Prince was so adamant about carrying me all the way home for some reason. It wasn't all bad but it was how he was carrying me. Like I was a little kid who spent the last twenty minutes begging for a piggy back ride.

  "Prince please put me down! I'm not 9 years old and your not my dad!" I scolded and I flailed my feet under his arms.

  "Stop being a brat and just enjoy the ride." He playfully said as he began to speed up his walk across the street.

  "Can you slow down I'm slipping and this dress is starting to ride up my ass!" I said to him.

  "Hmm! That's funny. It should be just fine the way it is. Considering you don't have an ass."

Grabbing a fist full of his hair I gave him a good yanking and he quickly hissed and put me down.

  "I really wish you would stop doing that!"

  "I really wish you would stop being such an idiot!"

Still rubbing his head I rolled my eyes and put my shoes back on and began walking the rest of the way home.

  "So you're just gonna leave?" He questioned.

  "Yup! Good night!" I said to him.

I could hear him bruiting behind me about whatever as he followed me.

  "You're asking to get mugged ya know?"

  "Well then I guess that's my choice then ain't it?"

  "Will you stop being so menstrual and think for a minute?!?!? I'm trying to be nice to you and all you wanna do is complain about me! Come on let me at least walk you home? Please?"

Letting out a deep sigh I shook my head and just silently agreed. Prince stuck in hand out and I placed mine in his. We started walking back towards my house and the light rain began to fall. The thunder in the distance was all we could hear as we looked up at how the darker clouds were covering the moon.

  "We better get a move on. I'm not trying to get stuck out here. Mama worked way to hard on this hair and she's expecting it to stay straight for a least another few days." I said to him as we walked.

  "You should have just stayed on my back for all that. If you weren't being so stubborn I'd have you home by now."

  "Yeah well......I'm not so jazzed about leaving earlier than I wanted to but.....whatever. I'll be fine when the school year is over."

"What are you in a rush to get so grown for?"

"I'm not. I just hate how this year has started. It's only October and so far I've gotten into a fight flushed money down the toilet thought the guy I liked actually liked me and on top of all of that I nearly had to choke the new bitch. I'm already over this and just want to.....graduate and get the hell out of Minnesota as soon a possible."

  "So.....you just wanna.....leave? Without me?" Prince asked sadly as he turned his head.

  "You act like I won't ever come back Skipper. Besides there's nothing here for me to stay for after high school. That's why I'm trying to go to college on the west coast. See the sunrise from the shore. Meet a few hot guys with gorgeous tans. Maybe even get a boyfriend that won't shoot me down after I tell them that I like them."

The subtle hint of my words made Prince stop in his tracks.

  "Regan....." he started before I cut him off.

  "Don't worry about it. If we were to start dating it would be a pretty weird friendship if we broke up."

  "Mouse you know that it's not what you think. You're like my sister! Think about it. Kissing you would be like.....kissing Tika.....only.....I would like it too much and I might not stop......"

It soon felt as if the world was coming to a halt and the ground was coming from under my feet. I was in a complete haze of confusion and excitement. I could feel a small grin grow on my face and my cheeks were burning even though the brisk wet fall air was cool enough to blow my face back to its normal temperature. The only sound I could hear was my racing heart and my eyes could only focus on one thing. Prince. Wow! He likes me! He really......REALLY likes me. Wait a minute. I quickly came back down to earth and went from happy to pissed.

  "YOU TURD!!!!" I shouted at him in a quick huff.

  "What?!?!? What did I do?!?!?" Prince shouted back at me confused.

  "So you like me and you lied to my face about how you felt a few weeks ago?!?!? Your such an asshole! I told you how I felt and was completely honest! Why would you sit there and lie to me like that?!?!?!"

  "I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was feeling!"

  "But the entire school knows! Is......is that why Denise tried to murder me earlier????"

Prince didn't want to admit what really happened between them before he came over and danced with me but I had already put two and two together when he kept staring at me in the hallway like he wanted to eat me like a cannoli. I balled up both fists and wanted to deck him in his throats but something inside of me told me that it really wasn't all that worth it. Prince ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed loudly.

  "Alright look. Yes I do like you and yes the whole school knows and yes I lied to you about how I felt but I didn't want to freak you out if I told you first! I wanted to hear you say it to me so that way I didn't look like an idiot if I told you and you didn't feel the same way about me! Mouse I've always liked you even as kids. I just......didn't know how to tell you."

My eyes were beginning to tear up something awful and all I could see was shapes and not clear objects.

  "Regan? Please? Say something?" I heard Prince say as the rain began to fall harder.

  "I need to go home." Was all I could muster as my eyes finally cleared up to find Prince standing in front of me afraid that this could possibly be the end of our friendship.

Backing away slowly I turned away from him and started for home leave Prince by himself in the rain. Thankfully we were talking so long that I was right across the street from my house. Like a wet mummy I stammered my barefoot way across the street and trudged up the back steps to open the door. My hands were such a dripping mess that I couldn't handle my keys long enough to get them in the door. Frustrated I plopped my body against the door and slid down to the ground and cried. Why didn't he tell me the first time? He didn't have to lie about it. It would have actually made me feel better about all of this. On the one hand it's good that he likes me but on the other hand.....he should have just told me instead of telling the whole school. The thunder rolled softly in the background and flashes of lightning hovered off in the distance. The deep voice of a familiar face came creeping up to me.

  "Mouse?" Prince called to me.

I looked up and there he was taking my keys from my hand.

  "Come on. Let's get you inside." He said as he put his hand out.

I took him by the hand as he helped me up from the step and he let me inside. Closing the door behind him he pulled me to my room slowly.

  "Go home Prince." I said to him softly.

I could hear him close my bedroom door and turning on my light. He then began looking in my drawers for clean dry pajamas and a towel to dry me off with. Prince found what he was looking for and took my shoes from hands and tossed them to the floor.

  "Take these and dry off and get changed." He said running his hand through my wet hair.

I took the clothes and went into the bathroom and changed. I took the dress off quickly and tossed the soggy fabric out into the hall on the floor. Letting out a deep sigh I brushed my wet hair back and towered it dry. So much for keeping it straight.

"Ma is gonna kill me." I said to my own reflection in the mirror.

I tossed my fluffy red towel onto the laundry basket behind me and left out of the bathroom and picked up my soaked dress. When I got back to my room I was met with a shirtless Prince sitting on my bed.

"Close the door." He said to me softly.

My heart was beating so fast that I thought I was going to drop dead on my bedroom floor. I closed the door and he began to approach me.

"Wha-what are you doing?" I asked him afraid of the answer that was to come next.

He didn't say anything. Prince just picked me up in his arms and carried me to my bed and laid me down. Prince stood over me with a smile on his face. It looked.....creepy.

"I think you should go." I whispered to him.

Prince again didn't answer me. He pulled my beanbag up to the bed with my extra throw blanket and plopped down.

"Good night Mouse." He said to me before passing out completely.

I was left laying in my bed very lost. He really knows how to get a girl all revved up.....for nothing.