Nessa sat at her desk, silently reading a new book she found sitting on the street that day. It was a romance novel. Nessa loved romance novels, but she couldn't read them normally cause Spot thought they were for losers, and she didn't want him to think she was a loser. "God! Why do I even care what he thinks? He is so stupid." She thought to herself. But deep down inside she knew that she really cared what Spot thought and she was just going to have to deal with it. She heard the doorbell ring. "Spot!" she shrieked silently. "Wait, it might not be Spot. Why did I immediately think it would be him? I'm so stupid and desperate! God I need to stop talking to myself!" Her crazy yelling had led her to the door. She opened it, and smiled when she saw who it was. "Spot! What brings you here?"

"Shut up, Straw. You know why I'm here."

"Why, I don't think I do."

"Cause I come here every Saturday and we get burgers at the Tibby's."

"Oh, really? I don't recall ever doing that with you."

"Shut up Straw, and lets go."

"Kay, let me get my jacket." She ran inside really quickly, then ran outside just as quick to meet Spot.

"Don't you need to tell your dad that your going?"

"He's not here. He's never here. You know that."

"Right, he's a drunk?"

"No Spot! I told you this a long time ago. He just works hard, okay?"

"Okay, Straw. Didn't mean to offend you."

"It's fine Spot. Can we just go?"

"Sure."

They started walking in uncomfortable silence until Nessa couldn't take it anymore. "So Spot, you've stopped trying to go after Mush's girl, right? Cause I just assumed you were being stupid before."

"You could say that."

"You've stopped?" Nessa was actually very surprised. I mean, who wouldn't be?

"Well, let's just say she's not giving in as easily as I thought she would."

"Spot! You're kidding! You haven't just given up? You can't have her Spot! She's going out with Mush! I thought we went over all of this!"

"Yeah, we might have. But I just don't care. But don't worry about it Straw. It's not your problem."

"It is too my problem! I care about you and I don't want you to screw up your relationship with Mush!"

"Straw, you seriously care about me?" Spot batted his eyelashes in an adorably cute way.

"Don't flatter yourself Spot. But yeah, you're my best friend, of course I care about you."

"So you wouldn't appreciate it if I still went after Mush's girl."

"Well, Spot, I obviously can't stop you from doing anything you want to do, but I think you should stop. It's not fair to Mush, it's not fair to Laura, and its not fair to me." Oops. That last part just sort of slipped out. Spot stopped.

"What do you mean, it's not fair to you?" Spot said, with a slight smile.

"Forget it."

"C'mon, I know what this means. You like me dontcha?" He had a full watt grin on now.

"Damn it Spot! You're so full of yourself! Why do you think every girl in the world has to be in love with you! I don't even know why I deal with this. I'm going home."

"Straw, c'mon, don't do this again." He turned around to follow her and stepped in front of her to stop her from walking any farther.

"Get out of my face Spot." She went around him, and left him with no trace of a smirk.

He watched her walk away. "Damn it! Why does this girl keep running away from me?" Then he turned around to walk back to Brooklyn.

Laura sat in her house the rest of that day. She was thinking. About Spot, Mush, Race, and Tom, and how they all seemed to be connected somehow. It kinda gave her the chills. She really didn't want to hurt Mush. She loved him. But Spot kept messing with her head. Maybe she should just give him a chance? Just a little date, a secret date, just to prove to herself that Mush was for her. She went downstairs to ask her brother if he thought this was a good idea, against her better judgement.

"Seth?" she called.

"Yup Laura?"

"You know how've I've been going out with Mush for a long time?" She sat down at the kitchen table where he was eating a sandwich contentedly.

"Yup."

"Well, do you think it's a bad idea if I just see what its like to go out with another guy? Just to prove I'm in love with Mush?"

"Uh, yeah Laura, that would be a bad idea."

"Great. Now I know that it's a fantastic idea," not realizing that that might have been the only sincere advice Seth had ever given her.

She lept to the front door, intent on finding Spot to tell him that she wanted to go out with him, just for one night. But when she opened the door, she found that that wasn't necessary.

"So, you ready to go out with me yet?"

Laura beamed. "Just as long as it's a secret."

"I love secrets."

"Then yes."

"Why don't we go to this little bar I know near my place? Its very secluded. No one will see us there."

"Sure thing."

Spot wrapped his arm around Laura's shoulders and they began to walk towards this secluded bar.

"Excellent," Spot said smugly.

Laura sat while Spot made jokes with his friends all around the bar. As soon as they had come in, Spot had sat her down on a barstool with his arm around her, and she had yet to move since. Spot on the other hand, had managed to talk to everyone he knew there, still staying in the same spot (no pun intended) and still with his arm around Laura's shoulders.

"So what do ya think of this place?" Spot asked.

"Its…….nice," Laura answered. Even though it was the opposite of nice.

"And the best part is, little Mushie doesn't know about it." Spot laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Laura, I know you might feel a little out of place here. So if you want, we can go back to my place for a bit."

"That sounds great," Laura answered. She turned towards Spot, and he planted a kiss on her lips. She sighed and deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around Spots neck as he moved his arms to her waist. Suddenly, she heard something that pulled her out of the kiss. She had heard her name. "Laura?" she heard it again. In a soft voice, just like……….. She turned to look at the speaker.

Oh shit.