A/N: Okay! So instead of working on other long-neglected stories that need to be updated or starting long-awaited projects in other fandoms, I go start a new same-old same-old Flintilda story. But you see, I had to. Because Michael Buckley killed the dream and I needed to revive it.

I got M is for Mama's Boy and it was absolutely AMAZING! Except for one little unpleasant thing (ahead be SPOILERS): Throughout the book, there are little hints that Matilda has a micro-crush on Duncan, and then in the end, she kisses him on the nose. I had to throw the book across the room a little bit when that happened, but then I realized: This whole Matilda/Duncan thing was completely one-sided. Duncan didn't even care when she kissed him. And so this leaves room for the stupid pairing to break up and for the good pairing to prevail. And this, a followup to my earlier fic, "Calm Down," is how it happens.

By the way, chapter titles are all going to be lyrics from Bye Bye Birdie, because I just finished being in a community production of it and I recognized parallels to the lyrics in what I have planned for this story.

Hope you like it, and please review!

Matilda probably would have run all the way home had it not been a hazard to her health. More than anything she wanted to be home as soon as possible. She turned fourteen today. Spending a birthday on a bus full of bullies was not ideal.

But she had no choice but to ride the bus as always. She wouldn't complain about it, however. Admittedly, there was an upside.

Brett Bealer emptied a bottle of root beer onto Matilda's head, but she barely even shivered. She could wash the soda out of her hair when she got home. Plus, her attention was directed more at the seat across from her than the seat behind her.

It was one of the main reasons she wanted to see her parents soon. See, they had a rule – Matilda couldn't have what was in that seat for herself until she turned fourteen. If they followed through today, starting tomorrow she wouldn't have to remain "just friends" with the curly-haired Hispanic boy being yelled at by the bus driver not to stand on top of his seat.

Flinch caught Matilda's gaze as he reluctantly sat back down. He flashed a friendly smile and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"It'll be today, right?" he asked. He was as eager for this to happen as she was.

Matilda nodded. "I'm sure of it. And if not, it'll be sometime soon."

Flinch leaned back in his seat. "God, I hope so. You know, we've been waiting for this for almost three years," he reminded her. "Why can't we just – " He paused to lower his voice. " – be together already?" None of their friends really knew anything about their planned relationship and neither wanted to tell them until it was official.

"Trust me, we will be soon."

When they reached Matilda's stop, her friends all wished her a happy birthday as she stood up. She avoided the bully's foot spread out across the aisle, waiting to trip her, and made one last moment of hopeful eye contact with Flinch. As she swept her eyes back to the road, she glanced slightly at Duncan sitting next to his best friend and had the strangest thought. What would he think about her and Flinch going together? Would it be awkward, considering . . .

Matilda shook it off. Nah, it wouldn't be a problem. For all she knew, Duncan had completely forgotten the little incident that happened three years prior.

She raced inside and made her way to the kitchen, where her mother was putting away groceries. "Hey, Mom, I'm home!" she announced.

"How was school, Birthday Girl?" her mother answered. She turned around to face her daughter with a smile, but that smile quickly became a grimace. "What's in your hair?"

Matilda sighed. "Root beer," she said, exasperated. "On the bus."

Her mother waved her upstairs. "Go wash it out," she ordered kindly. "You don't want sticky hair. Dad will be home soon, and after that we have something to talk to you about."

Matilda smiled to herself. She was pretty sure she knew exactly what her parents wanted to talk about. She tried to suppress her anticipation and went upstairs.

Matilda figured out a way to shampoo and rinse her hair without actually having to waste time starting a shower. She forwent drying her hair conventionally and took a risk blasting her nano-powered inhalers near her head. She had been doing this for years and rarely set her clothes on fire.

When she went back downstairs, her mother and father were both sitting expectantly at the kitchen table. "Okay, so what do we need to talk about?" Matilda asked.

Her dad smiled. "Come on. Sit down."

Matilda obliged and her mother spoke up. It seemed like she was trying not to appear upset. "Well, Matilda, you turn fourteen today. We think that you are old enough and mature enough to –" She drifted off as she fought back tears.

Matilda nodded in excitement. "Old enough to what?" she urged.

Her mother sighed and concluded, "Well, old enough to date boys."

Matilda grinned. I knew it, she thought to herself. "Really? That's great," she said to her parents.

"Well, don't get too excited too fast. There are still rules, of course," her dad informed her. "If you're on a date, for instance, you can't be alone. There has to be someone else with you. One of us, or another friend."

Her mom, who seemed to have regained her composure, nodded. "Right. And we have to approve of a boy before you go out with him."

"Okay." Matilda bit her lip. Uh-oh. Would her parents approve of Flinch? They already knew and liked all four of her friends, but would they think of him as good boyfriend material for their daughter? These kinds of things were pretty hit or miss when it came to Flinch: either they thought yes or they thought no.

So she decided to approach the situation from a different angle. "You guys don't think I might have trouble finding a boyfriend, do you? I mean, considering I'm not the most popular girl in school," she muttered.

"Well, I hope that won't be too much of a problem," her mother answered. "Maybe one of those boys that you're friends with will come around someday."

Matilda nodded. "Wait, would you be okay with any of those boys?"

Her mom knit her eyebrows. "The boys you're friends with? Sure. They're good kids."

Matilda smiled. That was nice to hear. "Then do I have a story for you," she said enthusiastically. "A few years ago, one of my friends and I figured out that we liked each other, so we decided that once you, my parents, decided that I was allowed to have a boyfriend, we would go together. As boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Who is he?" Matilda's father interjected.

"Flinch," Matilda told him without a bit of shame.

Her father still hadn't had his question answered. "Which one is Flinch?" he asked.

He didn't know Matilda's friends by nicknames, but luckily, his wife did. She looked doubtful as she told him, "'Flinch' is Julio's nickname, honey."

"Julio? Really?" Dad reiterated uncertainly. "I always thought it would be – "

Matilda's face fell slightly. "Who?"

Her mother shook her head. "Nobody, dear. We're – we're happy for you, really! Julio is a very smart boy. Very kind. Definitely – eccentric. And obviously, you really like him, so we're glad."

Matilda smiled. "Great." On the inside, though, she was confused. Were her parents really expecting her to be with someone else? If so, then who? She would bet money they weren't imagining her with Jackson, so that only left –

Oh, crap.

A/N: For those worried, Flintilda will win in the end. At least in this story.

Hope you liked it! Please review.