Prank Me Love

This is What Jack Felt When He Said That Famous Line

Jack: Do you trust me?

Rose: I trust you.

Jack: Alright, open your eyes.

Rose: (opens her eyes) I'm flying Jack!

-lines from the 1997 film "Titanic"

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CHAPTER EIGHT:

"You're crazy."

I was laughing at James as we sat on the front porch of our house. It was Saturday again and classes over this week had been the same as usual, but those days have been different for me. Riding the bus was a given and not having my daily ride with James was another. I really now both miss the two things in my life: Belle, and the drive with James.

James had just told me a weird childhood memory he had about scavenger hunting. We were both trying to outcrack the other with our own silly experiences from our childhood, but as of now, James seems to win the deal. He really is good with fun memories.

"How old are you now, anyway?" I asked anxiously when I finally had the chance to speak after laughing so hard. "You seemed to have been in much crazier adventures than I did."

"I'm twenty-one," James replies, smiling at me. I look at him for a minute just to study his face.

"What?" he says as he watches me, "What's that look even mean? You think I'm too old to hang out with you?" he frowns at me, feigning hurt. And I laugh again.

"No," I say, shaking my head, "Just that, talking to you sometimes makes me think you're younger than that."

"Really?" he raises a brow, "Why, you? How old are you, huh?"

"Seventeen," I sigh, diverting my eyes towards the view in front of me. It's already afternoon and the sky gleams a purple radiant around us making the whole place seems enchanted. I look back at James again, wondering why he was suddenly silent. Then, I saw a very deep set of eyes staring at me, making me feel strange.

"What? You look weird, all of a sudden." I nudge him on the shoulder.

"Nothing," James slowly shakes his head. He seemed to have just woken up from his thoughts as he turns his eyes away from mine, "Just realizing that you're really too young."

I snorted. "I'm not that young. I'm already old enough."

"Oh, really?" James gives me a smirk as he glances back at me, "Old enough to what?"

"To understand things in life as you can."

"I'm not that really old enough. I'm still pretty immature in many ways," he says.

"Ha! Yeah, you are." I nod, grinning.

"Hey!" he playfully punches my shoulder, "I'm still older than you, though. And that makes you more immature than me."

I smirked at him. "Well, girls ought to be more matured than guys, you know?"

"Yeah, but I can go to places you can't. Since I'm already legal." he boasts.

"So, you've been to a bar before?" I gave him a teasing look, "Got drunk 'til you're wasted?"

James' grin quickly fades after I said those words, and a very longing look appeared on his face. I instantly worried that I might have said something wrong.

"James?" I whispered.

"Oh, I need to go back now," James abruptly stands up, unintentionally pushing me aside on the process, "I need to finish Belle, anyway." He looks down at me apologetically as I try to gather my balance again.

He walks off, leaving me sitting on the front porch, worrying. After a few seconds, I decided to follow him inside the garage. I found him leaning on the hood of Belle--just leaning there doing nothing. His face was cast down and he looked so deep in thoughts. He was frowning hard on something.

"Hey, did I say something wrong there?" I asked hesitantly, referring to our conversation back on the porch, and James quickly turns around to look at me.

"No, it's nothing," he replies right away, shaking his head no. "Never mind that. You didn't say anything bad."

"But---"

"It's okay," he cuts me off, giving me a tight smile, "I really need to finish Belle. I don't want to bother you waking too early just to catch the early ride, anyway. I know it's been already a while."

He gives me a look, that kind of look that says he never really wants me here. As if he was waiting for me to leave him alone. I could see it in his eyes, that something in there was not good and I was the one who caused it. I had said something, but he doesn't want to tell me about it. And I feel just dejected.

"Okay," I say softly, backing away, my feet numbing as I do, "If that's what you want. Then, I'll... I'll leave."

And I never had walked away so fast like that in my entire life.

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"How's the bus rides, my girl? Getting tired of it already?" Evan puts an arm around my shoulder as we walk out of the school. A week had passed by again and it was another whole week since my weird episode with James. Evan, Beth, and I have planned to eat out this afternoon since it's Saturday again tomorrow and Beth isn't always available that much every weekend because of her piano lessons. 

"You won't imagine," I groaned, rolling my eyes at Evan and sigh. "I already miss my truck so much."

"And the driver, I bet?" Evans wiggles his brows at me, teasing.

"Shut up!" I say, playfully smacking his face with my palm. It's been a constant thing now since the day Evan met James that he teases me with him. He really thinks that James is that guy and I don't even know what James did to him to get his approval. It's a very unusual thing since Evan has been overprotective of me for the two years that had passed.

"Seriously," I say, as we walk down the parking lot towards Evan's car. "You got to stop knocking yourself out teasing me with James. If I were you, I'm gonna do something with Beth, now." 

I've already known the secret infatuation of Evan for Beth since we were seven and it wasn't left unknown for me to see him try to impress her all the time, with the bickering and fighting included. And every time I give Evan the look whenever Beth's around, he shrugs me off but I could notice him blushing. He really is falling hard and if he wouldn't do something about it, he might lose his chance... Considering Beth isn't really the unnoticeable type.

"Who told you to mind my personal issues?" Evan frowns at me, half-glaring but I knew way better than he was just teasing.

"Well, ever since we made the blood pact," I say, smiling up to him, "Your issues are already my issues, buddy."

We both laugh and paused by the front of his car.

"Guys!" Our conversation was instantly disturbed by the familiar voice shouting from a distance. We both turn and watch Beth jogs her way towards us, she had another painting canvass tucked under her arm. And the moment Beth grins at us, I turn to Evan...

Seems like I'm not the only one troubled about personal issues and feelings.

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It had taken almost four weeks for James to finish Belle.

It took him two weeks of 24/7 working and another two weeks of not showering just to make her new and attractive. Belle had gone from a rusty red truck to an all-new white chic magnet ride. She was stunning and looking as good as new now.

"Wow," I say once he showed me to her, with the traditional blindfold surprise and all. I gasped in utter amazement when I saw Belle and quickly moves forward to touch her while I gaze down at her new beauty.

"Yeah, wow, right?" James says from behind me, and I turn to him giving him the widest grin of all. I suddenly spread my arms to him and subconsciously engaged us in a huge tight hug. It was the only thing I could think of to show him how grateful I felt for what he'd done for my truck.

"She's so beautiful," I whispered against his ear, my hand resting on the nape of his neck. I run my fingers through the ends of the hair I had touched beneath my skin and it surprisingly felt so soft and smooth that I indulged myself for a minute. Somehow, this feeling felt familiar.

"She already is," James replies to me, and also not pulling away, with his breath tickling my neck as he speaks, "Even before this. I just made some enhancements on her."

"It's not some," I say, deciding to break our intimacy to look up to his face, "I can barely recognize her anymore..."

"Well, if you want to," he says instantly, glancing at Belle with a frown, "I could change--"

"No," I stopped him, smiling, "That's not what I meant. You've done so much, James. I don't know how to pay you."

"I don't need you to pay me," he says, grinning down at me with those dimples on display again, "I just want you to like her."

"I love her," I tell him softly, our eyes meeting for an instant. "I love her, already." 

The mere words were a little mix-up coming out of my mouth. Am I still talking about Belle?

"Me too," James says, stepping closer to me, his face leaning down a little as he stares into my eyes. Intense excitement filled me as I return his gaze and the moment was too heavy for our knowing. I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest, forcing it to get itself out that I inwardly tried to count to ten to calm it.

"Well, shouldn't we be showing her around?" I was the first one to break our eye contact, my voice sounding awfully nervous as I turn to move my attention towards Belle, who had just been ignored a second ago... Considering that this moment should be hers in the first place.

I hear James chuckling from behind me and I cringed at my failed attempt to hide my awkwardness. 

"Yeah, we really should," James says, moving towards the driver's side of my newly-customized truck. "And Belle's gonna meet some guy today." He says, brushing his hand on Belle's hood with a grin on his face.

I smiled too and walked to the passenger's side silently. And as we start the drive, not knowing where James is planning to take us to, I give in to the rush of this sweet ride. It had been so long... And it felt like it was almost too long...

I've missed this. This ride. Being inside Belle... But most of all, I've missed the driver too. So much.

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The instant we passed along the signboard of Parkerville I knew right then where James was taking us to. I wondered what happened with finding Belle a guy but the moment we finally stopped and parked at the side of the highway, the cliff near us, and the view just waiting to be seen... I sighed. This is worth it. 

We were just sitting over Belle's hood, enjoying the breeze of the wind and nature's beauty before us when James suddenly turns to me, breaking the silence.

"Do you want to do something you want?" he asks, his eyes widening a little bit as excitement shows up on his face.

"Why? What do you have in mind?" I grin back at him.

"I will make you feel how to do something that scares you," he answers, getting off from the hood and I laugh at his silly idea.

"What?" I say, "You're crazy." I giggled.

"Come on. Let's go," he offers his hand, and as crazy as I thought he might just sound, I still took it and followed him around the driver's side. He opened the door for me and motioned me to go in. Random thoughts began to race inside my mind, wondering what he was up to.

"Just drive, and make it worth your while, Shane." He tells me as he closes the door. Leaning against the opened window. 

"Just let the thrill move you..."

I nod at him, still a bit anxious about his idea. I watch him go towards the back of the truck and settled himself up there. He was standing at the platform and he opened the glass window behind me. 

"Now, drive her, Shai... Drive wherever you want, as fast as you could and when I shout go... You'd let the wheel go, you hear me?"

I was a little startled by what he said. The grin fades from my face and was quickly exchanged with fear and hesitation.

"I don't know, James. That seems to be..."

"Do you trust me?" he cuts me off and it took me a second to nod at him.

"Good. So, trust me." he smiles and he stands again on the back of the truck, urging me to begin driving. 

"Okay," I say to myself, as I put the key on the ignition. "Here we go."

And Belle rumbles into life. I drove her away, planning to do what James had told me to... And I just had this kind of feeling inside my chest, something that I never had experienced before.

I'm doing what scares me... for the first time. And, to be honest, I really don't like it. 

I love it.

The second James shouted a loud "GO!" at me, I freed the wheel. The intense fear nagging me but I made it within a few meters before I quickly put my hand back again on the wheel, screaming like a little girl but laughing out loud at the same time. Luckily though, we were on a car-less highway so it wasn't that too dangerous, yet it still could be if we did go on.

"I can't believe we did it," I said, panting as James tries to wiggle himself through the back window between us to get into the passenger seat. We were now at the place by the cliff again. I stare through the windshield with a huge grin on my face, my mind still wandering back to what I just did out there.

"Yeah, we did." James replies, chuckling, "And did you feel it?" he asks me. I turn to him.

"What?"

"Did you feel scared?" he says, he was panting hard too. He was kind of cute, looking all hassled. Maybe it was also because of the thrill from what we just did.

"Yes!" I said loudly, laughing again. "It was crazy! We were crazy! I was so scared!"

"So, now you know it," James says, with a satisfying grin on his face.

"What do you mean I know it?" I ask.

"The feeling, Shane," he tells me, inching closer. His eyes staring back at me in that strange expression again, "The feeling to do something that makes you feel afraid but you still want to do it. That's what I want you to feel. So that the next time you ever feel like doing something you really wanted... you won't back away again from anything...That scares you."

His words cut deep into my heart. They sound so familiar. He looks so familiar... This feeling felt so familiar.

"James..."

"So, will you do it?" He says, his hands cupping my cheeks as he leans a little more closely. Our lips just mere inches apart and I felt trouble breathing normally but it also felt too nice.

"Do what?" I ask softly, staring at his eyes, reading them.

"The thing that you want. Will you do it now?" he tells me and I saw his eyes glancing down on my lips. I stopped breathing for a moment.

"I will," I whisper back.

"So, do it now."

"I am."

And we were kissing again... Yet somehow, it felt different now. 

It lasted longer.

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"Shane, I..."

The moment had been so fast, it was a little startling for the both of us, right after we pulled apart. The thick silence hovered around us like a heavy blanket. I was leaning my forehead against his and my eyes are still closed. I was silently counting to three, thinking of what I should say.

"Shane, I know..."

"Ssh..." I say, pressing my fingers against his soft lips. The soft ones that just met mine and tasted very addictive for the first time. "Don't say anything. I want to make this last." I whispered to his mouth, our breaths tangling together.

"Me too," I hear him say, my hand moves over his shirt, resting above his chest to feel his loud heartbeat. "You don't know how badly I do, Shane."

And suddenly, I had this idea in my head.

"Where will you sleep tonight?" I say, leaning away for a little bit to look into his eyes.

"I don't know. Why?" he asks, frowning.

"Sleep with me." I smiled down at him, my nose touching his.

"What?" he looked a bit taken aback as he pulls away.

"We won't do anything, okay?" I rushed to explain, blushing for his slight misunderstanding of my words, "I just... I just want to sleep with you beside me tonight."

He exhales in relief for a moment and grins at me, his dimples showing again.

"Okay," he says, chuckling, "I'd like that. I'd sleep with you."

"Okay." I smiled back, kissing him again. James stops laughing and lets me take control. It is so very addictive. And even it slightly scares me to feel this way, I still do it. Cause I really want to do it. And I love to do it over and over again. I felt like the King of the World all of a sudden.

Maybe I am, though. And this might have been the feeling of Jack when he said that Famous line in that Film. As the king of the world, only right here is the reality with me. And I want to savor every second of it. With James... In my reality.