Agreeing to go to a movie with a guy I'd only met a couple hours ago probably wasn't the smartest idea. Neither was getting into his car. All I knew was that I couldn't stay at the pizza place. Naomi was there. With Theo.

I first saw them at the festival after getting my book signed. That was why I suggested Stephen and I leave. The last thing I wanted was to talk to either of them. The entire time I'd been with Stephen I hadn't even thought about the mess back home.

They were ruining my perfect day.

I thought I'd be safe at the pizza place. Then I saw them outside of the window while Stephen and I were talking about Foolish Summer. They were crossing the street, hand in hand and looking absolutely content. Like they decided to give up searching for me and turned the outing into a date.

The pizza place was practically made of windows. If they got any closer they would've seen me. I thought I could hide in the restroom until they passed, but when I came out they were going into the pizza place.

If Stephen thought I was weird for appearing in the bushes, he didn't let on. We circled back around to the high school to get his car and were on our way.

"First, we need provisions," Stephen said as he turned into the lot of a dollar store.

"Provisions?"

He nodded, cutting the engine and climbing out of the car. I followed. "Can't watch a movie without popcorn," he told me as he walked across the lot and into the air conditioned store.

"Movie theaters usually sell their own popcorn," I pointed out.

He turned to me, walking backwards down the snack aisle. "Who said anything about a movie theater."

"What?"

At my confused question he simply turned back around and scanned the shelf. He plucked two bags of cheddar popcorn from the shelf. Then a bag of Twizzlers, Skittles and gummi worms.

He looked at me, arms full of snacks. "You're not getting anything?"

"Right," I said, turning to the shelves. "I'm still trying to figure out how we're watching a movie without a movie theater." I grabbed a bag of peanut M&M's. "Unless it's a drive-in?"

"Not a drive-in," he said, eyeing my single bag of M&M's. "Is that all you're getting?"

"Yeah," I said. "If I want anything else I'll just steal something from you."

He snorted. "I'd like to see your try."

We continued down the aisles. Stephen grabbed a couple beach towels, adding to the mystery of this movie thing. He was being tight-lipped about it, though. It was half annoying, half exciting. I've always liked surprises. Well, for the most part anyway.

Since he wasn't answering my questions about his plans I decided to ask a different set of questions. "So, do you live around here?"

"Nope," he said, picking up one of those handheld battery operated fans and testing it out before setting it back down. "Just here for the festival. You?"

"Same, actually." I watched as he tried to decide between two different types of beach chairs. "Where are you from then?"

He decided on the chairs with built in cup holders, handing me the snacks he was carrying and grabbing two of them. "What's with the questions?" He asked, glancing at me.

"Well, if I'm going to be running around Santa Monica with you, I should at least know some details to send to my family just in case I come up missing."

"Honestly, I should be asking you the questions," he said, pointing one of the fold-up chairs at me. "You are the one who wanted to leave the festival. And the pizza place. How do I know you're not setting me up."

He had a point. "How about we both agree not dismember each other?"

"Deal." He stuck his hand out to finalize our agreement.

The handshake was awkward since I was trying not to drop the snacks and he was holding two chairs that were folded up like umbrellas.

"Since you're not a murder," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Why were you hiding in the bushes back at the pizza place?"

That was bound to come up. Still, I wasn't prepared for it. Did I give him the full story or version that didn't make me look pathetic?

"Let's just say you weren't the only running from someone."

"You piss off some bodybuilder, too?"

I laughed. "No, more like my best friend pissed me off and now won't take the hint that I don't want to talk to her."

He shook his head, continuing down the aisle. "Girls are weird. If I have an issue with one of my boys we just rough each other up a bit and call it a day."

"Ah, violence. The answer to all problems."

"It solves more than the silent treatment does." He stopped in front of a display of tiki torches, the kind you stick in the ground and claim to keep bugs away if you light them. He grabbed a bunch of them, holding them awkwardly along with the chairs.

"So, what? Next time I see my friend I should just punch her in the face?"

He pulled a face, looking at me over his shoulder. "No! She's still your friend, you don't wanna mess her face up. Just, I don't know, sock her in the boob or something."

I held back a laugh. "That's excellent advice. Thanks."

He didn't miss my sarcasm, still he smiled at me and said, "You're welcome."

We circled the entire store, Stephen grabbing random things that I couldn't put together.

"The suspense is killing me," I complained.

We stood in line, arms full of blankets, snacks, a Bluetooth speaker, and everything else Stephen seemed to need for the mysterious movie watching. I was happy to be able to unload everything I held on the counter at the register.

My confusion seemed to amuse him. "I told you, we're watching a movie."

"But not at a drive-in or a theater, hence my confusion."

He ignored me, nodding to the display at the end of the check stand. "Grab some doughnuts. Chocolate." I did as he asked, grabbing two of the small packages.

Stephen paid for everything, declining my offer to help, and we headed back to his car. After we stuck everything in the trunk (except the tiki torches because they were too long) we got back in the car.

When we ended up back at the high school even more questions popped up in my head. Knowing that Stephen wouldn't answer them, I kept them to myself. But when he led me to a side gate that opened up to the baseball field, I couldn't not ask.

"Should we be here?"

"Probably not," he said, nonchalantly, as he went to the edge of the field and set down the things we got from our dollar store run. "I have been back here before, though. No one comes over here, it'll be fine."

Maybe it was foolish, but I trusted him.

"Alright," he said gently turning me to face the other direction, guiding me away from where he was setting everything up . "I need you to sit here and keep your eyes closed."

"Is this where you go back on our agreement not to kill each other?" I asked, glancing at him.

He chuckled, turning me back in the other direction. "Relax, it won't take that long. And I'll let you ask me any questions you want."

I looked up at him. "What does any of this have to do with a movie?"

"Any question but that one."

I dropped down on the warm grass. I could hear Stephen going through the stuff we picked up from the dollar store. Despite the growing urge to turn around and take a peek at what he was doing, I was enjoying myself.

Going on random adventures with strangers was something I'd only ever read about. Of course our situation was entirely different from those in books. We weren't at the start of some whirlwind summer romance.

Besides, I was in love with my best friend, even if I never wanted to see his face again. Also, we lived in the real world. Chances were, after tonight, we'd probably never see each other again.

The thought of that was a little sadder than expected. It was weird how comfortable I felt around him after only knowing him a short time.

"What? No questions?" Stephen asked from somewhere behind me. Then there was a crash.

If there was an award for having the most willpower, I'd win it. "Are you okay?" I asked, resisting the urge to turn around.

"It's fine," he called. "Just keep your eyes closed."

I ignored that last part, I was not closing my eyes. "What grade are you in?"

"I start senior year in the fall," he replied. "You?"

"Junior." I ran my fingers through the grass and asked, "Are you popular? At school, I mean?"

"Define popular."

"Dozens of friends, maybe a jock, girlfriends."

He laughed. "Girlfriends? As in multiple?"

"Hey, I'm not judging."

"I'm not popular," he admitted after a beat. "Or juggling multiple girlfriends. I'm kind of a loner."

I was surprised by the relief I felt hearing that he was single. But not as surprised as I was learning he wasn't popular.

He exuded that sort of confidence you'd associate with someone who had probably never been denied anything in life.

"Really?"

"Is that hard to believe?"

"Yes, actually," I told him. "You seem like someone who would have tons of friends."

"Nah," he said. Then after a grunt as he continued his secret project, he added, "I kinda blend into the background. Which doesn't win me many friends, but does get me a lot of good shots for the yearbook."

"You're a yearbook photographer?"

Wow. I had him all wrong. When he ran into me, knocking me on my butt, I thought for sure he was some popular jock. He just had that look. I was having trouble picturing him as a loner photographer. Maybe all those cliche books I've read, with their stereotypes and cliques, messed up my judgement of real humans.

After what seemed like forever Stephen came and stood in front of me, I squinted up at him. "I thought I told you to close your eyes."

"I never agreed to that," I said, hopping up and dusting off my butt. "Is it done?"

"Yes, but this time I really do need you to close your eyes."

I did as I was told, fighting back a smile as my excitement built up. He put his hands on my shoulders, guiding me across the grass.

"I did the best I could," he said. "And a strong wind could destroy it, but I think you'll appreciate it."

"Maybe if I could actually see it..."

He laughed. "You're gonna have to duck."

I ducked and we stepped inside of...what exactly? I didn't know. But we were in a shaded area. The sun no longer warmed my skin.

I heard him let out a breath like he was nervous and had to remind himself to breathe. "Okay. You can look."

I opened one eye, then both to make sure I was actually seeing what I was seeing.

The towels covered the grass under our feet, the blankets were draped over the tiki torches giving us some privacy. The two chairs were set up in the middle, our snacks, placed in one of my totes, sat in-between the seats. My books were stacked into a makeshift table that held his phone and the Bluetooth speaker.

I looked up at him after taking everything in. He had to crouch down a bit to keep his head from hit the top. "You built us a fort?"

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed. "It's too much, right? This seemed a lot cooler in my head. Now I'm thinking it's a lot for two people who just met."

He had a point. We had done more within our first few hours of meeting than I did with Emmett McKinny in the whole month we dated last year.

Maybe if I didn't consume cute romance books like most people consumed water I would've thought it was weird. But that wasn't the case. I was currently living inside a romance novel and I wasn't going to let trivial things like time stop me from enjoying it.

"This is amazing," I told him, meaning it.

He seemed to relax a bit. Clearing his throat, he motioned for me to sit. As I got situated in my chair he picked up his phone.

"Based on our conversations I think I might know what kind of movie you'd like," he said, scrolling through his phone.

I leaned in, interested. "Do tell."

Instead of telling me, he cued up the movie. The sound of the opening credits was amplified through the Bluetooth speaker. He took the seat next to me. I could feel him watching me watch the tiny phone screen.

"The Breakfast Club?" I said as the title came up. I'd actually never seen the movie, but I had seen a million references to it online. "Why'd you pick this one?"

"You seem to be into those high school stereotypes," he replied, pointing to the movie. "That's what the movie's all about. You haven't seen it?"

I shook my head. "I don't really watch a lot of movies."

"Too many books to read?" He said, teasingly.

I smiled. "Exactly!"

We settled in with our cheese popcorn and watched the movie. I quickly understood why The Breakfast Club was so popular. And to no one's surprise, I was attracted to the bad boy outcast. Predictable.

"Doughnut?" Stephen offered. I was so invested in the movie, practically at the edge of my seat wondering if the students would get back to the library before the principal caught them, that when I took a doughnut the chocolate had melted all over my hand before I took a bit.

Stephen laughed to himself as I tried to find something to clean off my hand with. "I knew I forgot something." He helped me look around before grabbing a book from the stack that held up the phone.

Then he committed a murder.

I stared in wide eyed horror as he tore a page from the back of the book and held it out to me.

"Was that absolutely necessary?"

"It's just the acknowledgements," he argued. "No one reads those anyway."

"Evil." I snatched the sheet of paper from him, wiping chocolate onto it.

He chuckled, watching me. It was getting awkward. "What?" I barked.

He started cracking up then. "I'm sorry, but the fact that you're actually upset about the book mixed with the fact that you have chocolate all over your face is hilarious."

"What?" I repeated, that time sounding mortified. I wiped my face with my hand.

That only made him laugh. His laugh was goofy and infectious. I joined in when I remembered I still had chocolate on the hand I wiped my face with.

"It's not funny," I said, contradicting it by laughing even harder.

"Come here." He leaned over, taking pity on me. He swiped his thumb over the corner of my mouth. Then he sucked the chocolate from his thumb.

My laughter dried up. I couldn't stop looking at his lips. He smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing.

He leaned closer. Or maybe I was doing the leaning. It was hard to focus on anything but his thick lips.

"Excuse me!"

Stephen and I jumped a part at the unwelcome voice. A brunette woman poked her head in, her beady eyes darting around the fort.

"This area is off limits!" She scolded. "Dismantle this thing and come with me."

• • •

I've never been to the principal's office before. At least not involuntarily. Stephen kept apologizing to me and the woman who interrupted us kept shushing him.

The only thing I could think about was how close I came to kissing Stephen. And how pissed I was at that lady for not catching us two minutes later.

She had us both call our parents. Apparently they took their trespassing seriously. Dad sounded like he was at some sports bar when he answered, only half listening as I told him the problem. He said he'd pick me right before screaming in my ear because some team scored a point.

Stephen looked absolutely miserable while he was on the phone with his parents. He looked even worse when a dark skinned Black woman walked into the office.

She looked familiar. I didn't put it together until I saw the man she was with. They were the two people Stephen was hiding from.

They're his parents? I looked to Stephen for answers, but he hid his face in his hands.

"Really, Stephen?" The woman growled, planting her hands on her hips. "You snuck down here and had me chasing you all over this school just so you can chase behind some girl?"

She gestured towards me and I flinched.

"When are you going to learn that these girls are nothing but trouble?" She continued, shaking her head. "First the girl in the tree and now this?"

Girl in a tree?

"Ma'am," the brunette woman spoke up. "According to our records this is the second year in a row your son has done this. It can't keep happening or we'll be forced to ban him from the campus."

He's done this before? He had mentioned being on the baseball field before. However, he didn't mention being caught. Did he build another girl a fort out there? Was that his move? I tried to meet his eyes, but they were glued to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Stephen's mom said to the woman. "I assure you this will not happen again. Come on, Stephen."

He stood, still unable to look at me as he followed his parents out of the office.

Once I was alone with the brunette woman it all sank in. He'd been lying to me. All day. Everything that came out of his mouth was a lie.

I'd almost kissed him.

I felt sick.

And stupid.

//

I'm realizing that my characters have an issue with the whole stranger danger thing...

Anywho, a lot happened in this chapter and then it all blew up.

I was excited about the blow up...because I enjoy ruining things for my characters.

Thank you for reading and voting and supporting!

<3