.lies:haha thanks for reviewing! and i love that polar bear thing :)

Arceira: thanks for reviewing! glad you liked it :)

a/n: bah. more than a month with no new chapter equals me not being very happy with myself. sorry, guys, it's just the whole school stuff/college search jazz going on. i'm really really sorry; i hope this chapter somewhat makes up for it.

Would you think less of me if I told you that was my first kiss in the last, oh, six or seven years? ‘Cause it’s the truth. The only woman I’ve kissed recently has been my mother. She’s my mom, and a great lady. And I love her. So sue me.

Mel kisses way better than her, by the way.

It seems like ten minutes before she pulls her face away from mine. I didn’t know she was wearing any lipstick, but apparently she was; I can feel it smeared across my lips now. She grins and wipes her mouth with the back of my hand. I mirror her action and stare down at the red on my hand. It flashes through my mind that maybe I should never wash my face again…but I’ll be able to kiss her more later, right? Of course, have some confidence, man.

I can’t believe I just did that. I’m leading him on. Look how happy he is! Carmen always said I was a flirt, but I never believed her. Is he gonna want to steal a base? No, he can’t, I have to hold him at first.

We sit in the car for a few minutes until Dustin decides to break the silence. “There’s a park a few minutes from here, you wanna go?”

I grin. “Sure. Can we walk?”

“Obviously.”

As we walk along the street, Dustin coughs a little, a call for my attention on him. “That…was really nice,” he falters.

“What was?”

He averts his eyes down to his sneakers. “That, um, kiss you gave me.”

I can’t help but smile. “You deserved it.” You’re flirting again!

Shut up.

“No one has ever told me that I deserve a kiss,” he tells me, almost ashamed.

“Well, you did.”

“Thanks.” His cheeks suck in as he takes a sip of his milkshake. I watch it go down his throat, which might sound kind of disgusting, but I dunno. I guess it was charming. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. “You don’t think vanilla milkshakes are bland, do you?”

“No, I think they’re classic. Why?”

Dustin fidgets a little. “I dunno, I guess…swings!” He gasps with a delight I’ve never seen in a twenty-something year old and sprints towards the playground.

I love swings. They’re like a playground pastime.

Shut up. You liked ‘em, too.

“Uh, do you want me to hold your shake or anything?” I don’t really know what to say; I’ve never been in this type of position before, so it’s rather awkward, if I do say so myself.

“No.” His answer is firm as he places his cup into the sand nearby.

“Oh…kay.”

“I don’t want you to hold my shake…” he says.

“I know,” I tell him, “you told me.”

“…because I want you to come sit next to me.” He pats the swing next to him and smiles. “Want to?”

I set my cup down next to his and take my place on the swing. I feel like a five-year-old. That’s not such a bad feeling, though. Dustin scrapes his sneaker toe through the sand and draws a smiley face. He glances up at me and smiles. “That’s how I feel when I’m with you,” he confides in me shyly.

I can’t help it. It’s honestly one of the sweetest things a guy’s ever done for me, but I start to laugh. “Did you get that from a book of pick-up lines or something?” I cackle. He looks hurt, but it takes me too long to catch on.

Damn it; the book said nobody’s supposed to notice! I wonder if I still have the receipt.

“I…no, what’re you talking about?” he stammers, choking out a laugh. “It’s true.”

I sober up when I realize that he’s completely serious. “Aw,” I coo. “That’s so sweet, Dustin.”

“No it’s not.” He sticks his upper lip out at me in a pout and crosses his arms over his chest. “You hate it. You don’t have to lie.” He stands up and dusts off his jeans. He reaches down for his red Friendly’s cup and starts walking away. “I’ll just leave,” he teases, “I know I’m not appreciated here anymore.”

What’re you doing, man? Get your ass back there! You’re walking away from the greatest thing that ever happened to you!

Relax, I’m just kidding.

Oh, okay.

My God, I must be schizophrenic.

“Dustin!” I whine. “Come on, I was only kidding.” I hate when I sound whiny, but I couldn’t help it here. “Don’t make me come after you!”

“If you want me to buy you another milkshake, you’ll have to follow me!”

I pause. “I bought the milkshakes.”

“No you didn’t!”

“I have the receipt.”

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do!”

“It’s a fake! Don’t believe it! I have the real one!” Without turning around, he digs around in his jeans pocket and yanks out a white square. I squint hard.

“Dustin, that’s a tissue!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“You need glasses, Mel.”

I laugh; this is getting ridiculous. “Shut up, Dusty!”

He freezes. I’ve hit a nerve, and I know it. For this small period, I’ve got a hold over him. It feels good.

Oh no she didn’t.

He turns and stares me down. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

“Maybe I did just say what you think I said. What’re you gonna do about it?” I taunt.

“I might just have to…kick your ass.”

I stare at him, taken aback. “You’ll kick my ass?”

“Damn right.”

I burst out laughing. “All righty then, let’s get it on!”

“You’re gonna have to catch me first!” Dustin yelps, sounding more like a five-year-old than I’ve ever heard him. He starts to run, and I follow.

“Get back here!” I yell in between shakes of laughter. “C’mon!” Making sure my pocketbook is entirely zipped, I rear back and hurl it his way.

It hits him around the ankles, and all of a sudden, Dustin goes down. Hard.

Mel throws something at me. Was it a rock? Damn, it was heavy. I can feel it crash into my ankles. My knees hit the ground, then my waist, my chest, my elbows (those hurt, man), my hands, and finally my head. Before I can do anything, this massive pain jolts through me.

“Oh my, God!” I yell. My voice is high and girly, but I really don’t care; my arm is killing me. I’m damn near death by arm here. I roll over onto my back, my left hand gingerly clutching my right arm. I can feel tears trying to stream down my cheeks, the sneaky devils. I blink hard a few times, putting up an electric fence they can’t get through.

“Dustin? Dustin! Oh my God, Dus, I’m so sorry!” Mel comes running out of the dark, and I can tell from her voice that she’s already crying. “Are you okay?” she shouts. A few seconds later she arrives by my side and kneels down. “Are you okay?” she repeats concernedly.

I hesitate before answering. “You wanna do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“…give the folks at 911 a call, please.”