Brownie Girl: Don’t you hate it when people force you to do things or say things you don’t mean?
Nomad: Yeah. It gets to me and I kind of get it a lot.
Brownie Girl: I hear you. Hey, Nomad?
Nomad: Yeah, Brownie Girl?
Brownie Girl: Do I know you?
Nomad: You probably do out of all the kids in Bentwood High School. You do go here, right?
Brownie Girl: Of course.
Nomad: You are a girl, right? And if you are, has anyone asked you to the Valentines Dance yet?
Ana stopped typing for a second, and stared at what he wrote. The Valentines Dance! She totally forgot!
Brownie Girl: Yes, I am a girl and no ones asked me to the Valentines Dance. What about you?
Nomad: I haven’t asked anyone yet. Still waiting for the right girl to ask.
The bell rang and they were forced to end their conversation. When Ana met Ben in the hallway between passing periods, she told him, “Nomad asked me about the Valentines Dance, and I told him no one has asked me yet, and he’s waiting for the right girl to ask.”
“So, ask him,” Ben replied.
“No. I’m waiting to see if he asks me first,” Ana said.
Austin went out into the courtyard with Catherine and she asked, “So, Austin. We’re still going to the Valentines Dance together, right?”
Oh man. How could he explain to Catherine that he decided to take someone else? “Yeah, um, about that,” Austin replied. “I don’t know how to explain this, but…,”
“Don’t tell me you already asked another girl,” she said.
“Why is it bad if I ask another girl?” Austin questioned.
“Because I’m your girlfriend,” Catherine replied. “And it doesn’t seem appropriate if you flirt with other girls.”
“Look Catherine,” Austin said. “I think I’ve had a change in heart. I think it feels right to get this over with.”
“Get what over with?” Catherine asked.
“Catherine, you are a really nice person and it’s been great going out with you,” Austin said. “But I’m ready to move on. I hope you understand. I am most certain you will come across another guy who will really find you attractive.” Sighing, he let go of her hand and walked away.
“Austin!?” Catherine cried. But he never looked back.
That night, Ana was sitting in front of her computer, engaged in her conversation with Nomad.
Nomad: Do you ever feel like you were trying to do something to make yourself feel better but ended up feeling worse?
Brownie Girl: What do you mean?
Nomad: I tried telling my girlfriend I wanted to break-up with her. I felt totally confident at first, but when I walked away, I was miserable. Oh, wait, I can’t believe I told you that.
Brownie Girl: It’s okay. You can trust me. So, why’d you break-up with her?
Nomad: I’ve had a change in heart.
Brownie Girl: Oh, good for the lucky girl.
Nomad looked at what she wrote, and then looked at the Valentines Dance flyer, which was why he had the change in heart, and knew what he had to ask.
Nomad: I have just one more question to ask you before you go to bed.
Brownie Girl: What’s that? And what time is it?
Nomad: Its 11:30p.m.
Ops. Lost track of time.
Brownie Girl: Oh. Now, what do you want to ask me?
Nomad: Will you go to the Valentines Dance with me?

“Oh my gosh Ben,” Ana said the next morning. “Nomad asked me to the Valentines Dance!”
“That’s great,” Ben replied. “When did he ask you?”
“Last night on our chat line,” Ana said.
“Really? How late did you stay up for him to ask you?” Ben continued.
“11:30p.m.,” Ana said.
“Shesh. Do your parents care at all about what you do?” Ben asked.
“Not really,” Ana replied.

That night, Ana was roaming through her closet, looking for a dress to wear to the dance, without much luck. Her older sister Jayne stuck her head in the door and asked, “Hey, what’re you doing?”
“Looking for a dress for the Valentines Dance tonight,” Ana replied.
“Oh, I have the perfect dress for you,” Jayne said, as she motioned for Ana to come to her room. “So, who asked you?” Jayne asked.
“Oh, you know I’ve been texting this one boy since 5th grade?” Ana said. “Yeah, he asked me.”
“So, you don’t even know who he is?” Jayne asked.
“Don’t even have a clue,” Ana replied.
“Ah. Here’s the dress,” Jayne said, pulling out a sparkling pink dress with matching shoes and a mask.
“Oh, it’s beautiful! Thanks Jayne!” Ana said, hugging her sister.
“Oh, it’s no biggie,” Jayne said, hugging her back.
An hour later, there was a knock at the door and Ana’s younger sister Sarah opened the door and there was Ben, dressed in a tux and had his hair smoothed by hair gel. “Hey there, little munchkin,” he said. “Is Ana here?”
“Ana! Ben’s here!” Sarah shouted. Ana came down, dressed in the pink dress, mask, and shoes, and her hair combed and falling down her back. Ben just stared at her, and was not able to look anywhere else.
“Hey, Ben,” Ana said.
“Did he like, ask you out?” Sarah asked.
“No, he’s just my ride to the dance,” Ana said. “I’m meeting someone else there.”
“Well, from what I’m seeing, it looks like he should,” Sarah said.
“Jayne! Can you come down here? I need some help,” Ana called.
“Yeah?” Jayne asked, coming down.
“Take little Sarah boo to the kitchen. Mom’s making dinner,” Ana said.
“Hey, Ben,” Jayne said.
“Evening, Jayne,” Ben said, glancing at her for a second.
“Wow, you look really handsome tonight,” Jayne said. “Are you taking little Ana out for a drive?”
“Jayne!” Ana moaned through gritted teeth.
“Come on, little munchkin,” Jayne said, swooping down to pick Sarah up. “I think ‘cause Ana’goingg out, Mom’s making spaghetti.”
“So she igoingg on a date,” Sarah said.
Ana groaned again. “So, Ben, lets go,” Ana said. They walikedo his car and got in. “So, do you even have a date?” Ana asked.
“Nope, but you know, Sarah’s right. If I’d known you’d be dressing like this, I would have asked you,” Ben said. “Of course then I’d make sure you didn’t have your texting buddy.”
“Come on Ben,” Ana said. “Nobody’goingg to believe us if we tell them we’re dating.”
“Really? Because all my friends are trying to convince me we’d be the perfect couple, and then trick me into asking you out,” Ben said.
Ana shot him a look and said, “And you didn’t tell me this, because?”
“I don’t know. You wouldn’t belivee,” Ben replied with a shrug.
“If you were honest with me, I’d probably say yes,” Ana said. “Then go through the whole Sarah oh my gosh we’re dating thing.”
“Really?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. Seeing you dressed like that makes me wish I didn’t have a texting buddy,” Ana said.
“You’re joking,” Ben said, staring at the road.
“No, I’m serious,” Ana said. “I’ve never seen you dressed like this, Ben. You look different and you’re acting different too. You’re like a completely different person, like I’ve never even met you, but in a good way.”
They arrived at the Angel Hotel where the dance was being held. They stepped out of the car, and Ben said, “Wait, Ana. Before you go and run off with the boy of your dreams, I have something to give you.”
“Oh, what is it?” Ana asked.
“Here, turn around,” Ben said.
Ana turned around, and Ben reached into his pocket and drew out a necklace. He then reached his hands around Ana’s neck to put it on. Ana looked down, and saw the little pink heart, and she smiled. “Oh, Ben! It’s beautiful!” Ana exclaimed. “And before I run off, I have something to give you that you probably wouldn’t expect me to do.” And with that, she leaned over and kissed him on his right cheek. She moved away, and her lips started to tingle there was a smile on her face again. Then she ran inside. Ben touched his cheek where Ana had kissed it, and walked inside as well. Ana went right under the pink heart ornament. Then she heard him. “Brownie Girl?”
She turned and her mouth dropped open. “Austin Ames?” she said. “You’re Nomad?”
“I’m sorry if I’m not what you expected,” Austin replied.
“No, no. You’re more than what I expected,” Ana said. “But what about Catherine?”
“It’s over,” Austin said.
But, Catherine wasn’t watching this, Ben was! Not like Ana noticed. He was up in the balcony, watching them through binoclears. Oh man! He thought. Nomads Austin Ames! Ana’s sure to fall for him!
Down below, Austin said, “But I still don’t know your name.”
“Ana Anson,” she croaked.
“Well, Ana. How ‘bout a stroll outside?” Austin asked.
Ben watched as Ana took Austin’s hand and began to walk outside the hotel. Sighing, he then went back into the hotel.
Outside, Ana started to realize Austin wasn’t like Nomad. All those romantic conversations they had, made Ana discover that he was different from how sarcastic and annoying he was really acting. She tried acting like she thought his jokes were funny, and answered all his questions without wanting to run away. But when he turned away for a second, Ana turned her cell alarm to ring at 11:45p.m. Around 11:40, they came across an open lush area, with a man sitting at his piano. Austin said to the man, “One more for the road please. I really like this girl.” Pretty soon, a smooth romantic song was floating through the air. Austin pulled Ana closer to him, and they started to sway back and forth. Then, all of a sudden, beep beep beep! “Oh, sorry Austin,” she said quickly. “I have to go.” Then, with that, she turned and ran back into the hotel. Austin waited for a second, and then started to bolt after her. “Ana, wait!” he called. “Where are you going?” But she never answered.
Ana rounded into the hotel looking for Ben. She found him sitting in the corner looking real bummed. “Hey,” she said.
“What do you want?” he asked sarcastically. “Shouldn’t you be out waltzing with your beloved Austin?”
“Ben, I know I was psyched to meet him,” Ana replied. “But now, I don’t even care. I even set my alarm on my cell to come back and find you.”
“Why?” Ben asked, looking up at her.
Then, the DJ said, “Here’s your last chance to dance the best slow dance of the night. And one special couple igoingg to be able to dance in the center right under the pink heart ornament. Let’s see who the two lucky people are.”
A light started to shine, and it stopped when it reached Ana and Ben. “Well, we have the lucky couple! Come on out and have the best slow dance of your life!” the DJ announced.
“Now do you see?” Ana asked Ben.
Ben stood up, and asked, “May I have this last dance?”
“Of course you may,” Ana said. Ben slipped his hand in hers and they walikedo the center of the floor. They slowly started waltzing around the dance floor, obvious to that all Ana and Ben could do was gaze into each other’s eyes. The song ended and the clock started to strike twelve. Feeling tired from all the excitement, Ana and Ben started to drive back to Ana’s. When they reached her house, Ana said, “You know, Austin was nothing like I thought him to be. I felt glad when I finally got away from him and found you.”
“Really?” Ben asked.
“Yeah,” Ana replied. “And I would have been just as happy if Nomad turned out to be the handsome boy standing right in front of me.”
Hearing her say that made Ben look down at the ground. Then, seeing how far Ana was from him, made him reach out and gently pull her toward him into a light hug. Ana leaned up against him a bit, and he released her after a few seconds. “Goodnight, Ben,” she said, turning toward the door to open it, but she couldn’t go in. She looked down, and saw her hand was in his. He lifted it up, gently kissed it and said, “Sweet dreams, Ana.” He let go, she smiled, and walked into the open door. She took off the pink shoes and left them by the front door. She walikedo the stairs, and Sarah shouted, “So you did go on a date with Ben!”
“Why you little twit!” Ana yelled. “I did not!”
She chased Sarah up to her room, and Sarah closed her door. Ana walikedo her own room and perched on her windowsill, and stared out her window. She thought about what happened at the dance and wondered what Ben was thinking. She heard her phone buzz, and she picked it up. It was a text message that read I Love You. She smiled and knew there was only one possibility. It wasn’t Austin, she knew. From the way he’d acted, no way! There was only one other handsome boy she had been with that night that she knew would write something like that, Ben.

“So, how’d it go last night?” Jayne asked.
“Well, I found out Nomad was Austin Ames,” Ana said.
“Wow! Lucky!” Jayne said. “I’d do anything to get myself in his arms.”
“Well, I wasn’t too impressed,” Ana said. “He may be cute on the outside, but on the inside, he’s just stubborn!”
“And what about Ben?” Jayne asked. “He sure looked handsome.”
“I know,” Ana said. “But I think he’s crushing on me.”
“How do you know that?” Jayne asked.
Ana whipped out her cell phone and opened the same text message she got the night before, and showed it to Jayne.
“This could be from anyone,” Jayne said, reading the message.
“I know,” Ana said. “But I received it a little while after Ben dropped me off after the dance.”
“Ana,” Sarah giggled, poking her head into her room. “Your boyfriends here.”
“My boyfriend?” Ana asked, walking out of her room. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
She walked to the top of the stairs and saw Ben standing in the doorway. “Hey, Ana!” he said.
“He is not my boyfriend!” Ana yelled, tackling Sarah, and running into her room to throw her on her bed. Sarah screamed with glee the whole time. Ana then came back to the top of the stairs. “Sorry about that,” she said to Ben. “So, what’s up?”
“Do you want to take a walk with me?” he asked. “It’s really nice out.”
Ana looked up at Sarah’s bedroom and said, “Sure.”
He turned and they started out. “So, did you get my text message?” he asked.
“I assumed it was from you,” Ana replied with a smile. “I was showing it to Jayne when Sarah came in giggling. She really thinks we’re dating even though she’s only ten.”
Ben looked down, and was burning to ask her out, but he held it in. They looped through Winner field Park, and by the middle of the walk, Ben saw the opportunity that her hand was free and slipped his hand into hers. Ana saw him do this, and looked up at Ben, who hoped she wouldn’t pull away, and Ana smiled. They rounded back to Ana’s and saw it was nearing dusk. “Wow. A small walk turned into a full day,” Ben said.
“Yeah. Strange how time flies so fast,” Ana replied. “Well, thanks for a great day anyway. See you at school tomorrow.” She turned, once again to go inside, but her hand was still in his. But this time, he pulled Ana back towards him, so she was almost right up against him, and reached his free hand up to her face and his fingers softly grazed her cheek. Then, totally ruining the moment, Sarah stuck her head out the door and sang, “Ana and Ben sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Ana with the baby carriage.”
“Why you little…,” Ana cried, trying to chase after her sister. Yet, she couldn’t. Ben was still holding on to her. “Let it go, Ana,” Ben said. “She’s just a little munchkin. But, bbeforeyou go, there’s just one more thing I have to do.” He lifted her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it. Ana’s hand was finally released, and she walked inside.
“Hey, you’ve been gone all day,” Jayne said.
“Oh, sorry. I just went on a walk with Ben,” Ana said. “But really, I think he’s crushing on me. He’s been acting a bit different lately.”
“Ooh, really?” Jayne said. “Dish.”
“Well, he’s been holding my hand a lot, he hugged me last night, he ran his fingers on my cheek when he just dropped me off tonight, and last night and tonight I wasn’t able to walk away from him without him kissing my hand,” Ana said. “It feels a bit awkward, but at the same time I feel really safe around him when he does it, and I like it. But, does it mean something?”
“I don’t know,” Jayne said. “It could.”
“Well, then there’s only one thing to do,” Ana said. “I’ll just wait till he speaks.”
The next day, Ana was walking down the hallway when she heard a voice. “So, Melissa. I’m so excited for our date tonight.” It was Austin. “And I’m so glad I used Ana Anson to find you. She wsuchh an easy target. I mean, how could she think I would actually like her. She’s a freak. And her friend, Ben Mertz, is such a geek. I’m so glad you’re my new girlfriend.”
“Oh, Austin. You’re such a tease,” Melissa said. They leaned in to kiss, but Ana didn’t care. She was now in tears and running down the hall to find the one person she knew would comfort her.
Ben was outside in the sunny courtyard, his golden hair blowing in the breeze, and his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight, as he was talking to his friends Jeremy Davis and Lance Phillips.
“So, I took Ana to the Valentines Dance on Saturday and I told her that you guys were forcing me to ask her out and that we’d be the perfect couple, and she totally said she felt the same way,” he said.
“So, have you asked her out yet?” Jeremy asked.
“No, but I’m hoping to do it soon,” Ben replied.
“Well, here’s your chance, dude, because here she comes,” Lance said. Ben turned to see Ana running toward him, and he started to say, “Ana, I want…,”
But as she got closer, he saw tears were streaming down her face, her dark brown eyes outlined in red from crying, and her brown hair blowing wildly around her as she continued to run to him. He opened his arms, which had been folded over his chest, and she ran to him, head on his shoulder, sobbing like crazy. “Ana, what’s wrong?” he asked, putting his arms around her. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I hate you,” Ana cried, mumbling into his shoulder. “You lied to me Austin Ames.”
“You hate me!?” Ben cried, not understanding her mumbling. “And when did I lie to you?”
“Not you,” Ana said softly, lifting her hand up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. “Austin.”
“Wow, total romance action here,” Lance said.
Ana looked at him, made a face, then turned back to Ben’s shoulder and continued to sob.
“Uh, guys,” Ben said. “Catch up with you later. I think I need to be alone with Ana right now.”
The two guys walked away from them mumbling to each other.
“Ana, what’s wrong?” Ben asked her.
“He lied to me, Ben,” Ana said through tears. “I saw him with Melissa Reed in the hallway. He told her he was glad he used me as a target to find her and said I would never think he’d like me. He called me a freak. He never liked me.”
“Ana, how could you believe he did?” Ben asked, reaching his hand to clean her face. “I mean, did you ever like him?”
“At first I didn’t,” she replied. “But when we were dancing at the Valentines Dance, I kind-of did.”
“Man, Ana,” Ben said. “I don’t like Austin Ames at all. He’s so full of himself. And if you liked him that would break my heart.”
“I don’t like him anymore,” Ana said. “But there’s something you must know.”
“What’s that?” Ben asked, stroking her long brown hair.
Ana turned her head into his shoulder again, but he could hear this. “Austin called you a geek,” she said softly.
He got red in the face and began to move away from Ana. “Oh, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” he said angrily.
“No, Ben, don’t,” she cried, pulling on him. “I need you for comfort.”
He calmed down, his face relaxed as he moved back toward Ana, who rested herself against him. As dusk fell over California, Ben and Ana stood there, lost track of time, just keeping each other warm.

It was heaven for Ana and Ben. Long walks at sunset, kisses after dark. But, all of a sudden, something was tearing them apart, and things were changing, and Ana didn’t like it at all. A new girl from New York came to Bentwood High. Her name was Natalie Emerson, and with her clumpy orange hair, square glasses, and wrinkled clothes, how could anyone say she was attractive at all. Well, Ben somehow did.
On Natalie’s first day, Ana saw Ben talking to her. She didn’t see anything wrong with it, but kept a close eye. Ana watched them carefully through the week, and after school when Ana went on her sunset walk with Ben, he acted normal and didn’t show he was hiding anything, so Ana relaxed. But then, the day came. Friday morning, Ana walked into the hallway, all cheerful, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Natalie trying to flirt with Ben, and he was smiling! Her heart sank, and she got even sadder as she continued to see their flirting throughout the day.
Right after the last school bell rang; Ben came by Ana’s locker and said, “Hey.” She ignored him. “So, are we still on for our sunset walk?” he asked.
She turned around and said, “No.”
He looked at her all confused and asked, “Why? We’ve been doing it all week, and I thought you loved doing them.”
“Why don’t you take Natalie on that walk Ben?” Ana said. “I bet she’ll have way more fun than me.”
“What are you talking about?” Ben asked.
“Oh, and take this necklace,” Ana cried, pulling the necklace off her. “Then give it to Natalie to show her how much you care about her. Considering you’ve totally forgotten about our friendship, and how much you care about me!”
“But Ana, I do care about you,” Ben said. “And right now, I care about you even more than a friend.”
“Oh, great,” Ana said. “You just keep thinking that when you’re making out with Natalie after your first date.”
“Ana, please, listen,” Ben said calmly. “I can explain.”
“No,” Ana said angrily. “I’m not going to listen to another word, Ben Mertz. Even though ever since we’ve been doing this, you were going to eventually ask me out and become my first real boyfriend. But now, I’m done with you!” And with that, she ran down the hallway, tears streaming down her face as she ran out the schools doors. Ben just stood there, and when she was no longer in sight of his eyes, he whispered, “So did I.”
Ana ran home, and sprinted to her room, and sobbed into her pillow. She wished Natalie never came to Bentwood High, and then she wouldn’t be sobbing into her pillow. She knew she couldn’t talk to Ben because he would do something horrible to her, considering the mean things she had said to him before she left school. All she could do was lie on her bed and cry herself to sleep.
Ben ended up going down to the sea side where he thought of taking Ana for their sunset walk. He walked alone, staring into his palm at the necklace Ana had shoved into his hand that afternoon. He fiddled with the heart, and saw three words Ana probably didn’t notice were engraved in tiny swirly script. I Love You.

The week after their fight, things between Ana and Ben were really cooling down. Ana completely forgot about Ben, and if she’d catch his eye, she would either look away, or give him a very sad look.
Ben, on the other hand, couldn’t take his mind off Ana. She was all he could think about. Natalie practically forced Ben to spend time with her, considering no one else was being nice to her. And to Ben’s surprise, she wasn’t as fun as he’d thought her to be. Not that it mattered. Natalie was the only reason Ana wouldn’t even come near him anymore. Natalie made him go to the mall, play with Barbie’s, and she told him stories that he never understood.
The only thing she said that made him smile a bit was, “You are so handsome today, Ben.”
But she said it about twenty times a day, so it got really annoying after the first few days. He only wished he could hear Ana say that to him again. Every time he heard Natalie say it, he would think back to the Valentines Dance when Ana told him she would have been just as happy if Nomad turned out to be the handsome boy in front of me.
The only time Ben ever got to be alone, was at sundown. Natalie had to be home before dark, so she went home at sundown, which gave Ben some time to go down to the sea side and watch the sunset. He thought about what he did wrong, and how he could fix it. He’d stare at the necklace a lot and Ana’s face would always pop into his head, refusing to leave. Then, that Sunday night, he got an idea. “Hey, Natalie,” he said that Monday morning.
“Hi Ben,” she replied.
“Natalie, do you like any boys?” Ben asked.
“You,” she replied.
“No, I mean other boys besides me,” Ben said. “Like a crush.”
“Well, there is one guy,” Natalie said.
“Great! Who is it?” Ben asked.
“Austin Ames,” Natalie said. “But I can never get his attention.”
“Leave that to me,” Ben said.
He then started wondering to the jocks lockers and found Austin.
“Hey, Austin,” Ben said. “Are you still dating Melissa Reed?”
“How’d you know about that?” Austin asked.
“Ana told me,” Ben said. “That’s when you went and broke her heart.”
“Well, now my hearts been broken,” Austin said. “Melissa dumped me for Christopher Wilson. She thought I was too snobby. At first I thought she was in love with me, but only three days later, she dumped me.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Ben replied. “Because Ana and I got in a fight because I was spending time with Natalie Emerson. Which is why I’m here. She’s crushing on you, and since you’re single, I think you’ve found your new girl.”
“Cool,” Austin said. “And, aren’t you crushing on Ana?”
“How’d you know about that?” Ben asked.
“Digs,” Austin said. “I see you two taking sunset walks every night, and you literally can’t your eyes off Ana. You two are so the perfect couple. I wish I thought of that.”
“Oh, thanks,” Ben said. “Hey, do you know how to win a girls heart back?”
“Are you talking about Ana?” Austin asked.
“Like, yeah,” Ben said.
“Be laid back,” Austin responded. “Go easy. Show her that you really care.”
“Wow, Austin,” Ben said. “For a jock, you’re a pretty cool guy.”
“Thank you,” Austin replied, accepting the compliment.
Ben walked Austin to Natalie and they immediately hit off, and walked away, chatting a mile a minute.
Good, He thought. Now, all I need to do is win Ana’s heart back.

Ana had been pretty gloomy since her fight with Ben. She didn’t talk much, and hid in her room most of the time. Every time Sarah would come in and say, “Bens here. He wants to ask you out.”
She would reply, “No he isn’t, because he hates me and he’s never going to ask me out because of the horrible things I told him!”
Sometimes, she’d go into long periods of doing absolutely nothing. She tried mingling with other girls at school, but ended up not liking them at all.
Even though she’d told Ben she didn’t care about him, she still cared real deeply for him.
She kept wishing she could flee to his house, fling herself into his arms, and beg for forgiveness. No. Not after all the mean things she’d said to him the week before that he would forgive her no matter how hard she’d try.
That week, there was a basketball game that Thursday night at school, and feeling bored, she decided to go. She told her family where she was going, and said she’d be back around eight. She left around six, and took the local bus.
While she was sitting in the stands, she kept looking around, thinking she’d see Natalie and Ben, holding hands, anenjoyying the game, but she didn’t.
She tried to enjoy what was happening on the court, but ended up feeling gloomy that she came alone.
It came to the fourth quarter, and that’s when it happened. Austin made two three pointers and everyone started chanting, “Austin! Austin! Austin!”
Despite that she was over the day he broke her heart, she left. She called Jayne to come pick her up, and she sat outside of the school.
A cold wind started to blow, and she zipped up her sweater, but was still shivering in the California’s winter cold.
She saw a figure in the distance, and when it came closer, it was none other than, Ben. He was wearing a fairly warm jacket with jeans, a hat, and light gloves. He came straight for her and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied softly.
“Ana, I can’t take this,” Ben said. “My life’s been miserable since our fight. Natalie was driving me crazy before I hooked her up with Austin.”
“Austin Ames?” Ana asked. “Why?”
“Well, she was crushing on him, and she was the only reason we had that fight,” Ben said. “And I’m sorry if I was flirting with her. She was just new, and I wanted to help her out a little. But apparently she thought I was the only friend she had, so she dragged me around with her everywhere she went, and let me tell you, the things she made me do with her were just torture. But, the way I feel about you is a much greater feeling than I felt towards Natalie.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry too,” Ana said quietly. “I guess my actions conquered over my words, and I just couldn’t control it. And also, I just thought you had stronger feelings towards Natalie than you did towards me, so that just made me overreact.”
“Ana, don’t ever think that,” Ben replied. “I’d only known Natalie for two weeks, and she treated me like a pack mule, and was just trying to make me like her. It never worked. You may have seen me acting like I did like her, but I never liked her like that. But you. From the first day we met, I somehow knew we would end up like this.”
“In a fight?” Ana asked.
“No. Having stronger feelings for each other than just friends,” Ben said.
“Oh,” Ana replied.
“So, are we cool then?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I accept your apology,” Ana said.
Then she shivered again.
“You cold?” Ben asked.
“Yeah,” Ana said. “This sweater isn’t very warm.”
Ben reached out and gently pulled Ana right against him. Ana nuzzled up to him, and felt so cozy and warm in his arms, and knowing when Ben wrapped his arms around her, he felt the same way.
“Oh,” Ben said. “I have something to give back to you.”
“What?” Ana asked.
Ben spun her around, drew out the necklace and from the way Ben was touching her, she knew he was giving back the necklace. Ben clasped the necklace onto her and whispered, “I love you.”
“You w-what?” Ana asked.
“I love you Ana,” Ben said.
She smiled at him and replied, “I love you too. And you know, I never knew why you gave me this necklace at the Valentines Dance.”
“This is why,” Ben said, making Ana look at him. He then brushed away her long hair that was covering her face, leaned towards her, and brought his mouth to hers. It was Ana’s first real kiss, and it was perfect. And everything, everything, disappeared except the feel of Bens soft lips on hers.
At that moment, Jayne drove up with Sarah in the backseat, who yelled, “I told you they were going out!”
Ana and Ben separated from their smooch, and smiled. “Oh, I forgot to ask,” Ben said to Ana. “Do you want to go out with me?”
Ana looked at Jayne, then Sarah, and back to Ben, and smiled. “I’d love to.” she said.
“Cool,” Ben replied. Then, Ben brushed her hair away from her face again, leaned in, and the world disappeared from Ana again.
“Oh, my little Ana’s finally growing up,” Jayne said.