Goodbye As Autumn Leaves
Where summer ends, is where autumn begins.
Back home in Woodland Heights, Dede finds herself in the middle of more drama. Captain of the Wolves football team, Lucas Kingsley has fallen for her. Dede tries to just be friends with Lucas, but he wants more, and she starts to feel something more for him too. Can Dede handle the pressure of being caught between Lucas and JT, or will she really break this time? With Homecoming drawing near and the big football game, can she please everyone, and still be happy herself? As more and more dilemmas come her way Dede starts to crack.
Then the intriguing Hunter Mason comes back to town after almost two years. Can Dede figure out the mystery of Lucas’s hatred for Hunter, and what about the mysterious Kendra Darling? Why does no one ever talk about her, and why does Lucas not answer her questions. Will Dede figure out the mystery? But what if it's to late to save her from the danger that is lurking behind it. Will Dede’s life be saved by the guys she loves or will they all be too late?
Back home in Woodland Heights, Dede finds herself in the middle of more drama. Captain of the Wolves football team, Lucas Kingsley has fallen for her. Dede tries to just be friends with Lucas, but he wants more, and she starts to feel something more for him too. Can Dede handle the pressure of being caught between Lucas and JT, or will she really break this time? With Homecoming drawing near and the big football game, can she please everyone, and still be happy herself? As more and more dilemmas come her way Dede starts to crack.
Then the intriguing Hunter Mason comes back to town after almost two years. Can Dede figure out the mystery of Lucas’s hatred for Hunter, and what about the mysterious Kendra Darling? Why does no one ever talk about her, and why does Lucas not answer her questions. Will Dede figure out the mystery? But what if it's to late to save her from the danger that is lurking behind it. Will Dede’s life be saved by the guys she loves or will they all be too late?
**Exerpt**
“Hey want to play a game of air hockey?” he asked as he turned to look at me.
“Oh. Sure.”
“Cool.” He said then he went back through the sliding glass door. I followed him into the game room and over to an air hockey table. He flipped a switch on it and the scoreboard lighted up. Then he pulled out the little puck and handed me the mallet. He walked over to his side of the table and put the puck on. With one quick shot he sent it flying across the table and into my goal.
“Wow. You’re good.”
“I’ve been playing this game for years. No one has ever beaten me.”
“Really? So you’re unbeatable.”
“Yep, I’m the Master or Air Hockey.”
“Well Mr. Master of Air Hockey, I have a little proposition for you.”
“Ok shoot.”
“I challenge you to a game of air hockey. If I win I get one thing I want from you. If you win I’ll give you one thing you want.” I said hoping he would take the bait.
“Oh, that seems tempting, but wouldn’t it be taking advantage of you. I mean we know who will win.” He said laughing.
“Well if you’re too afraid that someone might beat you…” I said challengingly.
“Your on.” He said hitting a button that reset the score.
“Great. First one to hit ten points wins.”
“Ok.” He said getting prepared.
I could tell he thought that he would easily make ten points. I just smiled up at him and pulled the puck out. I set it on the table. Then I smiled at him. With a quick movement I quickly sailed it across the table and into his goal before he knew what happened. The look on his face was priceless. He wiped the expression of shock off his face and pulled the puck out and set it back on the table. He gave it a hard hit and sent it sailing across the table. I blocked it easily and sent it flying back across the table at him.
The game was like this the whole time. He would make a goal and then I would come back and make one. Back and forth that little puck flew across the table. Sometimes one of us would hit it so hard it would sail clean off the table. We just laughed and threw it back on the table and continued our game.
Finally we were tied nine to nine. The puck sailed back and forth across the table neither one of us letting it into our goal. As it sailed back and forth across the table the tension was high. I wondered what he would ask me for if he won. I wasn’t sure what I would ask him for if I won, but I wasn’t worried I’d think up something.
“If you win, what are you going to ask me for?” I asked slamming the puck across the table.
“I’m not telling. It will just make you mad at me. I’ll wait until I win and ask.”
“You’re very confident that you’ll win. I could easily win.”
“Yes you could. But I don’t think you will.” He paused. “What are you going to ask me for?”
“I’m not sure yet. Once I win I’ll figure something out.”
“You sound just as confident you’ll win.” He said laughing.
“Oh I’m pretty sure I’ll win.” I said smiling over at him. Then I hit the puck again as it came towards me. We sank into a silence as we both concentrated on the puck.
“I’m going to ask for a kiss.” he said simply breaking the silence.
I was truly surprised by this. But then I should have known that would be what he asked for. When he said this I almost let the puck into my goal, but I just caught it and sent it sailing back across the table. I stood there hitting the puck back and forth my mind racing the whole time. He wanted to kiss me. What would happen if I let him win? What if I let him kiss me? I pondered this and continued hitting it back towards him. Then it hit me. Why not let him win? It wouldn’t affect me because I loved JT. Maybe it would help if I kissed him once, just once. Then he could move on. I saw the puck sliding back across the table at me. I went to block it but I quickly shifted and missed it and it went sailing into my goal. The scoreboard flashed ten points for him. He flipped the machine off and looked at me.
“I guess I won.” He said sheepishly.
“I guess you did.” I said quietly, as we stood there awkwardly in silence, staring at each other across the air hockey table. I waited for him to do or say something. Finally I looked away from his hypnotizing blue eyes.
“Well you won. So you get to ask me for whatever you want.” I said not looking up at him.
“You already know what I want.” He said simply.
“Yes I do. I’m waiting for you to get it.” I answered still not looking up at him.
Without answering he came around and wrapped his arms around me then he pulled me close to him. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look at his. Then his lips slowly pushed against mine. He stood there slowly kissing me. I became breathless as I started to get scared. It felt to perfect.
I started to scare myself. Mentally I was screaming, but physically I was holding on tighter and kissing him back. I was kissing him back. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to hold onto him tighter and have him take all my breath away. Suddenly I felt dizzy. What was I doing? Why was I kissing Lucas this passionately, when he wasn’t the one I loved? My mind and my heart weren’t getting the right messages at the same time. Everything was a mess and confusing.
All I knew was I was standing here kissing Lucas and feeling something. That worried me because this wasn’t the boy I had been kissing all summer, and whose eyes I had always been lost in when I kissed him. I slowly looked up into Lucas’s eyes. They were blue, a brilliant blue but a different blue. I felt like crying because I felt I was cheating on JT. I was enjoying something that I shouldn’t have been too much. This was just a little experiment gone wrong.
I felt tears in my eyes. As I looked into Lucas’s eyes the tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. He pulled back. He looked down at me worried. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault. I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t even reassure myself.
“I’m sorry.” I said pulling away. Then I turned and ran up the hall towards the bathroom.
“Oh. Sure.”
“Cool.” He said then he went back through the sliding glass door. I followed him into the game room and over to an air hockey table. He flipped a switch on it and the scoreboard lighted up. Then he pulled out the little puck and handed me the mallet. He walked over to his side of the table and put the puck on. With one quick shot he sent it flying across the table and into my goal.
“Wow. You’re good.”
“I’ve been playing this game for years. No one has ever beaten me.”
“Really? So you’re unbeatable.”
“Yep, I’m the Master or Air Hockey.”
“Well Mr. Master of Air Hockey, I have a little proposition for you.”
“Ok shoot.”
“I challenge you to a game of air hockey. If I win I get one thing I want from you. If you win I’ll give you one thing you want.” I said hoping he would take the bait.
“Oh, that seems tempting, but wouldn’t it be taking advantage of you. I mean we know who will win.” He said laughing.
“Well if you’re too afraid that someone might beat you…” I said challengingly.
“Your on.” He said hitting a button that reset the score.
“Great. First one to hit ten points wins.”
“Ok.” He said getting prepared.
I could tell he thought that he would easily make ten points. I just smiled up at him and pulled the puck out. I set it on the table. Then I smiled at him. With a quick movement I quickly sailed it across the table and into his goal before he knew what happened. The look on his face was priceless. He wiped the expression of shock off his face and pulled the puck out and set it back on the table. He gave it a hard hit and sent it sailing across the table. I blocked it easily and sent it flying back across the table at him.
The game was like this the whole time. He would make a goal and then I would come back and make one. Back and forth that little puck flew across the table. Sometimes one of us would hit it so hard it would sail clean off the table. We just laughed and threw it back on the table and continued our game.
Finally we were tied nine to nine. The puck sailed back and forth across the table neither one of us letting it into our goal. As it sailed back and forth across the table the tension was high. I wondered what he would ask me for if he won. I wasn’t sure what I would ask him for if I won, but I wasn’t worried I’d think up something.
“If you win, what are you going to ask me for?” I asked slamming the puck across the table.
“I’m not telling. It will just make you mad at me. I’ll wait until I win and ask.”
“You’re very confident that you’ll win. I could easily win.”
“Yes you could. But I don’t think you will.” He paused. “What are you going to ask me for?”
“I’m not sure yet. Once I win I’ll figure something out.”
“You sound just as confident you’ll win.” He said laughing.
“Oh I’m pretty sure I’ll win.” I said smiling over at him. Then I hit the puck again as it came towards me. We sank into a silence as we both concentrated on the puck.
“I’m going to ask for a kiss.” he said simply breaking the silence.
I was truly surprised by this. But then I should have known that would be what he asked for. When he said this I almost let the puck into my goal, but I just caught it and sent it sailing back across the table. I stood there hitting the puck back and forth my mind racing the whole time. He wanted to kiss me. What would happen if I let him win? What if I let him kiss me? I pondered this and continued hitting it back towards him. Then it hit me. Why not let him win? It wouldn’t affect me because I loved JT. Maybe it would help if I kissed him once, just once. Then he could move on. I saw the puck sliding back across the table at me. I went to block it but I quickly shifted and missed it and it went sailing into my goal. The scoreboard flashed ten points for him. He flipped the machine off and looked at me.
“I guess I won.” He said sheepishly.
“I guess you did.” I said quietly, as we stood there awkwardly in silence, staring at each other across the air hockey table. I waited for him to do or say something. Finally I looked away from his hypnotizing blue eyes.
“Well you won. So you get to ask me for whatever you want.” I said not looking up at him.
“You already know what I want.” He said simply.
“Yes I do. I’m waiting for you to get it.” I answered still not looking up at him.
Without answering he came around and wrapped his arms around me then he pulled me close to him. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look at his. Then his lips slowly pushed against mine. He stood there slowly kissing me. I became breathless as I started to get scared. It felt to perfect.
I started to scare myself. Mentally I was screaming, but physically I was holding on tighter and kissing him back. I was kissing him back. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to hold onto him tighter and have him take all my breath away. Suddenly I felt dizzy. What was I doing? Why was I kissing Lucas this passionately, when he wasn’t the one I loved? My mind and my heart weren’t getting the right messages at the same time. Everything was a mess and confusing.
All I knew was I was standing here kissing Lucas and feeling something. That worried me because this wasn’t the boy I had been kissing all summer, and whose eyes I had always been lost in when I kissed him. I slowly looked up into Lucas’s eyes. They were blue, a brilliant blue but a different blue. I felt like crying because I felt I was cheating on JT. I was enjoying something that I shouldn’t have been too much. This was just a little experiment gone wrong.
I felt tears in my eyes. As I looked into Lucas’s eyes the tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. He pulled back. He looked down at me worried. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault. I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t even reassure myself.
“I’m sorry.” I said pulling away. Then I turned and ran up the hall towards the bathroom.
