I wanted so badly to tell him that I had already found my match. That it was him. I just couldn't force the words out of me, though I wanted to so terribly.

I saw Finny's eyes narrow, inquisitively at me. "Did that pole scratch your face up like that?"

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

Finny looked at my face for a few more seconds, and then shook his head and stood up. He reached his hand over to help me up. I thankfully grabbed it, and tried to take my time getting up. If I could have held his hand forever, I would have.

But, now a new and even bigger obstacle had fallen into my path: Finny was in love with someone else, and if I told him how I felt now, he would surely hate me. I couldn't bare the thought of ruining his happiness. And her happiness, too.

After that night, I just went along with whatever was thrown at me. I went skating every Tuesday night, I continued to try studying when Finny wasn't bothering me, and I still felt strong affections for him that I couldn't express. That was just the way I let everything fall into place. I pretty much didn't try to force anything the way I wanted it. Finny remained my best friend, but nothing more. Peach and I actually became very good friends over time. She was a very nice person, and I admired the relationship she had with Finny.

I had a lot more time to study, now that I was over obsessing about Finny. I got more serious about my grades.

One night in particular stands out more than any night I can recall.

It was raining out, and I had a big Pre-calculus test the next day. It was Tuesday, so I had to blow off The Superior Skating Skinheads on the Edge for once.

Phineas was surprisingly understanding about it and allowed me to go to study in peace. He still planned to go himself with a few others that he had enlisted.

He had dropped me off at my house, so I wouldn't waste any time.

I traipsed up to my room and went straight to studying. There were a few new problems that I wasn't familiar with, and I wanted to practice them a few times until I felt comfortable with them.

Not even five minutes into my studying, my bedroom door was flung open. Finny walked in, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Gene!" he exclaimed. "Leper just beeped me, and when I called him, he said that he was ready to be inducted into the SSSE!"

I merely muttered something and kept my eyes downcast on my Pre-cal book.

Finny drew closer to me and cupped his hands around his mouth, as if to magnify his voice. "As a Senior Member, you must be present at his initiation!"

I had had enough of Finny's shenanigans. I don't know what it was, but I blew my top right then. "God, Finny!" I shouted, standing up to face him. "You just can't resist interrupting my schoolwork, can you? You can't stop until my academic future is ruined! Finny, I'm fed up! I'm through being a Senior Member, and a member altogether! Maybe you don't care about grades, but I DO!"

He didn't have an outrageous comeback that I expected him to have. He just looked at me, and then calmly said, "You want to study?"

"Yeah! Duh!" I responded, sarcastically.

"Then, you should stay here," he said, in agreement with I had said. "See you tomorrow at school!" He left the room, shutting the door quietly.

I sat there, in absurd silence. That was it? He wasn't going to try to convince me to go with him? I jumped out of my chair, abandoning my books, and raced after him. It didn't occur to me until later that he had succeeded.