Chapter 8 Inhibitions

Macy couldn't believe Jimmy thought she liked him. Was she really a flirt? Because she honestly did not think her behavior during their double date would give him that impression. And what was up with Nick? He looked liked he could have murdered someone…Macy tried to forget about everything that happened today because it was just jam packed with drama. She wanted to lie under her covers and go to sleep because she could feel her heart breaking because she let go of the boy she loved for the sake of her dignity. But the peace and quiet she wanted to have when she reached home was put to a halt when she noticed Stella sitting on her porch.

"Hey Stella!" Macy said cheerfully. As much as she loved Stella Malone, this was one of the times when she wanted some time to herself. But she was surprised when Stella didn't meet her with the same enthusiasm.

Instead the fashion-designer-in-training, stood up and sternly said, "WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?"

Macy was taken aback by how loud Stella was being.

"Stella? Why are you so mad?"

"Why would you publicly break up with Nick when you have feelings for him?" Stella asked her.

Macy sighed and fumbled with her keys to open the front door and said with her back facing Stella, "It's just that I needed to stick to the plan…"

"Who gives a crap about your stupid plan!" she exclaimed. "You know Nick had feelings for you and you just tore his heart apart in front of the whole school! What were you thinking!"

"Look Stella, I know it was a bit too much but how else would Penny make her move? She loves Nick. She told me herself"

"So all of that was for Penny?" Stella asked her incredulously.

"Y-yeah…" Macy said sheepishly.

Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing so she turned Macy around so that she was facing her.

"You'll give up your happiness so that Penny could have a chance with Nick?" Stella repeated what she said so she could confirm it one more time.

Macy couldn't look into her eyes and nodded her head.

Stella gave out a loud sigh and said in a calm tone, "Macy, I know you are a very caring and generous girl but I also know that you wouldn't go out of your way to do something like this. You can be self-less but you're not that self-less."

"Stella, I did what I did because Penny was afraid that I was taking Nick away from her," Macy said. "She was crying because of what I did…"

Stella looked at Macy straight in the eyes and because she knew Macy more than anyone else, she could tell when Macy wasn't being very honest with her.

"That's a load of crap."

"Stella!"

"Penny isn't the reason you broken up with Nick."

"Of course, it is! What other reason could there be!" Macy cried out. She was getting really nervous. She dropped her keys and when she bent down to pick them up Stella said something that hit her to her very core.

"It's because you're scared, Macy."

Macy couldn't even look at Stella now and she tried again to open the front door and even though her hand was shaking she managed to get it open but Stella followed her inside.

But Macy didn't respond to what she said so she repeated it one more time, "You're scared to get hurt again."

"That's not true…" Macy whispered.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, Mace, when was the last time you went on a date—a real date and not one of those bogus dates you and Nick went to?"

Macy fell silent as she continued looking at the floor.

"None. Am I right? Tyler was the last guy you let in to your heart and yes, I admit what he did to you was so messed up but you need to learn to move on! It's been four years, Mace. You deserve some happiness," Stella proclaimed. She really did care for her best friend.

Macy narrowed her eyes at Stella and said, "Well, that's easy for you to say. Look at you Stella. You can have any guy that you want but you always made Joe wait for you because you knew he would always be there. And it took you how long to get with him? seven? Eight years?"

"What are you trying to say Mace?"

"I'm saying that I'm not lucky like you Stella," Macy said. "I just can't move on…I don't want to get hurt again…"

Stella could see that the brunette girl was tearing up and so she gave her a big hug and said, "Mace, you need to learn how to trust because not every guy out there is going to be like Tyler. If there is one guy in the world who isn't like him at all that would be Nick Lucas. He's a complete gentleman. He knows how to treat a girl right."

Macy's tears subsided and she looked up at her best friend and said, "But he has Penny now…"

"Mace, I don't think Nick wants Penny anymore. You know this better than I do," Stella said with a comforting smile. "You should go talk to him and tell him how you feel."

"But I'm scared to get into another relationship…"

"Don't be," she said encouragingly. "My Stella senses are telling me that Nick will be more than welcome to hear what you have to say."

"You really think so?" But deep inside, Macy already knew that Nick felt the same way about her. She was just too scared to put herself out there.

"Do you dare question my intuition?"

Macy laughed as she embraced her best friend once more. Tomorrow she would muster up the courage to confess to Nick how she felt about him and explain to him why she pushed through with the plan. Yes, that's what she planned on doing.

The weather was growing warmer and Horace Mantis Academy was getting ready for their spring fling dance that would be held that upcoming Friday. The walls were decorated with flowers and streamers and everyone was talking about who was going with who and what they were going to wear.

"Don't forget to bring your special someone to this year's dance! Together you both can waltz into spring. Make sure to dress up and come! We want to make this the biggest dance here at Horace Mantis Academy! Doors open at 7! See you all there!" announced the student body president Jackie Foster over the loud speaker.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Stella squealed. "I already made my dress and Joe's outfit. Hurry and go ask Nick so I can coordinate your outfits too!"

"Stella, don't get too ahead of yourself," Macy retorted. "I still haven't told him how I feel."

"Well, here's your chance," Stella said when she spotted the three Lucas brothers making their entrance into the school.

Nick was still trying to recover from what happened yesterday. He couldn't believe Macy had the capability to walk all over his heart and move on to the next guy in a matter of minutes after their public "break up". So imagine how he felt when he saw Macy beaming at him and his brothers. His brothers were talking about the Yankees game that happened last night.

"Hey good morning you guys!" Macy said happily. She tried to mask her nervousness. Stella was right behind her and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Don't be nervous. Just tell Nick the truth," she whispered into her ear before she latched arms with Joe because she wanted to get his opinion about the outfits she made for them.

"Hey Mace. Anyway you should have seen him hit that ball in the eighth inning with bases fully loaded," Kevin said continuing his conversation he was having with his brothers. "It was amazing."

Nick was silently nodding his head. He could sense that Macy was staring at him but there was no way he was going to acknowledge her presence.

"Oh are you guys talking about the Yankee game last night?" Macy asked more to Nick rather than Kevin.

"Yeah, it was pretty epic," Kevin said. "They're definitely going to go straight to the World Series. Right, Nick?"

Nick just grunted his reply.

Kevin was busy recapping the game to Nick but Macy could tell he wasn't really listening.

"Nick…um…can I talk to you for a second?" Macy asked him nervously. She was getting a weird vibe from him but she tentatively waited for his reply.

He couldn't believe Macy had the nerve to talk to him! Was she going to explain to him why she chose Jimmy over him? There was no way he wanted to talk to Macy right now. The pain in his heart was still so raw. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath and turned to his brother.

"YEAH, KEVIN, THE GAME SOUNDS PRETTY EPIC," Nick said loudly as he ignored Macy. "I wished I could have watched the whole game but, you know, I was busy TALKING TO PENNY ON THE PHONE."

Nick was talking to Penny last night? Macy thought to herself. So her plan did work…

He made a quick glance at Macy just to see how she reacted when he said this. She looked a bit crestfallen but she needed to have a taste of her own medicine.

All of yesterday, Nick was in a slump so Kevin was startled by Nick's sudden outburst.

"It's okay we Tivoed it for you," Kevin replied.

"GREAT! WELL, I GOT TO GO FIND PENNY NOW," Nick said loudly but he emphasized Penny's name. "SHE WANTS ME TO TEACH HER HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR. SHE'S SO AWESOME."

Macy couldn't ignore the pain that she felt in her chest. Of course, Nick would like Penny again. But was her chance with Nick over already? Did Nick already realize that she wasn't the one for him? She wanted to give up and face defeat but Stella was right. She needed to confront her fears and learn to move on. She didn't want to be reminded of Tyler and his selfish ways and now that she thought about it, she was acting pretty selfish. Nick deserves an explanation on why she continued with the plan without his consent. She acted so rashly and she still remembered the shocked look on his face during the whole "break up" scene. Maybe that's why he looked so angry afterwards. He didn't understand why she did all that and he at least deserved an explanation. But throughout the day when she mustered up the courage to approach him again, even after he blew her off in the morning, Nick would behave so coldly towards her. After history class, he ignored her attempt by talking to one of their classmates he hardly spoke to before. During geometry, he sat next to Penny instead of his usually spot next to her. Macy knew Nick was mad at her but she was still persistent and decided to test her luck during lunch.

"So who are you taking out to the dance, Kev?" Joe asked.

"You know that girl Danielle? Well, she asked me out," Kevin admitted with a smug look on his face.

"She asked you out?" Joe asked him incredulously. "The girl has guts!"

"Yeah, that really impressed me," Kevin said. So the two older boys discussed about the upcoming dance. None of them bothered to ask Nick if he was going because he never went to school functions since he had no school spirit whatsoever. However, when Stella and Macy took their usual spot at the table Nick once again surprised his brothers by his sudden gusto.

"Oh, so you're going with Danielle, Kev? That's so great," Nick said loudly. "I'm actually going with Penny to the dance."

"YOU ARE?" both brothers and Stella said simultaneously. Macy shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"You're going with Penny to the dance?" Macy asked him quietly.

"Yeah, I just asked her this morning," Nick boasted loudly. "And she said yes. I'm so lucky to go with her. She is the prettiest girl in school and she's so nice and HONEST. I can't think of any other girl I would rather go with than her."

As much as she could understand that Nick would be mad at her for breaking things off with him, there was no denying that he was acting kind of like a jerk right now. It was really unsettling.

"Nick, this is not like you," Stella pointed out. "You never go to school dances."

"Well, I decided I should show some school spirit once in awhile," Nick said as he leaned back in his chair. He made another quick glance at Macy who seemed to be staring solemnly at her lunch tray. "Besides, Penny and I have so much in common. She's so classy too so I couldn't miss this opportunity to go out with her. She fits my ideal and she has everything I look for in a girl. I don't even know how I could have thought otherwise. I must have been crazy to even consider liking another girl. No one can even compare with her. She's the complete package."

He was glaring at Macy now but she didn't see this because Macy was busy staring at her lap. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Why was Nick so rude?

"NICK!" Stella now said angrily. "How can you say that! Macy is right here and she has some—

"No, it's okay," Macy said quickly as she got up. "I-uh- have to go. I'll see you after school, Stella."

She ran down the hallway and Stella immediately chased after her calling out, "Macy wait up!"

Kevin and Joe stared at Nick in disbelief.

"You were really rude, bro," Joe pointed out. "Especially in front of Macy. How can you be so insensitive?"

"I'm just doing what she did to me," Nick said harshly. "And what she did to me is worse than what I'm doing to her."

"Nick, I really don't think she left you for Jimmy," Kevin said because he remembered what Nick told them he saw yesterday after school.

"You weren't there, Kev," Nick said. "They were hugging and everything."

"Did you see them kiss each other?" Joe asked him.

"Well, no," Nick admitted.

"Then how do you know that Macy and Jimmy are going out?" he further questioned him.

"I saw what I saw, okay?" Nick said curtly. "I just know that Jimmy's the reason Macy dumped me."

"Nick, this is just like you to jump to conclusions," Kevin said. "You should ask her directly instead of assuming things."

"No, I had enough of this," Nick said angrily. "I already tried talking to her before and it failed. I don't see why I have to do it again."

He got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Joe called after him.

"I'm going to look for people who actually make sense when they speak," Nick said tersely.

Everything was spiraling out of control for Macy. Why was Nick so obnoxious? She couldn't tell him now how she felt because he clearly liked Penny again. When she saw him later on that day with Penny, the moment he saw her he immediately put his arm around the blonde girl's shoulder. This was just too much for her. She told Stella that she needed to be left alone. And Stella Malone respected this but then she didn't show up to school the next day or the day after that.

Stella knew Macy was hiding again. So she paid her a visit after school.

"Thank goodness you're here Stella," Macy's mom said when she came over. "Macy won't get out of her bed and the only thing she wants to eat is Nutella sandwiches. She doesn't even like chocolate!"

"It's okay," Stella said comfortingly. "I'm here. I'll talk to her."

There was a knock at her bedroom door.

"GO AWAY!" Macy yelled as she tightened the covers around her body.

"Macy, it's me."

She knew that voice. She hesitated a bit before she unlocked her door.

"Hey, Stella," Macy said and faked a cough to show her that she was really sick and not just ditching school.

"Macy, I know you're not really sick," Stella said.

"Yeah, I am…cough cough."

But her best friend knew better and so she continued, "Macy, you can't stay home forever. You're going to need to go back to school."

"I don't want to see him," Macy said sternly. "You saw how obnoxious he was acting. You'd think he be a little more discreet with his relationship with Penny. But he was practically rubbing it in my face."

"Macy, I know why he's acting like a jerk," Stella admitted. "Joe told me he thinks you dumped him for Jimmy."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, apparently he saw you guys hugging and being all touchy feely with each other," Stella pointed out.

"When was this!...Oh…Now I remember…"

"Oh my gosh, Macy! Don't tell me there's also something going on between you and Jimmy!" Stella said incredulously because since when did Macy have all these guys in her life.

"No of course not! He…um…thought I liked him but I don't…" Macy confessed.

Stella sighed her frustration and shook some sense into Macy and said, "You have to clear things up with Nick, Mace. He thinks you two-timed him."

"But I didn't! This is getting so complicated," Macy said as she went back to her bed to lie down. "I just want to go to sleep and forget about everything."

"MACY ANNE MISA!" Stella cried out. "You can't run away from this. Do you want to lose Nick forever? Because the more you prolong this, the more he's going to really believe that you used him."

Macy covered herself with her blanket and said, "He has Penny now. He doesn't care about me anymore."

"Macy, you know that's not true," Stella said. "He's just jealous that's all. But if you try talking to him, he'll listen."

"But he doesn't seem like he even wants to talk to me," Macy said gloomily. She sat up now and faced Stella.

"He'll come around Macy. If he sees that you're really trying to make an effort, he'll listen to what you have to say."

"Stella…I'm scared…"

She hugged her distraught friend and tried her best to comfort her.

"Well, as much as I want to say you don't have to be scared, the fact is that love is scary. But once you make the leap and it works out, it's like magic and you'll never regret taking that risk."

Macy smiled at Stella and said, "You really are my best friend, Stells."

"We're not friends Macy," Stella said and she noticed the horror in Macy's face so she added. "We're like sisters."

And that night Stella convinced Macy that trying to talk to Nick again would be the best route to address the situation.

It was Friday, the day of the dance, and Macy once again had the courage to confront Nick and explain herself to him but Nick would avoid her with every chance that he could get and every time Macy did get near him, he would immediately start having a conversation with anyone who was standing close to him. Macy was getting really discouraged. It didn't help that Nick was always bringing up Penny in all of the conversations he had with his brothers every time she was within earshot.

The day was ending and Macy had no luck whatsoever in trying to speak with Nick.

"Don't worry, Mace," Stella said as she gave her best friend a pat on the shoulder. "I guess he just needs a little time to let his anger pass. But you should really consider going to the dance. There's so much drama surrounding you. You need to have some fun."

"I don't know…it's going to be awkward since I don't have a date and all…And Nick's probably going to rub the fact that he's going with Penny anyway…"

But as if he walked in on cue, a boy came up to her at that moment and said, "Macy, can I have a word with you."

Macy looked at him and then looked at Stella who was also as clueless as her.

"Oh, hey Randolph, what's up?"

"I know this is last notice and all but I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance tonight?"

Macy didn't know what to say but she felt Stella give her a nudge which clearly indicated that she should go with him.

"Y-yeah, sure," Macy said politely.

"Great! I'll see tonight!"

"Okay, bye Randolph."

Once he was gone, Stella turned to her and said, "He may not be Nick Lucas, but he's sweet."

The dance was in full swing when Macy arrived. Stella and Joe were already on the dance floor and Macy made her way to greet them. Randolph was busy getting them punch but it was taking him longer than she expected so she went to grab a drink herself.

"Hey, Macy!" said a familiar voice.

"H-hi Jimmy," Macy said hesitantly because she remembered what Stella told her before about Nick thinking she dumped him for Jimmy. So she tried not to stand too close to him but Jimmy was eager to see her so he kept talking to her.

"So who did you come with?" he asked her curiously.

"Randolph. But I can't seem to find him anywhere. He said he was getting us punch."

"I saw him a few minutes ago. I think he went to the bathroom because he spilled something on his shirt."

Macy sighed. That boy was so awkward.

"Anyway, who are you with?" Macy asked him kindly.

"Abby. She's in my history class. Turns out she's also a sucker for a corny joke but she doesn't appreciate extreme sports like I do."

Macy smiled a bit uncomfortably because Jimmy was giving her that look again that clearly showed that he had a crush on her.

"This is my favorite song," Jimmy told her. "You want to dance?"

"I –um- don't think that's a good idea…"

"Oh come on, Macy! Don't tell me you don't like to dance!" Jimmy said as he grabbed her hand. "Besides, I know how you don't like me in that way and I respect that. Can't friends dance with friends?"

Macy smiled at him and said, "Okay fine. One dance only."

Meanwhile, from across the dance floor Penny was growing impatient because for the past thirty minutes she and Nick just sat at their table. Nick wasn't much of a dancer so they sat down for most of the songs. But the minute he spotted Jimmy and Macy dancing together, the blood in his body boiled with jealousy.

"I can't believe they came here together!" Penny cried out in frustration. "The nerve they have to flaunt their relationship right in the open only days after they broke up with us."

"COME ON PENNY LET'S DANCE," Nick said abruptly as he grabbed her hand.

"Okay!" Penny said.

They made their way so that they were dancing close enough to them and Nick whispered into Penny's ear and said, "Just follow my lead."

Jimmy was the first to notice them and he said, "Hi Penny! Hi Nick!"

Macy turned around immediately when he said his name.

"Nick…" she said and she immediately let go of Jimmy because she didn't want to give him any more fuel to feed his anger towards her.

"Jimmy. Macy," he greeted them sternly. But then he pulled Penny closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm so glad you guys came."

"The nerve you guys have to show up together," Penny said angrily as she tightened her grip around Nick. "I can't believe you—

"Penny, Jimmy and I aren't together."

"Save it, Macy. I know that's why you dumped me but I don't care anymore because I have Penny now. We both made our choices so its fine," Nick said curtly.

"Really, Nick, Macy is telling the tru—

"I really don't want to hear anything from you, Jimmy," Nick said harshly. "I just want to clear the air. I've moved on."

But his jealousy was very apparent on his face and in his voice. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"Nick, please, listen to me," Macy begged him.

"Oh now you want me to listen to you? Like how you wanted to listen to me that night after dinner? You didn't want to even hear what I had to say," Nick said while gritting his teeth. "Besides, I realized I made the better choice now. Penny's so sweet and she's completely open and sincere. She could never lead me on and make me believe in something that isn't true. Right, honey?"

He turned to look at Penny but he didn't realize that her jealousy surpassed his because all that was running through her head was that Jimmy really did dump her for Macy so when Nick faced her, Penny needed to make Jimmy jealous as well. And because of that, Penny looked at Nick and took his face into her hands and planted a rather steamy kiss on his lips.

Jimmy's mouth fell open and he muttered her name disbelievingly, "Penny…?"

Clearly, the boy still harbored some feelings for his ex-girlfriend. But Macy couldn't even say anything because she was so shocked that they kissed right in front of her. That was so low.

"I have to go…" Macy said as she felt tears running down her cheeks and she pushed people out of the way as she ran out of the dance floor.

"Macy!" Stella called after her when she noticed her running away. She looked at the direction she came from and sure enough, there was Nick. She left Joe and marched right up to him and demanded, "Go after her, Nick!"

"Why should I?" he said uneasily. "She deserved it."

Stella narrowed her eyes at him. She never thought that she could get so mad at Nick Lucas because he was always the most polite and sincere guy out of the brothers but he was acting really immature so the moment he said that Stella let her anger get the best of her and she smacked him hard across his cheek.

"STELLA!" Nick said in complete shock as he rubbed his cheek which really hurt from her slap. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Come here!" Stella said as she now dragged him across the dance floor by his tie.

"Ah! Stella can you –er-let go! You're choking me!" Nick said as he struggled to loosen his tie but Stella Malone wasn't listening to him and when she reached the back of the gym she told him flat out what was really going on with Macy.

"You need to talk to her," Stella said. "She has something important to tell you."

"Like what?"

"Nick, she doesn't like Jimmy. She likes you," Stella said. "But she's scared to tell you."

"Why would she be scared? She knew I had feelings for her," Nick answered back.

Stella sighed because she wasn't sure if Macy would be okay if she told him the whole story but drastic times called for drastic measures.

"Did Macy ever tell you how she and I became best friends?"

"Stella, what does this have to do with anything?" Nick asked her irritatingly.

"Well, it involved a boy named Tyler…" Stella started to say before she told Nick about Macy's unfortunate past with love.

Meanwhile, Macy found solitude in the school's tennis court. She had a lot to get off her chest. She couldn't believe Nick and Penny were officially a couple…but that's what she wanted for them, right? No, it wasn't…Macy couldn't believe she lost what possibly could have been her only chance at love again because she was too chicken to confront her feelings.

She was practicing her backhand and she wished Coach Martin could see her now because she was sure she was sending the balls across the court at 130 mph. Even in a dress, Macy was quite an athlete. The tennis ball machine kept sending ball after ball towards her and Macy tested her strength with each one of them. One of her shots didn't even bounce but it reached the opposite wall with so much force that it made its way back to her.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive…"

The voice alone made Macy freeze.

"Nick?"

"H-hey," Nick said nervously. He slowly walked over to her and picked up one of the tennis balls off the ground. He needed something to distract himself because he knew this was going to be a long talk. "I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk...but I want to talk to you."

"You do?" Macy said clearly surprised but then she said rather sadly. "What about Penny? You should go to her. She's going to wonder where you are. You don't want to worry your girlfriend."

"That's the thing...Penny and I aren't really together."

"Then why'd she kiss you?"

"She was doing that to make Jimmy jealous," Nick said. He was standing right in front of her now. "I don't want to go to Penny because there's another girl I like now."

Macy felt herself tense up. She didn't know why she was still scared.

"There is?" she said trying to play dumb. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions right away.

"Yeah. And she's really something else," Nick said playing along with her. "She's very loud and talkative. And I swear her mouth has an unstoppable motor because she can tell story after story without getting tired."

"Really? She seems like a handful."

"Oh she is. And she knows it too but she isn't afraid to just be herself," Nick continued. "She has a bad sense of humor and she can be childish at times. But she hates when people make fun of her size. And she loves picking fights with me."

"She sounds like such an interesting character," Macy said obviously amused by his description of her.

"She is quite a character," Nick said as he smiled at her. "And it gets worse. She's a Red Sox fan. Can you believe it? I, Nick Lucas, fell for a Red Sox fan."

"Well, I mean the Red Sox are the best team out there," Macy replied.

As much as he wanted to argue with her, Nick knew this wasn't the time to do so.

"What I'm trying to say is…" he took a deep breath before he said the following words. "I like you, Macy."

Macy looked at the ground when he said this. Don't run away. Don't be scared.

Nick took one of her hands in his and said, "Macy, that's what I wanted to tell you that night."

He looked at her but she was still afraid to look up at him.

"Macy, please look at me."

She took a deep breath before she looked up at Nick. His eyes showed that they were full of compassion and vulnerability.

"I d-don't know what to s-say…"

Nick grimaced because this wasn't what he wanted to hear. But he remembered what Stella told him.

"Well…um…how do you feel about me?"

He was really putting himself out there and he was dying to hear her confess her feelings for him because even though Stella told him how Macy felt, he wanted to hear her say the words.

"I…like you too," Macy admitted but then added hesitantly. "But you see, I'm-"

"Scared," Nick finished her sentence for her.

"How did you know?" Macy asked him clearly shocked. Was Nick a mind reader?

"Stella told me about Tyler."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Now, I understand why the only thing you look for in a guy is honesty. But you know I would never do that to you, Mace. I can never be like that scumbag," Nick said loudly.

"I know. It's just that I was never the girl guys chased after," Macy said. "I was always the friend of the girl or a pawn."

"Well, now you are that girl because Macy, I'm here chasing after you," Nick said.

"But Nick, we have nothing in common. You said so yourself. Remember the survey?"

"MACY! FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID SURVEY!" Nick cried out. She really was being stubborn. "If you want I'll change all my answers on that survey so that it matches yours. I'll even jump off a cliff if you want me to, just so that you could give me a chance."

"You'd really do that?" Macy asked him clearly touched.

"Yes, because Macy, you're the one I want," Nick said in a desperate tone.

"How about if we don't last?"

Nick bit his lip because he really wanted to say that they would last but even he didn't know that so he honestly replied, "Well, I don't know if we'll last or not but we'll never know if you don't give this a chance."

"You do have a point..." she whispered.

He handed her the tennis ball that he held before and said, "The ball's in your court, Mace."

Macy looked at the bright yellow tennis ball that Nick placed in her hand. This was a big decision because she really did need to give love another try. Nick really wanted her. He said so himself. There was no longer any misunderstanding between them. Everything was out in the open so she looked up at him and said, "I don't want to pretend anymore, Nick."

"Neither do I."

"I want to be with you too," she confessed.

Nick had the biggest smile on his face when she said this.

"That's what I was hoping you would say," he said as he kissed her warmly. "So what do you say we go back to the dance?"

Macy smiled up at him and nodded her head. So the two of them walked hand in hand to the gymnasium where the dance was being held.

"So for our first date, I was thinking we could go to this place where they have these great cliffs."

"Macy, you know I was just joking about the whole cliff-diving thing, right?" Nick said apprehensively because he could see that glint in her eye when she was formulating a plan.

"But you said that if I gave you a chance you'd jump off a cliff!" Macy retorted.

"Yeah, but I mean I was just trying to emphasize how much I want to be with you," Nick said albeit sheepishly. "I really don't want to do that."

"So you basically lied to get with me?" Macy faked her surprise.

"Well…yeah," Nick admitted shyly.

Macy was just teasing him and so she said, "I know you weren't really serious about that. Besides, I think we should go to dinner and have a nice stroll in the park for our first date."

"Really?" Nick said because he was touched that Macy remembered what he considered to be an ideal date.

"Yeah and then for our second date I can take you to a Red Sox game," Macy answered cleverly. "I can show you how real baseball should be played."

"What! Are you kidding me!" Nick retorted but then he said. "But even if I can't stand that team, I'll go with you."

"Really?" Macy asked him incredulously.

"Yeah," Nick said while blushing. "I mean if we're going to do something I like then it's only fair that I do stuff that you like too."

Wow, Nick really is amazing.

She looked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"What's that for?" Nick asked her surprised by her sudden kiss.

"That's just a preview of the practice session we're going to have later on tonight," Macy said while she felt her cheeks burning.

Nick laughed.

"I can't wait," he replied and then he just had to ask. "Um...those practice sessions we had before…were they really necessary for our plan?"

Macy gave him a smirk and slyly replied, "What do you think?"

Nick shook his head and said, "No I don't think they were."

She smiled at him and said, "I guess I'm not that good of an actor."

The minute they walked into the dance floor, Macy saw Stella sitting by Joe, Kevin and Danielle. Stella was smiling broadly at them and Joe and Kevin gave them a thumbs up. But to her surprise, Nick didn't want to sit down. He wanted to hold Macy in his arms so they stayed on the dance floor and swayed to the music.

"Did I miss something?" Randolph asked Stella when he finally left the bathroom. He was upset that his white shirt now had a permanent pink stain on it but that didn't upset him as much as seeing his date dancing with Nick Lucas.

"Yup, you missed quite a lot," Stella replied and then she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "Oh, hun, don't take it too hard. You knew you didn't really have a chance with her."

"At least I tried," he answered but then he spotted a girl name Carrie who was standing by herself near the wall. "Besides, I think there's a girl over there who would love to have one dance tonight."

Meanwhile, Nick tightened his embrace around Macy. He was so happy that he had her now. Everything felt right. Nothing can even compare to what he felt for the girl he held close to him.

"Nick?" he heard Macy say.

"What is it?"

"I feel bad for breaking up Penny and Jimmy," she admitted solemnly.

"Don't worry about them."

"I think I should come up with a plan to get them back together."

"MACY! No more planning. Besides, your plans never go the way you want it to," Nick pointed out.

"Okay, so maybe our plan didn't work out but my record shows that this is only one out of countless others that did go according to my plan," Macy argued.

"Macy," Nick said sternly. "Don't meddle in someone else's love life."

"But—

"Besides, I think they're working it out themselves," Nick said as he looked over and saw that Penny and Jimmy were slow dancing together. Macy followed his gaze and smiled. She knew it would be only a matter of time before those two would rekindle their romance.

"I'm so glad I have you, Nicky-boo," Macy said as she looked up at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way…Macy-bear," Nick replied as he placed a kiss on her lips.

And the two of them danced the night away. Well, technically they didn't really stay for the whole dance. Instead, Nick and Macy decided it would be better to spend their time in one of the empty classrooms that was left unlocked. They really needed to catch up with their lack of "practice sessions."

And this is the story of how Nick Lucas and Macy Misa, also known as the Great Pretenders, got together. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

THE END.


Closing Remarks:

So what do you guys think? Do you think Nick and Macy are going to last? LOL I think you all know the answer to that one. So like I said, this story had drama but not as much as my other stories. I know I said I already wrote the epilogue but I want you guys to review this chapter before I post the ending because I love hearing what you guys have to say. Yes, I know Nick was acting like a jerk in the beginning but he had a valid reason to. So basically Nick and Macy's plan was a complete failure but that's the beauty with life. You'll never know when life will surprise you and sometimes, like in this story, the surprises are better than things that are planned. So if I had to draw a love map of this story, the beginning started off with Nick liking Penny who liked Jimmy and Macy didn't like anyone. But in the end the love map changed so that Nick and Jimmy both liked Macy but Macy liked Nick and Penny was still in love with Jimmy. You can tell how everyone's feelings (besides Penny) changed. This was such a teen drama. Like totally. Anyway after you guys review I want you to check out my profile page because I made a poll (yes, I didn't even know you can put polls on your page. I thought it was pretty cool). And I want you guys to vote and tell me what story you want me to work on next. If there's a big majority for one story than I will start that first but if everything is evened out then I'm going to go ahead and continue Trust Me.

So READ, REVIEW, AND VOTE! (The poll is located just before my bio.)

The epilogue will either be posted tonight or tomorrow depending on how many reviews I get. (Ten or more reviews then you'll get it tonight!) ;-)

-Penelope36