Planning on Forever

Table of
Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

–
ALEXA –

Double
checking myself in the mirror, I make sure that my hair is perfectly curled and
that my makeup is perfectly applied. Dressed in my favorite mini skirt and
printed cami top, I walk out of my bedroom to grab a latte and bagel from the
kitchen before driving to school.

I
arrive at the school parking lot and my face immediately brightens when I see
Collin. Unlike most juniors who aren’t given a parking pass, being captain of
the cheerleading squad and dating the senior star quarterback has given me some
benefits.

“Hey,
beautiful,” Collin whispers in my ear, helping me out of my car.

“Hey,
yourself,” I reply, snuggling under his arm.

“So
what's on the agenda for tonight?” Matt asks. “And Collin, you’d better not say
you have plans, because I’ll beat that lover boy grin right off your face...no
offense, Alexa.” He’s wide receiver of the football team and Collin's best
friend since elementary school. They met during pop warner football when they
were five years old and have been each other’s sidekicks ever since. Collin
looks at me with an arched eyebrow, knowing we already have dinner plans with
my parents tonight.

“Babe,
it's okay. Have fun with your friends. It's your last day of high school,” I
say with a smile.

“You're
amazing. How did I get so lucky?” He smiles back at me, squeezing me closer to
him.

Just
as I lean in to give him a kiss, something wet hits me on the leg. Looking
down, I see that my leg has a huge red mark on it.

“What
the hell?” I yell, noticing Collin's friend, Travis, standing there with a
bunch of water balloons.

“Sorry,
Princess, I was trying to hit Prince Charming. Chill out, it's just water,” he
replies in his cocky voice. And that's Travis, my least favorite friend of
Collin's. Like Matt, he’s known Collin since their pop warner days. You can
label him as the dysfunctional friend.

“Why
do you have to be such a dumbass?” I ask, throwing my hair behind my shoulder.
I turn to Collin, “I'm going in, are ya coming?”

After
shooting Travis a dirty look, Collin grabs my hand. “Yeah, let’s go.”

This
day is not going how I envisioned. Today is supposed to be fun! It's the last
day that we'll all be at school together and I want it to be free of drama,
especially because I'm already slightly annoyed that I have to return for
another year of high school without Collin. During my freshman year I was
stricken with mono. I missed so much school that I was held back and required
to repeat my freshman classes.

We
walk through the front doors, hand in hand like the power couple we are. Heads
turn and people whisper as we walk by, just like any other day. Collin has that
“All American” look that you cannot help but drool over. He has brown shaggy
hair that goes every which way, beautiful caramel eyes, and the most amazing
muscular body. Every girl’s dream guy. We stop by my locker to grab my books
before Collin walks me to my homeroom.

“I'll
see you in a little bit, beautiful,” he says, pausing to give me a quick peck
before heading to his classroom.

–
COLLIN –

Being
the last day, all the teachers are laid back and handing out random papers and
test scores. Before I know it, the bell rings, and my years of high school are
officially over.

Turning
the corner to our lockers, I take a minute to admire Alexa as she packs her
things. She is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. With long
blonde hair, amazing green eyes and a perfectly cut little body, she is the
complete package; probably the sweetest girl you'll ever met. She's the first
girl I ever loved and the first girl I ever slept with.

I
was approved for a football scholarship at St. John Fisher, a little over an
hour away from Syracuse. Next year is going to be crazy, not seeing her every
day. We’ve never discussed what is going to happen after I leave; we’ve just
brushed it aside, trying to avoid it.

“Hey,”
I say, coming up behind her and kissing her neck. She turns around, wraps her
arms around me, and gives me a puppy dog look. Leaning in, I bite her bottom
lip, making her laugh. “Stop pouting, I’m not leaving yet,” I tell her, knowing
that she is sad that our last day of school together is over and I’ll be
leaving soon.

“I
know, I know...I think it's just starting to hit me,” she says with a sigh.

“Everything
will work out, I promise.” Kissing her forehead, I lean over to pick up our
bags before walking out the school doors one last time.

– ALEXA –

My
junior year is officially over and the next time I walk through these doors, I
will be a big, bad senior. I should be overly excited about this, but the
thought of walking through these doors without Collin next year makes my
stomach turn. Although things will be different, I know everything will be okay;
it’s not like he’s going to be across the country. We can easily visit each
other on the weekends. I’ll be busy with cheerleading, school, and my part-time
job. We love each other; I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

“There
he is, the infamous Collin West, making his final walk down to the parking
lot,” Matt jokes as we approach them in the lot.

“Yeah,
bro, we are done with this place,” Collin greets Matt, doing their little hand
shake they do.

“So
you still down to go celebrate, buddy?”

Although
the question was directed to Collin, they all look at me for confirmation that
I'm okay with it. I would love to say no and keep Collin all to myself tonight,
but to avoid being labeled “The Ball and Chain” I agree that it’s fine.

“Yeah,
yeah,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Just try not to get into too much trouble, will
ya?”

Squeezing
me into his side, Collin kisses my temple in appreciation.

“You
better make this up to me tomorrow night,” I whisper in his ear.

Looking
down at me with hungry eyes, he whispers back, “Oh, you can count on that.” and
then gives me a long kiss.

“Shit,
dude. Do you guys need some alone time before we leave?” Travis interrupts.