"Sara? Oh, Sara Beth!"


Sara giggled, keeping her eyes shut tight as her fingers began to tingle with excitement. The day was June 17th, the day before her best friend's birthday, and he had decided that he wanted to play a drunken game of hide-and-seek so he could save all of his energy for his big party tomorrow night. Sara hadn't picked the best hiding spot in the world. Really, she was crouched behind a bush, simply moving from one side to the other whenever Jack got close. The problem was, she could the three other people she was hiding with clearly, and with Jack already calling her name and making her giddy, the expressions on their faces were priceless. Zack was probably the funniest, because she could only see him through the moonlight, but he was sitting comfortably at the top of a tree, almost directly above her; he looked so amused and humored, but also as if he were about to take a nap.


To her right, or her left, depending on what side Jack was coming from, were Rian and Alex. They were hiding out in the ditch at the end of Alex's yard. Alex would hold his hands up whenever Jack turned his back so he appeared to be a ninja, while Rian would poke his head up every now and again and pretend to shoot at Alex, who would tumble over in the ditch and mess with Jack's head. He could hear the noise, but he couldn't quiet place where it was coming from. That's why he was calling Sara's name - She was the eaiset to find because she got too excited and too nervous whenever he came close. If he listened carefully enough, he could hear her giggles or heavy breathing.


"Sara, I know I'm close to you. I've searched this yard six times. Come on, sugar lumps, reveal yourself!"


She couldn't help it. Her mouth betrayed her mind and a loud laugh echoed through the backyard. Jack shouted an 'ah-ha!' and quickly came in her direction. Lucky for Sara, her friends knew that she would be the first one to get caught, so they decided to run an interference. Alex came bolting out of the ditch, so quickly that he almost took Jack out completely without even touching him. Jack stopped long enough to debate on whether or not he wanted to go after Alex instead of Sara, but he knew who the easier catch would be. He continued on his path to the bush, only to face the sudden shock of Zack Merrick dropping out of the tree and onto his back. It wasn't so much of a fall that it hurt either of them, but it certainly left Jack confused and in a fit of laughter.


"What the fuck, man?" Jack laughed, pushing Zack off of him. "I'm going to get her, and none of you can stop me!"

"Oh really?" Rian Dawson called from his place in the ditch. He came out slowly, fresh mud coated in war marks on his face. He held up his hands, once again in the shape of a gun, and pointed them at Jack. The birthday boy instantly decided to play along, holding his hands in the air as he stood, slowly backing off. "Tag Merrick!"


"No!" Jack cried, shaking his head. "I won't do it!"


"Tag him, damnit, or I'll shoot!"


Jack pretended to cry, still shaking his head no, refusing to tag Zack over Sara. Rian grunted loudly and turned his hand sideways.


"Fine, but I never wanted to do this!"


"No, Jack!" Alex called, running across the yard. "I'll save you!"


As soon as the 'bang' came out of Rian's mouth, Alex dove in front of his best friend. Rian yelled loudly, in guilt, and ran to Alex who was lying on the ground, his hand over his heart, pretending to breathe heavy.


"You got me, bro," Alex fake-sobbed. "Now All Time Low will never be famous! You're not sexy enough without me!"


Jack couldn't help but laugh at his friends. As Alex pretended to die, Zack had decided to avenge his death, holding his fingers to Rian's head. The boy of the hour decided that this was his chance to go after Sara, because her laughter was a dead give away to her hiding location. He snuck away from his friends and ran full-force towards the bush. Sara cried out loudly, trying to run away from him, but Jack's longer legs had the advantage. With his arms stretched out in front of him, Jack soared through the air, catching Sara in his arms just before he hit the ground. The girl groaned and giggled, rolling over in his arms so that he was facing her.


"You're so dramatic," Sara sighed, pushing him in the arm. "Couldn't have just tagged me?"


"Alex just died for me," Jack shrugged. "I'm pumped, bay-beh!"


"You're a dork," she laughed, letting her arms fall around her head so that she could relax her aching body. "I guess that means I'm it, huh?"


"Yeah, I guess, but..." Jack lifted a little more of his weight off of her so she could breathe, but he didn't remove himself from her body. "It'll officially be my birthday in five minutes. I'd rather spend it with you than hiding from you."


"But what about everyone else?" Sara questioned, feeling her heart thud against her ribcage. Truthfully, the brunette had always had a crush on Jack, she just didn't know how to tell him about it. The fact that he wanted to ring in his birthday with her, well, that made her feel like a queen. "Don't you want them to sing loudly and off-key like they always do?"


"I'll have all day tomorrow for horrible singing and spankings," Jack winked. "Besides. I'm almost seventeen now. There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."


"What's that?"


Jack sat himself up so he was straddling her, but bent over far enough so that he could still see her face clearly. Sara shifted slightly underneath him, not wanting to tell him that his bony legs were hurting her, because it felt so nice to have his skin against her own. The boy seemed deep in thought, like he was trying to figure out exactly what to say, which was so unlike him. Usually anything Jack felt, he said. Sara was concerned, but she was also praying, praying that he would kiss her right then and there.


"You've been my best friend for like, two years," Jack grinned, letting his rough thumb run over her cheek. "I didn't think I'd ever love anyone as much as I love Alex, 'cause he's like, the chillest fuckin' dude in the world. But when you came along, I was like, 'Delicious peanut butter, she's rad!' For a while, I didn't think it was possible for you and I to get any closer than what we had, but the older we get, the less I'm starting to view you as one of the guys that has boobs."


Sara snickered, thankful that the the darkness of the night was covereing her blush. She'd never heard Jack speak this way. The most romantic he'd ever been was telling his ex-girlfriend that her boobs were like big, fluffy clouds and they totally made up for what she was lacking everywhere else. That landed him back in the single group, but he swears it was worth it. Now she was simply hoping he wasn't going to say something like that to her, because even though she laughed along with the rest of the guys, she'd been jealous over that girl and grateful that she dumped Jack.


"Don't get me wrong, you've got fantastic boobs that totally make you stand out from the dudes, but what I'm trying to say is, I think you're pretty, Sara. Like, really beautiful. I love the way you look at me, like you're doing now, with those big doe eyes that make my heart smile. Or the way you hide your face when you're nervous and that giggle you have when you're happy." Sara giggled. "That one!"


Jack laughed right along with her, but only for a moment. His face became serious as the moonlight washed over her face, stars sparkling against her brown eyes. He'd never felt this way about anyone before. Never, not once, had he wanted to take some as seriously as he wanted to take Sara. In the two years the two had been friends, she became his rock. He came to her with all of his problems, she stayed up late to watch Home Alone over and over again for his happiness, she even helped him with his guitar playing. All Jack knew was that, there was something special about this girl, and he wanted to take their friendship to a whole neve level.


"In about three minutes, I'm going to turn seventeen. Hopefully the band will pick up a little more and this next year will fly by. I'm happy that everyone is going to know me as the fun-loving, goofy boy with a streak in his hair. What upsets me is that, all the guys have someone to share their happiness with.. I don't, and that's my own fault. I've never found anyone I clicked with well enough to make my 'high school sweetheart.' Now, I think I have, I just didn't realize it as soon as I should have. So, Sara, I just want you to know..."


"Yeah?"


Jack was never as good with words as Alex was, so instead of saying how he felt, he acted on it. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against Sara's, waiting to see what her reaction was. The girl instantly warpped her arms around his body, his lips waiting for him to kiss her, really kiss her. Jack smiled, all of his fears washing away in her big, brown eyes. Sara returned the smile, her hands tugging at his shirt, not in a sexual way, but in a longing way. Jack knew what she wanted, so without another question, he connected their lips in the most passionate way. Sara could almost feel the love going from his body to her own, her oxygen slipping away and her body melting into the ground.


Jack pulled away slowly, his lips still parted and hurngy. Kissing Sara felt so, so right. She was absolutely perfect, and he vowed to himself that, from now on, he was going to show her what an amazing person she really was. He climbed off of her and sat on his knees, pulling Sara up by her hands so she was in front of him. He brushed a strand of dark hair away from her eyes and cupped her cheek in his hand, soaking in every ounce of her beauty.


"You're beautiful, you know what?"


"Stop it, Jack," Sara giggled.


"I'm serious. You're the most beautiful girl in the world, and that's one of the reasons why I want you to give me the best birthday gift in the world." He paused, calming himself enough to speak without stumbling over his worlds. "Sara Beth, will you be my girlfriend?"


Her face was as red a tomato. The young girl fought her desire to laugh and hide her face, but she was just so excited that it was finally happening. Jack had finally fallen for her! She inhaled deeply and locked her brown eyes with her own, her lips curling into a smile as she nodded her head.


"Yes, of course," Sara whispered, throwing herself in his arms. "Happy birthday, Jack."


"Thanks, love." Jack beamed. "This is the best birthday I've ever had."


The two sat like that for a moment, just holding one another, sharing their love for the very first time. But as all things are with a band, nothing stays private for very long. Zack, Rian and Alex all let out an 'awe!' at the same time, making the couple pull away from each other and blush.


"Jacky finally has a girlfriend!" Alex snickered. "How cute!"


"It's about time," Zack commented. "I thought you two would live a life of regret because you'd never tell each other how you feel."


"I think it's time to sing to our little birthday boy," Rian cooed, counting his bandmates in. "Happy birthday to you!"


As the band sung loudly and off-key, Jack ran his fingers through Sara's hair and pulled her face back in for a kiss. Under the moonlight, Jack Barakat finally turned seventeen, and he finally got to kiss the only girl he'd ever loved, Sara Beth.

Notes

This was one of my favorites<3.