Another boring date, another less than attractive boy leaning towards me, thinking he’s about to kiss me. Haha on him.

I step back, making the sound somewhat audible so Michael will open his eyes and see I wasn’t into him. He glanced around and sighed a little.

“Well, I gotta get going.” He slinked down the driveway to his car. I watched him get in his car, crank up the music, and speed off down the street.

I sat myself down on the top step and rested my head in my hands. A familiar voice spoke to me from somewhere in another dimension, somewhere so close, yet so far away.

“You should have given him a chance, Bree.” Wesley’s voice soothed my dull headache I had gotten at the beginning of the night, at the thought of going on a date.

“He was to dull. Not creative at all. I disliked him.” I stuck my bottom lip out a little, pouting pitifully to myself.

“Bree, your to picky. Thank goodness you weren’t like that when I was around.”

“I would still have loved you.” I closed my eyes and ran pictures of me and Wesley together. Together before he died.

“Stop that, Bree. That’s emotional self abuse.” Wesley scolded me.

“I miss you, Wes.” I felt my eyes prickle with tears.

“Stop it, Bree.” Wesley’s voice was fading.

I stood up and ran my hands through my hair and stomped inside.



“Bree, wanna go get some smoothies or something?” Austin followed me out to the parking lot.

“Sure, if you buying.” I grinned at him and he fake elbowed me.

“Deal.” I climbed into the passenger side of his fancy cologne smelling car. He started up his car and I flipped through the radio stations, finding a Katy Perry song we both liked. If you didn’t know, Austin’s gay, and my best friend.

“What are you going to get this time?” I asked as we pulled into the small parking lot.

“Something vanilla, I have been craving vanilla all day.” Austin parked right in front and turned the car off.

“Nice, Austin.” We both got and walked inside.


We soon were sitting in a booth, slurping smoothies, Austin’s a strawberry-vanilla one and me a tropical punch type one.

“I need to go shopping soon, we should go together.” Austin was a obsessive shopper, worse than I was.

“Duh, I’ll go.” I laughed at him. “When are you going?”

“I was thinking Friday after school.”

“Sounds good.” I smiled and took a big swing of smoothie. Since Wesley had died, Austin had been my cheer-up drug.






“I wanna take you to see a movie on Friday.” Ryan leaned against the locker next to mine. I laughed at his abruptness.

“Is that a yes?” He raised his eyebrows at me.

“Unfortunately, no. I have plans already.” I put my folders in my bag.

“What plans?”

“Shopping with Austin?”

“You would rather go shopping with that gay-kid than a movie with me?” I looked over at Ryan. He was making a are -you-serious face.

“Yeah, I would” I shut my locker and turned my back to him. I headed towards the door, but Ryan grabbed my wrist.

“Wait, how about Saturday?” I examined his face as I tried to come up with an excuse. He was trying, kinda.

“Give him a chance.” Wesley’s voice made me jump.

“Sure.” I said quickly. I kicked myself on the inside.

“I’ll pick you up at 8.” Ryan turned and hurried off in the opposite direction.

“Thanks a lot.” I mumbled to Wesley. I heard a fading chuckle.


“So, your going to go with Ryan to the movies tomorrow?” Austin and me sat at our table in the food court, the one we always sat at. He munched on fries and I stirred a Diet Coke nervously.

“Yeah, I just kind of said yes when he asked. I don’t know if I really want to.” I took a quick sip and went back to stirring.

“Cancel.” Austin shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s not that simple. He’ll just pester me about it. I’m stuck in this date.” I sighed.

“Stop complaining.” Wesley’s voice made me glare down at my drink.

“Don’t worry to much about it.” Austin reassured me and held a fry out to me. I smiled a little and took it.





I sat in the dark movie theater next to Ryan, who had his arm resting gently around me, not awkwardly. It almost reminded me of Wesley. He always knew what to do, no weird silences.

The movie was funny, not cheesy. I laughed a lot, and Ryan did too. I caught myself stealing little glances at him. Sometimes he would be looking at me, and we would smile at each other. I wasn’t uncomfortable like usual, I was letting myself enjoy this.

I thought about Wesley suddenly. How could I just betray Wesley like this? He loved me till the end, literally, and here I was, on a date with another guy, and I was enjoying it.

I stood up, letting Ryan’s arm drop oddly on the seat.

“Bree?” He whispered looking up at me.

I just felt the tears filling my eyes and I needed to get out of the theater. I slipped past the other people carefully and hurried up the aisle. In the lobby, I sat down on a bench and cried into my hands.

“Bree. Bree, don’t do this.” Wesley was trying to comfort me now, but his voice made me sob harder.

“It’s ok, Bree,” but this time, it wasn’t Wesley. It was Ryan. He was next to me on the bench, his arms tightly around me and I cried on him.

“Bree, it’s ok.” Wesley’s voice was fading and tried to hold on to it.

We sat like that, me and Ryan, till I finally sucked it up and sat up normal. We looked at each other for a moment, and I started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Ryan smiled a little, but still had a confused look in his eye.

“I don’t know.” I hugged him tightly. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Bree.” He hugged me back and I felt safe.