"Hey! What was that for?" she said to me. I knew it was uncalled for but it was necessary. Being the seven-year-old neighbor of a six-year-old was not fun. She was always trying to come over, talk to me, play on my swing set with me, and plays in my sand box with me. In my mind, it made perfect sense to kick over a sand castle and elicit some tears in exchange for quiet in the rest of my days in this house.

"I did it because I don't want you in my sand box!" I yelled back. She stormed off without another word and a little more calm than I had expected.

Good, I thought, now I can finally have peace and quiet.

It was nice after that. She did not come over the next day or the day after and I was able to play alone the way I wanted to. My mother seemed concerned but I did not care. I was just happy to be rid of that leech.

However, my ignorant bliss was not meant to last. On the third day, I heard a knock at the door. I just kept playing until my mother finally yelled at me to get the door. I sighed and thought of protesting but I knew it was useless so I got up and answered the door.

I was appalled to see the little meanness herself standing in front of me smiling and swaying back and forth with her hands held behind her back.

"Hello, Derek Pell. Wanna go play on your swing set?" she asked. I stopped for a moment staring. I was utterly confused. Why did this child want to attach herself to me so bad?

"No. I don't want to go play with you. I don't like you. I don't know why you like me but I do know where I would like you to be right now. At your own house. That's where." I smiled triumphantly at that. I thought I had won and she would run back to her mommy and cry about it. She looked about to burst into tears when something in her head clicked. Then, a slightly angry but mostly puzzled look crossed her face.

"Why don't you like me?" she asked. I opened my mouth to say all kinds of terrible things to her but I stopped. I had no explanation for this. Since I could remember, I had disliked her and therefore shut out everything she said. I did not know a thing about her. I remember being aggravated at everything she said but I did not actually know the content of her speech. I was angry at her act of speaking. I was always too lost in my own anger and thoughts to pay attention.

"I… I don't really know." I say dumbfounded.

"Then why don't you go play on the swing set with me?" She asked, gesturing towards the metal contraption in my front yard.

I had to think about this for a moment. If I had no reason to dislike her then where did that leave her? I suppose if I just go play with her this one time and listen to what she has to say, then I will be able to give her a reason next time she asked. "Sure." I say simply, following her to the set.

As we played, I started to get an idea of whom she was. She was actually a fun person to be around and had many interesting things to say. She also had an incredible imagination. I had never seen one comparable to hers before or since.

That is how I became friends with Katy Callahan.

Prom was coming up. I, being a senior, was obligated to bring someone whom I thought could make the whole night fun.

I only had one person in mind. Melissa Miller.

My reasons were not as romantic as they should have been but what can I say? She was single and so was I. We were both attracted to each other so the next move was only natural.

I picked her up around eight along with Katy and her date in the limousine I had ordered. Katy and I were great friends by now considering we had grown up together as friends.

"Hi, Derek." They had both said upon entering the cab. Katy had said it even though her date, Ethan, was sitting right next to me. I thought it odd but dismissed it as nervousness of going out with someone new and finding comfort in familiar faces.

The evening progressed as one would expect. We danced, drank (Someone may have put a little something extra in the punch), and generally had fun.

That is, it did until I decided to go get another glass of punch for Melissa. I walked up to the punch bowl but a flash of movement caught my eye going down one of the adjoining hallways. I normally would have dismissed it as a young couple with raging hormones and a place in mind where they would be alone but something seemed different. I felt compelled to follow. I did and caught a glimpse of a golden shoe passing into another hallway. I remembered seeing Ethan wearing distinctive gold, sparkling shoes and thought that maybe Katy was going to make a mistake.

I went from a brisk walk to jogging to sprinting in the distance between hallways. Once I finally caught up, they were standing against the lockers kissing a little too passionately. All I saw was Ethan but I knew what was happening and I knew what he was planning on happening.

I kept sprinting towards them and let out a yell, "Katy!"

Ethan turned around but Katy was not with him. He was with Melissa. He was cheating on my best friend with my date. I was suddenly flushed with anger and saw nothing but Ethan and redness all around. I completely ignored Melissa because I did not really care much for her and Ethan was the one to blame here anyways.

The anger was only concentrated on Ethan. I couldn't have cared less for Melissa, but he was cheating on Katy.

So I concentrated on his shocked face. I remember bits and fragments but mostly plowing into him and then the sight of his broken-nosed, bloody face. I had a bit of blood on my knuckles but I was pretty sure it was his.

I walked away with Melissa sinking to the ground with her hands over her face crying and Ethan already on the ground doing the same. I had bigger problems to worry about anyway. Like Katy.

I found her on a bench sitting, looking around, probably waiting for her date to come back with her drink. I sat down next to her and said, "Hey"

"Hey" she said back still looking around.

"You know he's not coming back." I said.

She turned and looked at me disbelievingly. "Whatever." She replied.

I sighed and said, "I saw him leave with Melissa."

This elicited a more convinced reaction from her. She turned and looked me in the eye. I gave her the most sympathetic look I could muster and opened up my arms. She started tearing up and practically flew into them. There she cried softly for a few moments until I stood up, still holding her, and walked out of the crowded dance.

We got into the Limousine and Katy burst out balling as soon as the door shut. I comforted her the whole way home. She cried into my shoulder and I just held her without saying a word. I did not need to. There was nothing be said, just emotions to be felt and expressed. As I sat there watching and holding her I started to realize why I was not mad at Melissa. I never truly cared for her. She was just another pretty face in the crowd. Katy was not just another pretty face. She was the beautiful face. I could not believe that Ethan would just throw her away like that. I could not believe that anyone would even allow her to leave his or her life.

Once we got home, I took her into her house helped her out. I took her to her room and set her in her bed. I got up to leave and get a few things but she grabbed my shirtsleeve. I looked down at her face. She was looking up at me through blood-shot eyes. "Please don't leave," She said, barely audible.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I said, smiling and coming down to her. I held her and kissed her forehead and massaged her back, reassuring her that it was going to be all right all the while. I did this until she fell asleep, at which point I allowed myself to doze, too.

I woke up the next morning to movement beside me. Katy was probably in the process of waking up so I leaned in close and practically breathed into her ear, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I am." She whispered back, groggily smiling.

That is how I fell in love with Katy Callahan.

"Really, Derek, where are we going?" Katy asked. Of course I couldn't tell her what she was in for at her house. I'm not sure if blind-folding her as long as I decided to was necessary but I did and that is that.

I couldn't tell her about all the lights that I had strung in the driveway, or the giant boombox loaded with her favorite mix-tape set to start with her favorite slow song when I push the button. No, that was all a surprise. Just for her homecoming. After high school, my father had gotten cancer and I had to put off college but Katy, with my incessant nagging, had gone to college.

At college she had found the 'most amazing boyfriend in the history of the world'. She had dated him for a while but just before the end of the break, she had one of the least lucky things happen. Yet another of her boyfriends had cheated on her and I hadn't been able to go up there and teach this one a lesson.

Now she was finally home for the summer, and since my dad had finished his chemo, I would be joining her for the coming year. I knew that this had to be the perfect opportunity to finally show her how I really feel. "I told you already. We're going home." I said.

"Then why do I need a blindfold?" she said as a slight smile reached across her lips. It made me smile, too.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." I said, and started to feel bad about how banal a cliché that was.

When we finally arrived I got out and helped Katy out of the passenger's side. By now it was night and my lights looked dazzling against the starry night sky.

I removed her blindfold and stepped back to see her expression. She just looked around at everything in awe and then at me. She opened her mouth to say something but I put my finger to her mouth and shook my head ever so slightly.

I held her close and pushed the button in my pocket. The music started to play slowly and softly. At that point, Katy had been on the verge of tears. The music was apparently the tipping point at which she burst into tears and ran away.

She ran to the tree house with her head in her arm the whole way, Leaving me alone in the tunnel of lights, music playing, and no doubt a very confused expression on my face.

I followed her up to the tree house. "Hey. Something wrong?" I asked.

"No... Well, yes. I mean not for you. Or... wait." She uttered trying to find the right words.

I put my arm around her and said "Calm down, now. It's all okay. If there's a problem just say so and I'll understand." I said very slowly, so as not to start going even faster.

"No no no no. There's no problem. At least no with you. It's just that..." She trailed off. She looked down and didn't seem to be finishing.

I lifted her chin up and looked her directly in the eye. "Just listen. You don't have to say anything. I love you and there's nothing either of us could do to change that. Now, I don't know if you feel the same way or not but I just needed to tell you that. From the looks of it, you aren't too keen on me doing this, but I think that it's something I needed to get out there. I will love you forever and always."

"Ditto", was all she said back. It was all she could say between breathes. Never before would I have thought one word could carry such weight. It had the power to make my heart stop to the point where I thought there might actually be a problem.

That was the perfect moment. Laying there knowing your love loves you back with her in your arms with slow smooth music playing off in the distance. Neither of us moved for a long time. We didn't talk. We didn't kiss. We just were. There in each others' arms.

And that is how I found out that Katy Callahan loves me back.

Forever and always.