Hello, all my glorious readers! =D I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long. But I've been kind of busy, and I've started a new book series that has completely captured my attention. So, I'll try to make this chapter much better. I love you all!!! =D

Recap: I sighed at him and laughed silently. "Okay. Everybody watches Transformers for either Shia LaBeouf or Megan Fox. Or in my mom's case, Josh Duhamel…. But I watch it for the cars," I informed him.

"Really?" he asked, shocked. "What's your favorite car in it?"

"The 2009 Camaro, definitely. Or the Pontiac Solstice, but Jazz gets killed…" I frowned.

He laughed at my behavior, and invited me to sit next to him. "It's okay…. Jazz is in Cybertron heaven," he comforted.

I laughed and smacked his arm and said, "Shut up! Jazz is awesome! But Bumblebee is the best."

He laughed with me and said, "I still say Megan Fox."

Our conversation became silent as the movie started to play, and we got sucked into the realm of giant alien robots that turn into cars and planes and other vehicular devices.

6. An Unexpected Date

As the movie was ending, I had my eyes on the Camaro, and Taylor had his eyes on Megan Fox. When the credits started rolling, I started laughing at him.

He turned to me with a smile. "What?"

I shook my head. "Oh, nothing…" I chuckled some more.

He reached over to me and poked my side, successfully tickling me. "Nothing!" I laughed.

Taylor wouldn't accept that, so he scooted over to me and attacked me. I was laughing so hard, tears were coming to my eyes as he continued his tickle frenzy. We were both laughing hysterically, and he said loudly, "Aria, you better tell me, or it's going to get worse…"

"No! Taylor, stop!" I screamed/laughed. I squirmed and tried to get away from his strong hold, but he was relentless and wouldn't let up. He finally stopped for a moment just to speak.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" he asked deviously.

"Never!" I laughed, and he resumed his assault.

After a few minutes of squirming and being tickled relentlessly, I didn't have enough strength left to fight him off. He smiled down at me, stopped his most evil attack, and chuckled at me as he helped me up, and held me to him, so I could catch my breath again.

I laughed along with him—breathlessly—and just sat there, completely content in his arms. He'd always provided me comfort for anything, but for some reason, this felt different. He had his strong arms wrapped around me, with one hand stroking the back of my head soothingly. Yeah, it was definitely different than it used to be, but I had no objections.

I wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from, or why I was feeling them. We sat like that for a few more minutes until my breathing evened out, and then we pulled back so I was sitting against the chair like him, but his arm was still around my shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to tickle you again?" he asked gently with a broad smile.

I sighed dramatically. "Oh, fine… I suppose I could," I returned the smile. "It's really not that important; actually, it's pretty stupid."

"I don't care. I still want to know," he urged.

"I was just laughing because every time Megan Fox was on the screen, you wouldn't look away from her. Like I said, stupid."

He squeezed my shoulders gently and laughed along with me. "Yeah, that is pretty stupid. But I'm still glad you told me."

"Aria! Taylor! Dinner!" my mom shouted from upstairs.

"Okay! We'll be right up!" I shouted back.

Taylor moved his arm and stood up, then offered his hand to me to help me up. I smiled at him as I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up.

"Well, you've certainly gotten more chivalrous over the years," I smiled teasingly.

"Why thank you, m'lady," he joked in an English accent and bowed dramatically.

I laughed and slapped his arm as I started to walk. "Hah, come on. Homemade Chicken and Dumplings… yum," I grinned at him. He laughed along with me and followed me out of the theater to the kitchen upstairs.

We reached the kitchen where my parents were sitting at the table talking and getting their food. When they noticed our presence, their conversation ceased, and my dad started talking to us.

"What were you two doing down there? Aria, it sounded like he was killing you," he joked.

"Close enough," I replied. "One more minute of the tickle attack and I'd be as good as dead, so you're not far off the mark, Dad." I smiled at him, and Taylor laughed as we sat down with them.

"I wouldn't have let you die," Taylor stated, and then he turned to smile at me. "You know I would never let anything happen to you."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "I know…" I sighed jokingly.

"Aww, the Dynamic Duo is back in action…" my mom loudly whispered to my dad teasingly.

Taylor and I both turned to stare at her incredulously. "Don't call us that," we said at the same time.

"It's a horrible nickname…" I muttered directly after.

When Taylor and I realized that we spoke in unison, we burst out laughing, which in turn, caused my parents to laugh. When things calmed down enough to actually eat and have a conversation, my mother didn't hesitate to start talking.

"So, Taylor, what are you benching, now? You're obviously a lot stronger than last time we saw you."

He chuckled a short laugh and said, "Well, my highest is 345, but I'm really trying for 375 right now."

My eyes as well as both my parents' eyes widened at the confession.

"Really? Geez, that's more than three times my weight," I said.

"Hah, well then I guess I'd be able to pick you up with no problem," he replied cheekily.

I laughed, as I did every time he said something that appealed to the sense of humor that I acquired from him when we were younger.

"Wow. That's impressive, Taylor. Do you have any tips? I've been trying to get back in shape, and it's working, but slowly," my dad admitted.

Taylor smiled at him and answered, "Well, um… keep hydrated and push yourself to your limit, and eat healthy foods. Sorry, I don't really have anything else… That's basically all I do." He shrugged.

My dad returned his smile and said, "Yeah, I kind of figured as much. That's basically what I'm doing. It's a slow process, huh?"

"Yeah. But keep at it every day, and you will definitely see results." Taylor smiled again, then turned to look at me, and his smile turned into a full out grin.

I stared at him suspiciously and asked carefully, "What…?"

His eyes softened along with his smile infinitesimally when I spoke, and he slightly shook his head and replied, "Nothing." And then he went back to eating his food.

The next morning, Taylor came to pick me up. He came to the door, and knocked politely, even though he knew that he didn't need to.

"He sure has matured, both mentally and physically," my mom said to me, as I paused putting everything in my bag so I could go open the door for him.

"Yeah," I smiled and rolled my eyes as I reached the door. When I opened it, I was greeted with his amazing smile. "Hey. I'm almost ready, just let me grab my bag and get my shoes on and we can go."

"Okay," he answered.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, pulled on my shoes, and then spoke to my mom as I started walking with Taylor. "Bye, Mom. I'll see you after skating!"

"Okay, have fun!"

I walked out the door with Taylor by my side and muttered, "Yeah, right. It's school."

He laughed at me and lightly pushed me and then said, "Hey, school can be fun."

"Yeah, can. That doesn't mean that it is," I said to him with a small smile.

He laughed again and looked like he was about to protest, but instead he sighed and said, "True."

When we reached his car, he came around to the passenger side with me and opened my door, then motioned for me to get in.

I stared at him in amazement and said teasingly, "Oh, my God. You are chivalrous, now," before getting in.

He laughed, closed the door, and went around to the driver's side to get in, himself. I loved hearing him laugh. It was good to see him so light-hearted and care-free. It always made me smile when I was around him. His care-free demeanor was what attracted us as friends in the first place. My brother had been in karate when we went to Grand Rapids, and he and Taylor would train together and occasionally, they would fight in a match.

My dad had been working for a company that made him travel a lot, so he was not usually there to take me or my brother anywhere. And since I was so young, my mom couldn't leave me home alone, and she knew that I hated babysitters, so she took me with her to pick up John. Taylor and I met there, and it would seem strange that a 7 year old boy wanted to play with a 5 year old girl, but we started hanging out and getting to know each other while my brother was changing and getting ready to come home.

Eventually, he started coming over to my house, to play with both my brother and I—because they had become pretty good friends, too—or my brother and I would go over to his house. Taylor had always known how to make anybody laugh. He would constantly make jokes and genuinely enjoy life, and sometimes my brother was out with other friends, and I would still go to see Taylor. Every time I was upset over something, he would comfort me, like siblings who were really close. My actual brother and I had never been like that. Well, maybe before I could talk, but I can't remember that far back.

"So isn't there anything you're looking forward to today?" Taylor asked, snapping me out of Memory Lane.

"Um… I think the only thing would be finding out the parts for the play. I'm not really looking forward to anything else, even the non-class parts. Homecoming is only like two weeks away, and people are going crazy trying to find dates," I answered.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about Homecoming. Are you going?" he asked.

"Probably."

He looked at me. "Probably? What does that mean?"

"Well, it means that I don't have a date or anything, but I'll probably just go with Mia and a group of friends."

"Oh, okay." Then he seemed to realize something, and snapped his eyes back to me and spoke in a very confused tone. "How do you not have a date?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at his question and tone, then replied, "I told you yesterday; guys at that school don't see me as anything more than a friend." Even though I was hoping—for some reason—that he would.

"You're wrong," he murmured so quietly, that I'm not even sure that I heard it correctly.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, and then spoke a bit louder. "If someone asked you, would you say yes?"

"I don't know, maybe. Why?" I asked suspiciously.

He shook his head as if to clear something in his thoughts up. "Just wondering."

He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car. As we were walking up to the school, I heard an engine rev behind us in the lot. We turned around, and a huge Hummer H3 was pulling in. I scowled at it, and then looked at the driver.

"I am so going to kill Jake later," I mumbled.

Taylor looked slightly confused as he asked, "Why?"

"He knows how much I hate Hummers. And Fords. And yet, yesterday he came to school in a Ford, and today, he comes in a gas guzzling, piece of crap, Hummer."

Taylor laughed at my reasoning, and I started to pull him back toward the school, trying to ignore my inconsiderate friend.

"Hey, guys! Aria, what do you think of my new toy?" Jake asked happily.

I turned around to glare at him as he caught up with Taylor and me. "You better sleep with one eye open," I growled and kept walking toward the entrance of the school.

Jake paled, and he ran to catch up with me, and pulled me to a stop. "Aria, I am so sorry. I completely forgot about your extreme, yet totally unreasonable, hatred for Hummers. My dad just showed up with it yesterday when he came home and said it was for me. And, I love Hummers, so I thought, you know, why not?" He offered a small timid smile, while I continued to glare at him.

I let my gaze trail over to his new "toy", then back to him, and I said, "If you really love that thing, protect it well." Then I yanked my arm free and walked into the building, and Taylor followed me.

The whole way into the building, I was muttering angrily and incoherently about how much I hate Hummers. We were almost to my locker, and Taylor started laughing.

I turned to him and said, "What?"

He smiled broadly at me and replied, "Nothing. You're just the most amazing girl I've ever met." My eyes softened, and I felt my face start to heat up, so I quickly turned my head to face my locker. "You don't take crap from anybody, you stand up for what you believe in, and you'll tell off your friends if they get a Hummer or a Ford. You're absolutely amazing," He smiled.

I laughed. "Hah, thanks. All my friends know that I can't stand Hummers or Fords. Hummers more-so."

"Why'd you tell him to protect it well?" he asked curiously.

I laughed again and answered, "Because if he doesn't, I'm going at it with a bazooka."

He started laughing, and he didn't stop while I joined him, and I gathered my things for first hour, and we started walking.

We headed back to the choir room where my friends and I always hung out. When we walked in, there were about six or seven people there.

"Hey, guys!" Mia said happily from the center of the room.

Taylor and I both raised one hand to wave at her and said simultaneously, "Hey."

My friend Tina looked over and saw Taylor and her eyes widened. "Taylor Lautner?" she asked. "Oh, my God. That's Taylor Lautner!" she said excitedly to everyone else in the room.

"Hah, yeah," I said, laughing. Then I looked to everyone else in the room, and said, "Guys, this is my best friend, Taylor. I guess Tina already gave him a sort of introduction."

Taylor and I laughed, and I went to the piano. He followed me, and just stood at the side of the instrument. I started playing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. I had never played it at the school before, and only Mia had ever heard me play it. Taylor and everyone else in the room seemed to be in awe. When I finished what I knew, I stood up and put a mix CD in the CD player.

Pokerface by Lady Gaga started playing, and everyone in the room broke out into dance. Well, Mia and Justine danced the most erratically. They've always been so much fun. To watch and to be around. I laughed and joined in their improvised dance, and soon enough everyone was joining in and jamming out, except for Taylor.

He just stood back, watched everyone, and laughed at us. The song ended, and everyone stopped dancing.

"Hey, Taylor. Have you heard Aria sing?" Mia asked sweetly.

I gave her the 'don't go there' glare, and she smirked at me.

Taylor looked at me expectantly and said, "No, I haven't."

"Well, Aria? Go on! Sing!" Mia prompted.

"No," I said flatly.

"Oh, come on, Aria. Let me hear something," Taylor smiled.

"No!" I smiled. "I don't want to sing right now."

"Sing, sing, sing!" Everyone in the room but Taylor started chanting. They had all heard me sing before.

"She's amazing," Mia said.

I turned to Taylor with big eyes and whined, "Help."

He laughed at my theatrics and pulled me into his arms, and I buried my head in his chest. He lightly chuckled, and said, "Guys, if she doesn't want to sing, she doesn't have to." And then he lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "Even though I'd really love to hear it."

I smiled and shook my head against his hard chest. He had his arms around me, with his chin resting on my head, and I had my arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Guys, I'm not going to sing," I mumbled into his chest.

"Fine," Mia sighed dramatically.

Taylor and I laughed at her mannerisms and then I heard someone talking as they walked into the room.

"Aria?" Jake called.

I sighed and pulled away from the comfortable embrace with Taylor, and he sighed too. I looked and saw Jake looking at me. "What?" I asked.

"Can I talk to you?" he pleaded.

"Fine…" I sighed. I turned back to Taylor and said, "I'll be right back," and then I walked out with Jake. "I'm still mad at you."

"Okay, I know that. I'm really, really sorry. I will get rid of it if you really want me to, but I want you to know that I really love that thing. You'll never have to ride in it, if that helps," he told me with pleading eyes.

I sighed again, and said, "Well, it helps a little…. Fine. I forgive you."

He smiled and hugged me tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I hate it when you're mad at me."

"Yeah, well it's not much fun being mad at you, either," I replied, and hugged him back, and then pulled back.

"Well, as long as you forgive me…" his expression became nervous and he started again. "Will you go to Homecoming with me?"

He got a hopeful look on his face, and I felt bad that I was going to say no, so before I thought, I blurted out, "Sure."

His eyes brightened and he hugged me again, and said, "Great. Um, I'll pick you up at seven."

I smiled half-heartedly, and said, "Yeah, okay, well I'm going back in there…."

"Okay," He smiled. "I'll see you at lunch," then he walked out happily.

"Oh, God. What did I just agree to?" I asked myself quietly.

Hey, guys!!! Thanks for reading! =D Hope you enjoyed it! I'm working on the next chapter right now, and I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. But I start school tomorrow, so new updates might not be too often… (as opposed to what? Haha, sorry it's taken me so long) They might be like once a month, but I'll try to get them out quicker. I have an idea for a later chapter, and I really want to get that one up, but I'll need a few chapters before it. Please review! They'll get the next chapter out sooner, I promise you that! =D I love you all!