Chapter 13

It was the next Monday morning, and once again it was time for school. Steph sat on her bed before breakfast, allowing herself a little time to reminisce about everything that had happened that weekend. It had been a great weekend, to say the least. Both Saturday and Sunday had flown by, and Shane had finally asked Amy out. Steph was happy for her friend and for her brother, but she couldn't help feeling just a little bit of sadness over her situation with Chris. They had managed to hang out together for the rest of the weekend, but nothing had really happened since Linda had returned early that Saturday evening. They hadn't gotten the opportunity to sleep under the stars together again, and she hadn't even kissed him again...

It sucked.

The one thing that made her smile at the moment was the fact that she had a visual memory of the night that she and Chris had slept beneath the stars together. Shane had sent her some pictures of her and Chris sleeping together in the sleeping bag. She hadn't even known that he had taken those pictures, but she was grateful. That way, at least she had some evidence that she hadn't dreamed it all... At that, her smile disappeared. What if it never happened again?

"Steph! Shane! Are you two coming down for breakfast?" Linda called from the foot of the stairs.

"We'll be down in a sec," Shane called, leaning in the doorway to Steph's room and observing her. "Hey, what's up? You look a little down," he said finally, walking over to her and sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I was just thinking about this past weekend," she said, still looking down at the picture on her cell phone.

"This past weekend was great for you, though. Why are you upset?" he asked, concerned.

"I can't help but wonder if things are going to be the same with me and Chris, or if it'll be different," she said. "I mean, he was great this weekend, but he still has a girlfriend, and now we're going back to school and what if he ignores me and-"

"Steph, calm down," he interrupted her, putting an arm around her. "I know Chris. He's one of my best friends, and I happen to know that he's not going to ignore you. He'd never be able to do that."

"How do you know?" she asked curiously.

"I just know," he said, standing up. He pulled her to her feet and gave her a quick hug. "Things will be good for you, little sis, just trust me."

"How do you know?" she repeated, this time looking suspiciously at him.

"I just do. Now get your book bag or whatever and let's go down to breakfast," he said, winking at her. "I'll meet you down there." Without another word, he turned and left the room, leaving her staring after him and wondering what he was up to. She could tell that he was up to something by the way he was acting, but she just didn't know what it was.

"I guess the only way I'll know what he's up to would be if I went downstairs," she said to herself. She got her book bag and her purse, made sure she had everything that she would need for school, then headed downstairs. "Shane, I know you're up to something," she said, walking into the kitchen a little while later. She was busy looking at her phone, so she didn't notice who was sitting at the table. "But I haven't figured out what it is yet. Want to tell me?"

"Stephanie, don't be rude," Linda scolded, looking up from the table. "We have a guest, if you haven't noticed."

"A guest? Mom, what are you..." Steph's voice trailed off as she looked over at the person sitting next to her place at the table. "What are you doing here?" she asked finally.

"I'm here to give you a ride to school," Chris said, standing up. "But I didn't even get a 'good morning' from you, so I guess you don't really want a ride with me..."

"Oh, good morning," she said quickly, still standing where she'd been standing since she'd realized who was sitting at their table. "So, you're giving me a ride to school?"

"Well, if it's ok with your mom," he said, looking over at Linda. "Mrs. McMahon, would it be ok if I gave Steph a ride to school this morning?"

Linda looked at Chris for a minute before speaking. "Sure, Chris, you can do that. I've known you since you were, what, eight years old?" Chris nodded, and she went on with a little laugh. "It's perfectly fine if you want to give my daughter a ride to school, as long as you get her there safely and on time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Chris assured her. He looked at Steph. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Steph answered with a smile.

"I'm about to get on the road, too," Shane said, standing up. "I have a special stop to make before school."

"Wait, aren't you guys going to eat breakfast?" Linda asked worriedly. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"It's only 6:20 in the morning," Shane pointed out. "We're way early for school, since school doesn't start until 7:15. We'll get breakfast on the way."

"Promise?" Linda asked in a soft voice. She hated to be the ever-worrying mother, but she wanted to be sure that her children got what they needed, including breakfast.

"We promise," Chris said solemnly. "I didn't want to give the surprise away, but we're all going to grab some breakfast together this morning."

"Ok," Linda said, standing up. "You kids come give me a hug. You know I can't let you all leave without a hug." Shane and Steph walked over and hugged their mother, and Linda looked over at Chris. "You, too, Chris. You're like one of mine, too." Chris flashed her a grin and came over, too.

"Group hug!" Shane squealed in a girly voice.

"Man, you're so feminine," Chris teased as he stood behind Steph and reached around her to hug both her and Linda.

"Shut up," Shane replied good-naturedly, grinning widely.

A few minutes later, Shane headed for the garage. Chris and Steph left through the front door since Chris had parked his car right out in front. They walked together out to his car, and he held the door for her while she got in the front seat on the passenger's side. He made sure she was in all the way, then closed the door. After walking around and getting in beside her, they were off.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Chris asked after a very long silence.

"Yeah, pretty much," Steph replied, glancing over at him as they stopped at a red light. "How about you?"

"I slept ok... I keep having these weird dreams, though," he said, looking back at her. Dreams where I'm not with Trish... Dreams where I'm with you, and we're getting married, he added mentally.

"What are these dreams about?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing you'd be interested in," he said, quickly deciding to change the subject. He didn't want to freak her out by telling her that he had dreams of marrying her. She was only fourteen, after all, and he was only seventeen. Much too young to be thinking of marriage...especially since he was dating Trish.

"Ok," she said, deciding not to press the issue any further. She didn't want him to think that she was nosy or anything. She looked out the window. "So, where are we going?"

"We're going to Cleo's," he said, not looking at her. "I don't know if you've ever heard of Cleo's, but it's this place run by this old lady, and they serve the best breakfast in a cup ever."

"Breakfast in a cup?"

"Yeah. It's like eggs and all that, in a cup."

"And who's going to be there?" she wanted to know.

"Well, Shane's going to pick up Amy, and I think C-Dawg is going to pick up Tyra."

"Speaking of Tyra, what about Trish?"

He looked at her. "What about Trish? I'm not really thinking about her right now."

"But she's your-"

"Girlfriend, I know, but I'll worry about her when I see her in school."

"Well, if that's how you feel," she began.

"That is how I feel, no ifs, ands, or buts about it," he interrupted. He laughed at the surprised look on her face. "To be honest, I kind of wish being Trish-free could somehow extend into this week as well."

"Then why don't you just break up with her already?" she asked, wasting no time in getting straight to the point.

"I've actually been wondering that same thing myself," he admitted, pulling up in front of a small house with a sign that said "Cleo's" in front of it. He turned the car off, then looked at her. "I've been seriously considering breaking up with her. It used to be kind of easy to date her, last year anyway, because I didn't get to see you all day."

"Oh, so I'm the problem?" she asked, looking down at her lap and feeling like a nuisance.

"Steph, you're a problem, sure, but not in a bad way. You're a good type of problem," he said softly, touching her chin and gently turning her face to look at him. He went on in that same soft voice. "The problem with you, Steph, is that I like you...in ways that make my relationship with Trish seem so very trivial..."

"Trivial?" she repeated skeptically.

"Yes, trivial, meaningless, not important, not worth having," he said, leaning closer and moving his hand to cup her cheek. "When I'm with you, Trish and my relationship with her are the two farthest things from my mind, seriously."

"That's...good to know," she replied in a low voice, reaching out to touch his face softly. She wanted to make sure that this wasn't a dream, that he was really saying all these beautiful things to her. When she felt his smooth skin beneath her hand, though, she knew it was real.

"Yes, it's real," he whispered, as if reading her mind, He wanted to just let her know how much he wanted her as his own, but he wasn't sure if she was ready to hear just how much he cared for her. He leaned closer, wanting to kiss her as he whispered to her. "It's so real, Steph, these feelings I have for you just don't... What I feel for Trish isn't nearly as great as what I feel for you. You..."

"Just kiss me," she demanded sweetly, smiling at him.

"Ok, but only because you're pretty," he joked, right before he kissed her softly.

She kissed him back, and their tongues wove an intricate and sweet pattern together. She tangled her fingers in his silky hair as they kissed, and just as the kiss got noticeably deeper and he pulled her closer, there was a knock on the window by the driver's seat. They broke apart slowly and looked adoringly at each other before looking at the person who had interrupted their kiss.

"Shane-O, what's up?" Chris asked, after letting the window down.

"Oh, besides my sister's lip gloss on your lips? Nothing," Shane said with a smirk.

"I have lip gloss?" Chris asked Steph in a low voice. "On my lips?"

"Just a little," Steph informed him, reaching up to wipe it away with her thumb as her hand rested on his cheek. She smiled lightly at him. "There, all gone."

"Thanks," Chris replied, smiling back at her. They just looked at each other, smiling, not saying anything at all.

"I swear, you two are so sweet and sappy that it completely sickens me," Shane said, pretending to gag. "But seriously, guys, are you going to come order breakfast or are you going to be having each other for breakfast?"

"That's a very appetizing idea," Chris said, pulling out his wallet and taking out a twenty-dollar bill. "But, you know, when I ravage Steph the first time, I plan on taking my sweet time with her. That way, it'll be all that much more special."

Steph blushed and looked down, going over what Chris had just said in her mind. He hadn't said if, he'd said when. When he ravaged her, like it was already etched in stone, the fact that they would end up being together in...that way. She knew she wasn't ready for it yet, but she had to admit that she rather liked the very thought, the very possibility, of someday being together with him like that. She liked it a lot.

"Ravage and Steph should never be used in the same sentence," Shane said, grimacing as unwanted visuals flashed in his head. "And I do mean never!"

"Oh, come off it. It's not that bad of a picture in my head... But anyway, here's twenty bucks. Steph and I will both take the house special, you know, the large breakfast in a cup," Chris said. He looked at Steph, silently asking her if that was ok with her. She nodded in agreement and he handed Shane the money, adding which beverages he and Steph would prefer. When Shane left, he looked back at her. "So... Where were we?"

"Did Shane send you any pictures from this past weekend?" she asked curiously.

"No, why?" he asked.

"He sent me some interesting ones," she said, pulling out her cell phone and flipping it open. "Here, take a look at these."

He gingerly took the phone from her and flipped through the pictures. She watched as his eyes lit up and he smiled. "These are from when we were sleeping together on the balcony," he said excitedly. "How'd he get these?"

"Apparently, he and Ames went looking for us on Saturday morning and discovered us asleep out on the balcony. He decided that I'd like some kind of visual reminder to accompany my memories of sharing a sleeping bag with you," she said, her voice getting softer. "And he was totally right, I did."

"I want them, too. Could you send these pictures to my phone please?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," she said. "But... I don't have your cell phone number."

"Wow, seriously?" he asked incredulously. "I can't believe I never noticed that we didn't have each other's numbers! Here, my number is..."

They traded cell phone numbers and she sent him all of the pictures Shane had sent her. Once he received the pictures, he looked at them all again and smiled. His favorite one was the second one she'd sent him, the one where his arms were around her and she was lying with her head on his chest. Of course, all of them looked like that, but this one was shot from a different angle than the other ones, and he really liked it. He set that one as his wallpaper, then looked at her.

"What are you looking at?" she joked. "I already know I look like a monster early in the morning, so you don't have to stare at me."

"You don't look like a monster in the morning. You're just as beautiful early in the morning as you are at any other time of the day," he objected, still staring at her. "Beautiful, Steph..."

Shane was back with the food shortly after that, and once he'd given them the food, they were off with a promise to meet him in the student parking lot at school in their usual spot. By the time they arrived at the school and parked, it was about 6:45. School wasn't set to begin until approximately thirty minutes afterwards, and the parking lot was pretty bare since only a few other students had arrived.

"Stay right there, I'll open your door for you," Chris said, opening his door and getting out. He walked around to the passenger's side and opened Steph's door. After helping her out, he grabbed her books and his, then grabbed his breakfast. "Yeah, you might want to grab your breakfast. I don't think I have enough arms and hands to grab yours, too."

"I can carry my own books, Chris, it's no big deal," Steph said, reaching for her books.

"Nonsense. I'll carry them," he insisted. "Besides, we're just going to the courtyard to have breakfast. It's not a problem for me to carry your books. Shane and Amy will be there, and so will C-Dawg and Ty."

"Do you think C-Dawg and Ty are going to become an item?" she asked curiously as she grabbed her breakfast and closed the door. They started walking over towards the entrance at B-Hall, and she looked up at them. "Because they seem like they've gotten awfully close and they did kiss during Spin The Bottle..."

"It would make a lot of sense if they hooked up. I mean, they seem like they'd be good together," he said, nodding as he looked down at her. He couldn't help but feel as though they were a couple walking down the empty hallway together, him holding her books and smiling down at her, and her looking up at him in the way she was looking at him... In fact, he could almost believe that they were a couple, even though he knew they weren't...yet.

"Yeah, they would be good together," she agreed as they reached the courtyard. They walked to a round table with benches near the middle of the courtyard and sat down on one section of the benches together, side by side. She opened her cup and started eating her breakfast, and he just watched her before he spoke again.

"You know, we'd be good together, too," he said softly, gazing at her. "At least, I think we would..."

"So do I," she said without a moment of hesitation, looking back at him. "I think we would be perfect together."

Before he could say anything else, C-Dawg and Ty walked up, with Shane and Amy right behind them.

"You two look comfy," Ty said, eyeing Chris and Steph as they sat there gazing at each other.

"We are comfy together," Chris said, finally looking up at the newcomers. "We're having breakfast together. You guys are going to have breakfast, too, right?"

"Nah, dawg, we ain't having breakfast," C-Dawg said sarcastically. He held his breakfast in a cup up. "Even though we got food, that ain't what we're here to do..."

"Oh shut up," Shane laughed, and they all sat down together at the table and ate their breakfast.

Pretty soon, students came trickling into the courtyard meeting up with their friends before school started. The six sat at the table and talked about what had happened over the weekend, and Chris pulled out his cell phone. He and Steph looked at the pictures of them sleeping together on the balcony, and they couldn't help but look at each other and smile.

"Well, what is this and why wasn't I invited?"

Everyone turned around to see an angry Trish glaring at them. Chris quickly closed his phone and looked guiltily up at his girlfriend. "Oh, hi Trish, we're just having breakfast."

"Breakfast, and you didn't invite me? Your own girlfriend? But you invited my sister?" Trish asked angrily.

"I know you don't like to be bothered early in the morning, and besides, you don't like hanging with my friends," Chris said with a shrug. "We're just hanging out. We're all friends. What's the big problem?"

"Shane and...whatever that freshman's name is, they look like a couple," Trish said, pointing at Shane and Amy. "Then John and my sister look like a couple. And you and this...annoying little girl, you two look like a couple! So where does that leave me?"

"Don't you call my sister annoying," Shane said, standing up. "If anyone's annoying, it's you, Ms. I Have To Be Popular At All Costs Or Life's Not Worth Living."

C-Dawg snickered behind his hand and looked away, and Trish looked at Chris, furious. "Are you just going to let this guy talk shit about me and not even defend me?"

"Shane's right. You act like popularity is such a big thing when it's nothing," Chris said coolly. "And, Steph is anything but annoying. She's very important to me, and we were just having breakfast. Why do you think we look like a couple?"

Trish rolled her eyes at him, then snatched his phone and flipped it open. "This is why you two look like a couple. How could you sleep with her when you haven't even slept with me, Mr. I'm Saving Myself? Huh? How could you?"

"I haven't slept with her," Chris said in a low voice, blushing a little. "And thanks a lot for spreading my personal business around everywhere... Why can't you just keep your mouth shut sometimes?"

"Excuse me? Keep my mouth shut?" Trish asked incredulously. "Oh no, I think you need to apologize."

"I think I don't," Chris said stubbornly, looking away from her and back to Steph. "So, what were we talking about again?"

"And now you're going to ignore me? Well, fine," Trish said, frowning. She lifted her chin up and smiled a little, like she was going to say something that she knew would really affect him. "I'm breaking up with you."

"Do it, see if I care," Chris said, not even looking at her.

"Oh, I'll do it, and you'll regret it if you don't come after me," Trish threatened, right before she walked away, or rather, stomped away.

"You're not going after her?" Steph asked, shocked. Had Trish really just dumped Chris? And was he really just sitting there like he didn't care instead of going after her? Apparently so, because he hadn't moved an inch since Trish walked away...

"This happens all the time with her. She'll be back," Chris said quietly, looking down at his empty cup. "Too bad, though. I wish she'd just stay away..."

A/N: This chapter just kept going and going and I didn't know where to stop it! I'm still surprised by the number of reviews I've gotten so far for this story, but I really appreciate you guys! Thanks!