This is probably going to be the dumbest thing I've ever written, but I saw the movie with my little bros recently, and this popped into my head and wouldn't go away, so enjoy if you can!

Lilly's POV

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl—just another dorky, stupid kids movie, right?

Right, it is. I mean, the name kind of says it all. It just screams, "Lame!" Those were the same thoughts running through my head when Lindsey, my neighbor's 7-year-old daughter, shoved the movie under my nose excitedly. Oh, the joys of babysitting.

Thinking I could secretly flip through some magazines while pretending to watch the wonderful film (please note the sarcasm on "wonderful"), I agreed to her pleas and pushed the DVD into the slot.

BIG MISTAKE.

We hadn't even gotten to the part where Linus takes Max's journal before my eyes were glued to the screen with the same amount of interest as was in Lindsey's. I started remembering some of my chimerical dreams as a child, containing far-off lands in a whole rainbow of colors, animals of every size and species known and unknown to man, and Oliver and I being the heroic friends in every one. Yeah, I was a dreamer as a kid, and I guess I still am. I just don't like to show it because I'm afraid of what people will think of me.

As the movie continued, I became more and more absorbed. Max's parents' fighting reminded me of my own parental troubles, and eventually, the divorce. Then Max, Sharkboy, and Lavagirl traveled to Planet Drool, Max's dream world. My interest began to dim at that point, and I almost stopped watching all together. It was Lindsey who pulled me back into the fanciful world.

"Are Sharkboy and Lavagirl going to kiss?" she asked randomly with wide eyes.

Startled, I answered, "I don't know," and I knew I was doomed. In kicked my innate romantic fascination, the terrible thing that keeps me watching dumb TV shows and movies just for the hope that a certain couple will get together. It doesn't really help in reality, either.

So, there I was, stuck watching this movie, eagerly waiting for any sign of interest between the two. Everything was fine (depending on how you define "fine") until Sharkboy was tricked into the water with electric eels by Mr. Electricity. Then my entire world (and perception of the movie) changed. And it all started when Lavagirl said those fateful words:

"I've got to. He's my best friend."

Oh, crap.

Why did she have to say that? Why "best friend?"



Not even bothering to watch Lavagirl save Sharkboy's life, my head spun with thoughts of the one person I had convinced myself that I would never like. If I liked him, it would ruin everything. And yet this stupid movie had brought up feelings I detested and never wanted to have.

The freaky part was that Oliver (the person I didn't want to like and was afraid that I did) and I had almost nothing in common with the heroes of this movie. I mean, Oliver's a wimp, and he couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. He's not violent like Sharkboy. No, he's a donut that's clueless and awkward and donut-y. And as for me and Lavagirl, well, I don't think I even have to go down that road. It's pretty obvious that we're nothing alike.

So, why do they remind me of Oliver and me? Maybe . . . it's because they fight all the time and know just how to annoy each other.

And they'd do anything for each other.

Alright, I get it. I (gulp) like Oliver, despite his donut-ness. If I was Lavagirl and Oliver was Sharkboy, I would've sacrificed to keep him alive, just like she did.

That night when my neighbor arrived home, I very embarrassedly asked her if I could borrow the movie, saying that my best friend's little brother would love it. I knew that if anyone found out that I had lied to borrow it, or even if they saw me watching it, I would never hear the end of it, which is why I snuck it up to my room and locked the door. At two o' clock in the morning, I sat on my bed with popcorn, halfway through the movie.

There was a loud knock from outside my window which made me jump nearly a foot into the air. After I stopped the movie, I cautiously opened the window to see Oliver staring at me nervously as he hung onto the windowsill.

"What are you dong, you idiot?" I screeched as I hauled him inside.

Standing awkwardly in his pajamas and refusing to look me in the eye, he stammered, "I-I-I need to talk to you . . . about . . . "

"About what?" I said impatiently, hoping he wouldn't spy the DVD case on my bed.

" . . . About . . . Hey! The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl! I love thi—" he stopped abruptly, then finished, "—s DVD case! So . . . colorful!"

"You've seen it?" I asked incredulously.

He shifted his eyes back and forth nervously, and then said, "With my little brother."

Not even thinking, I asked if he wanted to watch it with me, and he agreed a little too eagerly as I idiotically pushed the play button on the remote. As we both settled down on to my bed, dressed in pajamas and munching on the remains of the bowl of popcorn, the realization of what I was doing hit 

me like a sledgehammer. This movie had made me finally come to terms with my feelings for my best friend, and her I was, watching that same movie with that same best friend! Talk about awkward and unnerving. Oliver began to lean closer to me, and I almost started shaking. If he touched me, would he feel a spark? If he looked into my eyes, would he see al the attraction and emotion there? Seemingly oblivious to everything that was running through my head at that moment, Oliver reached over across me . . .

. . . And grabbed a handful of popcorn. I barely suppressed a sigh of relief, though I wondered what might have happened if he knew what I was thinking.

Shoving the whole handful into his mouth, Oliver kept his eyes glued to the TV as he asked, "Do you like this movie?"

My first reaction was to lie. "Pschaw, no! Why would I like—Hiccup."

I felt my face go red as Oliver spun his head around and said with a satisfied smile, "Looks like Lill-ay's a-lying."

Furious at his teasing, I glared at him and hissed, "Shut up, Oliver!"

"Well, look who's getting defensive! You really do like it, don't you?" he taunted. I grabbed my pillow and smacked him as hard as I could with it.

"So what if I do, huh, Oliver? You were the one who said you loved it!" I yelled.

He grabbed another pillow and hit me back. "I said the DVD case was colorful!" he protested.

"Oh, yeah right," I growled, hitting him again. Soon, we were in a full-on pillow fight with each hit being harder than the one before.

Right before I sent him another stinging blow, Oliver grew half-serious and said as he ducked, "Why do you like the movie?"

As I dodged his blow, I yelled, "Why do you?"

"I asked you first!" Smack.

"I asked you second!" Duck.

"Ladies first!" Smack.

"That is so sexist!"

I swung the hardest I ever had, and hit him right in the stomach, sending him flying to the floor. When he didn't get up after a few seconds, I scrambled over to him to see if he was alright. As I bent over him, he looked in my eyes and said exhaustedly, "I like the movie because the best friends end up together."



I froze. Did he really mean that? Could he be talking about us?

Before I could do anything more, he quickly sat up, mumbled something I couldn't make out, and scrambled across my room and back out the window, leaving me to dread tomorrow in a restless sleep.

Please tell me what you think of this, no matter if it's good or bad. I need to know if I should write the ending or not.