Copyright @ 2012 By Shelbsters15.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination, and any resemblance actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Hey, Ya'll! xD

How is everyone doing? :D

I just want to take this time out to think everyone who has voted, fanned, or commented. You all rock! :D

And also thanks to Kate6078 for the new cover. Don't it rock?! :D

So how was the last chapter? I'm hoping that it was good.

Please, please, please, please vote and comment!

Pretty please!

Now, I'll let you get back to the story...You all have a awesome day!

Thanks.

-Shelby :)

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~Chapter Twenty.~

...Recap...

I look up at him and raise me eyebrows. "Or what?"

He smirks. "Or I'll tickle you."

I furrow my eyebrows together. "Has Gabe been talking to you?"

Something flashes in Zack's eyes and he scratches the back of his neck. "Noooo..."

"Uh-huh..." I say unconvinced. "Why would you talk to Gabe?"

Zack blushes.

He's cute when he blushes.

What?! Why'd I think that?!

"Because," He smiles shyly. "I wanted to make this date perfect...I really like you, Soph."

I stare blankly at him. "Uh-huh." I grab the car door handle and try to pull myself back up, but ends up falling back on the concrete.

"What does 'Uh-huh' mean?" Zack says, getting up easily. "I really do like you."

He holds his hand out to help me up, but I ignore it. "I don't believe that." I shake my head. "I don't believe that at all."

He sighs, annoyed, and grabs my hand off the ground, and quickly pulls me up. "You should, because it's true."

I wobble a little when he pulls me up, but otherwise, I stand pretty still. "I highly doubt that's true." I tell him.

"Fine. Don't believe me. But, someday you'll realize that I really do like you, and you like me back, but it's going to be too late."

I scoff. "Yeah...I'll let you believe that."

I gradually lift my foot off the ground so I can try to start skating, but, I feel myself losing balance and thrash my arms out wildly to try to stop myself from falling again.

"Whoa!" I hear Zack yell then I feel his arm around my waist, as he tries to help me stand straight and balanced. "Got it?"

I nod and feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

He chuckles at me. "It's alright. We all fall when we're learning how to skate. Instead of lifting your foot, try to use your weight to move forward."

I nod and try to lean forward, but my feet have a mind of their own and start flailing, and Zack tries to grab me, we both end up falling on our butts.

We both sit there, staring into the empty parking lot for a second, then start cracking up laughing. I don't know why, but his laughter, makes me want to laugh more. It's contagious.

We keep laughing, at just plain nothing, for about ten more minutes. This is the most I've laughed in years. I laughed so much, that tears start flowing from my eyes.

When we finally stop laughing, I notice that he's staring at me. And it's not the 'Hey, what are you staring at stalker!' stare. It's a 'He's about to kiss me.' stare.

I feel my heart speed up, and I mentally curse my heart for feeling this way. I can't kiss him!

He moves his hand up and strokes my cheek with his thumb.

"You're so beautiful, Sophie." He says in a low voice, that I've never heard him speak in before.

I feel my cheeks start to burn again.

It's like I'm in a trance...or maybe someone has taken over my body, because I start to lean into his touch.

He smiles at me, and at that moment, I feel my heart melting.

What?! No! I can not have these feelings!

He starts leaning into me and I freeze.

"No." I say faintly.

He stops.

"What? What's wrong, Sophie?" He asks me with gentleness in his voice.

I take his hand off my cheek and start scooting away from him. "I-I..I can't..I can't kiss you..I can't have these..these feelings."

Zack looks confused and cocks his head to the side. "What feelings?"

I start untying my laces and taking off my roller skates.

"Sophie," He says, becoming tense. "Did I do something wrong? Please tell me."

"I wanna go home." I tell him quickly, after I take my roller skates off.

He gives me a heartbreaking look. "Why? Please, please tell me, Soph. Whatever I did, I'm sorry."

I ignore him and stand up. "I wanna go home, now." I know I seem a little harsh....But, I can not let him get to me. I can not start liking him. Plus, this is only the first date!

Zack sighs and slowly starts untying, and taking off his skates, and while I'm waiting on him, I get in the car and slide on my tennis shoes.

Zack, finally gets in the drivers seat, and throws the skates in the back seat then looks at me. "What. Did. I. Do?"

I shake my head, cross my arms over my chest, and glares at the tree that's in front of the car.

I hear him mumble something under his breath. "Fine. Be that way. You're so stubborn."I don't say anything and he starts the car. "I'm not taking you home."

I look at him with a questioning look. "Why not?"

He smirks and starts backing out of the parking lot. "Because, I don't feel like it."

I ball my hand into a fist to keep myself from yelling at him. "And where are we going?" I ask in a polite tone.

We turn onto the highway and he starts drumming his fingers against the wheel. "How's ice cream?" He asked me, while smirking. "Cause that's where I'm taking you."

***

Never give me ice cream...

It makes me hyper.

Zack is now finding that out...

"Ooooh! That tree is smiling at me!" I yell at the window, making a older couple think I'm bizarre. And can you believe the whole time, Zack is laughing at me?

"Why are old people so wrinkly? They scare me with all of their wrinkling!"

The older couple glare at me, then get up and grabs their ice cream and starts making their way out, then as they pass us to leave, I wave at them. "Have a nice night, wrinkly people!" 

Zack grabs my hand that I was waving with, and smiles apologetically at them."Sorry, she's had to much sugar."

They glare at him too and walk out. As soon as they're out, Zack grabs his stomach and cracks up."Wrinkly? You called them wrinkly?"

I laugh and start bouncing up and down in the booth. "I..I...love...ice..cream!" I reach to take another bite, but Zack grabs my almost empty bowl from me.

"I think you've had enough, Princess."

I pout. "No! I want more!!" I try to grab the bowl from him, but he gets up and throws it in the trash, then sits back down across from me.

"Sorry, but I 'accidently' threw it away." He snickers.

I stop bouncing and glare at him. "That's not fair."

He shrugs. "Sorry, but you've had enough."

I stare at him for a minute then I get an idea. "I guess I understand..."

Zack smiles and grabs my hand. "So, did you like the-" While he's busy talking to me, I sneak my other hand over to his barely touched ice cream besides him, and grabs it, then rips my hand, that he's holding, out of his hand and runs out of the ice cream shop, and runs down the sidewalk, while eating his ice cream.

"Sophie!" I hear him yell from behind me. "Stop!"

I laugh loudly. "Never!" I keep running, but then as I take a bite of the delicious ice cream, I feel a tight pair of warm arms wrap around me from behind.

"I got you, Princess." Zack whispers in my ear, making his warm breath blow on my earlobe, giving me shivers.

I sigh and give up. "Here. Take the stupid ice cream."

He chuckles and lets me go. "How dare you steal my ice cream, Princess."

I turn around and gives him the ice cream, defeated. "I wouldn't have had to steal your ice cream, if you didn't throw mine away."

He rolls his eyes. "You didn't need anymore!"

"But, I love ice cream!" I yell at him.

He shakes his head at me and looks at his watch. "I think I should take you home...it's eleven thirty."

My mouth drops. "It's already eleven thirty?"

He nods. "Yeah, so we better walk to my car."

This time, I nod.

***

When we get to the car, The exhaustion of the day hits me. I get inside, and yawn. Today's been a long day.

"Tired, Princess?" Zack asks me gently.

I nod, sleepily.

He nods and starts the car and pulls onto the street.

The whole way to my house, it's quiet... except for Zack drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

I feel myself falling in, and out of sleep.

When we get to my house, Zack has to wake me up a little.

"Soph, We're here."

I open my eyes and stretch. "Thanks."

He smiles. "No problem. Did you have fun?" He says with hope in his eyes.

I bite my tongue and try to think of an excuse to give him. "I..uh, had a okay time.."

His face falls. "So, I take it, you don't want to go out with me again."

I sigh. His face is like a puppy...if you say no, it breaks your heart. "I'll have to think about it, okay?"

His face brightens. "Okay, just text me, or let me know sometime soon."

I nod. "Okay."

I get out and shut the door, then walk up to my front door and dig my keys out of my pocket. I still feel him watching me, so I turn around to see him sitting there in the car. I can't see his face cause it's too dark, but I can see his shadow...watching me...making sure I get in safely.

I really did like the date, surprisingly. And the truth is...

I would like to go on another one.