I smiled and waved goodbye. I went to turn and saw that someone was there. A girl with straight red hair was staring at me. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt that almost covered her jean shorts. He green eyes were like Lilly pads. “So you’ve met Jake. Someone’s got access to the pops.” I raised an eyebrow. “You know Popular.” She explained. “I’m Alex.” I nodded. “April. So what were you saying about him?” I asked. She sighed. “High school cliques. Unfortunately every teenager around here has one. Me? I am the nobody. That person that blends in with everyone else. You know the shadow on the wall that no one seems to care about.” I looked at her and saw that no expression was one her face. “I’m sure that’s not true.” I said firmly. “It is.” She replied. Her voice was flat. “Well were going to change that.” She smiled at me and we both walked to together to a yogurt place across the street. “You know this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”





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“So were on for tonight?” She asked again. “Course. Can’t wait.” I waved goodbye to Alex and went back home to shower. We were going to the movies to see this movie that she swears is going to be amazing. It’s a remake of beauty and the beast. I think it was called Beastly. Anyways it going to be fun to hang out with her. We talked for a while and she seems pretty cool. Nice enough to hang out with. When I got home I found packages all over the living room. “Whoa what is this?” I asked. My dad came out from the kitchen. “Uh your bed room what else?” I smiled. “Hey Dad.” I gave him a quick hug. “Oh Dad I forgot to ask. Is it okay if I go to the movies with a friend tonight? It’s the girl I met at the beach. I promise it’s completely safe. You can even drive me.” My mom was so over protective of me so I always had to say this stuff to convince her to let me go. Dad laughed. “Trust me sweetie I believe you. Of course you can go. Oh and here.” In his hand he held a phone. Not just a phone, but the IPhone 4. “Who’s that for?” He laughed again. “You! I’m friends with the guy at the AT&T store and he let me get it for only fifty bucks.” He handed it to me and I marveled at the crystal screen. I looked up at my dad. “Oh my gosh I can’t believe this. THANK YOU!” I yelled as I gave him a huge hug. I got ready for the movie and decided to wear my favorite and oversized shirt that says “I love more” on it with some skinny jeans. Dad let me drive his car because he knows I already have my license. I texted Alex with the number she gave me.

Are you here yet? It’s April
I sat in the car and turned up the radio as it blasted Kesha’s new song we r who we r. The phone vibrated on my lap.
Yeah meet me outside the door


-I’m loving it!
I giggled at her signature as I came out of my car. I found her wearing skinny jeans with a yellow shirt that had a baby chick with popcorn in hand. A little bubble came out of its mouth saying “Chick flick night!” She wore all white converse to match. She smiled at me when she saw me. “Shall we go in?” She extended her arm and I looped mine into hers. “We shall.” We laughed and walked inside. We got some popcorn and soda and we walked over to the theater. Not many people were there. When the movie started Alex reminded me to put my phone on vibrate. I did as I was told just as the movie started.




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When the movie was done both me and Alex agreed that the movie was cute. “Hey I gotta us the potty.” I giggled as she ran inside the bathroom. I turned to find someone directly behind me. I lost my balance, but the guy caught me before I could fall. “Whoa you okay.” I looked up to find a familiar face. “What are you doing here?” Jake and I said at the same time. I smiled while he laughed. “I was here with my little sister watching that remake of beauty and the beast.” I raised my eyebrow in surprise. “Wow the popular kindle breaking guy isn’t afraid to get caught seeing a chick flick with his little sister? I’m shocked.” He chuckled and then said, “Well no one comes to this theater as you can see.” I laughed then. “And I really am sorry about the kindle.” This guy’s conscious must really be nagging at him. “I’m just kidding. You better get used to that cause I’m going to hold this against you for the rest of your life.” We both laughed then. I couldn’t help, but stare at his eyes. They were just like the ocean. “You know you have eyes to kill for.” I said in a “matter of fact” tone. He smiled and thanked me just as Alex came out of bathroom. “Hey you want to get coooo…….what are you doing here?” She said as soon as she saw Jake. He laughed again. “Little sister.” Alex nodded like she understood. She then turned to me. “So you want to get cold stone or something? Unless you got a date here with Mr. Popular.” I rolled my eyes. “Very funny and I thought that yogurt is what’s cool now.” I teased. Now she rolled her eyes at me. “Yes, because I Alexandra Gonzalez follows what everyone else thinks is cool.” She said sarcastically. I realized Jake was just standing there, hands in pockets not really knowing what to do. I felt bad and turned towards him. “Do you want to come with us? You could bring your sister.” I added. Alex looked up at me with wide eyes and this expression that said, “ARE YOU CRAZY!” I ignored her stare and waited for Jake’s response. He ran his finger through his hair and said, “Sure why not.” So that was that. We had made it official despite the desperate glares Alex sent me. That night would be the start of everything. The friendship, the relationship, the break-up, and everything else that you will soon find out. This is the beginning of finding me.

The cool smell of chocolate and vanilla were the first things that hit me when we walked inside. Jakes little sister Mary ran ahead of me to take her place in line. She had curly brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were startling blue. You couldn’t miss them. They were so much lighter than her brothers. Like the clear oceans in Hawaii. She was jumping up and down in excitement. I laughed at her innocence. I ordered the birthday cake remix which is cake batter ice cream topped with hot fudge and brownies. Yummy! Mary tried the mine and ended up getting the same. Jake got cake batter with hot fudge and despite the fact that Alex was upset at me and didn’t even want to be there she ordered cake batter milkshake. We talked and laughed while we ate. Well mostly Mary talked. She would tell us all the drama that happened with her at school. It was ridiculous the things that happened to a twelve year old in sixth grade. Before I knew it, it was already ten. “Well I should probably get going.” I said standing up. “Awww!” Mary complained. I smiled and then said, “Hey if your brother wants to he can bring you by the beach and we can hang out.” Mary smiled and gave me a hug. I said goodbye as Alex walked me to my car. “Hey can you give me a ride? I don’t feel like calling my parents to come pick me up.” She rolled her eyes at the thought of it. “Sure get in.” AS we started driving I asked her, “So was it as bad as you thought?” She smiled and said, “The movie or being the third wheel on your date?” I glared at her and she laughed. “I’m kidding. It wasn’t bad at all. You would think popular boy wouldn’t be caught dead with his twelve year old sister.” I smiled and said, “I know. Hey maybe he isn’t as bad as you say. In fact I am determined to show you he’s not. By the end of this summer I am going to prove you wrong. I can promise you by the end of this summer you will be friends with him.” She rolled her eyes at me, but I was serious, and trust me I don’t break promises. You can count on it.

The next day I woke up to the buzzing of my alarm clock. I groaned and shut it off. I sleepily got out of bed and walked over to my new bathroom. I brushed my teeth and took a shower. That always helped me get up. By the time I was out I was fully dressed and ready for the day that lay ahead of me. I heard my phone ringing. I grabbed it and saw it was the manager from star bucks. It was a text.
Hey April. Great News…….You got the Job!!! You start Monday. C u then!
-Mark
I smiled to myself. I went outside to find that my dad was making his famous Cuban coffee. “Can I get some café con leche?” I asked him. He smiled at me and said, “Just like old times.” I smiled. I have loved coffee with milk since I was seven. I had Dad make it for me every day. When he handed me the glass I gulped it down ignoring the hot milk that burned my throat. “Man you are the best.” “Oh I know.” Dad said. We both laughed. I told him I was going to the beach again. “Sure just remember to bring your phone.” I laughed. “How could I forget my new phone?” He smiled. I kissed his cheek and thanked him for the coffee. I quickly changed into my bathing suit and put a t-shirt and shorts over. I called Alex as soon as I got into the car. “Hey what it do?” She asked me. I smiled at her bad grammar. “Hey Alex. You wanna head down to the beach today?” I asked her. She paused for a minute and said, “Yeah, but can you give me a lift. My brother is using my car.” I nodded as if she could see but then said, “Yeah sure, be ready in twenty minutes kay? I gotta go to star bucks real quick to talk to the manager about my job.” She congratulated me and then said a quick good-bye. When I got to star bucks I noticed how packed it was. The man I saw yesterday recognized me and smiled. He motioned me to come. I stood in front of the counter. “Hey newbie.” He said. I smiled at him. “Hey. Listen I need to get my schedule for the week and all that great stuff.” I looked at his name tag. Nick smiled at me and put a finger up telling me to wait a second. He went around back and came back within a minute, holding two papers. “Okay so this is the schedule for the next two months. Come in tomorrow early so we can show you the ropes. You’ll be on cleaning table duty for the first week. That’s the week when we’ll be training you and so on. After you get the hang of it you can work the register and food.” He smiled brightly. “Thanks Nick. See you tomorrow.” I was about to turn when he caught my elbow. “Hey I didn’t get your name.” He said. “April.” I replied. “Bye April.” He said smiling. He smiled a lot. I had to admit he was cute. He had brown spiky hair, and a deep tan. He looked a little Mexican. His eyes oddly enough were hazel and he had the whitest smile.









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“Took you long enough!” Alex exclaimed climbing into the car. She was wearing shorts and an ‘I heart California!’ T-shirt. I could see her bright pink bikini through the white shirt. I laughed as Alex turned up the radio to Katy Perry’s California Girls. We both sang at the top of our lungs the whole way there. We both got out of the car and headed towards the bright blue water that lay ahead. Both Alex and I laid our towels down on the ground. As I went to lie down I heard a girl say, “There they are!” I recognized Mary’s voice right away. I got up to greet Mary. She gave me a big hug. “So where’s my hug?” I heard Jake’s voice behind me. I turned to see him in his bathing suit. I raised an eyebrow and said, “You lost that privilege when you broke my nook.” He rolled his eyes, but hugged me anyways. I smiled and despite Alex’s pleading he hugged her too. She didn’t hug him back. For some reason everyone but I wanted to go inside the water. “It’s okay ill just stay here and read a book. Because of course someone here broke my nook.” He ignored me and everyone including Alex went inside the blue water. I lie down on my towel and grab my IPod. I put on the song “If I die young” on and close my eyes. I let my skin bathe in the warm rays of the sun. As the song finishes I realize that the orange color that I see on the back of my eyelids is no longer there. It’s all black. I open my eyes to see Jake, Alex, and Mary carrying a bucket filled with water. Before I have time to react the cold liquid is spilled all over me. I gasp and get up quickly. My IPod thankfully is safe and unharmed by the surprise splash. All three of them are laughing and rolling in the sand. I stand there ready to scold them, when something else happens. “Jake?” Everyone turns to see that pretty Blonde girl that was with Jake the other day. She is wearing a short see through shirt that barely reaches her belly button. I could see the bright pink bikini underneath. Her blue eyes dart from me to Jake. Jake stops laughing and smiles. “Hey Alison. What’s up?” He asks as her walks up to her and puts his arm around her. I am confused, but my question is easily answered. “You guys this is my best friend Alison.” I nod like I knew it all along. She smiles a big fake smile. Jake introduces Alex and I, but not Mary. Apparently they have met before and Mary doesn’t seem to like her too much. She quickly loses interest and asks me and Alex to go inside the water. I agree, only wanting to get away from the awkwardness in the air. When were in the water I try to sneak peeks at Alison and Jake. Alison is sitting down on my towel. Jake is on the sand. Alison is flirting like crazy. She bats her eyelashes and flips her hair constantly. She clearly likes him. I am surprised to find myself upset by this. I am too busy thinking to see a big wave coming. It pushes me under. When I get up again another hits. This time I am under longer and feel like I’m drowning. “April!” Alex and Mary call. They drag me by my arms and pull me up to our towels while I choke on the salt water. When Jake see’s us coming he runs up grabbing me and putting me on the towel. My throat burns and my eyes sting. My nose feels like it’s on fire. I cough up some more water. Once I’m done Jake starts to ask a question to no one in particular. “What happened?” Alex answers him. “She got caught in some rip currents.” Once I get my breath I say, “Don’t worry I’m fine. Just a little water.” Alex grabs me a towel. I wrap myself in it. Only then do I realize I’m shaking. Alex gets up and says she’s going to get me some water at the little shop. She walks away leaving me with Mary. Her eyes are so big I’m scared there going to pop. I stifle a laugh and say, “Don’t worry Mary I’m fine.” She relaxes a little but still stays by my side. Through the whole thing Alison hasn’t said anything. She just looked surprised. Jake squats to where I’m sitting. He lowers his head so it’s leveled with mine. His hazel eyes almost have me hypnotized. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I manage to nod my head. He gets up and says, “Maybe we should call it a day.” Mary’s face frowns. “Yeah. Anyways Jake and I had plans.” Alison says. By this time Alex is back with the water. “Well then maybe Mary, April, and I can have girls night.” Alex suggests. Mary’s face lightens up. So we made the plans and said our goodbyes. Alison seems the happiest to say goodbye. Alex called up her parents and they said it was okay for her to sleep over. We went by her house so she could grab a few things. I waited in the car. Meanwhile another car pulled up. I saw a boy, that looked a lot like Alex, come out of the driver’s seat and then a girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes come out from the passenger side. She had her hair in a high ponytail and was wearing a floral romper. She seemed younger. Around fourteen. The boy came up to my car and said, “You’re April right?” He asked. I nodded and said, “And you are….” “Danny. April’s brother and this is my cousin Samantha.” I said, “Hi.” She said, “Hi. Nice to meet you.” But at the same time she started to sign with her hands. I recognized it because I took a sign language course when I was in eighth grade. I signed back a hello and asked her old she was. She replied signing that she just turned fifteen and that she was impressed that I knew ASL. “Whoa you guys move to fast. I’m still learning.” Samantha laughed. “You can read lips?” I asked. She nodded and said, “I learned when became deaf.” I was confused. She sensed that and said, “I became death when I was six which is why I can talk a lot better.” I nodded very impressed with her speech. By this time Alex came back carrying a baby blue Victoria secret bag. She said hi to Samantha and her brother and told them she would be sleeping over my house. They nodded and said goodbye. I backed out of the driveway and said, “Samantha seems cool.” Alex nodded. “Yeah she is.” The rest of the ride there was silent. Thankfully Katy Perry filled in the awkwardness. I had a feeling there was something Alex wasn’t telling me and I intended to find out tonight. As you saw before when I want something I intend to get it. I’m a little spoiled that way, but hey. If everyone else can live with it so should you.

As the end credits of Twilight rolled out I got up and said, “Potty break!” We were watching a marathon because the last one is coming out soon. We plan on staying up really late, but Mary is already looking a little droopy and if I don’t drink up my red bull I’ll be out like a light before the second movie even starts. When I’m done doing my business I grab my phone and see that it’s already eleven. Mary’s parents were nice enough to let her sleep over. When I went outside I saw that Mary had put in New Moon. Alex was lying on her belly with a pillow under her chin, holding her head up while Mary was lying down on my bed. I sat down on the hello kitty blanket, that Mary helped me lay out, and took another sip of the red bull. Even though I wasn’t too into the whole vampire romance, Mary was nice enough to bring them over and I didn’t want to just say ‘no we can’t watch it. That would be rude. Plus the movies I have might not be very suitable for her. By the time the movie was over I was finished with my second Red Bull. Alex was wide awake and Mary was already asleep. I sighed and pulled the cover over her. I looked over to Alex and asked, “Do you really want to finish the movie?” She shook her head no and said, “I would rather watch that new movie just go with it.” I smiled at her. “Well lucky for you my dad just rented it.” I went over to the DVD cabinet and grabbed the box. I opened it and grabbed the DVD and popped it in the player. About two hours later the screen went black and the credits rolled up. I figured this would be the time to talk to Alex. “So what happened today?” Alex looked confused so I added, “You know today when I picked you up and saw your cousin.” When I saw the realization cross her face, I knew she knew what I was talking about. There was a short silence until she said, “I just…….” She paused. “You just what?” I asked. She bit her lip and said, “It’s just that everyone that meets her, judges her. I could see the look on their faces and know that they don’t like her. I didn’t want you to be the same.” By the time she finished my confused face had vanished and it had softened. “Come on Alex. You should know me by now. I don’t judge on appearance. I mean I’m friends with you aren’t I?” I asked jokingly and she just smiled and threw her pillow at me. “Joke! Anyways I think she’s sweet. Plus I was able to speak to her in sign. I took a couple courses back in Cali.” I explained. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on the wall. “Well I think I’m going to crash. See you tomorrow.” She said lying down on her sleeping bag. I carefully grabbed Mary’s and got inside while replying, “Night Alex.” The second my head hit the pillow I was asleep.

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The smell of bacon woke me up. I yawned and looked around to see that neither Mary nor Alex were there. I went outside in my Spiderman shirt and PINK sweatpants. I saw Alex and Mary at the table eating while my dad was making my favorite chocolate chip pancakes. When he saw me he said, “Hey sleepy head!” I smiled and said hi to everyone. I grabbed the plate of pancakes and ate them like I haven’t eaten in days. After we all finished my dad got to know the girls a little. He made jokes and we laughed and talked some more. Finally it was already around two and we figured that Mary’s parents would want her home. When we got there we saw another car in the driveway. It was a little blue bug. I knocked on the door to find Mary’s mom. “Hi girl’s. How are you?” She asked us. We replied back, “Were doing great.” She smiled and said, “You can come inside if you like.” We accepted her invitation and went inside. There house had a very home-y feel to it. There were vanilla scented candles everywhere. It smelled wonderful. When we got into the living room we talked to Ms.Herra for a while and then somehow Mary was able to get us out of the conversation. We were about to head out when I saw Jake coming out of his room. Unfortunately he was not alone. “Hey April. What are you doing here?” He asked. He was holding hands with Alison. She was wearing shorts and a short shirt that said, “I love my boyfriend.” I made an effort to say hi, but she just pretended I wasn’t there. “I came to drop your sister off.” For some reason my hands kept darting back and forth from his face, to their hands, to Alison’s t-shirt. ‘Oh god please no.’ I begged silently. “Well I got to go.” I said quickly. I grabbed Alex’s hand and we were out the door in seconds. “What was that about?” She asked. I didn’t reply and got into the car. “You like him don’t you?” She asked. I looked over at her and asked, “How would you know that?” She rolled her eyes. “April it doesn’t take a scientist. You looked like you were going to pass out when you saw that I heart my boyfriend t-shirt. Then yesterday when you got caught at the rip currents I knew for sure.” I mentally slapped myself. I thought no one saw me staring. I stayed quiet and she said, “Its okay April. I know that must have hurt a little, but hey. There are plenty of guys here. Don’t worry about it.” We drove to her house and she was careful not to mention his name. When we got there I saw Alex’s cousin Samantha was there. I signed a hello. She said hi back. We ended up sitting on the couch telling each other about ourselves. When Samantha was five she got really sick. The doctor had to give her medication, but they said there was a good chance that she would come out of it, not being able to hear. She did make it through, but became death in the process. She goes to a deaf school and has learned to become used to the fact that she can no longer hear. After we were done talking Samantha suggested that we go to get some Ice cream. We all agreed and went out. When we got there I ordered my usual cake batter and Alex got cotton candy. Surprisingly Samantha got a cake batter smoothie and it was amazing. Just when we were about to leave you would never guess who was there. “Hey April!” Nick exclaimed. His teeth were so bright and white it was hard to look. “Hey Nick.” When I saw Samantha and Alex’s confused face and said (and signed), “You guy’s this is my new co-worker Nick. I met him yesterday.” They both nodded and said hi. Nick smiled at all of them and asked, “So you deaf?” Samantha nodded. “Wow that is so cool. I mean not like cool, but it’s just I always found sign language interesting.” Samantha nodded and smiled. She signed to me, ‘I like this one. He is definitely a keeper.’ I giggled and Nick said, “What? Is it like that dream I had last night and I’m in only underwear?” I laughed harder and said, “No! She was just saying she approves of you.” When he heard that he pretended to wipe of sweat from his forehead. We ended up sitting down and talking. I translated for Samantha because, Nick talked a little too fast for her to read his lips. He made us laugh and I got the feeling that we were going to be seeing a lot more of him. When we finally said our goodbyes, he hugged each of us. When we were in the car Alex said, “I like him better than Jake.” I was surprised to find myself agreeing.

My first day at work was mostly cleaning. Nick was nice enough to help. We talked a lot. He was easy to talk to. He showed me how to work the register and the cappuccino machine. By the time the week was up I became an expert on a cash register and could make cappuccino’s with my eyes closed. The next few weeks passed by quickly. Work kept me busy. When I wasn’t working I was with Nick and Alex. I found that we had become more of a group now. Like the three musketeers. It was sort of like kindergarten. Suddenly when you meet someone you act like you’ve known each other forver. I didn’t see Jake. Every time I did see him he was too preoccupied with his girlfriend. So when I realized this I tried to move on. It was impossible. So instead I ignored it. I pretended like I wasn’t hurt. Anyways tonight I was going over Nick’s place. Unfortunately Alex couldn’t come because she had to babysit. When I got there I was greeted by a woman with golden hair and bright blue eyes. I could see her laugh lines and some gray hairs appearing on her head. Her smile was like Nick’s. “Why hello there. You must be April. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Nick has said so much about you.” Just then Nick came in and said, “Okay Mom I think it’s time for you to go now.” She gave him a mocking stare and said, “Alright we will be home by eleven and I trust that you’ll remember to feed this girl. She needs some meat in her bones.” After she said that a tall man with black hair and a nice tan came in. When he saw me he said, “Ah here is the famous April.” She shook my hand and said, “Well I’m sorry to talk and run, but were going to be late.” They said there goodbye’s and soon enough we were alone. There was a moment of silence. I broke it by saying, “I love your parents.” He burst out laughing and I giggled beside him. We went up to his room and I found it to be just like I imagined. Messy, but that good kind. He apologized for it, but I just shrugged it off. “So what do you want to do?” He asked me. I shrugged while sitting on a beanbag. “I don’t know. Can we go out?” He shook his head no. Then I thought of something. “Wanna go for a swim?” I asked him. He smiled. “Only you would think of that.” He got up and went to his drawer and pulled out a bikini. “Here.” I stared at him for a long time. “I used to share a room with my sister.” I giggled and went to the bathroom to change. When I was dressed I went downstairs to find he was already in the pool. I was surprised at what I saw. He was built. More than I imagined. It was hard not to stare. So instead I jumped inside making a loud splash. When I surfaced I saw him staring. “What?” I asked. He was still smiling. “Nothing. Let’s go under. As I did I opened my eyes to see that his were to I smiled and waved. He waved back. We swam under for a while. When we surfaced we ended up closer than before. I stared at his eyes for a moment. He pulled a wet strand of hair from my eyes. I pulled away quickly. “I’m sorry I cant.” I swam out of the pool. “Wait April.” He called out following. I grabbed the towel I let on the stool and wrapped it around. I felt my eyes stinging and threatening tears. He caught up and grabbed my elbow and pulled me towards him. I closed my eyes so he couldn’t see that my eyes were bloodshot. “What’s wrong? You can tell me.” I believed him. Suddenly I blurting out everything I kept in. All he did was listen and hug me. “I’m sorry.” He said. I shook my head. “I’m not.” Suddenly I felt okay again. I looked up at Nick and felt something I never felt before. His face looked worried. I pulled myself close and slowly kissed him. He responded well. He wrapped his arms around my waist completely getting rid of any space between us. It was a sweet kiss. Protective. When he finally pulled away I rested my forehead on his. He was smiling that beautiful smile. “My god you don’t know what that smile does to me.” I said. He laughed and said, “Well you don’t know what you’re eyes do to me. Every time I look at them I feel like I have the sudden urge to kiss you.” I gave him a devilish smirk. “What’s stopping you?” My heart felt like it was about to burst. This kiss was more passionate. It wasn’t like any other kiss I’ve had before. I felt like everything inside was tingling with excitement. I hadn’t felt happier than I ever had in my entire life. So this is what love felt like.








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The rest of the night we talked about each other and our families. We sat on his bed and held hands while watching pointless cartoons. We were able to get a couple more kisses. It was almost addicting. When I left I stayed in my car for a while processing everything that had happened. I bit my lip trying to hold in a smile. It didn’t work. The next day I felt like I was floating. When I got to work my heart was beating loudly at the thought of seeing him. When I got inside he wasn’t there. I went around back to find nothing. Just when I was about to turn around I felt arms around my waist. “boo.” He said. I didn’t have to see him to know he was smiling. I felt this warm feeling inside me. I turned to see that god like smile and said, “Good morning.” I tip toed and kissed his cheek. For the first time ever I saw him frown. “Really? That’s all I get after last night.” I smirked and said, “Well maybe if you were hard today, you’ll get a little extra.” I bit my lip to hold back a smiled and turned back to the counter. The entire day he worked faster. I couldn’t help, but laugh. By the time out lunch break rolled around he was exhausted. We got in his car, and drove to Mc. Donald’s. We ate in his car, When we were done he said, “Oh can I please have that little extra now?” He pleaded. “I’m going to need something to keep me going.” I giggled and he bit his lip biting back a smile. I couldn’t help, but stare. He looked so hot doing that. I pretended to think for a sec and said, “Okay, but not in your car.” He smirked and said, “Fine. My place.” He practically ran three stop lights. When we got there I checked my watch to see we only had ten minutes. When we got inside he said, “You know I was just kidding. I actually needed to come home to get my phone.” I laughed and followed him to his room. “You pulled that whole show for a phone.” He thought about it for a second then said, “Yeah, pretty much.” I laughed and said, “Well while were here….” I got on my tip toes and found his lips. It was an electric pulse running through me. I discarded any space between us wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms found their way around my waist. After we were done and went back to work I suddenly felt like I was on a natural high. I thought nothing could go wrong. Never had I been more wrong in my entire life.



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Cliff hanger! :o. Anyways I want to let you know that I'm taking this story into a whole new direction than what I was initially going for.

The music was blaring before we even got inside. “Are you sure we should go?” I asked Nick. “Of course. Besides I already promised Elvis I would come. Now people can see us together.” I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Okay let’s go.” We walked in hand in hand. The house was even bigger on the inside then outside. People were everywhere. In the middle of it all was the dance floor with lots of drunken people dancing. Nick tugged my arm and pulled me to a group of people in the corner. Two guys and a girl. You will never guess who they were. “April?” Jake said. Suddenly I wasn’t so excited anymore. “Hey Jake.” I said wearily. Alison gave me her usual ‘I smell something bad’ face, but then turned her attention to Nick. A little smile crept on her lips. “Hey Nick.” She said smirking. He gave a smile and said, “Hey Allison. April that’s Allison, Justin, and you apparently know Jake.” I didn’t really notice the other guy till just now. He had dark hair and a really nice tan. His eyes were somewhere between sky blue and frog green. Hard not to look at. “Yeah I actually was one of the first people she met.” Jake replied. Nick looked surprised. “Really? You didn’t tell me that.” He said looking at me curiously. “Actually I did. I just never told you his name.” When realization crossed his face he tried to act casual. Well as casual as a guy can be when he realizes the guy his girl friend first liked is one of his good friends. “Oh yeah. Hey any of you guys want a drink?” He asked. He went off to get Allison and Jake a refill. I sat next to Justin. “You know you look familiar.” He said. I tilted my head and looked at him closely. “You don’t look like anyone I’ve seen before.” I replied. “Oh wait. Now I know. I’ve seen you at Starbucks.” Then it hit me. “You were the guy who spilled that cappuccino on the floor.” He laughed and said, “Yeah that’s me.” I giggled too. “So how do you know Nick?” I asked. “Oh we have been friends for years. Since grade school almost.” I nodded and he said, “How about you?” I told him how I met him at Starbucks and how he got to me. “Figures. He always goes after the pretty ones.” I blushed, but smiled. “Want some water?” He asked reaching over to the cooler beside him. I nodded and he pulled out two bottles. “You know I’m glad Nick found you. He’s been a little down since his last break up.” Me, being the curious cat I am, said, “Really? Anyone I might know?” I asked. He nodded as I took a sip. “Yeah you just met her. It was Allison.” Suddenly the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat' had become very personal.

I was breathing hard and felt lightheaded. “April are you okay?” Justin asked. I nodded, but I knew my face gave me away. “Come on let’s get you outside.” He took my elbow and gently pushed me outside. The second I smelled the fresh air and pine needles I relaxed. “What’s wrong?” I don’t know why, but I told him why I wasn’t exactly fond of Allison. When I finished he just laughed. “Classic Allison. She can’t stand to see something that she can’t have. So she goes through whatever she can do, to take it.” That’s when I laughed. “Seems like you’ve had experience.” He just smiled. “Sort of. A couple years back Allison took interest in me. When I told her I wasn’t interested she went through whatever she could to get me. She practically threw herself at me. Eventually she gave up, but now she isn’t exactly happy about my existence.” I laughed and he smiled when I did. “You’re funny. I like you.” He chuckled and said, “I get the feeling were going to be good friends.” I nodded and said, “Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. Guy in the plaid shirt.” We both laughed and that’s how Nick found us. “Hey what are you guys doing out here.” His voice held suspicion, but if I was laughing harder I wouldn’t even have noticed. “I started to feel a little sick, so Justin brought me outside.” Justin nodded encouragingly. “But, your okay now?” He asked. I nodded and he smiled. “Good let’s go inside.” He took my hand before I could object. I looked back, but Justin was already gone.