The Beginning of Us

by Corona, Brandy Jeffus

  “We're going skating?!” I squealed.

  Jax nodded enthusiastically, his hair bouncing all over the place. “That cool?”

  “Hell yes! I haven't been in forever!”

  He leaned over and planted a kiss on the side of my mouth. “Let's go babe.”

  As soon as we stepped inside, I felt like a kid again. There was loud music playing, muffled only slightly by the closed glass doors. Jax paid the girl at the counter and we took our skate tickets inside.

  “Okay, so you gonna get the old school four wheels or the rollerblades?” Jax asked as he took my hand.

  “Old school, and you?”

  “Hmm, well, I do look good in either one, but I'll copy you and go old school this time,” he joked. I jabbed him in the ribs with my free hand.

  We received out skates, laughing at how old both pairs looked and found a table to sit at so we could change into them.

  There were kids everywhere and for a moment my heart tightened painfully, as Josie's freckled face came to mind. We hadn't taken her skating yet, but I didn't know why. It was something every kid should do often. I vowed if I made it back to my old life, then I would take my baby girl skating as soon as possible.

  “Hello? Earth to Teeg.” Jax's voice broke me away from my reverie. My head snapped up and I gave him an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry, just thinking,” I said softly. “You know we're like the oldest people here to skate.”

  He looked around and saw all the elementary school and the few middle school kids skating around. Parents were scattered around the table area, busy looking at their phones instead of their children. How many times did I look like that? I shook my head at such a sad thought and finished lacing up my skates.

  Jax stood up quickly and glided around the table. I on the other hand was a tad bit wobbly, taking baby steps.

  “Show off,” I muttered. He smiled in response then skated beside me.

  “Come on, girlfriend; I won't let you fall.” His whisper in my ear made my heart flutter for a moment. I grabbed his warm hand and we were off.

  The first couple trips around the rink were slow, with me getting the hang of the whole process. The little kids stared at me and Jax and he waved hello to most of them. He was really happy, his grin plastered on his face the whole time. I finally got the hang of it and we skated faster and faster. Different colored lights chased each other on the rink floor and the music was upbeat and sassy. A song by Pia Toscano called 'This Time' came on and I squeezed Jax's hand.

  “Oh my gosh, I love this song!”

  “It's a man-hatin' song!” he scoffed.

  “Nah, it's an empowering, women-won't-take-no-crap song,” I rebuked. He made his way to where he was facing me, skating backwards.

  “Ugh, you are such a show off!”

  “Darlin’ I’m just trying to impress you,” he smirked and took my other free hand. As we skated around, I saw a few parents smile at us. Heat spread across my chest and made its way to my cheeks. The way Jax was so unashamed at being so overly sweet and cute towards me was astonishing.

  He slowed down and turned back around. “I'm freakin' thirsty. I forgot how much of a workout this was. Let's go grab a drink.”

  Taking a break, we sat side by side in the uncomfortable chairs and shared a drink. My feet and calves screamed at me, and I knew that tomorrow I would be paying for it. Happened every time. Jax was right; it was a workout, but it was actually a fun one.

  “I bet they have that skate dance thing, where the guys and chicks line up on different sides and pick each other,” Jax said, looking out into the rink. A group of little girls was holding hands and moving slowly around. One almost fell and the rest of the line teetered along with her.

  “What are you gonna do if some little girl comes picks you?” I asked, the thought making me smile.

  “Jax Donney is a heartbreaker, but I can't break a little elementary girl's heart. You'll just have to take a back seat and wait your turn,” he joked. Rolling my eyes, I poked him again in his ribs.

  “Well same goes for you if some little dude wants to skate with me,” I scolded. He turned toward me and leaned in. He made my body go on alert, being so close.

  “As long as you keep your kisses for me and me alone, I'm cool with it,” he replied, brushing his lips across mine. He got closer to my ear and whispered, “A part of me wishes I hadn't picked such a public place to go. All I'm thinking about is making out with you, with you sitting on my lap like you did at the party.” He leaned back and smirked taking a drink. He knew exactly what to say to incite a reaction from me. I loved and hated it equally.

  The rink DJ made an announcement for the hokey pokey and we went back to the rink. For the next hour we had so much fun, that my stomach was in knots from laughing so hard. When I fell on my ass at one point, Jax hurried to my side and picked me up. He held me close and asked if I was alright.

  Embarrassed, all I could do was shake my head. It had knocked the wind out of me, but I didn't want to seem like a whiny brat. Nevertheless, he led me out of the rink and to a table.

  “Just sit here for a minute. I'll be back,” he softly commanded, and he took off. When he came back he had another soft drink and offered it to me. “That was a tough fall. If you wanna leave, we can, babe.”

  I shook my head no and gave him a small grin, “You still owe me that skate dance mister.”

  He smiled back at me and kissed my nose.

  “You have no freaking idea how damn adorable you are right now.”

  Minutes later the DJ actually announced for guys to line up on one side and girls on the other and Jax beamed. “Ha! Let's go.”

  He escorted me to my side of the rink and then glided over to his. He was the oldest guy lined up and I laughed out loud. I looked down each side of me and realized I was the oldest girl too and I laughed even harder.

  'Breath Me' by Sia came on and it was the boys turn to choose first. Jax was the first one to leave the wall and skated to a stop right in front of me. He presented his hand and said, “My lady, may I have this skate?”

  I took his hand and we skated off, the first on the rink as other boys shyly started making their way to the girls. Jax's hand gripped mine softly, his thumb tracing circles on my skin.

  “Kind of a sad song, huh?” he asked.

  “Yeah, a little. Are your legs killing you as much as mine?”

  He nodded, “Yeah. Does your ass feel better?”

  “It does; that was super embarrassing. Thanks for not making fun of me about it.”

  “Teeg, I wouldn't make fun of you. I like you too much; you really have no idea how much. I was just a little worried. Every time I get the wind knocked out of me in football, it scares the crap outta me.”

  We skated around a couple more times, not really talking. The DJ called a switch, and Jax let go of my hand. “Which one should I choose?” he whispered in my ear. We looked down the line and I spied an older girl, probably in middle school, that was nervously biting on her nails. She looked kind of miserable.

  “Her, in the blue. Biting her nails,” I said, pointing discreetly.

  “Good call. Don't get jealous girlfriend, I've only got eyes for you.” He pecked my cheek and skated to her. I watched with admiration as he stopped in front of her and said something. The way her eyes lit up and the shock that registered on her face made my chest constrict a little. He had apparently just made her day. And I was proud.

  They skated past me and I gave a wave. A little boy, who couldn't have been older than nine or ten, came up to me and asked shyly to skate and I grabbed his hand. Jax winked at me and I blushed. I made small talk with Michael, the little boy, and then it was time to change again. After it was over, Jax and I met outside the rink.

  “I'm beat. I think my feet are gonna fall off,” I announced. I sat down and began untying the laces.

  “Yup, me too.” He paused then bit his lip. “Um, do you think it'd be cool to go back to your house and maybe go
to your dad's study? I've been wanting to finish Lord of the Flies.”

  “Nothing sounds better, boyfriend. And you just earned major sexy brownie points by the way.” I leaned over and kissed him. “I told you there is nothing sexier than a guy who reads.”

  “I know, I know. True story.” Jax laughed and we stood to walk back to the skate counter. As we headed to his truck, he brought our locked hands to his mouth and kissed the back of mine. “I hope you had fun Teegan,” he said.

  “I sure as hell did. You're amazing.”

  And he was; this whole date had been awesome. But even though I was extremely happy, happier than I was almost two weeks ago waking up like this, my soul still felt lost. I still had too many unanswered questions, and too much of a longing to stay right where I was.

  Chapter Nine

  Teegan – April 2014

  Feeling like an idiot, I hesitantly typed the words ‘time travel’ in the search engine bar.

  I scrolled through page after page of mainly stupid questions posted on public forums and multiple Back to the Future references.

  Frustrated, I tried ‘go back in time’ and those results didn’t yield anything substantial either.

  Hopeless, that’s what my situation was, completely hopeless.

  I typed in ‘reincarnation’ and found a few interesting articles. The thought that maybe I had died and been sent to relive my life crushed me. That would mean I would never see my precious Josie again. Sighing, I clicked on one spiritual medium's website.

  She claimed that she's talked to thousands of spirits who re-lived part of their life before going to the next phase of their afterlife.

  It was an intriguing, but an equally depressing idea. So there was a possibility I was dead. Okay. But how long did that last? After an hour of looking, no questions had been answered, but I still searched.

  My focus was so intense that I jumped out of my seat when two hands came down on my shoulders. Raegan's adorable laugh greeted my exclamation. She had lightened up considerably now that she and Luke were exclusive. ''What’cha lookin' up?” She placed her head next to mine as she peered at the screen.

  “Um, nothing, just research.” I moved the mouse to leave the page, but Raegan placed her hand over mine, stopping me.

  “Hold on, I'm reading.”

  I studied her dark purple nails, willing my heart to stop pounding so fast. I looked sideways at her, hoping she would believe my story and not start in on more questions.

  “What is this research for, Teeg?” she demanded, her eyebrows knitted together. She stood up and peered down at me. When I didn't respond, she spoke again, softer, “Teegan?” Her voice was laced with nervousness.

  I felt the tears before they spilled onto my flushed cheeks. “We need to talk. Come on,” the words caused me to choke. I rose from the chair. “Let's go outside.” I took hold of her hand and pulled her along through the maze of desks and chairs.

  Outside the library there was a rest area with one lone picnic table. We took a seat facing each other.

  She broke the uncomfortable silence as I struggled to find an explanation, “That was some really weird stuff, Teeg.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I paused to take a deep breath. “I’m gonna tell you the truth now about everything okay?”

  She nodded her head slowly as I wiped my sweaty palms against my skirt.

  “Damn, I'm nervous. Whatever you think, I want you to know I'm not crazy and I'm not on drugs. Although sometimes I wish both were true, ‘cause that would make a great deal more sense...” I trailed off fumbling with finding the right words to say to my best friend.

  “Quit digressing. Get on with it already. I can handle it, Teeg, just please tell me,” she implored. Her eyes were watery, tears threatening to fall.

  “Okay, okay. Sorry. I'm from the future, Raegan.” I stared as her face went from frustration to puzzlement to laughter.

  “Shut the hell up. I thought you wanted to have a serious conversation.” She made a move to leave and I grabbed her wrist.

  “Raegan, I've never been more serious in my life. Please just hear me out.”

  Then I launched into retelling everything. Even to my ears, the story sounded ridiculous like I was tripping on bad mushrooms, but Raegan listened intently.

  “So… You and Jax are married in this other life and about to get a divorce?”

  I just nodded solemnly. I parted my lips to say something when she interrupted. “Is he still hot as an adult?” she demanded with a straight face.

  Taken aback, I scoffed, “What?” She replied by throwing her head back and laughing loudly. “I know it sounds stupid, but I'm telling the truth.”

  Her laughter died down and she asked, “Am I from this other life?” Her voice had gone quiet, sounding hopeful.

  Shaking my head, I replied, “No you're not, which makes it really odd because the main people in my life; Jax, my parents, even my brother are, but you're not.”

  Her face fell and it was silent for a few second. “That's sad.”

  I nodded, “I agree. But you're my best friend here, for some reason, you know?” I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. She squeezed mine in return.

  “So you were exploring what could've happened to you? You think it’s reincarnation? Or time travel?”

  “Well, I was trying to and I don’t know. One option would mean that I died and that's devastating.” My voice broke thinking about sweet little Josie.

  “Did you see anything else?”

  I shook my head slowly. Raegan's face grew pensive, her brows furrowed slightly. I had been around her long enough to know her wheels were turning.

  “Well, let's change that. I don’t want you to go back for selfish reasons, but if it was me… Well, you'd help me find out what the hell was going on.”

  Hope blossomed in my heart and I grinned. “So you believe me?”

  She nodded, “No offense, Teeg, but out of both of us I'm the creative one. There's no way you'd dream up that story.” She stuck her tongue out at me as I slapped her hand lightly.

  “Bitch,” I replied.

  “You're best bitch friend ever. Come on, you can come to my house and we can look it all up.” She stood, gathering her things. Pausing, she turned toward me. “Does Jax know?”

  “No. Nobody does, except you. I wish… I wish I could tell him so this doesn’t seem so fake.” I picked up my bag and we began walking toward her car.

  “What's fake?”

  “Us. Together. Like I forced it,” I tried to explain.

  “I don’t think so. He's the one who flirted with you, invited you to the barn.” Raegan slung her arm across my back. “I guess it was supposed to happen, hon. It's like y'all get a new beginning.”

  I looked up at her. “Awe you’ve gone soft on me Rae.”

  “Oh no, no, no, honey, I haven’t. But, and this sounds crazy – well not as crazy as what you just told me - but at first I was against you and Jax ‘cause before it was just so weird. Our two groups never mixed. Before, you didn’t like him or all the football guys. And then you started talking and even though I didn't like it, it made sense. Like my subconscious was telling me y'all belonged together. It was freaky as hell, my heart versus my head.”

  “No wonder why you believe me. You’re a quack just like me!” I teased. Raegan smiled big as we climbed into her car and took off.

  “Where is lover boy anyway?”

  “He's taking his sister Roxy to a movie.” I smiled to myself; he was going to see a Barbie movie and had begged me to come.

  We were quiet the rest of the way, listening to the radio. It was so odd, but comforting that Raegan believed me. Just like that, she accepted it and moved on.

  The relief was a Godsend and I felt a sort of euphoric high now that somebody else knew. The rest of the evening we were both giddy, both of us laughing and cracking jokes. Some of the sites we found were so ridiculous that we sat there laughing until we snorted and our bellies ached.
r />   We didn’t get far, but she promised she would get to the bottom of things.

  I texted Jax asking if he could pick me up

  Yeah, give me 10, just got out of the movie.

  How was it?

  Lame. But Roxy liked it.

  Cool. C U soon.

  I sat on Raegan's porch after telling her goodnight. It was surprising how much I liked being a teenager again. Even with the tedious task of school, it didn’t bother me. It was the fact that I loved being free, I realized. Sure, I had rules with my parents, but things were so carefree, so alive. And that’s what's wrong with being an adult. Too many responsibilities, too many ropes holding us down.

  You waste your childhood craving independence, then waste your adulthood being drowned by it. When it’s all said and done, you get to the end with too many regrets.

  “Psst. Hey pretty lady, you daydreaming?” Jax's hushed voice brought me back to reality. I jumped up and hugged him.

  “Hey!”

  He sighed softly, “I missed you.” His lips were on mine before I knew it and his touch made my whole body on fire.

  “Aw, that’s sweet. I missed you too, but I'm glad you got to spend some time with Roxy.”

  He nodded, yeah, “She's getting to be such a... Well, she's not a baby anymore. She's gonna be a really cool person when she gets older.”

  He was so right. Roxy ended up starting her own nonprofit company that helped cancer patient families during long hospital stays. As an adult, Roxy was one of my best friends.

  “So is too late to hang out?” Jax asked as he opened his truck door.

  “No it's not and I don’t feel like going home right now,” I answered.

  “Well, are you hungry?” he asked. I nodded and he started his truck. We went to IHOP and sat in a booth in the back corner. Instead of sitting in front, he took a seat beside me.

  “You okay? You seem kinda off,” he questioned after we placed our order.

  “Yeah, I'm sorry. It's been a long day, that’s all.” I leaned against his shoulder and closed my eyes as he laid a gentle kiss on my forehead.

  “You’re too good for me.” I whispered as a shiver ran through my body. I felt him stiffen and straighten up.