Whew, I finally got Chapter Eleven up! About time, right?

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THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ, FAVORITED, FOLLOWED, OR REVIEWED THIS STORY! I got so many amazing reviews for the last chapter and I loved them all so much. Plus, the follow count is now up to eighty, which is pretty amazing, at least to me. So thank you all so much for that, and I'm sorry if I scared anyone by not updating for a few weeks. But hopefully this 8,621 word chapter (according to the doc manager) will make up for it a little ;) It's a chapter I've been planning since I first came up with the story idea as a whole, and it was supposed to happen in the last chapter, but there wasn't room for it. And yet, it still ended up being twice as long as one of my normal chapters. There's a lot I want to say about this chapter, but basically, I'm just going to say that there's the usual stupid conversations in it, so be on the lookout for that. And if slash bothers you, then there might be a point in here that you might not like, so keep that in mind. Hope you guys enjoy it! Love you all so much! *Hugs and love and virtual cookies*.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eleven: Chaperons and Drive-Ins

Shane's POV

"Dude, I've never seen someone so good at Ms. Pacman," Kyle told me as he turned the car onto my street. "How did you learn?"

"My brother had an obsession with it when he was younger and he taught me," I explained. "James was in love with it. Mom taught him when he was really young, so…"

"Ah, gotcha. Sounds like he's a good brother."

"He is, the best. I'm lucky to have him. Do you have any siblings?"

Kyle shook his head. "Only if you count Katie. She's like the little sister I never had."

"Yeah, you two seem pretty close," I commented.

"We grew up together. I'm the same age as her older brother, but I was always closer with Katie, probably because we wound up in the same skating class together. Kendall was always much more interested in hockey."

I chuckled. "I know how that goes. I grew up around hockey and I ended up in love with it. I guess I'm like Kendall in that way."

"Yeah, you kind of remind me of him, which is a good thing, because he's awesome."

"He is. He's an awesome captain."

"Seems like it," Kyle agreed. "Oh, is this it?"

I nodded, recognizing the house even in the dim light. "Yep, this is my house. Thanks for the ride."

He smiled at me, eyes meeting mine, before pulling to a stop in front of my house. "You're welcome. I'm glad we could hang out. Maybe we can do it again soon sometime."

"Yeah." I smiled back. "That'd be awesome."

"Maybe we could see a movie next week," Kyle suggested. "At the drive-in."

"You guys have a drive-in?"

"Yep, it's from, like, the '50s or something. It's pretty awesome."

"Sounds like it. I've never been to one."

"They're not very common anymore," Kyle said sadly. "I've only been to the one."

"That sucks. There should be more of them."

"There should be. Anyway…are you interested in going? I'm not sure what movie is showing next week, I'll have to check."

I couldn't help but think that it didn't really matter to me what movie was playing. It could be the worst movie in the world and I wouldn't care, as long as I got to see it with Kyle.

"Whatever it is, I'll be glad to go," I told him honestly.

Kyle smiled at me. "Well, in that case I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too." I smiled back at him and opened the door, getting out of the car. "See you on Monday."

"Yeah, see you on Monday."

I headed up to the front door, glancing at him over my shoulder. I could see him sitting in the driver's seat, watching to make sure I got into the house okay. I unlocked the front door and waved at him, before slipping into the house.

I could hear the TV blaring from the living room, so I headed in that direction. I found Mom sitting in front of the TV, watching Grey's Anatomy.

"Hey," I greeted her. She looked around and smiled at me, grabbing the remote and putting the show on pause.

"Hi, honey. How was your…thing…with Kyle?"

"It was a lot of fun. He's awesome."

"Sounds like a very good thing," she said, patting the cushion next to her on the couch. I sat down beside her.

"Is James still at Katie's?"

"Yep. I hope they're doing okay."

I smirked. "Oh, I'm sure they are…"

Mom glanced at me sharply. "Do you know something I don't?"

"I wish. James probably won't even kiss Katie. Which means tomorrow there'll be more sheets for you to wash."

"Shane…!"

"What? You know it just as well as I do. As long as he and Katie have this unresolved sexual tension, he'll keep having wet dreams about her."

"I believe the same is true for you, young man," Mom pointed out. "I've been washing your sheets almost as much as I've been washing James'."

"But you're still washing his more."

She sighed. "Touché."

I gave her a small smile. "At least as long as he's having the dreams, you know he's not doing anything with her."

"True. And the same goes for you. I won't stop you if you want to…do stuff…with Kyle. But I will remind you that you're only fifteen, and the age of consent in Minnesota is sixteen. And out here, in California, it's eighteen, so…"

"I know. Believe me, I don't have any immediate plans to sleep with Kyle."

"I didn't think you did…It's just, you're a teenage boy and I know that you're doubtlessly struggling with your…urges…"

I now knew how James felt…I would never tease him again whenever Mom tried to give him The Talk. Well, probably not. Okay, I might. Fine. I probably would. But I'd feel bad about it afterwards. Probably.

"Mom…I've had The Talk. James has talked to me about these things…"

"But he's a teenage boy too. And I want to be sure to cover all the bases with you."

"First base is kissing, second base if feeling up, and third base is getting naked, but not going all the way," I reeled off for her.

Mom stared at me for a long moment. At last, she said, "You're worse than James…And I didn't think that was possible…"

"I learned it from him."

"So I gathered…"

I shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will be. But I'm still worried. Girls are usually pretty good at hitting the brakes, but two teenage guys…It might be harder for that to happen…"

"On the bright side, neither of us have ovaries, so we can't get pregnant," I said cheerfully.

"That doesn't help."

"Sorry…"

She sighed. "Look, sex is emotional. So many feelings can become involved. I just don't want you to do something and then be let down and regret your actions."

"I know. Mom, you don't have to worry. Kyle and I aren't even dating. We haven't even kissed. And I'm not going to do something that I'm going to regret. I'll be careful. Promise."

Mom sighed again. "Okay. I guess I don't really have any choice but to trust your judgment."

"Thank you. I'm just finally starting to…to feel better. I don't want this to end."

"I know, honey. And that's why I'm so worried. Because I don't want this to be snatched away from you."

I nodded. "But Kyle's really awesome. He's a really good guy."

"I'm sure he is." There was a long pause, and then she asked, "Are you going to hang out with him again?"

"Yeah, probably in a week. We were talking about going to the drive-in."

Mom raised an eyebrow. "The drive-in? Like where you sit in your car and watch a movie?"

"Yeah."

"Oh man…"

"What? I can go, right?"

"I suppose…"

I beamed. "Thanks, Mom! You're the best!"

"And don't you forget it," she said, but chuckled nonetheless.

Mom went to bed a little after eleven, but I stayed up to wait for James. He walked into the house a little after one, smiling widely.

"Hey, dork," I greeted him as I stepped out of the shadows of the stairs.

"Shane! Fuck! What the hell are you still doing up?!" James hissed at me, putting his hand to his heart.

"Waiting for you. Duh. How was Katie's birthday evening? Did you exchange gifts?" I added with a smirk.

James rolled his eyes. "Nice innuendo. And no, we didn't. And her birthday evening was just fine."

"Just fine? That doesn't sound promising…"

"It is and it isn't…"

"Oh no. You two did more of your I-really-want-to-fuck-your-brains-out-on-the-chemistry-table-desk-but-I-don't-want-to-admit-that-I'm-attracted-to-you flirting, didn't you?"

James blinked at me. "What was the question again?"

I rolled my eyes. "You two kept beating around the bush, didn't you?"

"Yeah…pretty much."

"Oh man…"

"How'd your evening go with Kyle?" James asked, changing the topic.

I felt a smile stretch across my face. "It went really well. We really hit it off. Dude, there's so much chemistry between us, it's amazing."

"Come on, let's go upstairs," James suggested. "We can talk up there."

"Okay, sounds good." We headed up to James' room and we plopped down on his bed.

Once we were situated, James turned to me. "So, spill your guts."

I rolled my eyes. "There's not a lot to say. We just get along really well. And there's definitely chemistry."

"What kind of chemistry? Like, hey-let's-be-BFFs kind of chemistry, or hey-let's-fuck kind of chemistry?"

I blushed slightly. "Closer to the last one…"

"So sexual tension and chemistry." James grinned.

"I – yeah. I guess so. Yeah."

"Sounds hot," James teased. "So, anything interesting happen between you two?"

"Nope. We just talked and hung out."

"Ah."

"Yep. What about you and Katie?"

"Something almost happened…"

I didn't miss the way he stressed the word almost, like he was saying it through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah?" I cocked an eyebrow. "What was it?"

"We almost kissed or dry humped or…something. I'm not exactly sure what."

I blinked. "You almost kissed or dry humped or something. That clears that up for me. Thanks."

He sighed and explained what had happened at her house. By the end of it, I was shaking my head. "Should've done something, big brother."

"I know, I know," James groaned, grabbing a pillow and covering his face with it. I chuckled.

"It's not the end of the world, you know. Maybe you'll have more luck next weekend."

"I can only hope…But it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't like me. She won't date a hockey player."

"Maybe she'll make an exception for you," I suggested.

"She won't. Even if she does like me, it's enough to change her rules."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Well, I'm pretty certain she won't change her rules."

"You never know…Kyle told me tonight that he's never seen Katie act like she does with you with anyone else."

"That's nice."

"James, she has feelings for you. It's so obvious. You're the only one who can't see it."

"When I asked her to the dance, she told me no way in hell."

"She's changed a lot since then."

"It's been a week."

"So? She's really changed her tune since the dance. And I'm sure that she's especially grateful for today."

James rolled his eyes. "So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"That she probably likes you a lot more than she did last week."

"Whatever."

I shook my head. "You're so fucking stubborn," I griped.

"You already knew that."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to bed. Enjoy your dreams about Katie."

"Who said I was going to dream about Katie?"

I snorted. "Please. You've been dreaming about her almost every night since you met her."

"I – screw you."

"Actually, you dream about screwing her." I cackled as he flipped me off, and I jumped off his bed. "Have a good night, James."

He threw a pillow at me as I headed off, but I dodged it, laughing again. My brother was so easy to annoy.

James' POV

I was going to kill Shane. Did he always have to be right about me when it came to Katie? And couldn't he keep his predictions about my dreams to himself? Maybe if he hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have spent the entire night dreaming about Katie.

But that's exactly what I did.

"James…" she gasped as my mouth found her neck. "Oh…" she whined and whimpered, her fingers tangling in my hair, pushing me even closer. I grinned against her skin in triumph, backing her into her locker. I pulled back from her neck and instead pressed my lips against hers. She kissed me back, sighing. I deepened it, groaning softly as she slid her hands under my shirt, palms smooth against my stomach and chest.

She broke the kiss. "This really needs to come off," she informed me, indicating my shirt. "And these too." She nodded at my jeans, before nudging her hip into my zipper and moving it in a small circle. I bit my lip and she smirked. "So, gonna take 'em off?"

I pulled off my shirt. "Your turn."

"Demanding, demanding." She clucked her tongue, before beginning to unbutton her blouse.

I won't go into the rest of the sordid details – you can probably imagine them for yourself – but needless to say, I woke up wet and sticky and still not feeling satisfied. Fuck.

That night was more of the same, as was Sunday night. I was pretty sure by the time Katie and I actually did consummate our whatever-the-hell-this was – if we ever did, anyway – I wouldn't have any semen left. That thought didn't cheer me up any.

Shane was beyond chipper on Monday morning. He's one of those annoying, early-morning people who skips into the kitchen singing, "Good morning everyone, isn't it a beautiful day outside?" Those are the kind of people I usually want to use as guinea pigs to try out the latest brand of duct tape.

"What're you so happy about?" I grumbled as I poured myself a second cup of coffee.

"Kyle texted me. He wants to see me again this Friday." He grinned.

"You see him every day at school."

"You know what I mean."

"Not this early in the morning I don't." I took a sip of my coffee.

"He's asking me out on a date!"

Mom looked up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. "Oh dear, I do need to talk to you about safe sex, don't I?"

Shane rolled his eyes. "I told you about this. We're going to go to the drive-in."

"What movie are you going to see?"

He named off the movie for her, and she shook her head. "No way. That one may be PG13, but all the reviews say it should be rated R. You're not going without a chaperon."

"Mo-om!"

"I'm serious. James and Katie can go with you."

My jaw dropped. "Mo-om!"

Mom looked over at me. "What? It's perfect. Shane and Kyle can be in one car and you and Katie can be in the other. Maybe you two can even get to know each other a little better."

Shane smirked. "I'm sure James won't mind."

"Not like that!" Mom yelped. "I meant, maybe he can figure out if she likes him or not. Not – that – "

I shook my head. "Fine, I'll go, but if Katie kills me because she thinks I'm trying to get my hands on her, I'm never forgiving you two."

"That's fine," Mom replied. "Just make sure you keep an eye on your brother."

Ten minutes later Shane and I were on our way to school, the radio blaring 3 Doors Down.

"Are you really going to keep an eye on me?" Shane asked me.

"Are you nuts? Drive-in movies might as well be renamed Make Out Point. I plan on avoiding his car – because you two will be getting it on in his car, not mine – as much as I can, and I'm sure Katie will be doing the same."

Shane grinned. "And this is why you're the best big brother ever."

"That's right, and don't you ever forget it."

"I won't."

The first words out of Katie's mouth when she met up with me were, "So, did Shane tell you that Kyle asked him out?"

"He did, as a matter of fact. Speaking of which, how would you like to chaperon them with me?"

She blinked at me. "Excusez-moi?"

I grimaced. "Shane told my mom the name of the movie they're going to see and she kind of freaked out. She wants us chaperoning them."

"Dude! I'm not going to watch my best friend make out with your little brother!" she cried.

"Well, I'm not going to watch my little brother make out with your best friend!" I yelped.

"How about neither of you watch the little brother make out with the best friend and you two just make out with each other?!" some smart ass from chem lab shouted at us.

"How about you mind your own business?!" Katie yelled at him as he headed down the hall. He didn't respond.

"Hmmph." She crossed her arms. "Busy bodies."

I nodded, even though an image of Katie and me in my car, her in my lap, our lips pretty much glued together, was flashing through my mind. That really didn't sound like a bad idea…

"Anyway," she continued on, "I'll come with you, but I'm not sitting in the same car as them."

"We won't be. We'll be in my car, away from them."

"Okay, sounds good." She shuddered. "I love Kyle and I'd do anything for him, but I'm not going to cock block him."

I winced. "You're cock blocking him from my little brother."

"Oh, right, sorry. Would it bother you if he had sex?"

"Um…I don't know…I never actually thought about it."

Katie pressed her lips together. "Well, you know it's going to happen sooner or later, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I mean, it happened with you, so…"

I blinked at her. Um, what?

"You can't expect him to remain a virgin forever when you're not," she told me, patting my arm. "Anyway, I have to get to homeroom, and you probably should too. See you in a little while." She bustled off before I could correct her on the whole not-being-a-virgin thing. Because, the thing was, I was one. I totally was.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I never had the opportunities, it's just that I never took them. Call me old fashioned and a romantic, but I was waiting for the right girl.

But that still didn't explain why she thought I wasn't one.

I hurried to homeroom, still trying to figure it out. I slid into my usual seat and immediately turned to Logan. "Maybe you can explain something about Katie to me."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I doubt it, but I'll see what I can do…"

"Why does she think I've had sex before?"

He blinked. "Because you have…?"

I shook my head. "No! I haven't, I've never gotten that far with a girl. Hell, the only girlfriend I've ever had was in middle school and it lasted for three weeks before she decided Tyler Donahue had a cooler skateboard."

Logan chuckled. "Well, don't worry about that, I'm not one for dating either, and neither is Carlos or Kendall."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about the fact that Katie thinks I've gone all the way."

"Well, you can't really blame her for that, can you?" Logan replied.

"Why on earth would she think that?"

"Because you're you."

"Thanks, that really clears that up."

He chuckled. "Look, you're a good looking guy – and I mean that in a straight, non-platonic way. You're really good looking. Hell, I was probably even a little bit attracted to you when I first saw you, and I'm straighter than straight."

"That's good to know…"

"So yeah. You're a good looking guy who's well-built and, honestly, could be a model if you wanted to be. It's natural that people think you've gone around the block with a girl a couple of times."

"But I haven't!" I wailed. "And I don't want people to get the wrong idea about me!"

"What, that you're a nice guy?"

"What if they start thinking I'm a player? I don't want that. I'm not a player. I'm the complete opposite of one. And what if Katie starts thinking that? We're just finally starting to tread water – I don't want to sink back down to that dark, murky place."

Logan blinked at me. "Um…moving past the really weird metaphors…"

"What am I going to do?" I whined.

"Tell her the truth? Look, it's not that big of a deal, so don't worry about it."

"Well…okay…so…how far have you gotten with a girl?" I asked curiously.

Logan blushed bright red. "Um…well…"

"Well, he and Camille have made out a lot, even though they're not 'together'," Kendall grinned as he joined us, holding his fingers up as quotation marks. "Logan won't tell us anything else, but, as much as it pains me to admit, he's probably got the most experience. Which is actually pretty ironic because he's the dorky nerd and the rest of us are almost considered cool."

I laughed. "Nice, Kendall, real nice."

"So, how did you two get talking about that?" Kendall wanted to know. "Seems like kind of a random thing to discuss this early in the morning."

"Oh, Katie thinks James has had sex before and he hasn't," Logan said with a shrug. "He's getting all upset because he doesn't want her to think he's a player."

Kendall blinked at me. "You haven't?"

I banged my head against my desk. You know, most guys would love for everyone to think they're experienced…I'm definitely a freak of nature, because this was bothering me to no end.

"I guess it's because it would follow his stereotype," Kendall said. "You know, tall, dark, and handsome, an athlete, funny and nice, that kind of thing. Although, everyone seems to think that any guy over fifteen has had sex, so maybe it has nothing to do with his stereotype specifically."

"Yeah, you know, I think you're right," Logan agreed. "Camille's always complaining about that, how it's so cool if guys are sleeping around, but if girls even proceed past second base, then they're automatically considered sluts. It's so stupid, and I don't get it at all."

I shrugged. "Girls are judgmental and they're usually the ones who judge each other. That's just the way it goes."

"Sadly, I think you're right."

The rest of the week passed by both quickly and slowly. Quickly because I was excited to be getting some alone time with Katie in my car. Slowly because I was dreading to be getting some alone time with Katie in my car.

"How do I look?" Shane asked as he scampered into my room on Friday evening, a half hour before we needed to leave for the drive-in. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"You look like me," I informed him, gesturing to my all-too similar apparel.

Shane groaned. "Fuck! I don't want to look like you!"

"Well, gee, thanks. I hate to burst your bubble, but you do look like me. Same hair, same eyes, same skin tone, same nose. Hell, we even sound a lot alike. The only difference is that I'm taller and more muscular."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't rub it in," he grumbled. "Well, I can't wear this now. I want Kyle to think I'm original, not that I'm a carbon copy of my brother."

"I'm really not seeing the problem with being a carbon copy of me."

"This carbon copy of you might be seen making out with Kyle tonight."

"I'm getting you a wig and a new wardrobe."

Shane smirked. "Knew that would get to you. Like we'd let anyone see us…Anyway…t-shirt…but I can keep the jeans, right?"

"Yes, Shane, you can keep the jeans."

"Good. Because, not to sound like you, but they make my ass look awesome!"

I face-palmed. "Dude, you are so gay."

He snickered and wiggled his ass at me, before heading back into his room to change.

I checked myself out in the mirror once more, making sure that I looked okay. I did and, as much as I hated to sound like Shane, my black skinny jeans definitely did make my ass look awesome. And girls cared about how guys' asses looked, right?

Twenty-five minutes later, we were both ready. We kissed Mom's cheek before heading out to my car. We buckled up, I started the car, cranked up the radio, and drove to the drive-in.

We arrived fifteen minutes later, and Shane immediately pointed out Kyle's car. "There it is!"

I pulled up beside the blue SUV, eyeing it. "Looks pretty roomy."

Shane raised an eyebrow at me. "Wanna trade for the night? You can Katie can have the roomy SUV and Kyle and I get the less roomy, but rad car."

"Nope." I popped the P. "Just don't do anything that Mom will find out about and wring my neck for – I'm supposed to be watching you, remember?"

"Deal."

I parked my Dodge Challenger and turned off the ignition. Shane and I both climbed out, and Kyle and Katie got out of his car as well.

Shane and Kyle spent a long moment just looking at each other and smiling, while I moved over to stand beside Katie.

"Think we should remind them that it's about forty degrees outside?" I asked her, pulling my coat around me a little tighter. "I thought southern California was supposed to be warm."

"We're apparently having a cold streak – oh, and it's forty-five, not forty," she added helpfully.

"Good to know."

She grinned at me and propped herself up on the hood of Kyle's SUV, her feet dangling off the ground. I raised myself up beside her, waiting for Kyle and Shane to come back into their own little world. They were now standing about three inches apart, talking quietly.

"What are they, newlyweds?" Katie grumbled as she swung her legs. "I feel like I need to start throwing rice at them, and maybe write Congratulations Newlyweds on the back of his car."

I nodded in agreement. "I just want to get inside so that we can pay for the movie."

"Right. So…do you actually want to see the movie?"

I paused. "Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"I wouldn't see this movie if you paid me."

She let out a relived sigh. "Oh, thank goodness. I get this is supposed to be a romantic action comedy, but it looks so stupid. But Kyle likes stupid movies."

"So does Shane."

"You know, they'd be a lot happier if we weren't even a little bit close to them," she continued on. "I know we were going to just stay in your car, and we can do that, but I really don't want to pay for the movie."

"I don't want to pay for it either," I told her. "So, do you want to head somewhere else?"

"Sure. This way, they can feel like this is a real date and we get to hang out by ourselves."

I turned to look at her, and she immediately opened her mouth to correct herself.

"I just – I meant – we don't have other people bogging us down – I mean – whatever, it's been a long day."

"I know." We had had a pop quiz in English that day, and even I had struggled with it. Katie had admitted to me that she was pretty unsure about how she had done, and she had probably been knocking herself out about it.

"So, yeah, let's just do that. Come on, let's go tell the lovebirds."

We hopped off the hood of the car and headed over to Shane and Kyle, who were still talking softly.

They paused their conversation when Katie and I approached them.

"We've decided we're just going to head somewhere else," Katie told them. "Neither of us actually want to see this movie, and we all know this is actually a date for you two – we don't want to intrude. So…just have fun, okay?"

Shane and Kyle both blushed, but they nodded anyway.

"Good, but not too much fun," I broke in. "So, no fooling around or anything that involves making messes."

Katie clapped her hand over her mouth as the lovebirds blushed an even darker red in the light reflected from the concession building.

"James – !" Shane hissed, looking like he was about ready to kill me.

"So, nothing that involves the need for protection," I continued on, ignoring him. "No taking advantage of my little brother," I added sternly to Kyle. "Because I don't care how nice you seem, if you hurt him, I will personally hunt you down and kill you as painfully as I can. Okay?"

He nodded. "I wouldn't – I'd never hurt Shane…"

"Good, let's keep it that way."

"The same goes for you with Kyle," Katie said to Shane. "I may look small and innocent and adorable, but you don't want to mess with me."

"I know. Believe me, I know. I saw James after the volleyball attack, and after you tried to grope him."

Katie's face flushed. "I didn't try to grope him…"

"You mean you actually managed to grope him? He left out that part."

"She didn't grope me!" I hollered, causing a group of chatting college students a few cars down to turn to stare at us.

"But she wanted to," Kyle smirked.

"I – what?" Katie said blankly.

"So, no hurting Katie," Kyle winked at me.

"And no hurting James," Shane added to Katie. "Capiche?"

"Um…"

"Good. Have fun you two. Oh, and you better leave your car here, because if Mom sees it somewhere else besides here, she's going to get really mad," Shane continued on as he and Kyle pushed Katie and me away from our cars. "And you know she was planning on hanging out with some friends tonight. She thinks you're chaperoning me and Kyle. Seriously, you're such a bad influence on me, running off to get groped by Katie."

"I'm not running off to get groped by her!"

"I'm reading between the lines here, okay? So, have fun." He winked at me, before grabbing Kyle's hand and dragging him back to the SUV, leaving Katie and me standing at the edge of the parking lot in stunned silence.

"Did that just happen?" she asked blankly.

"You know, I think it just did. My little brother is getting so dirty minded…"

"So is my best friend…"

It was a few more minutes before we were able to get past the shock enough to address the situation at hand.

"So…where do you want to go?" I asked her.

"Well, we could go get food from the concession-stand-thingy," Katie suggested.

"Sounds good." We turned around and headed towards the café-sized building. We pushed through the doors and walked up to the counter. The cashier looked at us.

"Two tickets?"

I shook my head. "We're just here for the food. Are we allowed to eat here without having tickets?"

She nodded. "Sure, it's set up like a café. A lot of families come in here and eat dinner before a movie, and they don't pay for their tickets until right before the movie starts."

"Okay, cool." Katie and I scanned the menu items together, and after a couple of minutes, we were both ready to order.

I ended up getting a hamburger with deep fried curly fries, onion rings, and a chocolate milkshake, while Katie hesitantly got a salad and a diet Coke.

I looked at her curiously as we took our seats at a small, metal table by a window facing the parking lot. She picked up her fork and began to poke at her salad, her mood drastically changed.

"Why'd you only get a salad?" I asked her. "Not to be rude or anything, but…this is a drive-in. The point is not to eat healthy. And the deep fried fries are really cheap."

"I know," she said quietly as she dumped a packet of non-fat Ranch dressing over her salad.

"In fact, they were cheaper than the salad and the anorexic dressing."

"It's not anorexic dressing," she protested, but there wasn't any heart in it.

"Does that stuff even taste good?"

"It's – it's okay…"

I swiped my finger through a smear of dressing and stuck it in my mouth. I immediately made a face. "Gross. How can you eat that crap?"

"Very slowly…"

"Yet you're eating it."

"Yeah…"

"Why?" I demanded as I unwrapped my burger.

"Because Sarah doesn't want me gaining any weight. I went way over my calorie count last Friday – I can't do that again."

"Why not? I've seen how you eat. You're in absolutely no danger of gaining weight. And, no offense, but you're already pretty thin. You really don't need to lose weight."

"I know. But Sarah…she's forbidden me to gain weight. I have to be careful what I eat, because when I return to ice skating, she's going to start make me weigh myself weekly, and if I gain even a pound…" she sighed. "It can't happen. It just can't."

"That's not fair," I protested. "You're an athlete and you have a lot of lean muscle and you burn a lot of calories. You need more food than most girls your height – and most girls your height eat twice as much as you do. Katie, you're starving yourself."

"I'm not! I'm fine!" she cried, head snapping up, eyes blazing but also filled with tears.

"Your coach is trying to turn you anorexic! She wouldn't even let you eat popcorn on your birthday!"

"And I broke that rule, didn't I? And I paid the price for it."

My eyes widened. "How? What did she do to you?"

She chewed on her lip. "It's not – it's not important…"

"Well, it obviously has something to do with this. So, what happened?"

"She wants me to stay under one-thousand calories until I lose two more pounds!" she spat. "Okay? So yes, fine. She's turning me into an anorexic. If I don't lose the weight or if I cheat on my 'diet' again, she'll make me go down to five-hundred calories."

I stared at her in complete horror.

"Fuck this," she mumbled, throwing her napkin and fork down. She got to her feet, and the next thing I knew, she was dashing out of the building. I leapt to my feet and followed her, quickly catching up with her. I grabbed her, spinning her around to face me. Tear tracks streaked her face and her body was racking with silent sobs. I wordlessly enfolded her in my arms, holding her tightly, stroking her hair and letting her cry herself out.

It took a few minutes, but at least her breathing began to even out and her body stopped shaking. She let out a long breath, burying her face in my chest, and I pulled her even closer to me.

After a long moment, she pulled away from me, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For freaking out on you like that. For acting like such a girl."

"You are a girl," I pointed out. "And if it was me, I'd probably be freaking out too. Your coach shouldn't be allowed to get away with this."

"Yeah, well, she is. She's one of the best in California, and as my dad constantly reminds me whenever I complain about her, we're lucky to have her. She's gotten me through competitions."

"Kendall mentioned that she did this to you last year as well…"

She looked down, but didn't answer me.

"You can't listen to her. This is going to kill you," I said quietly. "If your parents won't get you a new coach, then just don't follow her orders. She doesn't have any right to tell you what you can and can't eat anyway – she's not a nutritionist."

"I know."

I slung an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go back inside and see if our food's still there. Do you want something else?"

She bit her lip. "I love deep fried curly fries…"

"I'll get you some."

"You don't have to – I can pay – "

I shook my head. "My treat. I'm the one who's turning you into a rebel."

She let out a giggle. "Okay. I should protest, but I won't."

"Good. Because I'm a stubborn ass and I won't budge."

"Well, you need to budge if you want to get back to eating." She lifted her leg to playfully shove her foot into my ass, pushing me forward.

I dragged her back into the concession stand and got her the fries. We sat back down where we had been before. Luckily, they hadn't cleared out our food yet, so I got to finish off my burger and my own fries and onion rings.

Katie took her time with the fries, eating them slowly as if she was savoring every bite. It made me wonder how long it had been since she had last eaten them.

We finished a little while later, and got to our feet to throw our garbage away and bundle back up. It really wasn't as cold as it had been in Minnesota, but after having weather that remained above sixty degrees, it felt like we were in Antarctica.

"So, do you just want to walk around?" Katie asked me once we were outside.

I nodded. "Sure. Feel like showing me around this area of town on foot?"

"Sounds good." She smiled at me and we set off together, walking down the sidewalk.

"So…there's something I want to clear up," I said after a couple minutes of silence.

She looked at me. "What?"

"You know how you said on Monday that I wasn't a virgin?"

"Uh huh."

"Well…I never got the chance to correct you – and this is a really stupid thing to be correcting you on – but I actually am one."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "You are?" she looked as shocked as Logan and Kendall had.

I nodded. "Yeah. Why is everyone so surprised?"

"Uh, because you're James Diamond and you're super hot and pretty much every girl in the school has had a wet dream about you?"

I raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed slightly.

"I'm just sayin'…"

"Sure…"

She twiddled her thumbs innocently. "My point is, hot guys with hot cars are never virgins."

"But that's just a stereotype," I protested. "Like – like the thing with Shane and me."

"Huh?"

"Well, everyone assumes that I'm the gay one because I care about my appearance and fashion, and Shane couldn't care less about either both days. It's one reason why my dad made me quit skating – he was afraid I was turning into a girl."

Katie held up her hand. "Wait, wait, wait – your dad made you quit skating? That's why you're not doing it anymore?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, that's stupid. Why would he think that it would turn you into a girl?"

"Because he is stupid. He cares about appearances a little too much, and what anyone else wants comes second to that. He made me quick drama, choir, and dance because of that too."

"You were involved in the performing arts?"

I nodded. "They were to me what hockey is to Shane and your brother – what figure skating is to you."

"And he made you quit?"

"Yeah."

"Did you do any plays?"

"Yeah, I did a lot of theater when I was in elementary school."

"And you loved it?"

"Yeah, more than anything."

"Excuse my French and the insult to your dad, but he is a royal fucker."

"I know."

She shook her head, looking stunned. "I can't believe someone would do that to their own kid. Did he make Shane quit stuff?"

"Nope. Shane did the right stuff for boys – baseball, basketball, and soccer."

"Does your dad know he's gay?"

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't, but I'm also pretty sure he wouldn't care. As long as Shane doesn't appear to be a fairy, he's fine." I heard the venom erupt into my voice, sharpening it.

"That's even stupider. He's, like, a weird closeted homophobe who isn't even a homophobe!" Katie cried. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"I know. But I could be completely wrong, considering he was so afraid of me turning out gay."

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to see how he reacts when Shane comes out to him. God. I hate people like that. Jett Stetson's a lot like that, but Kyle can kick his ass, so he doesn't say anything." She crossed her arms. "Don't ever introduce me to him, okay? Because I don't want to get arrested for aggravated assault."

I stared at her, amazed at how indignant she was on my behalf. She looked like she was about ready to go kick down a couple of lamp posts.

She returned my stare, before turning around and beginning to walk again. I matched her pace, watching her out of the corner of my eye. Her fists were clenched and her jaw was set.

"It's one of the reasons why my parents divorced," I said after a few moments.

"What?"

"My dad making me quit so many things…My mom couldn't stand that, so she left him."

"Why didn't you ever start back up?"

"I just…I don't know. I still saw my dad on the weekends and stuff, and whenever he found out that I had gone ice skating or something with some friends, he got really pissed off. So…I just stopped. I was tired of him getting mad at me. It just didn't seem worth it anymore."

Katie reached out and took my hand, entwining my fingers with hers. "You should start back up again. At the very least with drama and choir and dance. You can take those classes next quarter. I'd even join you in drama – I've always wanted to take a drama class, just to see what it's like. Have you been in the theater yet?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet."

"Well, in that case, come on. The school's not too far away, and it's open tonight because of a swim meet."

"But is the theater open?"

"Should be, it usually is. They keep it open because kids like to study in there or practice oral presentations and stuff. Come on." She pulled me down the street, and about ten minutes later, we reached the school. We crossed the parking lot and she led me to the performing arts building. She yanked the door open and we slid in. She fumbled around for a moment, before finding the light switches and flicking them on. The theater lit up dramatically and brilliantly, and my breath caught in my throat.

I had forgotten how powerful it felt to be in a theater, the space open like an amphitheater. The seats were red, as were the drapes on the wall and the stage curtains. The stage itself was oak, sturdy and wide, with stairs leading up to it.

My feet, of their own accord, began moving me down the aisle between the rows of seats, propelling me towards the stage. I passed by the orchestra pit and mounted the stairs, quickly drawing level with the stage.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out onto it and crossed it, before spinning around on my heel to face the almost empty theater. Katie had taken a seat in the front row, looking up at me.

"You look like you belong up there," she commented. "I know that sounds weird, but it's like you and the stage have chemistry."

"Great, now I'm having a romantic relationship with the stage." I choked out a breathless laugh.

"I can't explain it…You just look like you belong there."

"My mom said that the very first time she saw me on a stage."

"I can believe it." She paused, and then tilted her head. "Act something out for me."

"I'm sorry?"

"Act something out for me. A scene from a TV show or something. A monologue."

I bit my lip, a monologue popping into my mind at once.

"Do it," she urged me. "I can see it in your face – you want to."

"I haven't – I don't…I don't know…"

"Do you have one in mind?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you remember it all?"

"Yeah. I did it for my English class last year."

"And you still remember it?" her eyes widened.

"Well…yeah…"

"Do you have a photographic memory or something?"

"No…I just remember lines well."

"I'll say…Well, come on, Jamie-Bear. I want to hear it, and I know you want to do it."

I wordlessly nodded, and moved to the center of the stage: "''Tis only title thou disdain'st in her, the whichI can build up. Strange is it that our bloods,
Of colour, weight, and heat, pour'd all together,
Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off
In differences so mighty. If she be
All that is virtuous, save what thou dislikest,
A poor physician's daughter, thou dislikest
Of virtue for the name: but do not so:
From lowest place when virtuous things proceed,
The place is dignified by the doer's deed:
Where great additions swell's, and virtue none,
It is a dropsied honour. Good alone
Is good without a name. Vileness is so:
The property by what it is should go,
Not by the title. She is young, wise, fair;
In these to nature she's immediate heir,
And these breed honour: that is honour's scorn,
Which challenges itself as honour's born
And is not like the sire: honours thrive,
When rather from our acts we them derive
Than our foregoers: the mere word's a slave
Debosh'd on every tomb, on every grave
A lying trophy, and as oft is dumb
Where dust and damn'd oblivion is the tomb
Of honour'd bones indeed. What should be said?
If thou canst like this creature as a maid,
I can create the rest: virtue and she
Is her own dower; honour and wealth from me.

My honour's at the stake; which to defeat,
I must produce my power. Here, take her hand,
Proud scornful boy, unworthy this good gift;
That dost in vile misprision shackle up
My love and her desert; that canst not dream,
We, poising us in her defective scale,
Shall weigh thee to the beam; that wilt not know,
It is in us to plant thine honour where
We please to have it grow. Cheque thy contempt:
Obey our will, which travails in thy good:
Believe not thy disdain, but presently
Do thine own fortunes that obedient right
Which both thy duty owes and our power claims;
Or I will throw thee from my care for ever
Into the staggers and the careless lapse
Of youth and ignorance; both my revenge and hate
Loosing upon thee, in the name of justice,
Without all terms of pity. Speak; thine answer.'" I finished with a sharp, fiery look at the audience, before falling silent, breathing hard.

There was a long silence, before Katie began clapping. I bowed, smiling widely. That had felt amazing. It had been such an adrenaline rush, leaving me gasping for breath and my heart pounding, as if I had just run a 5K.

After several seconds, Katie spoke: "What was that from?"

"Shakespeare's play: All's Well That Ends Well. It's the king's monologue. There's a part where Bertram and Helena cut in, but I edited it out."

She blinked at me. "I have no idea who Bertram and Helena are, but okay, cool. Anyway," she smiled up at me. "That was amazing. I had no idea what was going on, but you were so intense, so passionate. James, you have to get back into acting. If you don't, I'll never forgive you. Your dad's not here to stop you," she added in a wheedling voice.

I bit my lip, before nodding. If I could have more of that, then I would be more than willing to face my dad's wrath about it. But Katie was right, he wasn't here to stop me from doing what I wanted to. "I'll do it. I'll sign up for a drama class next quarter."

She beamed, leaping to her feet and rushing onto the stage. She threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly, before kissing my cheek. "You're going to be amazing! One day, I'll be able to say that I knew James Diamond when…"

As clichéd as it was, I literally felt my heart swell at her words. I had a feeling that she was right – this really was going to be amazing.

It was past eleven by the time Shane texted me to let me know that the movie was over. But he put in that we could take our time – and then he made sure to add in a winky face.

Katie and I headed out, making our way back to the school. We chatted as we walked, talking about nothing in particular, stuff like favorite colors and food. It was close to midnight by the time we reached the drive-in parking lot. We strolled over to Kyle's car, but froze as we approached.

Even through the tinted windows and dim light, it was obvious that Shane and Kyle were kissing, hands all over each other.

Katie looked at me. "I really hate to break up this little love fest…"

"I do too…"

"Come on, let's go get in your car. I'll text Kyle to let him know we're here, but that he can spend a little more time with Shane, okay?"

"Perfect." I unlocked my car and we climbed in.

"I like this car," she said. "It's nice."

"Thanks. It was a sixteenth birthday present from my grandparents."

"Are you close with them?"

"Yeah. In fact, they actually live out here. It's one of the reasons why my mom chose La Castillo when she was trying to figure out where we should move. Throwing darts at a wall map wasn't working, so she went for her roots."

Katie chuckled. "Still, that's pretty cool. Do you see them often?"

I shook my head. "They're on vacation, actually. They'll be back around Thanksgiving, though."

"Okay. Where're they at right now?"

"I think they're somewhere in Hawaii, but I'm not too sure about that."

"Lucky people. I'd love to be in Hawaii."

"Right? They should've brought the town's teenagers with them."

"Definitely." She grinned at me and I grinned back.

"Thanks for being there for me tonight," she said quietly. "With my problems and everything…I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. And thanks for showing me the theater. That was – that was amazing."

She smiled again. "Yeah, it was."

Before I could think about what I was doing, I was leaning in, and she was moving towards me too. I could feel her breath on my lips…Her phone beeped loudly.

Un-fucking-believable. So close…So fucking close…

She jumped back and pulled her phone out. "Oh, it's Kyle. He and Shane are done for now. Um…so…I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later…"

With a glance at me over her shoulder, she opened the car door and climbed out, exchanging seats with Shane, who slid in a split second later. He grinned at me, lips swollen, cheeks flushed, and hair tousled.

"You look like a hot mess," I informed him.

"I know." His grin widened. "Isn't it great?"

Shaking my head and laughing to myself, I put my seatbelt on and started the car. I glanced towards Kyle's SUV again and I caught sight of Katie right before she closed the passenger door. She looked at me and our eyes locked for a long moment. For the second time that night, my breath caught in my throat, and my heart began thumping loudly. But then there was the sound of an engine backfiring, and our focus was broken.

With a sigh, I put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking spot, with Kyle behind me. Time to head home and dream about what could have been…what almost was…

So...what'd you guys think? Did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Wanna hug it? The review button would love to have some holiday cheer, so click on it and it'll be super happy. It might even drink eggnog and sing "Deck the Halls" ;P So, review and let me know what you guys thought of this! I love hearing from you all - your reviews make my day that much better :)

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And if I don't update before Christmas, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Love you guys!