• “She’s my best friend, I love her, but not like that, at least I don’t think so.” I sat there nodding to him. Not really paying attention. Jake Mev, my friend sleeping over, kept going on and on about how his best friend Melanie had just asked him out. He never seemed to let the subject drop.
    “What about you,Shawn? Who are you going to ask to prom?” He turned to me, I had my sketch pad on my lap doodling her initials.
    “Me? I’m not going.” i answered her simply.
    “Then if you were, who would it be?” He pressed me.
    “She wouldn’t say yes. Jake, I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” I was drawing her face, the smallest details the best.
    “Tell, me, who L. R. is, Liliana Rich?” He stared me down.
    “Look drop it, even if she would say yes and i was going, her brother would kill me.”
    My name is Shawn Fried, I live in Bethany, West Virginia, i am a senior at BHS and i am in love with a sophomore, Liliana Rich, the sister of my best friend Adrian. She is going out with a junior named Kevin Lorn.
    “Liliana, doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” Ben asked me.
    “Yeah, look i really just don’t want to talk about her right now.”


    “Hey! Lilli, what’s wrong?” Mom looked at me in concern. It was after my date with my boyfriend, Kevin. It had been my worst date ever.
    “Mom, it’s over.” I choked up and ran up to my room, letting the tears roll down my cheeks.


    “Doesn’t she live next door?” Ben stared at the window.
    “Yep, we used to sneak out into each others houses through the tree in between the houses. I can see right into her room from that window.” I looked away from Ben’s face.
    “She’s crying.” He said simply.
    “What?” I interrupted
    “And coming over.” I looked out the window and sure enough, she was climbing into the tree.
    I opened the window, and saw her face, red with streaked with tears.
    “Lil, what’s wrong? Come on.” I took her hand to help her in.


    He took my hand and i was helped into his room. I sat on the sill and put my head into his shoulder and cried.
    “It’s over.” I whispered into his shirt. He stroked my hair.
    “Aw, babe, it’s okay. He was a jerk anyway.” He told me, but he didn’t get it. That’s not what was over.
    “No,” I said “For us, we can’t be together anymore, no more secret meetings and hanging out, or Kevin will tell everyone. I can’t get rid of him. We, us, are over.”

    I gasped, “But Lil, we’re friends, he knows nothing more, right?” She shook her head as i said this.
    “He thinks i was cheating with you, and i love you more than him.” I couldn’t believe this.
    “What could he tell people though, we haven’t done anything.” I asked her.
    “He is the son of the mayer remember, he can tell everyone that we were together, and with this tree here, people will believe him.” She whimpered, her face in my chest.
    “Then we have to make the best of this moment now.” I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead.


    I nodded to him.
    “This’ll have to be that last time we see each other, the year’s almost over anyway. And you’re going to college, and I’m not. I just want to be with you right now,” I looked around, trying to avoid his gaze. “Ben?” I saw him staring at us.
    “I think she’d say yes.” He said simply. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but apparently Shawn did.
    “Ben, i thought you had some family thing in the morning, right?" Shawn said rather annoyed.
    "Do I?" He said, then looked at Shawn's face and realized something "Oh yeah, i do." Then he got up grabbed a bag and walked out, smirking.


    "Sorry, he was just hanging out here anyway." I said to Lilli. She just rubbed her cheek on my chest.
    "S'ok" She told me. I stepped backwards to sit on the bed, she moved with me.
    "So how badly do you want to beat him up?" I laughed, she smiled at me.
    "To a pulp."

    The rest of the night was filled with laughter and reminiscence. We laughed and joked until we saw the sun coming up. Then we climbed onto the roof and watched it rise, the blood red sky filling the suburb with light.
    Her head lay on my lap as we sat up there. A silence made the moment perfect, if only she could see how perfect it really was.
    Next Day
    "Look Kevin, I'm not breaking up with you for Shawn, not for anyone. I just don't think this right." I said to him, on the phone.
    "Come on Lil, don't make me tell everyone 'bout you two, don't go with him. You know what'll happen. Find someone else." He clicked off the line.
    Saturday's happen to be the worst day of the week when you're single. Especially when you break up with your boyfriend the same day.
    Instead of moping though, I call up my best girl friend,Cassia, and told her to get her a** over. I changed and ate, and Cassia was over. My family (except Adrian) was on vacation for the last two weeks of school. Adrian and i stayed for his graduation and i just didn't want to go. He was actually over at his girlfriend Marilyn's for the weekend.
    "So what's up." Cassie walked into my kitchen where i was eating a bowl of cereal.
    "Hey, i just wanted to hang, life without a boyfriend is rather boring." I said to her, her eyes grew huge.
    "He broke up with you?" She practically screamed.
    "Nope." I looked at my bowl as i picked it up to put it in the sink and washed it.
    "You? Broke up. Why" Her head was suddenly right next to mine.
    "He wasn't giving me enough space, i couldn't take it anymore. He was a jealous jerk. I'm so over him" I was though. No matter that Cassie didn't believe me. We were over.

    I was still on the roof, thinking about her. She was so beautiful. I couldn't imagine ever being away from her.
    Eventually i heard a car pull in her driveway. I looked around and saw her best friend Cassie get out and practically run into Lillies house.
    "Weird" I whispered to myself. I jumped up, a terrible thought in my head.
    I clambered into the house as fast as i could, and felt my way out the window, and across the tree.
    Into her room, the window still open. I hadn't been in there for years and i couldn't help but stare around. Her walls were lime green, and decked with pictures and posters. The bed was huge with a canopy, a flat screen on a table across the room. She had a cork board with pictures, with what seemed to be all of her past boyfriends. But right in the middle, i saw a picture with some one that had never gone out with her before. Me.
    I walked silently over to the board. The turned around and stepped to her bedside table, a little book was sitting on it.
    Diary:
    Was all that was on the blue cover. A pen and flashlight were laying beside it. I know it was wrong, and stupid but i couldn’t resist it, i took the book, leaving the pen and flashlight. Quick as lightning stuffing it down my shirt and picked my was to the window.
    I heard creaking outside the door, they were coming! I was into the tree within seconds and into my own window in only a few more. I didn’t pause to see if she saw me. Just closed my shades and opened the book to the first page.

    Diary:
    He kissed me, and all i heard was his breathing. It wasn’t fun. I just sat there, letting him kiss me. Worst date ever! I was so glad when it ended. You know everyone depends on me to be with him. I NEVER liked him, he asked me out with everyone around and i would look like a jerk if i didn’t, so whatever. But when i met his family, omg it was terrible, how the freaking hell am i supposed to break it off with the MAYORS SON. It’s just all so ridiculous. They all think i’m his one, the one he’ll spend the rest of his life, i just couldn’t let them down. I can make it just the rest of the year, right?
    Lilli

    Never loved Kevin? But it all seemed so set for them, everyone thought they were perfect for each other.
    I turned the next page and what i read broke my heart.

    “So Lil, what are you going to do now? I mean are you going to go with some one (Shawn) to prom?” Cassie laughed, she was all light hearted and beautiful, her hair was a perfect brown sheen, her eyes were green and her skin and olive tone. Me on the other hand, had blonde hair, descent skin and a mole on my right cheek. (not too big but still annoying). I have always struggled with my weight while Cassie has a perfect figure.
    “I don’t know, i don’t think he like’s me like that.” I answered, we had picked out some ice cream, and had two spoons. I reached out to pull some out into my mouth.
    “You have to be kidding me, he has liked you forever.” She stared me down.
    “Well, if he has then he can ask me out now. Bu if it ended badly we would be messed up forever.” I just looked out the window facing the street.
    “What do you mean?” Her eyes were curious, even though i thought it was obvious.
    “He and i are closer than everyone thinks, ever since i started high school. It’s like we know everything about each other without having to ask. We’re best friends but in a different way than you and i are.” I was so sure that he would forget about me if we were together and he left for college and left me here alone.
    “I get it, but, it seems like your perfect for each other then. But if your scared that something will happen and one of you will get hurt and you’ll never have that special relationship any more, then i get it better than you think i do.” She said.
    Maybe she does get it.


    Diary:
    He’s so stubborn, i HATE him. I wish we had never gone out. Now everyone thinks I’m a slut. He told EVERYONE that we had sex. When i told him no! He thinks he’s such a baller. He’s such a d**k, i wish i had done the jerkish thing and said no. But he told me that his dad will make sure my dad’s government job will be suspended and he will NEVER get another job for life, or will “accidentally” register my mom as a sex offender and her job at the school will be terminated, the “forget” to tell everyone the truth. Then he said by the end of the year that I won’t be a virgin anymore, and his threat seemed, well, real. I’m not THAT pretty am i? I mean really? We’ve gone out for a week and he’s already talking sex and parental jobs. He thinks we’ll get married, and he wants to get me PREGNANT. WHAT THE ******** HELL????? i mean seriously. oh well its never EVER happening.
    Lil