Two weeks passed without much consequence. My classes got increasingly easier to handle and as I knew more people, I didn't feel so out of place. Jane, of course, had become something of a best friend, a thing I had never been able to claim before, but now it felt so right. She and I were so similar that nothing could be more natural.

As well as that, I'd gotten into a full routine which was easy to follow. In the mornings before classes began, I met with Jane's friends Sav, Danny, Peter, and sometimes her boyfriend, Spinner, when he had the chance. There were a few other people who decided to pop in, but that was mostly the core group of people I stuck with. It was also the first time I'd ever really been friends with so many guys at once. I think the biggest area of middle ground among us all was our music tastes being so close in nature. Our favorite bands varied, but the genre basically remained the same.

During classes, I'd gained a couple of friends, or what I'd probably just call acquaintances. We spoke in class and in the hallway, but not much else. And of course, there was Declan.

In the past few weeks, he had succeeded in passing me exactly thirty-one notes during the four classes we had together, with only one reply from me which wasn't polite or lengthy in the least. He had slowly backed off in that aspect, but other attempts continued in their vigor.

But even if he hadn't continued, I still wouldn't have felt any better and I wouldn't have been any less disappointed in myself. Even after all this time and all the chances I was given, I still hadn't said anything to him to help cease our contact other than what was absolutely necessary. But finally, in Theatre class on a Thursday, it all came to a head and I had my catalyst for action.

It all began just as it usually did. Us students would sit around in a half circle, wait for instruction from Mrs. Grayson, and then either choose a partner or be in a group. That day, it was partners. It didn't take me but just a few seconds to know that the inevitable was about to happen since Jane had gone home sick that day.

He walked over to me as casually as anything. I both cringed and smiled. I mentally slapped myself for still feeling even slightly thrilled that he was coming over to where I stood. But I couldn't help myself. My stomach did twenty somersaults by the time he crossed the room.

"Where's your partner?" he asked coyly.

I rolled my eyes and didn't look straight at him when I replied. It was the only way I knew to keep my feelings at a minimum.

"She's sick. So, I guess I need to find someone else," I said and gave him a slight but bitter grin. When I began to try to walk past, he moved directly in front of me.

"As you can clearly see, everyone's already paired up. We're the only two left."

My eyes closed in aggravation.

"Oh, how convenient," I said, disdainfully knowing what he said was true.

Everyone did have a partner already. I was stuck. And with him.

"Okay, then if we're going to be partners, you have to agree to hear me out for once before we begin our exercise," I told him sternly, looking directly into his eyes to get my point across.

To my great pleasure, he backed up and seemed surprised that I spoke to him in such a way. Maybe for once he would give me the respect I deserved and everything would turn around.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Declan sat on the ground and crossed his legs, then patted the spot beside him for me to join him. With a deep, sharp breath, I placed myself on the floor, but kept a careful distance from him.

My efforts were in vain though; as soon as I got settled, he moved so that our knees were nearly touching. I hated how my hands tingled at the thought of him coming nearer to me. But I wouldn't let it stop me. I had to get my point across so then maybe this would never have to happen again.

"Okay. We don't know each other that well, but that's okay, it's not important."

"Why not?"

"Are you going to let me speak or not? Otherwise you can take a zero for the day and it wouldn't bother me a bit."

He shrugged and nodded for me to continue. With a large sigh, I gathered my thoughts once again.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I don't want to talk to you," I explained. "I also think it's very obvious that you don't quite understand that. The first time we met, you were way friendlier than you should have been and I don't think I have to explain that. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have a girlfriend, but since you do, it's the worst thing you could do."

"So, if I didn't have a girlfriend, would you still be offended?"

"That's two, Declan. I can stand to be interrupted," I told him through my teeth.

"Sorry," he said quickly and made the motion of zipping his lips.

"Even if you didn't have a girlfriend, like I was saying before, there's nothing I hate more than a guy who thinks he's entitled to any girl he sees. But what I can't believe more is that because you are with a girl, you are still attempting to flirt and speak with me like it doesn't matter. If you care about her at all, you'll stop."

"Can I speak now…please, Norah?"

I nodded and pursed my lips, waiting impatiently for him to say whatever he so felt the need to get out.

Before he spoke, Declan repositioned himself so that he was directly to my right. It seemed we had begun our usual conversation. Like not facing each other made anything less noticeable.

"The thing is, me and Holly J. aren't really serious right now. We're just sort of figuring out if we think it's worth being together for real or not."

"And so you're willing to throw away whatever sort of chance you have with the girl because you have some sort of infatuation with me?"

"I'm not saying that, but—"

"Does it make it right for you to play with my heart, too?"

He seemed taken aback.

"I thought you didn't care about me that way," he rebutted, bringing the ball back into his court.

"I'm not saying that I do," I said, which was only half truth. "All I'm saying is that I don't want to be involved in this sort of thing. I didn't ask for this and I'm not going to just sit by and let it happen."

"Norah, if you don't want to be involved with me, all you have to do is say so."

I rolled my eyes and began to get up, but then he pulled me right back down to where I was sitting. The pressure of his fingers on the skin between my knuckles caused the breath in my chest to catch.

Once again, I felt myself to be under a sort of spell when I gave in and looked into his eyes. As soon as I sat where I was before, his scent became strong – a musky, clean, manly scent with a hint of soap and expensive cologne. It filled my head and made me dizzy.

Gathering my jumbled thoughts, I attempted to explain myself for the last time.

"Declan, I don't know how much clearer I can make what I've been trying to tell you for the past few weeks. I don't want to be with you and you don't need to keep trying to be with me. Can't you see that?"

"Can't you see that your words trampled by your actions? When I do this…" he paused and ran two fingers along the underside of my wrist, all the way to my elbow. When he stopped and let his hand rest there, he looked up at me with smiling eyes.

"Can you honestly say that you don't feel anything at all?"

I nearly gulped at his directness. He still held my arm lightly in his left hand.

"I can't do this anymore," I said and scooted away from him.

I wanted to erase the past few moments because I knew in the most secret part of my mind that everything he said was true. No matter how many times I could have said I didn't feel anything for him, my feelings would trump them savagely.

As he did before and as I guessed he would continue to do, Declan moved over to where I did. I glanced around the room to see if anyone had witnessed what was happening, but they were all so caught up in their work. In the back of my mind there was the biting urge that we needed to get our assignment finished.

"Norah, I think we can make this work," he said as he tried to take my hand.

My eyes went wide with disgust and I jerked my arm away.

"How can you possibly even contemplate that? Do you realize what you're saying, Declan?"

"I'm saying that this sort of chemistry is just too strong to ignore, to waste. When I'm around you…all I want is for you to want me, too. Don't lie and say that you don't."

"Come with me," I whispered fiercely and then pulled him along to a dark, back hallway which connected to the Theatre room.

He looked surprised at my forcefulness, but I couldn't have anyone else hear what I needed to say to him. I was sick of having to watch out for eavesdroppers. God knows high school is the worst possible place to try to keep something on the down low.

As soon as we had reached a place which had light, but was safe enough I stopped and leaned against the wall, figuring out exactly what I wanted to tell him. But no sooner did I open my mouth to speak did he do what I should have expected. I then realized that he completely twisted around my intention for privacy into his own advantageous reason.

"I never took you for a sneaky one, Johansson, but I'm definitely not offended."

Slowly, but quickly all the same, he cupped my face in his right hand and placed his left on the small of my back. Before I could react, his lips made contact with mine.

It wasn't so much what he did that took me by surprise, but how he did it. If anything like that was ever meant to happen to me, I expected it to be rough and uncomfortable and that I would instantly want to push away. But instead, Declan made me feel as though I was enveloped in a plush blanket. My head was screaming for me to backhand him across the cheek, but my heart told me to slow down and enjoy the moment and the way his mouth moved lightly and warmly against mine.

But by the time I realized how wrong it all was it was too late to say that I had no part in what happened. I kissed back; I knew I did and I couldn't deny that. Though it was entirely irrational, I pushed him away and began to get angry. I suppose I was just trying to convince myself that he was the one entirely at fault.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, my face going crimson in the dark.

His hands stayed where they were at my waist. Unfortunately, it only made it that much harder to think straight. Declan looked at me strangely.

"What do you mean?" he asked as if he was clueless as to what had just happened in the past few moments.

"I didn't come down here to make out with you. I wanted to finally convince you to stop pursuing me, Declan!"

"Then why did you kiss me back? You could have stopped me, you know," he said quietly with a smirk.

"I didn't kiss you back. Maybe you just thought I did because you're too selfish to notice anything that's not going on in your own head."

I was confused as to what my next move might be. Running away wasn't an option, I realized, as most everyone would assume something wasn't right. Staying would only increase the chance of never making my point and unconsciously giving Declan further permission to do what he wanted. Trying to explain myself again would only leave everything messier than it already was because I knew he wouldn't listen. I was at a total loss at what the solution was.

My mind was all in a tangle. By now, I was sure, everyone in class who might have seen he and I leave the room probably suspected exactly what we were doing. And now, he was fully aware that I had feelings for him that couldn't be erased so easily. If only we'd stayed in the Theatre room, I thought.

"You did and you know it. Why can't you just accept that you're as mad about me as I am about you? It can be our secret."

"I don't want a secret, Declan. I just want to get through my senior year without drama or having someone's girlfriend want to kill me."

"How is she going to know?"

"Gee, I don't know, maybe because everyone in the Drama department saw us walking out and into a dark hallway. What could be more obvious? And seriously, I don't even know why I'm still talking to you. I should have just ignored you completely and nothing would have come of this."

"But you wanted something to come out of it, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me here."

I scoffed loudly with incredulousness.

"Once again, I didn't bring you here so that you could feel me up, or I you. Will I ever be able to get you to see what I'm trying to say? Will you ever just give up?"

I nearly wanted to scream, but I didn't want anyone to realize where we were. From the outside the situation looked just as scandalous as it really was.

"You know, I really don't think you want me to give up, Norah. I think you crave the excitement of this sort of thing, just like I do. It shows in your face. And for what it's worth, I'm going to give you three options."

"You. You are going to give me options about this. Okay," I said, feeling I was just about ready to break Declan's jaw instead of listening to whatever absurd thing he had to offer as a compromise.

"Just listen a second," he said and leaned against his side of the wall, for once being polite and giving me my space.

"Number One, we let this thing flesh out and keep it a secret just between us. Number Two—"

"How could a second option possibly be better than the first?" I asked impatiently. Now, he was truly beginning to get on my nerves.

"You had your chance to speak and now here's mine. Let's be adults, okay?"

"Go ahead."

"Alright. Second option, I leave you alone. We never have to discuss this ever again, but I can't guarantee that I'll keep quiet about it to everyone else."

My eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Are you…are you blackmailing me? I can't believe this."

He shook his head and came closer to me. I pressed myself against the wall to have more space between us. He soon realized my action and backed off once more.

"Not blackmail, but do consider your reputation in all this. Okay, and finally three…" he paused and again came closer to me. This time, there was nowhere for me to run. I simply had to face his words head on.

"If you'll admit that you have feelings for me, I'll break up with Holly J. right this minute and no one has to be hurt."

I shook my head quickly and shut my eyes.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that you like me enough, a girl you don't know from Eve, to break up with your girlfriend whom you've probably known forever and who is probably just now learning to trust you?"

"Basically, yes. But think about it, Norah. You're not just any girl. No one has ever made me feel like you do. Even Holly J."

How quickly things were changing made my head swim. None of the options were good, but the third was the only one that involved any sort of honesty at all. I felt sick.

"God, Declan. You didn't have to do this. You could have left everything alone, but you had to go and bring everything to this point," I complained, pulling my hand down over my face in deep thought and frustration.

"Just…give me a few days okay, or at least until Saturday. I'll give you an answer by then, but please for the love of all that is holy don't say anything to anyone. You swear?"

He smiled, obviously pleased with himself at the power he now held. I wanted to smack him across his smug face.

"I swear," he whispered and held out his pinky finger. As soon as I linked mine with his, I walked out of the hallway and back towards the Theatre room. But before I left, I mouthed to him to wait for five minutes until after I left to go back in. He nodded to show he understood and I hoped with all that was within me that he did.

I also hoped that pinky swear really meant something to him. Otherwise, I just might have to give up any hope of a good semester.