A.N apologize for any grammatical errors. This was crapily typed on an iPad. In other non-related news my birthday is tomorrow, I'll be turning 16. so please review!

Chapter 2: How it started for her.

I sat on the windowsill of my dad's classroom as he scribbled down notes. "Mr. Blofis, I am bored."

Dad gave me a confused look. "It's after school, Lyric. You can call me dad."

"Can I call you Paul?" I said. "Or Pauly or Samuel!"

He scoffed. "Why would you call me Samuel?"

"Isn't that your middle name?"

"My middle name is Richard." I opened my mouth. "And I know the joke your about to make and no, you can not call me a phallus."

"Way to take the fun out of everything." At that moment, a woman walked into the classroom. Her hair was slightly disheveled and she was wearing a "Sweet on America" uniform. Seeing that made me want some candy now. But I also want coffee. I could get chocolate covered coffee beans! I could get Leo to get them for me. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Leo all day. I should text him, nah, I'll just go over his house later. By the time I looked up, the woman was smiling at my dad. And strangely, my dad was smiling back. I cleared my throat a little to obviously.

"I'm going to go, I'm going to Leo's house." I said getting up. "I'm probably going to eat there so there's lasagna in the fridge."

"Alright, bye sweetie."

"I'll see you later." I said walking out. I peered my head back in the doorway. "Dick." and I ran away before I could get in trouble.

Once I was outside the classroom, I decided to call Leo.

"Hello?"

"Valdez! Paul's got parent teacher conferences so I'm coming to your house."

I heard shuffling and a yelp. "Did you fall?" I say trying not to laugh.

"Yea, but do you need a ride?"

"I'LL GIVE HER A RIDE!" I jumped out my skin when I saw Rachel Elizabeth Dare standing behind me.

"I guess I'm riding with R.E.D, I'll see you in a few."

"Bye." he hung up, I cut off my phone and turned to Rachel.

"I hate you do you know that?" She just smiled as we walked out the school. Once we were inside her car, Rachel started grilling me.

"Who we're you talking to?" She asked.

"Leo." I said replying to a text.

"Who are you texting?"

"Leo...?"

"How are you two, anyway?"

"What do you mean? We're friends."

"Yea, 'friends'."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "I'm serious."

"Yea, 'serious'."

"What are you getting at, Rachel?"

"I'm not blind, Lyric. I know there's something between you two." Rachel paused. "Call it my third eye, I'm really good at detecting these things. I'm like a psychic."

I laughed. "Well I'm sorry to burst your third eye's bubble. But me and Leo are so not like that."

"Sure about that?"

"Yes!"

"How long have you've two known each other?"

"Little over 6 years."

"Do you guys have an anniversary?"

"Kind of. We get each other gifts. And we go to the giant sycamore tree we met at. Mostly just to fool around." Rachel gave me a look. "Not like that, Pervert! I mean, we climb the tree, I bring my guitar and I mostly just play while he reads. It's the way its always been."

"Aww!" I hear her say. "Come on, even you can hear how romantic comedy that sounds." she makes a skeptical face. "Ok, what are the types of things he does for you?"

"I don't know. He buys me things when I asked for them. I try to pay him back but he doesn't take my money. He sits in my house with me when Paul's working late because he knows I don't like to be in my house alone."

"What do you do for him?"

"I help him with school and stuff. I'm kind of his motivator to you know, get out of bed and do something. I make him soup when he's sick. And that time when he was in the hospital I stay with him the whole time, only left to shower or get him some real food."

Rachel laughed. I gave her a look. "What?" I asked.

"Do you realize that you two are practically in a relationship, without the benefits, of course."

"Shut up." I said. "Leo is my friend. Just. Friends."

"So you've never thought 'hmm maybe Leo can be my boyfriend.'?"

"Not really."

"And you've never thought 'hmm, Leo looks really good today.'"

"I mean, yea and if he looks nice I tell him. In a friend way."

"And not once have you've thought about how he, uh... approved these past years?" Rachel said, her eyes still on the road. "because, even though I don't like him, I must say puberty was definitely in his favor."

I mean, I've definitely noticed how from middle school to high school, that Leo went from a scrawny kid to this lean, muscly teenager. But he was still a dork to me. He's my best friend, and though other girls fawned over him, I just never thought of him in that way.

Rachel pulled up in front of Leo's house and honked the horn. I saw Leo look up from the hood of a car he and Charlie were working on. His hair was held back with a red bandana and he wore a wife beater that showed off his arms. he looked, well, cute. I quickly fixed myself so Rachel wouldn't notice my staring.

Leo jogged toward my window, which I rolled down for him. "Hey." he smiled. When did his smile get so cute? I thought to myself.

"Hey." I said back.

"Sup, Valdez."

"Hey Rachel." He reached and opened my door for me. Weird...?

I said a quick thanks to Rachel before getting out the car. "Bye Lyric! Remember what we talked about." She then pulled away from the curb and drove off. I stared after the car until I felt an arm around me. I don't know why but I blushed intensely.

"How are you, Pescado?" He smiled. The nickname started when I became interested in swimming. He started calling me things like Fish face and Nemo but Pescado was the one that always stuck. I never thought much about it but it was my nickname, he couldn't call anyone else that and no one else could call me that. I don't know why but that made me blush. I shook it off and made a face at him.

"I was fine until you started touching me. God Leo, you smell like sweat and gasoline. Get off of me." He smiled deviously and did the exact opposite by pulling me into a tight hug. I said ew a couple of times before hugging him back laughing. It lasted a little too long and felt a little too... I don't know, right. We pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"Your insufferable."

"You love it." he said, as we walked back up to his house.

"No I don't."

"You love me."

"I'll hurt you." I looked around him at Charlie, who had been watching the exchange. "Hey Charlie."

"How are you, Lyric?"

"Great." I smiled. "Where's Silly?"

"Inside with Nyssa."

"That's where I'll be then." I said walking inside. I walked into the kitchen and saw Silena and Nyssa siting at kitchen table. When Silena saw me, she greeted me with a hug.

"Hey, Lyric how are you, sweetie?" Silena had the divine power to make anyone comfortable around her. She also cared about people way to much. when she had found out about my mother, she took it upon herself to become my not-so mother. She bought me clothes occasionally and she was the person I always came to on girl problems.

I took a deep breath and started speaking quickly. "Well, I was craving chocolate but now I want some pomegranates, I hurt my ankle in swim practice, I think I like Leo, zucchini's in season so I might get som-"

"Wait what did you just say?"

"Zucchini's in season."

"Don't you dare lie to me." Even though Silena is bubblegum sweet, if she wanted to know something she knew how to scare you.

"I think I like Leo." I said silently, Silena smiled so wide her face could've cracked. "Don't act like its a big deal because its not."

Silena could barely contain herself. "Aw honey, that's fantastic. Did you hear her, Nyssa, did you?"

"Calm down, Silly, I heard." Nyssa laughed. "it's not really anything new."

"What do you mean it's not new? Because its certainly new to me." I said, confused.

"Most things that are obvious, make others oblivious." Nyssa shrugged.

"Yea, ok Confucius." I joked.

We heard the front door open and close. By the time Leo and Charlie walked in, Silena was practically jumping up and down. I glared at her.

"I'm going to my room." I heard Leo say. He stopped and turned around. "You coming?" he was looking at me so I figured he was talking to me too.

"Huh? Oh, right." I got up and saw Silena and Nyssa smirking I tossed them a quick glare before running up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked me after a while. I looked over to him and saw he was changing right in front of me. I blushed and looked away.

"Nothing." I managed to squeak. I cleared my throat. "Why'd you ask?"

"You seem a little off today." He shrugged.

"Well, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern."

"Whatever." Leo shrugged. "I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong. But I also know that if you wanted to talk about something. You would've already said it. So I won't push it." He sat down in the desk chair across from me. "So, who're going to homecoming with?"

I looked up from my phone. "Homecoming?"

He laughed. "Yea it's next week, do you pay attention to anything that goes on in school?"

"Not really." I smiled. "Who're you going with?"

He glanced behind him and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really know. Drew asked me." he added. I made a face.

"Valdez, she's a slut."

"Lyric!"

"It's true." I laughed. "Look, I'm all for you trying to get laid-"

"Ok, I didn't say I was going to go with her." Leo said. "I'm kind of waiting on someone." He looked kind of nervous but I let it go.

"Oh." I said. I tried not to look disappointed. I shook the thought. "Who is she?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He laughed.

"Yes, I would!"

"Who're you texting?"

"Nice subject change." I laughed. "I'm texting Will."

Leo tilted his head. "Maybe he'll ask you?"

I scoffed. "Are we really going to sit here and gossip about guys?"

"You just wanted to sit here and gossip about girls though."

"That's different though."

"How so?"

"Because girls gossip about girls all the time. I bet you don't talk to Percy about how cute Jason's shoes were."

"Your right, I talk to Jason about how cute Percy's shoes are." I had to laugh at that.

I moved over to his bed and nudge him in the shoulder. "You're an idiot."

"You love it."

"No, I don't."

"You love me."

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't say anything, just looked him in the eye. He looked at me back as if expecting me to say something. And I could've, I could've told him right then and there. The moment was practically perfect.

And what did I do?

I yawned right in his face.

"Someone's tired?"

"I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Naw, its cool." He went to his closet and grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that must've been to small on him. "Here. Go ahead and take a nap."

"Leo, that's really unnecessary-"

"It's fine, Lyric. I'm going to go finish the car."

"I don't want you to be bored though."

"Fine, I'll wake you up when I get bored." He smiled. "Goodnight, Lyric." he said walking out the room.

My eyes closed momentarily. I thought about how good Leo was to me and how in that moment I really wanted him to kiss me...

Woah...

My eyes snapped open and a ran to get my cell phone. I dialed Rachel's and waited.

"Hello?" I heard her say on the other end.

"What did you do to me?!"