Requested by arendalphaeagle and an anon on Tumblr. Lydia's fun to write. And there's a reference to my favorite musical. I couldn't resist.


1. Ask Her a Question

"I can't do it man! What if she says no? What if her friends laugh at me? What if she turns out to be from an alien species that feasts on human appendixes?" Chad panicked.

"I'd say your chances are really good. Melissa, Amanda, and Crystal would never laugh at you. Appendixes are vestigial structures in humans, so as long as there's proper medical care nearby you should be fine," Milo replied. "Oh, and Lydia isn't one of them."

"Zack, you're a teenage heartthrob! You can teach me some funky dance moves, and teach me how to auto tune my voice!" Chad begged.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Lydia isn't the boy band type. And you don't need those tools to ask someone to a dance."

"I've got it!" a light bulb flashed. Milo glanced up. "It was kind of dark in here. Thanks, light bulb! You've got to ask her a ques-"

The door to the theater classroom opened. Zack snatched Milo's accordion and stuffed it into his backpack, hissing, "No time for a musical number! Chad, just ask her outright!" They ducked around a corner.

Lydia and her friends popped out of the theater classroom. "I can't do improv, not really my style-oh, hey Chad! Nice to see you outside History class! What's up?" Lydia exclaimed.

Chad shifted from foot to foot nervously. "H-hey, Lisa. I m-mean Lydia. I was w-wondering if it i-isn't too much t-trouble…." He took a deep breath.

"Would you like to go to the Halloween dance with me?"

They waited. Milo held his breath, his face beginning to turn blue. Milo made some incredibly weak noises, so Zack gave him a hard slap on his back to force him to release it.

Finally, Lydia exploded.

"Yes, yes, yes! Ha! I, the Lovely Lydia, have finally made the once-invincible Melissa Chase lose a bet! Cough it up, sister!" She held out her hand expectantly. Melissa groaned and forked over five dollars. "I would love to, Chad! I made a list of all the possible matching costumes I can make, so we can have the most original outfits at the dance!"

Chad grinned. "You had me worried there."

Melissa rolled her eyes, smirking. "Take a helpful tip from us girls. It never hurts to ask a question."

2. Secret Admirer

"Dear Melissa, I think you're really smart," Melissa read the small heart-shaped note to Lydia and Amanda. She flipped it over. "It's not signed though."

Lydia sighed wistfully. "There is nothing more romantic than one who admires from afar, secretly yearning to divulge their utmost insecurities to the one they cherish most."

"How do you know it's romantic? It only says 'smart', not 'pretty'," Amanda said.

Lydia rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "Melissa, let me see that note." She measured it with a ruler. "The small size suggests that it was written by somebody who often goes unnoticed by others."

"Rules out Milo then," Melissa said. "He doesn't know the meaning of secret."

Amanda nodded. "I doubt the note would've made it in one piece, or without tears, crumples, and burn marks if Milo had delivered it."

"That and he also likes you," Melissa mumbled.

"What was that?" Amanda tilted her head, confused.

"Nothing," Melissa said quickly, looking at the clock.

Lydia examined the color. "An interesting blend of pink and red. Pink means friendship and red means romantic love. The secret admirer is at an impasse, afraid to act on their feelings but also wanting to be closer. Perhaps they're afraid to be closer."

"Maybe it's Zack?" Melissa suggested, crossing her arms. "As a possibility of course."

"Maybe. As for the writing, the cursive penmanship is flawless. Slightly loopy like a female's, but with the flourish of a modern day John Hancock. Not nearly as big since it fits on such a small piece of paper, but my point remains. This person is obviously a meticulous note taker."

Amanda gulped. "Don't look at me. I didn't write it."

Lydia eyed her suspiciously. "And you're absolutely certain you aren't denying it to Melissa's face?"

Amanda shrank, blushing.

Melissa quickly stepped in. "Lydia, she didn't write it. It would be in her schedule if she had."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Amanda," Lydia backed off.

"You're fine," Amanda said, relaxing. "So, what about the message?"

"Somewhat formal, direct, and blunt," Lydia replied, handing the note back to Melissa. "Reserved too. Points to appealing to the intellect rather than the physical looks." The bell rang for the next period. "I gotta run. See you later!" She rushed off.

"I'll never understand how she managed to get all that information out of a single sentence," Amanda said.

"Guess the secret admirer remains a secret," Melissa stuck the note in her binder, deciding to laminate it in the library after class. For all of Lydia's analyzing, she forgot to mention it was kind of sweet too.

3. Thirteen Going On Fourteen

In his excitement, Milo had completely forgotten to check the weather report. As a result, he and Amanda scrambled to pack their food into the picnic basket, dashing inside the fancy gazebo in the middle of the park as heavy rain splattered everything. They couldn't salvage the blanket, the wind blowing it away instead. It covered the windshield of a minivan, the vehicle swerving as the driver lost visibility, finally crashing into a telephone pole. "Oops," Milo blushed. "I should've picked a better day for your birthday picnic."

"I was expecting the thunderstorm. It'll be gone in an hour," Amanda shrugged.

"You knew about it?" Milo gasped.

Amanda played with her hair. "Indoors isn't picnic-y enough. And I do allow myself a few surprises every now and then."

They ate in silence for a while, listening to the thunderstorm outside. The rain smacked against the glass rhythmically, while the lightning and thunder produced a grand fanfare.

"You wanna dance?" Milo asked, finishing his sandwich.

Amanda blushed. "I never learned. I took a few dance lessons when I was little, but I don't remember them."

"Then now's your chance!" Milo moved the basket out of the way to give themselves room. "Milady?" he offered his hand. Amanda took it hesitantly.

Milo stayed on the ground as Amanda perched on the wooden benches. She smiled at the dramatic height difference, allowing Milo to lead her around the perimeter of the gazebo. When they reached a gap too wide for her to jump across, Milo knelt down on one knee. Amanda carefully stepped on his leg, wobbling slightly, and safely made it to the bench on the other side. Growing in confidence, Amanda gracefully hopped across the benches, holding Milo's hand the entire time. After a few rounds, Milo attempted to pick Amanda up and spin her around. She lost her balance and fell on top of him.

They caught their breath, their faces growing warm. Helping each other up, Milo placed a hand around her waist. She braced an arm against his chest, and they began to dance in sync to an invisible rhythm. They stepped on the benches together, and Amanda thought she was beginning to get the hang of it when Milo let go of her to dance by himself. She jumped on a bench and kicked a leg out, Milo imitating her movements.

Finally, they met in the middle and twirled each other around. Amanda had never been spun so fast in her life, everything except Milo's face passing by in a dizzying blur. The momentum tore them apart. Amanda fell on a bench, breathing heavily. Her hair hung in her eyes, unkempt from her wild dancing. Milo was on the opposite side, unable to process what was happening.

Amanda stumbled to her feet, her thoughts in a haze. She bumped into something. She was so close to Milo's face. Breath hitching, she moved in the opposite direction, only to encounter Milo again. She could smell peanut butter on his breath.

Her mind was on autopilot now. Stumbling to the back of the gazebo, she once again ran into Milo. Their noses brushed. Amanda almost fell backwards from shock, but Milo grabbed her arms and pulled her forward.

The movement was too forceful, and their foreheads smacked against each other. Amanda rubbed her temples. "Not how I imagined my first kiss," she laughed, wincing in pain.

"Not how I imagined this day to go, but the important thing is we had fun!" Milo smiled.

"I had a lot of today, Milo. Thanks. My mom is taking me birthday shopping, so I'd better hurry home," Amanda said, grabbing the picnic basket.

"Okay, see you at school!" Milo turned to leave, but Amanda grabbed his arm.

"I forgot something," Amanda said. She planted a kiss on his cheek. "Bye, Milo!"

Milo stared ahead blankly. "Three, two, one," she counted as she ran.

"This was the best thunderstorm ever!"

And a birthday she would never forget.