A/N: Okay so that took me longer then I thought it would sorry about that but here is chapter nine. So enjoy.

Chapter Nine - To Date or Not to Date

Don approached Martin's locker which was a common hangout place before school started. Lindsay, Audrie, and Martin were the only ones there at this point . "Hey guys," he said coming up to the three.

"Oh, a hey," said Audrie.

There was an awkward silence as Martin closed his locker and Lindsay stood there feeling a little out of place. "I'm going to go," said Martin.

"Okay I'll see you later," said Audrie.

With that Martin, Don looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing came. "I better go too," said Lindsay also leaving.

Audrie and Don stood there a little uncomfortably, both looking at the floor. Don took in a deep breath to work up the nerves. "Look, I want to apologize for kissing you yesterday. It was a little forceful I guess. It's just I like you and I couldn't think of what else to do to let you know because asking you to homecoming didn't work."

"It was a little shocking. I've never been kissed by a guy other then family and I had no idea how to deal with it."

"I guess I should just do this," said Don and took a deep breath. "Do you want to go out sometime or try this whole girlfriend boyfriend thing."

Audrie swallowed th lump that had formed in her throat. She was completely nervous and unsure about this, she bit her lip. "Um do you think you could give me time to think about it?"

"Uh yeah I guess," said Don.

"Okay," said Audrie, they both let out a sigh of relief.

"So how's Martin?" asked Don.

"You know him, he takes a lot of things to heart and when you assumed what you did yesterday it made him feel like you don't trust him. Look I know you know this by now, but Martin and I met over the summer. I already have a familiarity with him, so I'm comfortable, everyone else I'm still getting to know. Our teasing each other is just that, friendly banter between two really good friends."

"I should've of figured that. I don't know why I got so..."

"Jealous."

"Yeah."

"Well Martin did tell me that you liked me. I think his exact words were that you had eyes for me. Then again he also said that Bosco wants to get in my pants."

"Yeah well Bosco wants to get in every girls pants."

"Well that makes me feel so much more special."

"So have you found out how you're going to get disciplined yet."

"No, I'll probably be pulled from class sometime today, all it will be its detention."

"That's even if Principal Gerrard is willing to believe that his star cop kid would actually defy the rules."

Don smiled. "I don't know why he favors me above all the other cop kids."

"What do you mean you don't know why. Your dad is a cop, I'm sure he thinks he can get off on minor things like expired tabs or something."

"Yeah, but my dads just a homicide detective. I'm surprised he doesn't favor Martin more than anyone with his dad being an FBI Agent."

"Martin doesn't exactly broadcast what his father does for a living," interjected Audrie.

"Neither do I."

"Well local PD may be more likeable then the FBI, I don't know," she said as they entered their English class.

"So you'll think about that thing right?" said Don.

"Uh, yeah I'll think about it."

"When can I expect an answer?"

One of Audrie's eyebrows raised. "I don't know. Can you just give me time to think about it."

"Yeah sure, okay."

"Okay," she replied, there was a long moment of silence between the two of them. "I'm going to go sit down now."

She moved around Don and went to her seat sighing in relief, she felt like she could breath again.

Don stood where he was a moment longer before making his way to his own seat.

It was later that morning when Don and Audrie walked into third period. She watched as Don made his way to the back of the class and was thankful that their teacher had already changed the seating arrangements or else Don would be sitting right next to Martin. She quickly made her way to Martin who was already there, wanting to talk to him before class started. Thankful once again that her new seat was next to him, so she could n't get in trouble for not being in her spot when the bell for class to start rang. She quickly plopped down in her chair letting her bag drop to the floor. "What's the matter?" asked Martin.

She took a deep breath. "Don asked me out," she said in a low voice only Martin would be able to hear.

"Yeah, oh."

"Your not helping me here. I told him I'd think about it."

"That's good," replied Martin not looking at her.

Audrie sighed, Martin had really taken what Don had said to heart. "Look Martin, I know Don's assumption about you and me being more then friends hurt your feelings and it may take a while to fully forgive him, but I think he really does feel bad."

"He hasn't apologized, if he feels bad why hasn't he done that?"

"Didn't you once tell me it's harder fro men to apologize tp each other, something about admitting they're wrong and man hood."

Martin smiled a little. "Yeah, I said that to you?" he replied looking at Audrie.

"Look I came to you looking for help, looking for advice. I have never had a boyfriend, never really thought about it, never been asked. People at my other school always looked at me like I was a weirdo. I'm completely nervous. You're the one person I really know and I have no idea what Don's like because I've only known him for a few weeks and he's your friend so..." she trailed off and the bell rang for class to start.

Martin leaned closer to Audrie. "I know, I shouldn't be mad at you. Don's a good guy, he won't do anything you don't want to do," whispered Martin and paused to make sure the teacher thought they were listening. "But Drie it's up to you in the end."

"I know thank you."

They both turned their full attention to the teacher.

That afternoon Lindsay and Audrie were walking home to their apartment complex from school. Audrie watched the sidewalk pass under her feet. There was silence between the two and Lindsay would occasionally look over at Audrie. Even in the short time she'd known Audrie, she knew something was on the other girls mind. "What are you thinking about?" asked Lindsay.

"Sorry, what? My mind was somewhere else," said Audrie looking over at Lindsay.

"So I noticed, anything in particular on your mind?"

"Well after you and Martin left Don apologized to me and then asked me out."

"What'd you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it. I have no idea what to do, I've never been asked out before."

"Yeah I know, Martin and Don's friend Danny asked me out too, which makes sense because he asked if I would dance with him at homecoming.. I told him I'd ask my dad if it was alright."

"I asked Martin for an opinion. All he told me was Don was a good guy, but it was my decision in the end."

"What's making it so hard for you to decide?" asked Lindsay.

"You know I wasn't going to make friends here at first. I didn't think there was a point, I'm only here for a year right. Well then I second guessed myself, said maybe a few friends will be alright because otherwise I'm going to have one hell of a lonely year. Now that thought has come up again. If Don and I go on this date and we end up being in a boyfriend girlfriend type relationship it may be harder when I have to go back to Seattle then if we were just friends," explained Audrie.

Lindsay's smile was faint, she was trying to make the same decision about Danny. Only her reasoning was different. She didn't want to get close to anyone to wind up losing them. She was leaning on telling Danny no. "Well I guess that's a good reason, but when it comes you could always try a long distance relationship."

"Those are hard to work and I'd be willing, but both parties would have to be."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know what about you and your decision about Danny. I mean the whole I have to ask my parents thing was a decoy right? An excuse for you to say no."

"Yeah, I'm leaning more towards no, I don't know if I'm up to it right now," replied Lindsay.

"That's fair you shouldn't feel you have to date because everyone else is," said Audrie. "I think what I want to do is go on this outing with Don, see how things go if I like how things turn out maybe we'll end up trying this whole dating boyfriend girlfriend thing."

"That sounds like a good plan."

"How does it work?"

"How does was what work?" asked Lindsay.

"The whole boyfriend girlfriend thing. Does it all of a sudden just happen or you go on dates and then decide."

"I don't know, it might just depend," replied Lindsay.

A/N: Well that was it and I know it's fairly short. The next chapter will jump to the end of october and it will called Halloween I'm still in the middle of writing it. Please leave a review