Make A Wish

a - o n e - s h o t - b y - m a d f o r f i g s ( p u b l i s h e d - 8 - 2 6 - 2 o o 8 )

--

I've liked him as long as I could remember. But what can I do when his match made in heaven is desperately head over heels for him? Make a wish at 11:11, what else is there to do?

--

She really liked him. He was all she could talk about during our Calculus class. I wasn't surprised that she liked him, in fact, I had assumed she had a crush on him the very moment she said she liked a certain someone. The truth was that every girl in our school was practically in love with him. It didn't hurt that he was very good looking and polite, as well as having been graced with the perfect body of a swimmer.

You know, the usual.

I had to admit, if the two of them ended up together, they would be the greatest couple known to mankind. She was a very smart girl, mildly attractive, but had one of the best personalities for a girl. Diana Carson was probably the nicest person I had ever met in my entire life, hence the reason why Diana and James would be absolutely perfect together.

Of course, it was only normal for me to say that yes, I too was obsessed with James Osmend. We had gotten along fairly well after he was in my Biology class my freshman year. I couldn't have been happier that I had decided to double up in sciences that first year.

When Diana had told me just how much she liked him, I was immediately crushed. I had liked him ever since the end of my freshman year, when he invited me to his end of the year party. We always had a bit of a connection, but I tried to never think too much into it. After all, it would probably end up being a farce in the end.

I quietly accepted the fact that James would be better off with Diana and encouraged her beyond belief. Truth be told, it was reality. They fit together so well that everyone in the year above me was surprised they weren't dating by now.

That was another thing. Diana and James were both seniors, graduating in about two months. Me? I was just another junior who happened to be relatively good friends with the two of them. Now, I became Diana 's counselor in trying to persuade her to be more direct with the guy I really, really liked.

It's great how life plays out, doesn't it?

There were times when I felt like James actually returned the feelings I felt. One time, my best friend Rachel Hersh was taking a picture of me and three of my other friends when James suddenly popped into the picture. He was actually best friends with one of the girls, so I immediately assumed he would be next to her. Instead, imagine my shock when I felt his hand on my waist and his cheek pressed up against my own.

But the moment ended too soon, as always.

The more I thought about me liking James, the more I felt like I was betraying Diana. I had told Rachel about it, and she said that I was a complete moron. Apparently by liking him longer, it gave me the right of way. But I didn't feel morally sound doing that; I felt that Diana should be given the chance, not I.

As much as I hated doing so, I knew it was the only thing to do in a situation like this, whether I liked it or not.

--

James Osmend sat with us occasionally outside of the auditorium, considering how his closer friends sat less than fifteen feet away. But when he was bored of them, he'd migrate over to our group and sit next to Rachel and me. That was actually exactly where we were now, with lunch nearly halfway over. My legs were crossed in front of me, my back propped up by the wall from behind. James sat cross-legged between Rachel and I, facing the rest of my friends.

I wasn't even paying attention to what anything my friends were saying. Every once in a while, James would hit me on the shoulder to get my attention as he asked me a question. The slightest bit of physical contact was enough to make me want to jump him.

But I couldn't. As long as I knew Diana liked him, I could never turn on her like that. It wasn't who I was.

"Amy, damn it! When will you ever pay attention to anything I say?" Greg Evans yelled, disturbing me from my idle state. I looked up at Greg, who was sitting a bit further up the stairs, waving his Calculus packet in the air.

"Sorry, I totally blanked." I shook my head, trying to ignore the fact that James was laughing quietly at my distress. "What did you say?"

Greg mumbled something to himself and threw the packet down. "I asked… do you want to help me with slope fields? I don't remember what Mrs. Walker said about them."

"That's because you were sleeping, you ding dong." A new voice entered our conversation. I looked up to see Diana standing over James and I. My heart crashed when I saw the million watt smile James sent to her, yet I still managed to show nothing on the outside.

"I don't sleep, you liar." Greg retorted, as the rest of us rolled our eyes. Greg was notorious for falling asleep during class. As a senior, he was nominated by the class of 2008 for "Most Likely to Fall Asleep During Class". I'm pretty much positive that covered the grounds for being sleepy.

I said nothing, but stood up and made my way through the maze of legs, arms and lunch bags on the ground. The moment I sat down besides Greg, I turned to see if Diana had taken my spot next to James. Lo and behold, I was right. I tried to erase the image from my mind and turned back to my helpless friend besides me.

"I think you'd be better for James."

I looked up, shocked to see Greg staring down at me intently. Had I just heard him properly? Greg was one of his best friends and the fact that he had said that nearly terrified me. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or if he enjoyed the effect it would have on me. "I don't know what you're talking about." I replied stiffly, stealing the packet from his hands.

Greg scoffed, retracting his arm to pull the paper from my reach. Knowing I was to sit here as he reprimanded me, I sighed and braced myself for the inevitable speech. "Diana's his friend, a good friend and that's about the only connection they have." His voice had dropped to a low whisper, his mouth a mere centimeter from my ear. "When I asked if he was taking Diana to senior prom, he said maybe, if someone else said no to him first. He said Diana was great and all, but he didn't really feel anything for her. So believe me when I say this. The two of you better get together and make babies one day because they'd be the greatest human beings seen by mankind."

I immediately began coughing as the blush in my cheeks intensified. He did not just say that.

"So anyway!" Greg raised his voice, moving away from me. "Freaking listen to me, Hall! Damn it, I give up on you. I'm gonna go find Trevor. You suck." With that said, he grabbed his backpack and stormed up the stairs, but not before turning back around and sending me his trademark smirk.

That idiot.

"You and Greg?" Rachel smiled at me from her spot next to James. I stuck my tongue out at her and threw an abandoned fork at her head. "So you don't deny it then."

"I'd rather get with Brandon ol' pal here first." I joked, patting his knee. Instead of his usual retort, his eyes remained glued on his AP Biology notebook as he crammed to copy my work.

"I feel the sexual tension there." James laughed as Brandon replied with the a quick flick of the middle finger. "Wow, testy."

Our group fell into a comfortable silence as I began humming to myself. My eyes unconsciously slid over to Diana and James again as I saw the two immersed in their own conversation. I heard Rachel cough lightly as I diverted my attention to her. When our eyes met, she leaned back a bit and pretended to gag behind the two-some.

I laughed to myself and stood up. At that moment, the bell rang as lunch unfortunately ended. James stood up besides me and helped Diana up. I couldn't help but smile as a blush formed on her cheeks as he held onto her hand.

This was why I couldn't put myself in between them.

--

"Amy! Amy! Amy Hall, turn around you moron!" I spun around to see Rachel hobbling towards me. I laughed aloud, realizing that the rumors were true. I had heard sometime during fourth block that Rachel Hersh had fallen down the bleachers in our gym and broken her ankle.

She hadn't responded to my texts, so I never knew if it was reality. After all, there was another Rachel in our school. For rumors to get mixed up in the long run was not an uncommon error. "You seriously broke your ankle." I laughed as soon as she was within a foot of me.

"Shut up." She retorted, whacking me in the leg with one of her crutches. "You're giving me a ride home since I can't drive."

"Diana can actually do that for you, if you want."

What the hell was up with this boy popping up everywhere I went? I turned around, and sure enough, Diana and James were walking towards the two of us. "No, it's alright. I don't want to put her through that trouble."

"It's actually no problem." Diana replied, shrugging her shoulders. "She lives down the street, so it's a bit more convenient for me than you. Plus, she'd have to walk a bit further down since you didn't park on school property. So I'll take her. It's not a big deal."

I agreed, shrugging my shoulders as Rachel followed Diana. I wasn't exactly quite positive what had just happened, just the fact that I was now standing alone with James. His hands were shoved in his pockets, bracing himself from the cooler end of the winter breeze. "Can I actually hitch a ride? My car's in the shop, that's why I was with Diana. She was kinda supposed to give me a ride before I offered it to Rachel. She seemed like she needed it more."

I smiled at him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Sure." I replied and began the walk down to the street off our school grounds. "Remind me again when to turn, because I don't really remember. It's been a while since I was at your house."

"Of course. Knowing you, we'd probably get ridiculously lost and end up in Oklahoma if I didn't tell you where to go."

I let out a mock scoff and shoved him away with my hand as we walked down the sidewalk together. "Wow, way to be offensive James! I might as well not give you a ride home and just abandon you here to walk the rest of the distance." I laughed.

"You know I mean it with love." He replied, quickly grasping the hand I had pushed him with. I suddenly felt myself tugged closer to him, until I realized he was using me as an anchor to pull himself back onto the sidewalk I had just shoved him off.

"Whatever, Osmend. Whatever." I pulled my keys out of my pocket and pushed the unlock button as my car chirped happily. I got into the driver's seat and settled as I waited for James to get his full six foot three frame into my Honda Element.

"I freaking love this car." He sighed, tossing his backpack into the space between the front seats and the back row. "I actually have room to stretch out." He feigned a cat stretch, as his long, jean-clad legs just barely fit into the foot space beneath the glove compartment.

"Enjoy it while you can."

The rest of the car ride was made in relative silence as my S Club 7 mix filled the calm. Except for the occasional "turn here" or "red light", we never talked. I was fine with the silence, after all, being with James just made me happy. I knew nothing would ever happen between us, even after Greg's reassurance.

Even if he did like me, what then? We would be together for less than five months, and he would be off to University of California- Berkeley. A whole country away… would he be willing to go through all that for me? College was when he was supposed to let go, not hold back for a high school girl. James was so ridiculously good looking that I'd have to be lying through my teeth to say no girl would pine after him.

We eventually reached the front of his house as I turned off the ignition. The two of us sat idly, unsure of the next move. "Well then." I sighed dramatically, turning to the silent passenger beside me. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow." He replied absent-mindedly, before turning back to me. "Amy." He started, and fell silent just as quickly. I kept my eyes on him, silently urging him to continue. "You know what, never mind." He sighed and left the car without another word.

Again, I'd be kidding myself if I said the sudden departure didn't kill me. He didn't turn around, not once, to even wave good bye.

Even more of a reason to give him up to Diana Carson.

--

11:11 on a Saturday morning… in the middle of spring break, nonetheless. Why was I awake again? With my arms crossed behind my head, I stared up at the ceiling, the sunshine reflecting from my clock face. It was a beautiful morning, as Saturdays always seemed to be. Yet, my lazy ass wasn't willing to get up and do something with it.

It really was a pity.

My phone suddenly began buzzing as I felt myself frowning. It wasn't even noon yet and people as crazy as myself were already awake? Impossible. I reached up to the window sill and grasped around for my phone. When I finally found it, I brought the caller ID up to my face.

Anyone could imagine the shock when I saw the picture of an envelope with James Osmend's name under it. In fact, everyone in the house heard it, for at that very moment, my mother and brother came running into my room. "Amy, what the hell?" my younger brother, Cole, cried out as my mother hit him on the head. "You're screaming bloody murder at eleven in the morning."

I waved them away, pointing at my phone. "Sorry," I apologized sheepishly, "the vibrating scared me a bit." My mother rolled her eyes at me and walked out with Cole tailing closely behind her.

See how much they care?

Unable to bear it anymore, I looked back at the phone. Why would James send me a text message? Sure we talked in school and all, but we never talked through Facebook, AIM, and we never ever called each other.

I flipped open the cover as the message appeared. "Morning Amy. It's 11:11, time to make a wish -James"

I cocked my eyebrow. Was he serious? Since when did we ever exchange messages like this? Last time I checked when Greg had said that to his face, James had immediately "playfully" shoved him against a locker and walked away. From that point on, I figured that James wasn't exactly the myth type of person.

Nonetheless, I made a wish. It was simple what I wished for; I wanted James Osmend, it was the only thing on my mind. I knew it would never come true, especially when his match made in heaven was waiting for him. Diana Carson was the answer to all his problems, it was only a matter of time before it happened and I'd be left with no one. It's lovely how life works out.

"Never penned you as this type, James. Kind of girly of you, I suppose?" I responded, despite the internal debate I had just gone through. But before I even had the chance to hit the send button, my phone began vibrating as I saw the "Accept Call" screen pop up. James Osmend, again?

Pushing the answer key, I hesitantly put the phone up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Amy. I need to talk to you. Now. Can you meet me at the train station in five minutes?"

I began to spew out prattle, but James just as quickly cut me off. "Please. Just for a little bit. I promise I won't take too much of your time."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. This boy could get me to do anything he wanted. Too bad he didn't know it. "Fine." I agreed. "I'll-" Unfortunately, I never got to finish that statement. The very moment I said 'I'll', the line instantly went dead as I realized he had hung up on me.

Jeez, the manners of him.

--

I had absolutely no idea where he wanted me to meet him. After walking around aimlessly for minutes, I ultimately decided to lounge sketchily against my car. A slight breeze was starting to pick up as I wrapped my arms tighter around myself. Was this all a joke? If it was, I was going to kill James after break without a doubt.

I glanced down at my watch- 11:45. Far more than five minutes had passed. I let out a growl and wrenched open the door of my car. I hoisted myself into the car, but someone immediately pulled me back out. I landed against a chest as I spun around, bracing myself to attack the person if he or she turned out to be a rapist or robber.

Imagine my shock to see those bright blue eyes looking down at me. "Crap, Osmend." I laughed, pushing myself away from his body. "Way to scare the bejesus out of me."

He smiled tersely down at me, much unlike his usual self. I immediately stopped laughing; I knew something was wrong. This James wasn't the same James I was accustomed to seeing nearly everyday. "Amy." He started again, bringing me back to that moment we had in the car a few days ago. Was he going to back down again? "Shit." He suddenly muttered, raking his hand through his hair several times.

Frustrated, I grabbed both his wrists and brought them down to his side. His reaction was near priceless as his mouth fell open the moment I touched him. "Sorry." I retracted my hands and placed them behind my back. "You're making me nervous."

"Cause I am." He snapped, but just as quickly whacked himself on the forehead. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to say this."

I put my hands in the air and backed into my open car. "Alright. I'll just go and leave you here. I'll see you later, James."

Inside, I was a bit torn. I kind of wanted James to say something along the lines of… you know. But based on the way he was acting, I could tell he wasn't going to get anywhere in the next ten minutes or so.

"Please don't make me regret this." He whispered, face tilted upwards. Moments later, he looked straight at me. My breath hitched as he took a step closer, but not enough to actually be physically touching.

"James?" I asked quietly, unsure of what was about to happen. He had trapped me in the open door of my car with no where left to go. His smoldering gaze was nearly killing me. Either he was completely crazy or he knew exactly how to drive me crazy. "What are you talking about?"

He rubbed his face with his hands and let out a groan. "Amy Hall… I don't even… do you see this?" he let out a short laugh, shaking his head though I found absolutely no humor in the situation. "I can't even talk to you about this. You don't even realize what an effect you have on me."

What?!

James suddenly frowned at the comment I had actually wanted to keep to myself. But stupid me had yet again ruined everything.

"Come to prom with me."

He said it with such certainty it came as more of a command than a question. James began saying more words, but I couldn't understand anything. His lips were moving even though I heard nothing. I was still trapped in that state of shock that had taken over my body the very moment he said those five words.

Finally, I found my voice and blurted out the first words I could say.

"No."

His face immediately appeared crestfallen at the bluntness of my statement. The desperation in his expressions nearly made me cry as he reached out for me. His hands grasped my own, silently pleading with me.

"I can't." I choked, shutting my eyes. Diana was the only person I could think of at that moment. She was an amazingly good friend of mine and I was not willing to give that up because of a single guy no matter how much I liked him. Diana had trusted me with this to help her, not destroy her. My going with him to prom would ultimately kill her and that was the last thing I wanted.

"Amy… why can't you? Tell me you feel the same thing as I do, because God… I can't even describe it."

Again, have I mentioned that James Osmend is every women's dream man?

I turned my eyes away from him, unable to face him. I wanted to go to prom with him, believe me. I wanted to spend hours dancing the night away and being with him. Maybe…

But no. "Diana…" I trailed off, training my eyes on my wringing hands. I could feel his eyes boring into me, urging me to continue. "She really likes you, and I mean really. She told me this probably back in October. I can't do that to her."

James was silent for a few seconds, neither wanting to make visual contact with the other. Then, I felt him lift my chin up to face him. Tears were brimming my eyes as I avoided looking straight into his eyes. "How long have you liked me, Amy?" He asked so quietly I could've played it off as a figment of my imagination. But based on the burning gaze he was giving me, something told me I wasn't procuring random sentences from my brain.

"Two years, maybe?" I sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway, James. Diana's a really good friend of mine and there is no way in hell I can do that to her. She likes you; she wants to go to prom with you. It's both of yours senior years; take each other. I'm just a junior; I'll have that experience next year. I'm sorry James."

I turned back into my car, ready to rev up the engine. Anyone who saw me could easily see how distraught I was, but some part of me believed that I was in fact doing the right thing. Yet for some reason, I knew this was all wrong. I knew that I was throwing away the best thing that could possibly happen to me in my entire life.

Sorry doesn't always cut it…

--

"Am I an idiot, you guys?" I asked, looking at my two best friends who were sitting on the floor. Spring break had just ended and we had just gone back to our first day of school. I thought James would confront me or something, but he did absolutely nothing. If anything, he purposely ignored me when I knew he saw me.

The nerves…

"Yes." Came their chorused response. "Why would you do that?" Rachel continued, playing with my stuffed dog. "I mean, you and James click so well. Him and Diana do as well, but not on the same level. She has nothing against you."

I groaned and slammed my face down on the foot of my bed. When I gotten home that day, the reality of the situation hit me. James Osmend had actually asked me… Amy Hall… to senior prom as his date. And guess what? I declined.

Am I stupid or what…

I noticed that Greg was ready to launch into some prepared rant about my ignorance, but for once, my mother managed to save me from torture. "Amy, sweetie?" She peered her head through my door, smiling at my two best friends. "Sorry to break up your little pow-wow here, but someone's at the door for you."

I nodded but rolled over onto my back. "Can you send them up? It's a bit more convenient for the rest of us."

My mom smiled at me and disappeared. Rachel, Greg and I remained silent as I heard the approaching footsteps of my surprise visitor. "Shiiiit!" I suddenly heard Greg yell as Rachel and I looked up in surprise. My cry of shock followed when I realized that James Osmend was leaning against the frame of my door.

In a split second, Greg and Rachel had sprinted out of my room as I heard their stampeding footsteps into the living room. Chaos ensued as my mother came running out of the kitchen, most likely wondering what was happening at that moment. James smiled lightly at me and pushed him away from the frame. He shut the door behind him and sat down at the foot of my bed.

"Hi, Amy." He started. "You weren't busy, were you?" James asked, referring to my two best friends who had just bolted out the door as quickly as they could.

"Nah." I waved a hand, leaning back against my arms. "So, what did I do to be graced by your all mighty presence?" It was taking an immense amount of willpower to not break down. The conversation I just had with Rachel and Greg was still fresh in my mind, reminding myself of how stupid I was. It was like pouring salt on a still bleeding wound.

"Absolutely nothing." James sighed. "Listen, about what happened a couple days at the train station…" This was it, this was where he was going to say that he had asked Diana and she accepted giddily. This was where I plastered on a happy face and congratulated him for taking the initiative. This was where I was supposed to beat myself over the head with a meat cleaver for being an idiot.

"James-" I began, sliding my eyes shut. I never had the opportunity to continue my sentence. His hand was warm against my cheek as he pulled me closer to him. I sunk into his hold, allowing his lips to fall gently against mine. It was as blissful as I had imagined, a feather's touch of a kiss.

I made no move to pull away and he must have taken that as a good sign. His other hand slid to my waist as I took that brief second to move closer to his body heat. The kiss didn't last too long, but it was enough to leave a permanent impression in my mind. "I like you." James whispered against my lips, cradling my face with both his hands. "All the times I sat next to you in lunch, they were always an excuse to be close to you because I never knew how you felt about me. Some days I felt like you returned the feelings, but then you'd shut me out just as quickly the next block."

"Diana…" I groaned, unwillingly pulling myself away from him. James had somehow reminded me again of why I had rejected him in the first place. Nothing had changed in the past week; from what I knew, she still desperately pined for him. "I've already told you…"

"And you're wrong." James replied, causing me to do a double take. I stared at him with wild eyes, wondering if I had heard properly. "I confronted her, I told her what you told me. She wants you to come to prom with me, that's why I'm here, asking you for one chance. That's all I'm asking of you."

My mind was reeling. Was he telling the truth? Why wouldn't he? After all, I could just ask her and it would be pretty evident if he was lying. "Why me?" I couldn't stop myself from asking. "There are so many girls in your grade that would be dying to be in my spot right now. I mean, seriously, you just kissed me and now you're asking me to your senior prom."

"Why you?" he finally said after a brief pause. "There is no why. Do I need a reason to like someone? I just fell for you and I couldn't stop it. You're everything I've ever wanted. So please, Amy…" James trailed off, his words falling into the abysmal pit of silence.

I stared into his eyes, seeing no lies behind his words. I bit my lip and looked down at my blanket. What was holding me back from possibly being the happiest person known to mankind? I had only five months with him before he left for California. Was it worth it?

"College?" I asked, but he quickly shut me up with another kiss. This one left me reeling and dizzy with emotions. I was grasping him by his shoulder as his face buried into the crook of my neck.

"Don't think about it. Just take one step at a time." he whispered, his lips tickling my skin. We fell into a brief silence as I contemplated the situation. It was a win-win, what was I waiting for? "Oh, and by the way." James said, pulling back to look at me. "It's 11:11, make a wish Amy." He pointed at his watch and sure enough, the numbers flashed in my face.

I couldn't stop the grin that had appeared on my face. "I wish…" I pretended to ponder, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "I wish you'd go out with me."

A huge smile spread over James' expression as he brought me into his arms. He tightened his hold, never wanting to let me go. I didn't want to either as we sat on my bed, basking in each other's presence. "That won't be a problem." He whispered, sealing it with a kiss.

Who says wishes never come true?

Author's Note

This is another piece of mindless fluff I actually wrote back in April. I was cleaning out my computer, and voila, I found this. I tweaked it a bit and finally it's a wee bit public worthy. Anyway, I'm sorry about the lack of updates for anything. I've had band camp for the past week and I've been WAY to tired to write anything. Especially with the Olympics, I've been like, screw writing. I want to watch super athletes destroy each other.

Speaking of which, I actually have another story up on my OTHER account which is posted on my homepage. On my account CoconutCrazy, I have a story called Not So Ordinary. That's a tentative title that I'd like to get an opinion on. Anyway, please check it out. Some sort of feedback would be nice.

Thank you for being patient, and I will see you all in the next update of Damage Control!

MadforFigs