It started when they first met it was September. The first day of the senior year. She was lying on her desk, well she had her head down and was trying to take a small nap before class actually started. When he picked up the book she had been reading and commented on it.

“Nice book.” She shot up so fast that a pain shot through the back of her neck.

“Ouch.” She said rubbing the back of her neck. “What about an ice nook?” She said more than slightly confused because she was only half asleep. That’s when she heard laughing and looked over at what was making that awfully now annoying sound. It wouldn’t have been annoying, but being that she had been awoken rudely but someone mumbling about an ice nook. She wasn’t very happy right now.

“What are you laughing about?”

“You. I said nice book. I have no idea where you got ice nook from.” He continued to laugh as she did nothing but glare. When he was finally done laughing he finally actually looked at her, and realized that she didn’t find the situation as funny as he did.

“Oh I’m sorry, how’s your neck?” He said trying to look concerned, but the humor of the whole thing still played in his eyes.

“It hurts,” After a few moments she decided to stop trying to be grouchy and give up. She was no good at it anyway. “It’s fine. It was only one of those quick pains from sitting up way to fast after falling asleep like I did. Now that I think about it the whole thing was kind of funny wasn’t it?”

“Just a little.” He said beginning to laugh with her.

“So you said nice book huh?” She said when she was finally done laughing.

“Yep, I read it over the summer.”

“Wait you read? During summer vacation?” She looked shocked.

“Yah, you know its not like the end of the world of something. Aren’t I aloud to read?”

“Well yah, of course you can read all you want. You can read until your eyeballs bleed for all I care. It’s just most guys I know won’t even look at a book, let alone read one over the summer.”

“Oh yah, well I’m just not like other guys I guess. And don’t get me started or I’ll tell you in detail about all the other books I read over the summer to.”

“Oh really?” She said laughing.

“Really.”

“Well I just might have to take you up on that-”

“Alright class, time to settle down now. Class is about to begin, I know you won’t to talk to all your friends, but you have plenty of time for that later.”

They really didn’t have time to talk anymore, so Ana just smiled at the new guy and turned toward Mr. Bigglley. He however looked at her just a little while longer and wondered. What he could do, to make her smile at him like that again.


After class Ana’s mind was already onto lunch. She may have been as skinny as a pole, which didn’t come without a lot of hard work, but she loved food. As she gathered her books and looked up she met the new eyes. They were green, green eyes with dark brown hair. He wore it short, not buzz cuts like some guys. But at the normal guy hair length. He wasn’t to tall, he was taller than her but then again that wasn’t hard to bet being as she was only 5’1.

Her eyes were a cross between blue and green, he really wasn’t sure which. She wore her hair shoulder length. A light brown with a very light hint of blond that you would only notice if you had been looking at it through most of a whole class period. Which Jason had. Not internally, he just happened to glance over every so often and noticed how intense she was on keeping her eyes on the board. (Little did he know, when ever he didn’t look at her, she was looking at him.) In his eyes she was more than pretty, and he didn’t care what anyone else had to say about it.

“Hi.”

“HI. Again.”

“HI.”

“You said that already.” I said laughing.

“Right yah um, so where is your next class?”

“Um, history. Yours?”

“Um this may sound really weird but I have the same.”

“Really?”

“Yah so you mind showing me the way?”

“No not at all, here so me your shecuale.” I looked at his shecuale and some how we had all but 2 classes together.

“Wow this I must say is amazing.”

“Why? What is it? He said leaning over my shoulder to see.”

“We some how have all but 2 classes together. Including lunch.”

“Really, then I would be not only honored if you would be my tour guide for the day but also accompany me to lunch…”

“Um sure, big question do you always talk so fancy.”

“No, but I heard girls like that kinda talk.”

“Well I will go to lunch with you for the next week if you don’t talk like that for a month.”

“Make that lunch for a month and I don’t talk like that for 2 and you have a deal.” We both started laughing.

“That sounds like a deal.”


That is how it all started. Happily and lovely. Ana’s small group of friends quickly accepted him into the group. If he was a friend of Ana’s he was a friend of hers. It didn’t take long before they had their first real date. In fact it was the Friday after they met.


“Ok he is going to be here at 5.” Ana said pacing her bedroom.

“Yah Ann you have said that like 7 times now.” Lacy, Ana best friend, was lying on her bed with a magazine open. She had come over to help Ana get ready and gossip a little before her date. Lacey or Lace was the only one who ever called Anastasia, Ann and was probably the only one who could get away with it.

“I know, I am just so nervous, you know I kinda like him.”

“Well I would hope so being as you are going out on a date with him. If you didn’t I would say that their was something wrong.”

“Lacey don’t joke like this, I mean I am really nervous.”

“Well that is why I am here, you helped me on my first date with John and here I am.” Lacey’s phone shrilled the sound that meant a text was coming in.

“Specking of John.” Ana laughed when she turned around and saw the puppy dog eyes of her friend. The only time Lacey ever got gussy was when it came to John, and she would throw you down on the ground and curse you to death if you happened to comment about it.

“What did he say.”

“He said that he loved me more than sunshine… He just wanted to let me know.”

“Aww that is so cute. You should tell him you love him more than the moon.” Ana said plopping down on the bed.

“Already done!” The two could talk like that tell each other what to text, but half the time the one had already typed and sent exactly that. It was just their thing and no one else could understand it. It only being 4:00 they had quite a while to sit and talk. Lacey did her best to keep Ana’s thoughts off being nervous. But it was still in the back of her head, and she kept glancing at the clock. At 15 till 5:00 she jumped up off the bed and started pacing again.

“Jeez I do not know how much longer I take this.”

“Take what, you haven’t even gone on the date yet.”

“Exactly! That is the worst part the waiting! I hate it!”

“Ok look he is still the same person you see every day in school. It’s not like your going out with some one new or anything.”

“I know, but it’s so different now. We’re not going to be at school. We are going to be out! And it’s just, oh I just want these 15 minutes to be over already!” She said throwing her hands in the air and sitting on the floor. A couple seconds later she got a text.

“Its from J.D.” She said shocked. She decided to read it out loud. “Why are you sitting on the floor???, How does he know I’m sitting on the floor?” She looked up at Lacey. She giggled and help up her phone.

“I’ve only been texting him every move you’ve made since I’ve been here.”

“Lacey!” Ana went over and playing punched her in the arm.

“Ow, that didn’t hurt!”

“Want me to make it hurt?” The both started laughing.

“I don’t know why, but for some reason I’m not that mad at you.”

“Good, because if you were you know what I’d tell you to do.”

“Get over it.”

“Right!” They started laughing. Ana decided to text back, ‘I’m not I am now on my bed, but you probably already knew that thanks to Lace. Lol” Of course she wrote all this in short hand.

“Your right I do. Hey I am like at your house and I know it’s early but I got tired of waiting. Lol.” She got up and ran to her window.

“Did you know J.D was already out there?”

“Yah.” She said not looking up from her phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“He told me not to. He’s only been out there for the past half hour”

“What!?”

“Yep.”

“Ok well I am going to text my parents and tell them that I am going to leave now.”

“Ok.” Lacey didn’t make a move from her spot on the bed. Ana stood in the door way and looked at her upside down friend.

“Are you just going to chill in my room or something.”

“Or something, but thanks for the invite. Yah I just texted my parents, told them I’ll be home later. Till then I am just going to hang at your place.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.” She said looking up at Ana and smiling.”

“Fine with me, see ya when I get back.”

“You bet. Your bed’s more comfortable than mine anyway.”

“Of course it is.” Ana said running down the stairs laughing. Running outside she hopped in his car.

“Well it’s about time you got out here, jeez how long does it take you to get ready?” J.D asked jokingly.

“Oh honey I have been ready for the past hour, it just took you to long to get here.” They both started laughing as J.D took off down the road.

“So where do you want to go?”

“I don’t care, how does Perkins sound?”

“Good to me. So where did Lacey go, she said that she was in your room with you?”

“She was.”

“So where is she now, just wondering.”

“I murdered her and shuffed her out the back window.” Ana said it calmly and held it for all about 10 seconds, then she cracked up laughing.

“You-didn’t-believe-did-you?” She said between laughs.

“No.” He said not very convincingly. But he said it laughing.

“So where is she? Did she like go out the back door, or just jump out the window?”

“Oh no, she’s still in my room.”

“Really?”

“Yep, she hangs there, eats my food, hangs with my family. She says there cooler than hers, being as they are like always working. And mine just take Amish people where ever they want to go. So she just hangs at my place, watches TV and eats my food.”

“Completely normal for you too huh?”

“Yah, I’ve known her since 3rd grade, there is really nothing we don’t know about each other. We’re the awesomes.” She said laughing.


They talked more, about school and about their weekend jobs. Then they talked, turned on some music. It was amazing that in school they had never talked about music, and they happened to like the same kinds. When they plugged in her Mp3 player into his radio to see what the first song that popped up, We The Kings, Secret Valentine, played out. Ever since that day, it kinda became their song.

They ate at Perkins then went and just walked around Wal-mart. They would have went to the mall, but it was to far away, and besides everyone loved Wal-mart.

When Ana went into the bathroom, J.D went over and quickly grabbed the necklace that he saw her looking at before she went in. By the time he paid for it she was coming out of the bathroom. He bought it from the lady at the counter to make sure it was bought quickly. The stuffed it into his pocket before she saw it. He was planning on giving it to her at the end of the evening.

“Well you ready.”

“Yep, you?”

“Oh yah, hey what do you think about stopping for ice cream?”

“I think it means I am going to have to up my run time in the morning.” She said laughing which meant yes. She hadn’t missed the fact that he had put something into his pocket when she had came back. She just wasn’t sure what. God I hope he didn’t steal something, was her first thought, but then she remembered the plastic bag that went with it. That totally cleared her mind of that, and left her to wonder what was in the bag.

After ice cream they headed home, slowly but they did the same. They ate the ice cream in the parking lot. J.D’s excuse was he didn’t want to eat and drive, but the truth was he just wanted to spend more time with just Ana. She didn’t complain any, she enjoyed just as much as he did. They pulled into her drive-way, and the thought crossed both there minds. But instead J.D said something different.

“I wonder if Lacey is still at your house.”


“I don’t know, who knows if she is, she is most likely spending the night.”

“She does that?”

“Oh yah, her bed is really lumpy is her excuse.” They started laughing again. The evening had included a lot of laughing.

“Well I had really, really fun time. Jay.” That was where she started calling her that, and it stuck.

“Jay huh?”

“Yah I get tired of adding the *D* at the end. What does it stand for anyway. I know you said your first name was Jason, but you said just to call you J.D because everyone did.”

“Well it stands for, something.”

“Well I figured that, but what?”

“Must I tell you?”

“Yes, we have known each other for a week and just had our first date, now is the time.”

“Of really and what are you going to do if I don’t tell you.”

“Not leave your car.”

“Hm, maybe that is not such a bad thing after all.”

“Oh come on, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Not even Lacey?”

“Nope my lips are sealed.”

“Fine it stand for Diddle.”


“Really Diddle? Is that like your middle name?”

“No it’s just a nickname that people used to call me when I was little. I finally got everyone to call me J.D but the Jason Diddle thing just stuck.” She started to laugh but stopped when he gave her this look.

“Well it’s really not that bad.” She said holding back her laughter.”

“You try growing up being called Diddle and living in a house with two older brother and a sister.” They both started laughing.

“Tonight really was fun Jay.”

“Well I’m glad you liked it.” She was about to get out of the car when he grabbed her hand.

“Wait I have something for you.”

“What?”

“He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and then out of the bag. And then out of the box.” She let out the breath she was holding.

“It’s the necklace.” It was beautiful, with a tear drop pendent, and a silver chain. “It’s way to much.”

“No it wasn’t, go ahead put it on.” She did so and then hugged him.

“Thank you so much, you really didn’t have to.” This was all kind of hard to do in a car, but they managed.

“It was nothing.” He said. She leaned back and looked into his eyes, the sunset and the car light for some reason oddly set the mood. They leaned in for a kiss, their lips where almost touching, when both their phones went off. Ana let out a low grr, and checked it.

“Of course it’s Lacey, little miss nosey.”

“Yah well this one is from John, bet ya anything Lacey had something to do with it.” Hers said, ’Hey are you ever going to get out of the car and come in and tell me about it. Hehe.’ And Johns had said, ’Hey Lacey wants to know if you are ever getting out of the car… Not quite sure what that means, but I was told to ask.”

“I had better go-”

“Lacey” He said holding up his phone laughing.

“Yah.” She said, “But you know what?”

“Hmm?”

“Gotta give Lacey something to talk about right?”

“Really?” he said raising an eyebrow.

“Really.” She leaned in for the kiss. It wasn’t as romantic as the first, but it was still sweet. And it wasn’t the kiss either.

“Well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She said when they pulled apart. She was almost breathless and really wanted to get out and do the squeal and jump dance.

“Yah I’ll see you then.” He said.

“Thank you for the necklace.” She said touching her neck.

“No problem, you’d better get in there, before she starts texting everyone we know.”

“Yah really. See ya.”

“Bye A.”

“A?”

“Why not thought I’d give it a try.”

“How’d it work.”

“I don’t not that bad.” She laughed and got out, see you tomorrow.

“Hey do you want me to walk you to you’re your door?”

“Hmm, I don’t know will you kiss me again?”

“Maybe.” Falshing a grin.

“No better not, Lacey will probably open the door the moment I get there.”

“Ok well I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yah.” She said finally running out of breath. She shut the door and started walking up the drive. He drove off, and she waited intill he was out of sight before she did the squeal and jump dance. Then the door slammed and out came Lacey, in her socks.

“You must tell me everything, and what in the world took you so long in the car?” Then she noticed the necklace. “Oh My God! That is, oh girl inside now!”

Ana laughed, and started telling Lacey everything. She had to stop when they got inside, her mom joined them, she had to do a little recap, but they all sat down on the couch and Ana told them almost everything about the whole evening. She told them about the kiss, but made it seem quick, and not as meaningful. This was the start, and you can bet that Ana fell asleep with the necklace on.