Before I Go

Chapter 33- Our... Date?

This is the first time I've ever been grounded. I mean, it's not really anything different than my regular, everyday life, so I don't really understand how it's supposed to be a punishment. I can't find it within myself to complain, though; I'm glad my "punishment" isn't something much more severe. So, even though I'm practically confined to my room by my dad's orders instead of my own personal choice, I still find myself feeling particularly at peace with this situation.

I've been texting Ashton all morning, asking her why she ditched me yesterday and how, in the world, she convinced Parker to take her place. She simply told me that a magician never reveals her secrets--whatever that means.

My weekend goes by slowly, but I'm wholly okay with that. I hate feeling rushed, anyway. I spend the days doing absolutely nothing and enjoying it immensely until my overthinking brain finally tells me that it can't take it any longer. When doing nothing is no longer enough to keep me satisfied, I decide to clean my room, but my phone rings just as I'm about to begin.

My heart beats wildly as Parker's name flashes across my screen; a part of me can't even believe he's calling me right now. I suppose it shouldn't really come as such a surprise after our day out together on Friday, but... I don't know; maybe I'm just overthinking it again. I take a deep breath before accepting the call, my eyes falling shut as I bring the phone up to my ear. "Hey, Parker," I say awkwardly, my voice coming out far more breathy than I'd intended.

This whole thing is far more terrifying than I could have imagined. I've never had a boy call me before; what the heck am I supposed to do?!

"Hey there, Sunshine," Parker's sweet voice replies through the phone; from the slight chuckle that accompanies his words, I assume he's smiling that gorgeous smile that I can't seem to get enough of.

Sunshine? My voice echoes my thoughts, repeating the word aloud without my permission. "Sunshine?" Crap, this is embarrassing; maybe I should have just immediately accepted the cute nickname. Term of endearment? Is that what it would be called? I don't know; I've never done this before. I slap a hand over my mouth, hoping to contain any more word vomit and stop my lips from saying anything else that could potentially be embarrassing without my brain's consent.

Parker's beautiful laugh floats through the device in my hand and into my ear. "Yeah," he confirms, "I think it suits you. Is it okay if I call you that?"

Stupidly, I nod my head before realizing that Parker can't even see me. My face immediately flushes with heat, and I'm incredibly thankful that he can't see me right at this moment; I'm sure I'm as red as a tomato or something. "Uh... y-yeah," I stutter after uncovering my mouth.

"Great!" he replies, the enthusiasm in his voice causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. I don't know how such seemingly simple things can compel my body to react in such massive ways, but I probably shouldn't question that right now. Parker's voice brings me back to the situation at hand, "What are you doing today?"

The question makes me sigh as I plop down on my bed, letting myself sink comfortably into the mattress. "Oh, not much," I respond, kicking my feet that dangle over the side of the bed. "Just being grounded."

"Grounded?" asks Parker, and I can't tell if it's confusion or concern in his tone. Both, maybe? I'm not sure if it really matters, but either way, it sends a weird squiggling feeling through my chest. "Because of Friday?" he asks, his voice lower, this time obviously filled with guilt; I can't help but feel bad when I hear it.

I hum quietly before replying, "Yeah. It's no big deal, though. It's not like I really do anything, anyway. Being grounded is basically like any other day for me."

"Still, I'm sorry," Parker apologizes before sighing. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble because of me."

"First of all, whatever trouble I'm in is not because of you," I explain, my brows scrunching as I try to make my point clear, hoping to relieve some of Parker's guilt. "I'm the one who decided to skip school and go to the beach. Honestly, I should be apologizing to you; I still don't even know how you got dragged into this mess. And I haven't even bothered to ask if you had any consequences for our little impromptu adventure. Gosh, what is wrong with me?"

"Morgan," Parker interrupts my rant. My mouth snaps shut immediately upon hearing my name, my cheeks flaming once more.

Before he can continue whatever he's about to say that I already know will only further embarrass me, I add, "You know what's weird, though? My dad wasn't even really that mad... after I told him where I was, he just said he was glad I had fun and told me not to skip school again, and that was it."

"That's good," Parker says, sounding slightly less remorseful than he had previously. "You know, when I didn't hear from you yesterday, I thought that maybe you didn't enjoy our little date as much as I did."

Our what now? Did he just say "date?"

"Our... date?" I ask, completely bewildered. If Parker could see me right now, I bet he'd burst out into a laughing fit; I don't even have to look in the mirror to know that the shock on my face has made my eyes as wide as my head.

"Yeah," Parker says with a chuckle. "You know, when a boy takes a girl that he likes somewhere, and they do something fun together? A date."

"I... I know what a date is, Parker; I just... I didn't..." I try to explain, feeling more and more humiliated the longer my spluttering goes on. I can't even seem to put a simple sentence together right now.

"It's okay, Morgan; I'm just teasing you," he reassures, the smile on his face evident in his tone. "We don't have to call it a date if you don't want to. Next time I take you somewhere, I'll make sure to specify that it's a date beforehand."