Brandon then reached out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Clay. I work in insurance."
She had been telling me she was underage, but you guys were interested. They didn't want to, so I said, "Thanks, let's go, Mia."
They pulled me by the arm. As we walked away, my heart began to settle. My grandmother commented, "These people are annoying."
I agreed with her.
Cader and Adam asked, "Grandma?"
I said, "She's around, we'll find her soon."
Adam soon joined us, and Izzie did too. We spent the rest of the day with my grandparents. At one point, Izzie said, "Mia, that Brandon is gorgeous… can you help me with him?"
I stayed silent.
"Ah, Mia, please…" she insisted.
At that moment, my grandfather approached, and we had to change the subject.
Later, I asked, "Grandpa, can I go to the park tonight with Izzie and Adam?"
He replied, "Ask your dad. That night park, right?"
"Yes!" I agreed.
"If Luck allows, I can take you and pick you up."
"No, sir, if we go, we'll drive and my dad will pick us up," Izzie said.
My grandfather then gave me the phone to call my dad. I called, and he answered immediately, "Hi, sweetheart."
"Hi!" I responded.
He wanted to know if everything was okay, and I said yes. I asked if we could go to the park, and he said yes, as long as we didn't stay out all night because he needed to sleep. Clearly, he was trying to make himself look good to me it was so easy.
He asked to speak to Adam, and I let him. When we hung up, Adam said, "I'll call my mom to ask."
Mrs. Ruth agreed, and we were very happy. We arranged to arrive at the park at 10 PM and leave at 5 AM. As agreed, Izzie's parents would pick us up.
I was so excited when we went to the farm. I even rode a horse! I remembered I had forgotten to ask my dad to bring Bob, but I would ask. I didn't want to leave my little dog away from me.
After dinner, my grandfather drove us to the park. He stopped at Izzie's house, and then we went. When we arrived, Emma, Jhenna, and Brandon were already waiting for us.
The first ride we went on was the roller coaster. Izzie went with Brandon, and I ended up going with Jhenna. It was pure adrenaline!
When we got off, Brandon came over and touched Jhenna's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Brandon. Relax," she replied.
At one point, Izzie came over and said, "Mia, it seems like Brandon doesn't want anything to do with me."
I stayed silent.
We kept playing like kids until the Ferris wheel. I sat down waiting for Jhenna to go with me, but the boy from the night before arrived, and she went with him. Brandon sat next to me. I looked at him, and he smiled.
"Where's Izzie?" I asked.
He shrugged. I looked and saw her behind us.
The wheel started going up, and Brandon gently held my hand. My heart raced. When we reached the top, he looked at me and smiled. His face moved closer to mine.
I didn't pull away. He then put his hand behind my hair and kissed me. I kissed him back. It was such an intense, amazing kiss… it felt like time had stopped. As the Ferris wheel began to descend, the wind blew through our hair, and it felt like only the two of us existed there.
When the ride stopped, we didn't notice that Jhenna had already shouted, "Is it over yet?"
We pulled away, and when I looked around, everyone was watching us. I could see the judgment on Adam and Izzie's faces. They clearly weren't happy about the kiss: Adam because he was Chad's friend, and Izzie because she liked Brandon. But for the first time, I didn't care.
Brandon held my hand, and we walked to a quiet spot, continuing to kiss like there was no tomorrow.
Sometimes, in the most unexpected and intense moments, we allow ourselves to feel life in its purest form. The heart races, the world seems to disappear around us, and we learn that some experiences don't need permission to become unforgettable. That moment with Brandon was exactly like that: a reminder that courage and emotion walk hand in hand, and happiness often hides in the simplest details like a touch, a smile, or an unexpected kiss.
Even though my heart belonged to Chad, I was completely lost in that moment with Brandon.