The next few days, Brittany would call Simon left and right just to talk to him whenever she felt that her temper was about to explode. She would call over things about Eleanor, girls at school, even someone cutting her off in traffic and every time it seemed he knew just what to say to calm her down and truly put things in perspective. Brittany truly appreciated it and yet in a way she felt she was becoming less independent and more dependent on…him. She thought about that as she walked the halls at school.

She had a free period, so she was about to leave the grounds when she walked past the library. She stopped and looked toward the entrance and instantly thought of Simon. She smiled slightly as thinking about him lately seemed to have that affect on her.

And then, without a second thought, she decided to walk in. She didn't know if Simon would be in there, though she hoped he would.

Simon actually was in the library that period. He was looking through a few books for the chemistry project he and a classmate were doing together. He was currently sitting at a table flipping through one of them and taking down any notes he found useful.

Brittany slowly walked through the library, not really sure what she was looking for or expecting. Perhaps it was the thought of being surrounded by the peaceful atmosphere or that books representing knowledge, but whatever it was, it made her think about Simon, and she wanted to see him desperately. She stopped when she finally noticed him from afar, sitting at a table looking busy as usual. She could feel her smile grow as she watched him in secrecy. She then caught herself.

'What the hell is wrong with me? I'm acting as if…as if…' She shook her head as even her thoughts were in denial for her growing attraction to him. "No matter," she said to herself before she started to make her way over to him. 'What should I say?' she thought. 'I don't have anything to talk to him about? Why am I even in here?' She shook her head and pushed her thoughts aside and continued to make her way over to him. Once she arrived, she cleared her throat in hopes to get his attention.

Simon finished writing a couple of notes before finally looking up. He smiled slightly when he saw Brittany. "Hey," was his simple, yet happy greeting.

"Hi there, fancy meeting you here," she replied with a smile.

He arched an eye brow as he sat back in his seat. "So this is normal, you taking strolls in the library?"

Brittany took a seat. "Strolls? You make it seem like I have no business in here," she joked.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't say all that. Just wondering."

She smirked. "Hm, I bet." She then looked down at what he was doing. "So um…what's all this?"

"Chemistry."

"Oh sounds…boring," she said dryly.

He simply smiled. "It can be. But most of the time, it's not. I guess you just have to understand it first before you can really get into it," he said.

She just gave a nod as she really didn't know what to say. To be honest all she wanted to do was, '…to be near him?' She let out a frustrated sigh at her thoughts.

He glanced up at her as he had gone back to taking notes. "You ok?"

Brittany abruptly sat in attention at hearing is question. "Oh…um, yes, I'm uh fine." She then looked around her to see if anyone noticed her flustered state; she didn't want to give people the wrong ideas. After all, no man can make Brittany Miller flustered, no one is that important, or so she liked to keep telling herself that. She then looked back at him. "You wanna do something sometime?" she asked suddenly. 'Where did that come from?'

His brow rose in surprise. "Do something?" he asked, the corner of his mouth perking up in a teasing smirk.

She watched him for a moment, and then rolled her eyes. "Yes do something, anything. I want to thank you for being so nice to me," she stated passively as if it was no big deal.

He eyed her for a moment before nodding. "Sure why not. Sounds great," he agreed.

She smiled. "Cool, well okay then," she said. She then stood. "Why don't you think about what you want to do…" she eyed him seductively, "…and then give me a call." She smirked.

"Sure thing."

She continued to smirk as she eyed him. "Alright then, I'll let you get back to your…nerdy endeavors." She winked at him and left.

He chuckled and shook his head before going back to his notes.

Later on that day, Simon made his way to Brittany's locker before they all left for the day. He had been thinking about what he and Brittany could do and he thought of the perfect thing. He finally approached her with a smile. "Brittany I've been thinking…" he started.

Brittany closed her locker and looked at him. "So what else is new?" she teased with a smirk.

He chuckled. "Very funny. But I've been thinking about what we could do and I've decided that we should go to the planetarium," he finished.

She shifted her eyes. "The what?" she asked seemingly lost.

"Planetarium," he laughed. "It's a huge dome that usually has the planets and stars and things like that projected on the ceiling. But occasionally they show very interesting videos. And that's what I'm taking you to see," he informed her.

Brittany stared at him for a moment. She then looked up in thought. "Hm, I see." She then giggled. "Alright." She smiled at him; the truth was she just wanted to be with him, it didn't matter where.

He nodded. "Great. So Friday after school?"

She couldn't stop smiling. "Alright," she agreed.

He smiled. "Great. Well I'll let you go now. Seeya later." He then headed off.

"Bye, Simon," she said as she sighed lightly, leaning against the locker.

"You like him," came Cindy's voice suddenly.

Brittany snapped out of her daze and looked over at her in shock. "What?"

Cindy nodded. "Uh, yeah it's like written all over your face," she giggled.

Jasmine then walked up. "Not to mention you've been dissin' us lately. Hm, now I see why," she said in a disapproving tone as she folded her arms.

Brittany laughed. "Oh don't be ridiculous, we're just friends. Nothing more," she said trying to write it off as nothing.

Cindy raised a brow. "Uh-huh, though I'm sure you want more than that." She laughed.

Brittany's eyes widened slightly. "What!"

Jasmine eyed her. "You wanna fuck him, don't you?"

Brittany looked at her in disgust. "Oh you're so crude," was all she said, and she walked off.

The watched her storm away.

"Oh she's got it bad," Jasmine said.


Friday rolled around soon enough and Simon waited by his car for Brittany as he had told her to meet him there earlier that day. He was actually anticipating going out with her; he had fun with her. She really wasn't as bad as some people would say.

Brittany walked out to the parking lot eager to meet Simon. She smiled once she saw him in sight as she waved to him. Yet before she could reach him her path was blocked by a behemoth of a boy. She looked up and sighed once she saw it was Nick, broken bandaged up nose and all.

"Brittany, I've come to collect," he told her.

Brittany looked up at him not intimidated. "Oh really? And just what do you mean by that?"

"I think you know. We had a deal. I fought Alvin, now you have to go out with me," he told her, and then grabbed her by the arm. "Now let's go."

Brittany snatched away from him. "Get your fucking hands off me! I don't remember anything in our deal about you getting your ass kicked! You were supposed to beat his ass! And you didn't! So the deal is off asshole!"

Nick scowled down at her. "The fuck you say to me?"

Brittany continued to glare up at him. "You heard me. Now leave me alone. I have plans, and they don't involve steroid filled, two inch dick losers with broken noses like you!"

Simon noticed the commotion going on between Brittany and Nick and he watched with a raised eye brow, wondering what it was all about. Whatever it was, it was tying into his and Brittany's plans. He blew out a breath and decided he would go over there if it went on too much longer.

Nick grabbed her arm again and pulled her to him. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" he demanded as he shook her slightly getting angrier by the minute.

"Nick, you better take your hands off me right now!" she screamed, truly starting to get mad. Yet she didn't want to lose her temper with Simon only a few feet away. She was really working on that issue, but Nick was pushing her to her limit.

"The deal was all I had to do was fight Alvin. You didn't say I had to beat him!"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "That was implied genius…NOW LET ME GO!"

Simon was starting to get a bit concerned as he continued to watch. This was starting to get a bit out of hand. He wondered what was so important to Nick that raised this much anger…

Brittany scowled at Nick. "If you don't get your hands off me immediately I'm…"

"…You're going to what?" he said with a raised brow.

At that moment, Eleanor was walking with Alvin to his car. She happened to look over and saw what looked like Nick picking on Brittany.

She furrowed her brow. "What does he think he's doing?" she said to herself, outraged. Then without another word, she ran over to them. She grabbed on Nick's hand that was on Brittany trying to pry him away. "Stop it! Let her go!" she yelled.

Nick laughed a bit and shoved her to the ground. "Look babe, if you're not about to give me any, then mind your own fucking business," he told her.

Brittany was beyond furious at that point. "You motherfucker! I will fucking kill you! How dare you put your hands on her!" she screamed as she continued to try to break free from his grasp.

Alvin's eyes widened and anger flared inside him immediately after he witnessed Nick shove his girl down. "What the fuck!" he exclaimed as he stomped over to them, ready to kick Nick's ass one more time. Touching his girlfriend? Unacceptable. Touching his girlfriend's sister? Also unacceptable. As soon as he reached them, he hit Nick directly in his nose…again. "Don't you ever touch her again!"

Simon's eyes widened at seeing how quickly Eleanor and Alvin got involved in this whole thing, making things so much more riotous. This was definitely out of hand now.

Nick stumbled back from the unexpected blow, screaming as he covered his nose with both hands, as the wound wasn't anywhere close to being healed and now it was reopened, the blood was becoming visible upon his hands that shielded it.

Eleanor just gawked in shock from the ground.

Brittany glowered at him. "Yeah Bitch!" she yelled. She then saw a boy walking by who was caring a saxophone. She quickly snatched it and ran over to Nick, who was clearly disoriented and in pain, and started pounding him in the head and face with it. "You son of a bitch!"

Nick finally fell to the ground, but that didn't stop Brittany as she continued to rapidly pound him with the brass instrument with all she had.

Eleanor stared in horror and shock, still unable to move from her position on the ground. "Brittany!"

Brittany didn't hear her as she was blacking out from rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed as she continued to beat him.

Nick laid there enduring the pain while his screams were beginning to fade…

Though Alvin was pissed, Brittany was getting out of control and they didn't need a dead jock on their hands. He then grabbed Brittany and pulled her back. "Brittany, stop!"

Simon was still in shock, and even more so once Brittany started beating Nick with an instrument. He quickly went over and grabbed the saxophone from her. "Brittany!"

Brittany struggled against Alvin. "Fuck that! This shit ain't over!" she screamed toward Nick.

Alvin held onto her a bit tighter so she wouldn't slip from his grasp.

Eleanor then stood up and got in front of Brittany trying to block her view of Nick. "Brittany, stop it!"

Brittany continued to struggle. "NO! No one puts their hands on you!"

Eleanor stared at her. "But you do all the time," she told her.

"That's right! If anyone's going to kick your ass, it's going to be me!"

Eleanor rolled her eyes, a bit irritated by the statement. "Hm, ok."

The boy that she took the sax away from then walked up to Simon. "Um can I have my saxophone back now?" he asked dryly.

Simon glanced at him. "Oh yeah sorry," he said not really paying attention to him at all. He then handed it back to him and turned his attention back to Brittany as he stood beside Eleanor to help her block Nick from her sight. "Brittany it's over now. She's not hurt. That's the important thing. Besides, killing him will only make things worse," he said.

Brittany finally calmed down once she noticed Simon standing there. She then sheepishly smiled at him. "Oops, my bad," she laughed a bit embarrassed.

Eleanor arched a brow at how fast she calmed down.

Once Alvin realized she was calm, he let her go and wasted no time grabbing and pulling Eleanor to him and put his arms around her. "Are you ok?" he asked her softly as if they were by themselves.

She looked away shyly and smiled. "I'm fine," she assured him.

Simon just kept watching Brittany with a straight face. Then he sighed. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

Brittany flipped her hair from her shoulder and smiled. "Oh yeah, nothing to worry about," she laughed, trying to save face.

Nick finally made it back to his feet. "Like hell, that is one crazy bitch," he stated, and he started weakly walking away.

Brittany glared at him. "Your mama's a crazy bitch!" she yelled after him, but then caught herself. "Uh…I mean, sorry. I hope you feel better and…uh, have a nice day," she smiled sweetly. Being nice was really new and hard for her.

Simon arched an eye brow. "Well um if you're ok, can we get going?" he asked her.

Brittany smiled. "Sure, just give me one more second," she said and then took her compact out of her purse and started primping.

Eleanor then looked over at them. "Where are you two going?" she asked a bit curious.

Alvin looked up at them as well, but said nothing, as he was quite interested himself.

Simon glanced at them. "Planetarium," he said simply.

Alvin looked over at Brittany for a moment and then looked at Simon with an arched eye brow. "Really?"

Simon noticed his look and rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Wow," was all Alvin could say as he found it a bit surprising that Brittany wanted to go or even knew what one was.

Brittany didn't hear them as she was now way to focused on…herself, currently reapplying lipstick while she looked in her compact.

Eleanor shifted her eyes. "Well that's….um…" she looked at Alvin, "…is 'nice' the word I'm looking for?" she asked.

Alvin shook his head. "I…don't even know," he said honestly.

Simon huffed and rolled his eyes again.

Brittany finally put her compact and lipstick back in her purse. She then latched on to Simon's arm. "Come on Simon, I'm ready to go to the Planetearicum," she said sweetly as she unknowingly butchered the pronunciation.

Eleanor smiled, holding in her laughter, while Alvin turned his head and looked away to keep from busting out laughing.

Simon couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Um ok sure, let's get going to the planetarium," he corrected.

Brittany didn't really care one way or the other. "Oh I can't wait," she squealed as they started to his car, still latched onto him.

Eleanor stared at them. Just seeing those two like that blew her mind. "Hm…teary cum," she said more to herself after a moment.

Alvin laughed at that. Then he grabbed Eleanor's hand and started leading her to his car. "Well come on so you can have one yourself," he laughed again.

Eleanor laughed as well and shook her head. "Is that all you think about?" she questioned.

He glanced back at her. "Oh yeah."


Once in Simon's car, Brittany looked over at Simon and smiled. "I really am excited. I don't really know what to expect, but I am," she laughed.

Simon smiled at her. "Good. You'll love it, promise," he said.

They soon arrived at the planetarium. The building was huge and the dome was visible from outside. Of course they weren't the only ones there, but it wasn't too many people, so they would be able to be alone if they wanted. He took her inside and led her to a couple of seats a little ways away from the others. Not long after they were seated, the lights were turned down completely.

Simon smiled slightly, actually anticipating this video, seeing that he hadn't seen it before. "Here we go," he said softly.

Brittany smiled as it began. Like she said earlier, she really didn't know what to expect. She figured it would just be a nice little video about the stars and the Milky Way, maybe even constellations…yet it wasn't. Instead she heard the voice of Captain Kirk talking about a huge asteroid being the cause of a bunch of dead dinosaurs. Her eyes widened when she saw how breathtaking the visuals were, yet the thought of acid rain and tsunamis all over the globe were a bit…disturbing.

Simon was really enjoying everything about the video. The effects, the different examples, it all amazed him. He glanced over at Brittany and noticed her look and saw that this amazed her as well, but maybe not so much in the same way. He then reached over and took her hand as support.

Brittany blinked in amazement. She jolted a few times as the effects were a bit much. She felt Simon's hand suddenly and looked down at it with a weak smile. She then looked up at him and couldn't help but to feel secure. The thought of the world ending in such a catastrophic way unnerved her, yet somehow his presence made it better. She sighed softly before looking back at the screen.

He glanced at her again and noticed that she had eased a bit, and he smiled and turned back to the video. They were now talking about how the human population could be the cause of extinction. And it really made sense to him. He loved the video until the end, which wasn't long later. The lights were turned back on and the host began taking questions from people.

Simon looked at Brittany. "How was it?" he asked her softly as not to interfere with the conversation between everyone else.

Brittany looked away. "It was…um…well scary," she said in a little voice as she recalled the graphic nature of the film. It certainly disturbed her, making her worry.

He nodded understandingly. "Yeah the things they said were a little nerve racking…" He studied her for a moment. "…Did it really worry you?" he asked, truly concerned.

She finally looked at him. "Yes, the whole thing about that super volcanic eruption happening. And the earth being covered in ashes," she looked away again. "Oh God, I don't want to die that way, no vegetation being able to grow. It's like we'd slowly starve to death. And there would be nothing anyone could do about it." She closed her eyes with a shudder. "I'm scared."

He squeezed her hand a bit. "It's ok. It was said in the video that the chances of any of that happening was practically zero. I don't think we have anything to worry, at least not in our lifetime. If we should fear any of that happening, it's us killing ourselves. So there's no need to expect any of the other things to happen," he explained.

She just looked at him with a timid and unsure expression.

He gave her a smile. "It's ok, really," he assured.

"I…I don't know," she then thought about it and smiled, "…but you know what we should do just in case?"

"What's that?"

"Have sex, lots and lots of sex, just in case we don't get a chance to see tomorrow," she said with a sly smile.

He laughed. "Oh well I don't think we have to go that far. But we can spend the rest of the day together," he said.

She smiled. "You, you would do that?" she asked, feeling amazed that anyone would want to spend that much time with her.

"Of course." He looked up and noticed everyone was filing out. "So if we want to stick to that, we should get going," he said.

She looked around and noticed everyone leaving as well. "Oh right," she said and stood. Yet she couldn't help but to notice that Simon didn't take her on with her suggestion. It didn't insult her; in fact it was a pleasant surprise. All she knew was guys constantly trying to sleep with her. The dates were always just ways to impress her into their beds, she knew that, but here Simon seemed just content with her…company? 'Oh bizarre,' she thought.

They soon made their way out and soon driving again. Simon looked at her. "So now your pick. Where to?" he asked.

Brittany looked at him a bit surprised. "My pick?" She didn't think he would have asked what she wanted to do. "Um…well, how about the park? Oh I love nature trails! Don't you?" she asked excitedly.

He smiled. "Actually I do. So to the park it is."

It didn't take long for them to get to the park. He parked the car and they headed to the start. He picked up a guide of the different nature trails and soon they were on their way.

While walking, Simon looked around with wonder. "Can you imagine what it would be like without all this? Because I can't," he said to Brittany.

"I know, it's heart breaking. That film made me really want to appreciate every day. I mean it put so much in perspective. Tomorrow really isn't promised to us….and well…." she sighed as she thought about something, "…I think it's time I let a lot of baggage go."

He looked at her. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she said softly as she continued to look around. They were now crossing a small wooden bridge over a duck pond and she stopped to look down at the ducks and swans, smiling slightly. "The truth is, I don't really like myself that much," she told him.

He leaned against the railing. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I guess it's because I know that no matter how much makeup I put on, and no matter how many beautiful outfits I cover myself with, deep down and underneath it all lays a scared nobody, and because of that fear I lash out," she explained.

He sighed. "Brittany, you're not a 'nobody'. You just haven't found yourself yet. And that's ok. You have time," he said.

She smiled softly as she continued to look down at the ducks in the pond. "My brain keeps telling me that; however something inside me makes me feel otherwise. Eleanor said something to me the other day that really bothered me."

"Well what did she say?"

"She said that I was pathetic, and that I have a cruel vindictive heart. And she was basically implying that I hated a certain someone because of their accomplishments. And that hurt, because to be completely honest with myself…which I never really am, I am jealous of the accomplishments of others. It's like an ongoing cycle. I hate myself because I'm not like others, and I hate others because their better than me, which makes me bitter, angry and…mean. I'm discontent with who I am, and, and I just need to let it go… I'm tired. I'm tired of being angry all the time."

"Well being tired of doing something is good way to stop doing something. And seeing that you want to stop should make it a little easier. And you need to realize this. No one is better than anyone. They may have done more things than you or someone else, but that doesn't put them over you. Just like that lot at the Black and White ball the other night. Just because they succeeded in the fashion industry, it doesn't make them any better than you or the next person down the road. So there's no need to be jealous of anyone. If you happen to want what they have, then you work for it. But until then, you should just be content with what you have and who you are." He smiled slightly.

Her smile grew and her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You make everything sound so…so good! You make me feel okay with just being me," she told him.

He smiled at her. "I shouldn't have to. You should always feel that way," he said.

She just continued to smile at him, her expression full of admiration for him. Then after a moment she spoke again. "Even still, that's why I need someone like you in my life. You see things undistorted and so clear…"

He looked out at the lake. "Yeah well I take a lot of time to think about things. It helps me see things more clearly. Maybe you should start doing that. Take some time out to think about things, like something that's bothering you or things like that. Make sure you're alone and in a peaceful environment. It really helps."

She continued to look at him. "Okay, I will. I know I can be pretty impulsive usually, but all that's going to change. I'm definitely going to start thinking things out before I react."

He glanced at her. "Great. And you know I'm always here to help you…because I'm your special friend." He chuckled.

She giggled. "Yes, my special, special friend." She then grabbed his hand. "Come on Simon, let's keep walking," she said.

He nodded. "Ok," he agreed. Then without letting go of her hand, he began walking again.

Brittany smiled as she noticed he didn't let go of her hand. They walked in silence just taking in the scenery. It was so peaceful and serene out there. The only thing that could be heard was the chirping of birds with the occasional rustling of leaves and grass created by a warm breeze. The sunshine flickered over the water, as they finally completely crossed the wooden bridge which led to a dirt trail canopied by trees.

She wondered what Simon was thinking about. She wondered if he really
thought of her as a friend, or if he was just being nice because he felt sorry for her. She hoped not because he was really impacting her life. She finally looked at him smiling softly. "Simon? Where do you see yourself in about five or ten years?" she asked.

He raised his brow at that question, but then furrowed them slightly as he thought about it. "Well…I can see myself doing different things. Doctor, engineer, chemist maybe…and have a nice family with a house in a beautiful environment…" he nodded slowly with a small smile. "…Yeah that sounds great…"

Brittany stared at him in astonishment for a moment, and then smiled. "Wow, you want to do all those things?"

He looked at her with that same smile. "Yeah."

"It sounds like you get bored easily with things." she teased, and laughed.

He laughed as well. "No, those are just things I would love to do," he said.

She smiled. "Well I guess you're just a man of many talents," she said a bit flirtatiously.

He smiled and nodded. "I guess so."

She smirked as she looked him up and down. "Hmm, I bet," was all she said.

He chuckled. "So what about you? Where do you see yourself?"

"Well I did see myself in fashion, but you know maybe that's not really for me. I think I want to do something in journalism, I mean it fits seeing that I'm nosy," she joked.

"Oh yeah I can see that," he joked as well.

She laughed. "I can't help it. All three of us are nosy really; don't let Eleanor and Jeanette fool you. They're just sneakier about it," she said.

He smiled. "Hmm ok. So you want to be a journalist? That's great. I actually never thought you would be interested in something like that," he said.

She laughed. "Yeah, I actually write blogs online under another name. I think they're pretty good. I get lots of comments on them by readers. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Ok sure. But why wouldn't you want anyone else to know?"

"Hello? Because I have an image to maintain, and it's…well it's kind of dorky," she said.

He laughed a bit. "No it's not."

"Yeah well that's not the 'me' I want people to know just yet. So anyway you also said you wanted a family huh?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, a small one."

"Aw how sweet. So that means you plan on falling in love?"

"Of course," he said.

She arched a brow at him, finding that rather odd for some reason. "Of course? I don't know why, but I find that idea a bit strange. Not the idea of you finding someone, but just the idea that you plan on it. Like you just know it's going to happen," she said.

He arched an eye brow. "Why start a family with someone if you're not in love with them? And I do know it's going to happen one day. I don't plan on going on about my life without being in love with someone. Love is a great thing and I'll find it one day," he told her.

Brittany watched him in amazement as he spoke. She had never heard a guy talk that way about love before. "Wow," was all she could say.

He smiled slightly. "What is it?"

"Well I guess for one, seeing that you have a scientific mind, I guess I assumed you would be all cynical about love, like it's not logical or something. And second I myself have never really given it much thought before. I guess I never thought about it for myself because it just seems so rare in this day and age. Kind of like only a few people are able to truly obtain it, and if you're not part of that small lucky percentage then, I guess you're assed out. And I don't think I'm lucky enough to be in that small percentage group," she said.

His thumb slowly stroked the back of her hand. "You are and you will be. You just haven't found the right person yet," he told her.

She suppressed a soft sigh as she heard his words and felt his touch no matter how settle it was. She turned away and smiled to herself. "You're so kind," she said.

He smiled. "Thank you."

"…And I really mean it too. I have never met anyone as kind or respectful as you. And it makes me really…really want to be better." She then looked at him in all seriousness. "Simon I want you to be proud of me, so I really mean it when I say I'm going to change," she stated.

He watched her for a moment before nodding slightly. "That's great. I know you're going to do it."

She smiled. After walking a little longer, she saw nearby bench. "You wanna sit down for a minute?" she asked him.

He glanced ahead and saw the bench and then nodded. "Yeah sure." They went over and took a seat.

Brittany sat there with her hands in her lap looking down as she thought about everything Simon had done for her. From the black and white ball, to helping her ease her anger and anxieties, to just simply being her friend. She knew this outing was supposedly her way at thanking him, but it just didn't seem to be enough for her.

Simon continued to look out at the scenery as they sat. He began to think about Brittany though. He thought she was so unique. He was glad that he had gotten to know her because he now knew things he wasn't sure her own sisters knew about her. He was glad he was getting the chance to help her change and show everyone the real her. But most of all, he was just glad he got the chance to be her friend. She was such a great person, and he got the opportunity to see her for who she really was. And it was a wonderful sight. He really liked it.

"Um, Simon?" she stated in a little voice.

He looked at her. "Yes?"

She stared at him for a moment, trying to think of what she wanted to say or how she should say it. It was clear she was a little nervous. "Um…I meant what I said about really wanting to thank you," she began.

He nodded.

"So, here's the thing…" she said softly as she took her hand, and slowly moved it up his thigh. "…Why don't we go back to your place…and um, let me really thank you," she said with a sultry voice.

He arched an eye brow and then grabbed her hand, stopping it in its tracks. "Seriously?" he asked in an unreadable tone.

She smiled a flirtatious smile. "Of course…" she then leaned closer, "…you know you want to."

He looked at her with a straight expression. "I don't, actually," he deadpanned.

Brittany stared back at him in shock. "Oh," she replied with a small voice. Then she pulled away and cleared her throat a bit humiliated. "…I, uh, see." 'WHAT! HE TURNED ME? DOWN? ME?' she screamed in her head over and over. She wasn't just embarrassed but also hurt….a lot, and she wasn't even sure why. 'Simon turned me down,' she thought sadly.

He sighed as he noticed her tone. "Brittany we're friends. I haven't done these things in hopes to get something in return. I'm not interested in your body. I like you for so many other reasons than that. I don't want you to feel like you have to have sex with me to keep me around because that's not the case," he told her.

She blinked up at him a few times. This was a new concept for her. A man that was just her friend in hopes to…just be her friend? Nothing in return? "Oh, um…wow, I…I feel so foolish," she laughed bitterly.

He rubbed her arm a few times. "It's ok. It's just what you're used to. But that's going to change with me." He smiled slightly.

She smiled at him as she felt small tears form in her eyes. She quickly turned away, wiping them away. She had been crying with him a lot lately. "I'm just an emotional mess. I don't know what's gotten into me," she laughed weakly. This was not like her; she never cried especially around a guy.

His smile widened slightly. "I think this is a good thing," he said.

She simply smiled and nodded, and then snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

He put his arm around her with a smile. They continued to sit there watching the scenery in a content silence…


Well...? How was that little outing? Never a dull moment with Brittany is there? Let me know..