Wow this chapter has undergone so many re-writes! But I'm finally happy with it (I think)!

If you're still with me in this fic I thank you from the bottom of my heart! It's been a rough few months but I think I'm finally back on track!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as I really enjoyed writing it, in the end anyway, and I may have cried a little...almost...when I wrote the last part of this chapter! lol!

Anyway here goes...drop me a review and let me know what you think!

"Would someone please remind me, again, what the hell I'm doing here?" Louie Provenza sighed and shifted in his seat, he was bored, completely out of his damned mind.

"It's called supporting a friend!" Andrea turned to him with a glare, jabbing a slender finger into the side of his ribs.

"Hey! Technically she ain't even my friend! She's your friend!"

Andrea rolled her eyes and jabbed him again. "Exactly, and unless you want me to dump your ass you'll shut up and be supportive!"

From Provenza's other side Andy snorted, ever since Louie and Andrea had finally come clean with the group and actually admitted they were dating, this humorous exchange had become common practice.

"Dude she got you whipped!" Andy whispered, his laughter deepening when Louie scowled back at him.

"Oh yeah? I'm stuck here cos' apparently its relationship rules, what's your excuse?"

"Come on man, Sharon's my friend and this stuff is important to her, why wouldn't I be here!"

"It's a debate, Flynn! It's two teams of geeks arguing, and I don't mean fun arguing I mean smart arguing!"

"Would you two just shut the hell up!" Brenda's menacing whisper filtered down the row from where she sat with Fritz, to his credit the guy looked just as bored as Provenza was.

"You can't tell me you're actually enjoying this?" Louie lowered his voice further, turning his gaze back to the stage area. There was a disaproving shake of his head when his eyes fell on Mike Tao, apparently the guy was assisting in the scoring process for extra credit with his English lit teacher.

"I am actually. Never been to a debate before. Sharon's doing pretty great up there."

Louie rolled his eyes at the last comment from his friend. "Careful Flynn, your crush is showing!"

Andy shook his head and turned his attention back to the debate itself. More accurately he turned his attention back to Sharon. She really was doing great up there, she was confident, articulate, her arguments were right on point. Not for the first time Andy thought that she was definately the smartest person he'd ever met. She'd been working really hard in the run up to this particular debate, ever since she found out there would be college representatives in the audience. It had led to a busy few weeks, so busy that she'd barely spent any time with her friends, including Andy.

If truth be told he'd missed her.

He was getting into dangerous territory, the past couple of weeks he'd started to finally face his feelings for Sharon Sinclair. It was all his sister's fault, his older sister. Audrey had called him out on it, though he'd tried to deny it she wasn't to be fooled. She was his big sister for crying out loud, she was there when he first kissed a girl, school playground when he was six he'd kissed Karen Lautner by the slide when she gave him her last candy bar. When he hit puberty and finally grew into his ears Audrey had lost count of the girls that followed him around, it never phased him. Yet the past couple of months since he'd started at this new school he'd been different and she knew, it had to be a girl.

Eventually he was honest, with some prompting from his other sister, hell if they hadn't ganged up on him. He admitted that he did have feelings for Sharon that might be more than friendship. The girls had told him to go for it and he had thought about it, but his mind kept going over a long forgotten conversation that he'd had with Sharon in a library. He'd promised not to ask her out until she told him to. It was silly but he was sticking to that promise.

Now though, as he sat in the uncomfortable almost broken down chair in the auditorium, watching as his girl kicked ass up there, he could see them together.

His girl. He had to stop thinking like that. It wasn't going to happen, reality was too cruel but his imagination was his own and at times, he let it run away with him.

There was only mere seconds left of this lengthy debate meet and the scores were anyone's guess, he was biased but he thought she'd rocked it. The actual words of her closing statement were lost on him, he was more focused on the sound of her voice. There was a confidence in it that he knew she had but the little inflection at the beginning of each sentence betrayed her nerves. Being nervous was good, or at least thats what he'd told her when she called him last night, just for a little pep talk to help her calm her nerves.

She felt the pressure in this particular debate so much more than the others. What with college reps and her parents in the audience she was starting to fray. That's when he suggested that they come and support her too. He'd told her he'd rally the girls and they'd swing by and be her own little groupies.

She'd laughed then, though secretly thankful that he'd do that for her. If Sharon was honest with herself she'd admit that his presence had a somewhat comforting effect on her, as if she could face absolutely anything knowing he was right behind her.

From her place beside her teammates Sharon could barely see anything past the edge of the stage, the lights seemed brighter tonight and it was a little blinding. In some ways she was glad of it, it took a little bit of pressure away from her. If she couldn't see her parents then they couldn't distract her, if she couldn't see the representatives from Columbia, Yale, Harvard or Berkely then they couldn't distract her.

She couldn't see her friends either but she knew they were there. It was silly but she could feel their presence. Even if that were impossible she knew they were there for their cheers were louder than anybody else in the room.

Now there was nothing but silence as the scores were being tabulated. It all came down to this and she hoped that she'd done enough, her father's words to her only this morning still rung in her ears as though it were a stuck record.

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose Honey, so long as you impress with your knowledge and skill."

"Alright, alright! Can we have a moment of quiet please!" Brenda cleared her throat and stood from her seat at the end of the booth in which they had all crammed into. "I would just like to raise a toast to my best friend, who absolutely kicked ass tonight! And subsequently has now got some serious colleges fighting over her, any of which would be lucky to have her!"

Sharon smiled widely back at her friend as Brenda led the others in an impromptu toast of their celebratory milkshakes, Brenda wasn't usually one for displaying what she called 'mushy feels' but it seemed that she could make an exception from time to time. Or not as she ended her speech on a final note.

"Though let's face it we all know the girl likes to argue!"

"Gee thanks!" Sharon laughed as the others clinked their glasses a final time and she sat back in her seat. It was getting late but she didn't mind, her parents had agreed that since it was a Friday night and she'd hands down won her Debate competition tonight, that certain curfews could be extended.

Anyway she was celebrating. A win and some serious interest from colleges made for a good night all round. It felt awesome, actually, standing with her parents while four scouts from some of the biggest colleges in the country all thrust brochures into her hands and fought to tell her why she should choose them. Now as she sat with her friends in the diner she was still floating.

"Seriously though, I was bored as hell, right up until the part where you wiped that smirk off that kid from East High's face!" Provenza nodded slowly as he drained the last of his shake.

"So that would be the end, then!" Flynn arched an eyebrow at his friend from across the table.

"What like it's any secret that debate is my least favourite thing in the world?"

"Dunno why, you're an argumentative ass most days of the week!"

"I know but that's for fun not sport!" Louie looked pointedly at Flynn before he turned back to Sharon. "Kudos to you though!"

"Wow thanks Provenza, you don't know how much that means to me." Sharon's dry reply was met with another round of snorts from the group.

"Well as fun as this Provenza bashing is becoming, I gotta go. Your curfew may have been extended Sharon but mine ain't." Andrea sighed and nudged her boyfriend to move out of the booth, she was driving him home so he'd be leaving with her.

"Actually I should go too, coach called a Sunday practice which is akin to summoning Christ so I better get an early night." Fritz rose from the table closely followed by Brenda who insisted that he take her home first, since Tao lived near Brenda, Fritz would drop him home too.

After a quick round of goodbyes, Sharon found herself suddenly alone with Andy in the parking lot.

"And then there were two." Andy grinned as he shoved his hands into his pockets, following slowly behind Sharon as she walked the short distance to his car. Though rather than get in it she hopped up to sit on the hood. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Sharon laughed as she turned a little away from him, her gaze looking up into the night. "Isn't the sky beautiful?"

"Are you high?" Andy's amusement was evident as he leant against the car beside her.

"On life? Sure, a little maybe."

Andy chuckled and shook his head slowly. "Woman you crazy."

"You love me for it!"

"Sure why not." He shrugged as she laughed and sat forward to look at him.

"Thanks for tonight Andy. I know the guys wouldn't have come if you hadn't made them."

"I didn't make them do anything, I simply suggested that you might be grateful for some moral support. Andrea made Louie come, and she told Brenda if she bailed on you again she'd incur a friendship hearing, whatever that is."

"Ah. That would be the code."

"The code?"

"Friendship code, you get so many passes before there's a hearing and if the hearing goes bad theres a trial."

"I amend my previous statement, women in general be crazy."

"That we are!" Sharon hummed quietly as she looked out into the darkness. There was a peacefulness around her that she hadn't felt in a while. Things had been crazy since Thanksgiving break, she'd spent so much time working on Debate team and mathletes that she'd barely had time to just sit back and breathe.

She'd missed this, just hanging out with her friends, hanging out with Andy. Through all the craziness he'd still been there whenever she called, usually stressed and in need of a calming influence. He hadn't complained not even once. If he had she wouldn't have blamed him, he'd been such a good friend and yet she'd been unable to give anything back, too wrapped up in her own busy life.

"You were awesome tonight." The sound of his voice broke her thoughts and she twisted her head to look at him.

"I don't know about awesome."

"Sharon you kicked that other teams ass. You've got Berkeley and Colombia and Yale all fighting over you, you could have your pick of good schools here!"

"You forgot Harvard."

"Oh my bad." He laughed, watching as her smile widened until it reached her eyes.

"I'm not gunna let it go to my head Andy."

"Who said you would?"

"No one. I just don't want to get complacent. Getting college interest is one thing, I still have to get through interviews and exams yet."

"True. It wouldn't do to get too cocky. Thing is though, thats not your style Sharon. You work hard and you do well, you don't just sit back and expect to get everything you want."

"Hm, I suppose you're right."

"Can I get that in writing, I'm actually right for a change."

"Oh shut up you big idiot."

A long moment passed in silence as they both just stayed there, staring out into the city, until Sharon spoke softly once more.

"It helped ya know. You being there tonight."

"What are friends for, like I said, you got your own little band of groupies."

"No I don't mean everyone else. Just you."

Andy turned his body slowly towards her, he was standing close, so close she could almost reach out and touch him. There was a look in her eye that Andy hadn't seen before, she was torn about something but he couldn't make sense of it.

All she knew was that her heart was hammering so hard in her chest it was almost painful. Whatever made her say those words she had no idea but they were not untrue. Where the courage had come from to voice it she didn't know but she felt the shake in her hands as she shifted just a fraction forward.

When her hands curled in the edges of his leather jacket he almost forgot to breathe. His voice was rough and quiet when he spoke her name.

"Sharon..."

"Andy." Her voice was a mere whisper, the word almost lost in the kiss that she pushed to his lips.

For a second Andy was sure he'd forgotten how to do this, he was so taken off guard by her actions that he'd probably forgotten his own name. It felt like forever for his brain to catch up with him as he processed that she'd actually kissed him, was kissing him. Until finally his instincts kicked in.

His right hand reached up and moved gently through her hair, holding her securely in place as he took a risk and deepened the kiss. Her lips parted willingly beneath his and when she moaned softly at the gentle caress of his tongue against her's Andy almost lost his balance completely.

If her brain had been capable of thought at this moment then Sharon would probably find this whole thing amusing, for she finally understood what Brenda and Andrea had been so insistent about. There was butterflies and heat and the feeling that you might actually fall from the edge of the earth.

But it was too much. It was overwhelming, this feeling of surrender and it pulled her back to her senses.

Slowly she pulled away from his kiss, her gaze down as he continued to move his fingers through her hair. Gently, so gently that she wanted to cry.

"Sharon."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Her apology had stabbed at him, the watery look in her eyes as she held back the tears made him pull away, putting only a step between them as she slid from the hood of the car and stood in front of him.

"I don't know why I did that." Her voice was small and it hurt to see her so unsure. He wanted to reach out and kiss those fears away but Andy decided it best to let her speak. Obviously she was still processing.

"You don't?"

"I acted on my instincts Andy I, I've never done that before."

"Could of fooled me!" His smile and attempt at humour made her smile albeit briefly. When her smile faded away he took a risk and reached out, as his hand touched her shoulder she finally looked him in the eye. "What's the matter Sharon?"

"I don't know what I want."

"Oh?"

"I like you, I do, I just." Sharon sighed and stepped away from him, turning her back on him as she took a deep breath and tried to make sense of her thoughts. "I'm not ready."

"I hate to tell you this Sharon but, you're the one that kissed me, not the other way around."

"I know! I shouldn't have it wasn't fair on you. You're my friend and I don't know whether I feel this way because it's you or because, oh I don't know!"

Andy was doing his best to stay calm but he could feel the anger growing inside him. She knew he had feelings for her and she kissed him anyway, only to as good as retract it almost instantly. When he looked at her and he saw the tears slowly filling her gaze he felt the anger waver a little. When the first drop made it's way down her cheek he sighed and closed his eyes, throwing his feelings aside he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him.

"It's ok."

"It's not ok."

"No you're right it's not. But here's whats going to happen. I'm gonna take you home, and we're gonna pretend that this didn't happen, at least until you've thought it through."

"Andy." Sharon tightened her grip around his back as she felt him push a soft kiss to her head.

"You know how I feel Sharon, but you need to figure out how you feel. No matter what I'll always be your friend."

"You'll always be my best friend Andy Flynn, and I don't deserve you."

Ahhh I hate leaving it there, but I am working on the next chapter right now! Please hit that review button, reviews make my day!