“Alright Jean, let’s get that foot of yours checked out, shall we?” Doctor Daniels asked as he came and got us from the waiting room. He took us back into an examination room before we went to do the X-Rays. “Let’s have you sit up here,” he said, patting the examination table. “Now, has your foot been hurting at all? Your mom says you have a pretty good bunion,” he said.

I shook my head. “No, its’ never really hurt before. But I do feel a difference in my feet whenever I think about the fact that the bunion is there,” I replied. “It only really ‘hurts’,” I used air quotes, “when I put some pressure on it. Even then it’s not like I’m in agony or anything; it just feels uncomfortable.” He nodded as he prodded at my foot.

“Alright, let’s get you over to the X-Ray room; then we’ll take a look at them once they’re ready. Sound good?” he asked. I nodded. “Let’s go,” he said, opening the exam room door and ushering us out. It was just a short walk over to X-Ray. “Now, I think you know the drill; try not to move until we’re done,” he said as I hopped onto the table and lied down.

The X-Rays only took about twenty minutes and we were waiting for them to be ready. Five minutes later Doctor Daniels came back into the exam room with the X-Rays. “Alright Jean, you most certainly do have a prominent bunion in your right foot. Since you say that it doesn’t bother you, I would not suggest doing surgery. But I do advise you to wear shoes with a larger toe box, so you don’t put any unnecessary pressure on your foot, okay?” I nodded. “Since its summer, I would suggest wearing flip flops or going barefoot as much as possible. Do either of you have any questions for me?” he asked, looking between Mom and me.

Mom shook her head no and looked at me. “What about wearing heels every now and then? As long as it’s not every day?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you choose to, I would suggest wearing a bunion sleeve on your foot. It will alleviate some of the pressure the shoe would put on your foot. In fact, I would suggest wearing a bunion sleeve all day during the day, while you’re active, and taking it off just for going to bed. That should keep it from getting any worse,” he replied. “Do you guys have any other questions?” he asked. Both Mom and I shook my head. “Then you guys are good to go,” he said with a smile as he stood up and shook our hands. “Don’t hesitate to call me if anything acts up, okay?” I nodded again.

“Thank you,” Mom and I said in unison as we headed out of the office. “See? I told you I was fine,” I said once we were out of the building and on the way to the car.

“Okay, okay you were right. But I still want you to wear the sleeve every day, got it? We don’t need you having another surgery down the road. I think we can agree that the knee was enough of an ordeal,” she said as she drove home.

I groaned. “The knee was horrible; I never want to go through that ever again,” I replied as she pulled into the drive way. We only lived about 5 minutes from the doctors’ office. I got out of the car and headed inside, Mom right behind me.

I then went upstairs to go get my own car keys and purse. “I guess I’m gonna go and get a sleeve now then; I’ll be right back,” I said as I grabbed my sunglasses off of the table.

“Okay, be careful. Dinner should be ready by the time you get back,” she called as I headed out the door. I then got into my clean car and headed to the nearest drug store. I found one for cheap in no time and headed home. “Now go and put it on,” were the first words out of her mouth once I walked through the door. I did, and then came back down for dinner.

A few hours later, at about 11 pm or so, I finally decided to get ready for bed. The doorbell rang right as I was finishing putting on my pajamas. I headed down to get it and was surprised to see Eric on the other side. “Eric? What are you doing here so late?” I asked, stifling a yawn.

He shrugged. “You invited me, remember? And you said you parents wouldn’t care. So, can I come in or not?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe. I just stepped aside and let him in. “Nice pajamas by the way; you must really love Batman.” I just gave him a look. “Anyway, I thought we could just talk about things,” he said as we headed back up the stairs. Once we got to my room he plopped his big butt down on my bed. “How was the doctor?” he asked.

I sighed. “Fine. Just had some X-Rays done on my foot.” His eyes grew wide with worry. I just put my foot in his lap and pointed to my big toe. “See? It’s just a bunion. My mom wanted it checked out to see if I would need surgery on it, which I don’t right now. I’m fine,” I said, and he relaxed. I then removed my foot from his lap and sat down next to him. “So, want to watch a movie with me? Were you planning on spending the night? Because like I said, my parents don’t care,” I asked.

He nodded. “Sure. You can pick the movie,” he said as he scooted to the back of my bed and rested his head against the headboard. I picked the movie, put it in my DVD player, and joined him. “What did you pick?” he asked as it started. When he saw it he groaned. “Why in the world would you pick ‘House on Haunted Hill’? You know you always have trouble falling asleep when you watch it right before bed,” he asked.

I shrugged. “Because you said you also wanted to talk. What did you want to talk about?” I asked, looking up at him. Instead of responding, though, he just leaned down and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. Our lips molded perfectly together as they moved; I never wanted it to end. “Uh…” was all I could say after.

“Jean, you’re my best friend, so I have to get this off my chest and out in the open; ever since you came back, I’ve felt different around you; like we’re supposed to be something more than we are right now. Jean, I love you,” he said, looking me straight in the eyes. I just stared at him in response. “Please say something,” he mumbled.

Instead of saying something, I leaned in and kissed him again. “I love you, too,” I said and smiled.

He smiled from ear to ear, and a wave of relief washed over him. “Really?” he asked. I nodded my head vigorously. “Thank God!” he exclaimed happily. “Be my girlfriend?” he asked.

“Of course I will,” I replied and kissed him again.