While we were walking home, we talked. Not to be mean, but we said some pretty nasty things about Kylie. That she was pushy, mean, nasty, selfish, superficial, and a megalomaniac. Even she thought I'd made that word up. I would have assumed that she knew what it meant.

But we had a pretty good laugh over it.

As we were walking holding hands and turned toward the street where we lived, I suddenly remembered that tomorrow was when our presentation was due. We still had a lot of work to do. "You think we can finish the project today?"

"Oh, sure. Oh, and Spiny?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to tell you that…you're the nicest, cutest, most charming and wonderful boy I've ever meet."

I stared at her directly in the eyes. I couldn't believe that she had just said that! My heart started leaping with joy and happiness!

All I could say was, "Thanks." I really meant what I said.

Anyways…afterwards, we got to her house and got to work. We wanted to build a generator to show how advanced machinery in Amarkia had developed since it was first invented more than 140,000 years ago.

Let be tell you…it was very hard work.

I must've run back between Lilia's house and the Palace about a thousand times. I tell you, I started to feel like a ping-pong ball. Just back and forth and back and forth…and forth and back and forth and back. You get the idea, right?

Well, it took us till nine to finish. I was so exhausted. My arms and legs were numb and I had pins and needles all over my hands. I don't believe I had done so much hard work in a short time. Even just three hours was too little for me.

Afterwards, we wrote our written part of our presentation on a piece of white cardboard paper with all the steps and pictures and everything. When we finally finished cutting and pasting and writing, we stood back and admired our good work.

"Well, not to be arrogant or anything, but I guess that is a job well done," I said.

She nodded. "I'd say so. Do you think we'll get an A+ on it?"

That'd be great. I mean, what kid wouldn't like to get the highest grade possible? Not to mention all the extra credit points I'd been getting. But I knew that Lilia was also very smart. "We should get the best grade there is. You helped, didn't you?"

"Oh, come on, you know what I meant."

"But don't worry. The grade we'll get is the one we deserve." That was something that I always told myself when working on big projects and tests. "Besides, we did work pretty hard."

"Yes, we did. Hey, look what time it is! It's 9:15 already!"

I looked at my watch. "Wow! It is late! I have to go. Listen, the presentation is tomorrow, and since the generator is heavier and I don't want you to hurt yourself. It weighs at least 35 pounds. You can take the cardboard with our presentation on it."

She nodded. "Okay."

So without further ado, I picked up the—ugh!—super heavy, almost unbearable, 100-ton science project of ours. Okay, not 100 tons, but it had a ton of heavy metal parts in it. And it was bulky, too.

But that's the price you pay for having technological and scientific advancement, right?

Just kidding. The only way to get a good grade is by working hard.

Anyways, on the way out, I gave Lilia a quick kiss and trudged over back home. I couldn't help feeling butterflies in stomach. By the time I got back the Palace, I was really weak and tired from carrying that heavy thing. And, for the first time in a quite a while, I used the elevator.

Imagine my surprise that while I was going up, Larry popped out of nowhere. "Hey!"

"Ahh! Where did you come from?"

"From a place to no living thing has ever come alive!"

"Where, in the same bathroom as Dimetroodon after he ate beans and eggs?"

"Ye-no! I was at a very special place…where the four dimensions of space and time all intersect with the past, present, and future."

"Oh. You've been traveling in between dimensions?" A dimension is another word for parallel universes. We do that too. "We oughta travel to the dimension where we're still living in dinosaur times."

"Or, to the one where Amarkia is a planet on the other side of the universe."

I nodded. "Yeah. Guess we've had so many things happening that we haven't really had time to do the things we used to do."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can especially say that about you, huh Mr. Lover?"

I sighed. "Oh, come on. Don't start that all over again."

He smiled evilly. "Ah…"

"Well…like I said before. You don't really understand about that stuff. So…I don't know. I'll just have to see what happens. Besides, a guy like me can't be thinking about girls all the time. I mean, I have a lot of responsibilities. I can't let myself be distracted."

The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. "Yeah, I guess so." He nodded.

I carried, trudging that thing down the hallways until I reached my room. I finally set it on my desk beside my laptop. Phew! I'd been sweating like I do when I work out at the gym. We have our own gym here at the Palace.

I was so tired…I didn't even have the strength to get my usual chocolate milk that I always drink before brushing my teeth and going to bed. So I just brushed my teeth, washed my face with acne soap, and got under the covers.

Little did I know that…

Well, you'll see.

Next morning was April 23. That day and the next would stay with me for the rest of my life.

I woke up at 6:30 and got ready for school. I went down to get my breakfast. And I didn't have to struggle too much with the generator, because know I had Larry helping me with it. And no, it wasn't cruel of me, because he was using the Super-Strength Power to carry it. But, since we still want to keep it a secret from everyone else, he still had to pretend that he was struggling with it.

He even took the stairs instead of the elevator!

I got down to the Breakfast Dining Room and the whole family was already there. Robert and Greeny were already finishing and picking up their plates. The girls were still eating. They were eating cereal. There was a plate of scrambled eggs at my seat. I said good morning to everyone and sat down.

Larry ate his bacon and French toast.

"The boys already finished breakfast?" I asked.

"Yep," said Kathy.

"What did they have?"

"Waffles and bacon."

I froze. I looked down at my plate. Then I stared at her. "How come they get all that fancy stuff and all I ever get is scrambled eggs?"

Patty poured coffee into her cup. "Well, Spiny that's what you always ask for early in the morning when we knock on your door to see what you want."

"Well, yeah, but that's because I've got scrambled eggs memorized; I'm still half-asleep. I'm not really saying it. I'm just mumbling it."

"Oh."

"Next time I mumble scrambled eggs, give me waffles and bacon. And when I mumble waffles and bacon…"

"We make you scrambled eggs?" Patty asked.

"Yeah, that's right. And when I mumble French toast…we'll, I'll give you a list of each mumble and its translation."

"All right," Kathy said, nodding.

I finished and brushed my teeth, and grabbed my backpack while Larry carried the generator.

When Patty, Kathy, Larry, and I arrived at the school, Lilia was waiting at the entrance. She waved and smiled at me. "Hi."

"Hi," I said, feeling my heart racing again.

"Here comes the girl-friend, all dressed in green," Larry started singing. I gave him a killer look and that made him shut up. He just smiled guiltily.

We both entered and went to our classes. Science was the last class of the day. So you can imagine all the suspense and nervousness I was feeling. Of course, we had done the work properly, according to the scientific method, we'd cited our sources, a thesis statement and everything.

But, let's face it. Speaking in public in front of an audience, no matter how small, is always a nerve-wracking experience.

The whole day, I must've gone over the oral part of our project about a thousand times. I was so worried about it that in Algebra instead of multiplying polynomials, I ended up writing my speech on the Algebra paper.

And in Grammar/Literature/Composition class, instead of writing the final draft of a narrative essay, I gave an explanation of how to build a fuel-cell generator. Fortunately for me, Larry was good enough of a friend and with his Telekinesis power. With that superpower, you can manipulate any object.

Finally, came Science class. All the other pairs went before us. Well, almost all of them. Finally our turn came. We went up to the front and gave the whole detailed explanation and showed our cardboard presentation. And I managed to make the generator run and it came out pretty good. Before long, all my nerves and jitters had gone away.

As a matter of fact, I felt like going on for a little while more, but couldn't for obvious purposes.

Mr. Mitochondria was very impressed and it definitely looked like an A+. I wouldn't be surprised if we got a ton of extra credit.

Anyways, we sat down after our turn finished. I was in the middle row, sitting in the second seat from the back to the front. And Lilia was in the third row, in the second seat from the front to the back.

Next up, the teacher called up Larry and Kylie. Yeah, yeah, I know! They ended up being paired together. I felt really sorry for Kylie. Yes, for Kylie. And for Larry.

They had also researched into modern technology. Kind of interesting, as a matter of fact. They'd brought one of those hidden microphones that spies and detectives use to spy conversations on enemies.

Kylie was doing the talking while Larry was demonstrating, but I could tell his heart wasn't in it.

Anyways, Kylie then said, "I could give you a demonstration of how it works."

Mr. Mitochondria said, "Very good then. Please do."

Larry played the recording that they had and the audio started playing. Hmm. I recognized that voice. Wait a minute…was that…that was Lilia's voice! And unless I was terribly mistaken or dreaming or something, she was talking about me!

This is what the audio played. "Well…I guess you could call it fondness. Or affection. Or just attraction. But…well, yeah, I like Spiny very much. He makes me feel all jittery and I love it when he smiles at me. I've always thought he has a beautiful face and pretty eyes. And he's nice and smart and good-hearted. I would give anything for him to ask me to be his girlfriend. I'd like to think that one day I'll marry him."

While the audio played, I felt my heart palpitating and I started getting dizzy. My stomach got sour and my breathing stopped. I stared sweating in torrents and my entire body was shaking with fear and adrenaline. I felt my face redden deeply.

I heard giggling and whispering and started seeing pointing fingers.

Kathy, Patty, Dimetroodon, and Darla looked shocked, as if they wanted to help me but could only stand by and watch. I looked up ahead. Kylie had such a face of being self-satisfied. Like a dictator would feel watching his army execute the people he most hates and he doesn't show a tinge of feeling. I looked at Larry. His face had turned pale, like he was about to throw up.

He looked sick. He looked terrified. I mean, he actually looked scared! His eyes had horror written in them and his expression said, What have I done! The teacher got really mad and forced Kylie to turn it off. He even slapped her hand when she continued playing the audio.

I dared to look at Lilia's face. Her face had gone even paler than Larry's. She definitely looked like she was about to lose her lunch. I could see her shaking all the way from five seats back.

An extremely heavy and ominous silence hung over the entire classroom. It was so quiet, you could have heard a hair drop on the floor. All I could hear was my heart beating. Pounding. It was like no one knew that to say or do next. It was like the silence that comes right before the tornado crashes through your building.

And the tension seemed to be building.

Finally, something happened. Lilia stood up and rushed out the door, slamming it so hard that the wall trembled. On the way out, I caught a brief glimpse at her face. She had tears running down her face.

We all stared at the door. Then, everyone stared at me, as if asking what I was going to do now. I looked down at my desk. And, I too, felt my eyes getting foggy. I sniffled. I was SO humiliated!

How could Kylie have done something as cruel as this?! She had gone way too far. My patience had now ended. This was really the last straw. I could feel my anger boiling and building up inside of me like a volcano. I could feel it rise from within me, up through my chest, my neck and up to my head.

I stood up and stomped up to the front. I stood in front of Kylie. She looked utterly confused. What happened next was blurry.

I didn't have any control of what happened to me. But I did. I slapped Kylie in front of everyone. With all the strength that I had in me. I slapped her so hard that she yelped and she fell to the ground. And in possibly my loudest voice, I said, "I HATE YOU!"

That's when I realized what I had one. The teacher said in a quiet voice, "Spiny!"

I looked up at him, then down at Kylie. I looked at Larry, then at the class. I ran out the door, pushing the 75-year-old librarian out of the way. I ran out the door. I ran down the street. I ran through intersections and red lights and parking lots and jumped over fences and dogs. I ran and ran and ran and just kept running until I finally got to the Palace.

I think I broke the record for the time that I made. And I didn't care in the least bit that I had left my bike and all my things at school. I slammed in through the Palace doors. Robert was nearby in the living room. He called me but I ignored him. I kept running up the stairs until my legs almost busted and finally collapsed on my bed.

It took me about ten minutes to catch my breath. No kidding. After I recovered my oxygen, my legs started to ache. And I mean to really ache! I guess the adrenaline was now leaving. It felt awful. I was hurting all over. My head hurt. My stomach hurt. I had nausea. My legs and arms were hurting, I was sweating very hard, and I was so sorry that I had lunch.

About fifteen minutes later, I heard the girls and Larry walk in my room. I turned to look away. I couldn't bear to look at anyone anymore. "Spiny?" said Patty in a very soft, quiet voice.

"Leave me alone," I grumbled.

"Spiny, don't you wanna talk about it?" Larry asked. I turned to him and threw my alarm clock at him. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Then I buried my head in my pillow and let the tears flow. I was sobbing. Not crying. Sobbing. I heard the door close and I thought that they had left. But then, I felt Kathy's hand on my shoulder. I wanted to knock her hand away, but I couldn't . I just didn't have the energy to do it. She started caressing my head.

"Oh, Spiny. I…I just don't know what to say. I'm…I'm very shocked at what Kylie did. You didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves to be treated like that. And especially you. You're the sweetest guy I know. And I'm kinda glad Kylie got what she had coming."

I finally stopped crying and sat up. I wiped the tears from my face and sniffled. "What am I going to do, now, sis?"

"Well…ask Lilia to be your girlfriend."

"Kathy!"

"No, I'm serious. It's the only thing you can do, now!"

"Are you crazy? How am I going to face her now?" I looked down at my palm and thought What Lilia must think of me! "I feel just awful. I don't deserve a girl like her. She'll never speak to me now. She must hate me. She was even more embarrassed than I am."

"Now, Spiny, don't go blaming yourself. It's not your fault. And it's not Lilia's fault, either. It's Kylie's fault. And Lilia loves you. I know she does. I know her very well. She loves you Spiny. And she wants you to be your boyfriend more than anything else than in the world."

Well, that made me feel a little better. "But…now everyone's going to make fun of us. And…I'm afraid that if I can't take it…I'll…I'll become so worried that I'll…treat Lilia like I did when we were kids."

She put her hand on my shoulder. "If you truly love her, you'll do everything within your power to see that that won't happen."

"Kathy…I really appreciate it. But I have to think for myself what I'll do. For now…please…I-I…I have to be alone."

She nodded and sighed. "Okay." She hugged me once more and left.

I lied in bed all afternoon. I was so upset that I didn't eat dinner. I fell asleep at about 7:45. I guess I was so tired from all that running and crying. Believe me, those things really do tire you out.

I woke up at around four in the morning. I was still terribly upset at what had happened. But I had to forget the problem and find a solution. I started pacing up and down my room in the dark, letting the ideas flow by. By 4:45 am, I had come up with a plan of attack, and with a tranquil yet alert mind, went back to sleep.

I woke extra early. I was showered and dressed by 6 in the morning. I tip-toed out of the room, down the hallways and the stairs, grabbing an apple on the way out. I didn't go in TIV because the engine might have woken my family up. So instead I went on the bike.

I quickly pedaled down the streets which were still empty. Here in Amarkia, there are no nightly jobs. And all lights and electricity is turned off after eleven pm. The only people still up are the Border Guards, the military, the police, firefighters and the hospitals.

I got to the school at about 6:15. They hadn't opened yet and the teachers were barely going in. I walked up to the front entrance and knocked on the doors. The vice-principal came. She looked shocked to see me. She opened the door and stepped out. "Why…Your Majesty! What are you doing here?"

"Please, ma'am. Please let me in. I have to do something very important."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. We can't let you in. School policy."

"Please, ma'am. It's very important. It'll only take 30 seconds. I promise."

She scratched the back of her head. "Well…"

"Please?" Now I was begging.

She sighed. "All right. But I'll only give you one minute."

"Oh, thank you!" She opened the door and I ran inside to do what I had to do. But I won't tell you. You have to find out for yourself. So keep reading. Anyways, after I did what I had to do, I ran back outside.

I hadn't eaten, so I went to Arnold's to order pancakes and bacon and chocolate milk. After I ate I went back to school and waited outside until class started.

It was pure agony, waiting so long. I sat on the concrete beside the entrance stairs, while I waited. First, the sixth graders came in. Half an hour later, the seventh graders. And finally after an hour of waiting, the other 8th graders started entering.

I stood up but didn't move from my position from beside the stairs. I was reading. I kept my nose in the book, so to speak. Nobody was saying hi to me, not even my friends. You could still sense the tension in the air.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. She was walking with Kathy, Patty, and Darla. None of them looked at me. I saw them come up to the entrance and walk up the stairs. Then, I sensed someone stopping. I dared to look behind me. Lilia had stopped just above me and was looking at me.

She had a mournful look. As if she had been crying too. She didn't have any emotion in her face. She blinked and stepped inside the school. I could only sigh. I just hoped that my plan would work.

If not…I'd go to my grave early.

Finally, the first warning bell rang, and I closed my book and went inside to my first class, which was Algebra. When I went inside, I saw a bunch of kids, all huddled looking at the whiteboard. Only Lilia and Kathy were sitting. They weren't looking at the whiteboard.

I leaned over to see what was so interesting.

When I saw what they were looking at, my heart stopped. Someone had taken a black marker and written the words Spiny loves Lilia inside a heart with an arrow going through it. I could only hear whispering and snickering. I quickly sat down.

But they'd already seen me. They kept snickering and mocking me, making kissing sounds.

Then the teacher, Mrs. Mills came in, carrying several books. Everyone immediately ran to their seats. I felt sorry for Lilia because I was assigned to the seat right behind her. She'd been looking down the whole time. I could still hear her quietly crying.

It pained me so much to see her suffering. I could feel my throat closing up. But I couldn't cry now. I had to be strong for what happened next.

Mrs. Mills saw the heart with our names on the whiteboard and boy; you should've seen the look on her face! "Who wrote that?" she yelled, angry now.

Silence. Eerie, alien-like silence. Nobody dared to even breathe. She was staring at all of us. "Whoever wrote that stand up right now and apologize to Spiny and Lilia!" More silence.

Then she gave Kylie a look of steel. "Kylie!"

"I didn't do it!" she said quickly.

"I hope not." Then she looked at all of us. "Well…if no one answers I will send the whole class in detention for the rest of the school year!"

You could hear gasping and groaning.

The time had come. My heart started palpitating again. I could feel my legs getting weak as I stood up. I took a deep breath. "Mrs. Mills."

"Yes, Spiny?"

Here we go. "I'm the one who wrote that. And I'm not sorry because it's true. I love Lilia." I felt like dying. Everyone looked astonished. I sat back down, looking down at my lap.

Mrs. Mills smiled slightly and said, "Well…all right." Then she went to her desk and started class.

Still looking down, I opened my Algebra book. Then, a hand came on top of mine. I looked up. It was Lilia. She had turned around and was smiling at me, tears still on her face. She gripped my hand, looking genuinely happy. Her eyes were shining and she whispered, "Thank you."

I smiled back.

But I still hadn't finished. That had only been Phase 1. Right after class, I ran out the room, quickly grabbing a piece of paper and folding it halfway. On it, I wrote Meet me in front of the Palace after school. I want to talk to you. XOXO, Spiny. Then, after the last class ended, I taped it to Lilia's locker and ran out the door of the school and waited for her.

I waited about forty minutes or so. I paced back and forth. I sat on the sidewalk, waiting, while the occasional car zoomed by. Birds chirped, Pteranodons flew overhead, helicopters and planes went past, and dinosaurs and people walked by.

Finally, I saw the beautiful brown-haired girl coming down the street, carrying her books. I stood up and my heart started fluttering. We both smiled. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi."

She looked down. "Um…I got your note," she said, holding it up.

"I'm glad." I took another deep breath. "Um, would you walk to somewhere special with me?"

Her eyes light up and she smiled. "Yes." She held my hand and we started walking down the street. We turned through some bushes through a secret pass that only I knew of. It led to the restricted area behind the Palace which was only for the Royal Family. We walked about for twenty minutes, until we finally reached it.

"Well, here we are."

Lilia looked around. "Spiny! Is this that special place you told me about at the carnival?"

I nodded. "Yes. And I wanted you to see it." It really was a beautiful place. Just like I'd described it to her. The lake in front of us was crystalline blue. The old tree towered above us, with its pink flowers in full bloom. The soft grass, the way the sunlight peered through the mountains into this valley…it was paradisiacal.

We stood under the tree, leaning on it, and facing each other. "Lilia."

"Yes?"

"I want to say that I'm sorry that…I'm so sorry for all the humiliation that you've been going through. You're a wonderful girl. You're smart, sensitive, friendly, you're a lot of fun, you've always treated me well, you're beautiful, and…" Oh, boy. I really needed to stay strong for what I would say next.

"And?" she asked anxiously.

"I love you." There, I said it! My stomach got so jittery I could have made a vibrator nervous. Lilia looked at me with an expression that I couldn't read. Then, she said, "I love you, too." I felt a sense of warmth flowing through my entire body. I realized that it was happiness.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Since we were seven."

I laughed at that. Then, I said, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She came closer to me until our faces were only inches apart. Then, in a voice so quiet that if the wind had been blowing I wouldn't have heard her, she said, "Yes."

I gasped. My heart was pounding now, but for joy. "Really? You mean it?"

She smiled and nodded ever so slightly. Then, I took her hand in mine and with the other hand I gently pushed the hair behind her air. I closed my eyes and leaned forward. Then…

I felt a warm sensation on my lips. She was kissing me back! I was kissing her! It was the most wonderful feeling I've ever had. It spread throughout all of me. Her lips were sweeter than any honey or sugar or candy I'd ever tasted. And they were so soft, too. A type of soft and sweet that aren't found anywhere else in the universe.

It's completely indescribable. Incomprehensible. Inexplicable. Beyond your reasoning. It's simply impossible to describe.

My first kiss. Our first kiss.

It lasted about seven seconds. Then, I opened my eyes at the same time as she did and we pulled back. Both of our faces were red, but we were smiling. I caressed her face with my hand.

She started crying. I immediately started cursing myself. "Are you okay?" I asked concerned.

She kept smiling. "I'm fine. It's just that…I'm happy. I never thought this would happen. You were my first love. And, I've always wanted you to kiss me like that."

I smiled and said, "I think we'll be having more of those. And often." Then I leaned and kissed her lips again.

I could tell she loved it. She giggled. Then I gently took her into my embrace. She put her arms around my waist and I rested my cheek on her head, and ran my hand through her hair.

Then I looked at her, smiling. I kissed her cheek and she grinned. "Come on," I said. "I have to get you home."

We walked back the way we'd come, so that my family wouldn't see us. It'd been very awkward to go through the back door.

The whole way, we had our arms around each other. When we got to her front door, "Lilia?"

"Yes?"

"You want to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"I'd love to," she said, smiling. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I'll be ready at eight, okay?"

I nodded and smiled. "Okay." I kissed her lips once more, and her face reddened again. "I'll see you later, then?"

She nodded. She kissed my cheek then stepped into her house. I stared at her door for quite a while. I couldn't help but smile. "She's finally mine," I said out loud to myself.