• “Yes, I have it done, it’s just at home..” My best friend Jenny was trying to convince her teacher that the homework she really didn’t do was only left at home. “Sorry Jen, Im going to have to give you half credit when you turn it in tomorrow. She grimaced. “Would you believe that my dog ate it?” She asked. Still trying to convince him. “Sorry.” He repeated and walked into the classroom. I took my seat in the back of the room. Jenny chattered quietly next to me, explaining the million reasons Mr. Grey was a mean teacher. I half ignored her. I was too busy staring and mouthing “I love you” to my boyfriend, Casey. At least I was until Jenny waved her hand in front of my face. “Earth to lover girl!” I blinked and turned to face her. “Whatever!” I said and everyone else turned to stare at me. I felt my face get hot, until the teacher got their attention back to the front of the room. “Nice!” Jenny said, trying not to laugh. “Oh, shut up!” I whispered trying to not get any more attention. Every once in a while someone would look back and glare at me. When school was finally over, I met Casey in front of the school. I opened the passenger seat to his truck. My light blonde hair was blowing in every direction against the wind. I slammed the door when I had got in. I buckled my seatbelt. When Casey was driving who knew if we were really going to drive off a cliff? He opened the door slowly and turned away from me talking to one of his friends that he had parked next to. Finally, his friend, Triston pulled away. Casey climbed into the truck and i felt it vibrate under me as he started. “Sorry, Hun,” he said pulling away from the curb, and as usual, even after the impatience i had, I forgave him. His hand embraced mine as normal. And he dropped me off in front of my house. “Bye Baby...” I said a sad look on my face. He turned to look at me and faked a smile. “You need...Family time.” He said, making an idiotic excuse up. “Fine...” I mumbled. I walked toward the house. “Hey Claire!” he shouted at I arrived at my front door. I turned to face him. He mouthed “I Love you” and tore off down the road. I turned around, wishing he would come back. I opened the door, and my sister Kelly jumped out in front of me, she pushed past me and ran across the yard. Slowly following was her friend Kendra. “I’m gonna getcha!” yelled Kendra. I shook my head and stepped into the house. My mother was standing in the kitchen in front of the stove. I snickered listening to my sister and her friend outside, letting the memories of me and my friends chasing each other, when we were little kids come back to me. I sighed. When I was a little kid, I started daydreaming. I missed those days so much. Back when you didn’t worry about anything. You only worried about who tagged you, and who was “it.” I felt like crying just remembering how things used to be. Then I remembered my mother. “Hey Mom, how was your day?” I said turning to face her. She looked at me, “Fine,” She began. and then started on about how the neighbors were so annoying and how she could never get anything done around the house. She also chattered while I was eating. I finally turned to her, after ignoring everything she had said and replied “Great, Mom,” and before she could reply I had twirled out the door and appeared quickly in my room. I plopped onto my bed and picked up my phone. I lied on my stomach, trying to decide who to call. I didn’t want to call Casey considering I had just seen him. I didn’t really want to listen Jenny go on and on and on. So i decided to call my friend Angie. She was always the quiet one. She never had too much to say. Although one time, when she had a lot of caffeine, she was bouncing off the walls and everything else. But thats the only time she had really said anything. I dialed her phone number and listen to it ring twice. She must have looked at who was calling. “Hey,” her scratchy voice answered interrupting my thoughts. “Oh, Angie, Hi!” I said blurting with excitement. I’d become very hyper in a very short time. “What did you want?” her voice easing down, becoming less tense seeing that I was in a good mood. “Oh, I don’t know. Just to talk I guess.” I started to lose my instant sugar rush as soon as it had come it was also gone. “Okay... So... What’s the latest gossip?” she asked. I knew she didn’t care. “Well, Tanysha and Danny are going out. They went to see a movie last night and shared their first kiss...” Angie “Uh Huhed.” I went on about how Tanysha and Danny were sharing their first “teen love”, How Robby and Julie had just gotten in this huge fight and Robby hit Julie, and all the other gossip that was going around. Angie and I both knew that the other didn’t really care about what was going on but it was nice to have someone listen to you. I always counted on Angie to be there, when I needed her. Rachel was another good friend I had. She liked to talk about everyone and everything. BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!! She didn’t even take time to breath. Out of all my friends I most wanted to look like Jenny. She had long brunette hair that never had tangles. Her brown eyes were the color of chocolate. She was so beautiful, all the guys always hit on her. Not that I wanted people hitting on me, I don’t like all the attention. But I did want to look like her. My bleach-blonde hair, and sky blue eyes were enough, but I wanted dark hair. Casey was supposed to pick me up at 7 tonight. I sighed. It was only 5. For a minute I had spaced out and forgot I was on the phone. It had been quiet for a long time, and I wondered if she had gotten impatient and hung up. “Angie?” I asked, still halfway stuck in a daydream. “Yea?” She said, obviously spacing out as well. “I...I have to go...” I told her. Her voice sounded uninterested, “Okay, well, I’ll talk to you later,” She said and hung up. I lied on my bed and looked at the ceiling, I thought about everything that happened in the last 24 hours. As soon as I got to school, I hugged Casey, I saw Jenny and Rachel talking by their lockers. I walked to my first class, which happens to be Biology. I tried to think if we had homework but instead I remembered seeing my guy friend Corey staring at me. His dark blue eyes locked on me. I didn’t notice this when it was happening. I quickly pushed the memory away. Corey had a crush on me since 3rd grade, when I told him I only wanted to be friends. I almost laugh now, thinking about 3rd graders dating. But we did. Thats when all of my friends had their first kiss. I’d never tell anyone, but I’d never kissed anybody. I knew I needed to just get it over with, If people found out I’d be the laughing stalk of the school. I rolled onto my stomach. I sighed again. I was the loser. I thought, starting a new subject in my head. I was the nerdy one. The one that always tripped in the hallway. The one that always got hurt, thought it’s too dangerous, The careful one. The ugly one. I never wanted to be perfect, because it was just too much to ask for. I never wanted anything. I never wished. I never hoped. Because everything was always too much to ask for....I was the person who stayed up half the night worrying about everything, and being super-tired for her math test the next day. The girl who was.. An outsider. I wasn’t like anyone else. Who says thats a bad thing though? I yawned as these thoughts floated through my mind. I haven’t kissed Casey yet. My thoughts started in a new direction. My thoughts were then interrupted by my cell phone ringing. It was 6:30, Casey was calling me. I picked up the phone. “Hey Baby!” I heard him say. His voice wobbly. I wondered what was wrong. “Hey.” I replied, waiting impatiently to see what was wrong. “Um...” He began, obviously worried about something. “I can’t pick you up tonight.” I frowned. I knew that was coming. “Why not?” I said pouting. “Sorry, sweetie,” he said. He always called me sweetie when he didn’t want to argue, but I usually did anyway. “I didn’t want you to apologize, I wanted to know why.” Even on the phone I could tell he was frowning. “I’m going out with Kalub, we’re going to by parts for his car.” Kalub was my ex -boyfriend but also one of Casey’s good friends. I sighed, and Casey obviously could tell I thought he was lying. “If you want you can come.” He said, using a fake offer, that this time I decided to take. “Really?” I said, testing him. His voice became uneasy. “Sure, if you want. It’ll be all car stuff though, It won’t be any fun for you.” I smiled, I was going, whether he wanted me to or not. “I’m going,” I smirked “I’ll drive to your house.” He was getting impatient with me. “No, I’m sure you don’t want to go.” I started getting mad, “I’m sure I do.” I said challenging him again. He gave up and sighed. “Fine.” was his only word before he hung up on me. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. But instead of burying my face in my pillow, I grabbed the keys to my car, and quietly closed my bedroom door. I snuck down to the kitchen, and opened the front door. “Bye, Mom.” I yelled slamming the door behind me, not waiting to see if she heard me or not. I jumped into the drivers seat of my car. My cell rang again. It was Kalub. I giggled. “Hey K-cub.” I said using my old nickname for him and smiling at the same time. “Hey ClaireBear.” He responded using his pet name for me also. I giggled again. “You sure you want to go pick car stuff out with me and Casey?” I concentrated deep in thought about making sure Kalub wasn’t lying for Casey’s benefit. But I figured Kalub would want me back, as he always claimed and that would want to get Casey in trouble if he could. I sighed then. “I don’t know.” I told him. “I want to see Casey.” I told him, knowing as soon as I said it, that I shouldn’t have. “Oh,” he said, in an obnoxious and snotty voice. He wanted to hang up on me, but I knew he wouldn’t. “All about Casey huh?” He asked getting madder. “He is my... Boyfriend.” I decided that would be the best word for what he was. I smiled and let my thoughts drift in the silence on the other end of the phone, other than the sighs and mumbling. “Fine.” He said finally, after the long quiet moment we had just encountered. “What do you have to be mad about?” I asked starting to get annoyed. He sighed again, and hung up. I started the car. I started to pull out, and I got a text. It was from Kalub. It said “Never cared about me...” I pulled out, and drove to Casey’s house. I parked in the driveway. I opened the door and stood up. I looked up to his house, and saw the curtain move. I smiled. His little brother, Seth came running out from the front door. I picked him up, and twirled him around before setting him down again. “Hello Brother!” I said, Laughing when he responded. “Hi ya Sister!” Just then, Casey came and hugged me. “Where did you come from?” I said sarcastically, Smiling, and laughing at Seth’s failed attempts to get Casey’s attention. I whispered in Casey’s ear, “Your such a mean brother.” And smiled. He looked down at Seth and picked him up. “Hey Bud.” He started smiling. “I’ll give you two dollars if you go help Mom.” He smiled and ran up to the house. “Mommy! Mommy!” He screamed. I laughed again. “You sure do know how to handle kids.” I said smirking. He laughed. “What’s on the agenda then?” I asked, hoping he had cancelled with Kalub, and we could do something with just the two of us. “You know, Kalub’s going to be here in about an hour, and then we go get car parts, and then, we bring you back here, you go home, sleep, and I see you tomorrow.” He smirked, “Disappointed?” He asked. “Nope,” I responded, smiling. His smirk turned into a half frown. “Dang.” He said, almost laughing. “I was looking forward to missing you.” I moaned. “Too bad. If you were going to get car parts, you wouldn’t be making this much fuss about letting me go.” He grimaced. “Your right, Im a terrible liar.” He frowned and I wanted to smile, but held it in, I was finding out exactly what I wanted to know. “So, what is it that your hiding from me?” He looked away from me. “Nothing.” He said flatly. “Nothing at all.” I pushed him. “What?” I said, insisting that he tell me. “It’s nothing.” He said again, still not looking at me. “Casey, If you don’t tell me right this minute, I’m going to get into my car, and I’m not coming back...Ever.” I threw a false threat at him. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay along very long anyway. I loved him too much. “Me and Kalub, are going somewhere to find him a girlfriend.” He responded. I was dumbfounded. “Okay?” i said, “Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked curious. “I was.. afraid...” He told me, I was still confused. “What? Your confusing me, I’m not sure what your talking about.” He struggled to get the words out, I didn’t know why he was making such a big deal about a little thing, it was almost too dramatic for me. “He doesn’t know we’re dating.” He said, I waited for him to finish. “He’s trying to make you jealous, and he asked for my help. I didn’t think it would be that hard since I knew you didn’t like him anymore, and It just didn’t seem like a big deal to me.” he finished, and waited patiently while I sorted through it in my head, and figured it out. “He may not have known then, but he knows now.” I finally broke the silence. “What?” it was his turn to be confused. “I didn’t know, he didn’t know.” i said trying as best I could to explain. “I told him today that you were my...Boyfriend.” I finished, somewhat embarrassed to say it in front of him “I am?” He asked getting quickly excited. “Well, I thought so.” i told him. “Cool.” he responded, a typical guy response. I wanted to laugh so bad at that moment. I wanted to burst out in loud obnoxious laughter, I wanted to act like I was crazy and I wasn’t really sure why. I hugged him. I wanted to kiss him, for the first time. i didn’t know what to do. I panicked, even though he couldn’t tell. He leaned into me, and pecked my forehead. Then I really wanted to kiss him, he was making everything worse and he didn’t even know it. I leaned toward him. He leaned toward me. And Seth opened the door. “Casey, Casey, I helped Mommy just like you told me to!” He screamed proud of his work. “Wheres my two dollars?” He looked up at Casey. I gave into his cute puppy eyes and dug into my purse. “Here.” I said, thrusting a five into the four year-olds sticky hands. He looked at it amazed and then ran back to the house, before I could change my mind and take it away. I smiled and watched him slam the screen door behind him, and leave the big door open, and then heard his mom yell at him to close it just before seeing it close. Casey walked up to me. “Thanks.” He said referring to the five dollar bill I was willing to give up. “Wheres mine?” he said jokingly. “You don’t get any.” I told him smirking and jogging away with him chasing me. “Gotcha!” he called grabbing me around my waist. I turned toward him. I looked into his bright blue eyes. I pushed his shaggy brown hair out of them. I wanted more than anything to be with him for the rest of my life. He was perfect. Too perfect. I didn’t know what he saw in me. I would never know. “I think.... I love you.” I told him taking the first step, saying those words to him for the first time. “Really?” He asked, interested in the new subject I had started. “Yes.” I felt myself blush, and I wanted to look away, but couldn’t. His hands curved around my face. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I think.. I love you too.” This was sappy. My first “romantic” moment in my life. And strangely, I actually liked it. I could never watch love movies, or read romance books, they were too... I don’t know. Sappy? I guess that was the word. He embraced me in another hug, and then let go of me altogether. I reached for him but he pulled away. “Sorry.” He told me, he though we had gone too far. “No.” I told him. I grabbed his hand. “No.” I repeated. He stared at me for a minute. “Okay.” He finally responded after the long silence. I walked up to him. “I’m going to go home soon, I think.” He looked down at me. “Okay.” He repeated. “Soon as in now.” “Oh, okay.” He responded. “Okay.” I finally said. “Goodbye.” I said. “Bye.” he said, daydreaming. I hugged him. “Bye.” I got into the car and drove off. In the car I was thinking about how stupid I was. Why didn’t I kiss him? Why was I so afraid? I figured I was just nervous that something wouldn’t go right. I opened the door and sighed. “Hey Mom.” I said, ignoring her. I walked down the hall to my room, and opened the door. I gasped. I looked from my open window to my bed. I saw a white slip of paper folded, on my bed. I walked over to my window and looked out. The sun was just going down, but there was no trace from where the note could have come from. I shut my window tight and locked it, before sitting down on my bed. I picked up the note and examined it, then I unfolded it and read the writing scrawled in small letters. ‘Meet me tonight outside your house by the oak tree, love you, Casey’ I set it down on my nightstand, and took a minute to think. Would he risk getting caught by my mom and sneak into my house? I sighed, yes. He would. But what if it wasn’t him? i considered it. It couldn’t be, this was his handwriting. But then again, all guys’ handwriting was pretty much the same. Oh well. I’d take my cell, and have 911 dialed or something, plus my mom’s room was right above the tree. I was being absurd. Of course it was Casey! I mean, who else would even care about me? Darkness fell, and I got excited. Maybe, If I was lucky, I would get my first kiss. It was about 10 O’ Clock and my mother went to bed. I decided to wait until 10:30 just to be safe. Time passed quickly and soon enough, it was 10:29. I took a deep breath before shutting my lights off, and closing my bedroom door. I snuck down the stairs and opened the front door. I saw a figure about Casey’s height standing under the tree. I silently shut the door, and wrapped my sweatshirt tighter around me. I cautiously stumbled across the front yard. When I got to the tree, the figure was on the other side of it. “Casey?” I called quietly, so that my mother could not hear me. “No.” the voice of the mysterious figure answered.