It was not until I got off the bus and watched it pull away that I realized I'd gotten off in the wrong city. There were no buses until Monday, and today was Saturday. My eyes widened as I looked around, until they were glued onto a large sign: "Valentine, Texas, population 17,800".

"Hey, wait!" I screamed, chasing after the bus. It didn't slow down, obviously, and I watched it turn a corner and disappear. "Dang it!" I muttered under my breath angrily. A "Hey, Ashley!" reached my ears, and I turned to find my best guy friend (not to mention cutest!) Lucas walking down the sidewalk towards me. I yelled back happily, thanking God he lived in an apartment nearby. I ran towards him, threw my arms around him, and began to sob out my story.

He held me; stroking my hair and making me blush. 'Thank goodness it's so cold,' I thought. I looked up only to see he was as red as I. "You ok, Luke?" I asked, worried.

"Yeah, I am, thanks," he mumbled, turning redder than he already was.

"Can I come over to your apartment and call my mom? I forgot my cell at home."

"Sure." This was the short reply as we began the walk to his building.

Halfway there, I slipped on a patch of ice. I shrieked, flailing my arms and trying to regain my balance. A pair of strong arms caught me and pulled me close.

"You ok?" Lucas inquired, looking worried.

"Y-yeah, I-I am," I replied shakily, trying to regain my composure. I looked down and went scarlet. 'Lucas has his arms around me!!!' screamed the crazy little voice in my head.

He pulled away quickly, his ears red as they were when he was embarrassed.

"I couldn't let you fall, Ash."

"It's ok, you saved my life, Luke," I reassured him. "You saved my life."

He smiled weakly, and we walked in silence. When we got to his apartment, I immediately called my mom. She sounded angry, but worried. I assured her I'd be ok, that I was with Lucas, and I'd be back on Monday.

"Oh, you're with Lucas?" my mother giggled.

"Yes, and no, we're not going to do anything." I sighed. I liked (maybe loved) Lucas, but I hated when people stuck us together. He probably just thought of me as a little sister.

"Sure you aren't. See you on Monday!" she teased, hanging up before I could get anything else out of her.

Lucas came out of the kitchen with two steaming hot cups of hot chocolate. "You like marshmallows, right?" he asked, handing me a cup.

I nodded, grateful for some warmth in my stomach. We quietly sipped the chocolate, the silence suddenly broken by Lucas clearing his throat.

"Um, Ash? I h-have a confession. There comes a time in a man's life when-"

I arched an eyebrow, suspicious.

"Ok, ok. Ashley Tisdale, I love you."

I sat in silence shocked. "HE LOVES ME?! HE LOVES ME, BOOYAH!!!" screamed the crazy voice in my head. He sadly took my silence as a rejection, and began to rant and rave about how he shouldn't have told me; how he knew I didn't love him back, and so on and so forth.

"I knew you thought of me as a big brother…"

"Lucas?" I asked him.

"Yeah?" he stopped his rant.

I kissed him, long and sweet.

"Be quiet." I smirked.

"Good thing you missed the bus.

"Best thing ever." I replied, before kissing him again.