He scrunches up his nose. Kisses me. "You tease me about the worse kiss ever, but you're lucky I even talked to you. You were so mean.”

I laugh. “You were a jerk, and, besides, I apologized.”

“Still, this is where I first saw you. When you stole the soccer ball from me.”

I remember that day so vividly. Like it was a scene out of a movie. I felt free and fearless. I could never have done something like that at my old school.

I glance over at the goal. The spot where I first saw Aiden.

I can still feel that instant connection.

But I’ve learned that instant connections aren’t enough. Sparks aren’t enough.

My mom always says that life is about the choices you make. And I know that I’ve made the right choice. The smart decision.

Because I’m here with Dawson.

“You didn’t have a shirt on that day. I thought you were gorgeous."

"I thought you were crazy." He laughs and grabs a piece of my hair, twirling it lightly on his finger. "Crazy, but hot. So, Keatie, will you be my girlfriend?" His big brown eyes glitter in the moonlight.

Our relationship has been all backwards. Bad first impressions. Bad manners. Bad kisses. Sex way too soon. My supposed rebound could have gone horribly wrong in so many ways.

But it hasn't. It's been better than I could have scripted.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Dawson."

He undoes the necklace. I turn around and lift my hair up, while he clasps the key to his heart around my neck.

Of course, once he has it clasped he attacks my neck with his mouth.

Cool your orange panties.

11pm

I'm lying in bed lazily sliding the key back and forth on the chain and thinking about tonight. How Dawson attacked my neck. How he stopped hugging me and started rubbing his hands up and down my sides. How he slid his hand up under my dress and inside my panties. How I stood there in the dark thinking, What if someone can tell what he's doing to me, but not caring enough to stop him. How by the time he was done all I could think about was having him come to my house for a wild playdate. The kind of playdate where the parents aren't home so the kids eat sugar, jump on the beds, and color all over the walls. How I dragged him to the lacrosse field. How the bleachers felt cold on my naked ass and how it contrasted so perfectly with the hotness of him on top of me.

He texts me at the same time a Facebook notification pops up.

Dawson Johnson and Kiki Kiki are in a relationship.

It shows a photo timeline of us together. Kissing on the bench. At the Hamptons partying. Holding my hand at lunch. Kissing after he asked me to Homecoming. I accept our relationship and change my profile picture to the one of us kissing. You can't really see my face, just how I leapt up into his arms and gave him a kiss worthy of the sexy way he asked me.

Katie pops up out of her bed. "Keatyn! Dawson asked you out? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Everyone already thinks we're going out. We just made it official tonight."

"How did he ask? Was is dreamy?"

"I'm not sure about dreamy. He was just sweet. We went to dinner, and then he took me down on the soccer field where he first saw me. Asked me there.”

"Then what?"

"Then he was being naughty, so I dragged him to the lacrosse field."

"I want to go to the lacrosse field. I’ve heard it's a nice, private place."

"I little cold but, yeah, it was."

"So are you finally going to admit that you and Dawson are having sex?"

I laugh. "Probably not."

"But you are, right?"

I nod my head and laugh. “Probably.”

She leaps across the room and onto my bed. "Tell me about it, please. Let me live vicariously through you. I don't even have a date for Homecoming and it's only a week away!"

"I have an idea of someone you could go with. I know you’ve been hanging out with Jordan, but I heard him say that he didn't want a date."

She slumps her shoulders, picks up one of my pillows, and hugs it. "I was hoping Tyrese would ask me, but he's been seeing that Macy chick."

"Yeah, he hasn't hung out or partied with us in a while. Dawson says he does that. He gets all into a girl and forgets about his friends."

"So you have an idea of someone I could go with?"

"What about Dallas?"

"He is so cute. Do you think he would want to go with me?"

“I know he thinks you’re cute."

Her face brightens. "Ohmigosh, really? He’s adorable. Can you talk to him?"

"Should I call him now?"

"Oh, I don't know." She smooths her hair down with her hand. "I look like a mess."

"He's not going to see you through the phone, silly. I’ll text him.”

Me: You gonna ask anyone to Homecoming?

Dallas: Probably go stag.

Me: What if you had a real date? Like with someone that has been crushing on you since school started.

Dallas: Katie???!!

Me: Yes, Katie. She was hanging with Jordan, but he says he doesn't want a date.

Dallas: Must be gay. Call me. Then make her talk to me.

Me: Uh, okay. What are you gonna say?

Dallas: First, I’m gonna ask if she wants to hang out tomorrow night. Then if she puts out, I’ll ask her to HC.

Me: DALLAS!!!!

Dallas: Cool your orange panties and call me. I won’t try anything but if she attacks me I will NOT resist.

I dial Dallas' number and hold the phone out to Katie. Her eyes get big then she sits up straighter and brushes her fingers through her hair. She nods at me and takes the phone.

She goes, "Uh, huh." Laughs. "Oh!" Giggles. "Well, I'm not wearing any right now." Major blushing and more giggling. "No, you don't have to. Yes, I'd love to."

She hands me back my phone and screams, "AHHHHH!!!!! I have a date for Homecoming!" Then she stands up and jumps up and down on my bed singing, "I have a date. I have a date!"

I think about how Gracie used to jump on my bed. It's weird how someone doing the simplest thing can bring tears to my eyes. How it can remind me of home.

She does one more bounce then lands with a thud.

"Did you tell him he didn't have to ask you in a cute way?"

"Yeah, I don't care about that. I just want a date. Plus, he kinda caught me off guard when he asked about my panties. He's really sexy. Like, he has a sexy voice. Had any other guy asked me that, I probably would've hung up on him. But he's just so damn cute. I gotta call Annie and Maggie and tell them!"

She bounds back over to her bed and calls Maggie.

Me: She’s screaming in joy.

Dallas: I’ll have her screaming in ecstasy ;)

Me: You are SO bad!

I read Dawson's text.

Dawson: I think we need to celebrate. Let's get some people together tonight and party.

Me: I thought our celebration was pretty damn good already but, you know me, I'm always up for a party.

Dawson: Bryce and Jake are up for it too. Meet me at 1, my sexy, hot, amazing girlfriend.

Me: Your girlfriend. I like that. <3

Hearting me.

1:30am

I'm sitting in Aiden's room.

Yes.

The place I said I was never going back to.

Lucky thing number one: Aiden is not here.

I'm happily sitting on Dawson's lap, drinking a Corona, and gabbing with Peyton.

Lucky thing number two: Whitney's not here.

I think tonight might just be my lucky night.

I've gotten lucky twice.

Well, three times if you count the lacrosse bleachers with Dawson.

And you most definitely should.

Jake walks in, grabs a beer, and tries to sit on my lap.

"My knee?" I half yell at him. I don't need him popping open my stitches. Although, I'm ready to. The things itch like crazy.

He hops up, picks Peyton's skinny ass up, sits in her chair, and sets her on his knee. "So I asked her," he announces.

"Asked who what?" Peyton asks.

"Whitney to Homecoming," Jake says matter-of-factly.

"But I thought you were doing my airplane idea?"

"Yeah, great idea. Big expense. Not doing it. So, I got creative. I wrapped a note around a certain body part. Told her she might want to find it."

"Ohmigawd, Jake! That's a horrible way to ask!" Peyton says as she hits him on the shoulder.

But I’m thinking just the opposite. A little treasure hunt around the body of a hot guy sounds like fun to me.

“I’d like a treasure hunt across your body,” I whisper into Dawson’s ear.

He squeezes me tight. “That sounds like fun.”

Jake responds to Peyton by tickling her sides. "Wow. You think so highly of me. I wrapped it around my ankle." He grins. "Fortunately, for me, her mind is in the gutter like yours. She didn't look there first."

"I was gonna guess your bicep," I tell him.

He gives me a high five. "That's what I like about you, Monroe. You're sweet, even though you're a bad liar. I swear, you can't lie about anything. When you try to fib, it's written all over your face."

I think about the lies I've told them. How I'm a better liar than anyone knows.

But I smile and shake my head like I'm a ditz and he has me all figured out.

"Did she apologize to you yet?" he asks me.

"No," I scoff.

"She's not going to," Peyton says.

"I know. And I was thinking . . ."

"Uh oh," Jake says. He must have been drinking earlier because he seems kinda tipsy. He puts his fingers into Peyton's sides again, which causes her to squirm around on his lap.

The look on Jake's face and his own squirming tells me he's enjoying it.

They seem oddly comfortable touching each other, and I can't help but wonder if they have some kind of history.

"What I was going to say is that Katie, Maggie, Annie, and me are going to start an underground Vote for Peyton campaign. I found out that 90% of the freshman class voted for me for student council. I want to make sure they all vote for you.”

"Better not let Whitney hear about that,” Jake says, as he bounces Peyton on his knee and leers at her. "But I agree. Peyton would look gorgeous in a crown. And don't drink too much tonight, Monroe. We have some kissing to do on stage tomorrow." He giggles, sticks out his tongue at Dawson, and then licks up the side of Peyton’s face.

She lets out a little screech, but Dawson frowns.

"Stop saying that! I will not be kissing anyone during tryouts. It's not part of the audition."

Luckily, Bryce walks in and hands Jake and Dawson a shot of something dark.

"Where are our shots?” Peyton asks, now totally flirting with Bryce. He rolls his eyes at her, so she says to me, "Keatyn, be a pal. Go across the hall and find us something yummy."

"Uh, okay," I say.

I walk across the hall. Bryce's door is slightly ajar and there is a little light glowing. I open the door slowly, hoping not to walk in on someone hooking up.

As my eyes adjust, I see Aiden's long body sprawled across Bryce's bed. His head is propped up on his arm and there are books spread out in front of him, but his eyes are closed and he appears to be asleep. I walk over, close his French textbook, and move it to the desk. As I do, a sheet of paper floats to the ground. I pick it up and hold it under the light. Random French words and scribbles are written across it like always. It seems to be how he studies. There’s a list of words he can't remember. Some doodles. But just as I set the paper down, a phrase written in English catches my eye.

Underneath that, written in French is:

Which translated means: She felt the same way.

Wow. Looks like his godly tricks have already worked on some other poor unsuspecting girl. The girl probably thinks they have an amazing connection and was thrilled when he asked her to Homecoming. At least I'm assuming he asked. I noticed the little stars aren't on his ceiling anymore.

I bet this is an old note. He was probably trying to decide if she was worth the hassle of hanging all those stupid little stars. Because what a pain in the ass that must have been.

I shove the note under his textbook with a little too much force, which causes a container full of pencils to crash onto its side.

Shit.

I glance at Aiden, praying I didn't wake him. Thankfully, I didn't, but he moved a little and now he's snuggling an extra pillow.

He looks adorably sweet.

Not so much god-like and much more boy-like.

I glide the back of my hand across his cheek, pull the blanket up over his shoulders, grab the bottle of cake vodka I know he started buying just for me, and then turn off the light.

"What took you so long?" Dawson says upon my return, pulling me back on his knee and kissing my neck.

"I couldn't find the cake vodka and Aiden was asleep, so I couldn't turn on the light." I hold up the bottle. “But the good news is that I found it."

Peyton grabs the bottle out of my hand, takes a big slug, and hands it back to me.

I do a quick shot before Dawson grabs it and chugs at least two shots worth.

We sit around for a while. Talking. Drinking. Laughing.

Finally, Bryce says he's tired and going to sleep.

"I'm tired too," I tell Dawson and pull him out the door.

As I turn around to say goodbye to Peyton, I see her and Jake start to drunkenly make out.

I quickly shut the door behind me.

When I get back to my room, I text Dawson.

Me: Tonight was really fun. I heart you.

He calls me right away. “Is hearting me close to loving me?”