"Did you finish cleaning up in your room?" Mom asked, referring to the tiny pieces of wallpaper.
"Almost, but I can do it in seconds."
"Get that done, and as long as your father says all right, I don't see why not," Mom answered.
Dad fished out his wallet from his back pocket, opened it, and pulled out a ten-dollar bill handing it to me. I quickly snatched it up, squealed out a thank you, and ran back upstairs with the phone clutched to my chest.
I called Ellie, and she was so excited, but we were quick on the phone, so I could call Lincoln.
It rang three times, and there was a sweet woman's voice on the other end, "Hello."
"Hi, is Lincoln there."
"Who's calling?" She was rather abrupt with the way she asked. It intimidated me.
"Um, it's Lola."
"The one he's staying up all hours of the night talking to?"
"I guess I'm guilty of that."
"Girl, Alex cannot stop teasing him about you," she sighed, "The boys are in the basement working out. Hang on."
I waited, and a few minutes later, Lincoln answered, "Lola?"
"Hey, I don't have much time, but Ellie and I are going to the mall, and I wondered if you could meet us there."
"When are you going?" His voice, even though it had only been hours since I heard it last, sent shivers down my spine.
"We'll probably be there in like a half an hour."
"Meet me by Angelo's in the food court."
"I'll see you soon." I nearly whispered.
"Yeah," he answered, and I was so excited I nearly forgot to say goodbye as I raced around my room to clean up so I could go.
HE WAS RELAXING BACK in a chair, his long legs were stretched out, as we approached. Various smells of all different food types wafted through the air. I smelled Chinese, Italian, Subway, and Taco Bell. The mix of scents, which generally was gross to me, faded away as I took him in. He seemed even more attractive today.
"Damn," Ellie whispered.
"I know," I muttered under my breath.
When he noticed me, his body language changed. He shifted in his seat, and it appeared that at the last second, he decided to stand.
"Lola, hey."
"Hi, Lincoln. Do you remember my friend Ellie?"
"'Sup," he said with a chin lift. Typical male. "So, do you ladies want to eat something first, or do you have major shopping to do?"
Ellie answered before I got a chance to, "Why don't you two get something to eat. I have a bedroom to start pre-decorating?"
"Pre?" I asked.
"Well, I'm not buying anything today. I'm mentally planning."
"Thanks, Elle." My girl! Making it so I could have a date with Lincoln.
"Cool of you." Lincoln grabbed my hand and threaded our fingers together as Ellie waved goodbye. His touch sent tingles through my body, making my heart beat wildly.
"Meet me by the water fountain in an hour and a half, okay?" Ellie called, walking backward.
I looked at my watch, "I'll see you then."
"So, are you hungry?" Lincoln asked.
"Not really. You?"
"I just worked out. I can always eat. But I don't have that much time with you, so how about I eat later?"
"All right, so what do you want to do then?" I was more nervous than I should be.
Picking up on my nervousness, Lincoln suggested, "How about we each pick a store that will let the other know something about them."
"I like that. And I know the exact store to show you."
I led Lincoln away from the food court and brought him into Sam Goody's. I headed straight to my favorite CD's. I handed him The Clash, then moved to The Ramones and, more recently, Green Day and Beastie Boys. He grabbed the Beastie Boys cd from me, "I know this one, but you'll have to teach me the rest."
"How about you? What do you like?"
"I like a little of everything." He grabbed Eminem, then Usher.
"Really?" I was surprised our music tastes were so off.
"How about this one?" He handed me Linkin Park.
I smiled, "I think we can agree on Linkin Park."
"Linkin Park is good, but Usher is sexy. Your music is not sexy. You got it, you got it bad." he sang and moved his body in a way that I could only describe as pure sex.
My eyes became hooded just as Nine Inch Nails’ Closer began to play on the store's speakers.
"My music can be sexy too. Just listen to this song," I said.
Lincoln moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His body was close, but he left an acceptable distance as he softly sang the lyrics in my ear, "Help me, I broke apart my insides. Help me, I've got no soul to sell. Help me, the only thing that works for me. Help me get away from myself." He stopped singing, and although the next line that Trent Reznor sang was far dirtier, even if it was the censored version, what Lincoln sang did far more for me. I felt high off of his words.
He held me while the rest of the song played, and the entire time, I thought about what it would be like if he just turned and kissed me right there in the aisle.
We left the store, and he stopped me in front of the closed Army recruiter's office. Signs that read, 'Be all that you can be' were displayed all over the windows.
It reminded me that he would be leaving. It also made me think of 9/11 and all our country endured in the short year since it happened.
"Where were you when it happened?" I asked, and he knew what I was talking about. Everyone knew.
"I'd like to say I was in class, but I wasn't. I'd been picked up by the cops. I was in a shit foster home. The old man tried to put his hands on me, so I fought back and took off. I'd only been on the streets for a day before I got picked up. When 9/11 happened, I was in a holding cell. What about you?"
"Well, nothing like that at all. I was at home, lying in bed with horrible cramps." I felt my face turn red from embarrassment.
"None of that. You don't ever need to be embarrassed with me." Lincoln gave me a gentle shove teasing me.
"So, the Army." I stopped talking, unsure of what to say next.
"I was in that cell and kept thinking I was trapped, and there was real shit going on. My whole life, I'd felt trapped. I just wanted to do the right thing and be the man I wanted to be, but I kept feeling like life's B.S. was getting in my way. Seeing the destruction of those planes crashing into buildings, I felt like there was something worth fighting for. All those lives lost for no good reason made me want to do something. Something real that if I made it through high school, I could join and make a difference. Does that make sense to you?"
"Yeah, it does," I paused, thinking how amazing he was. He was so young and had been through so much, yet he was thinking about others and how he could help. I then asked a question that was plaguing me, "Lincoln?"
"Yeah?"
"What are we starting here? Because it feels like we're starting something and it won't last."
"You're right. It feels big. It feels like we can't let anything get in our way."
"Yes." The word slipped past my lips. I know he didn't ask a question, but everything about what he said felt right. His words ran a pitter-patter all over my already rapidly beating heart.