Well one would think that things would turn around for Cody. He had competed in a brutal reality show where he had to match wits and strengths with twenty-one other teenagers. He had managed to get pretty far into the contest. He proved very quick and agile when it came to the dodge brawl competition. He showed himself to be a very mature young man by helping Gwen, the girl he fell in love with, hook up with Trent, the guy she had a crush on. He even faced a ferocious bear, though the outcome of that was not pretty. Being mauled by that bear, being fixated on Gwen, and receiving a kiss from another guy on the show Noah, that's what all his peers remembered. He had hoped that things would change now that he got through TDI, even if he did just miss out on competing in TDA. Well, it's like they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. If anything, the taunts and pranks that were a daily part of his high school experience got even worse. As he sat down alone in study hall, he glanced over the letter he had received yesterday, still in disbelief at what it said. He was a fan favorite and was invited to return for a third season of TDI. It turned out he was a hit with a lot of young female viewers. "Why aren't any of them at this school then?" he thought to himself bitterly.

"Excuse me but, are you Cody?" a young teenage girl asked from just behind him.

He almost didn't do it, but something told him to turn around and acknowledge this person that had approached. Once he did, he was immediately grateful that he didn't ignore her as first planned.

"Yes…that's me," he stammered as he stared into her blue eyes that were so well framed by her shoulder-length black hair. She had an overall slender-yet-athletic frame and she was fairly tall at 5'10", just shy of Cody's height. "I…love that accent of yours. I take it you're not originally from here right?"

"Wow you're very receptive. It usually takes folks more than ten words before they catch on to my accent. To answer your question, yes, I am not from around here. The name is Amanda by the way and I've been attending school here just a little over a year. We had to move up here due to my dad's business. I'm originally from the Texas. I have to say it's been real difficult to adjust to all this. I left some good friends back home at my old school. Also a move across the street, across the state, or across the nation is stressful enough, so imagine making a move to a different country. At least I'm still on the same continent I guess."

"That's true," Cody added. "You could have ended up on the other side of the world, maybe even in Australia. That might not be too back a thing though since Australia's a pretty neat destination. I've always wanted to go there personally."

"No way, so have I. I have a pen pal in Sydney that I wouldn't mind going to meet in person. Still though…to live their after spending most of my childhood in the states, it might be a bit much. Hell, this is a bit much for me, but at least I ended up here…with you."

"With me…you serious. Ah so you must be one of those fan girls I've been informed I had, at least according to this letter here."

"Well...actually I've been a fan girl of yours well before the whole TDI thing," Amanda confesses as she takes the vacant seat across from him. "You see, I've had a crush on you since the first time I saw you from afar. I just couldn't make myself tell you that in person though. I was still trying to fit in and since you seemed to be a target of constant ridicule, I figured you must've been unpopular and would be detrimental to my attempts to establish some friends here. I know how shallow and self-centered that seems but honestly, I would have pursued a relationship with you despite your social status if I could've only got past my own fear of being rejected."

"So…what changed your mind? Let me guess…you thought 'well I can chance having a relationship with him now because even though he's not popular still, at least he was on TV and has some fame," Cody said in bitter tone that deeply hurt Amanda.

"As a matter of fact, the show was the reason I decided to sum up all my courage and talk to you but not for the reason you are thinking. When I saw you on TDI, I saw a selfless individual who did all he could to help his team out no matter how twisted the challenges may be. I saw someone who faced down his fears and his doubts and even, swallowed his pride and helped the girl you adored hook up with another guy. With all the crap you endured on that show and the crap you continue to endure here well, if you can face it on a daily basis then why should I fear telling you how I feel."

"I have to admit, you are going out on a very unsteady limb here. I'd be lying if I said I still didn't have feelings for Gwen. Perhaps I always will to a degree. However, I would really like to give a relationship with you a try but…there's still a great deal we don't know about each other. We can rectify that though if you would care to join me for lunch. There's a nice little deli not that far from here. We should have enough time to ride up their and grab a bite to eat and chat some before getting back here to class."

"Sounds like a winner to me Cody.

So the two went to the deli for some lunch. They drove there in Cody's brand new car, one that he got from his folks for his birthday not too long ago. Though it was hard to do, Cody managed to stay focused on the road while carrying on a conversation with this amazing young lady. She was a scholar athlete back at her old school near El Paso, Texas. She lettered in swimming, track & field, and soccer. She was also a whiz at math and physics, which helped feed her other passion, electronics. All this was too good to be true for Cody. He was beginning to think he'd never find love but now…could this be the start of something truly magical. Their conversation in the sandwich shop began to carry on much longer than anticipated. They bolted out to the car, preparing to make a mad dash back to the school when they spotted someone leaning against the car, someone Cody was not happy to see.

"Ah…the little runt Cody is trying to get him some. Isn't that just the cutest thing?"

"Can it Drake, and step away from my car. We're gonna be late for class."

"Not till I get me some answers small fry. Amanda…our little Texas tornado, why on earth are you wasting your time with this bean pole. I thought you cowgirls went for real men."

"Which takes you clear outta the runnin partner," Amanda shot back. "Look Drake…why don't you just leave Cody alone. You know you're just jealous because he stared on national television this past summer while you probably spent the bulk of that time just playing with yourself."

This struck a raw nerve with Drake. He charged at Amanda and slapped her hard across her face. Before Cody realized what he was doing, he rammed his shoulders into Drake's gut and pinned him against the car. Drake responded with a swift punch in the stomach and was about to make a knock-out blow to Cody's face when, to his surprise and the surprise of all the students now gathering to watch the commotion, Cody managed to grab Drake's fist and keep him from landing the punch. He then managed to turn Drake away from the car and in the perfect position for Amanda to kick him at both his knees and Cody kicked him hard in the stomach as he fell to his knees. Before he could recover, the police had arrived and had put him in the back of one of the squad cars. They took statements from Cody and Amanda as well as from eyewitnesses in the parking lot and determined that Cody and Amanda acted in self-defense.

"Are you ok Amanda?" Cody asked after the police left the scene.

Her response was to wrap her arms around the tech geek and give him one Texas-sized passionate kiss. Cody was stunned at first but he then graciously returned the kiss. This was a moment Cody never wanted to end. Especially due to the sounds that were now accompanying this kiss…a sound Cody thought he'd never hear…cheers…for him. Well they were gonna be late for their next class and would probably be disciplined for it but for now, that was the farthest thing from their minds.

"Guess I should've mentioned to you that I also know some karate," Amanda said as they finally came up for air.

"Hehe…yeah I kinda figured that out already. Maybe you can teach me some of that. Can't have you around me always for protection you know."

"Ah…you can handle yourself pretty well from what I've seen."

"That's all the adrenaline…not me."

"Even so, you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Still I'll gladly be there for ya whenever you need me."

"And I will as well I reckon my wild Texas tornado."

They both pretty much collapsed from laughter at Cody's impression of her accent. They got back in the car and made their way back to school, the whole time talking about what the future might hold for the two of them.

The End