Gwen made her way to the front of the school, intending on booking it back home, but was quickly stopped by a familiar face...driving a very unfamilar car.
"There you are, sis!" Karyn said happily. "Hop in!" She was currently in the front seat of what seemed to be a relatively new red Volkswagen Beetle.
Gwen found herself confused for a minute before memories quickly filled in the gap. I forgot mom bought a new car for the family to use...but how come Karyn gets to take the car with her to college? I kind of wanted to take it for a spin while I was still stuck here for another year...
"You seem down, Gwen. Are you okay?" Karyn asked, worry on her face.
"Oh," Gwen realized she had something more urgent to deal with at the moment, "I'm good. Let's get-"
"GWEN, wait!" came a distant voice. Gwen immediately recognized it and threw her backpack through the window onto the passenger's seat.
"Okay big sis, let's get going! No time to lose!" But when she tried to open the door, it was locked. "Uh, Karyn?"
"Sorry Gwen, but I'm not just going to let you ditch Jay like that. Clearly something happened between you two, and as your big sister, I think it's important to tell you to confront your feelings head on!" Karyn raised a fist into the air.
"Please Karyn, can't you just...fine." Gwen sighed, giving up after trying the door handle a few more times. "I'll be right back," she said as she walked away from the car and towards Jay.
"Gwen! Hey..." he said slightly out of breath. "What you said back there...um, wow."
"Yeah, well...Biff was being a complete creep. I'd say anything to get him off my back!"
"Uh-huh. And you were trying to get away from me because...?"
"Because I knew you'd take it seriously like some kind of...love confession! I didn't want to deal with that right now..." Gwen didn't dare look him in the eye, fearing that her lies would easily be revealed.
"Mhmm. Well, even if you were joking, just hearing you call me and Sir Fluffball cute really made my day."
"Well...I might have been serious about that part." Jay had a big smile on his face, which made Gwen continue, "N-not YOU! I meant the cat!" Silence followed for a few seconds, and then Gwen added, "Do you think the rest of the class knew who I was talking about?"
"If your words didn't give it away, you staring straight at me might have been enough of a hint..."
Gwen sighed again. "W-well...if the whole school's gonna hear about it eventually, we might as well make it official, right?"
Jay opened his mouth in surprise and raised his eyebrows. "Wait, Gwen, does that mean-"
"Yes! Geeze! I said you were smart and you still had to ask? Dummy..." Gwen, while feeling flushed, also felt a kind of warmth rising from her chest. A pleasant sort of warmth. "I'll be your...your..." she got up the nerve to squeak out the last part, "girlfriend!"
Jay eagerly grabbed her hands. "And I'll be the best boyfriend you could ask for." Gwen felt the warmth consume even more of her. She didn't feel the need to pull away from him this time. In fact, there was something telling her to go just slightly further. So with all her might, she got up on the tips of her toes, slowly moved forward until their faces were an inch apart, and then gave a brief peck on the lips before quickly retreating. "W-Whoa! That was...really nice."
"Isn't the guy supposed to make the first move?" Gwen sighed with an exaggerated tone. "If you want something done right-" She found herself interrupted by Jay's lips returning to her own, this time for much longer. Gwen closed her eyes and grasped her new boyfriend's hands more tightly. After a minute that seemed to stretch on and on, the two broke apart. "T-that's a good start, I guess."
"I should let you get home now. But I'll call you later tonight?"
"Sure, if I decide you're worth my time." Gwen smiled. They bid each other farewell, and as Gwen made her way back to the car, she noticed her sister with the biggest grin on her face.
"Gwen!!! AAAAAH! I'm so happy for you!" She gave her a hug, and Gwen swore she could hear her sniffling a little.
"Enjoyed the show, Karyn?"
"I did! It was just like watching a romcom! Well, maybe the kissing could use some work, but that'll come in time! I can give you some pointers, you know!"
"I'll keep that in mind. How about we just take a chill ride home for now?"
"You got it, Gwen." And as her sister turned on the radio, Gwen thought about the events that had transpired over the last hour.
All of a sudden, her earlier problems that day didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
