"I wanted to keep playing 20 questions with you, that's all," Jared reasoned with me as I asked him why we were now riding in his Mustang, the car he proudly told me he paid for on his own and worked on with his friends.

I was still puzzled at this sudden friendship. It was all so new to me. After years of craving his presence in my life, I finally achieved my goal.

"Okay," I mumbled in defeat, "Shoot I guess.."

"How come you hang with Sass and Emma? They seem so different to you. You're, quiet and shy and beautiful, whereas they..they're loud, and brash? And completely the opposite to you."

I contemplated Jared's question, but only hesitated a moment.

"You know what they say right? Opposites attract and all. I suppose we balance each other out, you know? Sass has too much aggression, so I keep her calm, Emma is wild on the inside, Sass gives her a good example to follow, I'm too quiet, so they both bring me out of my shell.

They bring me out of my comfort zone, and even if I don't want to, it's fun and often a learning experience for me. Every birthday, their combined present to me is the ability to cross something off my list."

"Your list?" Jared asks.

"Yeah, its kinda stupid I know, but I'm a list person. And the most important one is my "Things to do before I die" list. It contains everything I want to experience, some things of which I know I can't do on my own. They help me with it. Sorry, I'm rambling." I let out a strangled laugh.

"No, no, I love listening to your voice Kim. That's cool. I don't need a list but. Everything I wanna get done is up here," Jared tapped the side of his head and laughed.

I chuckled, "Well Mr fantastic memory, I'm sorry that I have a hard copy of my list, but that way I know it'll get done."

Jared contemplated all this information, "Can I see said list?"

"NO," I practically screamed, "I mean, its personal. Maybe one day."

He seemed content with the latter part of my rejection. Then I had a question of my own that had been bugging me. It may not be a fantastic idea to ask, but I went ahead anyway.

"Jared, mind if I ask you a question now?"

"What? Why me? Today's my turn to question you."

He had a specific question day to question me?
I looked at him through my lashes and did my best impression of Sass sucking up to her boyfriend.

"Please Jared?" Eyes wide, mouth slack-jawed and head nodding of its own volition, I proceeded.

Wow. No wonder Sass gets what she wants. Always…

"Jared, seriously, now you notice me?"

"I mean, I'm not exactly the new girl anymo-"

Just then, a howl sounded in the distance of the woods on the edge of my property. Jared's head whipped around to the direction it had come from.

"Uh- Kim, look I'm really sorry, but I have to go." Jared replied distractedly, still staring into the woods.

"What?" I responded.

"I, I –I uh really have to go. I'm so sorry but-"

"Jared," I said softly, "It's okay."

"Thanks Kim, you're amazing," and with that he swiftly kissed my cheek as I climbed out of his car, turning and walking straight up the path to my front door. When I was there, I turned back to see Jared watching me, maybe to see if I got there safely?

And then he reversed the car and screeched off in the other direction.

"He will answer that question sometime."

……

"Kim, who was that? I didn't recognise the car," Dad yelled out to me from his study.

I walked through the dark hallway and sat down on the couch in my father's study, as he eyed me suspiciously from across his mahogany antique desk.

"A new friend," I answered innocently, looking at a seemingly important thread coming from my sleeve.

"Who? Do I know this 'friend's' parents?"

Trust Dad to care about something like that.

"I don't know, do you know the Thail's?" Uh oh, calm down Kim, he doesn't appreciate the sarcasm.

"Actually I do. I think it's nice you're hanging out with someone younger than you."

Cue confusion..

"Dad, what? Jared's the same age as me I don't know what you're talking abou-"

"Jared? I thought you were hanging out with a girl! That girl, Alyssa Thail?"

Argh. Come on Kim, get it over with. "No Dad, I never said it was a girl Thail, only a Thail.

It's Jared. As in a boy.

As in the other species.

As in he's got- ahem, well, he's a boy."

Hmph. Grumble. "well. Uh, go talk to your mother about it." Yeah. Did I mention dad wasn't good with this sort of thing?

He's reduced to mono syllables and his mind is immediately at rest when I go talk to mum. What he doesn't know is that mum not only encourages me, but basically lives her second life through me.

…..

"Mum, dad said to come talk to you."

My mother looked puzzled, then her face slowly transformed to a knowing look. "Ahh, a girly problem I suppose. Well what is it this time? Let me guess, it's the whole hormone thing.."

"What!? No, mum…I got a lift home today."

I shifted uncomfortably on the end of the bed my mother was lounging in the middle of reading one of her expensive glossy mags she had imported every month from Seattle.

"Well, Jared Thail just dropp-" SQUEAL! Mum through the mag to the side, it sliding down in between the bed and her bedside table, where it would lay forgotten for at least an hour or two.

"Jared Thail?! Kimmy, why didn't you tell me before? So? Spill!"

"Mum," I said in a hushed tone fearful of my father and his inability to hear about teen matters, "Don't get too excited, he just dropped me off," my voice steadily got louder, "and kissed me on the cheek!" I ended up squealing.

Okay. So I'm a girl. I'm a big girl whose crush of like, years and years, just kissed her on the cheek. I'm having a girly moment here. Sue me, it doesn't happen very often.

"OMG Kimmy. Tell me the details…"

……