DISCLAIMER:

Hello to the fourth story. In this chapter, Anne Maria will teel her story. Can she beat the other girls with this one? Anne Maria is confident as always so let's find out.

Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV, its creators, and distributors. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic

Anne Maria story

After a loud thunder-like sound, the bus started swaying violently. The six girls looked with wide eyes at the bus's door.

"What is happening?" asked Anne Maria, her voice trembling.

"I-I think it's the storm," replied Dawn, being hug-crushed by Dakota.

Jo nodded. "Ok, then chatterbox, go to the door and make sure it's only the wind."

"Why me?" asked Staci, trembling.

"Because I say so." Jo pulled Staci by the arm and pushed her toward the door. "Now go!"

Staci did her best to not fall to the ground and advanced toward the door as the others glared at Jo.

"HEY! that was uncalled," said Dakota, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes, Staci may be annoying, but it's not fair being forced to do something dangerous," said Zoey, glaring at the jockette.

Jo rolled her eyes. "then what should we do, eh? Are you saying you would go in her place?"

Zoey stood up, but before she could say something, Staci shouted.

"I can't see anything outside, ya!" The compulsive liar squinted at the window. "But it's pretty dark."

"Thanks, blabbermouth, now come back," shouted Jo, so her voice wasn't drowned by the rain. "Damn, it's really pouring."

"I hope Mr. Driver is fine," added Dawn, just before a lightning bolt illuminated the bus.

Anne maria shrugged. "He should be fine, and he's probably already at the resort asking for help. So we better hurry up with the stories."

"It's better if we light some of these," Dakota pulled out a big flashlight and put it in the aisle, between the girls' seats. "Soon, it'll be so dark that we may not find them."

"Nice idea Dakota," said Zoey, cheering.

The Jersey shore reject cleared her throat. "Ok now that we have some light, let me start…

It was in November after our season. I was studying in the States and working at my zio's pizzeria "Toni's Pizza." After spending some of the money that cutie-pie Cameron gave us on clothes and make-up, I just wanted to have a good time while studying abroad. But my parents thought working would help me 'learn responsibility,' so I helped as a waitress in the shop.

Annotation: Staci

"So your uncle is the owner of the famous Tony's Pizza? Wasn't that in New York?" asked Staci tilting her head.

"No, ours is in Jersey," said Anne Maria, frowning at the interruption. "And my uncle name is Toni."

Zoey nodded. "I understand that but why you called Cameron cutie-pie?"

"What do you mean? He gave me 70 grand, that automatically makes him a cutie-pie in my book," said Anne Maria raising her face proudly.

"Ha, I can't believe you can call cute that beanstalk," said Jo, chuckling.

Stacie glared at her. "Hey, Cameron is a handsome young gentleman."

Anne Maria nodded. "Yes Jo, and If you want you can give him his money back."

"HEY! I was just joking," said Jo raising her arms. "Tell her Pixie dust, use your magic powers and tell her I'm joking."

"It's not magic powers, and they don't work like that," said Dawn after clarifying aura reading isn't magic for the nth time today.

"Whateva, as I was saying."

As I was saying, I was working in the restaurant. It wasn't easy because we had a lot of male clients who came to our shop for a chance to see me, but I wasn't interested in dating at all. It's so hard to be so gorgeous.

It was on one of those days I received a call.

"Alo."

"Hello Anne Maria," said a guy with a mean voice and a prairie accent.

"Who is this?" I asked, not recognizing them.

"It's me, Scott…"

So I hung up. After a few minutes, my phone rang again.

"Alo."

"Hello it's me, Scott …"

"Ugh" I hung again. Yes, I probably should see who is calling before answering, but that is annoying. Better just pick up and don't waste time.

So my phone rang a third time.

"Alo."

"Please don't hang up. It's important," pleaded Scott. I personally didn't have any issue with him, I simply didn't like him, so this time I decided to listen to him.

Annotation: Zoey

"I'm sure that disliking a person and hanging up the phone when they call you is the definition of having issues with them, " said Zoey, shrugging.

I sighed. "How did you get my numba? I'm sure I didn't give it to you."

"Rudolph did," replied the jerk.

"Who is that?"

"Rudolph Jackson? The idiot jock who was in our season? Brightning?" Scott said in an annoyed tone.

I smiled. "Oh yes, Lightning! Yes I gave him my numba. The last time I saw him he was really nervous about meeting his daddy. Why did he give you my numba?"

"Because he needs your help," said Scott in a tired tone. "Can he live with you for some time?"

"What?" I laughed, believing he was joking. "What kind of question is that?"

However, it wasn't a joke. "Look, girl, this is serious. The guy had a fight with his dad and ran away from home. Do you have an extra room or something where he can stay for some time?"

"Wait, wait, WAIIIIT!" I shouted. All this was going too fast for me, "Lightning ran away from home?"

"I don't know if he ran away or his dad kicked him out, but he can't live there anymore."

"What? Is he living with you, and you don't know if he ran away or was kicked out?" I asked him. This whole situation was too fishy.

Scott groaned. "No, I don't know, I just came back from the hospital, and somehow Brick convinced me to help him, but the guy can't live on a farm. Can he live with you?"

"The question is, why me? We talked now and then but weren't exactly friends. We weren't even on the same team, why not ask Sam or B?"

"Sam and Dakota have their own issues and don't have an extra room, we don't have Beverly's contact information, and Jo refused to receive him," answered Scott in an annoyed tone.

I thought a bit about it. "And what about Dawn?"

"We tried every one on the team. Please, Anne Maria, it's only for a few days." Scott said, pleading as if his life depended on it.

Annotation: Staci

"I don't mind they forgot about me ya," said Staci before looking sadly at the floor. "I mean, I'm used to it, and I didn't have extra room for him anyway."

"Ok, ok, I get it. He can stay with me, but I'm living in New Jersey, so he would have to move to the States," I told Scott. After all, we had an extra room because my cousin Nicky had moved to her college dormitories.

"Don't worry, he doesn't mind!" said Scott excitedly. "Thanks, Mary Ann, I owe you a big one."

I frowned. "My name is Anne Maria. If you call me anything else, I'll hang up and send Lightning back to your home."

"Ok, ok, Anne Maria. Shuuush, there is no need to get worked up over a nick," said Scott, and then we ended the call.

Of course, I now have another issue: telling zio Toni that I will have Lightning living with us. However, I was pretty tired and decided to tell him later.

Days passed, and I became busier. The pizzeria's popularity kept growing, so I had almost no time to rest. I even preferred to be at school instead of working. At least in school, I could sleep during the most boring classes.

Then it happened. it was a Saturday morning, and we had just opened the store when he entered.

"Hello there, Lightning strikes down," he shouted while entering the pizzeria.

"Lightning!?"

"The one and only, babe, SHABAM!" he shouted, smiling like an idiot.

"Maria, it's that ragazzo your friend? " shouted my zio from the kitchen. "Tell me his order and keep it down. Shouting like that is annoying for the other customers."

Lightning looked with wide eyes at the kitchen. "Was he talking about Lightning?"

I pulled him by his shirt and forced him to sit down. "Yes he was. Now sit down and shut up." I then turned to the kitchen, "Yes, and he wants a Margherita."

"Ok, coming up," shouted zio Toni. That would give me some time to think about what to do.

Annotation: Jo

"Hahaha, did you forget jockstrap was coming?" said Jo, laughing loudly.

"I didn't forget," said Anne Maria blushing. "I just ignored Scott's messages and was so busy that I didn't have time to tell my zio about it."

Zoey pouted. "Well, that's what we usually call forget about something."

"Ugh I know," Anne Maria groaned. "But I'm a busy woman, so you can't expect me to remember every small detail."

Dakota raised an eyebrow. "How is the arrival of a guy that will live with you for some weeks a small detail?"

"Forget it! What's done is done, so let me continue…"

Lightning, who couldn't read the room, just frowned at me. "Lightning doesn't want a Margarita. Winners don't drink, Lightning prefers a sha-steak with a big bottle of water."

"Shut up!" I whispered. Luckily there weren't any other customers, so I sat in front of him. "This is a pizza shop, so you'll eat a pizza."

"Lightning doesn't like pizzas. Too many carbs," said Lightning. Damn, he was hot but also dumb as a box of rocks.

"It's on the house, so just eat it and be grateful."

"Can it be at least a pepperoni pizza?"

"No! The Margherita is cheaper, and I'm paying for it," I told him. "Also, why you didn't tell me you were arriving today?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "What are you sha-talking about, girl? Lightning sent you a message, and dirty boy also called you."

I looked at my phone, and as he said, I had 10 missed calls and 23 messages

"Weird, I don't have any missing calls or messages," I said, shrugging. "Anyway, if anyone asks, you're a friend from high school, ok? And don't mention anything about staying at my house."

"WHAT?" Lightning looked at me with wide eyes, his hands trembling. "Girl, are you sha-joking, right? Scott told Lightning could stay with you… and Lightning doesn't have any other place to go."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be a drama queen. It's just that I don't want any gossip flying around. If my fans find out, they may hurt you." I told him, which wasn't a lie, but also I didn't want zio Toni to find out.

"Oh, if that's the problem, don't worry. Lightning isn't scared of a few fans," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not worried, but I don't want any fight in the shop, capisce?"

"Bless you."

"I didn't sneeze, I said I don't want you picking any fight, do you understand?"

"Don't worry girl, Lightning understands. I won't pick no fight with your sha-fans," he said, flexing, but I didn't feel reassured for some reason.

I rolled my eyes. "Whateva, just eat your pizza, and then we'll go home."

"Maria, your friend's pizza is ready," said zio Toni, putting the pizza on the counter. It looked pretty good, with the cheese melting over the pie and the right amount of oregano sprinkled over it.

Although Lightning didn't think the same.

"What kind of pizza is this? Where is the meat? This doesn't have enough sha-proteins for the Lightning," said Lightning, frowning at his plate.

"What did you expect? It's a Margherita," I told him in a stern torn. "And I'm paying for it, so at least try to eat it without complaining."

Lightning crossed his arms. "Lightning isn't eating this weird pizza."

"Then Lightning isn't living with me," I whispered, clenching my teeth. "But don't worry, I'll recommend you some cheap hotels."

In a swift moment, he took a piece and ate it. A smile appeared on his face as soon as he took the first bite. "Hey! This Mango Rita isn't half bad, Lightning was planning to lie about the flavor, but it's actually pretty tasty. Sha-BAM!"

"HAHAHA, I like your friend's enthusiasm," said zio Toni from the kitchen while I facepalmed.

After he finished his meal, I took my break and went to my zio's house with Lightning. He was carrying a backpack and a duffel bag.

"Is that all your baggage?"I asked, seeing so few bags,

"SHA-YES! This is all Lightning needs to survive," he said, posing and shouting. I shrugged and continued on our way.

Annotation: Zoey

"I don't think two bags are few. How many bags did you expect?" said Zoey, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I need at least 4 suitcases to pack everything I need for a weekend vacation," said Anne Maria, shrugging. "So I expected he would need more."

Dakota smiled. "That's so true. One of the few advantages of being Dakotazoid is that I could carry my 6 suitcases and Sam's bag without sweating. Carrying your bags is the worst part of going on vacations."

"Four? Six?" Zoey frowned and bit her lower lip. "I usually carry only two or three if you count my handbag."

Dawn put a hand on Zoey's shoulder. "Don't worry, I also only carry one bag around."

"Yes, a trash bag," said Jo while laughing.

"That's not true," said Staci, raising a finger. "For the show, Dawn brought a big green trunk that used to belong to her Aunt Agatha. It's big enough to carry all her things, but its size is an issue."

Dawn blinked a couple of times. "That's completely true, but how did you know all that? I never mentioned it."

"Huhuhu, it's a trade secret," said Staci winking. "My great, great, great, …"

"Ok, let's stop with the creepy stuff, and let me continue with the winning story," said Anne Maria, interrupting them.

When we arrived home, I looked around to be sure the neighbors didn't see us and then entered first to check my zia wasn't at home.

"Hey why are we sha-entering like this?" asked Lightning, annoyed. "Why are we acting like thieves when you're entering your own house?"

"Because I didn't tell my zii you were staying with us," I told him rolling my eyes.

"Zii? I thought your uncle was called Toni," said Lightning scratching his head.

I groaned. "Zii is the word for uncles. I forgot to tell them about you staying here."

"SHA-WHAT!?" he shouted. I wonder why he's so stupid.

"DON'T SHOUT! What if my zia comes home and hears you?" I stomped my foot and frowned at him.

"But you're also shouting!" said Lightning crossing his arms.

"Ugh, that's because they already know I live here, duh?" as we discussed, I heard someone at the door. "Oh no, my zia. Quickly hide in the broom closet."

We ran, and I pushed him into the small room in the hallway.

"Hey! it's really cramped here!" said Lighinting hitting his head as he entered the closet.

"Shut up!" I told him, slamming the door as my Zia entered the house.

She was carrying a couple of plastic bags. After a moment she noticed me. "Gioia? What are you doing here? I thought you were with your zio at the pizzeria."

"Oh yes," damn it, I realized that I shouldn't be at home. "It was a bit cold, and I wanted to get a jacket."

"I thought you had some jackets at the pizzeria. What about that beautiful pink one with the fur collar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow,

I began to get nervous. "Oh, you know, I like, wanted to use something in cold colors."

"I think your tan looks better with warm colors," my zia entered the kitchen and put the bags on the table.

"Hahaha, really? Then maybe I should just use the pink one after all," I laughed.

To my dismay, she took out a bottle of floor cleaner from the bag and began to walk to the hallway. "You should, pink is a color that really suits you."

I ran and tried to take the floor cleaner from her. "Zia, please let me put that away."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll only store it in the hallway," she said, but I struggled and took the bottle of her hands.

"NO! I want to help you, so please let me do it," I said, running toward the hallway.

My aunt just stood there and tilted her head. "Ok, thank you, Gioia."

I opened the closet, and Lightning was there, with a foot in the bucket we use to mope the floor, and his head tilted to not hit the top self.

"Can Lightning go out? Lightning's neck is sha-killing him," he whispered, looking in pain.

I sighed. For some reason, I couldn't ignore him. "Run toward the door at the end of the hallway. It's the bathroom. Hide in there for a moment, ok?"

He smiled and, in a moment, went out of the closet, but the idiot kicked the bucket, making a lot of noise.

"Anne Maria, are you ok?" my zia asked as Lightning ran toward the bathroom.

"Yes, I accidentally knocked down the mop and the bucket," I said, putting the bucket back into the closet.

"How did you kick the bucket that was inside the closet?" I felt a shiver run down my spine,

"Sorry zia, you know I'm a bit clumsy," I lied, hoping she would believe that.

After a stressful second, she replied. "Ah, ok. Please be careful."

"I will, " I replied quickly.

But my peace only lasted a few seconds. Suddenly my zia went out of the kitchen toward the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" I asked, yes it was a stupid question, but I was nervous.

"To the bathroom?" she raised an eyebrow, looking at me as if I was a martian.

I run toward the door, blocking It with my body. "You can't!"

My zia blinked a couple of times. "Gioia, that doesn't make sense. Why can't I go into our own bathroom?"

"Because… There is a huge cockroach there!" I shouted, hoping Lightning heard me.

"WHAT? A COCKROACH!" shouted my zia, blanching. "We need to kill it!"

She tried to enter the bathroom, but I hugged her.

"NO! I left the window open. Maybe if we give it some time, it will go out by itself!" I struggled to stop her.

"No Gioia, it's better to kill those pests quickly," said my zia, who at last opened the door.

Inside we saw Lightning stuck on the bathroom's small window. At least he heard me.

"A cockroach, eh?" said my zia, squinting her eyes at me.

"Yes miss, I'm only the best-looking cockroach you ever met. So please ignore me. Sha-roach," shouted the idiot. It was over.

Annotation: Jo

"Hahaha, a cockroach!? That sha-idiot never changes," said Jo, drying a tear.

After we freed Lightning, my zia took us to the living room. She was angry, thinking I just went and brought a ragazzo to her home, especially when I was supposed to be helping zio Toni in the pizzeria.

So I used my charm and told her it was a misunderstanding and the issue with Lightning.

"So you're saying you didn't bring him to make out but to live with us?" asked my zia, looking at us with wide eyes.

"Yeah, basically," I answer, crossing my arms.

She chuckled. "And you intended to keep it a secret from your zio Toni and me?"

"No! I mean," I sighed, defeated. "I agreed to help him but forgot to ask you, so when he arrived, I panicked because you may not let him stay, so I thought to hide him."

"What? That means Lightning can't stay!" shouted Lightning, frowning, and the corners of his mouth downturned. "Please miss Zia, you need to let me sha-stay. I don't have any other place."

My zia looked at him, visibly shocked. "What about your parents?"

"My pops threw me out of home," he said, his voice lowering. "I couldn't fulfill his expectations, so we had a big fight, and now I can't go back home."

"That's terrible," said my zia. "But I'm sure your parents should be worried."

Lightning frowned at the floor. I patted his back and looked at my zia, who understood immediately.

"You can stay today, but I need to talk about it with my husband," she said. At that moment, both Lightning and I jumped happily.

"Thanks zia, you're the best," I hugged her.

"Yes Mrs. Zia, sha-thanks," said Lightning, hugging both of us.

After he released us, I smacked him on the head. "I told you her name isn't Zia, zia it's aunt.."

"Hahaha, don't worry Rudolph, but please call me Maria Luisa," she said, smiling. "And gioia, no more secrets from now on."

"YES!" I said, rolling my eyes.

Annotation: Zoey

"So what happened next?" asked Zoey, who was really into the story.

"Zio Toni accepted having him living with us, but he needed to work in the pizzeria," she said, shrugging. "He was terrible, but after some weeks, he started to do better, but he was never as good as me."

Staci nodded. "It's a great story, there were a lot of details I didn't know, ya."

"What are you talking about? I haven't finished," said Anne Maria, frowning. "It was in December.."

It was in December. We have been living together for 3 weeks, Lightning was good-looking and charismatic, so the customers loved him, but he was annoying, lazy, and careless. He sometimes didn't stretch the dough enough so the pizza was doughy, he mixed oregano, celery, and olives. HOW SOMEONE CAN MIX OREGANO AND OLIVES! He moped the floor with olive oil instead of floor cleaner, which turned the floor into a death trap, ugh! and the worst part is that I had to help him fix all his mistakes.

So that day, he came close to me and said, "hey girl, Lightning wanted to sha-thank you for your help."

"Want to thank me? Stop mixing the clients' orders! I'm tired of apologizing because we mix a Napolitan pizza and a coke," I told him, still annoyed by his last mistake.

"Hahaha, don't worry, Lightning has everything under control," he said, posing,"and to show his gratitude, Lightning wants to ask you out this weekend!"

"Really?" I said, shocked.

"Absolutely, be ready at five because you'll have the best day ever, SHA-BING," he said winking.

I was taken aback, I didn't expect that from Lightning. So I decided to humor him a little on Saturday and put on some expensive pants, a white Prada shirt, which is my favorite, and my lucky pink jacket.

Annotation: Everyone (except Jo.)

"Wooo, let's go."

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!"

"I knew there was something weird with your aura."

"That's so romantic!"

Don't go so fast, because I shouldn't have expected anything from him.

The next thing I knew, we were together in a noisy stadium, watching a basketball game between the Nets and another team dressed in blue.

Annotation: Jo

"He took you to a game? Captain Muscle isn't as stupid as I thought," said Jo, smiling and nodding.

You can say whateva you want, but the game was boooring. People were running to one side of the court really fast, and the audience shouted and cheered even if they failed, which was annoying. At least he bought me a soda and some nachos.

After the game, I was completely tired and wanted to go home.

"What a game, right? That Chandler is great, but Lightning will surpass him," said Lightning with a silly smile.

"I guess if you like that, it was fun," I replied, rolling my eyes.

He then put his arm across my shoulder. "Ok, then let's go to dinner. I'm sure you'll like the place Lightning chose."

I wanted to refuse, but we were in a taxi to the restaurant before I realized it. To my surprise, it wasn't a sports restaurant or dinners. It was an actual French restaurant.

"What do you think? Lightning has style! SHA-BAM!" he said, posing.

"I'm … actually surprised," I said. I was so impressed that I even ignored his weird poses.

Lightning rubbed his neck. "I wasn't sure if you would like it."

"I loved it, but I didn't expect this kind of place from you," I said, winking.

"Lightning is full of surprises, don't try to sha-predict him because he is not-predictable," he replied flexing.

I smirked, and we entered the place. I appreciated that he even reserved under his real name instead of Lightning.

To my surprise, the dinner was pretty great. Neither of us spoke French but the menu was also in English. I asked for a bowl of bass or something like that, which was fish stew with saffron, crab, and mussels, it was delicious. Lightning ordered an enter cod, which was actually a beef steak. I really don't understand French dishes' names.

Annotation: Staci

"The dishes are actually named Bouillabaisse and Entrecot, I know because my great, great, great, great grandmother Stanette was French and also invented…"

Yes, yes whateva. As I was saying, the dinner was great, but more interesting was the conversation. We talked a lot, and I had a great time. It was the first time I had time alone with him and he didn't talk only about himself or sports.

After dining, he paid for everything, and we went to take a taxi, but before boarding, he told me.

"There is another place Lightning wants to take you," he said, winking.

I didn't mind, it was only 21:00, so we could still enjoy our date. Yes, I said date because, c'mon, after a boring game and dinner, this was officially a date.

After a short ride, I admit I didn't expect this place.

"The beach?" I asked, not believing my eyes.

"SHA-YES!" shouted Lightning, posing. With both arms pointing at the sky, "you said you loved the beach, so here we're, SHA-BAM!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I love the beach, but NOT IN DECEMBER!"

"Oh, c'mon girl, look at it…" he said, showing the immense and empty beach, with a smile filled with confidence, "and it's only for ourselves."

And I admit he was right, the beach was clean, and the starry sky was like a jewel box. It was breezy, but we were the only ones there, giving it a mysterious vibe. I like it.

"Ok, I'm surprised but you're right," I said, walking on the sand.

"What are you talking about? Lightning is always sha-right!" he bragged, flexing.

For some reason, I laughed again. Lightning's macho act is funnier in person, and that night he was especially fun. After some walking, he began to clear his throat.

"Are you feeling ok?" I said annoyed, "If not, we can go back."

"NO! Wait, Lightning means YES, Lightning is ok, he's just clearing his throat to say something important," he said and then took a deep breath. "Lightning wants to thank you. These weeks have been fun, and Lightning never thanked you properly."

I shrugged. "No pro."

"HEY! Don't belittle Lightning's feelings, Lightning was at a really low point in his life, and now he decided to try to get a scholarship here in the States, all thanks to you and your uncles." He said, looking into my eyes.

I blushed, he looked quite different than usual. "And I'm being honest, you're doing your best to help, so it has been fun having you here."

"Lightning will pay you and your uncles once he becomes famous, just wait," he said, making a wide grin.

"I'll not expect anything, but remember, I prefer accessories over flowers," I said, winking.

And after a moment, he came closer and kissed me. It was sweet and I forgot about the cold night. After that we go back home holding hands.

Anne Maria's story, the end

"And what happened next?" asked Dakota, who was into the story as much as Zoey.

"We went back home, and that is. That's the story of my first date with Lightning," Anne Maria said, smiling.

Zoey groaned. "Oh, c'mon, at least tell us if you started dating or not."

"The rule was to tell a story, not tell everything about ourselves. So I'll keep that a secret," said Anne Maria, winking teasingly.

"Ok, forget about Tanne Maria," said Jo frowning. "Let's take out the last paper."

"Last? But we still have to listen to Staci and Zoey's stories," said Dakota, crossing her arms.

"Yes, if I told my story I hope everyone does the same," said Anne Maria, glaring at Jo.

Dawn stood between them. "Wait, Jo is right because after taking out the next paper, we'll know who will go next and who will go last."

"Oooh!" said both Anne Maria and Dakota. The last one took the box with the papers and gave it to Anne Maria.

"Ok so the next one is…" said Anne Maria, pulling out the paper. "Staci."

Staci clapped, and Zoey groaned.

"Really? Last one?" said Zoey, looking sadly at the floor.

"Your enthusiasm to tell your story probably affected the universe, and it compensated by putting you in last place," said Dawn raising a finger.

Zoey sighed. "Then the universe is a big bully."

"Don't worry, Zoey, I will be brief," said Staci smiling.

"Because you have never dated, motormouth?" said Jo snickering.

Staci frowned. "No, because I have told my stories so many times that I have plenty of experience narrating them, so I hope you enjoy them."

"I'm sure I won't" said Zoey, hugging her legs.

The wind blew harder as the 5th story was about to start. But the atmosphere inside the bus suddenly became as harsh as outside.

Author Notes:

And this is Anne Maria story. Is she dating Lightning? Or maybe someone else? I would like to hear your opinions.

For this story I wanted to take a different approach and write a story that may or may not end in a relationship. The first three were clear about it, but I wanted this one to be more ambiguous but still wholesome, I hope you liked it.

A fun fact about this story, in the initial draft, I thought about writing the story with Vito. But after writing the beginning, I felt it didn't fit this story, it would cause unnecessary strife between the girls, and it was too mean for Zoey, so I decided to scrap it and give our favorite redhead a breather.

If you liked the story, remember to mark it as a favorite, or even better, write a review with your thoughts. Reviews help me to know what you like, what no, and what kinds of stories I should write in the future. And before closing, let me answer last week's reviews.

Total Simaniac: The girls are fine, for now, even if the storm outside is getting fiercer. Let's hope Mr. Driver isn't as useless as Jo said.

About Dawn's story, I like to write a Dawn a bit more down to Earth, so I try to humanize her with some jokes about her gifts and show more vulnerable side of her.

It's a coincidence you mentioned Vito because he was my first option, but then I changed my mind XP

Hellflores: Yes, I think the hints are enough to know who he is. I'm happy you find it.

The tone of Anne Maria story is a bit different from the rest, I hope you enjoyed it.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this story.