The next day, I swore to my parents that I was sick, and since they knew I wasn't trying to get out of school because it was Saturday, they believed me.

So, I stayed in my bed for the rest of the day.

I wasn't bored for a moment. No, I had plenty to think of. I had time to plan out my night's pretenses. This time, Finny would have no reason to doubt that I loved him. He would know my secret affections, and he would love me for it.

Before I even tried anything, at least as I planned it, I would show myself to him and confess everything. Then, he would let me know how he felt, and we would divulge in my fantasy world. It went perfectly in my mind. I could take care of him, and he for me. We would be one of the greatest love couples in all of history.

I did get a tad bored later on that day. I wanted desperately to call Finny just to hear his voice. I didn't because I feared that he would suspect. That I had some kind of intuition that didn't quite go with the rest of my character. I couldn't afford that kind of indictment. It wouldn't fit with the rest of my plan. Did he suspect it already? Would he hate me forever?

All these questions are what kept me from getting out of bed, and from calling him.

I wiled the rest of my Saturday away with thoughts of Finny and my heinous desires. I recalled memories of past days I had spent with Finny. Times when I could have let him know how I felt, or at least tried to steal a kiss. How could I have ever been so naive and stupid? It seemed that I had had an eternity to tell him, and, yet, now, I sensed that I wouldn't have that much time left to go. Call it instinct, call it whatever you like. I wasn't going to let that chance slip out of my fingers again.

Though it felt like forever, the time came when my parents were fast asleep. They had, of course, made a big fuss over me and my "sickness." They advised me on getting a good night's rest in order to be prepared for school on Monday morning. I certainly planned on a good night, just no rest.

I sneaked out just as I had many nights before, without my parents' notice, or so I hoped.

On the way, hundreds of new questions flooded through my head. What if I choked on my words again? What if I couldn't tell him? What if I did tell him and he called the police and told them that aliens had taken over my mind?

I couldn't help but laugh at that. It sounded like something Phineas would do. I would've felt better, had I not been so afraid and nervous.

Once again, I punched in the security code and let myself in. I stopped in the foyer to have a think. I wondered if Finny had even felt much like going to work. Maybe he had called in sick, and stayed in bed just as I had. I corrected that thought immediately after having it. That hadn't sounded like the Finny I knew at all. This brought on another new concept: did I know Finny anymore whatsoever? Had I ever known what went on in his enigmatic mind? All of these disturbing thoughts seemed to want to take me back outside and back to my house, but my body didn't want to follow my mind at that particular moment. My body needed another gratification. It needed Finny.

Again, I climbed the stairs up to his room, being careful of the sixth step. I slipped down the hallway, admiring a picture of him that was hanging on the wall. It was funny. I had never noticed it before. Finally, I reached his bedroom door. I took a deep breath. I had to make sure I was mentally and physically ready for what I was about to do.

I glanced at a rather large sticker with a slogan that said, "Go for it!" It was very fitting. I was thankful for it, however silly it may have been. That was the only encouragement I needed. I opened his door without making it creak at all. I tiptoed toward his bed, and was about to climb in, but I noticed something that made me stop dead in my tracks. I felt like my heart wanted to stop too. Lying beside him, with her head on his bare chest, was a girl that I had never even seen before. She was pretty, too. The kind of girl I might have been attracted to in the old days. She wasn't exposed or anything, but I could tell that she wasn't wearing any clothes. I couldn't tell about Finny. For all I knew he could have been wearing pants or shorts but just no shirt.

It was more than enough for me. I didn't bother about sneaking out. I practically broke the door open. I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes. He had betrayed me and I couldn't forgive him. Not now, not ever. I burst out of the front door and slammed it shut behind me. I could care less if I was heard. I must have had my eyes closed, because I barreled straight into a street light pole and all around me everything went black.

When I awoke, I felt as if I were reliving the episode at the skating rink. You know. Like déjà vu or something. There, hovering over me wearing a blue housecoat, was Finny. He had a fearful look in his eye just as he had the last time I had blacked out. Probably the only two differences were the grass wet from dew that I was lying in, and the fact that my head was pounding.

"Gene!" he exclaimed. I noticed that his black eye was looking better and his torn earlobe wasn't as swollen. I saw a couple of new bruises on his face. "What happened?" he demanded. "Are you oh-kay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

I squinted, mockingly. "Just one, and it's not that nice one, either."

I could see a hint in his face that told me he wanted to laugh, but felt that he needed to be serious. "I called your house today to tell you the great news, but your mom said you were sick," he explained. "I didn't know you were THIS sick."

"Yeah, neither did I," I responded. I tried my best to play it cool. Not to let him know what was really going on. There was no chance that I could tell him now. I paused, and then asked, "What great news?"

He blushed for a moment. "Well.." He looked at the ground and began to twirl a piece of grass around his finger. "My new boss and I...we hit it off real good, and..."

"Hi," a new voice said. It sounded like the voice of a beautiful angel. "Are you oh-kay?" She kneeled beside Finny. It was the girl who had been sleeping with him. She was wearing Finny's blood-red housecoat.

"I'm fine," I reassured the both of them.

"Well, then," Finny said in the voice he used before he was about to say something accurate, "this is my boss, Ms. Peach."

She elbowed him in the ribs, playfully. "I told you to call me Peach. You don't have to call me Miss!"

"Congratulations," I said, sarcastically. "I'm sure you'll both be very happy together."

Finny laughed. "Don't worry, pal. You'll find your match someday.