Be there in 2 minutes. Ed texted.

Until now, I still couldn't understand how he could be such in timing! I was just thinking about him a few seconds ago, and now, boom! He texted. Sometimes, I even wonder if he could read my head. But then I knew that he couldn't, since until now he doesn't know that I like him.

Oh correction. I love him.

I knew Ed would ask about the conversation mom and I had, so I knew I had to think of what I should say to him when he gets here. Something he would believe.

After a few minutes of debating with myself, as crazy as that is, I finally decided not telling Ed our whole conversation. I decided to leave out the part where my mom somehow convinced me to want to go to prom. And up until now, I'm still choosing whether to go or not.

Sure. I replied.

Ed is always on time. If not on time, 15 seconds late. He actually only gets late to class because of me. Yeah, I know. Best. Friend. Ever. But, other than that, he is always on time. He could've been Mr. Punctual if it wasn't for me. But oh well, that's what friends are for, right?

He's sacrificing being early, just for me. I'm sacrificing my few minutes of more heavenly sleep to wake up early, just for him.

Now, we're equal.

After exactly two minutes after he texted that he would be here, the door bell finally rang.

Told you he's always on time.

I got up from the couch I've been sitting on for almost an hour, which made my butt hurt real bad, and walked towards the door to open it for him.

When I swung the door open, he faced me with a sneaky grin on his face. "How was it?" He asked in a increasing tone.

I stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. "Get inside and I'll tell you." I said and sighed. It's not yet even evening, yet I'm already tired for the day.

He followed immediately. But, instead of going to the living room, he went upstairs straight towards my room. His favorite place on the house, he said, since it is where he could sleep and snore, and no one would judge him.

Well, I would. But that's just my little secret.

I rolled my eyes at him and ran upstairs to catch up, but when I took my first step on the stairs, he was already inside my room.

I didn't know I had a cheetah for a best friend.

I groaned and walked towards my room as well. I was already exhausted, and there was Ed adding my exhaustion to death.

I opened the door of my room and saw Ed laying comfortably on my bed. ON MY BED.

"You sure you don't want to live here instead?" I asked in sarcasm. Seriously, if me wasn't me (if that makes sense, which I guess not), I would've actually thought that he lives here. I mean, everyday he's here, you would see him have meals with us, and mom treats him like he's her own son.

"I would love to." He replied. "But I don't want to live in a house where I could smell your stinky socks every morning when I wake up." He joked. Well, I hoped it was a joke.

I hurriedly picked up a pillow that somehow was on the floor and threw it at him. I hit bullseye on his face.

He kept laughing and laughing while I continued slapping the pillow on every part of his body, even though I knew it didn't hurt him even a single bit.

Like, how hard could a pillow hurt you?

"Stop! Stop! I was joking!" He screamed like a helpless pig being tickled. If that was the case, he would've been the cutest pig in the whole world.

I finally stopped, sat on the edge of my bed, and breathed in and out slowly. He stopped laughing as well and just sat there by my side, breathing heavily like me, without even saying a word. And somehow, it was just exactly what I wanted.

Ed, just being there, somehow made me forget my worries. So what if mom convinced me to go to prom? It's a month away! It's not like it may change something! So what if Ed still doesn't know I might go to prom? It's not like it would change anything! So what if Ed doesn't know I think about him everynight? It's not like it could change everything!

Oh wait, it could.

But then, would I really want that change? Isn't just being with him better than him pushing me out of his life? Right now, I'm not really sure anymore. Half of me says yes, the other half says no.

Yes, because atleast Ed would finally know and I wouldn't have to hide it anymore. No, because it could ruin our friendship.

I tilted my head 90 degrees so I could see his face. He had a little sweat on his cheek, some hair on his forehead was wet, and his lips were a little bit parted while he was breathing so it really looked like he was catching his breath like I did. But, it made me think, 'was he thinking irrational thoughts too?'

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

He faced me with a bit of surprise on his face, which I couldn't understand why. But I decided to not focus on it. "Nothing. Just, you know," he shrugged. "School?"

I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. "School? What about school?" I asked. I knew he was hiding something.

He scratched the back of his forehead, and stupid Ed, it only made him obvious that he was lying. "Ummm, nothing really important. Just random thoughts." He said and looked away.

"Uh-uh." I only said. If he didn't want to talk about it, it was fine with me. I didn't want to push him on doing something he doesn't want to.

You hear that Ed? Maybe you should consider doing that to me about prom.

"I'm just going to lie down here, okay? I'm exhausted." Ed said and layed down on my bed. "Sidney?"

"Yeah?" I asked as I sat down on the edge of the bed. If Ed moves even just a little bit, I would literally fall on the floor.

He paused for a little bit, but started speaking eventually. "Do you remember that time when you said that you want to be a songwriter?" He asked.

I nodded my head up and down. "Yeah. I do. But you know, it wasn't really serious. I mean, I only wrote one song, and I wrote it with you. I'm not that great of a writer anyway." I shrugged. "Why did you ask?" I asked.

"Not that great of a writer? Pfft." He scoffed. "If you're not that great of a writer, then why would a certain company want to hire you?" He said.

I turned my head swiftly to face him with a shock on my face. I couldn't help but feel intrigued with his information. "What did you just say?" I asked, still confused.

He smirked. "Well, Kevin Tott liked our song very much, he asked me for a copy and he played to his father. Since you know, his father is a recording producer."

I shook my head. "Wait wait wait, and where did you get a copy?" I asked.

He shrugged. "One of our classmates recorded it. So anyway, his father liked it very much and is looking forward for your next song. Which he will be hearing next week." He said.

"What?! I need to write a song due next week for a guy I have never even met?" I asked in demand. "Okay, here's some things why I don't want to do it. First, I didn't write that song by myself because you helped me. If I did it myself, it would've been awful. Second, why would a recording producer hire a highschool student to be his songwriter? Isn't Kevin the best writer in music class? And he's his son? And third, I can't make the song. It's finals on Monday, remember? I'm not as smart as you are so I have to study extra hard to pass."

He rolled his eyes. "Now, here are some reasons why you should. First, you did most of the work. I only wrote four lines, remember? Second, he saw potential in you. Kevin is already his songwriter. Didn't you know he wrote Love Me Tonight? He will be a huge star once he graduates. And third, you are smart, Sidney. You're just too lazy to study. You were able to write a song in a few hours, I know it wouldn't take a day for you to write another one."

I glared at him. Darn it! He made a point.

He's wise, so he always wins. He thinks deeper than me, so he always wins. He's an athlete and knows how to plan, so he always wins. He's the smarter best friend and always makes a point, so he always wins. Bah!

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine! A song in two days." I scrunched my nose. I hated it when he wins.

He grinned and screamed a "Yes!" like he just won the lottery and a bingo game at the same time. Sometimes I start to wonder if Ed have some talent as an actor, because honestly, his facial expressions were always the best! I mean, when he's embarassed and his face gets a little more like a homeless kitten, I'm pretty sure girls would swoon and fall for him! I wonder why directors still hasn't discoverd him.

.

"You okay?" My seatmate, Hayley, asked with obvious worry on her face and tone.

I faked a smile. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I said with a jumpy vibe, to prove that nothing was really wrong.

She gave me a confused look. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Because Sidney you've been looking at Dylan and Aubrey talking with each other for almost an hour now, and may I add doing that without blinking your eyes even for once. I mean, how was that even possible?"

My fake smile disappeared in guilt. "I said I'm okay."

"Oh come on, you're clearly not." She stated. "Here, lend me your paper and pen." She commanded.

I thought, I did need to do something else than staring at them, so I did what she said.

"What are we going to do?" I asked as she hid my notebook from me and started writing on it.

She gave me a sneaky grin. "We, are going to play a game."

I raised my eyebrows. "A game?" I asked, confused. She just nodded in reply. "What kind of game?"

"MASH." She said.

I remembered playing MASH back in sixth grade. T'was a fun game back then, wishing it would end up saying you'll marry the guy you like. But, I never played it for years, I forgot how it felt to wait for the result.

"What are we?" I asked sarcastically. "Sixth graders?" I scoffed.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You want to play this." She said and I shrugged my shoulders. She was right, there was no denying in that. "You MASH play this!" She joked. She bit her lip holding herself from laughing.

"Okay," I said. "Was that a joke?" I asked and giggled like a kid. "Because that was really lame." I said, but started laughing.

"Lame, huh?" She raised her eyebrows. "Then why the hell are you laughing?"

"I laughed because it was too lame!" I defended.

She raised her hands in defeat. "Whatever!" She said and laughed a bit. "Let's just play." I couldn't agree more.

And so, we played. Let me just cut the story short. I drew a circle, she counted, we played.

Playing it kind of took me back to being a little kid, even though I wasn't really a fully grown adult then. It was just fun playing with a friend, listing boys names on a paper, then waiting what would be the result.

The result was a little bit funny, and amusing. When Hayley wrote it on a peice of paper to show me, I literally laughed. I couldn't help myself.

I'm going to MARRY, KEVIN TOTT, and our honeymoon will be in a CAR IN PARIS, and he will give me A WILTED ROSE on HALLOWEEN.

I gave Hayley an amused look. "Why'd you put Kevin?" I asked. I expected her to write some of our classmate's names, but he wrote Kevin. He wasn't even in our class.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I think you two look cute together." She said and it made me choke my own saliva.

When I regained myself, I asked her, "What the hell on earth made you think that?!"

She made a thinking face, which I knew was only for show, and when she noticed that I knew she wasn't really thinking, she bursted out laughing. I joined her. "Okay, stop." She said. "I, am going to answer your question." It was obvious she was holding herself from laughing.

"Sidney, you-are-beautiful. Everybody knows that. You are talented. You are smart, though lazy kind of smart." She said, I shrugged. "You have that little spanish look on your face, and I like it. You're a bit tan, which makes you unique from us. Kevin, he's American-Egyptian. He's handsome, rich, and talented as you are. He is not pale as well, and have this feirce look in his eyes, just like yours. I don't know, for me, it just feels like you two are meant to be together. First thought when I think of you two having kids, perfect!" She explained.

She gave me a dreamy look in her eyes. Her look made me feel like I should believe what she said. Like she would kill just to have me and Kevin be together. And that, I don't understand why.

I admit, she had a point. But I know one thing and one thing only. I like Ed, not Kevin.

Sure. Kevin is attractive and talented. He can give me everything that I want. We would look good together.

But the thing is, I don't like him. And why would I force myself like someone whom I don't like just because somebody said we look good together? All I can say is, that's stupid.

And another question is why am I even thinking about this. It's not like Kevin actually likes me, right? It's not like any of this matters, right? It just makes this thought more stupid than ever.

"Wait. Hold it a second." I told her. "Did you make me play MASH on purpose?" I asked.

She smiled sneakily. "Maybe?" She grinned. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes. "I can't believe I fell for this!" I grunted. "You never counted! You made it end up to Kevin on purpose!"

She laughed. "Maybe?"

I sighed. "And may I ask why?"

She opened her mouth to speak. But unfortunately, right when she opened her mouth, the stupid bell rang.

She swiftly stood up and said, "Bye!" Then she hurriedly ran out of the room.

Great. Now I won't know why. Sometimes she's just too weird. Oh well, atleast weird is unique.

I stood up as well and right on timing, Ed was beside me. "Let's have lunch?" I asked and he nodded. This is one of times I really like it when Ed agrees. When he agrees about food.

When we reached the cafeteria, it was packed with loads of students. It looked like every seat was taken. EVERY SEAT.

I looked at Ed and saw that we both had the same surprised look on our faces.

We've been on this school for several years, and never had it ever happened that the cafeteria was this full. Not even during occasions.

While Ed and I stood dumbfounded, Aubrey passed by us and stopped right in front of us.

"Oh, hey Dylan!" She greeted with a flirty smile. She didn't even acknowledge my presence, and honestly, I got used to it. I don't need to impress her with my existence anyway. "Didn't see you there!" She said, still referring to Ed.

Oh you saw him! I know you're just acting, so shut up! I thought. And I'm really fighting the urge to turn them into actual words.

"Oh." Ed said with a faint smile. I looked at him skeptically. Something's wrong with him. He doesn't usually act like this in front of Aubrey Hart. "Hey, why are there so many people here, right now? It's kind of weird." He said. I wasn't sure if it was just me or Ed really tried to change the topic.

"Oh, they don't go to school here." She explained. "They're from St. Anne's Academy, doing some activities here for the day. In exchange, our freshmen got to explore their campus."

Ed looked around. "They're so many."

Aubrey made a fake gawking face. "I know, right?" She then walked closer to Ed, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I wonder how I'll get lunch now."

Ed looked stiff and nervous. "Um, maybe, take out?" He suggested. "You could come. Right, Sidney?" He looked over at me.

Just seeing Aubrey hugging Ed's shoulders already ached my heart. Seeing them like that for a few more minutes? I think it might even explode. Even though I really wanted to be with Ed, I didn't want to spend my lunch time getting my heart broken.

"Uh, no Ed. You two have lunch. I forgot that I..... uh....." I scratched the back of my head and Ed looked at me confusingly. Aubrey? She didn't care even a little bit. "I.... I needed to finish a project with Hayley."

"Sidney, we're on the same classes. We don't have a project." He said.

Damn it. "Uh... It was a special project! Yeah. Only for me and Hayley. She just texted now that she's waiting!" I picked out my phone from my pocket as props.

"Sidney?" Ed called. "Hayley is over there."

I turned around and saw Hayley sitting on a table. I cursed quietly and turned back to them. "Yeah, there she is. Bye!" I said and hurriedly walked towards Hayley.

"Are you sure you won't come?" Ed called while I was a few yards away.

I stopped and turned around. "Yeah. Everything is definitely okay." I faked a smile and turned back. I ran towards Hayley as fast I could just to get away from them, mostly from Aubrey.

When I reached Hayley, she greeted me with a smile. "I need you to do me a favor." I said, catching my breath.

"What favor?" She asked.

I turned around to see if they were still there. They weren't.

I turned back to face Hayley. "I'll explain later." I said. "Let's go." I grabbed her and pulled her away of the cafeteria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)