The Next Day, 2:15 A.M...
"And next thing you know, she kissed me."
"Just out of nowhere?"
"Yeah. Completely out of left field. Then before I got to say anything, she ran off."
Shane felt the need to call his best friend Dean, who luckily for him, had no problem with him calling this late on a school night.
"Wow, that's weird. I never would've guessed little ol' Bayley was a freak."
Shane couldn't help but laugh at his friend's comment.
"No, dude. What the hell? All she did was kiss me. Nothing freaky about it. But, seriously, I don't know what to do. I'm gonna have to see her tomorrow."
Dean talked like the answer was obvious.
"Simple, just don't come to school."
Shane rolled his eyes.
"For the rest of my life?"
"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do."
"Whatever man. Tomorrow's gonna be so awkward. I'll try to avoid her the best I can, I guess."
Dean sensed that his friend was genuinely in distress, so he decided to be serious for once.
"Look, man. Do you like Bayley. Like, do you enjoy being around her?"
"Well, of course. She always brightens my day whenever she's around."
"How much do you care about her?"
"A lot, actually. I feel a need to protect the girl, you know?"
"Then let me tell you, the worst thing for you to do is avoid her. The only thing that's gonna do is make her feel like shit. I'm pretty sure the reason she ran away was because she was embarrassed. You avoid her, that embarrassment turns to sadness. If Happy-Go-Lucky Bayley suddenly, out of nowhere, turns into fuckin Raven from Teen Titans, people are gonna be asking questions. You know how fast information travels in High School. Eventually, the story's going to get out somehow, and guess who's gonna be seen as the bad guy, that's right, you. The New Kid managed to fuck up the happiest girl in school's mood. Oh, you'd be friggin hated. And to top it all off, you'd be hurting someone you care about. In a nutshell, nobody wins in that situation. It's just one giant clusterfuck of bullshit. You get what I'm saying?"
Shane took a minute to process everything his friend just said. He sighed.
"Fuck man, I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't realize how bad that would've messed stuff up. But if I don't avoid her, what do I do?"
"Just be upfront with her. When you see her, just act normal. It's only weird if you make it weird. She's obviously going to bring it up, so just be cool about it, you know?"
"Alright, I think I can do that."
"Good, ya big softy. Now, go the fuck to sleep. Seriously, it's 2 in the morning."
"I know, I know. Thanks for staying up with me dude. You're a great friend. See you in school."
"Oh, I'm not going to school."
Shane was confused.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Are you out of your fucking mind? Dude, if I'm up at 2 in the morning, I'm probably not waking up until like 12 in the afternoon. Which reminds me, send me the answers to the homework tomorrow night, would ya pal?"
"No, I'm not doing that." Shane replied annoyed.
"Oh, come on. You owe me! I just gave you some ace ass advice, and you can't help a brother out?"
"Uhhh, fine. How are your grades man, you know the 1st quarter report cards are coming out soon."
"Eh, I'll manage. I do every year. Don't worry, I'll graduate with you guys, hopefully." Dean said nonchalantly.
"You better. Alright, see you when I see you."
"Peace out, Shane."
Shane hung up the phone and then put his pillow over face.
"Ahhh, why? Things were normal like a month ago. The fuck happened?"
His mind went back to Alexa's face after the whole kissing incident occurred.
"And even if what Dean says works with Bayley, what am I gonna do about you, Short Stuff? I miss you."
8:05 A.M, Shane's Locker...
Shane had just gotten to school, and he was currently putting his stuff away in his locker. As he was finishing up, someone was approaching him. He turned around and was surprised at who he saw.
"Dean? I thought you weren't coming to school today."
"Eh, I wasn't, but Alicia said she wouldn't let me fuck for a week if I skipped school ago, so I ended up coming. No pun intended.
Shane feigned sympathy.
"Oh no, a whole week? How would you have been able to function without ass for a whole fuckin week?"
"I know, right?"
Shane facepalmed.
"Oh for Christ's sake. Dean, go find Alicia or something."
"I actually was going to do that, and it's probably a good time for me to leave anyway, because I think you two need to be alone for a second."
"What do you mean, "you two?"
Dean pointed behind him. Shane turned around and saw a very nervous Bayley walking toward them. Dean patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Good luck, buddy. Remember what I said last night."
He walked away and now, it was time for the moment of silence. Bayley stood in front of Shane looking at the ground while holding her left arm. She was the first one to break the silence.
"...Hey."
"Hey, Smiles."
"So... About yesterday... I'm so sorry! I just.. Really like you, and you called me cute, and I let my emotions get the best of me, and-and-and"
Shane cut her off.
"Dude, chill. It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."
Bayley was surprised at his response.
"You're-you're not angry at me?"
"What? Why would I be angry? I'm glad my first kiss was with someone I care about."
She gasped.
"That was your first kiss?! How?!"
Shane chuckled.
"Let's just say, Shane hasn't had the best luck with the ladies."
"I don't understand that at all. You're really good looking."
"That's what I said!"
They both laughed at his joke.
"But still, what does this mean for us? Does this change anything?" Bayley asked concerned.
"Well, do you want it to?"
"Honestly... I don't know what I want."
"Okay, that's fine. Tell you what, as far as we're concerned, nothing happened. But, if it keeps bothering you, and your feelings are gnawing at you, just come to me, and we'll figure out the future. That sound cool?"
Bayley smiled.
"Yeah, that's cool. Can I give you a hug?"
Shane outstretched his arms.
"What kind of a question is that?"
Bayley practically jumped into the hug she was so happy. Shane ruffled her hair while he was still in her grip.
"I owe Dean big time for this." He thought to himself.
After she let him go, Bayley flashed one more smile at him.
"Okay, bye Shane!"
Shane laughed and shook his head while watching her happily skip away.
"Okay, one happy girl down..."
He saw Alexa talking with Sasha down the hall.
"One more to go... Please don't kill me."
