It has been forty-six hours since Marcel and Nessa shared a magical, yet confusing kiss in a smelly, dank boy's locker room. Since then neither had talked to one another, just fleeting nervous glances in passing.

Nessa was scared that she had severed the only friendly connection between Marcel and her, but then again, she didn't want to be just friends.

Today was no different. Nessa parked her car and walked with her head down to avoid the stares of the dead brain student body that Lakeside Academy had to offer. She shoved her books into her locker and grabbed her first and second period supplies. As she shut the door and pushed through the huddle of people around the surrounding lockers Nessa looked up just in time to see Marcel walking down the hall as well.

He seemed to realize she was watching his every move and Marcel locked eyes with her. Nessa blushed profusely and kept walking in the other direction, even though her class was the other way.

After Nessa had suffered through another grueling mandatory art class, she was looking forward to her after school marimba practice in the band room. Unfortunately, she still had three more periods and lunch to suffer through. Thankfully Nessa had Ari and Kat in her lunch rotation.

The lunch looked equally as unappetizing as usual, but Nessa didn't seem to notice because behind her in line was Marcel Styles, the current bane of her existence.

The lunch looked equally as unappetizing as usual, but Nessa didn't seem to notice because behind her in line was Marcel Styles, the current bane of her existence.

"Hey."

"Oh my God he made the first move at conversation! This is good say something back to him!" Nessa's subconscious screamed.

"Um...hi."

"Hi? Really? Nessa shook off her inner thoughts and waited for Marcel to speak again, to say anything to make this conversation less awkward.

"So...about Friday...can we talk?"

"Sure. Let's sit down."

Nessa led Marcel to her table and motioned for him to proceed because Kat and Ari were still in line.

"So Friday...I had a lot going on and honestly I don't know how to handle what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I just feel like...maybe...we should pretend it never happened. I was projecting something I really wanted onto one of my closest friends, and I don't want our relationship to change because of it."

Nessa was speechless. She thought that because they had kissed Marcel would want to be more than friends. Nessa wasn't sure she still wanted to be his friend after something like this.

"If you don't mind me asking...was it something I did?"

"No, God Nessa I'm so sorry! I realize how this must sound..."

"So you like someone else?"

"Yeah...and because I was mad at her and my brother, I kissed you."

"Oh...okay..."

Nessa was crushed. Marcel didn't like her. She'd made the whole thing up in her head. Maybe Kat was right...Marcel would never have a crush on her.

Ari and Kat walked up to the table laughing like the world's funniest joke had just been told. Nessa tried to hide her broken heart under her smile, but her bleary eyes gave it away.

Before Nessa could mumble a greeting Marcel beat her to it.

"Her Ari! How's your day going? Am I in your seat? Let me pull out a chair for you."

Ari didn't seem to notice what Nessa was seeing in plain sight. Marcel liked Ari.

"Ummm...s-s-sorry...I....have to go to the restroom. I don't feel well."

Nessa practically ran to the restroom closest to the cafeteria and locked herself into the handicapped stall. She muffled her sobs into her sleeve and prayed that no one would hear her.

She knows that crying over a boy is stupid, especially a boy she had no future with, but here she was pathetic crying on the dingy floor of a smelly bathroom in Lakeside Academy.

The door opened with a soft creak and Ari's black combat boots came into view under the stall.

"Nessa...I know you're in there. Open the door or I'm crawling under, and we both know I would never forgive you if I ruined my favorite tunic.

"No."

"Vanessa Dewan open this stall right now."

Sighing Nessa shuffled to her feet and slid open the lock. She caught her face in the mirror and saw how blotchy and red her face looked. Just great.

Ari sighed and pulled Nessa in for a hug, but Nessa shrugged away from her and slid back down the bathroom wall again.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You can't give advice this time Ari."

"Try me."

Knowing it was pointless to argue Nessa looked into Ari's wide brown eyes and took inventory of her best friend's appearance. Who wouldn't want her as a girlfriend? She was beautiful, athletic, socially gifted, and everything Nessa wasn't.

"Marcel said the only reason that he kissed me was because he was projecting his anger."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He doesn't like me Ari."

"Don't say that...you know he has a crush on you."

"How can you be so blind!?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Ari, Marcel has such a big crush on you, yet you can't see it!"

Ari seemed taken back. She looked like she was searching for the right words to say.

"Don't worry about it though...I can just move on and you two can be happy without me in your way."

"Nessa we're just friends. I don't like Marcel as anything more."

"Why not? He's the total package? He's everything we've talked about since we were freshmen: smart, funny, cute, and in love with us."

"Yeah well so are you Nessa! If Marcel can't see that, then he deserves to be alone because I have not and will not be making any advances."

Nessa pulled toilet paper from the dispenser and wiped her tears.

"Why do you have to be so pretty and amazing? Can't you just be ugly?"

Ari laughed and said, "Sorry I'll try harder next time. Come on I'm checking us out of school, we're going to get ice cream and talk about how we hate boys."

"I love you."

"I know."

Notes

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