Best Friend and Lover

[Author’s note: When I started writing my other series “My Best Friend,” several people liked the stories and were eagerly awaiting more. After some constructive criticism and some reflection on my part, I decided to redo this series. Why?

My grammar was bad; but with the help of volunteer editors, I polished them into something worth reading. Another issue was that my imagination was taking me way off course from where I wanted to go with the story. Lastly, the characters and the plot, although fun to write, were not very believable.

This work “Best Friend and Lover” is a story with 12 chapters and a surprise ending. These chapters are not episodic although most have a cliffhanger or tease for the next chapter. You need to read all the chapters for the story to make sense. Also, I love foreshadowing, and these chapters are oozing with it.

This first chapter focuses on the friendship of a younger man and older woman, so there is NO sexual content. In the rest of the chapters, he is 18 or older. You can guess the rest.]

Chapter 1: Veiled Conversations

“Tell me about your first kiss,” Jessica asked in a playful, dreamy voice.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “what about yours?”

She disdainfully said, “It was some boy when I was twelve, who didn’t know the difference between kissing my lips and licking tonsils. I didn’t like him anyway.”

“Now tell me about your first romantic encounter,” she said, batting her eyes.

“How about a kiss on the cheek?” I queried. “Does that count?”

Jessica leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek. “Does that seem romantic to you?”

“Made my toes curl.” I teased.

She frowned a bit, “You cannot avoid the question. Now, tell me. I am your best friend. You can confide in me.”

“Well, I was twelve, and she was eight. She was at a daycare where my mom worked. I met her when I helped there after school. Rae was a little girl who loved to draw. I would spend time watching her draw pictures for me. When my mom and I had to leave, she gave me a drawing as a parting gift. The drawing was her holding hands with me. I gave her a gift. I fished a toy out of the bin of toy prizes and presented her with a purple toy ring. Then she kissed me on the cheek.”

“Awww. How sweet.” Jessica said, swooning. “I bet you were her Prince Charming.”

“It did make me feel good, but it was not anything serious, just a goodbye present,” I said.

Jessica giggled a little as she said, “At least she didn’t use her tongue.”

“Do you mean like this?” I pulled her face close, turned her head to the side, and licked her cheek.

“Ewwwww,” she squealed, pushed me onto the floor and jumped on top of me. Holding me down she said, “This is the proper way to use tongue when kissing.” Then she proceeded to lick my face like a dog. I squirmed a bit then tried to tickle her. She sat up and moved off onto the floor, and I sat up next to her.

Jessica remarked, “So, you have virgin lips. Who will be your first kiss? Maybe your best friend?” She then leaned over toward me. I froze in anticipation.

“Do you want your best friend to be your first kiss?” she asked in a mock seductive tone.

I just sat there, and she smiled.

She gave me a warm, friendly kiss on the lips. It was not a passionate kiss, nor was any tongue involved.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but I didn’t hear the door open until I heard, “Hi, Mom.” Nathan just walked in and caught me kissing his mom. Jessica turned to look at him and said, “Hi Nathan.” When he realized she had just kissed me, he rushed back to his room.

Jessica called after him, “Do you want a kiss, too?”

She turned back to me and giggled. She leaned against my chest. “How was it? Did you enjoy your first kiss?”

“Yeah,” I said, catching my breath. The kiss was like a kiss that an overly affectionate relative might give; but coming from her, my best friend… it meant something.

“Let’s make some dinner,” she said, “I am getting hungry.” She stood up and headed to the kitchen.

As we were eating dinner, Jessica said, “I know it was not romantic, but…,” she said, hesitated and looked at me.

“I loved it enough to count as my first kiss,” I smiled at her.

“It was more romantic than that eight-year-old girl’s kiss on the cheek,” she said, meaning it as a question.

I looked down at my food and took a bite, but I remained silent.

“So, you did like her. That is so cute.” she said delightfully happy to find a secret.

“We were both young, and she is from another life,” I tried to argue.

I reached across the table and met Jessica’s hand. “Your kiss. I meant our kiss will always be my memorable first kiss.”

“Thanks,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “I feel honored.”

Do best friends kiss? Maybe they might flirt, like Jessica and I did. That was part of our friendship.

But that eight-year-old from my past life, I will not forget. I still had her drawing.

—————————-

How does an eighteen-year-old high school student end up kissing his friend’s mom? I should back up and start from the beginning; starting with my parents. My dad is not worth mentioning, other than the fact that he was an abusive, controlling bastard. That is not the right word. I don’t want to insult my grandfather like that. But my father would verbally and emotionally abuse us, my mom and me. He did hit my mother once, though. Just once.

She knew that hit was too much, and he could not keep a strong woman like that. She took me, and we ran away. He chased us from one place to another. I never understood why he pursued us. But I trusted my mom, and she did what she could to protect us. My mom took us to another town further away, and thankfully he didn’t find us right away. That was where she worked at the daycare where Rae gave me a drawing of us holding hands. I miss that place. Even among the younger kids, I felt I belonged.

My mom had me use some online courses for homeschooling. My problem was there are better things online than school.

Finally, we moved a few states over, changed our names, severed all ties to friends and family, to start over. I became Jake. My mom was now Grace.

My age said I should be a junior in high school, but some teachers at the high school thought I should be in eighth grade. I had to face it. I was stupid and homeschooling for me was more about staying at home and less about schooling. But the school district heard our case and compromised and put me in ninth grade. So, I became a freshman at the age of sixteen. My mom convinced them to keep my age a secret because it would make it hard for someone to find us.

You would think that a sixteen-year-old freshman would be awkward among fourteen-year-old kids, but my size and skills on the freshman football team gave me instant popularity. Not to boast, but I was a solidly built sixteen-year-old. Of course, I had to keep my age a secret. After my instant fame on the field, the school district kept me from participating in school sports because it would draw attention to myself and the school. But by then, I had already gained a group of friends, Nathan, Chad, Alan, Hank, and others.

That was how I met Jessica. My mom met Jessica first and became friends along with the other moms of our gang. The moms took turns hosting us and feeding us after school, except my mom. We were dirt poor, and she was working two jobs and was never at home.

Jessica was Nathan’s mom and worked as an office assistant in a real estate office, which meant she answered calls, made copies, and made coffee. But she was able to get home at a reasonable time. When we visited their house, Nathan had some cool stuff to entertain teenage boys. Jessica would often make chocolate chip cookies which we promptly devoured.

Other guys’ houses were more fun and had more stuff to do. And more snacks. Chad’s house won out most of the time. His parents had the money and had all the fun teenage boys could want. Although his mother welcomed us, she did not interact with us. And her cookies were not quite as good.

Our apartment had a small kitchen with an equally small table. We had no TV, and I had no Xbox, so they never came to our house. Plus, my mom worked two jobs, a daycare during the day and part-time as a waitress at night, so she was never home in the evening.

All she could afford was a one-bedroom furnished apartment.

———————————————————————————

Usually, when our gang went to Nathan’s house, his mom greeted us warmly with a plate of homemade cookies. Then we would rush off to Nathan’s room to play some of the games he had.

One day, our gang descended on Nathan’s house. We found a plate of cookies on the kitchen table, but Nathan’s mom wasn’t there. We grabbed some cookies and drinks and camped out in Nathan’s room for some games. Everyone ignored the fact that Nathan’s mom was gone.

Later I heard his mom come in laughing and giggling with someone. I peeked out of Nathan’s room to see. She was with a man, and they went straight to her bedroom without greeting any of us. Nathan ushered us into his room so we could continue our games. During our time there, I heard some moaning noises from the other end of the house toward his mom’s room. I strained to hear, and then I realized what it was. I blushed and refocused on the games the rest were playing.

Later, when Nathan and I were in the kitchen getting some more cookies and drinks for the posse, that man came out of his mom’s room with a smug grin on his face. Nathan glared at the man as he walked toward the front door.

“What are you looking at, brat?” The man taunted.

I could see Nathan was trying to hold his anger in check. He knew this man, but he was not going to stop him because he was leaving. As the man stepped out the door, Nathan stormed back to his room.

I heard a few soft sobs from Jessica’s bedroom and wondered what was going on. Maybe walking into a woman’s bedroom uninvited may not be the most socially acceptable thing to do, but I heard soft crying, so I was concerned and wanted to investigate. I entered her room, not knowing what to expect. When I stepped inside, I saw her lying on the bed hiding under the covers. She wiped her eyes a bit.

“Are you okay, Ms. Sandberg?” I asked.

She was startled but not shocked. She answered in a bit of a shaky voice, “I’m okay. I am fine.”

“Do you want me to get you anything? Water or something?”

“It’s okay,” she said, then paused. “Some water would be nice.”

I went to the kitchen and brought back the water, and handed it to her. She sat in the middle of the bed still trying to hide under the covers. She accepted the water with the other.

“Thank you,” she said. She took a few sips and handed the water back to me.

I was about to leave, and she said, “You can stay….” I turned back to her. “… if you want.” She laid back on the bed hiding under the crumbled bedsheet.

Jessica was short with long blonde hair and blue eyes. I often pictured Hayden Panettiere from Heroes whenever I saw her. But here in the bed, she looked a mess. Some of her makeup was smeared, her hair was messy, and she looked sweaty and dirty.

She set the water on the nightstand. “I wasn’t trying to be rude, or trying to…” I started to say, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the bedsheet that was the only thing covering Jessica.

“You are quite alright. I could use some company,” She sounded more relaxed.

“Thanks for the cookies…. Jessica.” I felt strange to call her by name. I used to call her Ms. Sandberg, when others were around. “We always like your cookies.”

She smiled, and I said, “That’s why we like to come here. Well, that’s why I like to come here.”

She said, “Well, I like to see you guys having fun together. Since we are new in town, I like to see that Nathan has some good friends. Your mom said you are new, too. I am glad to see that you also found a good group of boys to hang out with.”

I said, “Yeah, they are a good bunch of guys. I have missed having friends. But I…” I cut myself off in the thought. I didn’t want to say it, but she had already picked up on the hesitation.

“But what?”

“They are good guys to hang out with, but I can’t say that I am good friends with any of them. No, it’s not that; I mean, we are friends, all of us. But I can’t say I have a good friend among them,” I said.

She looked at me, listening and waiting for me to explain.

“We are always together. Sometimes, I wish I had just one person to hang out with. I am not saying the group is bad. It is just….”

She completed the thought, “You wish you had a best friend to spend time with.”

“Yeah,” I said. “My mom is my best friend right now. We love spending time together. But she will always be there for me. So, I am just hoping or wishing there was someone else.”

She said smiling, “I understand. Being new in town, I wish I had a best friend too. The other ladies in the office are friendly and nice, but I wish I had someone to hang out with.”

She asked, “What do you and your mom like to do together?”

I didn’t want to seem like I was gawking at her as she shift under the covers, so I focused on her face and kept the conversation going.

“We only see each other at night. Her two jobs keep her up until midnight. But when she gets home, we will lay in bed and talk about anything and everything. It is easy to talk with her,” I said.

Jessica asked, “What about the weekend?”

“We have been exploring the area. We have checked out nearby parks, been to the mall, and once as a treat, we went to the game center with an arcade, mini-golf, laser tag, and other stuff. What about you and Nathan?”

“Well,” she sighed. “Nathan is not as interested in grand adventures with his mom.”

“My mom and I are going to an RV show next weekend. We get to tour through some RVs and stuff. My mom likes the idea of living on the open road. Maybe you can come with us.”

“That would be wonderful. I would love to come. I could use some friends to hang out with,” she said with a smile.

She shifted again, and I locked eyes with hers because I didn’t know where else to look. We started talking about traveling. Jessica talked about places she has been to; and I spoke of mine. We talked about where we would like to go. If I mentioned an exciting place, she would ask if she could go with my mom and me. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if she was serious, or just caught up in the moment. Maybe both.

I lost track of time, and she said that we should probably go to the kitchen and see if the boys want some dinner. I turned to the door to leave, and just for a brief, fleeting moment, I saw her exposed back. But I dared not turn around to take a better look. Instead, I hurried my pace to the kitchen.

Once there, she said that she should ask them what they wanted. She paused, smiled, and said to me, “Thanks for spending some time with me.”

“Thank you too,” I said and awkwardly added, “Jessica.”

She walked to Nathan’s room. Apparently, in her absence, they had made arrangements for dinner at Hank’s house. I decided to go with them. I needed time to process that time with Jessica. As we left, she waved goodbye but had a disappointed smile.

Later as I went home, I kept thinking about that moment. It was the first time we had a conversation, just us two. I realized she was in an awkward situation, but she continued to talk with me. The awkwardness seemed to have faded away and a relaxed atmosphere had filled the room. Somehow the encounter felt like two good friends talking which I had not experienced since we moved here. I felt good that I had a friend I could talk with.

—————————————

That night, my mom saw me deep in thought and asked what was on my mind. She asked as a friend, not like a mother interrogating her child. I told her what had happened– Jessica under the bedsheet, the conversation, everything. I had found a new friend to talk with.

“I am glad because you spent some time getting to know her. She needs a good friend like you,” she commented.

“Like me?” I said incredulously. “I am just a stupid high school kid.”

My mother said, “You chatted with her at a vulnerable moment, and made her feel at ease.”

I started to understand. “Did Jessica feel vulnerable because of the man?”

She nodded and said, “Yes. And other things. You treated Jessica respectfully. You could have ogled her,              or tried to sneak some peeks. But, instead, you acted normal and accepting. It may not have seemed like much, but that was what she needed right then. And so did you.”

My mom added, “You have a talent for caring about people and making them feel accepted. Don’t forget that and don’t doubt it. Your mother knows you better than you sometimes.”

I did doubt that though. I never considered myself exceptional. But what my mom said did stick in my mind.

“Oh, and I invited her to go with us to the RV show,” I informed her.

“What a wonderful idea! That would be wonderful to spend time with her,” my mom exclaimed. “I will call and arrange it.”

Then with a wink and a smile, she said, “I will tell her to wear more than a bedsheet if that is okay with you?”

——————————————————

Jessica went with my mom and me to the RV show. We all had fun looking at the different RVs and dreaming about traveling across the country. We then had some BBQ that they sold as part of the show. We thoroughly enjoyed the RVs and most of all, and we started to bond as friends.

Jessica and my mom started to be good friends. When they had the chance, we would get together on the weekend and do something. We would have a picnic in the park, go to some sporting event or any number of fun and cheap things to do together. Nathan and I would tag along, or hang out with our gang.

Neither Jessica nor my mom had a lot. But we all enjoyed our friendship, and that is what mattered. Jessica was fun to have around. She would cheer everyone up. Even if it started raining in the park, or the team we were rooting for lost. She would find a way to make us smile and laugh.

However, one time we had some grand adventure to the zoo planned. We went to pick up Jessica and Nathan, but no one answered the door. The house seemed dark and empty. My mom called Jessica, and she answered in a less than enthusiastic voice. She told us the door was open and to come in.

As we entered the house, the lights were off, and Jessica was sitting on the couch in a loose-fitting robe she would often wear around the house. Her usually beautiful long blonde hair was a complete mess, full of long tangles and hair matted on one side. She weakly greeted us. Her bright blue eyes, which normally brighten the room, were blankly staring off at nothing. My mom walked over to her and sat beside her. She asked Jessica how she was doing. She was down and having difficulty getting up, and we should go to the zoo without her. Nathan had left with some of his friends in the gang.

My mom got up to get some tea for us and asked me to sit and talk with her. We said a few words, but she was not in a mood to talk. My mom handed her the tea, and she sipped it slowly. My mom tried to talk too, but Jessica was not talking much. We all sat there in the dark. Trying to comfort her, my mom reached over and held Jessica’s hand. And we just continued to sit like that for a while. I wondered what to do. I looked at my mom for a sign, but she tried to signal me to relax and not panic.

Where was that fun-loving Jessica we love to hang out with? Was she sick? How long are we going to sit here? I thought to myself. I was a bit restless.

There was a subdued feeling in the house, and I didn’t think watching TV would be the best. I hated to go into Nathan’s room without him there. I was not afraid of household work, so I went to the kitchen to clean up.

Jessica weakly started to protest, but my mom held her hand, pulled her to the couch, and told her it would be okay. She could just relax. I went about doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. I then tidied and swept. I didn’t want to start deep cleaning. That much commotion might ruin the quiet dark that my mom was trying to maintain.

I returned to the couch and found Jessica leaning on my mom, and snoozing. She reassured me it was okay, and we would stay there for now. I distracted myself for an hour or so by reading a book. Then, my mom urged me to get the food we had packed for the trip.

I brought it in, and my mom had Jessica sitting up and was talking. We had a picnic in the living room together. Jessica didn’t eat much, but she chatted some, though she still seemed a bit down. We stayed long enough to finish eating and clean up. My mom and Jessica talked a little more. She hugged Jessica and told her to call if she needed anything.

Then Jessica reached for me and hugged me, and said, “Thank you.” Finally, we said our goodbyes and went home.

When we got home, my mom gave me a big hug. “I am so proud of you,” she said.

“Why?” I puzzled.

She explained, “What you did was so good for her? She had a bad mood swing. Your kindness and caring helped her through it.”

“You did most of it.” I just followed.

“But you didn’t complain. And you cleaned up, which Jessica greatly appreciated.”

I asked, “Will she be okay?”

“She will be okay tomorrow or the next. She just needed someone to be with her today.”

And of course, the next time I was over there, she was the same cheerful, sweet Jessica. I think that was when I started really to care about her, and that was when I realized what it meant to be a friend.

In the next few months, my mom, Jessica, and I had some fun times on the weekend when we could. Jessica was more friendly with me. She would talk to me a little more, asked how I was doing, and asked how I liked our adventures. But, up until that point, it felt like I was tagging along most of the time.

Soon, the summer came, and our posse had some grand adventures with Chad’s dad, Ryan. He took us camping several times over the summer. We went on a few road trips to campgrounds that had canoeing, zip-lines, swimming, a firing range, all the fun stuff to keep a bunch of teenage boys out of trouble.

My mom and Jessica spent time together while the guys and I were on our adventures. I missed their outings, but I also enjoyed the outdoors with the guys. I learned that Jessica had another mood swing while we are away. I wondered to myself, what would it have been like to be there? Would it have been boring? I surprised myself by feeling that I wish I had been there to be with Jessica and my mom.

———————————————————

Summer passed, and school started again. School started taking up more of our time, so the guys did not hang out as much. I was weighted down with schoolwork, which was not easy for me, but Nathan helped me in that second year. He had several of the same classes or the same teachers. Nathan would invite me to come over to do homework. He helped me more than I helped him. I tried not to think of myself as a charity case, but I did need the help.

Since my mom worked two jobs, she was not home in the evening, just in the morning and on weekends. So, in the evening, I would go home with Nathan and do some schoolwork. An hour or so later, Jessica would come home and prepare supper. I would eat with them and helped clean up. Then, Nathan and I would finish our remaining schoolwork.

If we had time, we would play games. That was the regular routine for a month. One day though, I noticed Jessica watching a movie that I wanted to see, as Nathan and I were on the way to Nathan’s room. I elected to watch, and Nathan didn’t want to, so he headed to his room. Jessica said she was happy for the company.

After that movie, I remembered our conversation a year ago. I talked about having a friend that I could spend time together without a crowd. Nathan and I spent time together, and it was fine. But when I watched the movie with Jessica, I felt more relaxed. So, I wanted to spend more time with her.

I wasn’t thinking about a date. I just wanted to spend time together as friends. From that conversation, I felt she wanted a friend, too.

Every time I had been with her so far, there was someone else around. Would it be okay for me to spend time with her alone? My mom would be okay with it, right? And how would I get her alone? I wondered to myself.

—————————————

Later that week, on Friday, I found the opportunity. I wanted to see her, and Nathan was out of town for a football game and would not be back until late. I was determined to see Jessica alone. I would pretend to be looking for Nathan and see if I could get in from that point. I was rehearsing in my mind, how I would approach her at the door. I was feeling nervous and had butterflies in my stomach. She was older than me. I wasn’t trying to date her, but it might seem that way.

You can do this, I told myself. Jessica won’t slam the door in my face if Nathan wasn’t there.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Jessica opened the door and looked so delighted to see me.

“Jake! I was hoping you would come to visit me. Come in,” she beckoned.

I stepped inside, my heart pounding and about ready to burst out of my chest. Jessica wanted me to come over? I thought to myself. I could not believe it.

As I stepped inside, I noticed she dressed more casually than I usually see her. She had her long blonde hair done up in a ponytail. She had removed her makeup. Even without it, she was still pretty. Thinking about it, I don’t remember seeing her without any.

She preferred these long dresses that were the same material as t-shirt, but shaped like a dress. The one she had on looked like a long thin t-shirt. Or was it a nightshirt for sleeping in? Of course, any dress looked long on her short frame. I think she was a little over five feet. I was 5′ 8″, so I did not tower over her, but she still had to look up to me.

She was prancing around the house barefoot. And when she did prance around, she seemed to be carefree and not worried about how she looked. I told myself, Nope, I am not going to check her out. Just look at her eyes.

“I was about to make dinner, but dinner for one is no fun. So now I will make a meal for both of us.”

She went to get some food from the pantry. Now, her meals were not anything grand or gourmet-like; instead, she made simple things like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, or chicken and rice.

“How about some baked potatoes?”

“Great!” I said. Her meals seem so good because of the loving care she put into them.

“I have some homework to do. I was hoping to get Nathan’s help tonight” I was trying to play the ‘Nathan’ card, hoping not to make it seem so obvious that I was coming to see her.

She had found the bacon in the fridge and was getting out the pan. She looked over at me and said, “Homework on a Friday night? With Nathan? And you knew he was going to be out of town. And he will probably crash at Chad’s place when they get back, and they will be there all night.”

I swallowed hard and realized that I was caught.

“I know the real reason you are here,” she continued.

Here comes the chiding and embarrassment, I thought as I froze.

She set the package of bacon and pan down and, as she walked over to me and put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes, saying, “I am very flattered and delighted you are here. I was hoping to spend an evening with you some time alone. I have been looking forward to getting to know each other better.” Then she returned to making dinner.

I didn’t know what to think. Jessica was hoping to spend time with me. Just me? Alone? I said to myself.

“Oh, sit down and take a breath now, Jake. Relax. I want us to have an enjoyable evening.”

I sat down and relaxed a bit. I thought to myself, Wow! this is not going at all as I had planned.

She served dinner, and we talked about nothing important but just talked like we were old friends. I have not had a real friend to talk with. All the years on the run just left me and my mom or kids in her daycare. Now I was talking with a friend–just the two of us, enjoying each other’s company.

After the dishes, she took me to her shelf, where she keeps her games. She asked me to pick one, but I didn’t know some of those games. She chose a card game, Phase 10. I had heard of it before but never played it. Next, she turned on some music on her iPhone. We started playing, but I struggled to get it. She played several times. But I was a good sport and willing to try.

While figuring out my next move, a new song started playing, one of my favorites. Jessica reached for her iPhone and skipped it.

“Wait,” I protested, “I like that song.”

“No one listens to Nickelback anymore,” she said.

“I do,” I said, “I always listen to them.”

She said with a grin, “Not unless I skip them.”

She smiled and moved back to the song in the playlist for me.

“What else do you like to listen to?” she asked.

As I rattled off some of my favorites, she would smile and give me a thumbs up to the ones she liked, and a disgusted look and thumbs down to others.

We debated over some. Jessica told me some of her favorites.

“Those were old,” I commented.

“So is Nickelback,” she retorted.

“But people still listen to them.”

“Like whom?” she challenged me.

“Me,” I said

We laughed about our music choices and listened to some more songs. Then, we would play some more of the game. When a good song was playing, I would make comments and laugh at what we each said. It went like that the whole evening.

Soon, we decided to watch something. I don’t remember if we finished the game, but we were ready for something else. Jessica picked a movie to watch. It was some silly romantic comedy “13 Going On 30”. I laughed at her choice, and she had a look of contempt.

“That is my favorite movie. How dare you mock it!” Jessica exclaimed.

“Okay, okay, I give up. Let’s watch it,” I submitted. Jessica proudly smiled that she had won that round.

She brought over some snacks and drinks. We watched and laughed, and watched some more. I tried to laugh at the sappy parts, but she punched me in the arm.

By the end of the movie, she was sitting close to me, and we sat silently. We both were happy and content.

Jessica spoke up, “Thanks for that one day when you and your mom came over.” There was a soft and sincere quality to her voice. “That meant a lot to me.”

She reached over and patted my arm and continued, “I haven’t had good friends like that in a long time.”

“But I did nothing special,” I said.

“Just like you did nothing special with me in my bedroom.”

“We just talked,” I said.

“Exactly,” Jessica pointed out. “Another teenage boy might have had the wrong ideas and ogled me. Or they just might have run away. But you stayed and talked. That was just what I needed, just to talk. You made me feel comfortable with myself. I needed that.”

“You were comfortable with me there?” I asked.

“Actually, very embarrassed at first. But you helped me relax.”

I said, “Honestly, I didn’t know what to think or do, so I just talked. As we talked, I felt normal, like it was okay to be there. You made me feel like I belonged there.”

“You did belong there. You do belong here and are welcome anytime,” Jessica said.

After a long pause, she said, “I hoped you would come over some evening and spend time together.”

“I didn’t know if you would think we were on a date or something,” I said.

“We are just two good friends hanging out. As you said, you were hoping to find a best friend,” she said.

“Are we best friends now?” I asked in a joking tone, not meaning to be serious.

Jessica said, “I thought this was an audition for that role. I was about to ask if I got the part.”

“Well… the part about arguing over the movie didn’t seem very genuine….” I started to say.

“Genuine?” she protested. “You were a wuss. We barely even argued. You just caved.”

“I said it was not worth watching.”

Jessica poked me in the side, “You said it was silly, but let’s watch it.”

“I didn’t want to start a fight over a silly movie,” I said, defending myself.

“Do you want a fight?” she exclaimed. With that, she tried to tickle me, and then she moved back, hoping to avoid retaliation.

I tried to tickle her, but she jumped off the couch and ran back to her room. I wasn’t sure if that was an invitation to chase after her. So, I entered her room cautiously. I didn’t see her from the doorway, so I stepped inside.

**WHAM** A pillow came out of nowhere and hit me upside the head before I had time to process it.

**WHAM** The pillow hit me on the other side of my head.

I finally saw her standing next to the bed, ready for the next round. I ducked the pillow, tackled her to the bed, and rolled to my back. She moved to the other side of the bed, and we laid there and laughed and laughed.

Finally, she said, “So? Do I get the job?”

I said, “Well, that was more of a fight, not an argument.”

She hit me with the pillow again.

“Okay, okay, you get the job.”

She extended her pinky to me, “Pinky promise?”

I extended mine and linked pinkies. “Best friends,” I promised.

“Best friends,” Jessica promised.

Then she held my hand as we laid there.

Instantly, we became best friends. We had spent a great time together, better than I had hoped. I think she was not expecting to have this much fun. By the end of the evening, she was acting silly and casual. I was soaking up the joy and energy of the evening. In the end, I was not sure if we were serious about being best friends or if we were enjoying the moment and having fun, but I never recalled having more fun with any friend.

My mom told me that Jessica needed a good friend like me. She also said that I had a talent for caring about people and making them feel accepted. I wondered if she was sincere about being my best friend anyway. No one else was auditioning for the job.

What about Nathan? I was studying with him every day. And what about the other guys? We all supported each other and did stuff together. Although, we were spending less time together. If anyone knew what to do, it would be my mom.

When my mom came home that night, I excitedly told her all about my evening with Jessica. My mom was thrilled and so happy. She wanted to hear all the details, and I gave her an earful.

“Exciting!” she proclaimed, “now you have a best friend.”

“Well, that is just it. I thought your best friend is someone you spend time with, someone you care about, someone you have known your whole life. Now, just one evening together and we are best friends. Could two people become best friends instantly?”

“Maybe,” my mom said, “People can meet and become best friends right away. You find that you just naturally click as friends. We have all spent time together.”

“What about the guys? I spend time with them. Shouldn’t I be best friends with one of them? What about Nathan? I study with him. Shouldn’t I consider him my best friend? That would seem strange to turn around and be best friends with his mom.”

“Best friends can come in all different sizes and shapes and ages. Now dating someone’s grandma, that could seem a little strange,” my mom said.

“But can I be best friends with Jessica, and friends with the guys?” I asked.

“Do you remember Rae, that little girl from that daycare?” she asked. “She thought the world of you because you would spend time with her, just you two. But then the other kids loved you too, and you would play with them. Poor Rae was so shy. She was afraid the other kids would make fun of her and be mean to her. But because you would play with the other kids who loved you, they accepted Rae as well. She was still shy, but you had room for the group and the one.”

“I guess that was true. But what about the guys and Jessica? They don’t want to play with Jessica,” I said.

My mom smiled a bright smile, “No, I doubt they will. But whether you and Jessica want to wear the label of ‘best friends’ or whether you two were just playful and silly, you still can treat her as your best friend. I doubt very much she would reject such attention.”

Maybe she was right. What my mom had said made sense to me. I did enjoy the time with Jessica that evening, whether we label ourselves ‘best friends’ or not. I did look forward to the next time. I hugged my mom and said thanks. Then the thought occurred to me. Maybe my mom was my actual best friend. She would always listen and give the best advice. I could always count on her.

————————————–

During the week, I would go home with Nathan, and we continued to study together. As we did the schoolwork, I thought about us as friends. Nathan and I got along fine. We never really argued. We would hang out with the other guys and had fun together. I didn’t have any complaints. During the summer, Ryan, Chad’s dad, had taken us on all sorts of outdoor adventures. That was more than I had dreamed of before coming to this place.

Before, my mom wanted us to keep a low profile. I would never get a chance to mingle with other guys and have adventures as I did here. My mom was great, though. We may have been alone, but she made our time together special. We would listen to music. When we had a TV, we would watch shows together. We would go to parks and travel around nearby. She would even read books to me. Reading a book to a teenage boy might seem goofy, but it brought back memories of my childhood.

When we came here, falling in with a great bunch of guys was all I could have dreamed of. But like I had told Jessica, I miss having just one friend to hang out with. Nathan and I spent time together, but our relationship just didn’t feel the same. Not like it was with his mom.

As I continued to go to their house every day, I had a chance to spend time with my new ‘best friend.’ Like my mom suggested, I tried to treat her as such. I helped around the kitchen and the house when I was there. Of course, Nathan and I focused mainly on schoolwork. But in the spare moments we had, I would spend with Jessica. Even if we just talked, we were content with that.

I stayed late sometimes, but I made sure I was home in time to be with my mom. I would talk about my day at school, any progress I made in school, and how I spent time with Jessica. My mom would tell me about the daycare she worked at. I enjoyed hearing stories about the kids there. I missed those kids I help my mom with a few years ago.

So on Friday nights, Nathan brought me home, but instead of homework, he just went to his room. Jessica and I spent a wonderful evening together. We ate dinner and invited Nathan. He just ate quickly and disappeared back into his room.

Jessica and I played more games. I started learning some of those card and board games and started to become good at those. Chess was not my thing. Too much thinking was required when playing chess. I liked chance games. Rolling the dice or drawing cards was much more exciting.

Watching a movie was an easier activity to do on weekdays. We did not have to exert ourselves much. Usually, we would end up sitting close to each other, and Jessica would end up lean on my arm.

We continued spending Friday evenings together and did all kinds of things. Dinner was an everyday thing. We were both poor so going out to dinner or ordering in was not an option we would consider. Making dinner together and cleaning up afterward was part of the fun.

She convinced me to dance with her. I didn’t know any dance moves. She said I didn’t have to know anything special, just move to the beat, and act crazy. We would listen to music and try to put together the ultimate Jake and Jessica playlist. We would look at YouTube videos for examples. We would try and failed miserably, but we would just laugh at ourselves.