⌨

Harrison's expression was nervous. It was clear he didn't want to have this conversation. If it was up to him he would have navigated the conversation around the subject all night, but I wasn't willing to let it go.

The truth of the matter was he had hurt me and emphasized a self consciousness inside me that had always been sensitive. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was me who scared him off and I couldn't go forward with him with that niggling in the back of my mind.

"I'm afraid my excuses will not make up for what I did." He began, a frown marring his perfect face. He looked so serious as he he took my hand in his and lea dime towards a group of wooden tables near some food stands. "Do you want some deep fried Oreos?" He asked innocently eyeing the cart with the delicious treats. I narrowed my eyes a slight teasing smile on my face as I tried to lighten the mood.

"Harry." I warned, the shortened name just slipped out and for a moment it reminded me of what I heard Liana call him, but at the same time it felt natural and his eyes sparkled as he noticed too. It seemed he liked it.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He looked away from me and I didn't push him, feeling like he needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I didn't kiss you that day."

"I know that. I want to know why."

"It was a combination of reasons, but you should know I really wanted to. Even though I said it wasn't about Liana I wasn't giving the whole truth."

I knew it had something to do with her. I mean how could it not? She had slipped away from us that day and left me to lie to everyone about it. Harrison has been so angry at her and I didn't blame him.

"Li and I, we'll everyone knows we've been on and off basically all of high school. It's always been pretty complicated between us, to risk being cliche. It's always been hard for me to see other girls"

That wasn't true. Harrison Cole was known for being a heartbreaker. He'd been with plenty of girls besides Liana.

"You've dated other girls before, on your breaks with her." I counted and he nodded.

"I have but they've always been just flings. Ways for me to fill the gaps between Li and I. I always knew she did the same, but those people never meant anything to either of us."

"So you were just using them? Is that what this is? What I am? I gap to fill?" I asked, my voice shaking as I tried not to let it break. He reached for my hands quickly, squeezing them.

"No- I don't think," he groaned, "This is why I didn't want to tell you. It comes out wrong. I didn't kiss you because I didn't want you to be a filler girl. I know Liana is seeing someone else. I know that's where she went that day at the mall. Right after she told me she wanted to get back together. I didn't even want to, what we had was always so trivial in the big scheme of things. I didn't want that for my senior year.

"I wanted something new. But it's hard to break old habits, you know? I really thought we'd try again, but she lied to my face. I was having doubts anyway and I," He began to smile, "and I was starting to like someone else."

I didn't know what to say.

"Me?"

He chuckled, "No, Becky Loggs. Yes of course you, Tana."

"So you knew, that she was seeing Donny?" I asked once I had recovered from his confession. Hearing that Harrison Cole had a crush on my was like shattering the glass ceiling.

"I'm not stupid. I told her enough as well."

"I know I... I kind of overheard you in the hallway."

He leaned back a bit and raised his eyebrows. I felt my cheeks flame up, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Maybe he thought I was a creep for listening. I was just about to start stuttering, when he began laughing.

"Did you? She'd die if she knew someone had overheard her."

"She slapped you, Harry." I whispered and his face lost it's mellow.

"I know. She can be a bitch sometimes. Another reason to walk away, but I'm not just walking away, Tana. I'm walking towards something and that was what was always missing for our breakups. That day at the mall I didn't kiss you because I had to make sure."

I felt tears in my eyes.

"So you..."

He nodded.

"I made sure things were over."

⌨

I waited on the steps outside the school. The wind blew at my face, shoving the crisp scent of autumn up my nose and through my hair. It was the first of December and I was in that stage where I was singing Christmas songs, but clinging to the fall months. I didn't want to let them go. All the gold, red and orange leaves with the candy apples were part of my favorite season and although I knew they were gone by now, I couldn't help but miss them.

I wrapped my fluffy grey coat further around my body. My knees bumping together as I shivered in my knee socks that were pushed down to my ankles. I refused to pull them up, but it took all the effort I had not to string a long line of curses together as I waited outside. It wasn't snowing or anything, in fact, I was sure it would warm up later when the sun was higher in the sky and it wasn't even going on seven o'clock in the morning. I had arrived early because... well, I was waiting for someone.

The thought my made my stomach erupt into butterflies and I scanned the parking lot for his car even though I knew he hadn't arrived yet.

Just the thought of Harrison Cole had my lips tingling and warm with the memory of how he had brushed them against mine on Saturday. My cheeks glowed at the recollection and I closed my eyes.

Don't call me creepy.

It's not creepy to think about the boy who you went on a date with.

A shiver ran down my spine.

My date with Harrison had been perfect.

After I had shaken Issac's Face Time call from my mind long enough to open the front door of my house.

So you could say that my date with Harrison went well, so well in fact that I am standing in the cold waiting for him to arrive instead of just walking into the school building.

My chest warmed at the memory of that date, his lips, his eyes, his smile, and his laugh.

And when I saw him step out of his car I realised my memories didn't nearly do him justice.

His hair was messy and his backpack slung lazily across his chest, hands stuffed into his tattered blazer pockets. He spotted me on the steps and raised his hand in a wave. I hadn't even realized that Finn had gotten out of his passenger door until he stepped up next to him. His boyish face was unmistakable as he too raised his hand and waved like a mother sending her first child off to middle school for the first time. He shouted my name too and I laughed as I waved back at both of them.

Harrison slipped his arm around my waist and leaned in to press a quick kiss to my lips when he reached me. It caught me off guard and I almost stumbled back from it. Almost.

I saw Finn flash a knowing grin and draped his arm over my shoulder, sandwiching me between the two boys.

"My, my my do you work quickly Cole. And here I was thinking I stood a chance." He chuckled when Harrison tightened his hold on my waist causing Finn's to drop fall from my shoulders.

I blushed but punched Finn in the arm teasingly.

"Shut up, would you?"

"I wouldn't." Finn replied and then laughed at his own lame joke.

"You just crack yourself up, don't you?" Harrison said and Finn nodded.

"I do, it's not like I can rely on any of your nonexistent wit to entertain me." The jab made Harrison scoff and roll his eyes.

"Dude, I'm plenty funny you just don't get my jokes."

"Maybe because your jokes are stupid."

"Monty thinks they're funny."

"Monty pity laughs. Have you ever heard her snort when she laughs? No? I have, that's when she really laughs isn't that right, Tiny." Finn said turning to me with a knowing look.

I was mortified by his comment. I knew he was trying to tease me because of Harrison kissing me when we saw each other, but he just told my almost-boyfriend that I snort when I laugh!

That- that could be a deal-breaker!

When I peaked a look at Harrison he was smirking at me.

"You snort when you laugh?" he asked and I only blushed deeper causing both boys to laugh at me. Harrison suddenly paused "Wait, I actually haven't heard that. Why haven't I heard that?"

"It's because you're not funny. Face it, Cole, I win in the making-girls-laugh- department." Finn raised his nose into the air like an aristocrat would in the 1800s. I snorted and both boys looked at me; Finn was grinning triumphantly while Harrison was pouting.

"Do you really not think I'm funny?" he asked and I shrugged.

So it was true, I may have thought Finn was a tad funnier than Harrison, but it wasn't Finn who I had gone on a date with and it wasn't Finn who I had kissed multiple times now.

Issac's funny.

Whoa.

Where the hell did that come from?

But he is.

Moving on brain, moving on.

Sparkling emeralds-

-No! Don't picture his green eyes!

"I think you're funny, but I think Finn is just pee-myself-snort-while-laughing-funny." I responded after winning that inner battle, when I saw disappointment flash in Harrison's eye I grinned "But I think you're drool-in-my-jello-trip-on-my-shoelaces-handsome so you're even." I quipped and just like that Harrison straightened up and grinned.

Issac is handsome and funny.

Yes, yes he is-

-Wait! No, stop it!

"Well if you guys are being so puke worthy cute, is it safe to assume he asked you to the Snow Ball?" Finn asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

The Snow Ball was a dance the school threw for the upperclassmen every year around Christmas. But don't let the innocent, punny name fool you. The Snow Ball was not innocent. It was usually on the last night of school before we broke up so after everyone attended the actual dance at the school gym people legged it over to the after-party and got puke-in-a-converse-drunk and hooked up with whoever was to the right of them after they took their sixth shot of vodka – regardless of their status or gender- and passed out for the next twenty-four hours. Overall it was like homecoming on steroids.

Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the Snow Ball, I hadn't even attended last year. Sarah had gone because she had a date, but I went home after school and snuggled up with hot chocolate and a candy cane to watch hallmark Christmas movies.

It didn't occur to me that Harrison and I would go, but now I was curious to see what he would say.

After all, we had no title or label as a couple.

He wasn't obligated to take me.

That was why I was shocked me he simple scoffed and said, "Of course we're going together, why wouldn't we be?"

It was shocking, thrilling to hear those words. If Harrison wanted me to be his fate to the Snowball then that might mean he wanted me to be his girlfriend and if he wanted me to be his girlfriend then my crush of four years won't have been a waste of time.

Surely I was living in a dream

Was God playing a joke on me?

Was this a movie? Or a cheesy teen fiction novel?

If so please write me a happy ending!

I couldn't really comprehend it if I were being honest. If you have asked me a couple weeks ago if I would be attending the Snow Ball dance as Harrison Cole's date then I would have laughed in your face and called the local insane asylum. I would have asked you if you had swine flu or even if you were PMSing. Any of those options seemed more logical than the one I was currently living. I couldn't keep the smile off my face any longer and leaned into Harrison's side.

"Nothing I was just wondering because Monty was gonna be my fallback-date." Finn replied and I jerked out of Harrison's arms all of a sudden, chocking on my own spit.

"I was gonna be your what?!" I asked, my voice resembling more of a shriek than anything else.

Finn burst out laughing when he caught sight of my expression

"Relax Tiny I was only kidding!" he choked out as he wiped a fake tear from his eye. "You should have seen your face, freaking priceless."

I scowled at Finn who was still trying to regain his breath.

"That was not funny nor flattering Finn Ocher." I snapped, trying to stay serious as the blonde boy straightened up and wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. I smirked though when I thought of the best way to knock him down "I think you just dropped a few pegs on the 'funny ladder'. Harrison is now number one there and for looks." I added and Finn faked a heart attack.

"Oh, Teeny-Tiny you hit me in my most vital organ! Oh, my pride it truly bleeding out now!" And we all laughed at that.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a familiar, gravelly voice speak out of nowhere.

"And what you are you three morons laughing about?" It didn't even take me a second to realize who it was and I had to stifle a groan. It was too early in the morning to deal with Jerk Boy.

"What do you want, Debby Downer? It's only seven forty-five in the morning and you're already raining on people's parade." I snapped.

Man, I was meaner to John that I was to anybody else.

I was meaner to John than I was to anybody else- ever.

John's grey eyes only supported my remark when they darkened like storm clouds.

"Shut up Montgomery." Was his lame reply and I raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Is that all you got?" I snapped back.

"It's too early to deal with you." He responded vaguely, with my same thought process I had had a few moments earlier about him. I felt Harrison's arm slink back around my waist and he pulled my back up against his chest. John's eyes turned to steel as he studied our position. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my brow at him, a nervousness forming in the pit of my stomach under his scrutiny.

If he wanted to break Harrison and I up, I was worried he would be able to do it. There was no hiding it either when Harrison wrapped his arms around me because as much as I mouth off about Jerk Boy, he wasn't stupid. I knew he knew from his clenched jaw and stiff posture.

"You too look rather cozy." He bit out after a moment of silence and Finn slapped him on the back, ever the mood lightener. Although when I looked at him and Harrison neither of them seemed to mind or care about John's behavior. Maybe they were so used to his moods they didn't even notice them anymore?

"They should be," Finn started "They got their freak on this weekend." He said and my eyes widened.

"Finn!" I squeaked, "We did not get our freak on. You idiot, keep your voice down too." Finn only smiled his boyish smile and slapped John on the back again.

"Only trying to lighten this guys mood."

"I don't need my mood lightened, Ocher." John said looking at his friend, though his frown was less prominent as it had been a moment before.

Maybe John is PMSing.

I almost laughed at the thought.

"Whatever you say, boi." Finn said and this time I noticed John bite back a smile for a passing moment before saying

"Don't call me 'boi'."

"Alright whatever you say," Finn repeated and then turned to me "Don't worry Mon, I'm sure the others will be more excited to hear about this than Mr. Sourpuss here."

Oh and boy was he right because by the end of the day the whole school seemed to be abuzz with the news that I had gone on a date with Harrison Cole.

⌨

A/N- Here is is! The chapter you've all been waiting for. We finally found out what happened with Harrison. What do we think? Is he forgiven?

It's not as edited as I'd like it to be, but I've waited long enough to update. It was because I had to add that whole extra scene at the beginning. I'm at the beach right now, so I'm just gonna post it and check on it later.

Enjoy!