Poke.

    Poke.

    Poke Poke.

    Poke.

    My eyelid twitched with irritation.

    Poke.

    I tried my best to ignore the finger that kept poking me and instead focus on the notes inside my book.

    Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke.

    That’s it. I’ve had enough. I slammed my book down on the table, making my best friend/crush jump back.

    “WHAT?!” I roared. I folded my arms and looked at Nicolas expectantly.

    “Took you long enough,” he muttered. My eyelid twitched even more. Sometimes this boy was too much to handle. “I was wondering if you wanted to sleep over. Tess has a night shift today, and my parents are out of town with your parents! Plus, today is the last day before winter break. This is the perfect opportunity! We haven’t done this since we were wee little children!”

    I thought about it for a moment. I get to be with my best friend for an entire night. No interruptions. Just us. Imagine all the things we could do together… Watch movies, talk, and eat food… Oh the food… The waffles.

    Then I thought some more. I’d be with my crush the entire night. No interruptions. Just us. Imagine the fool I’d make of myself...

    I looked back at Nicolas. He was now giving me the puppy dog eyes. I just looked at him until he suddenly smirked and took a step closer. I felt my face heat up slightly as he leaned towards my ear.

    “I can make us some waffles,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. I cupped my hand over my ear and shivered. Nicolas stepped back and laughed.   

    “H-hey! Not funny!” I shouted, getting up from the lunch table. Everyone else at the table stopped talking and looked at us. “What about your little sister?”

    Nicolas stopped laughing and smiled. Oh, how I adored that smile of his…

    No. Snap out of it.

    He snaked an arm around my waist pulled me in for a hug. He rested his chin on top of my head.

    “The waffle wasn’t enough to bribe you this time, huh?” he said as he nuzzled his face into my hair. Oh gosh. “Lux is going to be having her own sleep over at her friend’s house,”

    I pried his arms from around my waist, or at least I tried. He just held on tighter.

    “Dude! Let me go! We’re getting weird stares!” I whispered/shouted. He just chuckled in response.

    “Not unless you say yes, but until then,” he gave me a wicked grin. He lifted me up from the ground I squeaked in surprise.

    “I surrender! I’ll have a sleep over with you! Just put me down, you weirdo!”

    Nicolas set me down, and I huffed.

    “Oh how you wound me, (Y/N),” he said jokingly as he put his hands to his heart.

    “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just walk with me to AP World History.”

    “Whatever you say, dear.” He winked. Oh gosh. He actually winked at me.

    ***

    I watched as my breath condensed in the cold air. Nicolas told me to wait outside after school ended. We were going to take the city bus to the stop near my neighborhood, get my stuff, and then walk over to his house. Jeez. Why does it have to be so complicated? Especially in this cold and snow?

    I checked the time on my phone as I gripped the strap of my messenger bag.

    12:58

    Where was that idiot?

    I glanced around and saw Gilbert making his way towards me.

    “Hey, Gil!” I called.

    “Sup, frau! You wanna hang out later today? Francis, Toni, and I were thinking of going to the mall to catch a movie at the theaters, then go the arcade, and grab some dinner.”

    Free food? Count me i--

    Nicolas.

    “Sorry, Gil. I already made plans with Nic. Maybe we could hang out some other time? I mean, we don’t have school for two weeks.”

    Gilbert smirked as he said, “Sure, frau. Anytime.”

    We stood in silence for a moment before he leaned over to whisper in my ear.

    “So he finally got the balls to ask you out, huh?”

    “W-what? What makes you say that? Nic and I are just friends!” I exclaimed.

    “So he hasn’t asked you out yet?” Gilbert placed his chin between his thumb and index finger. He furrowed his eyebrows. “You’d think he’d finally ask you out by now.”

    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked indignantly.

    “Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you? The way he acts around you?”

    “He looks at me the same way he always done, and he always tries to find a way to annoy the crap out of me.”

    “Come on! You guys have been friends for ages! You’d think something would happen between the two of you!” Gilbert threw his hands up in frustration.

    “Look, just because we’re best friends and the opposite gender doesn’t mean we’re going to end up together,” I said as I puffed my cheek. I pulled my beanie down a little more to keep my forehead warm.

    “Hey, at least you guys can try.” We were both silent for a while. Gilbert started texting away on his phone.

    I unbuckled the buckle of my bag and began searching for some gloves. These stupid jeans didn’t have any pocket, and my peacoat didn’t have pockets either.

    “What are you looking for?” Gilbert asked.

    “My damned gloves! I can’t seem to find them anywhere,” I said. I began taking out my books.

    “Why don’t I help you?” Gilbert suggested. I know, I know. Gilbert seems out of character at the moment. He was actually a really nice guy once you got to know him. He was almost like a big brother to me.

    “Oh my gosh, that would be wonderful.”

***

Antonio

    P.E. just ended five minutes ago, and now it was the end of the day. I should’ve taken gym during my freshman year…

     I walked out of the gym and headed towards the locker room. I was glad that it was the end of the day. We don’t have school for the next two weeks, and Gilbert, Francis, and maybe even (Y/N) and I were going to hang out later. Man, I hope we buy churros at the mall…

    I really need a churro after a rough day with finals, and before you ask, yes, we had P.E. finals which consisted of a lot of physical movement. We had to stay back for about ten minutes to finish everything too.

    I opened my locker to take out my belongings. I checked my phone for any text messages.

Gil: (Y/N) won’t be joining us. She has plans with Nic

Me: He finally asked her??!!!!

Gil: Nope. Didn’t have the balls to, but I have a feeling he will ask her tonight at their sleepover…

    My eyes widened. They were having a sleepover and didn’t invite me?!

    I texted Gilbert what I just thought.

Gil: Dude, forget that! This could be our chance to give them a little push!

Me: As revenge? I could never do that!

Gil: -_- No. You know… Set them up so that they’ll be together

Me: That’s actually a great idea! Heh… Just had a little brain fart. So, what’s the plan?

Gil: Screw the mall. Tell Francis to meet at your place. In the meantime, I have a plan to get things started.

    I texted Francis to notify him of the change of plans. Then I started to get changed.

***

Nicolas

    I paced around the locker room. I regretted not taking P.E. in freshman year.

    Not only was I late to meet (Y/N), I was nervous. Why did I even ask her to come over to my house? I was going to be with my best friend/crush... For the entire night... Alone... In my house.

    I slammed my head against the locker door.

    “Amigo, are you okay?” Toni asked as he slipped on a shirt.

    “No,” I grumbled.

    “Do you want to talk about it?” Could I trust him? We’ve been friends for almost as long as I’ve know (Y/N)-- which was practically since birth.

    I sighed. Toni was my friend. Maybe even my best guy friend. I’d have to try not to make it too obvious about what the problem was, though.

    “Well, I invited this girl over to my house to hang out today…” I trailed off, not know what else to say to him. If I explained the rest, he’d know it was about (Y/N). I hope he didn’t think of something else either.

    “It’s (Y/N), isn’t it?” he asked. My eyes widened.

    “Y-yeah…” I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away from him.

    “Well, spill the beans.”

    “We’re having a sleepover, and I’m nervous.”

    “Amigo, there is nothing to be nervous about. You’ll be fine,” he said with a chuckle. He pat my back.

    “Easy for you to say… You’re not spending a night with a girl you like.”

    “Have you ever thought she might actually like you too? Have you noticed the way she acts around you?”

    “How do you know? Everytime I’m around her, I say stupid stuff and annoy her. I don’t mean to, though. It’s just that…”

    “You’re nervous. I get it.”

    “Yeah.”

    “Have no fear! Everything will be fine! Who knows… Maybe sometime tonight, you’ll ask her out, and she’ll say yes!” he said while wiggling his eyebrows. I chuckled and shoved him playfully.

    We talked as I finished changing.

    “I gotta go now. I’m late with meeting (Y/N). She’s probably mad at me now,” I said as I grabbed my backpack.

    “Bye! And good luck Amigo!” Toni shouted as I left the locker room.

    “Bye!”

***

Gilbert

    (Y/N) and I stood in silence. I thought it’d be a good time to tell Toni that we had a change of plans.

Me: (Y/N) won’t be joining us. She has plans with Nic

Toni: He finally asked her??!!!!

Me: Nope. Didn’t have the balls to, but I have a feeling he will ask her tonight at their sleepover…

Toni: And they didn’t invite me??!!!

Me: Dude, forget that! This could be our chance to give them a little push!

Toni: As revenge? I could never do that!

Me: -_- No. You know… Set them up so that they’ll be together

Toni: That’s actually a great idea! Heh… Just had a little brain fart. So, what’s the plan?

Me: Screw the mall. Tell Francis to meet at your place. In the meantime, I have plan to get things started.

    I put my phone away and noticed (Y/N) practically ransacking her bag. “What are you looking for?” I asked.

    “My damned gloves! I can’t seem to find them anywhere,” she replied. She took out a few books, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something fall out. Gloves. I contemplated whether or not I should tell her, but then I realized if she doesn’t find her gloves and her hands get cold, Nic could hold her hands to keep them warm.

    “Why don’t I help you?” I suggested. I was actually going to pretend to look for the gloves. I would take the gloves when she wasn’t looking.

    “Oh my gosh, that would be wonderful.”

    “It could be in the pile of books. I’ll check these while you keep searching through your bag,” I suggested. She nodded. Great. This will give me the opportunity to take her gloves.

    I pretended to rummage through the pile of books. I lifted some of her notebooks to retrieve the gloves and quickly slid them into the pocket of my coat.

    We continued to look for the gloves, but then she gave up.

    “You know what, I’ll just buy some new gloves on my way to Nic’s house,” she said as she threw her hands up in the air. We had just finished putting her books back in her bag.

    “I guess you’re right, but what if your hands got cold on your way home? You guys will be doing some walking, right?” I said as I held her hands. She sighed and closed her eyes. She rested her head on my chest.

    “I guess you’re right, but we’re going to be on the bus for much of the time home. After that, we’ll walk to his house,” she mumbled.

    “(Y/N)!” a voice shouted. We both looked up to see Nic. His cheeks were flushed and he was panting. He must’ve ran all the way here. He looked at (Y/N), and then he turned to glare at me.

    “Nic! What took you so long! I’m freezing in this cold!” (Y/N) scolded.

    “Look, I’m sorry. Coach kept us late.” (Y/N) puffed her cheeks and pouted. She folded her arms and looked away. I looked over at Nic. His face cheeks were turning even more pink than they already were. Either he was blushing because he was embarrassed, blushing because he thought she looked cute, or both.

    “Come on. We’ll miss the bus,” he said as he grabbed her wrist. He practically dragged her away.

    “W-wait! Slow down!” she cried. She turned back to look at me. “Bye Gil!”

    “Bye my little pumpkin!” I called out. She chuckled. Nicolas turned back to glare at me. I smiled. I just winked and gave him a thumbs up. He turned and started mumbling things I couldn’t hear. (Y/N) punched his arm in response and scolded him.

    Ah. Young love.

***

    Nicolas

    (Y/N) was holding Gilbert’s hand and leaning against him when I finally found her. I could feel anger bubble up within me.

    “(Y/N)!” I shouted. She pulled away from Gilbert.

    “Nic! What took you so long! I’m freezing in this cold!” she scolded. Call me crazy, but she looks cute when she is annoyed…

    “Look, I’m sorry. Coach kept us late,” I apologized. (Y/N) puffed her cheeks and pouted. She folded her arms and looked away. I felt my face heat up, even though I was already sweating from running. She looked so cute…

    “Come on. We’ll miss the bus,” I said as I grabbed her wrist. I started to lead her away from Gilbert.

    “W-wait! Slow down!” She turned her head back. “Bye Gil!” she shouted.

    “Bye my little pumpkin!” he called back. I looked back at Gilbert when she turned around. I glared at him. He just smiled, winked, and gave me a thumbs up.

    Why, that cheeky little bastard!

    I scowled.

    “What’s wrong?” (Y/N) asked.

    “What were you two doing?” I asked.

    “What’s it to you?” she retorted.

    “He’s a player!” (Y/N) grimaced.

    “He’s like my brother.”

    “That’s what they all say,” I muttered. (Y/N) punched me. It didn’t hurt one bit. “You hit like a girl.”

    “That’s because I am a girl,” she deadpanned. We both waited for the bus in silence. She spoke again once we were both seated on the warm bus.

    “Do you think we could stop by the store on the way to your house? I need to buy a pair of gloves,” she said. I nodded.

    “Why don’t we do a full on raid? Candy, soda, chips, and gloves… They’re all on me,” I offered. She smirked.

    “Deal.”

    ***

    Francis

    “Yo, we have to get them together soon, or I’ll never have any nieces or nephews!” Gilbert shouted once we were seated in the car.

    “What about Ludwig?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

    “Psh. We all know Ludwig won’t get laid anytime soon.” Antonio winced.

    “Ouch! So, you want (Y/N) to get pregnant?” Toni exclaimed.

    “Not right now. I meant later. We just need Nicolas to ask (Y/N) out, then ask her to be his girlfriend, break up for a few years, get back together, confess their undying love to each other, propose, get married, have se--”

    “Oui! We get it. Just drive!” I cut him off.

    “Sheesh. Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Gilbert grumbled as he started the car.

    “I'm starting to be thankful that I didn’t take gym in freshman year. This is going to be interesting,” Antonio said as he leaned against the seat.

    “Ja, ja. Whatever. We need to figure out where they are going.”

    We exited the school parking lot and followed the path of the city bus. They’d probably stop by (Y/N)’s house first to get her stuff… And who knows… They might do other stuff there.

    “What are you giggling about, Francis?” Antonia asked. I pulled away from my thoughts.

    “Ohnohn! Nothing to be concerned about. How are we going to follow them without making ourselves too obvious?”

    “They won’t notice us! We’ll just be another car that just happens to pass by,” Gilbert said as he parked on the side of the road outside of (Y/N)’s neighborhood. He turned on the emergency lights.

    I looked out the window. Sure enough, a city bus stopped right in front of the neighborhood. (Y/N) and Nicolas got off and walked deeper into the neighborhood.

    “We should probably get going,” Toni spoke.

    “No. I have something I want to see,” Gilbert said. I looked at him.

    “What?” He smirked and put his hands behind his head.

    “I took her gloves when she wasn’t looking. “

    “What has that got to do with anything?” I asked.

    “You see, the city bus only comes around once an hour. It shouldn’t take that long for them to get her stuff. Half an hour at the most,” he explained.

    “So, they’d have to walk to his house?” I asked.

    “Exactly. (Y/N)’s hands get cold very easily, so she’ll try to warm them up. Nicolas will notice this…”

    “And he’ll hold her hand! That’s genius! How’d you come up with that?” I asked incredulously.

    “When it comes to matchmaking, you can always count on the BTT to be there,” Antonio said. I looked at him. He was now texting on his phone.

    “Oh la la! Does Toni have a ‘special’ girl?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

    “No, no! Not at all.” Toni blushed. “I’m asking Nicolas what he has planned.”

    “So, what is the guy going to do?” Gilbert asked as he leaned over to look at Toni’s phone. I peered over Antonio’s shoulder to get a better look at his phone.

    “They’re going to go to the drug store to get food,” he replied.

    “What about the condoms?” I asked. We all furrowed our eyebrows.

    “I’ll ask him.” Toni typed away on his phone. We all waited anxiously for a response.

    Ping!

    “He said,’No. Are you with Francis?’ What should I say?”

    “Say no,” I said quickly. Nicolas would kill me if he found out I suggested that. Toni continued typing on his phone.

    We waited and waited for an answer from Nicolas. He never replied. I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I looked out the back window. (Y/N) and Nicolas were exiting the neighborhood. (Y/N) rubbed her hands together, but then she let them drop to her side. Nicolas said something and grabbed her hand and put them in his pocket. He was holding her hand!

    She leaned on him as they walked by our car. I looked to see Gilbert and Antonio’s reactions. They were smiling. I couldn’t help but smile as well.

    “Quick! Before they get away!” Antonio shouted. Gilbert started the car again.

    Antonio and I grinned as we passed by them. Suddenly, (Y/N0’s head snapped up and she looked at us. I felt the color drain from my face.

    “SHE SAW US! STEP ON IT, GIL!” I shouted. Gilbert hit the gas pedal, and we sped off to the drug store.

***

You

    Nicolas and I got off the bus and walked into my neighborhood. The bus stop was right in front of my neighborhood, which was convenient. There was a drug store a block away from my house, and if you went past the store another block, you’d find Nic’s neighborhood. His house and neighborhood were significantly larger than mine.

    “Yo, can I take a bath at your place? You guys have huge bathtubs that I haven’t used in, like, forever,” I asked.

    “Only if you take a bath with me!” he said suggestively while wiggling his eyebrows. I shoved his to the side.

    “Ew! No! What’s gotten into you?” I grimaced. He just laughed it off. I huffed.

    I fished around for my keys in my bag. I pulled it out and unlocked the door. The familiar scent of my house greeted us as I opened the door. Nicolas shut the door behind us as soon as we were both inside.

    “If you need to go potty, go now. Eat or drink something while I get my stuff. Make yourself at home, since it’s your second home,” I said as I ran to my room. Nicolas just shrugged and followed me. I sighed. “Don’t complain if you need to go potty on the road and your dick freezes off when you do go potty on the side of the road.”

    I opened the door to my room and walked over to my closet first. I needed pajamas and an extra set of clothes just in case. I also needed a bag to put my stuff in.

    I settled on a grey baseball tee with (F/C) sleeves that reached mid-thigh when I put them on. I also pulled out a pair of of black legging capris. I took out a red flannel shirt and a pair of skinny jeans.

    “Hey, when did you go shopping without me? I could’ve helped you pick out some stuff,” Nic said. I turned around. He was holding up a lacey (F/C) bra and an even lacier (2nd F/C) underwear.

    What has gotten into him?

    I smacked him with the flannel shirt in my hand. He let go of the bra and underwear. I rubbed my temples.

    “Just… Just go sit on the couch and wait for me. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Nicolas puted, but he still left my room.

    I finished packing all of my clothes. I walked over to the bathroom to get my toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, lotion, face wash, face cream scented candles, and bubble bath. A lot of stuff, I know.

    I walked back to my room and put them in the bag. I needed some money just in case something happens. I walked over to my dresser and opened one of the doors on the jewelry box Nic gave me. I pulled the compartment that held the rings that was behind the doors away. I hid some of my money in between that compartment and a picture of Nic and I together.

    I took the money and put it in the tiny little pocket inside of my peacoat. I grabbed my laptop, my phone, and the chargers in my bag before zipping it shut. I contemplated whether or not I should take the book I was reading at lunch. Francis wrote down some tips on how to make a guy like you. I decided to take it with my.

    After putting it away inside my bag, I slung the bag over my shoulder and went back to the living room where Nic sat on the couch. He had his arms resting on the top portion of the couch and his legs splayed out. He had his eyes closed and his head tilted up.

    I poked his cheek. His eyes snapped open and looked at me. He grinned.

    “Ready to go?”

    “Yup!”

    “Alrighty then. Off we go!”

***

    Nic and I trekked through the snow. The cold wind blew hard. I could barely keep my eyes open. My hands felt worse. They almost felt numb,

    I rubbed my hands together in a vain attempt to keep them warm. I sighed and put my hands back down to my sides.

    “Are your hands cold?” Suddenly, Nic moved closer and took my hand. He put it in his pocket and held them tight.

    I felt my face grow warm. I leaned on him and rested my head on his shoulders, nonetheless. We continued walking together until I saw a blue Volkswagen Beetle drive by. It was Gilbert’s car. My head immediately snapped up.

    Sure enough, Antonio was looking at us from the passenger seat while Francis smirked from his seat in the back. They both paled when they realized I saw them. Francis started shouting, and the car sped off.

    “What’s wrong?” Nic asked. I shook my head.

    “Nothing. Just a bunch of idiots from school.” He just laughed.

    We arrived at the drugstore. I let go of Nicolas’ hand and dashed inside.

    “Ah! The warmth!” I sighed. I grabbed a coupon book while Nic got a basket to put our stuff in.

    “Let’s raid this place!”

    ***

    Gilbert

    The guys and I watched as Nicolas and (Y/N) walked into the store. I unbuckled my seatbelt and unlocked the doors.

    “Are we going to follow them?” Francis asked excitedly.

    “Ja. Now come on. Just make sure you guys don’t get caught,” I said as I opened the door.

    I locked the car as soon as everyone got out. We peeked in through the window. (Y/N) and Nicolas were nowhere to be seen. I motioned for the guys to follow me.

    We walked in through the doors and went straight to the the book section.

    “Quick, grab a book or magazine!” I exclaimed as I saw Nicolas walk by. I grabbed a random book. Antonio and Francis did the same. We waited patiently until Nicolas was far from us.

    I sighed in relief as I closed the book. I looked down. I was holding Paper Towns by John Green. I shrugged. I walked out of the aisle with Francis and Antonio right behind.

    “I think they went to the ice cream section,” Francis said as he pointed to the frozen section on the right side of the store. We were facing in the same direction.

    “Onwards!” I pointed to the freezers.

    We jogged to the freezer section. Nicolas and (Y/N) were right in front of us, looking at all the ice cream. I skidded to a halt.

    “Shit,” I cursed under my breath. I went into the nearest aisle. I peered from behind the shelves to get a better look at the pair.

    “What do we do now?” Antonio asked. I shrugged.

    “We watch and help.”

    Francis, who was behind Antonio who was behind me, straightened his back and stretched his arms. A package fell down.

    I heard footsteps getting closer. We didn’t have time to make a run for it. I looked at Francis, who was desperately trying to put the package back in its original spot.

    “Fancy running into you guys here,” a familiar voice said from behind. Shit. We’ve been caught. I turned around to face (Y/N) and Nicolas. (Y/N) was glaring at us.

    “H-hey guys!” I managed to stutter. “What are you guys doing here?”

    “We came to buy some snacks. Now, what are you guys doing here?” Nicolas asked.

    “We came to buy some stuff, y’know,” Antonio replied casually as he leaned on the shelf.

    “Yeah. Like books for our winter reading assignment… Condoms,” Francis said, holding up the package he was holding. I nodded in approval. Nicolas stifled a laugh while (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.

    “Those are tampons.” We all looked at the package Francis was holding.

    “Oh those… Those are for Felicia and Lovina. Its their time of the month,” Antonio said. His face turned red.

    “Mhm. Can I see the books that you guys are getting?” (Y/N) asked. She placed a hand on her hip. Shit. I can’t be caught with this book.

    “I don’t think you’d be interested in our novels,” I said quickly.

    “Really? Try me. You’d be surprised at what I read.”

    Francis, Antonio and I looked at each other. We reluctantly held up our books. (Y/N) squinted.

    “Let’s see… Paper Towns for Gilbert, a coloring book for Toni, and a pregnancy magazine for Francis. I didn’t know you guys were into that stuff.”

    I took a look at our books. Sure enough, Francis was holding a pregnancy magazine, and Toni was holding a Sesame Street coloring book.

    “Well, we couldn’t find any good books here today. These were just some options,” I quickly explained. I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away from (Y/N).

    “Mhm… Well, Nic and I have to get going. See you guys soon!” (Y/N) said as she grabbed Nic’s arm. They walked away. We let out a sigh of relief.

    I glared at Francis and Antonio.

    “You guys couldn’t pick better books?”

    “You said pick a random book,” Toni said with a shrug. I face palmed. I should’ve known better.

    “Come on. We should get to your house,” I said. We were about to walk out of the store before someone behind us cleared their throat. We froze and slowly turned around. A middle aged woman wearing glasses glared at us.

    “You need to pay for the items before you take them” she said in a nasally voice.

    “Oh, we don’t wa--” I saw (Y/N) and Nicolas making their way to the entrance where we were standing. I sighed.

    We walked over to the cash register and paid for the stuff.

    “So that’ll be once pack of super absorbent tampons, one Sesame Street: Cookie Monster and Friends coloring book, one Pregnant Mums Monthly issue, and one copy of Paper Town by John Green. Is that all?” she asked loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. I nodded and handed her the cash. “$0.69 is your change. Have a great day. Next!”

    Francis took the bags and we left the store as quickly as possible.

    Well, that was embarrassing.

    ***

    You

    After walking away from the idiot trio, I looked at Nicolas. He was swinging our basket full of food and skipping while humming.

    He could be such a dork sometimes.

    We got two bags of family sized chips (One for each of us), six packs of Sour Patch Kids, two packs of Swedish fish, four giant Hershey’s bars, two boxes of M&M’s, six Danishes, two packs of mini donuts, four quarts of ice cream, and a whole bunch of soda. This sleepover was going to be epic.

    I began pulling out my money. Nicolas looked at the money in my hand blankly.

    “For the stuff, duh,” I said, waving the money around a bit in the air.

    “I thought you said you’d let me pay…”

    “Did you honestly think I’d let you pay for that crap?”

    “I mean, you agreed to the sleepover after I said I’d pay for all the food.” I laughed and looked down.

    “Did you really think I’d agree to hang out with you just because you’re giving me food? Well, actually, that’s partially true,” I trailed off. I glanced at Nicolas who was starting to look a bit pale. I chuckled. “Nic, did you ever stop to think for a moment that I hang out with you and agreed to come to your house for a sleepover because I actually like being with you? That I like hanging out with you?”

    I looked up and grinned at Nicolas who was now processing what I just said. I reached up and pinched his cheek.

    “You’re so cute, you know that?” I asked him, half teasingly and half seriously. I could have sworn I saw a tinge of pink appear on his cheeks when I said that.

    “B-but I’m so plain!”

    “Trust me, you’re special in your own way… That’s why I like you,” I said. My ears burned as I realized what I just said. Luckily, he didn’t seem to put much thought into what I said, a bit to my disappointment. and much to my pleasure.

    “I have to go to the bathroom. I really need to pee,” I quickly added. Nic. He laughed and shooed me away as he walked over to the cashier. I jogged over to the back of the store and went to the restroom.

    When I returned to the counter where our items were being paid for, I noticed the cashier acting weird. I paused for a moment just to look at the cashier. She was a fair skinned girl with long black hair that was perfectly straight. She had light colored eyes. I had to focus her eyes in order to figure out that they were hazel.

    She twirled her hair as she spoke to Nicolas and smiled. She giggled as Nicolas said something. She grabbed his arm. That bitch was probably trying to feel him up.

    That’s when something inside of me. I walked over as fast as I could. I glared at the girl for a brief moment when she eyed me up and down. She gave me a dirty look, which Nicolas didn’t notice.

    I rested an elbow on Nic’s shoulder before saying,”Sorry it took so long.” Nicolas looked back over to me and smiled.

    “I missed you,” he said jokingly. I pulled my beanie down a bit.

    “I know you did,” I said teasingly. The cashier cleared her throat. I flashed her a smug grin before taking my money out.

    “Hold on! I said I was going to pay.”

    “Too bad, sweet cheeks,” I said. I purposely added in ‘sweet cheeks’ to anger the cashier. “I’m paying, and that’s final. You can repay me later today.”

    The cashier stared at us, dumbfounded by what I had just said. Nicolas did not seem to catch what I just said, though, but soon enough, he realized what the cashier was thinking. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

    “Oh yeah, what kind of waffles did you want?” he asked.

    “Any kind you like, as long as there is ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup on top.” Nicolas gasped.

    “I need to go get some heavy whipping cream and chocolate syrup. I’ll be right back.”

    It was just the cashier and I now. The cashier glared at me.

    “Fucking bitch,” she spat.

    “Excuse me, but who are you calling a bitch?” I asked innocently.

    “Don’t play dumb with me. You’re so fucking lucky to have a guy as cute as him. Too bad I’ll be stealing him away.”

    “We’re not dating.” I deadpanned. She smirked.

    “Then back off.”

    “Who said I’m not interested in him either?” Her smirk fell.

    “I bet I can make him mine before you. He comes here often and probably doesn’t live too far,” she said smugly.

    “Okay, first of all, you can’t own a person. He doesn’t belong to anyone, nor will he ever belong to anyone. He can never ‘be your’s’,” I put air quotes around ‘be your’s’. “Second of all, he does in fact live pretty close. He actually lives five minutes away.” The cashier smirked again.

    “But,” I said as her face fell. “I also happened to live five minutes away. Although you are five minutes away from him and his bed, I am five minutes away from whooping your ass. You do anything to hurt him, I will break that pretty little face of yours.”

    She stood with her mouth wide open. I handed her some money. She stared at it dumbly.

    “To pay for the stuff, dumbass,” I hissed.

    “He’s not back yet.”

    “It should be enough to pay for everything once he’s back.” I shrugged. She sighed and took the money. We had a glaring contest while we waited for Nicolas to get back.

    “Sorry it took so long,” Nicolas said as he placed the cream and syrup on the counter. The cashier rung it up. Nicolas was about to reach for his wallet before the cashier spoke up.

    “She already paid.” Nicolas glanced at me and pouted. I gave him a smug look.

    The cashier handed us the bags, and we were on our way back home. On our way out, we saw the idiot trio being scolded by another cashier. Gilbert was about to say something, but he paled when he saw us. I ignored them. We were both carrying two bags each. I glanced at Nicolas’ face.

    “What’s wrong?” I asked.

    “I feel like we’re missing something.” He scrunched his face up as he reached for my hand. I laced my fingers with his as I pulled my beanie down a little again.

    “It’s probably not that important then.”