CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
THE SNOWBALL

About a week later, Aaron and Kimmy were walking home from school. Aaron had started walking home with Kimmy basically everyday, this clearly taking the girl by surprise.

Yes, this did mean that the boy practically had to loop around the entire town, just to walk the girl home, but he didn't mind.

Steve would have taken Aaron home from school, but Steve had insisted that it was probably better for Aaron to walk home with her whenever he could. Seeing as none of his other advice had worked. His 'life changing' advice.

Aaron actually found himself listening to his brothers advice whenever it was given to him.

Over the past week, Steve was growing more and more frustrated with both his younger brother and Kimmy.

It was as if the boy never listened to the advice Steve gave him. The thirteen year old almost always chickening out, but in his defence, Steve's advice usually was quite drastic.

Steve was also growing frustrated with Kimmy, seeing as when Aaron actually did follow Steve's advice, the girl never seemed to catch on or respond how Steve had prepared him for.

That morning when Steve had drove Aaron to school, the older boy had told his younger brother a million times about what to say on the walk home.

Steve insisted that if Aaron really wanted the girl to like him, the blond had to ask her to the school dance. Steve said she'd like that, Aaron wasn't so sure.

Aaron often found himself second guessing what Steve told him, especially after Nancy had broken up with him a few days ago.

Steve told Aaron that it had been a mutual decision, that the two simply didn't like each other like that anymore and that was it.

Aaron knew better. Nancy had dumped him and Steve had no say in the matter.

Just like Aaron was with most things, the boy was scared to ask the girl to the dance. Steve had told him exactly what to say to the girl, yet Aaron was scrambling through his head to try remember the words that were slipping away from him.

Aaron took a breath, scrunching his eyes closed before speaking as if to try compose himself while also trying to remember what to say.

"So..." Aaron trailed off, turning to look to Kimmy with an anxious look on his face that he tried to disguise. "Um, are you going to the snowball?"

Aaron rushed the words out faster than he should have, but the boy was desperate to get the awkward question over with.

Steve had tried to get the boy to ask the girl if she was attending the snowball for the past week, but every time Aaron went to, he chickened out.

Kimmy looked hesitant to answer, a sad look pulling on her face as she looked at the ground while she walked.

"I don't think so." The girl muttered sadly, her voice a fragile whisper as she shrugged her shoulders.

Aaron furrowed his brows, unsure as to why the girl wouldn't want to go with the party.

The blond didn't know what to say, Steve hadn't prepared him for if she said no. The boy began to splutter, stumbling over his words as he frantically tried to find something to say in response.

"Why not?" Aaron asked curiously, trying not to show the panic slowly consuming him on his face.

Kimmy was reluctant to answer, looking like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. The brunette bit the inside of her cheek harshly, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Um, it's just not really my scene. That's all." Kimmy very obviously lied, Aaron furrowing his brows as he watched her lie straight through her teeth.

"Really?" Aaron asked puzzled. Not wanting to question her lies, knowing the girl most likely had a reason for it. She wasn't the type to lie for the sake of it. "You just... don't want to come? Everyone else will be there."

Kimmy pursed her lips, looking upset as she kept her eyes locked on the floor. "I know they will." The girl sighed, clearly upset as she spoke. "But I just don't want to go, no big deal or anything."

Aaron watched her carefully as she did her best to try hide her sadness by not meeting his eye. There was obviously some other reason that the girl wouldn't be in attendance that she clearly didn't want to share.

"Are you going?" Kimmy asked the boy hesitantly after a moment of silence, turning to him with a wary expression. "To the snowball?"

Aaron nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Uh, yeah, I'll be there."

Kimmy sent him a small smile in response, sighing as she turned away. Clasping her hands together as she messed around with her fingers nervously.

Aaron hesitated, wanting to ask if she was okay but second guessed himself. Knowing that if the girl wanted the boy to know she was so upset then she wouldn't be going to such great lengths to try hide it.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Aaron asked once more, his voice filled with slight concern. "Steve could drive you? He's already taking me and Dustin, and anyway, I don't want to be left alone the entire night."

Kimmy turned to him with an amused smile, shaking her head in confusion. "What do you mean? Why will you be alone the whole night?"

Aaron was not lying. He would be alone the entire night if the girl was not in attendance, from the way his friends had been talking the entire week, this was a fact.

"Lucas and Dustin are going to try get Max to dance with them. Dustin has a backup though, some girl from his History class that he likes or something." Aaron shrugged, Kimmy laughing slightly at his words knowing they were most likely not exaggerations. "Mike will be with El and Will doesn't know if he'll even be allowed to come. His mom's really stressed out about what happened to him and everything."

While the blond had been truthful in regard to Mike, El, Max, Lucas and Dustin, Aaron was now spewing bullshit about Will. Not once had Will ever mentioned anything about not being allowed to go to the dance, Aaron just panicked and that was the first thing that came to his mind.

"Really? Poor Will." Kimmy sighed, clearly feeling bad for the boy.

Although it was for no reason at all, Aaron didn't tell her that she was stressing over a made up situation.

"Well," Kimmy sighed, hooking her hands around the straps of her backpack. "I guess I could maybe come, maybe."

"Really?" Aaron asked, perking up at her answer. "You'll come-"

"No promises." Kimmy replied, Aaron assuming she was joking until he turned his head to face her only to find she was dead serious. "I don't know if I can."

Aaron furrowed his brows at her words, she didn't say I will, she said I can. It was as if there was something stopping her from going, perhaps someone. Aaron wasn't sure, all he now knew was that there was very clearly something holding her back from going to the dance she evidently wanted to go to.

"Okay," Aaron nodded, ultimately deciding it was better not to bring it up. "Well, Steve can still give you a ride there if you do end up going. Just so you know."

Kimmy sent the boy a halfhearted smile. "Thanks."

After Aaron had walked the girl home, he returned back to the house where Steve was waiting for him to see what had happened.

Aaron told him what had happened with much reluctance, a disheartened look on his face as he huffed.

For some reason unknown to Aaron, Steve viewed the fact that the girl said she might be there as a positive, telling the boy exactly what to do when the day came in two days time.

...

Kimmy was out with Max the next day, the redhead gushing about how excited she was about the school dance, leaving Kimmy frowning.

Despite telling Aaron the day before that she might be in attendance, she knew that was a lie.

After Kimmy had returned home after being out all day, her parents hadn't batted an eye, just as she had suspected they wouldn't.

However, what they had noticed was that she was covered in dirt head to toe, her hands were covered in Aaron's dried blood and she had a blue slime all over her clothes.

The girl got in a lot of trouble that night - a lot .

In fact she had gotten into so much trouble that she had to miss school the next day to try calm and hide her injuries. Although she'd told Max and Aaron she hadn't turned up because she was tired from the day before when they asked.

Just like Aaron had, her nose was bleeding extensively and the girl could not get it to stop.

Her lip was burst with two deep cuts on her lip which burnt like hell.

She also found she had a dark purple/blue kind of colored bruise on her face, half on her face half on her hair, Kimmy didn't see the point trying to hide the bruise, knowing if she wore her hair down like she usually did no one would notice.

Kimmy counted herself lucky that most of the bruises she had been granted with that night - courtesy of her fathers fists - were in places such as her arms, legs and stomach, places where they could be hidden.

There was one big bruise on her back that Kimmy had noticed in the bathroom mirror, and for a while she was puzzled as to how she got it. She soon presumed it had formed when she'd been thrown to the floor, this was also when she hit her head on the side of the kitchen door, explaining where the dark bruise half on her face half in her hair had come from as well.

Surprisingly, this wasn't the reason she couldn't attend the snowball. Her parents wouldn't have cared if she went to the school dance, they didn't care where she was or what happened to her as long as she was out of their house.

It was always Kimmy returning to the house that seemed to spike her fathers anger.

The reason she couldn't attend was due to the fact that she hadn't realised her friends actually wanted to go until the past week.

And the girl could not afford to spend the amount of money needed to be spent to allow her to go.

She didn't have anything to wear, and she didn't mean it in the way that her closet was filled with nice clothes that had been worn once.

No, she meant it in the way that all she owned were clothes to be worn on a day to day basis - and even they were old and ruined. She didn't have any shoes besides her ruined sneakers that she wore everywhere.

Quite literally, she had nothing to wear and no way to finance a single new outfit.

Technically, she could have gone. But that was only if she was willing to show up in her old jeans and her sneakers that were ripped apart while everyone else got to dress up and feel pretty for the night.

No, there was no way she was going.

"Oh, my god!" Max continued as the pair aimlessly walked. "I can't remember the last time I was so excited over something so stupid."

Kimmy forced a laugh, not wanting to dull the mood and put a damper on Max's excitement.

"Maybe Lucas will ask me to dance!" The redhead gushed quietly to her friend, Kimmy surprised to see this side of her.

"You want Lucas to ask you to dance?" Kimmy questioned, a slight hint of teasing to her words as she asked them. "I thought you didn't like him that way?"

"I don't know, maybe just a little." Max shrugged in response, but the way her face turned pink at the thought of it told Kimmy other wise. "Why aren't you more excited, Kimmy? Maybe Aaron will ask you to dance!"

Kimmy's cheeks turned bright red at the idea.

"Why would I be excited about that?" Kimmy spluttered, doing her best to quickly change the topic and cool down her now burning cheeks.

"Oh, come on!" Max scoffed at her friend, throwing her arms up in frustration as she spoke. "You say it's obvious Lucas likes me? Well, jesus christ, Kimmy, it is clear to everyone on the fucking planet that that boy likes you."

Kimmy pursed her lips as she felt her heart pick up at her friends words, she might have assumed the said boy liked her.

She would have been an idiot not to have noticed how drastic the difference in his behaviour was when talking to her rather than other people in the party.

But Kimmy always tried not to read into it too much, not wanting to get all wrapped up in the idea just to be let down because she overthought each of their interactions.

"And don't tell me you don't like him too." Max teased, nudging her shoulder with a laugh.

Kimmy bit the inside of her cheek, there were moments when she thought she did like the boy that way. But she'd always backtrack and convince herself she didn't.

She did not know why she did this. Because the boy always managed to fluster her without even realising. She was always the first to rush to help him out when needed. The girl always found herself worrying about him even if it wasn't really needed, the list went on.

But most importantly, the girl simply liked being around him. He just... made her feel wanted in a way? She wasn't really sure.

Kimmy knew liking a boy wasn't something bad, but she couldn't help but panic when she would find herself getting too wound up in the idea of liking the younger Harrington brother. The idea of the two of them actually dating could be like a bucket of cold water over the girl and she'd revert back to pushing away her feelings.

She didn't know why the idea of liking someone scared her so much. Or why the idea of someone liking her scared her so much.

She knew she didn't have to worry about the boy mistreating her or anything, but she'd always have it in the back of her mind when she pretended she didn't notice him staring at her or the way his cheeks would sometimes go pink.

When she pretended she didn't like him back.

What always scared the girl was ending up in a relationship like what her parents had. Her mother had told her once years ago while drunk out of her mind that her dad wasn't always like that, that he used to be good. He just sort of... turned bad.

Her mother hadn't realised it but she had installed a lifelong fear which would always sit in the back of her head, worrying in case the blond turned bad. That she turned him bad.

Kimmy didn't really feel like explaining herself to Max, so she sighed, admitting defeat as she muttered the following words. "Maybe just a little bit."

Max grabbed her arm so excitedly that Kimmy was surprised the redhead wasn't jumping up and down.

"It's going to be so fun!" Max gasped, still holding onto Kimmy's arm as she exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, my god, what if Lucas kisses me at the end of the night? Maybe even Aaron will give you a kiss goodbye-"

"I'm not going." Kimmy cut off Max's excited rambles, Max stopping in her tracks instantly and turning to face the girl with a serious expression.

"What do you mean you're not going?" Max asked the girl with a confused expression.

Kimmy hesitated, not wanting to scream the reason she couldn't go all around town. The brunette sighed, knowing Max's family was in a similar situation to her - not quite to the extent Kimmy found herself living in, but still, not a million miles off.

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone." Kimmy said seriously, biting the inside of her cheek nervously as she waited for her friends answer.

"I promise." Max repeated, now sounding concerned.

Kimmy was reluctant to speak, but did so eventually, rushing the words out as her face went pink in embarrassment.

"I can't afford it." Kimmy shrugged, stuffing her hands in her jacket pocket as she looked for a distraction. "I don't have anything to wear - literally. The nicest thing I have is jeans that are stained and ripped and years old, and I can't afford to buy anything new."

Max didn't say anything for a moment, biting her lip as she looked to the floor, her brows furrowed in thought as she thought over her options. Kimmy watched nervously.

"Well," Max sighed, suddenly looking nervous. "I can only think of one idea, but I'm not sure how comfortable you would be with it."

Kimmy began to worry, concern washing over her features. "What?"

"Well, I would easily let you borrow some of my clothes and shoes that I won't be wearing to the snowball, and you could get ready at my house." Max spoke with a hint of anxiousness to her tone. "But... that does mean that you would see Billy. He would be home."

Kimmy took a breath, knowing that Max was scared Kimmy wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore after what her brother had done to Steve.

"Max, it's fine." Kimmy shook her head at the girl, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm not Billy's friend, I'm your friend. I wouldn't want to stop hanging out with you just because of something your brother did."

Max looked extremely relived, but she tried not to show it. "Okay, that's cool. So, what time do you think you should come over, when should we start getting ready?"

Kimmy smiled at her friend appreciatively, knowing she didn't have anyone else to turn to with problems like this. Knowing Max was really the only one fully able to understand the situation she was in.

"I don't mind." Kimmy shrugged, sending Max a soft smile. "Thanks for doing this for me by the way, means a lot."

"Eh, I didn't do it for you." Max joked as she shrugged her shoulders, a teasing grin playing on her lips. "Couldn't be stuck with those five boys for an entire night with no backup."

Kimmy laughed, shaking her head at the girl as the two began walking again.

...

The day of the snowball dance, Aaron was sure he had never been so stressed in his life. Sure, the girl had practically told him she wasn't coming, but Steve had managed to warp Aaron's mind over the past two days and managed to convince his brother that the girl would be in attendance.

Aaron didn't know what to wear, what to do with his hair - nothing. Although this was his own fault, he'd left it to last minute.

"Steve!" Aaron yelled from the top of the stairs feeling incredibly stressed out. "I need your help."

"With what?" Was the older brothers response, Aaron rolling his eyes and mumbling under his breath.

"What do you think?" Aaron retorted, finally sighing in relief as he watched Steve climb the stairs. "I don't know what I'm doing-"

"Were you just in the shower?" Steve cut off Aaron with a disapproving question of his own, motioning to the blond boys wet hair. Aaron nodding hesitantly in response. "Aaron, you didn't use the products I told you to!"

"I don't need to use all that products!" Aaron retorted, not seeing why he needed any more than shampoo and conditioner in his hair. "I don't like all that shit in my hair, it makes it feel sticky-"

"It doesn't matter how it feels, it matters how it looks." Steve scolded, pushing his younger brother back into the bathroom and motioning to what he had on. "And you can't wear that. You look ridiculous."

"Seriously?" Aaron asked worriedly, looking down at himself. "What's wrong with what I have on?"

"Aaron, you look like an adult!" Steve scoffed, rushing to his room before returning back in front of Aaron with his arms full off hair product he insisted Aaron had to use both in the shower and after the shower when his hair was wet. "Aaron, what kids do you know that will be wearing a shirt?"

Aaron looked back at himself in the mirror, frowning at his reflection. He honestly hadn't thought he looked too bad, his shirt a dark blue color.

"I don't know-" Aaron cut himself off when Steve shoved the mountain of product into his arms.

"Get back in the shower and put the stuff in your hair just like I told you to." Steve scolded, running a hand through his hair in a stressed out manner. "I'm going to have to look through your closet for something presentable you can wear. Why do you always leave stuff until the last second?"

Aaron rolled his eyes at his brother, closing the bathroom door with his door and placing all the different bottles of product meant for his hair on the bathroom counter.

Aaron scoffed, turning on the shower once again as he went to do as his brother had instructed.

Of course, when Aaron emerged from the bathroom once more, the two got into another argument.

Aaron hadn't used the products Steve had told him to.

The younger boy between the two insisted that he would look stupid with hair like Steve's and that the older boy could only pull it off because he had longer hair. Steve disagreed.

The two went on arguing like that in the hallway for about twenty minutes until Aaron decided he was too cold stood there in his towel and went to his room to change, slamming the door behind him.

By the time it came for the boys to leave and pick up Dustin, Aaron had changed four times. The two brothers never agreeing on what the boy looked best in.

Aaron ended up in a maroon colored sweater, dark trousers as well as his black shoes that he had spent hours cleaning the night before.

When the three boys finally arrived at the middle school, Aaron was a nervous wreck.

Aaron remained sat in his brothers car despite the fact Dustin had already left. A look of nerves taking over his features as he debated on whether or not he should just skip the entire thing all together.

"You coming, Aaron?" Dustin questioned with a distant look on his face as he looked ahead towards the school building.

Aaron instantly shook his head. "No, you go. I'll be in a minute."

Dustin nodded and instantly walked off, leaving Aaron sitting in Steve's car with a look of horror on his features.

"I can't go in," Aaron mumbled to Steve, feeling as if he could be sick at any moment. "I can't. Take me home."

"No, Aaron you're going in." Steve retorted with in a stern voice as he rolled his eyes. "Get over it, and just ask the girl to dance. You're over complicating it-"

"No I'm not." Aaron shot back in a harsh whisper. "I don't even think she's coming, she said she probably wouldn't."

Aaron put his hands to his face as he groaned in annoyance. "I can't- Steve, she doesn't even like me back-"

"That is such bullshit, Aaron." Steve shot down instantly in a firm voice, shaking his younger brothers shoulder in hope to talk some sense into him. "You must know that's bullshit, you're a smart guy. She obviously likes you, you just make her nervous-"

"She makes me nervous!" Aaron retorted, his voice raising and cracking slightly as he spoke. "Steve I can't- even if she is there, which I highly doubt - then what am I supposed to do?"

Steve let out a sigh of disappointment as he pinched his nose.

"Ask her to dance," Steve retorted in an obvious tone as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, and either way it's a lose-lose for me," Aaron emphasised at a rapid pace, hoping to show his brother his point of view. "I ask her to dance, and she says yes; I have to spend the rest of the night trying not to die of a heart attack. She says no; I have to see her everyday at school and act like I haven't just completely embarrassed myself infront of her."

Aaron leaned back in his seat as he let out a loud groan of protest, wishing nothing more than that he didn't bothered coming at all.

He glanced up and out of the window as he went to elaborate on his point, but just as he opened his mouth he caught sight of two girls standing by the door talking. Aaron's eyes widened dramatically as he ducked down, letting out a string of curses on the way.

"What now?" Steve questioned roughly as he leaned down and pushed his younger brother back into a regular sitting position.

Aaron instinctively covered his face with his hands as the worry and fear inside him built up to the point he felt he could cry.

"Aaron just go-"

"She's right fucking there, Steve!" He whispered, pointing to where the girl was standing, completely unaware of his presence.

"Aaron," Steve begun harshly, twisting the keys in the ignition as he started the car. "You either get out the car now and walk over to her, or I'm driving you over there-"

"Fine," he huffed, pushing the door open roughly. "I'm going. You don't have to be such a dick about it. Jesus."

The second Aaron was out the car, Steve sped away. Completely draining him of any chance he had of an escape.

Aaron let out a shaky breath, running his hands over his large scarlet colored woolly jumper nervously as he tried to prepare himself.

He tucked his hands up into the sleeves of his jumper so he could mess around with the fabric to ease his nerves as he slowly made his way over.

However just as he was close enough to say something, the redhead whispered something to the brunette which had the pair of them giggling and running into the building.

Aaron tilted his head back and rolled his eyes out of annoyance, not even thirty minutes and the night was already going wrong for him.

Quickly, he gathered his thoughts. Deciding it would be much more embarrassing to walk in alone behind them with the entire party watching.

"Wait up!" He called catching up to the pair as he let out a huff.

He watched as the two turned to face him, the girls both having very different reactions to his presence.

While Max glanced at him for no more than a brief moment and then smirked and bumped the girl next to her with her elbow, Kimmy smiled at him. Not even looking in Max's direction as she waved to him.

Aaron waved back to her awkwardly, his cheeks still pink with embarrassment.

"You don't have a date?" Max asked with a suggesting tone, her brows raised as she did her best to morph her face into a serious expression. "You haven't asked anyone to the dance?"

Aaron scrunched his brows and nose softly in confusion, looking to the redhead with a perplexed expression.

Had he not have been so taken aback by her question, he might have noticed the way Kimmy's cheeks heated up at her friends suggestion.

But he didn't.

"No." He replied cautiously, suddenly worried the rest of the party had dates waiting for them all. "Were we supposed to? Have you two got dates?"

Aaron hadn't meant it, but as he asked his final question his eyes instinctively made their way over to Kimmy, waiting for her response. He didn't really care if Max had a date, but if a boy had asked Kimmy, then he knew all he'd get to do that night would be to stare at the two enjoying themselves from afar as he sat feeling sorry for himself.

"No," Max replied simply, the teasing sound back into her voice. "We don't. Don't we, Kimmy?"

Kimmy turned to meet her friends gaze, a look of pleading in her eye as she pathetically tried to get her friend to shut her mouth.

"No," she replied finally with a shake of her head. Turning back to face Aaron with more relaxed features. "Nobody asked us."

Despite fighting it, Aaron felt relief flush through him.

"Oh, right." He muttered trying his best to sound unfazed by her answer. Moving to walk with the pair as Max grabbed Kimmy's arm and began walking towards the gym doors.

Max pushed open the gym doors, allowing the two behind her to follow. Instantly, the party could be seen, all of them crowding around Dustin as they pointed at him and made a fuss.

Aaron furrowed his brows as he got closer, "what?" He asked, causing each of the thirteen year olds to turn and face him, each but Dustin holding back laughs.

"What do you mean 'what?' look at his hair." Mike replied, holding back laughs as his cheeks went slightly pink. Gesturing to Dustin as the two other boys continued to laugh along side him. "He's got an entire bottle of hairspray hiding in there."

Aaron turned to Dustin who looked anything but impressed and furrowed his brows further. "So what?" Aaron asked, suddenly very annoyed for his friend as he watched the three boys laugh at him. "He looks cool, leave him be."

Lucas only laughed harder, while Will tried to hide his softer laughter. Mike's laughter also slowed, though he rolled his eyes at the blond.

"Come on, Aaron." Mike sighed, snickering as he spoke. "We're just teasing, you don't have to be so uptight all the time."

Aaron only looked at Dustin in response, taking note of how bothered he appeared to look over it. Aaron knew how excited the curly haired boy had been in hopes to be a bit more like Steve.

Despite this he let it go and didn't say anything in response, not wanting to ruin anyone's night by involving himself in an argument where his opinion wasn't really necessary.

"Stop, Mike," Kimmy announced from his side, not sounding pissed off with the boy, simply sounding like she didn't want an argument to break out. "He's not being uptight. Let's have no arguments tonight, okay? Everyone just enjoy themselves."

Aaron turned his head to look at her, taken by surprise that she'd been so quick to defend him on a matter that wasn't important.

A slow song began to play, supposably everyone finding someone to pair up with and dance.

"Okay," Dustin sighed from the other side of him, taking both his hands to smooth out each side of his hair. "I'm going in."

Lucas patted him on the back as Dustin left, weaving through their classmates who were already out on the dance floor. Aaron turned to his friends with a puzzled expression.

"Where's he going?" Aaron muttered, pointing behind him with his thumb at Dustin's retrieving figure.

"He's going to ask Stacey to dance," Mike replied with a shake of his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "He'll need all the luck he can get."

Aaron nodded and let out a snicker in response, turning his head to find the boy had already disappeared into the dance floor in search for the girl.

Aaron wasn't sure why out of everyone, Dustin would want to ask Stacey to dance. To put it honestly; she was a bitch. A complete bitch to anyone that wasn't in her friend group, and even then she could sometimes be an ass to them. She was popular, but that was it. Aaron would never say it aloud, but he didn't really get why the boys in his grade thought she was really all that pretty, but he supposed she just wasn't his type.

"Hey, zombie-boy," a girl called, walking over and standing awkwardly behind the group, staring directly at Will with a nervous expression on her face. "Want to dance?"

Will looked unsure, glancing to each of his friends with a nervous expression on his face. Mike nudged him, and urged to boy to go for it. Reluctantly, the small boy walked forward and towards the girl.

"Uh- yeah, sure," he rambled, taking the girls hand as he allowed her to pull him over to the dance floor.

Aaron nearly jumped when he heard Lucas clear his throat from next to him, he watched with an amused stare as Lucas fixed his shirt and turned to the redhead who was a new addition to their party.

"Uh- Max?" He asked with a strained smile, doing his very best to hide his nerves. "Hey- um, it's nice right?"

Lucas was getting absolutely no where, but luckily Max got the jist of what he was trying to say. "Are you trying to ask me to dance, stalker?" A teasing smile pulling on her lips as her brows raised.

"No," Lucas muttered, panic evident on his features. Max just smiled at his flustered demeanour. "Of course not. Unless you want to?"

Max let out a laugh and shook her head, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "So, smooth. Come on."

Lucas obliged and allowed Max to pull him onto the dance floor.

There was a deafening beat of silence between the remaining three, none of them sure on what to say.

"Uh-" Aaron begun as he turned to face Kimmy, scratching the back of his neck as he cleared his throat. "Do you want to-? Uh- sorry, sorry."

Aaron cut himself off, cringing at himself as he did his best to push his panic down and get a grip of himself.

"I'm going to go wait for, El," Mike announced abruptly, sending Aaron a wide eyed stare which basically meant to get on with it as he past.

Aaron froze for a moment, turning back to face the girl infront of him as he looked her over as he recollected his thoughts. The fronts of her dark brown hair were pulled back by two clips which matched the colour of her hair, some strands falling out at the front as they fell infront of her face, she had a navy blue jumper on as well as a black textured skirt. The sleeves of her jumper were pulled over her hands as she messed around with the fabric, most likely due to nerves.

Her face displaying a clear look of nerves, more nervous than Aaron had ever seen her.

"Doyouwanttodance?" Aaron rushed out at once, his words one long jumble that he knew she hadn't heard just by the look on her face. He paused and tried again, this time slower.

"Do you want to dance?" Aaron asked in a flustered tone, hating the way he could feel his cheeks heating up. "Uh- with me, obviously. Sorry I don't know why I said that. Do you want to though? I mean- you don't have to, if you don't want to-"

"I do want to." Kimmy interupted him with a nod of her head, the look of nerves never leaving her face.

Aaron didn't know what to say, his eyes only widened as he remained glued to his spot. He couldn't help it, he didn't know what to do with himself.

Kimmy cringed, furrowing her brows as she bit her cheek. "If you still want to?" She asked, sounding unsure of herself, sounding as if it were the most outrageous thing ever that he could possibly be interested in asking her to dance out of everyone.

Aaron noticed she did that often, he noticed she'd constantly underestimate herself, remind herself she wasn't pretty, she wasn't smart, she wasn't interesting or she wasn't wanted. It seemed like an instinct, like those thoughts came naturally to her.

This puzzled Aaron. Because he thought she was the prettiest girl in the school. He'd never seen anyone as pretty as Kimmy was. She took up all his attention whenever she was anywhere near him.

And she was smart, she just constantly made herself think she wasn't good enough, so why try? Aaron desperately wanted to tell her what he thought of her, or how much he wanted her to see herself the way he found himself looking at her.

Aaron could never say it aloud, but he thought she was the most interesting out of everyone. She had this sort of barrier up when it came to people, not willing to show them herself in fear of getting hurt? Or that they won't like her? He wasn't sure.

And the fact she could think she wasn't wanted at times actually saddened him a bit, more than he'd ever admit. But he always wanted her around. She was always so nice to him and never took her teasing too far.

It annoyed him the way she had been brought up to think about herself.

He always found himself worrying about her, unsure if he was really getting the full picture or if she hadn't gotten better at all, if he hadn't helped her. He was always worried she'd try hurt herself in a way he had seen her do the year prior.

Aaron froze, and a dawning thought ripped through his brain, he liked her a lot more than he had originally thought.

He liked her a lot.

He didn't say this though, he didn't say any of it.

Instead he nodded and held his hand out to her. "Y-yeah, come on." He murmured, his nerves still vivid within his voice just not as harshly as before. "Sorry if I step on your feet, I'm a shit dancer."

Kimmy laughed softly, and allowed him to pull her along.

Aaron had to refrain himself from tensing up as he dropped her hand and  turned to face her, it didn't really help that each was as nervous as the other.

"Uh-" Aaron started, looking around at the other pairs dancing to get an idea on what he was supposed to do and where he should put his hands. "So I just..."

"Just, put your hands on my waist, I think," Kimmy replied quietly. She also looking at the pairs dancing around them with furrowed brows. "And I put my hands on your shoulders."

Aaron nodded frantically, doing his best to remain calm as he looked back to her. Kimmy soon turned her head to face him, slowly placing her hands on his shoulders as she avoided his gaze. Aaron then placed his hands on her waist, also avoiding her gaze.

Aaron turned his gaze to her just as she shifted her gaze off of him. Aaron furrowed his brows as his eyes burned into her side profile.

There was another bruise on her face. On the left side of her face, just across from her eyebrow. Pretty much hidden, one would really have to be looking to see it, if Aaron wasn't as close as he was he wouldn't have. It was a dark purple kind of colour, half on her face, half in her hair.

Now he had noticed it, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Aaron wanted to ask her where all the bruises were coming from, it wasn't the first time he'd caught her with unusually large bruises that no one would ever be able to explain as an accident.

He didn't mention it though, if she wanted to tell him, she would. And if she didn't, she'd tell him when she was ready.

He didn't want to ruin her night by bringing it up.

Just then, all those thoughts were disreguarded as Kimmy turned her head back and met his gaze.

He didn't look away.

Nor did she.

Though neither of them said anything either, they just looked at each other.

Aaron noticed then that within Kimmy's dark blue eyes there were specks of grey, really small and wasn't really noticeable.

Aaron decided that he liked her eyes.

He liked a lot of things about her.

All of a sudden, Aaron wasn't interested in what anyone else had to say, he couldn't have cared less what anyone else around him was doing in that moment. Everything else seemed to be a blur, everything but the girl stood in front of him. Kimmy, he could see clear as day.

Though he wasn't really a fan of the whole dancing thing, truth be told he found it rather awkward swaying with her in the middle of a crowded school gym. He supposed he could push those thoughts aside though. Just this once.

He was quite happy just being there with her, even if it meant he'd have to share the moment with the rest of his classmates.

"You're staring." Kimmy attempted to tease him, her brows raised as a nervous smile played on her lips.

However, Aaron had been so lost within his own mind that he hadn't a chance to register her words before blurting the following. "I know."

Aaron felt his face flush red as he instantly turned his face away from her, embarrassment clouding his thoughts as he began to panic.

Kimmy didn't comment on what he had said, evidently slipping past his lips mistakenly. Instead, changing topic in hope to ease the tension.

Aaron was more than grateful.

"School dances are quite awkward, aren't they?" Kimmy blurted, glancing up at him with a soft smile. "Everyone swaying around while everyone else watches."

Aaron smiled too and let out a small laugh. "I know," he mumbled once more, turning his head to catch a glimpse of the people surrounding them. Suddenly, an idea popping into his head.

"Do you want to leave?" He proposed nervously, the smile now off his face to emphasise his seriousness. "We could get ice cream?"

Kimmy paused for a moment before smiling at him and nodding.

...

Kimmy watched with a panicked expression as Aaron began arguing with the young boy serving the two behind the counter at the ice cream parlour.

Kimmy hadn't been paying attention, all she knew was that the boy- no older than nineteen - had given him the wrong flavour and then was a dick about it when Aaron asked for a new one.

"Seriously," Aaron exclaimed sourly, pausing to read the guys name tag. "How hard is it to give me a cone of strawberry ice cream when I ask for one, Tom?"

The boy rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips a subtle way of winding Aaron up while telling Kimmy he was enjoying himself.

"Listen-" he sneered with a shit eating grin playing on his lips. "What's your name?"

"Aaron-"

"Right, Aaron," the boy began, a faux look of sorrow on his face. "Well maybe if you had told me the right order to start with we wouldn't be having this issue, would we? You little prick-"

"I did tell you the right order - a plain cone of strawberry ice cream." Aaron repeated sounding aggitated, the older boy held back a laugh. The look of amusement on the boys lips must have sent Aaron over the edge. "How can you mess that up but you can get her horrorshow of an ice cream cone perfect? No offence Kimmy. I mean, how hard is your fucking job? All you have to do is sling ice cream and not be such an asshole to paying customers."

"Listen, kid," the boy now known as Tom taunted, his lip curled into a sneer. "Why don't you fuck off and shut your mouth before you say something you'll regret. Wise up and cut your losses-"

"I'd say you should wise up and cut your losses." Aaron retorted furiously with furrowed brows. "If you would actually open your eyes and look at your life, you'd realise this is probably the best your life is going to get. So you fuck off, give me my plain cone of strawberry ice cream and shut your mouth."

Kimmy's eyes widened drastically as did the workers. Next thing she knew, they were thrown out.

"This is ridiculous," Aaron huffed as the two of them walked down the street, Kimmy still eating her ice cream. "He kept my money."

Kimmy snickered and turned to him, and amused look playing on her features. "Well, you weren't exactly the nicest to him."

Aaron turned to face her, his brows lifted as he looked to her with a shocked expression, though Kimmy could see the amusement behind his eyes.

"He deserved it," Aaron mumbled. "Started calling me every name under the sun before I snapped on him."

He hadn't been wrong, he had asked politely for a new one and the guy had called him an ungrateful dickhead. Which in Kimmy's opinion was quite humouring, obviously Aaron didn't share that opinion.

"I guess," Kimmy murmured, shrugging her shoulders as she threw the rest of her ice cream in the trash, only the bottom of the cone left. "Do you have the time on you?"

Aaron nodded and scrunched the scarlet colored jumper sleeve up as he checked the numbers which were flashing up at him. "Uh- Jesus, it's twenty to eleven."

Kimmy couldn't really say she was surprised. Yeah, they had only gone for ice cream, but they had taken the long way and it was already on the other side of town. It had taken the pair ages to actually make it to the ice cream parlour.

"I can walk you home if you want?" Aaron asked as he pulled his sleeve back down.

"Yeah," Kimmy replied, though it came out in more of a whisper. "Yeah, thanks."

"Don't worry about it," Aaron assured, sending her a soft smile as two began walking in the direction of her house.

Upon arriving at the Jenkins home, Kimmy and Aaron bid goodbye to eachother. Though Aaron halted before walking away, almost as if he was frozen in place. Kimmy sent him a puzzled expression, he appeared to be thinking something over with furrowed brows. Though, just as she went to ask him what was wrong she halted as he leaned down to plant a soft yet firm kiss to her cheek.

Kimmy had to stop herself from jolting, her face heating up on its own accord as she watched Aaron's do the same.

She couldn't help but be touched by the gesture, considering he wouldn't as much as touch someone's hand no matter who it was. Yet he had gotten so close to her that night as if it were a natural, usual occurance.

Aaron cleared his throat and said his goodbyes, waving as he began walking backwards down the path. Kimmy waved back, a small smile pulling on her lips as she watched him leave.

From the entire night Kimmy had only taken one thing away from it all - she most definitely liked Aaron Harrington.

She liked him a lot.

...

AHHH THE SNOWBALL!!!!! 

I have had this written for MONTHS so if there is any mistakes let me know because it's been sitting in my drafts for forever.

Also, I kinda got carried away because this chapter is 8K words😭😭😭😭 WTF but I didn't want to rush their night and skip past their awkward little interactions and conversations lol

Also I know people were probably expecting Kimmy and Aaron to kiss at the snowball but I honestly think that it would have been far too rushed in Kimmy and Aaron's situation

anyway hope everyone is having a good day and enjoyed the chapter!!!!

- AJ :)