The Other Side of Tomorrow

She harrumphs. “Come sit by me, dear,” she tells me. “This one can go eat by himself.”

“Don’t go stealing my girlfriend,” he jokes.

I let her guide me over to the patio table where Jasper’s grandpa also sits.

“Hey, Granddaddy, you remember Willa,” Jasper says, sitting down to which his grandma glares at him. He simply smiles as I sit beside him and his grandma takes the other chair.nbsp;

Some of their family friends sit on the outdoor couch eating and chatting, not paying us any mind.

“Of course I remember Willa. I’m old, not stupid.”

Jasper laughs. “Sorry.”

“How have you been?” she asks me.

I push some food around my plate pretending to eat. I feel bad, the food looks and smells delicious, but with the current turmoil rolling around in my stomach I know food is the last thing I need.

“I’m doing good. I got a job at Cool Beans.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I needed a job and Jasper said they needed to hire someone so …” I trail off.

The sliding door opens, and a man steps out in a pair of cargo shorts and short sleeve white T-shirt. I know instantly he must be Jasper’s dad. They have the same build and similar face shape—the same curve of their jaw.nbsp;

“Is everything good?” the man asks. “You must be Willa.” He smiles when he sees me. “I’m John.” He holds out a hand and I shake it. “Jasper’s dad.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Make yourself at home,” he tells me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’m glad Jasper invited you.”

“Thanks. I’m happy to be here.”

He goes over to his friends then and I return my attention to pushing my food around the plate.

“Are you not hungry?” Jasper asks, having already devoured half of his plate.

I shake my head. “I think I might be coming down with something,” I lie.nbsp;

He frowns. “You should’ve told me. You didn’t have to come.”

“No, no,” I rush to reassure him. “I wanted to be here, and besides it’s probably from too much sun.”

It’s a weak excuse, I know, but it’s the best I can come up with on short notice. Lying isn’t exactly my forte.nbsp;

Jasper finishes eating and I do the best I can, which isn’t much. I throw the rest away, feeling bad since I know his mom went to so much trouble to prepare the meal.

The radio plays and Jasper stands, holding out his hand to me with a smirk.

“Why do you always want to dance with me?”

“Because when I dance with you nothing else exists.”

I shake my head and take his hand. He leads me to the center of the grassy area and we begin to dance.

“We look stupid. No one else is dancing.”

He lowers his mouth to my ear. “The only time we ever truly look stupid is when we think that. As long as you’re having fun and happy all other people see is joy, not stupidity.”