Here we are, chapter 5 and there's some action! maybe...probably not. Anyways, read on and enjoy. Now here is my shameless plug, Redmeptio Animae is up for sale on amazon for the kindle or whatever ebook you have as well as hard copy! WHEEE so you should hop on over and purchase it and encourage writers of all shapes and sizes to keep doing it and publishing stories you want to read! Okay that is all, also thank WritingSux for the sweet 90's tidbits.

Mom was going to be pissed when she found out that I had been suspended. On the other hand she might not be due to the fact that I was standing up for someone who couldn't find the courage to stand up for themselves. Either way I knew she wasn't going to be happy about the fact that I had decided to indulge in retail therapy to help me work through it. I was only suspended for the next two days because I had managed to flirt and defend myself through it and talked Mr. Carp down to two days instead of two weeks.

I walked around the mall, hoping that shopping would have made me feel better but it didn't. Instead all I thought about was Lauren and how I hoped the trio of assholes didn't bother her for the rest of the day. I walked into one of the smaller stores and looked at the dresses that were on sale. The Halloween dance was coming up soon.

I chuckled to myself, now that Dyson and I had broken up there was no point in me going. I pulled a black dress off the rack and ran my fingers down the soft fabric. I put it back and decided that Ben and Jerry would be my date that night along with another watching of Clueless and probably something depressing like the Bodyguard or, if I'm feeling ambitious, The Lion King. I blew out an exasperated breath then walked out of the store.

I made a beeline for the pretzel stand and got myself a pretzel with some cheese sauce. I should have probably went home but shopping usually made me happy, this time it wasn't the case. I kept thinking about Lauren and the way things were between us. Maybe if I told her about my developing crush or whatever this was she would try talking to me. Or maybe not. Telling her would probably result in either her telling me that she would never be involved with someone as stupid as me or she could possibly have a heart attack because the thought of someone having a crush on her would be mind blowing.

I found it mind blowing actually, but the girl had managed to open my eyes to the person she was and damn was she amazing. Lauren didn't have to be at school but she was, every day, and she faced the same shit every day. She was brave, courageous, and had a huge heart. But I would never see how truly beautiful she was because I blew it all to hell. I sighed. Dammit. I was pining for the nerd.

I tore a piece off the pretzel then swirled it around in the cheese sauce and I was mentally berating myself about my massive screw up when I ran into someone. My cheese sauce was crushed between our bodies and spilled over the both of us. "Oh my…shit. I am-" I looked up and saw who it was and gawked at her in stunned silence.

Lauren was dabbing at the cheese sauce that was on her navy FBI shirt and when she looked at me her glasses were crooked on her face and she looked just as shocked as I did. We stared at each other and I hadn't realized that Tamsin was with her until she snorted then asked, "Do either of you know how to pay attention to where you're walking?"

I snapped my head in her direction then looked back at Lauren before looking back at Tamsin. "What are you doing here?"

Tamsin shrugged then with a smile on her face she nudged Lauren's shoulder, "Trying to get Lauren to live a bit."

This was opposite of what I asked Tamsin to do. She was going to get Lauren in trouble. I scoffed and as I started cleaning the cheese sauce off of Lauren's shirt, "I told you to make sure that she wasn't messed with by Dyson and the assholes that follow him. Not get her in trouble. Dammit Tamsin."

I thought I heard Lauren say something but Tamsin said, "And this is what I'm doing. Don't yell at me. Plus she needs to learn to live a little. I mean there is more to life than books and X-Files and whatever."

"I'm not even certain what an X-File is but I'm certain it's something that Lauren is benefitting from." I grimaced as I looked at the cheese stain which I was still dabbing at.

Tamsin started to say something but she was interrupted when Lauren said, "Uh…Bo you can stop."

I looked at her with a confused look on my face then it clicked in my mind as too what I was doing. I was touching Lauren's boobs. I mean I was cleaning the cheese off of her shirt but the location of the cheese was on her boobs. Oh god. I snatched my hand back and stammered, "Oh-oh-I-oh-Shit. Shit." This moment couldn't have been anymore awkward. Lauren standing there, her face the same bright red shade as the Camaro that I drove; Tamsin had a confused look on her face, and I'm certain I just look horrified. I stared at Lauren a moment longer then blurted out, "Sorry. I am so sorry." I turned around so I could leave the mall. Throwing away the damn crushed cheese container and half-eaten pretzel.

This day was going so frickin' well.

XXXX

"I can't believe that the jeans you wear are your dad's old ones from high school." Tamsin gave me a look, "Why on earth are you wearing old dude jeans?"

I rolled my eyes, handing over the credit card my mom gave me last year for emergencies to the older lady behind the counter. When I called my mom to ask if I could use it to buy new clothes, she was shocked and when I confessed I was skipping class to go to the mall, my mom only chuckled and told me it was about time I misbehaved. It was beginning to feel like I was in a strange episode of the twilight zone. "He's not an old dude, he's still very young." I sighed, "I hate shopping in general and I'm in the middle of a growth spurt, and dad's jeans seemed to work."

Tamsin shook her head, "Well it's time to get jeans that fit you. When you run away in school, I could see the panic of whether or not you should hold onto your big ass jeans or the big ass bag on your back." She smiled, "That's why I got you the messenger bag, more stability."

I frowned, pushing up my glasses, "Please don't try to do a makeover on me, I've seen Can't Buy Me Love. Makeovers solve very little." I then looked at Tamsin, "Plus I like the way I look."

Tamsin moved closer to me, tapping the bag of two brand new pair of jeans that fit me properly and actually gave my lanky body curves. "I have no intentions of doing a makeover. It would be far too much work, all I'm looking to do is make things easier for you. Help you find confidence when you don't have to worry about whether or not you're going to pants yourself in the middle of the hallway."

I frowned, taking the credit card back from the cashier, "Clothes aren't important."

"I know, I know, it's what's inside that matters." Tamsin mumbled, following me out of the store. "Ooh, food court. That's the next stop, I need some pretzels."

I felt a hand latch onto my arm and drag me towards the food court. "We should probably head back to school. I need to prepare for tonight's tutoring session." I was getting anxious about being illegally out of school. It didn't matter that my mom approved of this adventure, I felt obligated and always stuck to the rules.

"Pfft, no ones going to be there tonight, Lewis. I've been suspended, Callie has a recruiter meeting for Berkley, and the rest of the sports turds have extra long practice to prepare for next month's county playoffs." She turned, smirking at me, "It would have been just you and Bo."

I frowned, stepping up to catch up to Tamsin, "It sounds creepy when you say it like that." I looked down at the bag in my hands, suddenly remembering that I forgot the credit card receipt. "Oh fudge." I spun around to rush back to the store, "Tams…." My words were cut off when I collided hard with someone, feeling something wet and warm smash into my chest.

"Oh my, Shit..I am."

My eyes went wide when I opened them to see Bo literally smashed against me with a paper tray of pretzel and cheese stuck in-between us. She took a step back, leaving a rather large glob of the processed cheese on my shirt right underneath the FBI logo. I reached up, poking the glob with my finger and looked up, looking right into bright brown eyes that seemed to smile even though Bo wasn't actually smiling.

I fell into a zone, staring at the features of the girl in front of me, each one solidifying all the intense feelings I felt for her. Tamsin was talking but I heard nothing she said, or Bo said, I was too caught up in the way her bones all came together to make a person that had my heart racing like crazy and sweat building in places I never sweated.

I moved to straighten my glasses when a hand shot out with a napkin and touched my boob. I shot my eyes down at Bo's hand moving across my boob in a manner that was her attempt to clean off the glob of cheese, but I didn't even register that innocent thought. All I could comprehend was Bo's hand was on my boob, touching it and it was filling my body with that strange lighting striking feeling I had felt when she hugged me. There was another strange sensation that bordered on inappropriate, it kept building until I finally shut down that part of my body and forced my voice to work. "Uh….Bo you can stop."

Bo's hand froze, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates when she realized what she was doing. She began rambling, mumbling and backing away as her face turned probably the same red color I was sporting.

She spun around on her heel and started half running out of the food court. I watched her, stunned into being paralyzed.

"Oh for shit's sake, go. Go after the girl." Tamsin shoved my shoulder, making me stumble forward. "You both are a terrible real life romantic comedy but not at all funny."

I gave Tamsin a confused look, "She touched my boob."

Tamsin chortled, "Congratulations?" She shoved me again, "Go stop her, talk to her and give your balls a little growth spurt." She then motioned to Bo rushing towards the Suncoast movie store right next to the food court, "I was going to ask if you heard what she said, but after that boob comment, your big brain probably exploded into a million pieces the second her hand graced your upper deck."

I grimaced, "What the fudge are you saying?"

Tamsin grabbed the bag of jeans out of my hand and shoved me harder, "I'm saying go get the cheerleader, Lewis. I'll be waiting at Sbarro eating slices, find me there when you're done."

I went to say something else, but Tamsin shook her head no and walked away before I could debate her idea was a terrible one.

I didn't want to talk to Bo, I knew my face was an awkward shade of red and the first words out of my mouth would be asking why she touched my boob. I rolled my eyes, this boob fixation was creeping me out.

I sucked in a breath and forced my legs to start working on carrying me over to Suncoast where I saw Bo mingling in the back where the t-shirts were.

Why was this day getting weirder? Why was my life getting weirder? I went from the lone ranger nerd a couple of weeks ago to the girl who seemed to be getting everyone suspended defending my name and honor. I shook my head, folding my arms, this was all Mr. Aberdeen and the rest of the faculties fault. Trying to get me to be more social, the way I was going by Christmas break, I'd probably have half the school on suspension.

Walking into the store, I felt my throat tighten when I moved closer to Bo, she was really pretty flustered, her cheeks covered in a soft pink. I frowned, telling myself to knock it off and focus on the task. "Bo?"

She tensed up, halting her manic flipping through of shirts on the rack in front of her, she turned to me, "I'm looking for a new shirt for you, since I cheesed all over that one."

I looked down at the drying nacho cheese, shrugging, "It's okay, I got doubles of this one." I smiled softly, trying my best to make Bo feel better. For a strange reason I always wanted to make her smile even if she was truly in the wrong.

She shook her head, "No, I need to replace it. I ruined it and I need to fix things." She returned to the rack, "I need to fix a lot of things."

I stepped closer and placed a shaky hand on her shoulder, "Bo, it's okay, I mean it." I bent to look at her, cursing my big damn glasses for getting in the way of everything, "Can we talk?"

Bo sighed, yanking out a black t-shirt with a giant neon X on the back, "Are you a medium?"

I rolled my eyes, "I am, but I already have this one." I waited a second, "Bo, we should talk about what happened today."

Bo shook her head, her brow creasing up in frustration, "It's all my fault Lauren, I am taking all the blame for what happened today and on Friday. It's my fault that all the cool kids seem to be head hunting you, all I wanted to do was get people to treat you right and not like a nerdy whipping girl." She bit her bottom lip, her eyes glassing over, "And here I am, hurting you more than any of them and destroying your clothing."

I stared at her, confused and amazed at the reaction Bo was having. "It's okay, Bo, I know I'm a nerd and I know that being a nerd comes with crap." I dropped my hand away from Bo, hating how warm she was and that it was doing weird things to my body.

"No, Lauren, you're so much more than a nerd. You're kind, funny, smarter than all of the teachers, big hearted and so very cute when you push your glasses up. You see the best in people and not the little things to pick on to make yourself feel better." Bo glanced at me, "I shat all over that." She suddenly turned away from me, shoving the t-shirt back on the rack before moving to the wall of t-shirts.

She called me cute, she touched my boob and now she said I was cute when I fidgeting with ill fitting glasses. Bo Dennis said I was cute less than five minutes after touching my boob.

Fudge.

I swallowed down my stomach, and decided to take Tamsin's advice about living a little and getting those balls she keeps talking about.

I sucked in a huge breath that almost made me gag and moved towards Bo, I had to do this and if it failed, well I had multiple outs that would keep me away from her and all of Mapleview high. I licked my lips before speaking, "And you're courageous, independent, braver than I could ever be, smart and I would give up my entire x-files collection to see that look on your face when you figure out an equation. The adorable smirk you get, like you're telling that equation to fudge off, you don't have me." I looked down at the tops of my shoes, "You're kind too, Bo, and I don't know what I am feeling, but all I know is that when you're around me, I forget who I am to the school and only care about how to make you smile, laugh and at the end of the day, I think, um...what…I'm trying to say is that." I sucked in another breath, "Is I think I have a crush on you and I really like you Bo, and I'll understand if you never want to talk to me again or something. But thank you, Bo, thank you for being a weird catalyst that changed my view of you and gave me my very first real friend in Tamsin. " I kept my head down, wringing my hands as I turned to walk back out of the store before breaking into a run to get Tamsin. "I'm sorry I got you suspended, defending me." I didn't dare look at her, I didn't want my photographic memory to lock on Bo's face when she issued whatever rejection or disgust that was about to come out of her mouth.

I shrugged to no one and backed up, my head still down I could feel my stomach begging to let it throw up the breakfast burrito Tamsin and I had on the way to the mall. I just had told the most popular girl in school that I had a crush on her, something so bold and incredibly frightening. I was starting to understand what Tamsin was saying about taking chances and embracing them no matter what. It was exhilarating and beyond frightening.

This day was getting so fudging weird.

xXxXxX

I grabbed hold of Lauren's arm and said, "Wait. You have a crush on me?"

The painfully shy girl took a deep breath and as she continued to look down at her shoes as she sighed out, "Yeah. It's nothing though." Lauren kicked at the ground, "Tamsin told me to grow some balls and tell you so this is me growing balls and telling you." She removed my hand off her arm as she said, "It's cool though Bo you don't-"

"How can you have a crush on me?" I scoffed interrupting whatever rant Lauren was about to go on. I turned back to the shirts hanging on the wall giving myself something to do as my mouth got a mind of its own "I'm like an idiot cheerleader and you're a fricking genius. You are way out of my league. I can barely get simple chem equations. You probably laugh at me-"

My verbal diarrhea was interrupted by a loud and adamant, "You are not an idiot Bo."

I chuckled and said, "You don't have to say that. I've accepted my reality. Although I'm less of an idiot because of you."

"I'm not going to let you stand her and call yourself an idiot Bo." Lauren stated looking me square in the eye. This was weird because she had never looked me in the eye. At least not for a lengthy amount of time. Maybe she had found her balls. "You just learn differently. That doesn't make you an idiot. What does make you an idiot were the friends you had but you seemed to have corrected that." She got a surprised look on her face then looked down at her shoes. I couldn't believe she had said that either. Lauren cleared her throat, "Again I'm sorry about that by the way. You-You didn't have to do that for me."

I pulled off a medium sized Counting Crows shirt off the rack and remarked, "Well it had to be done. I wasn't going to let that asshole get away with humiliating you like that."

Lauren lifted her head and smiled, "I would have gotten through it. I always do."

I shook my head and said, "You shouldn't have to get through anything Lauren and I'm going to make sure that they leave you alone."

"By making sure Tamsin is basically stalking me?" She grinned, "Good plan but she can't stalk me all day at school. She has classes."

I smirked and countered, "Guess I'll have to pick up the slack on that then." My smirk turned into a grin when I saw a hint of red come to her cheeks. "I see that's an idea you're not objecting to." She went to go say something and I shook my head, "Nope too late. I'm doing it. Now let me go pay for this and I'm not going to let you talk me out of it. I ruined your shirt and plus think of it as a thank you gift for everything you've done for me."

Lauren nodded but then said, "Okay but um…who's the Counting Crows?"

I gawked at her then smiled, "Wow. Tamsin and I need to expose you to some good music. Come on."

We went to the register and as the unenthused clerk rang up the shirt Lauren asked, "Bo why are you doing this?"

I glanced at her as I handed the annoyed clerk my credit card, "Because I cheesed all over your shirt."

Lauren rolled her eyes then gave me an uncertain look, "Not this. I mean the whole Tamsin thing and the kicking Dyson in the…." She trailed off and motioned with her eyes for what she meant which caused me to smile. She was too adorable sometimes.

I signed the receipt then took the bag before handing it to Lauren. I looked at her for a moment and she began to fidget with the plastic bag that was in her hand. If this shy, socially inept, girl can find the courage to tell me that she had a crush on me then why couldn't I tell her? Other than the fact that I didn't want her to pass out in the store. I gave Lauren a reassuring smile and said, "Let's go find somewhere to talk."

"O-O-Okay." Lauren stammered out.

Crap. I made her nervous. "It's nothing Lauren. Trust me. I just want to talk to you about why in private. I'm sorry. I suck at talking."

We began to make our way out of the store and Lauren smiled, "I doubt that. Though I have noticed that you like to ramble."

I felt my cheeks warm up and bit the inside of my lip then admitted, "It happens when I'm stressed out. I go off on tangents and it's like a constant stream of verbal diarrhea that just comes out and I can't stop it. It's like most embarrassing thing ever."

A small laugh came from Lauren and that weird indigestion feeling happened along with the flutter in my stomach. Crap. I felt like I was going to vomit or something. It was then that I realized that I was nervous to tell Lauren that I liked her.

Crap.

Crap.

We went to a bench that was located far from the foot traffic of the mall. We sat down and the silence that was between was so uncomfortable I was about to tell her that I wanted to take a stand against her bullying and that she should consider me a friend. Nothing else. I wasn't going to tell her what her laugh does to me. Or that seeing her smile made me want to be goofy just so I could keep it there. I wasn't going to tell her that her nerding out about chemical equations made me lose concentration because I was more focused on her talking than the equation itself.

Lauren rubbed her hands on her pants and said, "Bo whatever you're-"

"I like you Lauren." Crap. There was my verbal diarrhea again.

I took a deep breath to get my nerves under control and tried a more tactful way at telling her what I meant to say. I looked down at the shiny floor and said, "I like you Lauren. Like I like, like, like, you. And I understand if this is too much for you because of everything that's happened to you because of me the last few days." I sighed then looked at her and with a small smile I said, "But I figured if you were going to put yourself out there then I was going to too."

Lauren sat there in a stunned silence and I looked back at the ground. This was the most nerve wrecking thing I had ever been through. I had been nervous about test. Nervous about doctor's appointments. Even nervous the first time I drove the Camaro. But this…this was a whole new level of nervous and I was ready to puke and run all at the same time. I glanced at Lauren out the corner of my eye and wondered what she was thinking. Before I could come up with a plausible lie that would get me out of this I heard Tamsin shout, "Dennis! Lewis! You two start naming your kids yet?"

I shut my eyes and squeezed them close. Of course Tamsin would show up now. I glanced at Lauren and I could tell that she was back in her shell. I sighed. The conversation was effectively over. Tamsin stopped in front of the bench and smiled, "Well?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "You've got grease on your chin." Of all the people to be Lauren's new guardian angel it had to Tamsin. Crass, mildly obscene, and ill-mannered Tamsin. I sighed. At least she was helping Lauren. I got up and said, "I've got to go. I've got a-"

"Shit!" Tamsin exclaimed as she looked over my shoulder. I got a confused look on my face and said, "Some of Dyson's goons from the lacrosse team. Let's hope they pass by us."

I glanced over my shoulder and one of the guys recognized me and I muttered under my breath, "Isn't this great." I saw the nervous look on Lauren's face and I told her, "Don't worry about them Lauren they're just assholes."

Just when I thought they would move on without incident, Derrick, the goalie for the team shouted, "Hey Dennis. I heard what you did to my man Dyson."

Shit.

XXXXX

If there was a time that I wished for something drastic to happen, now was that time. The food court erupting in a grease fire, a random tornado sweeping through and only scooping me up and carrying me far far away from this moment. Fudge, I'd take a pack of rabid wolves, anything to get me out of this embarrassment.

Bo Dennis had just told me she had liked me. Like, like LIKED me and I was seriously wondering if I was in a well-orchestrated prank. But when I looked in her eyes and saw the genuine fear mixed in with her mouth running like the girls bathroom outside of the cafeteria, I knew she was being serious.

And that blew my fragile mind to pieces, well the social interactive part of my mind. The cheerleader of my high school, the most popular girl in the world basically, likes me, and not like a friend or a fun family member.

Fudge.

I kept staring at the dirty white tile under my feet, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do next, say, or act with this new information.

Running, running away was a really good option right now. Run to the bathroom or just run the twelve miles back to my house and hide in my room.

I barely heard Tamsin come up to use, still studying the same spot on the tile, my mind idly wondering if it was dried gum or a coffee stain, anything to dwell away from the fact that Bo was looking at me with a face that was growing sadder by the second I curled up into my shell and hid from the world around me.

Then I heard assholes fall out of her mouth and looked at her before looking up to see the lacrosse team swagger over to us. Did everyone skip school? It was barely lunch time and I'd seen most of the senior class at the mall. Maybe I should tell the teachers, maybe I shouldn't. I didn't want to be responsible for more suspensions. I turned to look at Tamsin who moved to stand right next to me in that weird protective way I noticed her doing when I slammed into Wayne earlier.

"It's okay, Lewis. If they bother you, I'll use their lacrosse sticks to give Derrick's new car a sunroof."

I frowned, shaking my head when I heard Derrick's snide remark. "I guess Dyson was right, Bo here's gone to the nerd side." He sneered at me, "I just think it's a bullshit prank. There's no way you'd ditch our boy for this nerdy bag of bones. What has she to offer you? Glasses big enough to start a fire when you need it? Do your chemistry homework?"

Bo shot up from the bench, scaring me to stand with her, "Shut your face, Derrick. Don't bring Lauren into this." She stood tall in front of Derrick, arms folded, "I broke up with Dyson because he's a giant dick head and I have found someone I like more than him."

Derrick and his boys laughed, pointing at me, "You can't be serious? You like Nerdo?"

I frowned, looking at Tamsin, silently pleading for her to get me out of here. "Tams…."

She nodded, reaching for my arm when Derrick started up again, "Nerdo Lewis is a skinny nerd in oversized nerd shirts. She's nothing compared to Dyson. Bo come on, stop with the jokes and come back to school with us. I told Dyson you were probably just mad at him. There's no way you actually like her." He grimaced looking at me.

I sucked in a shuddering breath, clutching to the plastic bag with the shirt Bo had gotten me. I looked back at her, "Bo, they're right. You should go…." It hurt my stomach and my heart when I said it. Wishing in so many ways that what Bo had told me was real, that she did like me and that for minute in my awkward life, I had won something not related to science or math.

Bo turned to face me, her brown eyes locking on mine in a way that made me catch my breath and feel like the world just melted away and left only her and I. "No, Lauren. I told you, I'm not going anywhere. I meant what I said." She paused, smiling softly, "All of it."

That look, the one that lit my face on fire and made my heart wobble. "Bo…."

I didn't finish, she kept her eyes on me as she moved quickly. Grabbing the sides of my face with really warm, really soft hands, startling me but I couldn't move away. The next thing I knew, there were lips on my lips. Super soft lips. Lips that pressed against mine, shattering all of the neural connections and bringing my brain to a complete stop as I registered one solitary thing.

I was being kissed by Bo Dennis.

Like really being kissed, not a peck like my grandma gave me at holidays or a fancy European kiss I had seen on TV in those weird Lifetime movies. This was a kiss, a kiss with meaning by the way she moved her mouth against mine, swallowing me whole at how incredible it felt. My entire body warmed up and I closed my eyes, soaking in the way Bo smelled like cherries and that Obsession for women perfume in the drugstore. I could feel how warm she was and almost hear her heart beat, it was like all of my senses were becoming superhuman, activated by the amazing lips of Bo's pressed against mine in an almost innocent, but wanting to be inappropriate way. Ugh, maybe I should have paid more attention to the love scenes in all those dumb romantic movies mom watches when dad is out of town.

Before I lost myself completely, my sensible realistic side snapped into action and I backed away. Removing her lips from mine and looking at bright brown eyes that I swore suddenly had sparkly little stars in them as she looked at me with a smile, whispering, "I've been wanting to do that since this morning." She bit her bottom lips shyly, her cheeks pinking up the longer she looked at me.

I swallowed down three times or three thousand times, the weird fluttery things launching up into my throat, and backed away. "I…Bo…I." I looked over her shoulder, Derrick and his dumb friends were making animal sounds and glaring at me while spewing things I shut out. Bringing a weird harsh reality to the moment with a side order of this could be another stupid thing Dyson had planned to mess with me.

What I did next, was the only logical thing I could understand. I dropped my head down, turned and ran as fast as I could away from Bo, the food court, and towards the doors we came in. Tamsin two steps behind me shouting, "Lewis! Slow your ass down!"

I shook my head, running through the doors and out to her car, mumbling, "I can't. I can't. I have to go." Reaching her car, I finally stopped, leaning against the passenger door and hiding my face.

Tamsin came around to my side, grabbing my shoulder, "Lewis, why do you always run like a rabbit on fire?" She huffed it out, unlocking my door and throwing the bag with my jeans onto the floor. "You left Bo back there, confused and thinking she had just told you she murdered your entire family."

"Tamsin, please take me home."

She groaned, pulling me to look at her, "Not until you tell me why you ran, I saw your face when she kissed you. I actually saw your melting brain leak out of your ears as the butterflies, blue birds and cartoon love hearts swarmed around you two." She chuckled, "I cannot wait to tell this story at the wedding reception."

I glanced at Tamsin, knowing my eyes were glassy with tears, "Tamsin, please."

Her smile fell, "Oh fucking fucks. That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

I shrugged, nodding like I had a nervous tick. I looked away, falling into the passenger's seat, burying my head as far as I could into my chest, trying so hard not to cry. I whispered, "She told me she likes me too, but….I don't know…what if." I drifted off, looking down at the bag with the shirt Bo bought me in my hands.

Tamsin was right. That was my first kiss. My first kiss with someone I really liked, but it happened in front of a pile of jerks and even though my heart was about to burst, I felt like it was a joke. Like Bo was trying to use me to get back at Dyson.

I sat in silence as Tamsin drove us out of the parking lot. I could feel her looking over at me until she finally sighed. "I know what you're thinking. But all I'm going to say is this. Bo really, genuinely likes you. Like a lot, and I can tell you like her." She then playfully slugged me, smirking that Tamsin smirk, "I'm proud of you, I think your balls dropped today and I will promise you this, I will be standing up next to you in a few years as you and Bo trade nuptials."

I said nothing, only continuing to stare at my hands with one thought in my head.

Bo Dennis kissed me and I really really REALLY liked it as much as I hated it.