Not many reviews last chapter... only one. Ah wellz. I can continue to hope, I guess? Herm... maybe someone will find this story when I post this chapter up? Or maybe I should just forget about finishing this story. Getting no feedback kinda sucks. Nah, I'll keep writing, if you only just for...:

tRu-cHaRm3d-Chik: you're, like, the only person who actually reviews on my stories. So depressing... ah wellz. Lol. It's awesome-ness. Hehehe... but yes, here you go. I wonder what Alex's reaction will be? shrug I honestly don't really know... so you'll just have to read on to find out. But you'd read on anyway, so meh. Have to do SRP... stupid science...

Everything's OK.

Alex could feel the blood rush from his face. She wasn't supposed to have heard him. Now they would be completely screwed. How was he supposed to face her now? He had told her that they were just friends. Just friends. Yet he had gone and yelled it out to the whole dorm that he was practically in love with her. And she had just so happened to hear her.

He knew that in one of Ashley's stupid romance comedy movies, he was the best friend, the guy that was always there for her, the guy that she would turn to when the other guy in her life abandonned her. But he also knew that no matter how much he cared about her, she was always going to be better off with the other guy. Remembering other parts of the ending, though, brought a glimmer of hope to him. Didn't the girl always end up realising that she had always loved the best friend, in the end? The only thing that Alex was confused about? He didn't know which part of the movie they were up to. Had she realised yet?

Alex didn't want to screw things up anymore. So he ran.

"Alex!" I called, as he ran out of the dorm. I ran down the stairs, determined to catch up with him. I was on the school track team, it should be that hard. But then I remembered that rugby required plenty of running too. I kept running, following him down a hill. Then I stopped. He had sat down by the creek, under the same willow tree that we had been under the other day.

I walked up, cautiously.

"I could say that I didn't mean it," he said, without emotion, hearing me walk up.

I didn't want to say anything. I knew him well enough to know that he was just getting started. If I interrupted him, I would never get any of the answers to the questions that were running through my head.

"But I won't. Because that would make things even worse." Alex turned around to look at me, pain written in his eyes.

"Ash, ever since we were friends, I... ever since we were friends, I've always liked you. More than a friend. Maybe me being your friend was a way for me to get close to you. I don't know. But I do know that no matter what is said here, today, I'll always care about you, love you even." He laughed, a sort of sad laugh.

"We're 15. We're not supposed to be thinking about love. But Ash, you changed me." He stood up, and walked over to me.

He raised his hand to my cheek, brushing away tears, that I hadn't realised had fallen.

"Ashley Mary O'Connors. I..." Here he hesitated, but took a deep breath. "I l-love you."

Then I felt the sobs coming, uncontrollably. Alex gathered me up in his arms and kissed the top of my head. I pulled him closer, savouring every moment I could, just being there in his arms.

Somehow, I knew that no matter what happened from here on, Alex and I wouldn't be friends anymore. It just wouldn't work like that. And then I realised, that we had never really been friends. I realised that I had loved him a long time ago.

Pulling away, I smoothed his shirt down, a small smile on my face. "Sorry I got your shirt wet."

Alex returned my smile. "It's ok. But first, there's something that I've been meaning to do for a while."

I looked at him, questioningly.

Alex pulled me close and leaned down. Knowing exactly what he wanted to do, I closed my eyes and let the feeling of his kiss overtake me.

Coming up for air, Alex looked me over. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face, and pulled me into a hug. But it was different from any of the hugs that he had ever given me. This time things were different. Our lives had changed.

But everything was going to be ok.

Until I update again, thanks SO MUCH for reading.

Love, inandout