Read BrookLyn's Journey for Free Online Page A

couldn’t put a name on what she was feeling , but it h eld her in its grip. In an instant her life had changed. One kiss, in one moment, and her life wasn’t the same as it was yesterday.
    She couldn’t explain it , but as scared as she was about getting in trouble, BrookLyn couldn’t make her self stop or leave Gabriella’s bed. She should be downstairs waiting for Max , but she liked where she was too much to do that.
    Gabriella reached down again toward the button on BrookLyn’s jeans.
    “Stop,” BrookLyn whispered, “I’m not ready for that yet.”
    “I’m sorry. I got carried away. Even if its twenty years from now I’ll wait for you.” Gabriella smiled sweetly.
    “In twenty years , I’ll be thirty-eight. I hope I’ll be ready before then. If not, you’ll be somewhere else . ” BrookLyn giggled nervously .
    “I’ll be standing right next to you , waiting.” They both laughed , falling back down onto the bed.
    “ Hey, w here’s your aunt?” BrookLyn hadn’t see n any signs of her last night or this morning.
    “She went away with some friends for the weekend. She goes away all the time. I am almost nineteen, you know. ”
    “Almost , but not yet . ” BrookLyn smiled. “ My parents have only left me alone a few times . ” BrookLyn had the pleasure of going with them wherever they went except her father’s job.
    “So, have you ever snuck out of the house?”
    Never.
    “How could I? One of my parents always ha s at least one eye on me. The only privacy I ever ha ve i s in school. If they could sit in my classroom , I ’m sure they would. ”
    “Do you want to spend the weekend with me?”
    She hesitated. “Maybe . ” BrookLyn wasn’t sure , but it sounded like it might be fun. She didn’t know what was happening to her . It was only one night , but she felt different , safe , which, was something foreign to her . “So, what if I did want to stay over?”
    “I’ll meet you at your window tonight , after your mother goes to bed.”
    “My father works at night. He leaves home around nine thirty and my mom goes to bed after he leaves. We have an alarm. How am I going to get out without setting it off?”
    “How many windows do you have in your room?”
    “Two. I sleep with them open so you can tell which ones are mine. I like the cool air.”
    “If you sleep with the windows open, then they aren’t alarmed. So, that’s how you’ll get out . ” Gabriella had a convincing look in her eyes.
    BrookLyn didn’t answer . She just imagin ed her self trying to climb out her bedroom window hoping not to get caught.
    Gabriella leaned in close r, smiling wide . “Do you trust me?”
    Gabriella was the first person to speak to BrookLyn when she had joined the church choir. She was nice from the start. BrookLyn used to catch her staring . She didn’t get it then , but she did now. When she look ed in Gabriella’s eyes , she saw that she was a good person , or at least appeared to be. So she decided to tell her the truth.
    “Yes, I do. I don’t know you that well ... but I feel like I should.”
    “You’ll get to know me better, I promise. I really like you , BrookLyn, not just because you’re beautiful. I want us to be together forever . ”
    “No one has ever told me that I was pretty , let alone beautiful. You don’t mean that.”
    “You have no idea how much I mean that . ”
    BrookLyn looked toward the floor .
    “Don’t be embarrassed, BrookLyn. You’re a beautiful young girl who will grow into an even more beautiful woman. ”
    BrookLyn felt as if , at that exact moment , her heart almost stopped. How many beats can a heart skip before you’re dead? She held her breath , trying not to pass out from all of the excitement.
    “ M y beautiful woman,” she whispered in her ear, “I shall love you forever and beyond.”
    BrookLyn had no idea about forever , although today she was happy , at least she was until she got home.
    “I have to go. I don’t want to but I have to .