Disclaimer: sure as heck wished it were mine.

Nate loved bubbles. Little bubbles that were so cheery and light and made you feel all so happy to see them. Like sunshine and laughter and happy mayhem on earth, floating and flying and sparkling away. Peering through them makes him see everything in a more special way, like kolaydo.. kaloydo? Kaleidoscopes!

So happy and bright.

And then they pop.

And then he'd hate them, because they wouldn't stay. He loved them but they all went away. Bad bubbles, he'd say. Mom would buy another one,

"but they all just fly away!"

Do you remember when we were just kids

And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss

Schoolyard conversations taken to heart

And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not

She was grinning and jumping and her hair was bouncing and her dimples were showing and her laugh was inviting and Nate was smiling. Chuck was smirking at him and calling him lovesick but he didn't understand because he didn't feel anything like being sick. He was feeling the best he had felt! Except for the caterpillars in his tummy, but that was okay.

"Caterpillars? You are sick, Nathaniel!"

"What? No! Caterpillars in my stomach are okay. Barney even said so, Chuck. And he was even smiling when he rubbed his green tummy when he said it. I'm telling you, Chuck, caterpillars are okay."

"I meant sick to the head. You don't get caterpillars in your tummy, mate, they'll eat you. You get butterflies! They flutter around but won't hurt you a bit. And of course Barney was smiling, he never never smiles! He's a giant puppet."

"Really? But who pulls his strings? And why can't I see them?"

"The dikretors," Chuck said proudly. "They use important effects."

Nate was sad about Barney but happy about there being no caterpillars in his stomach. They would have killed him and he wouldn't even know it! Good thing Chuck was his best friend.

"Oooh. You're so smart, Chuck! I wish I could be like you."

"Really?"

"Really really!"

"That's great, Nathaniel. Now go talk to her!"

"You think I should?"

"Yep, I do. And I'm smarter than you so you have to follow me."

"Oh, okay."

I wanna break every clock

The hands of time could never move again

We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)

For the rest of our lives

Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now

"Hi!"

Nate bobbed his head up and down, trying to keep up with the girl playing jump rope. It was exhausting and fun all at the same time.

"Hi too! I'm Serena!"

"I'm Nate. I'm really shy, but Chuck said I had to talk to you instead of just staring at you all day, and since he's smarter than me, I did, "

"Oh."

"Ummmm. Hi Serena!"

"Hi Natie!", she laughed, and Nate smiled even more because she called him Natie and she looked so happy and it was just iffenctus .. ifnectous?

"Infectious!"

"What? Did you want me to stop jumping?"

"Oh no it's –"

Uck, dizzy. The butterflies went out his stomach and were now flying around his head.

"I think I'll stop Natie, you look like Snow White did before she fainted because she ate the apple. Let's just go color!"

"Oh, let's go! I'm really good at the color yellow."

"Show me!"

And Serena took his hand and started to pull him towards the beanie tables and yellow-and all other colors crayons but he stood still because he still had something to ask her.

"Will you be my bubble, Serena?"

He was looking at his black patent leather shoes when he asked because he was scared she was already someone else's bubble and then he'd have none again. That would be so sad, but he'd try not to cry until he was all alone because then his nanny wouldn't tell and his Mommy wouldn't be mad at him for being such a baby.

But Serena only laughed and kissed him on the cheek and said, "As long as I don't pop!"

Nate was the happiest boy on the playground that day.

I wanna be your last, first kiss

That you'll ever have (that you'll ever have)

I wanna be your last, first love (that you'll ever have)

Till you're lying here beside me with arms and eyes open wide

I wanna be your last, first kiss for all time

So you see, even though Blair was Nate's first girlfriend, Serena was Nate's only bubble.

And Nate sure loved bubbles.