"So, next Saturday?"
"Yes," Cody told Tanis, "and I would appreciate it if you skipped the lecture this time."
"Hey! I was just making sure he treated you right!" Tanis insisted, taking a bite of her salad.
"Making sure who treated Cody right?" Adena asked, joining her friends.
"Nate," Tanis explained.
"Oh, Nate," Adena giggled, "So, do you two have another date?"
"Yes," Cody confirmed, "this Saturday."
"And Nate's gonna kiss her this time," Tanis insisted forcefully.
"Really?" Adena asked.
"Well, he better, or I'll have to kick his ass," Tanis told her.
"You know, I'd appreciate it if the two of you, say, I don't know…minded your own business!"
"What's your problem?" Adena asked, somewhat huffily.
"She's tense," Tanis explained, "she needs to be kissed."
Cody rolled her eyes, "Shouldn't you two be at practice?"
"Crap!" Tanis glanced at her watch, "You're right! But this conversation is not over!" The two girls rose from the table and raced outside.
"Come in," Nate called, hearing a knock on the door, not looking up from the cafeteria duty schedules he was currently organizing.
"Erm, hey," Squib poked his head in. Nate turned to face him.
"Uh, hey…Squib…"
"I was just looking for Cody," he explained, "she's not in her house or her darkroom, so I figured this was a logical place."
"Oh, yeah, uh, well, she's not here. Sorry," Nate told him.
"Okay, thanks," Squib nodded, turning away, but then turning back around. "Hey, uh, Nate?"
"Mmm hmm?" Nate returned to his schedules.
"Why do you wanna be with Cody so bad?"
"What?" Nate faced him.
"Well, I just mean, why are you so set on being with her? There are plenty of other girls you could be with," Squib tried to convince him.
"Sure, but I don't like them. I like Cody. Why are you so set on being with her?" Nate began to get annoyed.
"I'm not," Squib quickly answered.
"Really? Because I don't think you'd be here questioning me if that were true," Nate pointed out.
"Look, I just don't want her to get hurt, okay?" Squib said through clenched teeth.
"Well, despite what you may think, I am not going to hurt Cody," Nate said angrily.
"Gee, so sorry. Some guy barges in, has been expelled from all his other schools, we know nothing about him…You're right," Squib said sarcastically, "I have no idea why I'm suspicious."
"Look, Furlong, I-,"
"Um, hey guys…" Cody entered. "Squib, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just looking for you," Squib explained, flustered.
"I was out with my dad," Cody told him, casting suspicious glances between the two boys.
"Oh, okay, so, I'll go…"
"Well, did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?" Cody asked.
"Uh, no, I was just bored, but I should practice. See you later," Squib nodded at Cody, not looking back and Nate, and left.
"Nate, are you okay? Your neck vein is-,"
"Fine. Just…fine."
"So…" Tanis started, "you and Cam, you're…"
"Good," Adena said, "Really good. He was right."
"You two are better as friends?"
"Mmm hmm," Adena nodded, examining herself in front of her mirror.
"That's good…" Tanis said slowly.
Adena nodded, "Yeah. Why?"
"Just wondering."
"Mmkay," Adena said cheerfully, "Come on, we have to get to the Open." Tanis nodded obediently and followed her friend out of the room.
Cody sensed tension. A lot of tension. And she heard the familiar sound of grinding. Grinding teeth, more specifically. Which could only mean one thing: her boys, as Adena had taken to calling them, had fought again.
"Pick up two," Squib spat out. Nate wordlessly picked up his cards.
"So," Tanis began, "any plans for the weekend?"
"Practice," Squib rolled his eyes.
"Pretty much," Adena said as Cameron nodded along.
"What about you, Nate? Planning to kiss any g- OW!" Tanis broke off suddenly. "Okay, who kicked me?" She glared at Cody and Nate.
"I did," Cam said loudly.
"What? You? Why?" Tanis rubbed her shin.
"Because," Cameron told her, "you need to learn to stay out of other peoples' business. Now pick up two."
Roughly twenty-seven hours later, Cody and Nate found themselves, once again, on Cody's front porch. Luckily for the pair, Adena and Tanis had promised to remain in their dorm.
"I can't believe that actually scared you," Nate laughed.
"It was a scary movie!" She defended loudly.
He shrugged, "Whatever, Myers. You're such a girl."
"Oh, gee, how insulting," she stuck her tongue out at him.
Nate chuckled quietly, "So, I will see you…tomorrow, I guess." Cody nodded, turning towards her door. Her hand had only just touched the knob, however, when Nate called her back.
"Cody…"
"Yes?" They remained silent for a moment, Nate looking almost as if he was having a small internal battle.
He looked nervous.
She waited.
He sighed.
She waited.
He kissed her.
Okay, so, in my defense, I know that it's crappy and short. I've been working on it forever but nothing would come! And I wrote it in all sorts of different moods, like, one line a day. I don't even know what the point of the Squib/Nate fight was. And only half was proofed because I'm so freaking tired. So, there ya go. My excuses.