Thanks so much for the reviews, as usual.

Disclaimer: Own exactly what I owned the previous chapters.

Chapter 5: First chance

Sometimes Macy impressed even herself. Like now for example. Despite the fact that she had in her possession letters that she had quickly glimpsed were from Anya to Kevin, she hadn't read a single one. Well, all right, she had read one, but that had been before she could really process what she was doing and stop herself from going any further. As soon as she had, she'd averted her eyes and hadn't even thought of continuing her reading.

They were an asset, she knew. If Macy could read them and figure out what it was about Anya that had Kevin so hung up, she could use that information to help her win him over in her little competition. The thought had swum through her mind all weekend as she avoided the guys and Stella, feeling too guilty simply for having thought of reading Kevin's letters to dare be around her friends.

In the end, she could hold her head high, however, because she hadn't read Kevin's letters. She simply hoped that she wouldn't regret her resolve by the end of her competition with Brooke.

"Hey, Macy."

"Hi, Kevin," Macy answered, unable to keep the chirpy tilt out of her voice despite everything that was going on around her. It was simply impossible to not be cheerful around Kevin. "Um... Here."

Kevin looked confused as Macy shoved the papers at him with no more explanation. He took a moment to look them over, then his face suddenly lit up.

"Oh, I thought I'd lost these."

"They were in my notebook when you gave it back. I didn't read them or anything. I just started to read the first one and then realised it was personal, so I stopped." It wasn't a complete lie. She had stopped when she'd truly realised just how personal the letters were.

"Cool. Nick is going to be so happy I have these back."

"Nick? What does he care?"

"Oh, he wants them for a song or something. He says my heartbreak inspires him, but he needs to get into the mindset I was in before Anya crushed me, as he puts it. So, he wanted me to lend him anything Anya gave me. He almost killed me when I told him I couldn't find the letters."

"I'm so sorry. If I had known, I would have brought them to you Friday as soon as I found them."

Kevin shrugged as he opened his bag and dropped in the letters. "No worries. Nick obviously didn't kill me and now the letters are safe and sound. Besides, you had that date."

"What date?"

"With Alex."

Macy's eyes widened and her hand shot up to cover her mouth.

"I completely forgot about him."

"You stood him up?"

"No," she sighed, closing her locker and leaning against it to match Kevin's stance. "I never talked to Alex after that lunch. I just never told him no."

"Oops," Kevin said with a laugh.

"Definitely oops."

"Hey, you should tell Nick, maybe it'll inspire a song about misunderstandings and lost opportunities."

Macy laughed along with him and shook her head. "I don't think so. Besides, he's got your Anya-letters now, so he can be inspired by those."

"Right," Kevin drawled, biting his lip.

"What's wrong with Nick getting inspired?"

"Nothing. It's just I realised that my parents are at Frankie's parent-teacher thing with Frankie tonight, and Joe is doing math at Stella's house."

"So?"

"So, I'm going to be the only one in the house. Which means I'm going to feel the wrath of Nick should the song not reveal itself to him as quickly as he wants it to."

"Oh."

Kevin sighed as he slung his bag over his shoulder and slowly made his way to his locker.

"Hey, I know," he said, smiling down at her. "Why don't we do something?"

"What?"

"You and me. Why don't we do something that will get me out of the house, and of that curly mop Nick calls hair, for the evening?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Kevin shrugged and opened his locker. "Something chilled. Like, how about dinner and a movie. I really want to see the new cartoon with the bunnies. It looks awesome."

Macy smiled as she watched Kevin mimic what she could only imagine was supposed to be a bunny. "Sure. That'd be fun."

"Great," Kevin said, closing his locker and patting her shoulder. "It's a date."

"It's a… Oh my."

Macy had never been so thankful for the breathing exercises that were supposed to help her get from one end of the pool to the other more quickly, but ended up simply making sure that she didn't pass out from shock.

***

"Okay, what is this emergency? Joe is coming over to my house to study in an hour and I'm not nearly read— Oh my God, what happened here?" Stella froze as she saw the mess that was Macy's room. Her friend could never have been called neat, but Stella had never seen so extreme a mess in such a tiny place. And that was saying a lot for someone who was friends with Kevin Lucas.

"I have a date with Kevin."

"What?" Stella asked.

"Well, really he just doesn't want to be alone in the house while Nick is trying to write a song, but he called it a date. So, it's kind of a date and seeing as I'm competing for his affection, it's kind of important, and I kind of have absolutely no idea how to get ready."

"Wow. All right. Date with Kevin. This mess is nothing." Stella took a deep breath as she looked around the room. "Oh, I wish I had time to make you something."

"Well, you don't. So, what am I supposed to do?"

Stella closed her eyes and exhaled. "You let me take care of it. I'll whip something together with all this clothes, and the hair, and the make-up... And while we're at it, let me give you some advice. I mean, I've known Kevin forever. That's got to be an advantage, right?"

"The last time you helped someone get ready for a date with Kevin, Kimmy with a heart over the i happened."

"So I know what advice not to give, now," Stella said through clenched teeth.

Macy sighed as she took a look at the mess around her. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing."

"But I just have to ask you one thing before we start, Mace."

"What's up?" Macy asked, her attention focussed on a pink top that she couldn't remember the last time she'd worn.

"Is this really about the bet?"

"What?"

Stella reached out to place a gentle hand on Macy's arm and lowered her voice. "Are you nervous about the bet, or are you nervous because this is Kevin? And don't pretend you don't know what I mean."

Macy sighed and shook her head.

"This is about the bet. I mean, you know that I got over my crush on Kevin a long time ago. That was fangirl Macy crush. I'm friends with the guys now. I don't get those anymore."

"Are you sure?" Stella asked. "I know that you've been worrying about the guys and what this little competition could do for them, but are you sure you aren't setting yourself up for heartbreak, Macy?"

Macy smiled, noting that she was getting quite good at faking happiness or indifference.

"It's a bet, Stella. It's a bet I shouldn't have gotten into, and that I shouldn't still be in, but it's a bet. I'm telling you, I got over my crush on Kevin of Jonas a long time ago. Could you trust me, please?"

Stella watched Macy carefully as she picked up another shirt and held it against her front. She sighed. It was too late for the question anyway. It was something she should have asked the moment she had found out about the bet.

But, as Macy had told her once, she was a big girl and she could roll with the punches, whether those punches be the fact that she couldn't sing or that she and Kevin would most probably never be together. She'd just have to trust her friend, because the possibility of ending the bet had vanished a long time ago.

"Here," Stella said as she grabbed the shirt Macy held. "You should really not wear that colour. He sees you in that shade every day. Let's really make his eyes pop."

***

"No way. That is too cool. You have to teach me."

Macy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not that good."

"I'm not good at all, which makes you better than me, which means you can teach me."

"I don't know, Kevin. I really only went to a few lessons."

"Please, Mace, you've got to teach me how to ballroom dance. It would be awesome."

She laughed and shook her head. "All right, I'll tell you what, the next time you need to get out of the house so Nick doesn't kill you, that's what we'll do."

"Promise?

"Promise," she nodded.

"Great. It's a date."

Macy jumped back at the word, but somehow managed to keep breathing normally and walking along with Kevin.

To be completely honest, she had forgotten they were on a date. She had forgotten all her panic and all of Stella's advice and worries, and gotten lost in joking and laughing with Kevin as she would have any other time they were hanging out. She'd even managed to forget about the competition with Brooke and her old crush somehow. And based on what Kevin had just said, that just might have been the best tactic for the night.

"Okay," she finally answered.

"Awesome. I'm so excited."

Macy let out a loud laugh at that. "You're always excited, Kevin."

"Yeah, but it's great when there's actually something to get excited about." He waited for her to answer, and bumped into her side when she didn't. "This is you. Right?"

Macy looked up at the question. They were in fact suddenly in front of her house.

"Yep."

"And that's probably your father staring at us through the window?"

Macy blushed when she caught the movement behind the curtain. "Yep."

"That's cute."

"It's embarrassing."

"Just be happy you don't have three younger brothers, a father who's your manager, a mother who still calls your nine-year-old brother a baby, and a bodyguard. That can get awkward."

"Well at least you understand."

"I definitely do. But, if it makes you feel better, I think your father has retreated back into the house."

Macy sighed with relief when she looked up and saw that the curtain was hanging naturally once again. "Thank God."

"I wonder if he's decided I'm not a threat or what."

"He probably just recognized you. He knows you're a friend."

"So I could take advantage of his daughter, and he would never suspect a thing is what you're saying."

Macy shrugged.

"I could lean in like this and he wouldn't be worried?" Kevin asked as he leaned in closer to Macy until she felt his words as he spoke them a breath away from her lips.

"Probably not."

"And I could do this," he said, reaching down and putting his hands on either side of her hips, "and he would just think that I was making sure you didn't fall down from shock at being in such close proximity to one of your favourite rock stars?"

"You're more pop than rock," Macy whispered, her eyes wide with anticipation and wonder.

"And then if I were to—" He froze suddenly, "feel my pocket vibrate," he finished as he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. He sighed. "Nick's done the song and wants me to go hear it."

"Ah."

"I'll see you tomorrow at school?" Kevin asked, slowly pulling his body away from hers.

"Great."

He smiled and let his eyes look her over as though to make sure she was still his friend Macy. "Night, Macy. I had fun."

"Night, Kevin." She sighed as she watched him leave. A loud sigh passed her lips as she felt her stomach swirl. "I'm in trouble."