Sorry this took longer than usual, but I had school and was at the All Time Low concert at Hammerstein last night, AND I'm planning a Holiday Party for my friends. Anyone else go to the concert? It was flipping awesome!

What happens in this chapter is really kind of childish, but I want it to be that way. I want to bring a youth to everyone, even if they are all realistically too old for what happens. I want to show that, despite some rivalry (cough cough), they have a strong enough bond that they can just let loose and have fun with each other regardless of being different ages and maturity levels (again, cough cough)

Also, just a fun fact, there's a girl who goes to my school, a senior, who literally looks exactly like Nicole Andersen, aka, Macy on JONAS. It's really scary. I see her around school, and sometimes I'll do a double-take and be like "WHAT?" I wonder if she has a curly-haired boyfriend, lol.

After that night, I found myself becoming more aware of Nick. I would have to force myself to tear my eyes away from him when he wasn't looking, and I would have to consciously take deep breaths whenever he walked into a room. I felt mad at myself because of it, because these feelings made me feel like a 13-year-old with her first real crush. I wished I could handle myself better.

At times, it felt like Nick was always watching me, almost checking me out, and some of the comments he began to make made it feel as though he were flirting with me. And other days, he would be the big brother that Joe was, treating me like a young girl.

It didn't help, of course, that Macy and Stella hadn't left yet, and Macy was pretty much all over Nick. I was becoming more and more confident that he did not return her feelings, but I wasn't completely sure.

Though I found myself experiencing antagonistic feelings towards Macy, I found myself growing closer to Stella. She was so sweet, and we had a lot of the same interests, tending to avoid physical activity, unless a mall was involved. She and Danielle truly became my sisters, in a way.

There was one day when Macy had gone into New York City to a college sports conference to represent UCLA, and the boys had had a press event to go to, so Stella, Danielle, and I were left alone. We talked all day, and I found myself confessing my confused feelings for Nick to them, obviously omitting my enmity towards Macy, as she was a friend of both Stella and Danielle. Both girls were incredibly sympathetic, but unfortunately, they could not read Nick any better than I, so were not much help. I went back to my state of confusion.

We were all hanging out the living room of the Lucas house that had become our habitual hangout. It was getting late, and Denise and Kevin Sr. had already gone to bed, but it was a Friday, so we could stay up late, and my parents were gone again, so I didn't have to be home. Danielle and Kevin were cuddling on the loveseat, and Stella and I were sitting on the couch, chatting Joe's arm dangerously close to Stella's shoulder while he talked with Nick, who was sitting in the armchair opposite us. Macy was sitting on the floor between Joe and Nick, legs stretched out. The TV was on in the background, but no one was really paying any attention.

Suddenly, Joe sat up straight, startling us. "I have an idea," he announced.

"Oh no," said Nick. "This can't be good." We laughed while Joe glared at his brother.

"I know what we can do, because, come on, guys, this is getting pretty boring," said Joe. You could tell from his tone that he was really proud of himself.

We did, in fact, agree that just sitting was getting pretty boring, but we stayed silent to let Joe continue. He paused for a few seconds, as if to build suspense, before saying proudly, "Let's play Truth or Dare."

We were silent for a moment before Kevin said, "Joe, I don't know…" but Macy cut him off.

"Yeah, let's play. Come on, it'll be fun." Stella and I agreed with her, and Danielle took our side. Nick just shrugged. Kevin was outnumbered, so Joe and Nick pushed the coffee table out of the way and we sat in a circle, the four girls on one side and the boys on the other, Kevin next to Danielle and Joe next to Stella. I looked up and found myself directly across from Nick. I suppressed a gulp.

"Well, Joe" began Stella, "this was your idea, so you start."

"Okay," said Joe, as if he were challenging Stella. "Kevin, truth or dare?"

"Truth," said Kevin confidently.

"When did you first consider marrying Danielle?" Joe said this as if he were asking Kevin to divulge the contents of Area 51.

"On our first date," said Kevin simply and without embarrassment. Danielle kissed him sweetly, but Stella scoffed.

"Is that really the best you can do, Joe?" she taunted. The chemistry between the two was so obvious, and yet they were so blind.

"Whatever, Stella. Kevin, just go," said Joe, trying and failing to save face.

"Danielle, truth or dare?" asked Kevin of his fiancée.

"Hmmm…dare," said Danielle after only a moment's hesitation.

"Kiss me," said Kevin, and Danielle did.

"Ugh, this is nauseating," said Joe, making a face at his brother. "Get a room!" Kevin rolled his eyes, but turned back to the game.

"Macy, truth or dare?" asked Danielle.

"Truth," said Macy.

"Tell us about the last guy you kissed," instructed Danielle. Macy blushed.

"Well, I was at a party the first week on campus, and I got a little too into the fun, and ended up drunk. There was this guy, and I thought he was cute, so I just kissed him, but then I walked away. I never saw him again. I'm surprised I even remember it happening." Macy looked embarrassed, but Joe seemed impressed, which earned him a slap on the arm from Stella.

"Wow," said Danielle.

"Yeah," said Kevin. Nick didn't say anything. Did this mean something?

"So anyway," said Macy quickly, "Stella, truth or dare?" Stella hesitated for a long time before speaking up.

"Dare," she said slowly, as if still deciding. Macy broke into a huge grin.

"Stella," she began confidently, as if she had already planned the question, "why is it that you haven't had a boyfriend since Van Dyke in Junior Year? I mean, that's a long time to go without any kind of boy interaction." The last sentence, Macy said pointedly, obviously implying that Stella should answer a certain way. Stella stayed silent for even longer this time, biting her lip.

Suddenly, she took a deep breath and said loudly, "Okay, fine! You all win. I've been pining! I miss Joe. It's Joe. It's always been Joe! Just stop bugging me already!" She looked slightly manic as she said this, but the entire group, except Joe broke out into smiles. Joe, however, looked stunned.

"Wait, you like me?" he asked Stella dumbly.

"Yes, you idiot, I like you! I'm freaking in love with you!" Stella nearly screamed, still impassioned from her previous declaration. Joe didn't reply. Instead, he moved toward Stella swiftly and crushed his lips against hers, nearly knocking her to the ground. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. He responded enthusiastically, kissing her even more fiercely and wrapping his arms around her waist.

The rest of us tried to let the two of them have their moment, but it began to get awkward, so I discreetly pulled at Stella's shoulder, meeting resistance as she tried to cling to Joe. Eventually, though, they let go of each other and turned back to the game. Stella took a few deep breaths, and upon realizing it was her turn, focused her full attention on the game and her next victim, who, to my dismay, was me.

"Kathryn, truth or dare?" asked Stella of me.

"Dare, I guess," I said, and waited for my instructions. A smirk crossed Stella's face, and I was suddenly nervous.

"I'm going to tell you to kiss someone, and it has to be on the mouth for more than five seconds," said Stella mischievously. My eyes grew wide, for I knew what she was about to say. "Kiss Nick." She only spoke two words, but those two words were, in my mind, everything. I looked over at Nick nervously and saw that Joe was nudging him in the ribs. Nick looked menacingly at Joe, as if daring him to do it again. Then, Nick looked at me, gauging my reaction, but I saw something in his eyes that made me feel like he wasn't going to mind kissing me.

I looked over at Macy and saw that she looked uncomfortable and upset, but Nick was still looking at me, that strange look in his eyes. I scooted into the middle of the circle, towards Nick, and he moved slightly towards me, too. I leant in, him mirroring my actions. Everyone else waited in silence; Stella and Danielle looked hopeful, Macy murderous, and Joe and Kevin giddy.

My lips met Nick's, hesitantly at first, but the moment our lips touched, I felt a spark that sent shivers down my body, and I pressed my mouth more firmly against Nick's. I was stunned and pleased to find that he did the same. After what seemed like only a part of a second, Stella was tapping my shoulder.

"Five seconds are up," she said simply. I quickly retreated from the center of the circle, my head spinning. I scrambled to find the words to keep the game going.

"Oh, um, Joe, truth or dare?" I asked hurriedly. He chose truth. "How long have you liked Stella?" I asked.

"Sixth grade," he said. "That was when I realized that girls don't have cooties." We laughed, and the game continued. My mind drifted, however, as the rest of the group laughed and talked. I kept replaying the kiss in my head, the sparks, the shivers, and the look in Nick's eyes, which I now identified as lust. My eyes grew wider. Lust. Was it possible that Nick truly did like me? I looked up and found him watching me. He jerked his head towards the door and I nodded.

"Hey, guys, I'm going to run to the bathroom," said Nick. Everyone nodded absent-mindedly. No one was playing the game any longer, but has dissolved into chatting and teasing. Nick left the room quickly, and I waited only a minute or so before speaking.

"I'm going to go put on something more comfortable." It was late after all. I left the room to find Nick just outside the living room door. As soon as I had completely left the room, Nick pulled me down the hall to his room, shutting the door behind us and turning to me.

"So," he said.

"So," I said.

"That kiss was…"

"Yeah, it was."

"Hey Kathryn?"

"Yes?"

"I liked it." He said it so simply that it caught me off-guard. He was looking at me steadily, the look of lust back in his eyes.

"Oh, well, I liked it, too." The words were barely out of my mouth before his lips were once again on mine. He pressed roughly against my mouth, pulling my body flush against him. His tongue traced my lips, begging for entrance, which I granted willingly. Our tongues tangled, exploring each other's mouths. His hands drifted from my waist down to my butt and then up further towards my chest. He grazed the underside of my breasts and I ran my hands up his chest and moaned. He walked me backwards towards his bed, pushing me down and climbing on top of me. I was pushing his shirt up his chest, and he was gripping my waist so tightly, kissing me with so much force, my head began to spin.

Eventually, I needed oxygen and broke away from Nick, but his lips moved down my cheek and jaw to my neck, where he sucked and kissed and bit, leaving marks and causing me to sigh and moan. He was getting dangerously close to my breast when a loud bang startled us. Raucous laughter filled the room. Joe was standing in the doorway. Nick jumped off of me, and I scrambled off of the bed.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt," said Joe, still laughing.

"No, uh, I should go back to the girls. They'll be wondering where I am. I made to leave the room, but Nick pulled me back, kissing me fiercely on the lips before letting me go once again. I left the room, head spinning, Nick looking after me longingly.

Well, there you go. They're kind of together, but don't worry, the story's not over. There is more to come! After all, I didn't introduce Macy for nothing. Brigid, too (BIG HINT). I'm going to post again ASAP! I hope…