Imagine if this and the last chapter was one big one. Well, I can't think of anything to say that you will care about so I'll start writing.

Later that night, it was time for the party. Nino and Zak arrived at my house on time. Zak's gift to me was some sort of a spy kit. I thought it looked kind of stupid, but I didn't say anything. My aunt Michelle came and gave me fifty gold pieces!

After those two gifts were open, we took a break. I took Nino to my room to show her everything. This was, after all, her first time at my house. She was really exited to be here.

"This place is great!" Nino exclaimed. "And to think that mother almost didn't let me come here!"

"Hey, Nino," I inquired, "What's your mother's name?"

"Sonia Reed." She answered, and for some reason, wiped all joy from her face. " Some times I feel like my mother doesn't love me…I can't remember the last time she's held me…

Nino's voice was trembling. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Mother has never allowed me to have real friends before, and I had always felt sad, dark, and alone. But I feel the complete opposite of that around you, Guy." She was slowly stepping toward me. "My brothers, Lloyd and Linus, usually play with me once in a while, but…" She was crying now. I was surprised by the maturity in her voice. She sounded like she had been practicing this for a while, "I've never feltthis way around them…"

Nino had me cornered in that room now. "Oh Guy!"

She fell into my arms, crying. I awkwardly patted her on the back and couldn't help but think, this moment was brought to you by stupid questions about the first names of someone.

"Okay Nino, stop crying." I told her. "We can't have a proper birthday party if someone's crying."

Nino, still quivering, said, "B-but Guy, you are my best friend, a-and I think I l-love you…"

I was quiet for a moment, letting what she had just said sink in. I love you? I thought. Is this a dream? Or was Zak right? Maybe this wouldn't be so good…

"But Nino," I started to say, "I can't… love you back… If I know what you mean. I think I'm too young. You are my best friend too, but I've never thought about… love…"

Apparently, she didn't see things by way. She hopped on my bed and started crying furiously into my pillow. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen a girl who was all alone in the world, being denied love from the one person she could relate to. Heartbroken. Maybe that's why people cry after realizing things are hopeless. I thought, Maybe the tears are blood shed from a broken heart.

Time seemed to have frozen. After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, I said to Nino, "If I could, Nino, I would love you from the bottom of my heart. But I can't love you, Nino, I can't.

When she had finally come up for air, she shouted "BUT WHY? Why can't you love me? Am I not your type? I can change! Anything for you, Guy..." Nino clutched the back of my head, pulled me in close, and I couldn't get another word out as our lips met. For some reason, I wouldn't pull away. I could almost taste the desperation on her lips. When she stopped kissing me, she said, "Please…" With such sweet sorrow that I could have said yes, but then I thought it over.

You can't love her, you don't love her, and you will not love her! I thought to myself. But then I thought, But why? She is so sad, her life is obviously miserable. We even kissed! Why can't it be?

Because you know you don't love Nino, and her brothers would kill you if you had a relationship like that with her!

"Guy," Nino interrupted my thoughts, "I am waiting for an answer, but I would wait until the end of time for you…" I was surprised again by the maturity in her speech. She talked like she was an adult.

"I love you, Guy. Will you love me back? Please?" She kissed me on the cheek.

My thoughts were still on the long kiss. I always thought my first kiss (If I ever got one.) would be under the stars with a woman who couldn't be happier with me, not in my bedroom on my birthday party with some sad little girl who was only my best friend. And I had always thought I would be older than ten years old when I got it.

It's a good thing this didn't happen at school. I felt as though Nino and I were the only people in the world right now. There was no mom, no dad, no Aunt Michelle, no Zak, no one. I couldn't even thing of swords at this moment. I had to decide what to say to Nino. Damn, why was this so tough?

I felt I was about to answer her when I heard my dad shout, "CAKE TIME!"

"Love me, Guy!" Nino, said quickly, grabbing my arms, "Take me in your arms and love me!"

Dad opened the door to my room all of a sudden, and Nino quickly let go of me.

"Are you having fun, Nino?" Dad asked. Knowing that she wouldn't say anything, or something to reveal what we were doing, I blurted, "Oh, she's having a blast! Yeah, a lot of… questions have been answered about me."

"That's great!" Dad said cheerfully, not having any idea of what was going on in this room, "If you didn't hear me, the birthday cake is ready to be eaten." He left almost immediately after.

I realized that there were other people in the world, so I said to Nino, "I need some more time to think about this."

I'll give you all the time in the world."

Nino and I reported to the dinner table. (God, that sounds plagiarized from one of the Junie B. Jones books. LOL.sighs Which I don't own. N.E.) Zak sat next to me and said, "So, where were you all this time, buddy?"

Everyone else was getting the cake ready. It looked like it would be a while, so I said, "Okay, you were right. Nino is madly in love with me."

That same evil grin spread across Zak's face a earlier.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." I chanted. "Now, here is what happened.'

I told him about everything that happened in the last (!) 10 minutes.

"So, you actually KISSED?" Zak said, flabberghastered.

"Dude, not so loud!" I shushed him. "I don't want everyone around here thinking Nino and I are together."

Zak crossed his arms. "You're not very convincing."

He did have a point. "Look, my only problem is that I don't know weather I should accept this love or deny it!"

"Woah man, you sound like someone off of Falcon Beach. (Don't own it! N.E.)

"Falcon what?"

"Nothing. So, what are you going to do? Nothing really good can come from this, so I'd deny it."

"Yeah, but I tried that before, and you should have seen Nino. She was a mess. I don't ever want to see her like that again.

"Just tell her you're not ready."

"Did it"

"Tell her you're not old enough"

"Done"

"Dang, this girl doesn't give up."

Almost as if on queue, the candles on the birthday cake were lit up, and everybody sand happy birthday to me. After the song ended, Nino approached my mom and offered to cut the cake. Mom said something about not wanting to make guests do free labor, but Nino insisted. When she gave me my piece, she winked at me. I just offered a smile. We ate the cake with unnerving silence.

At least after all this, it was present opening time again! But little did I know that this particular "Present" would change my life. When it was handed to me by my mother, I ripped the wrapping off furiously. When I saw what was inside, I was disgusted. Now, I don't mind reading books, but the title of this one was:

ARECHERY MADE EASY

By: Louise Reglay

I stared at the book, and my lower stomach turned to ice. I turned to my mom.

"Are you kidding me?" I was enraged. "Good God, mom, I can't believe you thought you could change me!"

"Well," Mom tried to explain, "I thought that just in case you had a change of heart-"

"Change of heart?" I snapped back? "Is that how simple it is? Just a change of HEART? Well, you know what? I'm not going to have a change of heart, even if you buy me a goddamn book about it!"

Mom eyes tuned to dinner plates. "Guy! Go to you're-"

I was already headed there. I locked the door, grabbed a bag, and stuffed all the stuff I could in it, including the gold, the wooden sword, and the spy kit I got from Zak. Zak was a real friend. He always listened to me and never made me do anything he didn't want me to.

I swung the bag over my back and headed toward the window. As I was hopping out, I thought of all the things in life I'd miss out on if I ran away.

If I can't live life freely in this land, than I guess I don't want to live here. I thought.

I saw the others look out the window before I looked straight ahead and took off. I almost thought twice about my choice when I heard Nino scream in pain. I was leaving. And I wasn't coming back.

Hello, unforseen pairing!I probably won't update the next chap for a while, If there is even one. I will try to update upon reader request. (AKA. Reviews.) I have honestly never seen Falcon Beach.