Rosie


 * Say You Like Me**

The last thing I saw before the crash were Luke’s black eyes staring into mine, before it all went black.

“Hi, I’m Luke. My favorite book is The Last Olympian and my favorite color is orange. I’m taking this class because I want to be a singer when I grow up, and I thought this would help me learn how to write a song.” He said in a very small voice. The new kid surveyed the classroom, making eye contact with everyone in the room. He looked at me, and then immediately looked down. I blushed, not sure what to do next. “Hi, I’m Camden...” I zoned out after that, I already knew everyone else in the room like the back of my hand. It was Mrs. Palmer’s weird way of getting to know people on the first day of school, and I had hoped that once we got to seventh grade, we wouldn’t have to introduce ourselves with our favorite color anymore. I looked up at one of the cheesy “its fun to learn” posters on the wall and for a second, my eyes passed over Luke’s. His eyes were enchanting, dark as night, but still had a glimmer to them that made me melt inside. He must’ve felt my eyes on him, because he looked up at me. His tiny elfish ears turned red and again, he looked down. //He’s so shy//, I thought, //I wonder if he’s nice.//

When the bell rang to let us out of fifth period, I met up with Charlotte and we made our way up to vocal tech. “Hey, did you see the new guy?” Charlotte asked as she bumped into a sixth grader who made the mistake of taking the north stairwell. “Yeah, he kept looking at me. It was weird.” I shouted, making my way through the horde of people separating me and Char. “I saw that! You know, he’s kind of cute. UNGH!” Charlotte grunted as she finally pushed through the wall of students in front of Miss McCarthy’s door, “You should get to know him. I bet he likes you!” “Char, let’s not jump to conclusions here,” she was notorious for doing that, “I don’t even know the guy yet. All I know is that he wants to be a singer, like half of the other kids at this school.” “Well, you also know his favorite color is orange and he’s a big fan of the Last Olympian! You have so much in common!” “You know I hate the color orange, and I’ve never even read that book!” “Well then you better get down to the library!” BRRRRING! The bell rang and we all poured into the classroom, standing awkwardly by the door until the teacher sat us down and started with her lesson. But I wasn’t paying attention, because when I sat down, the first thing I saw were two piercing black eyes staring into mine.

CHAPTER 2 “Hi honey, how was school?” My mother asked when I walked in the door. I shrugged and ran off to my bedroom. I still wasn’t talking to her, ever since she’d announced that she and my father were getting a divorce. It had been two weeks, and my vow of silence wasn’t ending anytime soon. As soon as I got to my bedroom, I pulled out my phone and called Char. “Hey Molly Moo!” I heard Charlotte’s crackly voice at the end of the line after only two rings. “Hey Char, long time no see!” I said as I pulled my new purple nail polish out of the top drawer in my desk. “Same! Okay, this is gonna sound really un-Char-ish of me, but what’s your goal for this year?” she asked. I could tell she was being serious, so I held back my giggles. Charlotte never asked questions like that. “I want to get the lead in the musical,” I actually didn’t care what part I got, but I needed a quick excuse, “How about you?” “I’m going to get you a boyfriend.” I couldn’t help but laugh, it was such a ridiculous thought. “Char, you know that’s impossible. I’m freaking hideous, and annoying, and just overall unappealing! I don’t know of a single person that likes me.” I said, taking out the nail polish from the box under my bed. “Molly Grace Higgins, you did NOT just say that. We’ve gone over this before. You are beautiful, and most definitely the most annoying person I know. But that’s why we love you! Even if you don’t know who likes you, what if I do?” I could hear a slight smile spreading across her lips as she spoke. She knew something I didn’t, and I couldn’t bear the suspense. “Do you know something?” I practically shouted into the phone, “Because if you do, and you don’t tell me, like, immediately, I am coming over to your house and I’m going to beat you harder than Joey Duncan did in fourth grade.” I was shaking the bottle of green polish so hard that I could hear the little marble rattling around inside. “Well, I promised I wouldn’t tell, but, I guess I can make an exception for you.” Charlotte said. She taking her time, knowing it would torture me, not knowing what she knew. “TELL ME!” I screamed. I uncapped the Love & Beauty nail polish and started furiously painting my toenails, getting green spots all over my floor. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to know what Char was keeping from me. “Don’t panic. I’ll tell you. You’re just going to have to do something for me first...”

CHAPTER 3 I sat down in 6th period, dreading what I knew I had to do next. Mrs. McCarthy’s light voice sent chills down my spine as she said the four words I had prayed she wouldn’t say. “Pick your duet partners!” I turned around and glared at Charlotte, three seats behind me. She knew the plan, and had already chosen Annie Schulz, one of the best singers in the class. I summoned all of the skills I’d learned at the two weeks I spent at acting camp last summer and turned to Luke. “Hey, Luke, right?” I said, pretending to be confused. “Yeah. You’re Molly?” He said. In that moment, I felt like I was seeing him for the first time. Behind his dark eyes, you could see a playful glisten, and I could hear a slight Spanish accent in his voice. He was wearing a green Packers jersey, tattered VANS and skinny jeans. He ran his fingers through his straight black hair and it stuck straight up. “Yeah, that’s me. Um, I don’t have a duet partner yet, do you wanna-” “Haha, okay,” he said, then blushed a little, “I mean, if you want to.” “Yeah, sure!” I said, then turned and gave Char a look that said are-you-happy-now-I-did-what-you-asked. She shot back a good-enough-for-now-but-you-are-going-to-have-to-try-harder-next-time. “So, what do you want to sing?” I asked. “I don’t know, they told us to pick recent pop songs... so, what’s a good one?” Luke said, “Have you heard Say You Like Me by We The Kings?" "Yeah," I said excitedly. I loved that song, "Let's do that one!"

**The story below has no title and is less than two pages long. I don't like it. But I felt like putting it up here.** “Any thoughts, Miss Potter? You’ve been quiet today.” Mr. Haughland said to me after the discussion on mollusk reproduction in science today. Some of my least favorite words. I shook my head silently, sure I looked like a deer in headlights, and went back to taking my notes. “Nice one, Pee-pee Potter,” Sandra snickered under her breath and proceeded to whisper something that could probably bring me down lower on the popularity scale here, to her best friend Nina. Nina giggled and stared at me, and I could feel my face getting hot. I turned away and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths and trying not to have a panic attack. Nina and Sandra have been tormenting me since I was five and I had a little “accident” at carpet time in Kindergarten. They still call me that horrible nickname sometimes, especially when I mess up. Melissa, my step mom, says that they’re just jealous of me, and that’s why they’re mean. But I don’t understand why someone would be jealous of me. I have nothing, no luscious blond hair, no Abercrombie jeans, no Ugg boots, I don’t even have above-average grades. Why would they be jealous of someone like me? The bell rang then, and I picked up my books and bolted out the door, nearly tripping over my shoelace, which caused another fit of giggles from Nina and Sandra, or Mean-a and Satan, as I like to call them. See, I don’t even have the creative mind on my side! I just make it to math in time, huffing and puffing, relieved it’s almost the end of the day. Only forty-two minutes left until the bell rings, and I’m free. I slide into my seat as Miss Navarro starts rambling on about integers and how she wishes her boyfriend hadn’t dumped her, and I just zone out. ▲  I wake up to a jab in my side from Kent Beckham, one of the most gorgeous guys in our grade, but he would never fall for me. He’s Kent Beckham, gorgeous, smart track star, medal winner from 2nd grade on, and I’m just Clare “Pee-Pee Potter”. I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize Miss Navarro standing over me, ruler outstretched, just above my fingers waiting to give them a slap. “Clare Potter. What is the answer?” I glanced at the board, panicked, and saw the problem. I did the math quickly and practically whispered “Uh, 12?” “Yes, Clare, congratulations...” Miss Navarro said, seemingly disappointed.
 * TO BE CONTINUED ^^ thanks for reading ^^**

This next one is a piece I wrote in sixth grade that I really like. It's 19 pages. I suggest you get something to eat, or get comfortable because it might be awhile.

You and I

My story starts with a bubble. That’s right, a single, translucent orb of bath soap. I was sitting out on my balcony, drinking lemonade and blowing bubbles. It was almost a hundred and nine degrees outside, and I was in a yellow and orange tank top and cutoff shorts, with my long orange hair tied up in a braid. I was bored out of my mind, watching my younger sister Olivia prance giddily through the sprinkler in my backyard in a tight-fitting green swimsuit.

“Laaaaaaa-NEEEEE!” Olivia screamed from the yard.

“WHAT?” I bellowed back.

“Come here! I’m COOOOLD!” Olivia said, her teeth chattering.

“Then go inside!” I said, much louder than I thought I would. I gained attention from the man in our neighbor’s backyard, mowing his perfect lawn. He stared up at me with utter distaste.

Being the obnoxious seven year old that I was, I waved, my million-dollar grin spreading across my face. He just glared back at me.

I blew another bubble that slowly floated toward the chain-link fence separating my neighbor’s lawn from ours. It crept over the wire sticking up from the top and flew toward the sandbox, where a boy my age was sitting. It bobbed up and down, the breeze blowing it closer and closer to the boy. He looked up at the bubble and stuck it with a pointy finger and giggled. He smiled, then, confused, looked for the blower of this mysterious bubble.

I waved again at the yard next door to mine and he waved back, grinning.

I disappeared off of the balcony, my bubbles spilling everywhere and my lemonade left, disregarded, on the side table.

Waving my mother a quick hello, I slipped out of the back door of the kitchen and into my green, flowery lawn.

The boy was already waiting at the fence, “What’s your name?”

“Lainey Watson. I’m seven.” I said.

“Cool! I’m Sam. I moved here last week. I’m seven, too!”

I do recall seeing a moving van outside of the house around that time, but it was fuzzy, since it was so long ago.

“Wanna be best friends?” I asked.

“YEAH!” Sam said, giving me a high-five.

We went to the same school all through grade school, me developing a crush on him halfway through fourth grade, but just last week, It happened.

♥

“I’m sorry, Grace, but I’m afraid I am correct.”

“No, no, Sabrina. I’m one-hundred percent sure that I am right. This recipe calls for TWO tablespoons of basil, not one,” My mother argued back. I’d never heard Mrs. Shelby talk to my mom this way, and I was worried this would end badly. I escaped the kitchen when neither of them were paying attention and headed up to my room. I ended up out on the balcony, talking to Sam only 14 feet below, in my backyard playing basketball with Olivia, “Our moms are fighting in the kitchen!” I shouted.

“What? About what?” Sam said, simultaneously dropping the ball and leaving Olivia to score a three-pointer.

“Haha! I beat you!” Olivia shouted.

“Shut up Liv! I’ll cream you in just a minute. Time out, ‘kay?” Sam said playfully.

“Well, they’re arguing about... basil, I think!”

Sam looked surprised. “Well, they’re women! What are you gonna do?” He said, giggling. I picked up a red ball off of my balcony and threw it at his face, missing by an inch.

Just weeks ago, I was so naive about the fight between our parents. I didn’t know that it would spiral out of control until my life changed forever.

♥

“Lainey, get down here. We need to have a discussion.” My therapist mother shouted from downstairs.

“About what?” I was completely sick of her little “discussions”, but then, the smell of blueberry muffins wafted up my room and into my nose. I followed the scent like a zombie after brains and ended up across from my mom at the old, stained kitchen table.

She offered me a muffin, “Lainey?”

“Yes?” I said, suddenly nervous. She had that look on her face, the look that meant business.

“Sam Shelby is your best friend. He goes to Lincoln, am I right?”

“Yes...” I said slowly, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“And his mother and I were, um, //are// friends?” She said, a slight grin spreading across her face.

“Mom, I will //pay// you to get to the point!” I grumbled.

“Okay, okay,” she said, her grin already stretched from ear to ear, “Last week, Sabrina, er, Mrs. Shelby, and I got into an argument. Quite a bad argument, actually. We aren’t on speaking terms at the moment.”

I nodded politely “yes,” but my mother didn’t know what sort of backflips my stomach was doing.

Her grin suddenly vanished and in its place, a frown of disappointment appeared. She stood and flung a dirty dish cloth down the back stairs and said “And this behavior, you being friends with this //boy//, is completely unacceptable.” The way she said the word ‘boy’ with such distaste scared the crap out of me.

“I’m sorry. I’ll...”

“No, don’t talk. This discussion is closed,” she snapped, “end of story.”

“But mom!” I’d never seen her so angry, so //humiliated//, even. I couldn’t believe this was such a big deal to her.

“Lainey! I told you, just keep on our property, no, keep OFF their property, and we will be ok. Just stay on your side of the black tape.”

“What?” I said, suddenly confused, “What is the black tape?”

“Your father laid a strip of black duct tape on the property line between our house and the Shelby’s. You are not to cross it, and if you put even a single //toe// over our property line, you will be grounded for //life//.”

I almost started to laugh, but then I saw her face. She looked like she was about to burst into tears and flames at the same time. I stopped myself and said,“Fine! Fine.” putting my hands up in surrender and backing out of the room.

As soon as I was out of sight, I made a mad dash up to my room.

I looked in the mirror before heading out onto the balcony, and it’s a good thing I did, ‘cause I was a mess. I twisted my hair into a tight bun, then shook my head. I didn’t want Sam to think I was trying too hard. After all, I was a girl, and I was his friend, and at the age of sixteen, most girls and boys become //more than friends.// And that’s when I suddenly realized, that is EXACTLY what I want. I don’t know if it was the early September heat or just the intrigue of an off-limits boy, but at that moment, I fell completely head-over-heels for my best friend, Samuel Elijah Shelby.

♥

I dramatically flung open the doors to my balcony, and squinted, the September sun in my eyes. I heard the low hum of the lawn mower behind me and my stomach flipped. I shaded my eyes with a makeshift visor (a.k.a. my hand) and gazed out onto the lawn where the love of my life was standing. His brown Yellowstone State Park shirt seemed to gleam in the sunlight, even though the color was darker than his deep brown eyes. He noticed me on my porch, and I waved to him, smiling big. He pushed a strand of blond hair out of his eye and said “Hey carrot top!”

“Hey blondie!” I called over the deafening din of the lawn mower.

He turned it off, saying, “Is something wrong?”

I guess the hurt on my face showed, even though I was trying to hide it. I scrambled off of my balcony, down the fire escape and ran over to the fence where he was standing.

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, something is wrong. My mom-”

“Oh. Yeah. My mom told me... probably the same thing... I should be going...” Sam said, cutting me off.

“No! Don’t go. We... No. It’s not fair!” I said.

“I know it’s not. Lainey, I have something to tell you, and it might make this all worse, or even better, but I can’t keep it to myself anymore.

//Here it comes,// I thought, //“I always hated you. Please,// PLEASE //leave me alone.//” //And with my luck, this would happen the exact day I’d fallen in love with him!//

“Lainey, I’ve always-”

“Sam, you don’t have to say it. I know you’ve always wanted me to just drop off the planet. I don’t need any more heartbreak today. Please.” I said, wiping my right eye with my left fist, tears suddenly filling my eyes to the point of overflowing.

“Lainey! It’s not like that. I’ve always... Lainey, I care about you so much, it makes me want to explode. Every day that you’ve sat there on your balcony, I’ve been sitting out here, watching you. I don’t want you to ever think that we can’t... that we can’t be together. I want you to know that I can’t be without you, Lainey.”

“Sam!” I said, flinging my arms around his neck. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard.

“Lainey?” Sam said, with an extremely concerned look on his face. His voice shook as he said my name.

“Yes?”

“There’s... There’s a dance coming up at Lincoln, right?” He asked. He was drumming his fingers on the fence between us, looking everywhere but directly at me.

“Mmhmm...” I said, trying to meet his gaze.

“And... If you don’t have a date... Which you probably do... Anyway... Will you go with me? To the dance?” He asked, finally looking straight into my eyes. Seconds passed, that felt like minutes. It seemed as if we were caught in time, standing on either side of the fence-

“ELAINE CASSANDRA WATSON! GET INSIDE RIGHT NOW!” My mother’s shriek cut into my thoughts and I raced inside. Anytime I heard my full name, I knew it was trouble.

Sam stared at me as I descended the porch stairs, and as soon as my mother was out of sight, I nodded at him and mouthed the word “yes”.

♥

I didn’t sleep that night. I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking only about Sam and what was going to happen if I was caught going to that dance with this boy. I’d be grounded for life, no, burned at the stake. I didn’t even know why two grown women would hold such a grudge about //basil// of all things. It was something private, something that I wouldn’t //dare// ask my mother about. I considered going to my dad, but he wouldn’t be any help. He’d say “You’ll find out when you’re older,” and go back to watching a football game on the old fuzzy TV.

At exactly 3:19 in the morning, I hopped off of my bed, knocking a glass off my bedside table, and laid on my stomach to crawl into the depths of the underside of my bed.

The box was in the far left corner, buried in about seven inches of dust. I blew it off and opened the lid. The inside was covered in faux-satin fabric, worn over the years. It smelled like the blankets in my baby cousin’s bedroom, the ones that have been loved so much over the years, hugged and played with day after day. But it wasn’t what the box looked like, or smelled like, or any of that. What mattered was what was inside.

I lifted the yellowed photo out of the box, unfolding the bent corner and holding it tightly in my hands, trying very hard not to crumple it. My eight year old smile was as bright as the sun and my arms were wrapped around a giant stuffed teddy bear. Behind me was a ferris wheel reaching to the sky and fireworks blanketing the black midnight sky.

But something was missing. I fingered the rip on the edge, and touched the disembodied hand over my shoulder. Sam should be standing next to me. Where the other half of the picture had gone, I didn’t know.

I tucked the photo into the pocket of my pajamas and looked at the other contents of the box. A note he’d passed me in fourth grade: MISS SMITH GAVE ME DETENTION!!!!

I remember giggling and having to go up in front of the whole class to read the note that Sam had passed me, turning red with embarrassment as the sub scowled at me.

Another note, passed maybe two years ago, was right underneath the first: i’m ditching math tomorrow. wanna come with me? and I’d replied: Nope. Already failing.

Nostalgia filled me like a balloon and tears streaked down my face, staining my cheeks with sticky, salty water. I couldn’t believe only three days ago, Sam and I were best friends, no strings attached.

♥

I awoke the next morning on the ground, curled up in a ball with the notes in my hand. I was a mess, my face streaked with tears and dried-up zit cream. I stood up, blood rushing from my head and giving me a headache. I tried to get dressed, tried to choke some toast down, but it just tasted like cardboard.

Crawling back to bed, I faked a cough and stayed home sick, still upset about Sam. He was never a good student, and at around 9:00 A.M, as I was dancing in my bedroom, I got the first text.

Hi. Ru feelin ok?

I reached over and picked up my phone, sitting down on the couch and putting my head in my hands. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t stand lying to Sam, my best friend, the love of my life, so I told the truth.

No. No, I’m not ok. I’m not sick. I can’t lie to you, so I’m going to tell you the absolute truth. I always wished we could be more than friends, and now, I know we can. I don’t want to make you feel nervous, so I’m just going to leave it to you. I stayed home today because I couldn’t wrap my mind around what’s happening. Please explain?

I hit the send button before I could change my mind. I’d never written anything that mushy, and it felt good. I flipped the TV on to distract myself from my racing thoughts. It felt like I’d poured a gallon of Coke into my head and my brain had swallowed it up.

He didn’t respond for almost an hour, and I thought that maybe he’d gotten caught texting, or... I couldn’t make myself come to the other conclusion. Then this came.

Elaine Watson, I couldn’t have said it better myself. I wanna go 2 prom with u. I wanted 2 since 4th grade. But will it be weird? Thats wut im wondering. Ur like a sister 2 me, but a sister that I’m 100% in love with. So wut do u say?

I started crying at about the “Elaine Watson” part and didn’t stop until I’d gotten this off my chest:

Absolutely. I am going to the dance with Sam Shelby.

♥

The next day was a flurry of paper and pencils as the second week of my Freshman year at Lincoln kicked into full swing. Homework was assigned, partners were paired up, and, lucky me, Sam had three classes with me.

“MINE!” I shouted as I spiked the volleyball over the net in the middle of the gym.

“Nice one, Watson!” Coach Sparks shouted across the room, and Sam winked at me. Candi Schuster caught on, and scooted over in her hot pink Hi-Tops, somehow managing to make her black and red Lincoln gym uniform look good.

“So, I hear you and Sam are going out!” Candi whispered in my ear, bumping the ball to Alexa, who hit it right over the net.

“Yeah, I guess. Where’d you hear that?” I said, keeping my eyes straight on the ball, even though my thoughts were going wild. I hadn’t told anyone about me and Sam... That must mean that Sam had told someone... I was ecstatic.

“Sam told George who told Scott who told Allison who told Mandy who told me. So... It’s true right?”

“Absolutely... I guess...” I didn’t know if Sam wanted everyone to know yet.

“Oh, so it’s complicated!” Candi said, almost instantly getting hit in the face with the ball, “OW! Watch it, doofus!” She shouted at some unknown figure at the edge of the gym.

“PAY ATTENTION, SCHUSTER!” Coach Sparks hollered.

“Sorry!” Candi said, flipping her blond ponytail behind her for the fourth time in, maybe, thirty seconds.

“No! Candi, it shouldn’t matter to you. Yes, we’re going out. No, it’s not complicated. I’ll make it easy for //you// to understand: Lainey. And. Sam. Dating. Got it, sweetheart?” I said as condescendingly as possible.

“Geez, you don’t have to be so rude! Well, I’ll pass it on. Everyone will know by next period, for sure!” She started scooting away from me in a desperate last attempt to whack the ball over the net.

♥

“What was that all about?” Sam asked me at the end of the period. We were walking to Language Arts together, something that usually never happened but was now “the norm” for him and I.

“Ah, nothing. Candi said she heard that we were going out from... I think it was you, who told George, who told Scott who told... um... Whatever. She heard it from lots of people. Did you tell George we’re going out?” I said, smiling at him.

“Yeah. Do you mind? I thought we were... so I told some people. Is that ok?” he said, a look of concern on his face.

“That’s awesome! Thanks, actually, now I don’t have to go through the awkward stage of ‘no, you’re not!’” I said, laughing.

“Your welcome!” He smiled.

I walked into language arts and took my seat next to Alex Lancome, who flicked a spit ball right at my blue binder.

“Bug off, Alex!” I said as quiet as possible. Sam giggled from across the room, which got him an immediate detention. Pretty soon after, I giggled, too, which caused the entire class to burst out into laughter, including Mrs.Collins, the meanest teacher I’d ever met. This year was turning out much better than I’d assumed.

♥

detention is awesome! party! collins left the room! wish u were here! <3 sam

I smiled and laid back on my bed. I looked at my watch-Sam should be back in about a half hour, then we were going to put my master plan into action.

lol wish i wuz there 2! miss u! well r we still on 4 2nite?

Of course I knew what he was going to say, because anything that had to do with breaking rules was his kind of night.

I started to root through my drawers, trying to find something decent to wear tonight. After about ten minutes, I decided on my yellow bubble skirt and a baby pink top. I got completely ready and sat on my front steps, waiting for the blue minivan to pull into my driveway.

Sam showed up exactly 4 minutes and 26 seconds early, and I ran to his car, waving good-bye to my mother. Thanks to tinted windows, she had no idea I was with Sam, since I told her I had a study group tonight and I’d be back before ten.

“Hey hon! What’s up?” Sam said, a grin spreading across his face.

“The sky!” I said jokingly.

Sam’s laugh sounded like sunshine, and it made me melt inside, “So where are we going tonight?”

“I was thinking Nick’s. They have great pizza!”

“Sounds good! Let’s go!”

♥

“We’ll split the medium cheese pizza.” Sam said, looking at me, not even glancing at the waitress.

“Okay! I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Thank you!” I said.

“So. Where were we?” Sam said as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. We were the only people in the tiny restaurant except for an elderly couple who’d just got up to leave. The walls were blue, and splattered with pizza sauce, and the kitchen was probably bigger than the eating area. We sat in a booth near the wall, far away from the windows so that our parents, grandparents, etc, would see us here.

“Right here,” I said, my hand inching toward his. I clung to his hand like it was my lifeline and we talked in whispers about things we both already knew about each other. I sipped my root beer every so often, and he watched me like I was the last girl on Earth. It made me feel so special, and I knew that he was all mine.

After about ten minutes, the pizza arrived and we chowed down. I got up to go to the bathroom after we’d devoured the entire pizza and I could have sworn I saw him pop, like, seven Altoids into his mouth out of the corner of my eye.

♥

“Well, here we are!” Sam said as we pulled up to my house.

“Yeah. Ugh. I don’t want to go.” I said, looking right at him.

“You don’t have to. It’s only nine-fifteen. We have forty five minutes to kill...” He said, a devilish grin spreading from ear to ear.

I smiled too, and he pulled around the corner, closer to the MacDonald’s house.

We spent the rest of the time talking about school, summer, our parent’s fight and other random stuff a little... and kissing a lot. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much my life had changed from just one little bubble, but a voice broke into my thoughts: “ELAINE! I cannot BELIEVE you!”

My mother.

“MOM! It’s not... It’s not what it looks like!” I said, my cheeks turning bright red as I scooted over to sit in the passenger seat, but it was no use. Sam was blushing, too, and there was absolutely no way I could cover up the pink lipstick stain on his left cheek.

“Well, Lainey, it sure looks like you went on a secret date with a forbidden boy and then pulled just around the corner from our house to kiss him in his minivan!” My mother’s face was redder than mine, but not with embarrassment, with fury.

“I guess it’s //exactly// what it looks like.” Sam said, trying to lighten the mood.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. Lainey, you are grounded for three months. No phone, no parties, no nothing. Come with me. Now.” She opened the car door and practically dragged me out. As she carried me away, I saw Sam. His face was twisted as he waved good-bye, like he’d smelled something icky. I assume my face looked the same way, so I rolled my eyes and he laughed a quiet, breathy laugh so my mother wouldn’t hear.

♥

“You tell me that you’re going to a STUDY HALL, and you go and see a BOY? On top of all THAT, a boy that I PROHIBITED you from seeing? UNACCEPTABLE! Elaine Cassandra Watson...” I zoned her out. She was pacing the room, yelling at me for something that she knew she was getting herself into. Didn’t she know? She used to be a teenager! I’d seen pictures of her and thousands of different boys. Why couldn’t she just let me be a normal kid?

♥

Later that night, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. //She// didn’t know better to take it away from me, and after she’d left the house to see her friends, I could do whatever I wanted.

I already had two new texts from Sam:

Hey. Sorry I got u in trouble. We can just b friends if u want... :(

and the second

Lainey? Please respond. I feel really bad.

They were sent only minutes apart. He must have really cared about me. This, again brought tears to my eyes and I started sobbing away about everything that we’d lost. We had to be together, but how? I picked up my phone and dialed his number, speed dial number 1.

He picked up on the second ring, “Hello? Lainey?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you ok?”

“Absolutely. Are you?” He had genuine concern in his voice.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I got quite a lecture from my mom. Did she tell your parents?” I asked.

“Yeah. I couldn’t believe how cool they were about it. They didn’t get mad at all... Well, they yelled a bit, but I’m not even punished!”

“Lucky duck! Well... I was thinking...”

“Do we have to break up? ‘Cause if you dumped me, I don’t think I could live the rest of my life knowing that I screwed up. This is making my dreams come true, Lai.” He said. He’d never called me Lai before, and my insides exploded at the sweet tone of his voice.

“No! Of course not! I was just wondering... Do you know of anywhere that your parents don’t know about where we could meet up?” I asked hopefully.

“Well... There is this one place... Meet me in your backyard in ten minutes. Bye!”

♥

“They’ll never find it. It’s completely protected. I found it about a year back and stashed some stuff down here... It’s been parent-proof since then!” Sam said. He was smiling so big that I didn’t want to say anything, just in case I hurt his feelings. But all I was thinking was //this is the smartest thing I’ve ever seen, Sam. I love it!//

I was standing in front of a weather-proof wooden door that lead deep into the Shelby’s backyard. One of the doors was open, and I saw a

“This is the smartest thing I’ve ever seen, Sam. I love it!” I said suddenly. I guess I didn’t realize that thoughts escape so easily.

“Thanks. So, you think it will work? We can make up a code word for it, so nobody knows what we’re talking about. Maybe it could be ‘I can’t see you again.’ I know it sounds cheesy, but I don’t want my mom or dad finding out. They sometimes read my texts over my shoulder.” He blushed as he spoke.

I was about to say that it was the cheesiest idea I’d ever heard, but then I realized the genius of his plan. It would work perfectly.

“That’s... That’s genius!” I said.

“Thank you, thank you.” He replied, taking a bow. I giggled and shuffled my feet, wondering when we could go inside.

He seemed to read my thoughts, “So... you wanna go down?” He scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks turning red.

“Definitely!” I said.

Signaling “ladies first”, he was a step behind me as we descended into the underground fort. The lights were already on and I gasped at what I saw.

A green cafè table sat in the middle of red and white checkerboard tiles, covered with a matching tablecloth. There were no windows, but the lights made it seem a bit like we were outside. Covering the walls were posters of comic book heroes and rock bands that I hadn’t heard of.

“Come here. I want to show you the best part.” Sam said. He practically dragged me over to the corner of the room, where there was a three-person red bean bag chair scattered with books and empty chip bags. He brushed off the garbage and we sat down together. Where my head touched the wall, I felt something glossy and had a sudden realization. I turned to look at where the picture should be and smiled.

“Sam!” I said, tears beginning to stream down my face.

“What? Oh my goodness, Lainey! Are you ok?” Sam said, noticing the tears on my face. He then looked down at my hand, seeing the faded photo of himself at the carnival, taken years ago, with a rip straight down the right side “Oh. Yeah, I kept it. I had a feeling that I’d need it one day.”

“I... I kept mine too. I found it in a box underneath my mom’s bed. I have it right... here.” I said, pulling the picture out of my jacket pocket. I lifted the two pictures up to the light and put them together at the rip.

The fit was perfect.

Sam grabbed a roll of tape from one of the shelves on the big black bookshelf that I hadn’t noticed before and taped it back together. He stuck it to the wall right above the bean bag chair and a new flow of tears rolled down my face. Finally, the picture was complete. Now next to me stood another tiny figure, that of my best friend. He was hugging one of the teddy bear’s oversized arms and laughing, head tilted back, probably overjoyed that we were both up far past our bedtimes.

“Wow,” Sam breathed, “that’s incredible.”

“I know. I thought you lost it.” I said.

“I thought YOU lost it!” Sam replied, looking at me straight into my eyes.

“Just goes to show you-”

I was cut off by Sam, “Lainey, I know this sounds ridiculous, and I know we’re still really young, but I hope //you’re// the one. I love you.”

“I love you too, Sam.” I said. **I meant it.**

**The End**