Cherita walked to school, making sure to keep her gaze locked on the books that were tightly clutched to her chest. She knew that it wouldn't stop the crude comments that were thrown at her, but she had to at least try. Act like the comments didn't bother her, like always. She walked up to her friends & they greeted her warmly, but of course Donnie's friends had to speak up.

"Hey, did you get fatter or uglier over the weekend?" Ron asked, a jack assy grin coming across his face as he looked over at Sean, waiting for his input.

Sean smirked back, not being able to resist a challenge. His eyes moved over to Cherita, squinting in the sunlight. "Eh... I'd say both."

Cherita just stared blankly at them, feeling shredded up inside. Every morning they'd do this, unless they decided to ditch school, then they'd catch up with her & yell something at her as she was leaving... or do it twice as much in the morning.

Without fail, Donnie stepped in. He rolled his eyes back into his head slightly & sighed. "Guys, will you just leave her alone?"

Ron wasn't done just yet. He reached forward slowly & knocked Cherita's books out of her arms. She got ready to lean over & pick them up, but Donnie beat her to it. He bent over, picked them up & handed them to her, giving his friends a pissed off look. She smiled to Donnie in thanks & walked over to her friends to talk.

Donnie shook his head at his friends one last time, knowing that debating any further with them wouldn't make any difference.

When Cherita arrived at school, she zoned out instantly, her thoughts only of Donnie. They were supposed to be taking a small quiz, but instead she was doodling Donnie's name all over it. She noticed this when somone dropped their pencil on the floor. She snapped out of her daydream, flipped the quiz over & walked up to the teacher's desk.

"May I use the rest room?" Cherita whispered, pulling some of her raven black locks behind her ear.

The teacher nodded absent-mindedly & Cherita headed for the door, walking down the hall. She didn't actually have to go to the bathroom, wash her hands or anything. She just really needed some time alone, trying to remind herself that Donnie was too perfect for her. Instead, she got something much better.

Donnie turned the corner, heading towards the rest room, black paint splattered all over his shirt. He almost ran into her, his head lowered slightly in thought, but saw her shadow just in time. Cherita felt her heart flutter, noticing that their faces were only about 4 inches away.

"Oh, hey, Cherita." Donnie said casually. He noticed her staring questioningly at his shirt. "Uh... yeah, Sean and Ron kinda went crazy in art class." He smirked a little. Cherita seemed to be in a kind of trance, staring blankly at him. "So... how are you?"

"I'm fine..." She said quietly. All she could do was imagine her lips pressed against his, his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace, not caring who saw.

"Uh..." He cleared his throat a little, feeling awkward in her silence. "Speaking of Ron & Sean, sorry about them and this morning... they're harmless." He smiled a little... the smile that she admired. The slow, boyish smile on those beautiful lips, revealing those wonderful teeth. He noted her silence & look passed her to the rest room. "Well, I'd better get in there. Mom's gonna get pissed if this stains." He started for the bathroom, but Cherita spoke suddenly.

"Donnie..." He turned around & she pressed her lips against his. The kiss only lasted about 10 seconds, but it was the single most amazing thing Cherita had ever felt. She stepped back, embarrassed. "I'd better get back to class..." She turned around, her head down, cheeks turning crimson, her mind a violent storm of emotion.

This time, it was Donnie's turn. "Hey, Cherita..." He swollowed, looking down for a moment, then back up to her. "How about we go do something this Friday?"

Cherita couldn't believe it. She took in a deep breath & nodded excitedly. "I'll... I'll see you after class, Donnie..." Cherita turned back to class, seeming to have an extra bounce in her step.