Time for School

I followed with Samantha off the elevator after we reached her floor. I took a quick glance at the windowed wall by the elevators to see the rain picking up.

"Man, it is coming down now," I said.

"Good thing we got out of there when we did," she replied, turning to me with a smile. "Looks like we're in for some rough weather. Don't worry though, we'll be safe at my place."

"My savior," I joked, drawing a laugh out of her.

Her apartment was all the way at the far end of the building. It was one of the biggest sizes of apartments with three bedrooms in it. She whipped out her keys and unlocked the door, allowing me to go inside first.

"After you," she politely said.

"Thank you kindly, ma'am." She grinned as I joked with her once again before I walked inside.

"Wow," I remarked as I looked around the place. "It looks a lot different from when I was last here. A lot less ... 'nineties.'" Previously, the place was chock-full of color. Colorful carpet, bedrooms their own individual colors, even the rugs were eye-catching. It had become a ton more modern styled. No more color - there was just a lot of white. Floor-to-ceiling, white. Glass tables with metallic legs. The only real color around was the accented flowers placed with an almost surgical precision so that one's eyes didn't dare catch more than one at a time.

"Yeah," she replied as she shut the door behind her. "My parents hired a designer. They told him, 'make this place look more grown-up,' and this is what he came up with. My parents love it, but I kind of miss our old rainbow theme."

"It definitely felt like a fun house for me every time I used to come over here as a kid."

"I know, right?" she concurred as she led me into the living room.



"Wow," I reiterated at the sight of the large, all-white room. It wasn't a blinding white, though, it was ... nice. It felt like a room to just relax in. I could see why her parents liked it. That's when I noticed a large, mishmash of color on the floor. It was one of those eye-catching rugs I remembered.

"I see your parents still kept the crazy rug from the old living room."

"It's a little reminder of the old look. 'A piece of the past used for the future' is what they said." We both chuckled. Suddenly, the wind whipped at the sliding glass doors, catching our attention.

"Jeez," I calmly said, "what a day I picked to go swimming."

"Same." She glanced at my towel and then held up a finger for me to wait. "Hang on just a sec."

She quickly shuffled around the corner, leaving me to gaze around the room some more and take in the sights. It was amazing how things change. I guess I should know that. Samantha quickly shuffled on back and handed me a fresh, very fluffy towel.

"Here," she said, drying herself off with one of her own.

"Hey, thanks," I replied with a smile whilst drying myself off more thoroughly. She also took my own towel from me.

"I'll just put this away for now," she said. "You go ahead and sit down on the couch."

"Okay," I replied while she shuffled away again. I placed the new, nicer towel on the seat of the – surprisingly – white couch and took a seat on it. I looked out at the rain pouring down hard outside, idly reminiscing about the old days with Samantha. I always knew her to be fun and really full of life. It was nice to see that coming back after the initially cold reception she gave me. I remember slipping and falling while playing in the rain one time and how quickly she ran over check on me. She genuinely cared about me, but I wasn't terribly good at realizing that when I had bloomed into my rambunctious teenage years. Being shut out by her all this time was definitely not on my list of life accomplishments.



A few minutes later, Samantha rounded the corner back into the living room. She still had on her swimsuit, a coffee mug held in each hand.

"Here you go," she said, handing me one of the mugs.

"Thanks," I replied with some confusion whilst looking at it. "Tea?" I asked when the steamy scent of orange hit my nose.

"Yeah, it's my favorite kind." She smiled and took a seat next to me. "I figured why not enjoy a hot cup of tea after getting out of the cold, wet rain?"

"Sounds good. Very ... cozy." She giggled before she took a sip of her tea. She then placed the mug on a coaster, sliding a spare one down the glass table for me. I wasn't terribly fond of boring, old tea but I decided to give it a sip. Then two sips.

"Mm, this is really good!" I remarked. Before long, I had finished the whole darn cup and placed it on the table with a satisfied sigh. She looked quite happy to see I enjoyed it.

"So," she said, turning to me while settling into the back cushion of the couch, "first thing's first: Are you some kind of mutant?" I laughed. She grinned and upped the volume so I could hear her over my laughter, "And, follow-up question: Are you radioactive?"

"I can definitely say 'no' to both," I replied with a big smile. "But that's the thing – I don't even know how I got this power or why."

She looked at me fondly and shook her head in disbelief.

"This is so surreal," she quietly said. "You – Anthony, the kid I tried to avoid at all costs for some time but, more important, a very good friend before that." I smiled and nodded gently. "To think that you ... you got, like, superpowers. ... I feel like I'm in a movie or something where I should probably be way more panicky or jumpy about this ... but I look at you and you're so relaxed, so ... casual about it. It makes me not freak."

"I've had a good amount of time to come to terms with it and get used to it."

"Maybe you're part of a government experiment, you know?"

"I thought the very same thing," I replied with an upbeat voice, causing her to laugh. "Who knows – maybe there's a microchip in my brain or something."

"That's some incredible technology!"

"Yeah," I agreed with a nod. "So, how have you been?"

"Good, actually. Been spending time with friends, working on my swimming, getting swamped with homework."

"Replace 'working on swimming' with 'managing mind-boggling superpower' and I've been doing the same." She laughed again. "Any boys you like?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Uhh, there's this one..."

"Oh yeah? Is he the tall, dark, handsome man of your dreams?"

"No, nothing like that. He's just a boy from my swim class. I ... think he likes me, but then again, I think he likes to spend time staring at my boobs."

"I don't blame him," I casually replied, letting my eyes wander to her chest.

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed with a laugh while slapping my arm.

"What?! I'd rather be honest with you than just totally ignore the two, huge, gigantic elephants in the room!"

"You're a jerk!" she squealed, the two of us laughing for a moment.



She then looked me over with a smirk. "So, what about you? Any girls you're looking to get with?"

"Not seriously," I said with some mystery in my voice.

"Oh? What's that mean, huh? Have you been ... gettin' busy?" she asked with a playful grin.

"Uhh, well, if you're putting me on the spot ... yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?" she replied, her eyebrows raising in surprise. "Does that mean you went all the way?"

"Yeah," I casually said with a shrug.

"Wow," she remarked, her eyes full of intrigue. "What's it like?"

I was taken aback by her question. "Well, aren't you getting a little personal?" I teased.

"I'm just curious. I mean, if we're being honest, I've ... never actually done it myself." She rubbed her arm awkwardly, like that was supposed to be something to be ashamed of.

I reassuringly told her, "You've got a whole lifetime yet."

"Yeah, I guess," she replied with a nervous chuckle before looking away.



Things fell quiet between us for a short time. I kept looking over at the rainy weather outside which had gotten torrential. Finally, she spoke up to break the silence.

"Hey, can I ask you a favor and you'll promise not to be weirded out?"

"O~kay ...?" I asked, a little suspicious.

She fidgeted with her hands for a moment, looking away from me as she mustered up the courage to speak again.

She blurted out, "Would you kiss me?" I looked at her in surprise. "I know, I sound like a huge loser right now to have to ask. I just ... never did that before, either."

"I'm cool with it," I reassured her with a smile. "And I really would not think of you as a loser. Not after the stuff I've done to you."

"Follow-up request," she added as she scooted herself closer to me. "Could you kiss me like ... that girl you went all the way with?"

"Sure," I replied. Our lips then met for a very brief second before I playfully pulled away. "There you go."

"Oh, come on!" she whined as I laughed. "Be serious."

"Are you sure you can handle my kind of serious?"

"I can handle anything you give me," she quietly replied with a surprising amount of seductiveness. I quirked an eyebrow and smiled as she leaned back in to kiss me once again. I put an arm around her, pulling her a bit closer and feeling her sigh against my lips. Then, I went in for the kill, pressing my lips much deeper than she must have expected since she tried to gasp for air. I chuckled, helping guide her into an engaging lip lock. She took a little time to get going at first, but soon she was eagerly following my lead.



When our lips finally parted from each other, she stared incredulously at me.

"Wow," she remarked in amazement. "You're ... I had no idea you were such a great kisser." I grinned and gently laughed. "I forgot where I even was for a little bit there."

"Well, that's what happens when you're with the man," I joked, playfully flexing my arms and posing. She laughed and pushed my arms back down.

"Okay, settle down there, tiger." I smiled and watched her as she looked at my chest. She slowly bit her lip, letting it quietly pop from her mouth. "You know, you were talking about my looks a little bit ago. I think you ... look really good, too."

"Thanks," I replied, more than happy to take the compliment.

She then surprised me as her hands began to gently run up and down my chest. I gazed curiously at her while she just stared back at me with a soulful look in her eyes.

"It's been so long since I've seen you. I couldn't have imagined you'd grow to be so handsome. You're starting to look like a man now - so much different than the little boy I used to know."

I could only fathom how deeply she had missed me through the forlorn look in her eyes. She reached up, touching my face with a delicate hand. A gentle smile spread across her lips, and I returned the smile back to her. It felt nice to be in her company again. We sat there calmly for a few minutes in the peaceful quiet. Outside, the rain wildly whipped around in the cold air.



She leaned in once more, planting her lips over mine. While we engaged into another kiss, she calmly slid her body over my lap. She held my shoulders, our kiss lasting for just a few moments more. She broke away and looked at me with a playful grin.

"What about me? Do you think I've grown, too?"

"Uh, yes, definitely," I replied with a smirk. "You used to be 'pencil girl.' Now you're all grown and ... you look amazing. Puberty did some very good things to you."

She softly giggled, leaning in closer to me. "You know what I'd like?" her voice lowered seductively.

"Hmm?"

"I'd like it if you did good things to me, too ..."

Samantha grinned at me with an eager mischievousness. She gently stuck out her chest a few times as her body slowly rubbed against me. I knew she was being serious. Her eyes stared intensely at me, awaiting my next move. Well, who was I to turn down such an offer?

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I softly asked.

"Mm-hmm, no doubt," she quickly responded.

I watched as she slowly, almost teasingly so, pulled down the tight straps of her swimsuit. I swallowed gently, my eyes shifting between her face and her chest. She continued down, revealing her incredible breasts to me. I was very happy with what I was seeing. I tried to keep myself from staring at them, switching my gaze to look up at her. Both of us had an eager grin on our faces before she pressed her lips into my own.

I began to kiss my way into her neck, listening to her sighing in pleasure. The corners of my mouth were curled into a grin, excited that she really wanted to do this with me. I laved my tongue around the lightly tan skin of her neck. I felt her pulse racing, the temperature of her body rising. My kisses went down her collarbone. Her body shifted upward to greet me as I eagerly made my way into the cleft of her great breasts.



Samantha exhaled passionately while I licked and kissed my way around her warm, semi-firm orbs. She shivered with delight each time I sucked hard upon her nipples and then let the pressure of my mouth suddenly release them with a pop. She moaned softly and warmly to me, keeping me close to her breast with a hand behind my head. At the same time, she was grinding herself against my thigh with eager sighs of desire.

"Keep going ...," she quietly pleaded. "Please keep going ..."

I squeezed the base of her breasts tight, pushing their shape out even further, sucking back and forth between her nipples. There was only so much of her eager panting and writhing body begging me onward that I could take. It wasn't long before I put an arm around her back and swiftly laid her down upon the couch.

"Wait," she stopped me, much to my confusion. "Not here." She then pointed backward to the nearby open door. "In there."

"That's your parents' room," I said in surprise.

She slyly smirked. "I know ...," she softly replied.

My eyes lit up with intrigue. I had no idea when she got so seductive, but I was definitely loving it.

Samantha put her arms around my neck as I lifted her up off the couch by her butt. I quickly headed into the bedroom, both of us kissing and quietly laughing along the way. Her parents' bedroom was painted just as white as the rest of the place. I didn't really give it much thought whilst laying her head down on the pillow of the king-size bed.

I quickly got my bathingsuit removed. She hungrily watched me while also removing her own swimsuit. I finished faster than her and ended up helping claw her clothing off. Then, I swiftly climbed onto the bed and propped myself over her. Both of us just stared at each other in amazement for a moment, soaking in just how far we'd gone already. She reached down, taking hold of my very erect member. I stayed in place, allowing her to stroke and caress it. Our eyes gazed deep with a burning desire for one another.

"You are so hot," I said to her, my excitement peaking. "Like really, really hot."

"Mm, you're hotter than hot," she purred. "You're hotter than the sun."

I didn't really feel like arguing with her over which of us was hotter. I just wanted to keep on going further.



Samantha read my thoughts since the next thing she did was slip her hands behind my hips, eagerly pulling me between her open, amazing thighs. Her lovely swimmer legs closed around me, her body trembling in anticipation of what was next. Her hands slid up to my chest as she gave a hiss, feeling my swollen head push into her. She gave a sharp gasp before both of us groaned in awe from the sensation of our bodies joining together as one.

It took me just a brief moment to begin rhythmically pushing myself firmly into her. She grunted deeply in lustful bliss as we explored the wonder of sex together. Her legs, crossed behind my hips, gently slid and rubbed against my skin. She was so beautifully tight and hot around me as I eagerly took her virgin body on the ride of a lifetime.

"Oh, my god," she moaned. "This feels so good ..."

It felt so right being with her like this. It was safe and comfortable being her lover because of how well I knew her. I could only imagine she was feeling the same way.

I stopped momentarily to shift my weight onto my forearms. I then tucked my arms under her back and held her against me. She smiled at me, happily wrapping her arms around my neck as we kissed. I quickly picked back up where we left off, savoring the amazing pleasure of making love with my best friend from childhood.

Our hot bodies slapped together in harmonious bliss. Samantha's lust-filled eyes gazed up at me with a big smile on her face. She was so overjoyed to be doing this with me, and I with her. She was so beautiful, and as sweet as I remembered.

She panted and whispered, "This is so wonderful ..."

"I care about you so much, Samantha ..." I quietly spoke. She grinned and touched my face.

"I care for you, too. ... I've always kept you so close to my heart and I always will ..."



I began to drive myself harder, deeper inside of her. I amorously watched her gorgeous, sweaty breasts jump with each powerful stroke of my hips. The wind changed direction, blowing a gust of rain onto the sliding glass door. The flowing rain cast its shadow upon our intertwined bodies euphorically wrapped in a lover's embrace. She laid her head back, tossing and turning in ecstasy as she happily took every last one of my eager thrusts into her.

She shouted, "God, yes, this is amazing! Please don't stop for anything in the world!"

"Ohh, Samantha ..." I lustfully uttered, trying to hold out as her walls were clamped down like a hot vice around me.

She panted and cried out at the top of her lungs, holding onto me for dear life. Her body incessantly quaked and writhed in heat. I was shoving my hips furiously into her own, both of us simply yearning to sate our overwhelming lust. I held the floodgates closed for as long as I could but just as I reached the breaking point, she did as well. Somehow, I'd managed to time it perfectly.

I grit my teeth and immediately pulled out of her just as she squealed in ecstasy and came upon the sheets. I spilled my seed through the cleft of her big, sweat-covered breasts and down her belly. We gasped and moaned, our bodies jerking and bucking together in delight.

I rolled over onto my side, both of us collapsed atop the bed. We panted heavily, catching our breath, staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes. I couldn't believe how things had turned out. A year ago, I would've never imagined I'd ever see Samantha again. Now, she and I reunited and just went all the way – on her parents' bed, no less. Things could not have felt better. I was happy, she was happy.



I gazed over at her and she looked at me with a big smile. I felt like my past and my present had come full circle as I looked into her eyes.

"Thank you for that," she softly said.

"I should be the one thanking you," I replied, causing her to laugh.

"You were so wonderful, Anthony. That was ... so beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a better first time."

"I'm glad I could make you happy," I replied with a big smirk. "The feeling is mutual."

She softly giggled, both of us gazing back up at the ceiling.

"You know," she said, "I was thinking about you, like, a month or so ago."

"How come?" I curiously asked.

"I was just thinkin' ... about sex ..."

"Wow, you're worse than me."

"I really doubt that," she remarked, both of us chuckling. "I was thinking ... about all the guys I knew and who I'd trust to, you know, be my first. ... You're the only one I could think of."

I looked over at her again, an expression of surprise upon my face.

"Why me?"

"Because, you ... were the sweetest boy I ever knew. You meant a lot to me. You made me happy and you were my best friend for a long time. I always felt comfortable around you because you were just so much fun. That's why it hurt so much when ... well, you know ..."



I reached down and grabbed her hand, prompting her to look over at me with a sorrowful smile.

"I'm really, really sorry for chasing you away like that. I was stupid back then and I couldn't see that I was losing the best friend I ever had. You meant a lot to me, too – you still do."

"Thank you," she whispered, sniffling. "I accept your apology wholeheartedly. ... I'm just glad to have you back, Anthony."

"It's good to be back, Samantha," I replied before lifting her hand up and placing a kiss upon it. She laughed and sniffled, wiping away a couple of rogue tears from her eyes. She gazed to the ceiling once more, taking a deep breath and shakily sighing. She held my hand a little tighter, both of us relaxing in silence for a moment or two.

"You're the only guy I've ever done this with," she said. "And ... you're definitely the only one that deserves it ..."

"Wow," I remarked in surprise. "Well, thank you for that honor."

She smiled and laughed, both of us gazing happily at each other after making love as two very happily reunited friends.



Samantha then glanced over at the clock.

"Oh, crap," she remarked before calmly getting up.

"What is it?" I asked as I followed her lead.

"My parents are going to be home soon, and I gotta clean up and you shouldn't be here since my parents keep telling me not to have friends over when they're gone ..."

I smiled and nodded. "All right, then," I replied before putting my bathingsuit back on.

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Yep. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled brightly. "My thoughts exactly. See ya later."

"See ya." She stroked my arm before I left the room.

"Don't forget your towel!" she called out to me.

"Oh, right," I muttered, heading back to the couch real quick to grab the towel I'd left on the seat. I then took my leave from her place, closing the door behind me. I smiled as I gazed up at the apartment number, a number I hadn't come face-to-face with in quite some time. But it was incredible to be back.



After I got home, I headed for the bathroom to get cleaned up and changed. When I brought the towel to drop into the hamper, I realized I didn't recognize it. That's when my heart sank. I still had Samantha's towel — mine was still at her house.

"Uh-oh," I muttered.

Well, there was nothing I could do about it at that point. Going back up to Samantha's apartment while her parents were there to hand her back her own towel would've been incredibly awkward and involve a lot of explaining that I'm not sure either of us wanted to do. She was always very smart – smart enough to make up a cover story. I didn't worry about it too much and headed into the shower.

That evening, I got a rather calm buzzing sensation in my head. My extrasensory senses perked up to alert me that someone was arriving. A few seconds later, there was a gentle knock at the front door. I chuckled and hopped out of my computer chair, certain of who it was. I sensed her presence - getting a calm, relaxed vibe from her. I grabbed hold of her towel from the bathroom and headed for the door. Upon opening it, I smiled at Samantha, who greeted me with a smile back. My towel was in her hands.

"What did you tell your parents?" I asked as we calmly swapped towels.

"I told them a half-truth. A friend came over after we met up at the pool and ... stayed for a while."

"A guy friend?" I playfully asked, draping the towel over my shoulder.

"A girl friend," she replied with a grin. "I really don't need them to start getting ideas about having a guy over."

"Cause they're totally unfounded, right?"

"Right," she laughed. "... You know, it's not like I just planned from the moment I saw you that I wanted to ... do it with you. Or after the time-stop thing, or on the way up the elevator, or when we walked into my place. ... Sitting there on the couch with you was so ... pleasant. I felt like it was the good, old days all over again. I was just really happy to be with you and to talk with you like a normal, fun-loving person again. I guess I just got ... overwhelmed by it all."

"So did I," I softly said. "That, and the fact that you're really beautiful."

She laughed again. "Thanks. ... Well, guess I'll see you around soon."

"I guess you will."

She gave me an adorable grin that got me smiling as well before taking her leave. That smile was pretty much pasted on my face as I shut the door and went to put my towel away. As I sat back down in front of the computer, I reminisced for a moment about Samantha and the amazing time we had together. She was right about getting to hang out together – it felt like old times for me as well. I was glad that she hadn't changed at all. Moreover, I was glad that I was finally able to do right by her and patch things up. I realized how much that meant to her.

Being able to atone for my past transgressions fulfilled me in a way I could've never imagined. Finally getting to speak my mind, open up my innermost thoughts to the people around me. From the moment it all began with Jennifer, snowballing all the way to Ms. Adanna and now to Samantha. It felt good, to say the least.

Still, there was one more person I had to tie up loose ends with. Someone who I've had feelings for during the majority of the school year thus far. Of course I'm talking about the one who I'd had a tiny, little, microscopic, insignificant, teeny-weeny, totally-not-a-crush crush on. I never did get to talk to her seriously after Jordan and I had our heart-to-heart chat. My sixteen days of winter vacation were coming to an end – time to go back to school.



I was amazed at how surprisingly refreshing it was to get back onto school grounds. Well, that was mostly because I actually had things to look forward to again. My friends, as delightfully crazy as they are, were more than happy to see me. I was always happy to see them, too. That included, of course, Eve who greeted me with a hug and a kiss since that was the new norm. In the hallway outside of Algebra, I ran into none other than Tamara. I laughed and grinned as she approached from the other direction. She was wearing the shirt that I got for her birthday.

"Hey, you," I happily greeted her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, sharing a friendly hug with me.

"You have great taste in fashion," I told her as we stood together.

"Thanks," she sweetly said. "I really wanted to wear this to show that, after all of the stuff that happened, I'm on Team Anthony."

"Wow," I remarked, touched by the remark, "that's really, ... wow." She giggled in amusement. "Never thought of myself being some kind of team to join, but I really appreciate it."

"I appreciate you," she said before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. That was a great feeling I would never be able to get enough of. The two of us then headed into the classroom together.

"So, are we like some kind of softball team or something?" I joked, grinning happily. She laughed in response and nodded.

"If you want to be," she replied just before we parted away.

We took our seats just before the bell rang to begin class. It was time for everybody to take our their study books and get back to learning. Having plenty of time to rest my brain made me eager to get back into it.



Once the bell rang, I certainly wasn't going to get away without a visit from a certain fiery-tempered classmate. Tamara and I hugged and said our goodbye's with her planting one more kiss on my cheek. As I walked out into the hallway in a overjoyed daze, I seemed to unconsciously put my weight onto my right foot. It was enough to absorb most of the impact from Elizabeta rushing out and shoving me extra hard from the left.

"Hey!" she squealed. "Missed me? You better say 'yes' or I'll kick your ass right here."

I smirked and pretended to feign interest. "Hmm ... I guess I did ..."

"You perro," she said with a big grin before slapping my arm. I returned the physicality by putting my arm around her and holding her close to me while we walked. She squealed again and laughed in response.

"So, what was with the big shove you gave me?" I asked.

"That was for all the days I missed out on from vacation," she replied before leaning in and whispering, "and for fucking me."

"Do you regret it or something?" I asked, curious.

"Hell no. But I still have to keep you in line like the dog you are, papi."

I couldn't help but chuckle, glad to know she was the same as always.



As we passed by Spanish, my next class, I let go of her and gave her a playful slap on the butt.

"Aii!" she playfully shrieked. She turned to me with an excited grin, and a sizzling look in her jade green eyes that told me she definitely liked that. She then gave me a very 'friendly' middle finger. I laughed and waved to her. She walked away, keeping the same big grin on her face. I took a deep breath and sighed happily while heading into class.

Inside, Sarah had already taken her seat on time – pen and paper ready on her desk. That didn't surprise me, considering how much of a bright, model student she was. She was always eager to learn. I could only hope that my grades would eventually look as good as hers.

"Hey, welcome back," Sarah said.

"And to you, too," I politely replied with a smile before sitting down at my desk.

That's when I watched Jordan quickly shuffle on by me to take her seat. She looked at me with a suspicious grin before reaching into her backpack to get her materials. After I turned back around, I heard Sarah and Jordan giggle to each other behind me. I smiled and shook my head, wondering what those two were up to.



I was mildly distracted during class. Not just because of the fact that Ms. Adanna was wearing a beautiful blue tight evening dress, but because I was also trying to think of what to say to Sarah come lunchtime. Before that, let me get back to talking about Ms. Adanna for just a minute. Wow. I had no idea if she was dressed like that because she had a date later, or if she just wanted to look nice. Very nice, in fact. Maybe, though, just maybe ... she was dressed like that for me. All I knew was that she looked amazing and I was very tempted to have another time-stopped romp with her if my mind wasn't already preoccupied.

I wrote a little note to Sarah on a small piece of paper. In it, I quickly explained to her that I wanted to have a chat with her one-on-one during lunch. I casually dropped the paper over my shoulder in a way reminiscent of how I would irritate the living hell out of Jennifer. I heard her unfurl the note. I then turned my head to the side, watching her smile and nod to me. I nodded back and returned to our lesson for the day.

When lunch finally came around, I was a little nervous but so much more excited. Getting to finally confess my innermost feelings to Sarah– ... I mean, feelings? What feelings? Well, regardless, I knew it was going to be super refreshing to lay out all my cards on the table for her.

Sarah, Jordan and myself all headed out at the same time.

"So, what did ya want to chat about?" Sarah softly asked.

Jordan couldn't help butting in. "Ooh, the two of you are going to have a private chat, huh?"

"Yeah," I calmly replied. "There were some things I wanted to talk to Sarah about."

Jordan was able to tell that this chat meant a lot for me. She knew what I was going to tell her, since she already knew herself.

"How about I run on up ahead and buy us all a slice of pizza?" Jordan suggested. "That way it'll be ready for you by the time you get there and guys can chat along the way."

"Thank you," I smiled to her. "I appreciate it."

"Sounds good," Sarah concurred.

Jordan chuckled softly. "You guys take your time."



Jordan then jogged on ahead, leaving Sarah and I casually striding behind. The halls were already starting to thin out as most of the other students flew past us.

"What's up?" Sarah asked. I smirked and chuckled.

"I'm sure Jordan already filled you in on most of what I wanted to say."

A big grin slowly crept across her face. "Abo~ut?"

"Look at you, you're about to laugh!" I exclaimed, both of us bursting out with a laugh. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Okay, okay, fine," she admitted with a nod. "I mean, we are like sisters. She tells me everything and I tell her everything."

"I figured." I smiled, keeping my gaze forward. "For a while, I ... had a pretty ... minor crush on you, I would say."

"Uh-huh," she playfully replied. She knew it wasn't as minor as I'd been saying all along. "Well, I didn't need Jordan to tell me that. I already knew."

"Was I that obvious?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"Uhh, ... yes." I softly laughed in response. "But you're a sweetheart, Anthony - you really are. I'm so, so, so glad to have you as a friend. You've been great to me."



I casually led her down the opposite hallway than the one which would've taken us to the courtyard with Jordan.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked.

"Just to talk for a few more minutes. I doubt Jordan will miss us."

She laughed. "All right," she replied with some curiosity in her voice.

I led her outside, out to the area where the school buses would normal line up at the beginning and end of the day. At lunchtime, though, it was totally quiet. Peaceful, just like I could hope for.

"It's a really nice day out," I remarked, looking up at the picture-perfect blue sky and feeling the cool air gently breeze by.

"It really is. I love it when it gets like this. Reminds me of back home."

"Oh yeah? Where's home?"

"South Carolina," she replied, and I nodded. She sighed happily, gazing up at the few clouds in the sky. "Days like this remind me of when I was a little girl. 'Round this time, the leaves would be piling up and me and my friends would love to play around in them."

"I have some great memories of this time of the year, too. But, there's still plenty more to be made." She turned to me with a sweet smile that just about made my heart melt. "I'm glad you moved down here and gave me the honor of meeting you."

"That's sweet," she quietly replied. Then, I took her hand in mine. She looked at me with an incredibly curious gaze.



"Sarah," I began, preparing to spill my guts, "... you are super, super amazing and wonderfully sweet and beautiful. I mean, like, wow you're gorgeous."

She looked so incredibly touched by that. Her head tilted, grinning uncontrollably.

"Anthony, you're gonna make me blush," she shyly said. And that, right there, was the reason I found her so lovely and so wonderful. She was so real.

"Good. It'll remind me of how real and honest you are with yourself." She looked awe-struck gazing at me. "I know that you belong to someone else, but I still really like you. You are ... super warm and caring and you make me feel like I matter. Also, you're beautiful." She giggled in embarrassment. "I just wanted to emphasize that. ... You're amazing. Whoever this guy is that you're with is ... so lucky to have you and he'd better treat you like you're the best thing he's got going for him - because you deserve it. And if he doesn't see that, then he's completely dense." Then, I gave a big sigh of relief. At the same time, the tears were already welled up in her eyes. "That ... is everything I have wanted to say to you for the past four months but I could never muster up the courage to do it. Now that I have, it feels so good ... like a huge weight is off my shoulders. I know that's super cliché," she let out a shaky laugh, "but I mean it. Every word."

She sniffled, letting go of my hand to take off her glasses and wipe her eyes. "Thank you so much, Anthony. You are ... a wonderful guy. You're gonna to make some lucky girl feel like she's the queen of the flippin' world someday."

"I'm sorry for making you cry ..."

"It's okay," she softly interjected.

"... but I just really, really had to tell you all that. It was really important to me, and thank you for giving me the time to listen to me."

"Of course," she nodded in understanding.

'Time.' Ha, how I loved that word nowadays.



I let Sarah calm down and replace her glasses before I continued on.

"Well," I spoke up again with a big, eager grin. "now that I'm already airing out my secrets, there's one more that I have to tell you."

She smiled as she saw my expression. "You seem pretty excited about it."

"I am!" She laughed. "Okay, brace yourself for this. You ready?"

"Uh-huh."

I exclaimed, throwing my hands outward in a flourish, "I can freeze time!"