Free Keeping in Line by Courtney Brandt

embarrassed to be seen with me.
    Bronwyn’s once great idea now seemed like one destined to end in an embarrassing failure.
    Drew reached over and squeezed her hand, “We’re almost there.”
    When the car pulled into someone’s driveway, she asked nervously, “Drew, where are we? Do you know who lives here?”
    “Relax, this is my house.”
    “So now what?” Bronwyn was confused.
    Drew looked at her and smiled, “Come on.”
    He led Bronwyn to his backyard and announced, “It’s not my best idea ever, but it’s all I could come up with on such short notice.”
    Bronwyn saw a large trampoline in front of her and was a bit bewildered. He continued, “I have to go in and get a few things, will you be okay out here?”
    She nodded, unsure what the appropriate response should be. Drew went inside and Bronwyn nervously went ahead and got up on the trampoline and tried to come up with the right position to sit in. Eventually, she sat crossed legged and leaned back on her hands, pleased the nice weather had persisted. The temperature was warm and the stars were shining brightly overhead.
    Drew came out and joined her on the trampoline, easily visible to her in the almost full moon. He announced, “Come here woman, I have brought sustenance.”
    Bronwyn burst out with a nervous giggle. Suddenly, she was very aware of where she was sitting in proximity to Drew and tried to remind herself she had sat closer to him in the car. He didn’t seem to notice her nervousness as he pulled out some snacks and started spreading them out on the bouncy surface. Bronwyn was even more impressed when he revealed an iPod attached to small speakers. For a spur of the moment date, she was delighted with his effort and somewhat relieved he hadn’t taken her somewhere traditional. The thought of dinner and a movie seemed less personal than the intimate setting on the moonlit trampoline.
    “Let’s see, do you want Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew?”
    Bronwyn grinned; it was like being on the drumline bus. She answered carefully, “Dr. Pepper.”
    “Fine, Mountain Dew for me. And since we both marched a difficult show tonight, I brought grapes, cheese, and crackers to eat.”
    “Crackers on a trampoline? Isn’t that a little messy?” Bronwyn teased.
    “Umm…we’ll just bounce off the crumbs.”
    Bronwyn laughed again and wondered if he showed this side of himself to everyone. While they ate, they discussed the show that evening and the improvements that had been made since band camp. At the end of the day, her nerves were a bit unfounded, he was very easy to talk to, and the conversation flowed between them. Wiping his mouth, Drew asked, “Finished?”
    Bronwyn didn’t want to be. She figured the date would be over once she was. She replied slowly, “Yes…”
    “Good. Now come over here by me.”
    Bronwyn was suddenly shy, “Why?”
    “Just come on.”
    She scooted carefully over to Drew’s side and asked, “Are you going to take me home now?”
    “Are you kidding? I’m trying to convince you to be my date for Homecoming, aren’t I?”
    “Yes?”
    “Well, I’d hope I had more planned than Dr. Pepper. No, we’re going to do some stargazing.”
    Bronwyn had no other dating experience to go on, but looking up at the stars sounded like a great idea to her. Drew unfurled a fleece blanket that he had brought with him, and laid it down in the middle of the trampoline.
    “Hey now – there’s no need to be shy.” He patted the space next to him and said, “We’re co-conspirators, remember?”
    Bronwyn had a moment of serious panic, then decided she had better use this time for all it was worth because she wasn’t sure when something remotely like this would happen to her again. Bronwyn carefully lay down next to Drew, so that she was close, but not touching him.
    Drew let out a frustrated sigh and said softly, “I promise I don’t bite.”
    Bronwyn scooted a tiny bit closer, and Drew scooted the rest of the way, putting