I couldn’t move as she got out of her car; all I could do was stare. Her pictures didn’t do her any justice, that was for sure; she looked absolutely gorgeous. She didn’t see me when she first got out. It wasn’t until she opened the trunk to get the groceries did she see me. She too stopped dead in her tracks when she laid eyes on me.

We stood there, across the yard, just staring at each other for what seemed like hours. When she finally realized it was me, I saw a huge smile spread across her face. “Eric!” she said, and ran at me. “Eric!” she exclaimed as she jumped into my waiting arms. I caught her easily and spun us around a few times before putting her down and all but crushing her in a huge hug.

When we pulled away I saw that she was crying a little bit. “Why are you crying?” I asked as I wiped her tears away. I prayed that she would say that they were happy tears. I even felt a few tears of my own roll down my cheeks.

She then took the liberty to wipe my tears away. “You have no idea how much I missed you,” she squeaked. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said, pulling me into another hug. We stayed like that for a few seconds before she pulled away again. “You look great, by the way,” she chuckled.

I chuckled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as I led us back over to her car to get the groceries. “Me? No, you look absolutely amazing,” I said, looking down at her. And by looking down, I mean looking down; I was 6-foot-4 and she was a tiny 5-foot-5. “Since when did you start dressing like an actual girl? I mean, every picture we got of you that wasn’t for school was you in t-shirts.”

She pondered her response as we got the groceries out of the trunk. She chuckled when she finally came up with an answer to my question. “Since I grew boobs,” she said seriously, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. I actually did laugh, and she gave me a look. “What? I’m serious. My mom got it into my head that I should ‘flaunt what I got’. I was just like as long as I’m comfortable I really don’t care. So here I am, wearing a tube-top and high heels like a normal 18-year old girl. You got a problem with that Staal?” she asked with a smirk.

I held my free hand up defensively as we headed into the house and the kitchen. “No, I most definitely don’t have a problem with that. It’s just that everyone who really knows you knows that you’re the farthest thing from normal,” I replied, giving her a knowing look. She opened her mouth to protest but I stopped her. “Don’t even think about denying it missy; I’ve known you your whole life,” I chuckled.

We had gotten to the kitchen and had put the bags down, so she went over to the table, got a napkin, crumpled it up and threw it at me. I looked at her with a look of fake shock. “I wasn’t going to deny it asshole!” I laughed. “I was just going to say that you have no fucking idea how not-normal I am.” I just looked at her. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked as she started to put the groceries away.

I shrugged. “What? I can’t look at my best friend in person for the first time in 13 years? I can’t admire how beautiful my best friend grew up to be?” I smiled when she blushed. “But seriously, I missed you so much,” I said, going over to hug her after she put the last of the groceries away. “Come on,” I said, picking her up bridal style easily.

I caught her by surprise, because her arms went instantly around my neck for dear life. “Where are we going?” she asked as I headed out the back door to the deck.

I chuckled. “Where do you think we’re going? You have some boys that have been waiting for years to see you again,” I said as we got outside into view. “Look what I found!” I exclaimed as I put her down. Marc and Jordan of course freaked out and attacked her with hugs. Jared, on the other hand, stayed where he was; he of course had yet to meet her in the first place. “Jare, come here.” He came over slowly and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “Jared, this is Jean, my absolute best friend in the world. She moved away before you were even an idea. Jean, this is my baby brother Jared,” I said as they shook hands.

Normal P.O.V.

Things were getting off to a good start. Everyone was happy to see each other. The party had only been going on for two hours, and I had only been there for an hour and a half, but Eric and I were inseparable. We sat together, we ate together, we talked to each other the whole time. It was like I never left.

Now the party was pretty much over; my parents went home and Mr. and Mrs. Staal had gone to bed. The boys started a fire in the pit and we were all sitting around it toasting marshmallows. “So, Jean, how was Texas?” Marc asked.

I sighed. “It was fine I guess, but it wasn’t Thunder Bay,” I said, smiling to myself. “I played softball every summer after we moved there. Daddy even coached one of my teams. And you guys know how my dad is; pretty impatient. You should have seen the two of us that summer,” I chuckled. “We were both at our wit’s end by the end of the season; we wanted to kill everyone.” They chuckled at that.

“Guys, I’m bored,” Jared spoke up. “Want to play a game or something?” he asked.

Eric sighed. “Well, what did you have in mind?” he asked.

Jared though for a second, and as he did I stuffed two more marshmallows into my mouth. Then I saw the light bulb go off. “How about Truth or Dare?” he asked. I nodded.

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. “Who wants to go first?” Marc’s hand shot into the air. I laughed. “Go ahead Marc,” I said as I licked my fingers.

“Sweet!” he exclaimed. “Eric, truth or dare?” he asked.

Eric pondered his choice for a few minutes before responding. “Dare,” he said bravely. I saw Marc get an evil look on his face, and I started to worry a little bit.

“I dare you to,” he paused for a few moments, “kiss Jean. On the lips.” He smiled evilly. Eric just shrugged, which shocked me. I mean, I’m wasn’t gonna deny I had feelings for my best friend; it was just that I didn’t know if he felt the same way. I didn’t want this kiss to ruin anything.

He was sitting right next to me, so he didn’t even have to move that much. He just turned to face me, leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips. Before I knew it was happening, it was over. He pulled away ever so slowly after, and we never broke eye contact. I saw the slightest smile emerge on his face, and I felt myself starting to smile, too. “Happy?” he asked once he faced Marc again. He just nodded, dumbfounded. The rest of the night was spent playing the game, and Eric and I went on like the kiss had never happened.