Comments for reviewers:

xinsanexbloodyxprincess: don't u dis shane!...u'll find out more about his past life later in the story...much later

sharp-tongued: lol...shane IS hot AND cool...he's awesome

misaki: yeah...lori has a tough life...u'll find out more about amanda later...

FrozenWaterFaerie: thanks!

DISCLAIMERS:

I sadly do not own Simba, Nala, or any Lion King characters, Togo's, Jamba Juice, or Star Wars. --

Chapter 3

As I did my Saturday morning homework at my desk, I softly sang to myself.

"And I almost had you, but I guess that doesn't cut it," I crooned, my voice barely a whisper. "And I almost loved you, and I didn't even know it."

"Great song," a voice interrupted.

I whirled around. "Shane! What are you doing here? How did you get in?" I asked, stunned.

He shrugged. "Erica let me in," he said nonchalantly. "Nice room," he added, nodding at my under-the-sea themed room, so different from my normal pink Abercrombie attire.

I blushed. "Well - I - I," I stammered.

Shane seemed to realize that this was awkward territory. "No, really," he clarified. "The blue and green looks really cool together."

I smiled. I had barely known Shane for a day, yet he knew exactly how to make me feel good about myself.

"Your voice sounded really nice," he suddenly added. I stared blankly at him. "When you were singing," he explained, "You sounded really nice - way better than Bowling for Soup."

I turned beet red. No one had complimented my singing before. Then again, no one had ever taken the time to be my friend, or even listen to me.

Wait a minute. That wasn't true.

Amanda and I lay in sleeping bags, side by side, confiding secrets. I mentioned how the new kid, Jesse, seemed reaally nice.

"Ooh, you like him," she teased. I blushed. Then I asked if she thought Jenna Adams, the most popular girl in the seventh grade, was a snob. "Definitely!" she excleaimed. We spent the rest of the night insulting her, gossiping, and giggling. How was I to know that that was the last happy moment I'd have in years?

"Lori?" Shane asked, jerking me out of my reverie.

"Yeah?" I replied, slightly dazed.

"Are you all right?" he looked worried.

"I'm fine, why?" I tried to act as if I was not about to remember one of the worst days of my life.

"I only asked you three times if you planned on getting dressed," he said, grinning mischievously. I felt my blush returning as I realized I was still in my Lion King pajamas. Grabbing a pillow, I playfully shoved Shane out of the room until I'd changed into a miniscule skirt and a tank top.

"Can I come in now?" Shane's voice was slightly muffled by the door.

"Fine," I sighed, pretending to be exasperated. Shane came in and studied me. "Why do you dress like that?'' he asked, frowning. I remained silent. After staring openly at me, he finally said, "All right. You don't need to tell me anything."

"Maybe I'll tell you some other time," I consented. Shane nodded and smiled. "You hungry?" I suddenly asked.

"Starving, actually. You got anything to eat?" he replied.

I shook my head. "Nope. But we can go to Togo's or something," I offered.

He smiled. "That sounds great!"

"Lori?" Shane asked.

"Mmm?" I mumbled, waking up from a catnap I'd been having against the tree. We'd gone to Togo's and ordered sandwiches, which we ate with Jamba Juices, before going to the park, where we played frisbee with a couple kids. Afterwards, we had sat down against a gigantic oak tree to watch the clouds.

"Was there ever a - a guy?" he sat up. "You know - who you really, really liked?" He looked like the rest of his life depended on the answer.

The dreamy smile slipped from my face to be replaced with a stormy expression. "There was one," I replied bitterly, "and only one. He was the biggest jerk imaginable once I got to know him. But I don't really want to talk about it. Why do you ask?"

Shane turned the color of a cherry. "Well, you see, I-I," he stammered. I stared at him impatiently. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the movies with me on Friday," he finally blurted out.

I felt my face color with rage, and leapt up. "That's it?" I asked hotly. "That's how you see me? That's why you were so friendly with me?" I could feel a hotness in the back of my throat and eyes. "I thought you were my friend. I thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a guy out there who cared about me. Lori Breckman. A person. With hopes and dreams. Not a piece of ass to sleep with." My voice turned cold and hard. "I guess I was wrong. You're just like the rest, aren't you?" I turned away.

"Lori, wait," Shane commanded from behind. I stopped, and he walked over. "I didn't mean it like that, and I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought that as friends we could go to the movies. And I also thought you were awesome. Can you give me a chance as a friend?"

A smile played around my lips. "Wait a sec. You thought I was awesomes?"

Shane grinned. "Fine. I know that you are awesome. Happy?"

My trace of a smile burst into bloom to become a full-fledged grin. "All right then. Star Wars?"

Shane's grin turned into his trademark playful smirk. "Sure. But there's one condition. You have to wear the Simba and Nala pajamas."

I turned around and started chasing him around the parks. "Shane Evans, I am going to get you! And when I catch you, I will burn your body and hide it in my locker!" I screeched. We ran around for ages, before collapsing onto the grass, laughing heavily, and I realized something.

I had a friend.