Hello! Thanks again for all the reviews and comments. I know some of you are frustrated with Kevin, but it would have a been a really short story if he'd noticed her and said something about it! Hang in there, people.

Disclaimer: Not my characters (except for Brooke and now Alex)

Chapter 4: Second thoughts

That afternoon was no better than the morning. Kevin could not have been more oblivious to the change in her if he had been out of the country. While Nick and Joe quickly got over her transformation, having seen her in dresses and make-up a few times before, they had at least had some momentary reaction to her new look. Kevin was clueless, and though Macy had managed to avoid her nemesis, she could already imagine the gleam of triumph in Brooke's eyes.

And to make things worse, she couldn't find her lucky charm. It wasn't the first time Macy had lost it, but it felt like a sign all the same. She was shaken. There was a chance she wasn't going to win, and she suddenly realised what was truly up for stakes. Never mind being the striker of her favourite team or the possibility that one of her friends' hearts would get bruised, there was a very good chance that she would lose her friends. There was a chance that Brooke would win and convince not only Kevin, but Joe and Nick as well that Macy wasn't meant to be their friend. Somehow, she doubted it was a move Brooke would avoid.

"Hi, Kevin," Macy called as cheerfully as she could when she was done packing her backpack and noticed that Kevin was still around, hanging by his locker.

"Hey Macy. What's up?"

"Soccer practice," she said, raising her shoes as though she needed evidence.

"Cool. How was it?"

Macy nodded. It was easier than lying or explaining to him that it had gone horribly wrong because she could do nothing but worry that she was about to ruin three if not four of the most important friendships in her life.

"Cool. So, I guess if you're out, Brooke should be along pretty soon, right?"

"You're waiting for Brooke?"

"Yeah," Kevin shrugged. "Apparently she's got some issue with the bus driver who doesn't believe that she really lives here, and until she can get some paper from the school proving she does, she needs a ride home. She said she would be too exhausted after soccer practice to walk all the way home, so I'm going to give her a ride. You must work those girls hard if they can't even get themselves home after one of your practices."

"Well, we've lost our last three games, so we have to shape up."

"If there's a girl for the job, it's got to be you, Mace," Kevin said bumping his fist against her shoulder.

She raised her eyebrows without a word, happy that he had at least noticed that she was a girl. Kevin nodded with his eyes focussed behind her. Macy turned to find Brooke leaning against the lockers, examining the hem of her skirt which apparently required her to pull it up slightly and expose a wide expanse of thigh to the two people left in the hallway.

"Do you need a ride too, Macy?" Kevin asked, his eyes still on Brooke.

"No. I'm... Talk with the coach."

"Are you sure? You want us to wait?"

Macy didn't think she needed to provide Brooke with any more excuses to hang around alone with Kevin for a longer period of time.

"No. I'll probably end up jogging home, anyway."

"Okay." Kevin shrugged. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

She could have gone with them, Macy thought to herself as she watched them walk away, but she wasn't sure she could have kept her tears at bay the entire ride home.

"Second thoughts" was an understatement at this point. Macy was having third, fourth and fifth thoughts as well.

***

"Hey, Macy."

"Hi, Alex," Macy returned, trying to find some enthusiasm as the boy sat next to her at the lunch table.

"Where's the rest of your lunch crew? You aren't usually sitting here alone by this time of the day."

Macy shrugged. "Not here yet."

He smiled with the corners of his mouth. Macy returned the gesture as well as she could. Alex had always been shy around her. In fact, he was shy around most people, and while Macy tried to encourage him to be a little more outgoing off the basketball field, she hadn't been having much luck so far, short of convincing him that he didn't have to keep his hair cut as short as his mother liked.

"Oh, well, I can wait with you if you like."

"Sure."

They sat in silence as Macy fingered the bag covering her sandwich, wondering if she should bother starting to eat, or if she should wait for her friends so that she wouldn't be done first. Alex pulled at the dark hair he was letting grow out and tugged at the chain around his neck.

"You looked really nice yesterday," he finally said, his blue eyes focussed on the table in front of them.

"Thanks." Macy blushed at just the thought of the show she must have put on while trying to get Kevin to notice that she was actually a girl.

"I mean, not that you don't look nice today as well. You just looked different nice yesterday."

"Thanks," Macy repeated.

Awkward, she thought to herself, in a voice she had often heard Joe use.

"Would you like to go out with me some time?"

"What?"

"Like on a date. Would you like to go out on a date with me some time?"

"Ooh, where?"

No, Macy thought to herself at the sound of Stella's voice answering for her, this is awkward.

"Oh," Alex started, surprised to find himself suddenly surrounded as all three members of Jonas and Stella arrived simultaneously at the table. "I... I don't know. I guess wherever you want to go, Macy."

"When?" Joe asked.

"Well, I was thinking if you weren't doing anything Friday..."

"She has to be home by eleven," Nick told Alex. "And she shouldn't be doing anything too tiring because she has a game the next day."

"Maybe just dinner. You'll need your energy for the game right?" Alex asked.

"Nothing too filling. But carbs are a good idea," Kevin suggested.

"There's a great little Italian—"

"Whoa, whoa, time out," Macy yelled as she threw out her hands in the T symbol. "He's not asking you guys out. He's asking me out."

"She's right," Stella said.

"You were the one who meddled first," Joe pouted.

"I was just being practical." Nick shook his head.

"We're just helping," Kevin finished for the group.

"Well I don't need your help," Macy huffed as she grabbed her lunch and left the table.

Alex watched her walk away before turning back to the group around the table. "So, was that a yes or a no?"

***

"Macy!"

She jumped at the sound of her name being yelled from across the hall and bit her lip. She'd done such a good job of avoiding all the guys so far that afternoon. Now, of course, it would have to be Kevin that did eventually find her.

"Your notes."

She watched as Kevin moved closer, waving the notebook she had lent him in the air.

"Oh, my notes."

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow them. They are really complete, and you have really neat handwriting. I tried to borrow Joe's notes once, but I couldn't read a thing he wrote, so this was much better."

"Well, I'm happy I could help."

Macy took the notebook from him and turned her attention back to her locker. She stayed quiet, pretending to be searching for something as she hoped Kevin would simply disappear.

"So, what happened with Alex?"

"Huh?"

"Alex. The guy asking you out at lunch?"

"Oh, him. Um, I don't know. I haven't really seen him since lunch."

Kevin smiled and leaned against the lockers next to Macy's, taking the time to open her door wider so she wouldn't be blocked from his view.

"He didn't seem sure whether you had agreed to go out with him or not by the end of your conversation."

"Oh, right. Well, I guess I'll talk to him later."

"And tell him you are going out with him, or no?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really had time to think about it this afternoon. Things were a little nuts."

Kevin nodded.

"What about you and Brooke? How's that going?"

"How's what going?"

"You guys. After your date and all."

Kevin started back. "I didn't go on a date with Brooke."

"I thought you guys went for dinner and then a walk."

"Yeah."

"On a date."

"It wasn't a date. I was just showing her around because she's new. We were just going out as friends."

Macy nodded, wondering if Brooke would have related the events in the same way.

"Okay."

"So, do you need a ride home?"

"Baseball," she told him, holding up her bat. She winced when it came inches from hitting Kevin on the head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that."

"I know," Kevin laughed as he patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Macy. You missed. We're good. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Macy nodded. "Bye, Kevin."

"Bye, Macy."

She felt a little easier as she walked toward the field knowing that Kevin had never considered his outing with Brooke as a date. Brooke was a friend just like she was, so there was hope that they were at least on the same footing. Macy could still have a running chance.

She felt good all through practice and changing afterward. She felt fine while getting her bag ready and walking home that night. In fact, Macy was almost back to her old self after chatting with Kevin. She was herself until she started her homework and the letters that weren't hers fell from the notebook he had given back to her.