I opened my eyes fully to see Marge in PJ’s with her hair done and looking like she was in the middle of applying makeup in her mirror. “You wake up before the alarm?” I asked. “The early bird gets the worm,” she shrugged.

I laughed again and got up, but remembered that the sleepover was unexpected and I didn’t have my clothes with me. Marge laughed as if I had said something hilarious and told me that I could wear something of hers.

As much as I love Marge, her wardrobe is the opposite of mine. She wears bright colors and always looks fabulous, whereas I always go for a T-shirt, tennis shoes, and jeans. But I picked out a pink tank top with white jeans and pink flats.

Then I borrowed her brush and finished getting ready, trying a little of her makeup and looking pretty good. I opened her bedroom door and walked into the hall, but Jack opened his door at the same time and it happened too quick for me to react.

I held my chin high and let my arms rest on my hips. “Jack,” I said stiffly with a glance his way. “Liz, please just-“ He started, but I held up my hand.

“I think it’s quite obvious that you prefer cheerleader types, and we are so opposite. In fact, if I do remember right, we were enemies. It’s a miracle we got along at all, really. Have fun with Kelly,” I said as I turned and strutted confidently down the stairs. Marge caught up with me.

“He looked shocked, and devastated. Liz, I think he really wants to apologize.” She said guiltily. “Who’s side are you on? He owes me a lot more than an apology,” I cried impatiently. It was silent for a long second.

“I guess you’re right.” Marge said quietly. We grabbed our bags and started our walk. Without Jack. But we talked like we would normally, and I apologized for getting upset with her.

Then we arrived at the school, grabbed our books from the locker, and went to class like normal. The entire day was Jack-free, and it felt a little empty but also free. No drama, no stress, no romance.

Marge : Meet me at sunset on the hill.

It was after Language Arts, and class was dismissed. Marge said she was feeling sick and had to visit the nurse, and then I assumed she went home since she didn’t come back to class.

Now I stared at the phone’s screen, confused but curious. Marge has been a little vague and cryptic with texts, but I don’t ever remember anything this random. Nonetheless, I typed a response.

Liz : I’ll be there!

She didn’t answer back, and I walked home alone. I caught a glance of Jack after class, but the crowd was pushing us out the door like ocean swells. Not that I wanted to talk to him. I still wasn’t willing to let him explain.

Now that I was back in my closet, I grabbed a purple tee that said “King of Rock n’ Roll” and a picture of Elvis in his white jumpsuit (What? Not all my shirts are of rock bands. Although that is the majority).

Then I threw on black leggings and white tennis shoes, and threw on some makeup. I assumed it would only be Marge and I meeting at the hill.

The hill was a spot that few kids knew about, and it was a big hill in the park with a great big oak tree on top that provided shade and was beautiful to look at. Maybe she planned a picnic with a few other kids? I had no idea.

I walked to the park and it was sunset when I arrived, just like Marge had said in the text. As the hill came into view, I saw a figure standing on it. But as I walked up the steep incline and made it to the top, I saw that it wasn’t Marge.

Jack was standing under the tree, dressed in casual attire, a blanket spread out at the base of the tree. He looked over and his eyes met mine. “Liz,” He said with that perfect grin of his as he looked me up and down.

“Jack,” I stated firmly, tensing up. “Marge texted me saying to come here.” He laughed a little. I raised an eyebrow as he grabbed something out of his pocket. He held it in his hand and showed to me that it was her cell phone.

My mouth opened and closed in surprise. My brow furrowed and he looked at me seriously now. “Why don’t we take a seat and I’ll explain everything.” Jack motioned to the blanket. I hesitantly walked over and sat.

The view was amazing. And no, I didn’t mean Jack. The hill was pretty much in the center of town, so any way you looked you could see tall buildings and little shops, traffic lights and tiny cars on the road.

“I let Marge read the last letter. The one with your name at the end,” He said quickly, as if worried how I’d take it. When I didn’t freak out, he continued. “I knew you wouldn’t listen to me after what happened, so I had to enlist the help of Marge.” He finished.

I stared at the grass swaying in the wind. “Wait, it was you who sent me that text?” I asked unbelievably. He grinned sheepishly. “Guilty,” he said softly. Marge was in on it. Of course! I realized and shook my head with a smile. “That’s pretty clever, I must say.” I said in a surprising voice.

He rolled his eyes, and I laughed. “So you were my pen pal?” I asked, tearing my eyes from the view to his blue depths which were full of fire and passion. He nodded. “Guilty again,” he said with a chuckle.

I suddenly realized something. “So you’re the one having family troubles?” I asked gently. Now it was his turn to look at the grass as he nodded once. “Well I know a lot about that. You should have told me, and I could have helped you. That means Marge is going through it too and didn’t tell me,” I said.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that. I can tell you’re not over your mom yet, and I didn’t want to make you think about that right now. You have enough on your plate, and I shouldn’t be the one adding to it,” he said as he scanned the view.

I shook my head unbelievably. “How do you know so much about me? All these years we’ve been fighting and flinging sarcastic insults, and now...” I trailed off as his attention turned back to me. I looked down, not believing what I was about to admit.

“I ws jealous. I was jealous of you with other girls. I still am jealous of Kelly and her super squad. You could have any one of those popular and perfect girls, and I was dumb enough to love you.” I said as I plucked a strand of grass.

A second of silence passed, telling me how he felt. “But I don’t want a popular and perfect girl.” He said quietly. “I want you.” He finished, and my eyes shot to his. “I want you, too.” I breathed, relieved. I got lost in his sea blue eyes and began to lean in, and he did the same.

My eyes fluttered closed as we inched closer and closer. Our lips met, and I realized I should have done this sooner. Our arms found each other, and it was everything a kiss should be. Sweet, gentle, passionate, romantic. Waiting so long for it seemed to make the moment that much more perfect.

We parted eventually, and he was the first to speak. “Why did we wait so long to do this?” He whispered as our foreheads rested against each other affectionately. I chuckled lightly. “I was wondering the same thing,” I replied with a smile. His eyes shined with love and happiness, and I’m sure mine did too.

“Have I ever told you how amazing your smile is?” He asked, flashing his sweet smile that he should wear more. It shows the real him. The Jack I know. I blushed at his compliment, and we shared another sugary sweet kiss in the setting sun’s warm glow.

“I cannot believe you were in on it the entire time!!” I exclaimed with a smile to Marge. She grinned guiltily. “He didn’t tell me until the last letter, I swear.” She held up her hand like she was promising for a ceremony.

Marge said her and her pen pal, who happened to be Jake, one of my suspects, didn’t have the chemistry that Jack and I had. Jake took Marge to the coffee shop to tell her. She then told me he wasn’t her type. Who would’ve thought that I have a boyfriend and Marge doesn’t?

We sat on the same bench where I thought Jack betrayed me and shattered my heart into a million pieces. But we talked it out, and now we were happy together. He finally came out of the locker room. “There you are!” I joked as I walked over to him.

I put my arms around his neck and kissed him, then pulled away to see Kelly stomping over to her “friends” furiously. Jack draped his arm over my shoulder, and my other arm linked with Marge’s as we began walking home.

I’m thankful for everything that happened. From mean “queens of the school” to heartbreak over and over again, I learned a lot these past weeks. More about friendship, second chances, and that love is magical and hard to recover from sometimes. I also discovered that enemies can become friends if you take the time to get to know them.

We started chatting as we walked, and before I knew it we were at the fire station. I needed to spend more time with my dad, and they understood. My hand intertwined with Jack’s and our arms stretched as I began walking in the opposite direction.

“I love you, Liz.” Jack said with a cute and bashful smile. “Love you too, Jack.” I grinned, and could feel the fire on my face. Marge smiled as if she knew this was how it was going to end. With us together. I waved a final goodbye and opened my front door.

Q.A.N.

Hey everyone!! Thank you again for all the insanely amazing love and support with this book!! I wouldn’t be here writing for you today if it wasn’t for your endless encouragement.

I’ve decided that I will not be writing a sequel right now. Maybe in the future I will be continuing, but I think it’s reached a temporary end. The support on this book has been incredible, and more than I thought I’d ever receive!!

Thanks again for everything!! Oh, and my sister’s book was just published so it would mean a lot to her if you could check that out really quick! Anyways, keep your eyes open for new books of mine that will be coming out in the near future, and as always, stay awesome!!!