no. I've never." I never said the word. It was just obvious what I meant. "Which is kind of odd considering I have a daughter at home," I laughed.

He laughed too. I felt my face heat up at the question. I’m very much a child when it came to the three letter word. It was most definitely my mother who said that it was a bad word and I shouldn’t say or do anything until I was thirty-three. Now that I thought more about it, I realized how much she feared about me and that department.  

"Have you ever...?" I asked the same personal question.

"Samantha, really? Think about it."

Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he rolled his eyes. Judging by the tone of his voice, I felt like I was being mocked.

"What?" I didn't understand.

"Why were you kidnapped?" he asked.

"Because your race was dying"

"And why was our race dying?"

"Because you had no females...? Oh." Ah, I understood. So that's a no. That answers the question for Zack as well. "Sorry.  I forgot. You’re just so confident and stuff."

We were in an awkward silence for several minutes. This was a very awkward question considering how close we were. The way we were smashed into each other to stay warm and our breaths in each other’s ears. I tried not to think too deeply into the situation.  

I had to think of something to make the silence stop. It was gnawing at me as every minute past. Finally I just had to speak.

"Well now that the personal awkward moment is over. What do you want to talk about?" I asked.