FALLing in Love

By: Sydni

"Those pumpkins were SO funny!" Trixie laughed as they clamored up the bleachers to a small empty spot a few rows up."

"Yeah," Jim said, "people always cut up orange pumpkins to make Jack-o-lanterns every year, but that was really ingenious of them to use those un-ripe green pumpkins and put all those goofy faces on them." They sat down beside each other on the freezing metal bleachers.

Trixie looked shyly at Jim and said, "Thanks again for treating me at the refreshment stand." She popped the strawberry sucker back into her mouth and warmed her frigid hands on the searing container of the cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She shivered internally at the cold despite the new thick blue sweater she was wearing.

"This hot chocolate sure does hit the spot!"

Jim leaned back in his spot on the bleachers in contentment and breathed a deep, brisk breath of air in and out. "Yeah, this sure is perfect football weather…just cold enough to need a hot drink to warm you up and a blanket to keep you warm."

He glanced at the large folded blanket he had placed by his side and then said brashly and bravely, "Speaking of blankets, care to share this one with me?"

Trixie looked over at his in surprise, but with teeth chattering slightly, she replied, "Sure, Jim…that’s really nice of you." Jim opened the blanket, they moved closer together, and then he placed the large open blanket over both of them. He leaned over her body to lightly tuck the blanket around her body.

"It was my pleasure to treat you, Trixie," he said softly. They sat there, hip to hip, ensconced in the blanket, sharing their warmth, for a long awkward moment.

LET’S GO SLEEPYSIDE…WOO-HOO, SLEEPYSIDE!!!

They both looked over at the yelling and jumping cheerleaders. Trixie laughed. "Just look at them," she said in reproof. "Can you remember how long we worked on their jumps before tryouts last month?"

Jim looked over at Honey and Di participating in a new group cheer and joined her laughter. "Yeah, that was pretty funny. But we all agreed that we should get out of our little circle of friends this year and get more involved in school activities."

"Yeah, I know. I think it was a really good idea and I can’t wait ‘til next month when you start hockey practice and I start practice for being on the Sleepyside Ice Skating Team. It should be really fun."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." They were quiet for another second and then Trixie laughed again, almost too herself.

"What?" Jim asked.

"Well, I think Honey and Di being cheerleaders is a great idea and it’s making them both get out of their shells. I can even understand both Mart and Dan being on the football team, but…" she faltered.

"But what?"

"But I just can’t get over BRIAN playing the saxophone in the Marching Band!" Jim laughed with her at that.

"At least he doesn’t sound like a crow dying any more!" Trixie quipped. "He was driving all of us crazy this summer when he was practicing!!" They both laughed even harder. Jim looked over to see Trixie’s _expression but ended up looking deep into her eyes.

They both got quiet suddenly and their faces turned serious. Jim turned to look blankly at the action of the game in front of him while Trixie popped the sucker in and out of her mouth, deep in thought.

They sat there for a few minutes before Jim said, "Hey, Trixie, who’s that girl over there?"

Trixie suddenly looked up and over to where he was pointing. "Which girl?"

"That girl with the long red hair."

Trixie looked at the lovely beauty and her heart fell. "Oh, that’s Chelsea Brown," she stated with light dread in her voice. "She’s a new girl in Dan and Mart’s class. I think she started last week sometime."

"Oh…," Jim spoke as if he was thinking something very serious.

Trixie turned to him and asked, "Why, Jim? Why did you want to know who she was?" She was very afraid to hear what his answer might be.

"Well…you’re going to think this is stupid," he started.

"What? Why would I think it was stupid?"

Jim looked over at her quickly sideways and looked back to the game. "Well…this can’t be true…but…well…well, she looks like she could be my cousin Samantha!"

"Your cousin Samantha?!" Trixie cried in both joy that his reason wasn’t that he was romantically interested in Chelsea but also out of excitement and confusion. "What cousin Samantha?"

Jim looked over at her quickly again and then gazed over at Chelsea, as if assessing her similarities to his cousin with great intent. "Well…it just couldn’t be her!" he exclaimed. "My mom told me that she died in a car accident when she was eleven and I was thirteen."

Trixie could feel the excitement of a possible mystery building and humming in her body.

"But, Jim," she started, "what if it IS Samantha? Just what if? You have to talk to her, Jim!" She urged him to move on the crazy possibility.

Jim turned away from Trixie for a second to hide the small secret smile on his lips. When he was composed again, he turned back and asked, "Trixie, do you really think so? It’s not a crazy idea?"

"Of course not, Jim! Think of some of the crazier things that have happened!"

Jim murmured an agreement and then scrambled up to a standing position and then off the side of the bleachers. Trixie was confused and dumbfounded with his actions.

"Jim, what are you doing?" she asked.

Jim started to move quickly away stating, "Samantha just disappeared!"

Trixie glanced over at the spot where Chelsea had been before and noticed that she was indeed gone. Then quickly placing her cup of hot chocolate on the seat beside her and popping her sucker back in her mouth, she scrambled off the bleachers and began to move quickly off in the direction where Jim had also disappeared

.

Trixie was walking quickly, scanning between the bleachers and also the large open field behind the bleachers for signs of Jim or Chelsea, but she couldn’t spot them.

Suddenly, an arm reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the darkness of the back of the bleachers. Trixie yelped in surprise and fear but then looked up in confusion at Jim’s tall frame in the dim light.

"Jim? What are you doing?" her confusion was very evident. "Did Samantha go back here? Did you find her?"

Jim laughed quietly at her and to himself.

"Trixie, for a Schoolgirl Shamus, you sure don’t catch on quickly," he said on a laugh.

Trixie’s was baffled at his behavior.

"What do you mean, Jim?"

Jim smiled down at her and stated, "This was just a guise to get you back here with me. I never HAD a cousin Samantha!"

Confusion and nervous excitement filled her. "Then…why?"

"I wanted to be alone with you." He said this quietly but firmly.

"Oh…," Trixie’s heart started to gallop as if it was running in the Kentucky Derby.

Jim took a deep breath of courage and then said, "Trixie, you look kind of cold."

Trixie lips chattered slightly in the cold. She nervously looked up at Jim.

"Yeah…I am rather cold."

Jim licked his lips slightly and then said in a low, husky tone, "Then, why don’t I warm you up?"

Their eyes locked for a second and then Jim’s tall head was bending to hers and his lips were caressing hers softly. Their first kiss was over quickly, but then, after a breath, they both leaned into each other and deepened the kiss.

TOUCHDOWN….Sleepyside! The crowd went crazy with applause as the home team advanced ahead of the opposing team.

Trixie pulled away from Jim slowly.

"My sentiments exactly," she murmured. Jim laughed quietly at that, agreeing with her completely. Trixie returned his grin shyly.

"Jim, …why did you kiss me?"

"Trixie girl,…you know that you’ve always been MY girl in my heart."

"But …why now? Why here?" Trixie held her breath, scared but excited to hear his answer.

"Trixie, this is our last year together. We don’t have many more months before I’ll be going away to college, "his voice was impassioned. "I just couldn’t leave without acting on the feelings that I’ve had for you for so long!"

"Oh, Jim," she breathed out his name with all the pent-up air inside her lungs, "you have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that!"

Jim caressed her face with his hand and placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"Oh…I think I can guess," he said with a big smile and a soft laugh.

Trixie looked up at Jim with a happy smile and then the _expression on her face altered, slowly but greatly. Jim looked on with worry as her _expression changed from elation, to seriousness, then to a look of fear and anxiety.

All of a sudden, Trixie moved around Jim and started blindly running away from him and away from the crowd. Jim stood a second, dumbfounded, before he moved into action and his long legs trotted after her petite frame.

"Trixie! Trixie, what are you DOING?" Jim yelled behind her. "Trixie why are you running away?"

Trixie continued to run away from him, though his voice was getting closer and closer. And then the wind was knocked out of her, literally, as Jim tackled her from behind. She landed in a big pile of leaves raked up against the fence of the football field with Jim’s body pressing her softly but insistently to the ground.

Trixie looked up at Jim, breathing heavily.

"Trixie, why did you run away from me?" Jim demanded. "Did I do something to upset you?" His concern for her screamed in his tone.

"Oh, Jim! This can’t HAPPEN!" Trixie cried with inner torment shining from her eyes.

"What can’t happen, Trix? Us? Why not?"

"Jim…," she faltered, "this is going to change EVERYTHING."

Jim shifted his body so that she didn’t have to contain so much of his larger weight. He smiled slowly down at her. "Well, of course things will change now. You’ll be my girl for REAL…isn’t that what you want, Trix?"

"Of course that’s what I want!" she stated as if he couldn’t have asked a more ridiculous question. "But this will change everything…with our friendship, with Honey…with…with ALL the Bobwhites! It’s our last year all together and this could ruin everything!"

Jim moved completely off of her and sat beside her, then gave her a hand so that she was also sitting up. They sat quietly for a moment beside each other, each within their own thoughts.

Finally Jim said, "Trix, don’t you think they’d all be happy for us? I mean…all the guys have been at me for years about when the two of us would get together. Haven’t the girls done the same with you?"

Trixie thought for a moment. "Well, yeah…they always have. Especially after you gave me the bracelet in Iowa with your name on it." She turned her body to be directly across from him.

"Do you really think so, Jim? You don’t think this will separate the Bobwhites?"

He took her hand in his and kissed it softly. "No, I don’t. Actually, it could be the best thing to happen to all of us!"

"How could that be? What do you mean?"

Jim laughed softly to himself. "Well, the way I see it…if the two most stubborn members of the BWGs were to finally get over themselves and get together, perhaps it will inspire some of the other members to do the same. Like Brian and Honey…"

"And Mart and Di," Trixie added really getting into this line of thinking.

"Or Dan and Hallie!" they both said and laughed together.When their laughter quieted, Jim’s eyes became serious and he gazed solemnly at his girlfriend.

"You really OK with this, Trixie?"

Trixie’s smile beamed at him. "Yes, Jim. It’s perfectly perfect!"

Jim laughed aloud at the use of her favorite phrase and then helped her stand. Trixie looked down at the strawberry sucker that she was still holding in her hand.

"Well, I guess this is useless!" she quipped, looking at the dry leaf-encrusted surface of the lollipop.

Jim wrapped her hand in his as they started to walk back towards the bleachers and the game.

"I could get you another one at the refreshment stand," he offered.

Trixie stopped them in their place and looked up at Jim.

She smiled saucily up at him and said, "That’s okay, Jim. I think I’ve found something that tastes much better than any candy could!"

With that, she leaned up on tiptoe and Jim’s lips met hers halfway in a long, loving kiss.

THE END. Or is it just the beginning?