Next up, let's start this fortnight! Thanks for your reviews, detectivezelda and Sideshow Cellophane 26 (just a warning, it gets worse).

Lisa tactfully didn't ask questions the next day. Bart, on the other hand, asked me what had happened from the minute I was done in the bathroom.

"So, did he turn up? What did he tell you to do? Did he kiss you again?"

I groaned and snapped "Yes, he turned up. No, he didn't kiss me. And you can't tell anyone that he's making me be his girlfriend from Saturday for a fortnight. But if you tell anyone that he's forcing me into it and it gets back to Curly, my social life will be a bust. Then I will personally kill you-"

"Forget it, I can hold you off easy, and you know it." Bart smirked.

"Fine." I smiled back sweetly. "Then I'll get Lisa to help me, and then I'll call Helga and ask her for help, too. Knowing her secret gives me good blackmail fodder if she refuses. All three of us will be more than a match for you, and you know it. So don't tell." I conveniently forgot for a second that Bart knew her secret as well.

Curly's words echoed through my head for the next couple of days. "I don't want you to act. I want you to be." No matter what he said, I would have to act. Who knew, maybe it would become natural to me after a week, and although I would still dread every minute, it wouldn't be so much of an ordeal.

I wasn't too worried, though. I could act. If there were three things I could do, they were paint, sing and act. What I was more worried about was how Curly would act around me. I could act fine, but he wouldn't be acting. This would all be real to him, and I was almost afraid of what he was planning on.

It came to Saturday. My first thought when I woke up was "Oh no, this is the day Curly expects me to act as his girlfriend."

For the first time, I was glad of Mom's thing about spending weekends as a family. She didn't pull it on us all the time, but this weekend, we all had to go out for the day together. So when I found the first email from Curly that morning "Can I come over to yours today?", I had an honest reason to say no.

"Mom's taking the whole family out, we won't be back until around four."

Curly almost immediately emailed back "No problem, I'll come over after dinnertime. I'll be thinking of you all day, my gorgeous girlfriend."

I cringed, but what could I do without being utterly and totally humiliated in front of everyone?

Curly actually took the door this time. I heard the doorbell ring in my room, and for once, Dad opened it, as I watched from the top of the stairs. I heard the usual chipper voice say "Hi! Stephanie should be expecting me."

Dad turned and yelled up the stairs "Stephanie, get down here!"

"Tell him to come up!" I yelled back. "I'll be in my room!"

Only seconds later, Curly had opened the door to my room and bounced in, closing the door. "Hi, my beauty."

I dredged up a smile and said "Hey, Curly. I've been thinking about this all day." No need to add that I couldn't get my mind off it because I wished it wasn't going to happen.

"So have I, my treasure."

I sighed and then said "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, my love goddess!" Curly said, the usual dramatic tone to his voice. "Ask me anything."

"Well," I admitted. "I have two questions. One, could you please stop calling me those names? Two, do I have to be involved in PDAs?"

Curly thought for a moment, then answered "For your first question, even if I could break the habit of doing it, I wouldn't. You're too beautiful, I can't help wanting to tell you how amazing you are with every breath. My heart's keeper." He added with a grin. "And for the second, what's wrong with that? Don't you want to tell the whole world that we're together?"

I frowned, but I had to play the part. "No. Isn't being together enough for you?"

"Having the world know is part of being together. Now come kiss me!"

I recognized an order when I heard one, but in spite of that being an order, I didn't have that much chance to refuse, even if I'd dared to. It was just like last time, except that my arms were free as I was now lying on my bed as the kid above me kissed me over and over again. Some were quick, some lingered, some light, some passionate.

I reminded myself not to get involved in it. If I had to go with Curly's plan, then I was compliant. But I didn't have to react, did I?

Curly broke one kiss and then looked at me carefully. "You're not kissing me back." he said, a trace of a scowl appearing. He got off me and lay on the bed next to me.

"You weren't giving me a chance." I argued. "You're up and off straight away."

A glow seemed to come to my blackmailer's face. "Well, this time, take your chance." He cupped my face in his hands, and brought his lips onto mine once again.

This kiss was the sweetest one he'd given me. It was gentle, it lingered, and even if he hadn't ordered me to, I wouldn't have been able to resist kissing back. Alarm bells chimed in my mind, reminding me that this was Curly, and that it wasn't right, but I reminded myself again that I would be the laughingstock of the school if I didn't respond to this.

I was drawn back to the kiss itself when I felt something else press against my lips. Curly broke away from me for a brief moment. "Open up." Then his lips carefully moved to pull mine apart with them. I knew what was going to happen next.

It was the first time I'd ever been french-kissed, and I couldn't stop the sensations that ran through me. I couldn't possibly comprehend the exact happening of another person's tongue in my mouth, but it felt incredible. I almost forgot that this was a nine-year-old. I couldn't think of another kid of that age who would go that far. Well...I could imagine that Helga might french-kiss Arnold, but then she was crazy in love.

"Did you have gum before coming here?" I whispered when he was done.

"No, I use freshener." Curly gave me his trademark manic grin. "Glad you noticed."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up and let's get this over with." I wasn't thinking.

"Over with?" Curly questioned my words. "I thought you were-"

I sighed. "Yes, but I've had boyfriends before. My friend Laura was addicted to her ex-boyfriend's lips until she discovered he was a total wimp, but I prefer to spend a first date slash visit watching stuff on my computer."

Curly shrugged. "I guess we could do that. On one condition."

I tilted my head. "What?" I asked suspiciously.

"We'll watch whatever, you choose, but I can't possibly concentrate if I can't get a taste of those luscious lips now and again. And you ARE my first real girlfriend."

"Not so real." I muttered under my breath, but I agreed and set up this English comedy show. Our family used to watch it when I was seven, but now, if I ever watched it, I used YouTube, since I couldn't stand Dad laughing his head off in the most annoying way the whole time.

Curly did laugh at most of the jokes, too, but it was in a way I didn't mind. He did have a laugh that sounded demented, but I kind of liked that about him, and besides, what could I do about it? He did follow through with his condition, going in to kiss me several times. I started giggling after he kissed me just as one of the main characters started crying because her boyfriend was legally bound to another woman.

Curly looked at me in question.

"That..." I said, "Was the weirdest...time for you to...I mean when...she was broken...hearted..."

Curly shrugged. "That was why I did it, baby cakes." he said seriously. "Cause it reminded me how I would never be able to stand it if it was you crying."

"Me!" I scoffed, ignoring the name he'd just called me. "I never cry."

That night, when he was gone, I smiled a little. Maybe I could get through this fortnight. After all, although I felt nothing romantic for the kid, and besides it being a bit creepy on both sides, that night hadn't been too bad. Maybe I could survive with less torture, but a little bit of discomfort.

Besides, apart from the kiss thing, that night had been kind of fun, like when we hung out together as friends.

I don't want Stephanie to become Rhonda. She's not determined to hate every second. Please review! Oh, and the comedy show is called "My Hero" and it can be found on YouTube. The episode I talk about is called "Girlfriend".