I Won't Tell If You Won't

“Hey.”

“Hi!”

“…So…Lisa…”

“Yes?”

“Would you wanna--"

“Yeah?”

“Maybe--"

“Uh huh!”

“I don’t know--"

“Sure.”

“Stop that!”

“…”

“Do you wanna go out?”

“YES!”

—————

“Woah.”

“What?”

“You look—I mean…you are….you’re beautiful, Lisa.”

“O-oh! Thank you…Jack.”

“…”

“Do you wanna hold my hand?”

“Please.”

“…”

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah! Of course, you asked first anyways…haha.”

“Right. That was kinda silly.”

“No need to be nervous, Jackson. You’re with the 3 year running St. Gertrude wrestling champ, remember?”

“Ha! Of course, how could I be so silly, no need to worry with you around.”

“Your Most Fearsome Protector.”

“I am not calling you that.”

“Never said you had to.”

“Yeah, but you were giving yourself a title, and that typically implies that, y’know I call you by it.”

“Whatever, nerd.”

“Oh c’mon! You were practically name-tagging yourself! Chest all puffed out and asserting dominance. We get it, you’re strong.”

“Haha! Aw, Jack, did I hurt your feelings?”

“No! I just--"

“It’s okay, Jack, you don’t have to call me Your Most Fearsome Protector.”

“I wasn’t going to!—”

“We all know it’s true.”

“I hate this.”

“You know you love me.”

“…”

“So, uh, how was your day?”

“Good! Good…yeah…you?”

“Same.”

“…”

“Are you okay, Lisa?”

“Yeah! ‘Course. Why?”

“I dunno, you just seem…on edge I guess…”

“So do you, dude. We’ve never ‘gone out’ officially before.”

“It’s kinda weird. Why can’t we just talk like we do at school?”

“…”

“Well…probably because we haven’t gotten used to the idea of having our feelings reciprocated..? I mean, that’s what I think it is for me, at least. It’s weird knowing that you feel similarly about me, Lisa…”

“Hmph.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“What?”

“You let go of my hands. Are-are they sweaty? Sorry, I just get nervous—”

“No! No. I just—actually—ha. I was worried that my hands were sweaty.”

“Oh. Heh.”

“Ha! Ha! We’re so bad at this!”

“I know!”

“I think you’re right though…”

“About you name-tagging yourself to make me feel inferior?”

“What?”

“About my theory that School is the one true great manipulator to a child?”

“Phffttt! What? No! I—”

“What about—”

“Stop, stop! I mean the-the—y’know. The mushy thingy you said.”

“That you’re beautiful?”

“No! The…other thing. That it’s different now that we told each other we like each other.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“I’m so glad I told you. It was eating me alive.”

“Haha, me too.”

“How long?”

“Oh, I don’t know…First period 6th grade?”

“What! No way, you’re lying! I had the worst hair cut!”

“You asked! That’s when I remember first thinking that you were the coolest, prettiest girl I had ever met.”

“Oh, stop.”

“Seriously! You came to class and it was like…I don’t know, you were your own person. You knew who you were and you didn’t care if you were the only one who knew it. And-and then! You came and sat next to me. I had just moved and I didn’t know anyone aside from my cousin in 4th grade. But, you sat next to me anyway.”

“Well, you looked so scared!”

“I was. But you made me less afraid. You threw your bag on the ground and pulled out a stick of bubblegum. Haha!”

“I should’ve sat next to Hannah.”

“Hah! And, and then, you said ‘I won’t tell if you won’t’ and shoved it into your mouth.”

“And you told on me!”

“What was I supposed to do!”

“Oh, I don’t know, cover for me!”

“It was my first day!”

“So much for love at first sight.”

“Hahaha! I felt terrible about it, if it makes you feel any better.”

“Yeah I know. You only apologised about a thousand times. I was basically forced into friendship.”

“Yeah…”

“…”

“How long for you?”

“Hmmm…Second day of 6th grade?”

“Haha! No way!”

“Yes way! What? Is it really so hard to believe?”

“No…I just didn’t think it would be that early.”

“Well it was. You were just so…so cute. Stop laughing!”

“Sorry, it’s just weird hearing you say mushy stuff.”

“Oh hush. You were just really nice to me, even though I was kind of a trouble maker and a bit much at times. You stayed with me and sat with me at lunch and laughed at my weird jokes. You were fun to be around and made me feel all fuzzy inside. You made me feel less lonely, I guess.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“I dunno. Noticing me, saying yes to this awkward date, not running away.”

“I could never leave you.”

“…”

“I’m Your Most Fearsome Protector, remember?”

“Haha, very funny.”

“Thanks for staying with me too, Jack.”

“‘Course.”

“Can I hug you?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, seriously. For moving here, and asking me out, and every moment in-between from when we met to now. I wouldn’t be Lisa without you.”

“I—Lisa…”

“Don’t you dare start crying or I swear I’m never saying another nice word to you again.”

“Haha. Okay, okay. Fine. But thank you, all the same.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“Wanna go get ice cream?”

“Goodness gracious, yes.”

“Mint Chocolate Chip, right?”

“Yes! And the darkest of dark chocolates for you.”

“Ah, you know me so well, fair maiden.”

“Well, fine sir, I was guilted into it and I have been unable to get rid of you ever since.”

“Hey!”

“All I really want is my true love….uh…Roderigo by my side again!”

“Phft, what?”

“I’m a heartbroken maiden from medieval times! Never to love again! Woe is me!”

“And all this time I thought you were My Fearsome Protector.”

“Maiden’s can be Fearsome Protectors too!”

“Well…”

“Jack!”

“What! It has been historically shown from medieval times that the maiden’s were—”

“Shhh!! I wish to hear not a word in the negative about my Fearsome, Warrior, Amazonian sisters.”

“If you say so…”

“I can hear the judgement in your voice Jackson Emerson! Just because stuff happened in the past doesn’t mean I can’t pretend it didn’t!”

“My apologies, Fair, Fearsome Protector-Maiden, please accept my arm and I will escort you to the ice cream parlor.”

“Hmph, I accept.”

“What do you think? Will you ever love again?”

“I don’t know. First you rat me out to the teacher—”

“Ha! In 6th grade!”

“Then you insult the maidens of the middle ages—”

“How ignorant of me.”

“You’re no Roderigo but I think you’ll do for now.”

“Oh, how generous of you.”

“Haha! C’mon, let’s go get some ice cream.”

“You wanna be all couple-y and share like in the movies?”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.”