(Echo Creek Academy, hallways)

Some minutes just before the class started, Hope was walking towards Miss Skullnick's classroom before she noticed Marco giving Jackie a nod as she passed by. Upon seeing that, she went to the boy and asked, "Umm, Marco?"

This got the boy's attention, and he turned to face Hope and gave her a cheerful greeting, "Hi Hope. Do you need something?"

"Actually, I noticed that you've been nodding at Jackie whenever she passes by in the last few days." Hope replied with a bit of worry. "Why are you doing that?"

"It's a thing between Jackie and I; she passes by, I nod and she heads off to wherever she's going at the moment." A confident Marco responded.

Hope raise an eyebrow in confusion and frowned worriedly before she asked, "That sounds too mundane to be a thing between you two, don't you think? How about you try to do something more...unique?"

"Like what?" Marco inquired.

"Maybe something that she likes?"

Then, when Marco showed doubt about it, Hope added, "Do you know what she likes?"

"Well...she likes her skateboard...that's about it, I think." Marco replied.

"Do you know what she dislikes?"

"Does breaking her skateboard count?"

"I guess so?" Hope stammered before changing to a more serious tone and saying, "Anyway, let me just ask a few more things, 'cause this is starting to look rather suspicious: do you know what her favorite color is?"

"In general, no, but if I had to guess I think It'd be blue?"

"Her favorite hang out?"

"No idea."

"Favorite and least favorite food?"

"Not a clue."

"Her interests?"

"I don't know."

"Hobbies?"

"Skate-"

"Outside of skateboarding?"

"...I got nothing."

"How tall is she? And don't just guess."

"In that case, I don't know."

"How much she weighs?"

"Not really, but then again, what girl would let a boy know her weight?"

"Her freaking age?"

"No idea...but I get the feeling we're around the same age."

Marco sheepishly smiled as Hope gave him an utterly flabbergasted look.

"Let me get this straight: you don't know Jackie's age, favorite color, favorite hangout, interests or hobbies, her favorite and least favorite food, most of her likes and dislikes, how tall she is, how much she weights, if you two share anything in common at all, and your "thing" is something that most people would do in a daily basis?"

Marco thought about it for a moment, growing more and more disappointed and sad as he did. "I'm afraid that's the case."

Hope took a deep breath, shook her head and then told Marco in the most blunt way possible. "Marco, pardon me for saying this, but that sounds like a crush that won't go anywhere any time soon."

Marco immediately looked at the ground and sighed sadly as Hope quickly followed her answer with, "But don't be bummed by it, I'm just saying you should try to get closer to Jackie and try to know her better. That's all."

A moment after she said that, Marco got an idea, turned to Hope and smiled before grabbing her shoulders and stating, "Hope, be my girlfriend!"

"Marco, don't get me wrong, but I think you shouldn't hang out with Star as often as you do." Hope uttered as she separated from the boy, and she looked around before whispering, "Her odd ideas are starting rub off on you."

"No no! What I mean is that we act like we're dating, and when we go on 'dates', we follow Jackie so I can see if I can find out more about herself. That way, since I'm with you, I won't be nervous around her." Marco explained. "That, or we can see if we got more in common than I got with Jackie, and then the relationship could blossom. And don't worry, I'll make sure you remain happy through the relationship, promise."

Hope quickly thought about it and replied, "So it's either help you get to know Jackie better and actually make progress in your relationship with her, which is fine by me, or we both enter a relationship instead, which is also fine by me. Alright Marco, I'll accept your proposition. Besides, you look really cute when you're happy."

The duo nodded in agreement and exchanged a fist-bump to seal the deal.

"From now on, we're 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'." Hope stated.

"You can count on it." Marco replied.

The teenagers exchanged happy smiles before they heard the bell ring, signaling the beginning of the classes. "Well, time to go to class." Hope sadly uttered.

Before she could go anywhere, though, Marco grabbed Hope's hand and smiled before saying, "Let's go together."

With that said, Hope and Marco exchanged smiles and went to the classroom while holding hands.