If there's one thing Fabian hates, it's the buddy bench

He still loved her. It was too hard not to. He couldn't deny it that every time he saw her he felt a tightening in his heart, knowing that they weren't meant to be. Alfie had been right. There was nothing worse than the best buddy bench. Way too often, he felt the urge just to tell Nina how he really felt, or just kiss her. If it kept happening, he was going to have to figure something out.

He sighed and walked into his room, throwing his book bag down on the bed. The whole bid had sucked. He had run away from Nina, to ashamed to face his lie. He sat down, burying his face in his hands. God, he was a jerk. She probably wouldn't even speak to him now. And then he would be lost. Lost in a sea of Joy's face and "Fabes".

He looked up as the door swung open. It was just Alfie. "Oh, hey Alfie. I guess you found the key?"

Alfie nodded. "Yep. Amber almost ate it after you left. Why'd you leave, anyways?"

Fabian managed a quick smile, but it quickly fell. "Just a…disagreement. That's all."

Alfie raised an eyebrow. "Please. Just a disagreement? Nina looked like she was going to rip your head off."

Fabian winced. "I guess she's madder at me then I thought."

Alfie sat down next to him. The two boys sat in silence for a minute, before Alfie turned to face Fabian. "You still love her, don't you?"

Fabian sighed. "Yeah."

"Then why'd you break up?" Alfie looked at him like he was insane.

Fabian groaned and ran his hand down his face. "Because, I don't know, it was a stupid spur of the moment thing. I felt like we'd been more comfortable around each other when we were just friends."

Alfie shook his head sadly. "Fabian, you can't do that to a girl. Now you're not just friends, you're exes. And that's even worse."

Fabian looked at him. "And how do you know this?"

"Amber." Alfie shrugged. "Speaking of which, what would she say? Hm…" Alfie paused for a minute, than spoke. "Fabian, you have to tell Nina how you really feel." His voice rose an octave.

Fabian stared at him. "You did not just do that."

"Now Fabian, I'm trying to help you here. It's obvious Nina adores you, and now she's heartbroken. I can't believe you did this. Ugh!" Alfie pretended to flip his imaginary hair.

Fabian blinked. "Okay, I'm going to pretend this never happened."

Alfie shushed him before continuing on with his act. "Now Fabian, you have placed yourself on the best buddy bench, which means you are out of the game unless you prove to Nina you really do love her and you were just making a mistake. Which will be super hard. So I am here to help you. Amber Millington, love counselor 101!"

Fabian stood. "Alright Alfie, I get it. But…how do I tell her? I've already made myself into a huge jerk, there's no way she'll even listen to me."

Alfie shrugged and returned to his normal voice. "I don't know. Oh! Give her a ride on Rusty!"

Fabian looked at him and Alfie looked down. "Okay…maybe not the best idea."

Fabian scoffed. "You don't say." He kicked the side of the bed. "Why is this so complicated?"

Alfie shrugged. "Beats me. Obviously, I'm not too great with girls. Anyways, good luck! I have to go talk with Amber now." He promptly got up and left, leaving Fabian alone in his room.

Fabian groaned and threw himself back onto his bed. "How can I tell Nina I love her?" He let the question linger unanswered in the air, lost in his thoughts.

Alfie walked out the door, walking down the hallway, whistling to himself. Nina peered out from behind a statue, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned to corner. She snuck back to the door, pressing her ear to the wood. The last thing she heard was "How can I tell Nina I love her?"