Just Realized

“I am never riding that,” Joe shook his head, watching the Power Tower rise, then plunge to the ground. The screams of the riders rang in Dana’s ears and she laughed. Of course, an extreme ride like that was off-limits to Joe by his own choice. Still, she could try to convince him.1

“C’mon, Joe, it’ll be fun!” she tugged on his arm.2

“No, no and no!” Joe told her, cutting her off every time she started to argue back. “You may be a thrill seeker, but I like the ground well enough.”3

“Please, Joe!” Dana stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. Joe laughed and rubbed her head, messing up her light brown wavy hair.4

“What do you think I am? That face only works on boyfriends,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “How about the Imax theater instead?” He put his hand on her bare shoulder and pointed at the theater.5

Dana felt her tan skin flush. “Um, I have to go to the bathroom,” she said quickly, dodging into the nearest restroom.6

“Alright, I’ll just wait out here then…” she heard Joe say. She could picture his puzzled brown eyes under his blonde bangs. “But could you maybe hurry? I know you like dolphins, and the show that’s going right now is on marine biology.” There was a pause, and he then muttered. “Meh, she didn’t hear me.”7

Dana went to the mirror and put her hand on her cheek. It was warm and pink- not with sunburn, she never burnt- with blush. “What the heck?”8

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and her shoulder tingled where his hand had last been. She ran some colder in the sink and splashed her face, glad she was wearing water-proof mascara. Suddenly she wondered if Joe would notice that her other make-up had washed off.9

“What does he care?” she asked the mirror, glad the bathroom was empty besides herself and her reflection. She chuckled quietly. “What do I care?”10

But she did care. She fished her cell phone out of her white bermuda shorts and checked the pictures. Every time a picture of Joe popped up her heart skipped a beat.11

“I can’t like Joe,” she giggled. But as she looked at the picture of them helping his dad hold up a big fish, she felt her eyes were instantly drawn to his face, and the longer she looked, the lighter her heart felt.12

“Well, took you long enough to realize,” she smiled weakly at the mirror. She leaned against the counter, staring at his picture on her phone. His eyes always squinted up when he was smiling, and she noticed from looking at the pictures that his hair got significantly lighter and darker by the season. She jumped and closed the phone as someone said her name.13

“Dana? Is there a Dana in here?”14

Dana turned quickly, showing a weak smile to a middle-aged woman who appeared to be trying to look younger by wearing teen fashion. “That’s me,” Dana said.15

“Your boyfriend is out there waiting for you,” the woman said.16

“Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” Dana laughed weakly, feeling her heart jump. “He’s like my brother.”17

“Your loss,” the woman shrugged, continuing to a stall. “He seems very nice.”18

“He is,” Dana said quietly, walking back outside into the sun.19

“Took you long enough!”20

Dana’s head went down a bit as Joe pushed his white bucket hat onto her head.21

“What’s this?” she asked, pushing back the rush of feelings that were threatening to spill out. She pulled the brim of the hat down and saw his name, Joe Michaelson, on the inside. “Joe, this is your hat.”22

“Girls have delicate skin, so I am preventing burning,” he informed her as she pulled the hat off her head. “Hey, no, you’re s’pose to wear it.”23

“Joe,” she said, laughing. “My dad is black, and somewhere along my ancestors is some Native American and Latino. I’m not going to get sun burnt.”24

“You’re mom’s white though,” he said.25

“Joe, correct me if I’m wrong, but you are entirely white,” Dana said, pushing the hat back onto Joe’s head, pushing his long bangs even further over his eyes. “You are about fifty times more likely to be burnt than I am.”26

“Yeah well…” Joe looked around as if something in the park would give him a good reason for her to wear the hat. “Fine. Are we going to the Imax?”27

“Yes, since you’re a chicken,” Dana teased as they walked towards the theater.28

“I am not!” Joe opened his mouth widely.29

“Yes you are,” Dana said, feeling her nervousness evaporate as they returned to friend-talk. This was good.30

“I am very brave,” Joe told her as they entered the cool theater. “Whoa!” He stopped in front of her, staring at the giant screen. This was something Dana hadn’t anticipated.31

“Aah!”32

Dana crashed into Joe and he turned, trying to catch her before she fell down the stairs. Instead, they both went tumbling down the stairs and Joe landed on top of her. Dana’s face burned with mortification.33

“You alright?” Joe asked, smiling his squinty-eyed smile. He was straddling her stomach, and appeared not to have at all the same feelings going as Dana did.34

“Um… s-sure,” she stammered, her heart hammering like it was a metronome set at the highest tempo possible. Her body felt both warm and cold at the same time, and she was especially aware of his warmth.35

“Sorry, I’m probably crushing you,” Joe laughed apologetically, standing up and holding out his hand. Dana took it and he pulled her up. When he let go, her hand felt empty. He looked her up and down. “No injuries?” he asked, half-joking.36

“I’m fine,” she said breathlessly. He tipped his head.37

“You don’t look fine,” he said. “You sure?”38

“Yeah, let’s just get seats,” she nodded, wishing her face would return to it’s normal color. Joe shrugged and led the way to the best seats in the theater, right in the middle row, in the middle two seats.39

As they waited for the movie to start, Joe talked and Dana was quiet for once. She didn’t actually take in what he was saying, rather than listen to the sound of his voice.40

“Dana?”41

“Huh?” she said, feeling the pink return.42

“I asked how you felt about Byron,” he said. “The curly hair guy from our English class. Don’t you have a crush on him?”43

“No!” she said quickly- too quickly.44

“No? Then who?” he asked, smiling. “A brother- well, it’s not blood, but it might as well be- a brother has to know these things.”45

“A friend,” she said vaguely.46

“Who?” he asked again.47

Her heart started speeding up it’s tempo again. “A really good friend.”48

“Just tell me who, Dana,” he pouted.49

“I’m not telling you!” she said nervously.50

“Why not? Do I not like him? Is he a jerk?” He started firing questions inquisitively.51

“He’s not a jerk, Joe, I just don’t want to tell you,” Dana suddenly wished she had accepted his hat so she could pull it over her face.52

“Can I guess?”53

Dana looked at his curious face. “You’ll never guess right,” she sighed.54

“I can try,” he said. “Tell me about him.”55

“Well… he’s perfect for me,” she said.56

“What’s that mean?” Joe looked confused.57

“He’s just… I don’t know. He cares about things that matter. Things I forget about,” she said. “And he’s really nice. But a bit of a coward.”58

“Why would you like a coward?” he snorted.59

“I just do, Joe!” she said, feeling frustrated. How obviously could she spell it out?60

“Do I know him?” Joe asked.61

“Well, duh,” she said before she could stop herself.62

“…It’s not my brother is it?” Joe said cautiously. “’Cause he is nothing like what you just described. He is a free-loading, lying-”63

“It’s not your brother, Joe!” Dana cut him off before he could start on his brother again. “Trust me.”64

“Fine… what’s his name start with?”65

Dana’s heart sped up so fast she nearly expected it to just stop. “It starts with… a J…” She swallowed nervously.66

Joe leaned back and put his feet on the chair in front of him, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Dana both wanted him to guess right, and didn’t want him to.67

“Mr. Jacobs,” he laughed. “The student teacher in art class!”68

Dana’s heart sank as the movie started. Joe was just too oblivious. He’d never realize, and if he did… He probably would say he didn’t want to hurt their friendship. Why couldn’t things be more simple? They were perfect for each other, why couldn’t he just know that and say he liked her? Or at least they could meet half way and he could give her a chance.69

“That’s not it, is it?” he whispered in her ear, as tropical fish danced before their eyes on the giant screen. She shook her head. The man narrating the film began to speak about the beauties of the southern coast of Africa, and the image of a sunset appeared before them.70

“I think I know who it is…”71

She felt his arm come around her, and she scooted closer, feeling her heart speed up again. She looked out of the corner of her eye, and he looked at her, smiling his squinty-eyed smile.72

“I don’t know about this… but just so we don’t have to wonder how it would have been… I can give it a chance. Y’know, meet half-way.”73

Dana smiled, leaned her head against him. “That’s good enough for me.”74