I put my books in my locker. I started walking towards the exit when I heard talking. I looked over and saw KC and the guy I saw her walk away with this morning.

"So, I'll see you on Saturday," he stated.

He looked about her age. I often forget she's two years older than us.

Marley passed me and walked over to KC.

"Hey, ready to go?" She inquired to her.

"Yeah," KC replied. "See you later, Derrick."

"See you, beautiful," Derrick complimented her.

KC grinned and blushed. She turned to leave with Marley and started walking in my direction. I smiled because I like seeing my friends happy. Then I saw how Derrick was looking at KC when she walked away. He was observing her body in a way he shouldn't. I glared at him. I know she wouldn't like that if she knew.

"Hey Farkle," I heard KC greet me. I looked at her and Marley.

"Oh, hey," I said.

She's still grinning from ear-to-ear.

"We're going to pick up Aaron and head to Marley's place," KC informed me. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," I answered. I started walking with them.

I glanced back, and he was gone already. I can hear the girls talking about a date she was going to have with the guy on Saturday. She sounds happy…She wouldn't be going on a date without knowing him to be a good guy…right?

We sat in Marley's living room, studying for our science test, while Aaron built things with his blocks.

"So where are you going with him on Saturday?" Marley asked KC.

"His brother's wedding," she told her.

"Is he a good guy?" I accidentally blurted out. They looked at me. "Just wondering. You know him well enough to date him, right?"

"I'm getting to know him, Farkle," KC informed me, giving me an odd look. "That's why we're going to be hanging out. We're not official or anything."

"You won't be if he doesn't treat you well, right?"

"What's this about, Farkle?" She questioned me.

"He was looking at you in a wrong way when you turned around," I informed the older brunette.

"Like checking her out?" Marley asked, raising her eyebrows.

I nodded.

"It wasn't in a good way," I told them.

"Someone's jealous," Marley told KC.

My face fell. I can't believe she said that.

"Oh, stop!" KC ordered Marley with a laugh. She looked at me. "You don't need to worry about me, Farkle. He's a gentleman. You may have just seen it wrong."

"Yeah," I said. "I just want you to be happy. That's all I'll ever want for any of my friends. Even you, Marley."

I gave her an amused smile.

"Oh, come on," she said, "I was just teasing you."

I smiled.

"So, where were we?" I asked them.

On Saturday, Maya texted me. I opened the text and saw a pic of KC in a beautiful ocean blue dress along with a text that asked:

How AMAZING does KC look in this dress?

Looks nice, I answered.

Just nice? She questioned.

Then came another text.

Oops… Sorry Farkle, I meant to text Riles.

I immediately responded.

It's fine.

You're a guy. Of course you'd just say 'nice'.

I looked at the text, offendedly.

I was going to say beautiful, but I didn't want to make it weird.

Really? Wow.

About a minute later, she texted me again.

KC said that she appreciates the compliment.

Hope she has fun on her date, I replied back.

She said 'thanks'.

I tossed my phone on my bed and picked up my guitar. I started strumming the melody to one of my favorite Dalton Cyr songs, "Echo". I started singing:

Something 'bout the way the lights all seem to dim/ The emptiness, now that you're gone, gets in my skin/ Everyone's moving on/ But I'm still here / Everybody's saying how it's such a shame/ People looking to cry, even though they don't know your name/ Everyone's moving on/ But I'm still here…

I stopped playing. I set my guitar by my bed.

"I wonder if that's how she felt," I pondered, thinking back to the day I met KC. I walked to my door and closed it. I picked up my phone and set it on my nightstand. I laid down on my bed and looked at my ceiling. "He better treat her right."

I got a text. I looked and saw it was Lucas.

You want me to pick you up for church tomorrow?

I immediately replied.

Definitely.

See you then.