(AN: Well it's been a while since I updated…sorry, I got sidetracked. But I'll try to go back to updating weekly, just because you guys are such awesome reviewers!)

Earthworm

"I dare you to eat an earthworm!" exclaimed six year old Derrick Harrington.

Massie Block and the rest of the girls shrieked. Even just looking at the slippery little things disgusted them.

But Dylan Marvil was not one to turn down a dare. So she and Derrick walked away from the group, looking through the mud to find one earthworm.

It had rained recently, and all of the worms were up and wriggling on the wet, muddy earth.

"Found one!" Derrick called, holding up the wiggling worm like a trophy. "Now you got to eat it!"

Dylan wrinkled her freckled nose and squeezed her eyes shut, but popped the worm in mouth and swallowed quickly, hoping not to taste it.

Before she could open her eyes, Derrick planted a kiss on her cheek.

Dylan knew she should've been revolted because of the kooties, but she felt pleased that she had gained Derrick's approval.

"Every time you eat a worm, I'll give you a kiss." Derrick smiled, exposing the space in his teeth where he had lost his front tooth. "Only if you give me a kiss each time I eat a worm."

"Deal," Dylan stuck out her small pinkie and Derrick wrapped his around her.

"We'd better get back to the others," Derrick said. The two raced off to find the rest of there group.

The group of eight fourteen year olds sat in a circle in Massie Block's back yard. After daring Massie and Danny –the infamous off again, on again couple- to kiss, Claire Lyons turned her penetrating stare to Derrick.

"Truth or Dare?" She asked.

Derrick knew he should've picked truth, but dare was always more fun.

After a few minutes of thinking, Claire decided on daring him to kiss Alicia.

Dylan tried to keep her jealousy at bay. She and Derrick weren't even dating, so why should she be mad?

After Derrick kissed Alicia, and wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand, he dared Dylan to eat one earthworm.

Massie, Alicia and Claire wrinkled their noses, but Dylan laughed. "You always dare me that," she giggled.

Derrick smiled. "I like the results," he shrugged. To the rest of the group, it sounded as though Derrick liked watching people eat worms, but Dylan knew the truth.

They walked toward the thick bushes that surrounded the Block Estate. Once Dylan found a worm, she swallowed it without gagging. After nine years of the same routine, she had gotten used to it.

Derrick kissed her on the lips, and Dylan smiled inwardly.

Her happiness grew with each kiss.

It was Dylan's first year at Yale. She and Massie had wound up together at Yale; Derrick, Josh and Danny were at Brown; Alicia was at NYU; and Cam and Claire were at Penn, living in the coed dorms.

Dylan hadn't heard from any of her old friends except for Danny, thanks to Massie. That also meant she hadn't heard from Derrick.

When they first went to different collages, they had sworn to e-mail, text, call and Facebook each other every second.

During the first month of school, they had kept up their promise. But then October came around, and no one talked. Even Massie and Danny, who were dating, only called each other once a month.

Now it was December thirty-first, exactly five minutes till the New Year. Massie had gone to one of the numerous keg parties, leaving Dylan alone in their room.

Dylan stared out the window. It was snowing. Hard. It was a good thing Danny hadn't decided to drive down to see Massie. He'd probably drive off the road, leaving Massie heartbroken.

Just then, the door knocked. Dylan got up off her bed, rolling her eyes. It was probably Massie, locked out because she forgot her key.

But when Dylan opened the door, it wasn't her brunette best friend. There stood Derrick Harrington, holding up an earthworm.

"I dare you to eat one earthworm," He said, his breath coming out in clouds.

Dylan grinned. Derrick came to see her! She quickly grabbed the semi-frozen worm, and swallowed it.

Derrick bent down, pressing his cold lips to hers'.

Who cared about diamonds? Earthworms could be a girls' best friend, too.