You've Got the Love - Chapter 1
Yay, the actual JonaKris story!! Here's how this is gonna work. Each chapter is going to be loosely based on a song. I'll throw in a few lyrics, things like that. You can listen to the song while reading the chapter to add some fun, but it's not necessary. This one is fun to write so far ^^ JonaKris is freaking adorable.
The story's title is from Florence + the Machine's "You've Got the Love." This chapter comes from No Doubt's "Running."
Title - You've Got The Love
Chapter - 1
Pairing - Established Jonathan/Kristen
Rating - G for insane cuteness
Summary - Jonathan and Kristen have a great future in store. They're in love, about to start their senior year of high school, and making plans to go to college with their friend Wayne. Nothing could go wrong.
Mobile, Alabama
July 1988
"Hey Jon, you should really consider giving this thing a trim. I mean, you're starting to get serious about your acting, and we're starting college next year,” Kristen Anderson said as she gently pulled one of her boyfriend's coppery curls and let it bounce back into place. “Don't get me wrong, I like your hair like this but it doesn't say 'serious' about anything.”
“And?” he asked without looking up from his script.
“And, people aren't going to take you seriously with it like that,” she answered as she curled up beside him and looked down at the script.
“Come on. We haven't even started our senior year. I've got plenty of time before I have to think about that.”
Kristen sighed and said, “Jonathan Mangum, you are so impossible sometimes!”
“I know, but you love it,” he said with mischief in his blue eyes.
“I love you.”
Kristen leaned in front of the script and kissed him slowly, tossing the script aside as she did. Jonathan smiled through the kiss and returned it until she pulled away and sat on his lap, facing him. His arms went around her as their foreheads touched and eyes met, Kristen's dark brown on Jonathan's bright blue. Yes, she was in love with him and he was in love with her. They were going to last forever. He was the one that she trusted more than anyone, and he inspired her. When she played her cello, she played for him. They had a great relationship, and they had every intent of staying together.
They stayed like that until a knock on the double glass doors brought them back into reality. Kristen immediately thought that it was Jonathan's parents asking “if they wanted something.” She jumped off his lap and sat up perfectly straight next to him on the couch as he turned to see who it was.
“Relax, it's Wayne,” Jonathan said.
Kristen moved to lean against her boyfriend and asked, “What?”
“He's coming over, remember?”
“Oh yeah...”
Wayne knocked on the door again, and Jonathan went to help him once he saw that his friend had his hands a little too full to open the door. He took the pizza box and soda bottle from him and put them on the coffee table in front of him as Wayne joined them in the family room.
“Sorry, man. Didn't hear you,” Jonathan said to a very confused Wayne.
“Hey,” Kristen said as she stuck a hand up and waved without looking away from the music video that was playing on the TV.
“I didn't think that interfered with your hearing,” Wayne teased as he claimed the comfy dark brown chair next to the couch.
Jonathan shot Wayne a dirty look as he sat next to Kristen and opened the pizza box. The smells of the herbs, spices, and toppings wafted up to them and reminded them of just how hungry they were. They poured themselves a glass of the soda, pulled a slice each, and ate quietly, enjoying the food. Wayne certainly knew how to pick a pizza place.
“So, are you gonna try out for that All-State thing when school starts back?” Wayne asked after swallowing a bite of pizza.
“I don't know,” Kristin said thoughtfully after a sip of her drink. “I mean, cello spots are kinda hard to come by.”
“I think you should,” Jonathan said. “You told me to audition for the summer play thing, and I got it. Your turn.”
She took another bite out of her slice and grinned. “If only it were that easy. Although, if I decide to try out and by some weird twist of fate make it I'll be gone for half a week.”
“Okay,” he answered, and he sighed once he realized what Kristen was getting at. “Yes, I'd miss you, all that stuff.”
“My parents would drag you to the concert anyway. The whole be a supportive boyfriend thing, you know.”
Jonathan nodded. He could think of worse ways to spend a Saturday than going to an orchestra concert. He wasn't exactly a fan of classical music, but he tolerated it because Kristen loved it, just like she tolerated his love of all things science fiction and fantasy. It was an unexpected pairing, musician and borderline workaholic Kristen with funny and nerdy Jonathan, but that didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that they complimented each other very well and thus made a great couple. It definitely worked.
Kristen twirled the silver treble clef ring that Jonathan gave her for her seventeenth birthday back in March and grinned as she listened to him talk to Wayne about some video game that they were going to buy soon. She loved how they weren't completely alike. Their seperate interests and circles of friends were a good thing. If she wanted to, she could take some of her orchestra friends to a concert while he went and played video games with his friends. At the same time, they had mutual friends so they weren't completely independent.
“Jon told me that you're considering doing choir next year,” Kristen said with a hint of tease in her voice. “I don't think the girls there are your type.”
“For your information, I like singing,” Wayne replied with as much dignity as he could muster. “I don't do everything just to get girls.”
“Come on, you mean that you're joining choir 100% because you want to?”
“Yes!”
Kristen rolled her eyes but failed to suppress the grin on her face. Wayne knew she was only teasing; that was how the trio's relationship worked. They were at such a high comfort level with each other that they could say whatever they wanted to each other and have the other person know that the meaner things were only jokes. It took a lot for one of the trio to offend someone else.
“Wait, it's summer. Why are we talking about school again?” Jonathan asked as if that realization had just hit him.
“Some people like it,” Kristen teased as she picked his script up and hit him playfully with it.
“I like it, but there's a time and a place...summer is neither of those.”
“Hmm, how's this for a topic of conversation then? You still owe me five bucks from that time when you bet me that I couldn't make it through one Spanish class without wanting to strangle the guy that sat next to me,” Kristen said with a smirk.
“That's still school, Kris. And I technically gave you the five dollars,” answered Jonathan.
“Did not.&rdquo
“Did too,” he replied with an air of superiority. “I remember you telling me that the ring canceled the bet because I'm that awesome and you loved it that much.”
“Crap, you're right.”
“I can't believe I was here to witness this. Kristen was wrong and Jonathan was right. Congrats, dude,” Wayne said, causing Kristen to playfully stick her tongue out at him.
“What do I get?” Jonathan asked eagerly.
Kristen leaned closer to him and whispered, “You'll find out when Wayne leaves.”
She pulled away and raised her eyebrows once, leaving Jonathan intrigued. She could see the wheels turning as his mind tried to figure out what she had in store for him. She grinned at him as Wayne shook his head.
“Get a room, seriously,” Wayne said.
“We don't need one yet,” Kristen answered with a hint of tease in her voice as she spotted Jonathan's dazed expression. “Hey, Jonathan. Wake up, time for school!”
“What? I wasn't...”
“I know you better than that, Jon. You were completely thinking about what I said. Anyway. Speaking of school, we kinda need to talk about what we're gonna do for college since our senior year is coming up and we need to get applications turned in practically as soon as the year starts. I was thinking that, since we've been friends for so long, we should go to the same school.”
They nodded in agreement. Wayne, Jonathan, and Kristen had been friends since their freshman year when they had homeroom and first period algebra together. Jonathan noticed that she seemed to love reading and writing while Wayne picked up on her love of music. The threesome was instantly inseperable. Kristen had taken a more academically-oriented route, opting for honors and AP classes once they got to sophomore year, but they still made time to hang out with each other outside of school and extracurricular activities. She had been worried about her relationship with Jonathan driving a stake into their friendship, but it didn't happen. Wayne accepted them for what they were - a couple and his best friends. There was no third-wheel feeling when they were together.
“So,” Kristen began as she pulled her bushy dark hair back into a ponytail using the lime green hair tie she kept around her wrist. “I was thinking we could go to, what was it...not that one that everyone calls Bama, that's stupid.”
“Auburn?” Wayne offered as Kristen pulled a thin stenographer's pad from her purse and flipped the front cover back to reveal neatly written notes, seperated into each of their majors, activities on campus, and things to do off campus.
“Yeah, that's it. I've looked into our majors, and all of the programs look good.”
Jonathan grinned with a little bit of pride. That was his girlfriend, super-organized and concerned about her friends' success as much as her own. She caught his look and smiled back at him. If they looked older than 17 instead of younger, they could've passed as a young married couple with that exchange. Kristen curled up against Jonathan and flipped through her pages of notes as his arm went around her shoulders.
“There's lots to do there, so we won't be bored. I can keep playing my cello in the orchestra, and there's a great vocal group if you decide you actually like choir, Wayne,” Kristen continued as she felt Jonathan idly play with her ponytail as it draped across her shoulder, causing her to sigh contentedly. “There's theater too...you can keep doing that, if you'd like.”
“How long have you been thinking about this?” Jonathan asked as he eyed her notes.
“Only since sophomore year. I mean, we had pretty much solidified the best friends thing, so I knew I wanted to go to college with you two. Then we happened, and...well...yeah.”
“Wait,” Wayne said. “We need a backup plan in case this doesn't happen. I mean, there are things that could make this fall through.”
“Yeah, okay, that makes sense. Did you have something in mind?”
“Florida?” he asked.
“Hmm, okay. I've heard the schools down there are good,” Kristen agreed. “And it's a beautiful place. So...first choice, Auburn, backup is Florida.”
“Fine by me,” Jonathan said.
Kristen beamed and jotted “Florida” on a new page so she could take notes on some schools as the summer progressed. As for now, she was content to spend the rest of the time with her two favorite people. Their senior year would probably be very busy with college preparations, especially for Kristen since her teacher had convinced her to take a dual credit English class and an AP United States history class. They had this summer, the school year, and the next summer before they went off to college together, and they intended to make the most of every minute they could spend together.
Wayne went home later that evening, leaving Jonathan and Kristen alone again. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly as he kissed her forehead and ran his hand up and down her arm.
“I can't wait for college,” she breathed. “The three of us, living together, away from parents...it's going to be awesome.”
“Totally,” Jonathan agreed.
Kristen heard a knock on the door and turned to find Mrs. Mangum poking her head into the room. Kristen could see where Jonathan got his curly, coppery hair and bright blue eyes as well as his sense of humor. She smiled good-naturedly at the young couple.
“That was your father, Kristen. He would like you to be home soon,” she said sweetly, voice soft and motherly.
“Thank you, Mrs. Mangum,” Kristen replied just as sweetly.
“You're welcome, dear. I'll let you two say your goodbyes. I know how you young people are.”
She softly closed the door behind her and smiled as she watched her only son say goodbye to Kristen. She knew that Kristen was a sweet, good-natured girl who probably didn't have a hurtful bone in her body. Her Jonathan was happy, and that was all that mattered to her. He couldn't have picked a better young lady to date as far as she was concerned.
“So, uh, I'll see you this weekend,” Jonathan said.
“Can't wait,” Kristen replied as she gazed into his eyes.
“Me either. I'll call you tonight, okay?”
Kristen nodded and finished her goodbye with a slow, soft kiss that left Jonathan with a peaceful, soft smile on his face. He walked her out to her car and gave her a hug before she got in and pulled out of the driveway. Kristen drove down the road towards her house, on top of the world. She had a great life. Her friends loved her, and she had the best boyfriend anyone could hope for. They didn't exactly know what the future had in store for them, but as long as they kept running towards it together, everything would be okay.