The Swing Chapter Four

“So, how’s it feel to be fifteen?” Chalice’s dad asked as she walked out of her room on her fifteenth birthday. She was wearing something that screamed its a special day. A black skirt with a green little bow on the side. She had her hair curled and a white blouse over a green tank top.1

“Oh shut up, its to early in the morning.” She had the average teenage attitude to go along with it.2

“Lose the attitude.” Chalice’s mom walked up the stairs with a present in hand.3

“You didn’t have to.”4

“Probably shouldn’t have, you’re a grouch this morning.” Her mom handed her the present anyway. It was a boxed shape wrapped in plain blue wrapping paper.5

“What is it?”6

“That’s the beauty of presents, you don’t know.” Mr. Rogers said. “Happy birthday.” Chalice ripped it open and found inside a necklace with a silver chain and a locket. She opened up the locket and found bare walls inside where usually pictures were pasted.7

“We decided you could chose whose picture were going in there.” Her mom reached over to take the box from her hand.8

“Its really pretty, thank you.” She smiled at them. “Well I’m going to go meet my friends at the movies.”9

“I thought it was to early in the morning.” Her dad quoted her remark and was wondering what she was going to do knowing that movies didn’t start until twelve.10

“Yeah I know, but they’ve probably got presents and they’re probably going to sing and all that stuff. Plus it’s a miracle how we can make time fly.”11

“You’re right, you guys are the teenagers.” Her dad gave her a teasing smile.12

“Very funny dad.” She rolled her eyes and went back into her room closing the door on them. 13

Chalice walked up to the movie theater in the mall and found her friends, their arms full with presents. “Happy birthday!” They all shouted at once. 14

Tom walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He had asked her out a month before this day and she didnt realize how much she liked him until the first kiss. She missed him twenty four seven and the feelings she got when she saw him were unbelievable and she loved getting them, but when he kissed her it feels like the sun got brighter. “Here, open mine first.” He handed her a bright green box. She looked up at him and loved what she saw in his eyes, almost forgetting that anyone else was there.15

“Awfully bright don’t you think?” She grinned getting back to why they were there.16

“Well would you rather it be plain.” 17

“Nah, that’s ok.” Chalice opened it up and found a black, white and red dice bracelet. “Oh wow, that’s cool.”18

“Well I know you have a thing for dice, even though I don’t know why.” Tom said it as if he where asking her to tell him.19

“Oh, me neither I just do.” She tried to put it on.20

“Here let me help you.” Tom carefully snapped it together around her wrist. 21

“Hey, lovebirds, what movie do you want to see?” Kevin walked in between them and put his arms up around their necks.                                   22

“So, fifteen, what’s it feel like cause I wouldn’t know?” Chalice shook her head.23

“Not much different, except that I’ll be able to drive before you.” Kevin was the youngest out of all of them and she knew it bugged him that she would be driving sooner then him, so rubbed it in whenever she got the chance. 24

“All I can say is you’ll be driving me around.” Kevin gave an evil grin.25

“In your dreams.” 26

“Yeah and that’s exactly where you are.”27

“Kevin, Kevin, my dear Kevin. She’s my girlfriend.” Tom gave him a shove.28

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not forever.” 29

“You don’t know that.”30

“No, but I guarantee she will date me.” Kevin gave a little snicker, he was joking.31

“I’m right here.”32

“Come on lets go see a movie.” Tom started walking towards the ticket booth.33

“Thank you guys, this was great. Perfect way to spend my fifteenth birthday.”34

“You don’t have to thank us, we enjoy hanging out with you.” Drew spoke for everyone and Kevin didn’t agree.35

“I’ll take the thank you.”36

“Ok then, thank you Kevin. Well I got to go home so see you all around.” 37

Chalice started walking home and when she got to her house she sat on her bed and thought about her day while listening to Sugar Cult. Memory came on and she started thinking about the past. How Tom and her had always been there for each other and where growing closer everyday and started dating and have been ever since middle school. Going to movies and not really watching it and hanging out at their favorite place, the swings. They had shared so many secrets on those swings, first crushes, lies they told, what they were doing behind there parents back which seemed stupid now. They helped each other with homework, got over fights with their friends, and got over broken hearts. The worst memory she had had been from when Tom’s parents decided to divorce, she remembered it like it was yesterday. 38

Tom came to school not acting like himself and she tried all she could to figure out what was wrong and he told her to meet him at the swings after school and she agreed. They where friends and she only wanted to help him. He spilled out everything in tears, how his parents had been fighting and couldn’t agree on anything and now his mom was moving away because she couldn’t stand to live anywhere near his dad. He had to choose one of them and that’s when I felt the worst because he chose to stay with his dad to be with me. He didn’t like his dad much, he was always working and when he was home he would make Tom do all the things around the house. He didn’t care for Tom much, like when he came home with his bloody nose from the day of the fight his dad just told him he looked horrible and needed to fix up before he went anywhere. She really cared for Tom and sometimes would like to tell him to stop worrying about her because she wasn’t the one that needed to be cared for, but knew he would just say that he was fine. That’s why the swings where the most memorable, its where they shared their feelings. 39

Although the best memory she would ever have of those swings were their first kiss. Passionate and long, feeling the heat rise and never wanting to let go, but when they did it seemed their breath was stolen from them.40

Her thoughts where distracted when the phone rang. “Hello.”41

“Hey I was wondering if you could meet me by the swings tonight.” It was Tom; she knew it right away by his voice. 42

“Sure, is everything ok?” 43

“Do I need a reason to ask to see you?”44

“No.” She smiled even though she knew he couldn’t see her smile, he could tell by her tone. 45

“See ya in a few then.” She heard a click on the other line and grabbed her jacket. 46

“Mom dad I’m going to the swings, I’ll be back later.”47

She walked through the woods and reached the playground. Tom was sitting on the swings, swinging back and forth. “May I sit here?” She looked at Tom, a smile across her face.48

“Sure, have a seat” He patted the swing next to his.49

“Thank you oh kind sir.”50

“No prob.” 51

“Me and Kevin where talking and I don’t know if you forgot or you weren’t going to tell me, but he said you where moving in two weeks. Is it true, are you leaving?” He looked at Chalice with distrust, but concern.52

“Yeah.” Chalice looked down at the ground and started scarping the dirt with her feet. “I was going to tell you, I just didn’t want to because I knew once I told you then I was admitting it and I don’t want to admit it to myself yet.”53

“I understand.”  The look on his face told her there was no way he understood, but she didn’t either. She knew she was moving she just didn’t tell him and wasn’t sure why. If she told him he could have made her felt better about it, but sense Kevin had to tell him she has to prove that she would have told him.54

Chalice took a deep breath “I will miss you more then anyone else, you know that. I love you, you’re my best friend, my boyfriend, my everything.”55

“Love is a word you shouldn’t toss around, especially when you’re leaving.” She could tell he was getting mad. She was about to get up and leave, but Tom stopped her. “I love you too and I’ll miss you too and I don’t know what I’ll do without you so you better visit every chance you get.” 56

She sat back down on the swing, “So your not mad at me.”57

“No I could never be mad at you no matter how hard I tried. Well I told my dad I would only come out to ask you about your moving situation and see if it was true, then come back, he’ll suspect me if I stay here much longer.” Chalice really wanted to just give him a hug and see how long she could get him to stay, but for some reason, couldn’t move form where she was. He got up and waved good-bye and disappeared in the trees. After watching him leave she wanted to run after him, but for some reason didn’t. Chalice had to leave soon too, however she still didn’t move. She figured she must be really tired and tonight was a little much. She slowly got up and started heading home. 58