after alan's dad had yelled at the entire football staff, the boy was embarrassed to say the least. sure, he would've liked to get his place on the field back, but he never wanted anyone to cause a scene. besides, he knew the only way to get his spot back was to be a better player. it was a problem he wanted to face himself, not one he wanted his dad to scream about until a solution was found. it was these many thoughts that were clouding his mind and keeping him from leaving his car to enter the school.

luckily for him, he had been assigned a parking spot right next to the only girl who knew how to make him feel better under any circumstances. maisie pulled up, not bothering to check her parking as she quickly shut the engine off. she had overslept, but a big history test barred her from skipping the day altogether. she barely had time to put on a decent outfit and slap some makeup on, so she was hoping she could go through the day without any ridicule.

she was going to beeline to the front doors, but when she saw alan just sitting in his car she couldn't move. it was risky, but she'd rather talk to him than take a test over the great war. not to mention, he looked especially good on this particular morning. maisie couldn't quite put her finger on why she was so incredibly attracted to him at this specific moment, but her eyes had practically jumped out of her head. she knew she just had to talk to him.

she opened up his passenger door, which he had unknowingly left unlocked, "what's up, bosley?"

the boy jumped at the intrusion, looking over at the girl with wide eyes, "yeah, just come on in, maisie. that's totally cool."

truthfully, he didn't mind at all that the girl had broken into his car. he would've liked better for her to have broken into his bedroom last night, but he was sure to make do with this situation as well. she seemed a little scattered, but alan thought she was beautifully chaotic. no matter how she acted or what she looked like, he could never seem to muster up any negative feelings towards the girl.

maisie laughed, shaking her head at the boy, "well, don't leave your doors unlocked, if you don't want unwanted guests."

"you're never unwanted." he replied, looking over at her with small smirk. he had been gathering the courage to ask her out since they went on that drive after last week's game. it had been a long time coming, and maybe the perfect opportunity had just fallen into his lap.

maisie sent back a smile, reaching out to place a hand on his arm, "is there a reason you're not going into school, romeo? is it because everyone's all over sunshine and not you?"

the boy laughed, knowing sunshine had gotten himself into deeper trenches than anyone could have expected. all over school, girls would just gawk or swoon. while he wasn't exactly popular with the boys, the ladies absolutely loved him. it was actually kind of funny. at least, that's what alan thought.

"nah, it's just..." he let out a sigh, annoyed to even have to bring up the subject. maisie was no stranger to the ways of alan's father, having learned a great deal on their last rendezvous. still, he didn't want her to think that he was all daddy issues and drama, "my dad pitched a fit in the coaches' office."

maisie sucked her teeth, rolling her eyes at the mention of his father. she didn't know every dirty detail, but she didn't need to. that was enough for her to deduce alan's contempt for leaving the car. she wouldn't leave the car either, if her mother had done something of that sort. it was embarrassing, and she hated that he had to go through that.

"i'm sorry," she replied, hearing the bell ring from the school. she had officially missed the start of her test. while that usually would've sent her into a spiral, she currently couldn't have cared less, "anything i can do to make you feel better?"

alan stared at the girl, an evil smile appearing on his face. he had his instinctual answers, but nothing he would dare say out loud to the girl. coming on too strong was one of the worst things he thought he could do. plus, it just wasn't his nature to be so overtly crude.

"nothing i could ask you in the daylight, maisie." he replied, causing the girl's mouth to fall open. she quickly slapped his chest, which caused him to laugh. it wasn't the most gentlemen-like thing he could've said, but it also wasn't the worst thing that had popped into his mind. he was at peace with the happy medium he had reached.

"you jackass," she laughed, leaning back in the passenger seat, "here i am, bein' all sweet. missing my history test and everything, and i get met with crude remarks."

alan gave the girl a smile, cocking his head over in the direction of the school and taunting her, "go do your test, maisie."

he wanted her to stay, but not at the expense of something she valued. he knew how much she cared about school, because he knew how badly she wanted to go to a good college and become a writer. he didn't want to be the reason she gave up on certain things about herself. especially when those things are what drew him to her in the first place.

"it's too late now anyways. mr. manning's a hard ass. he doesn't let you take a test if you come in late." she answered, causing the boy's eyes to shift with worry.

"yeah, but-"

seeing the panic on his face, maisie threw her hand's up to reassure him, "it's okay, alan. i can just make it up another day. it's not a big deal."

he stared at her for a moment, trying to see if she was actually as fine as she claimed to be. he didn't like that she was skipping school just for his sake, but he also appreciated her kindness.

"if you say so," he shrugged, leaning back into his seat, "but you are going in eventually, huh?"

the girl shrugged, a small smile playing at her lips, "yeah, if you do."

alan laughed, trying to hide how good her comments was making him feel, "what, you'd just stay in this car with me until the end of time?"

she looked over at the boy, resisting the urge to close the gap between the two. she wanted to, but she also wanted him to want to. plus, she had never been the type of girl to make the first move. she just liked the way he had been looking at her since she got in the car. it was enough to make her heart beat out of her chest.

"hey, it doesn't sound so bad." she replied quietly, looking over at him with testing eyes. she wanted him to return the sentiment, but was nervous he wasn't going to. she was afraid they had been reduced to just subtle flirtations.

alan met her gaze, liking the way that the sunlight was shining over her. she almost looked like a dreamscape. seeing as beautiful as she looked, he knew he wasn't going to be able to resist for much longer. he didn't want to pressure her, nor did he want to feel like he was rushing into anything. he just couldn't keep waiting.

"can i ask you something?" alan asked, feeling his hands start to become clammy. he was pretty sure he would know her answer, but it didn't make him any more calm.

maisie knit her brows, wondering why he had suddenly become so serious. he had been laughing with her just a second ago, and now he seemed lost for words. she was worried he had started thinking about his dad again. she had been trying to keep his spirits off, but there was nothing only so much anxiety the young girl could ward off. it was only a matter of time before it started to creep back into his mind.

"sure. just don't pass out on me, okay? you're looking a little green, bosley." she joked, trying to make him ease up. she wanted him to be comfortable, but she wasn't sure of the best way to go about it.

he rolled his eyes, giving her an annoyed look. he wasn't actually upset, rather he was trying to gather courage and she was ruining it. he loved her playful nature, but he wanted to give her a serious moment.

"i'm fine," he replied, before letting out a breath and deciding to just let it all out, "maisie, do you wanna go out with me?"

before she could even process exactly what he said, the biggest smile had appeared on her face. she had been waiting for this moment since they first started talking at camp. she almost couldn't believe that he had finally asked her.

"are you serious?" she asked, the very first thought she had happening to spew out of her mouth.

alan scrunched his nose in awkwardness, "well, that's not a great start-"

"no!" maisie replied immediately, reaching over to put her hands on his shoulders, "i mean- yes, yes i want to go out with you. i'm just... surprised is all."

alan let out a sigh of relief, his hands reaching up to touch her arms that had made their way around her shoulders, "surprised in a good way?"

the girl nodded, deciding to lean over and bridge the gap between the pair. he leaned over just as quickly and when their lips met, maisie found it hard to pull away. it was like her world had melted away and she would've done anything to hold onto that feeling.

they pulled apart both smiling like idiots. the morning started off a little rough for both of them, in their own separate ways. however, it was safe to say that this could go down as the best day of their lives.

"wanna go inside now?" maisie asked, looking over at the school doors.

alan shook his head in denial, grabbing her chin and pulling her back in. she let out a short laugh before allowing him to kiss her once again.