With the terrible dream from the morning fading, and with the hot chocolate almost finished, Paul looked at Linda and smiled. It was a smile of relief, rather than happiness. His dream was a terrible start to his day, and Linda not being on the bus only added to his sense of foreboding. And he was in full blown panic mode when he tried to call her and got no answer.

But seeing her smiling face in the hallway made him feel so much better. Paul always felt great with Linda by his side. And although his dream was fading. It never completely went away. It was so life-like and real. But he was with the girl of his dreams, and he wasn't going to worry her.

February was two days away, and her birthday fell on the first, while his was the third. His parents and her parents decided to have a dinner for the both of them to celebrate. Turning 16 was a big step. So close to adulthood. 

The birthday dinner was finished, and the cakes were brought out. Both Linda and Paul made their wishes, and blew out the candles on their cake. Victor had opened a bottle of wine for the adults, and proposed a toast. To everyone’s health and happiness, especially to Linda and Paul's. And he ended with a giant wink directed at both of them. Paul and Linda blushed, while the parents had a good idea what he meant.

While their parents talked and talked in the dining room, Paul and Linda went out back. It was a beautiful moonless night, with billions of stars in the sky. Linda sat down and lifted Paul onto her lap. They discussed the school year, from when they first met, up until now, and everything in between. 

They talked about how they thought Alice would have been the big problem this year, as it seemed everything at the beginning centered around her. But Paul sensed something about her that was much different from her public persona. He felt that if she could just meet someone who could be comfortable around her, she would be a totally different person.

Then the conversation turned to Jill, and how she became a problem much worse than Alice ever could. There was no reasoning with Jill. She was determined to physically hurt Todd, until Paul interrupted. Now with Todd not there, Paul became her number one target. And to him, Jill crossed that line when she went after Linda in the cafeteria.

Jill had come back from suspension well behaved. But she came back from her other suspensions well behaved, only to quickly turn her attention to him. He didn't know why she was like that, why she felt the need to inflict real pain on people. But it was obvious she didn't have an off switch once she started. And that made her dangerous. Paul recalled his dream, and it made him shudder.

Linda asked Paul how he thought about dancing. Paul was confused by the question. Linda mentioned that the Valentine's Day Dance was coming up. Paul got the hint. He reached up with his arms and pulled Linda's head down to him. He told her that, yes, he would take her to the dance. And then he kissed her. She returned the kiss with an even more passionate one, and the familiar bulge appeared in the front of his pants. He told her it wasn't fair. She raised an eyebrow. He said it wasn't fair because she always knew how he felt as he pointed to the protrusion. She laughed and continued to kiss him. 

After goodbyes were said, Paul and his parents headed home. His mom, Debbie, promised to take him out on the weekend to buy a suit for the dance. Paul couldn't wait. An evening dancing with Linda was all he could think about. When they arrived home, Paul said goodnight to his parents and went to bed. 

Greg and Debbie talked once Paul was asleep. Debbie told her husband about Linda and Paul losing their innocence. She said Stephanie had a lot of wine, and followed her to the bathroom and let slip what happened. 

At first, Debbie was shocked that the parent of a girl involved with their son would casually admit what she and her husband suspected. But she realized that Paul truly gave his heart to one girl, and one girl only. That girl was Linda. She and Greg laughed like they were back in highschool. 

Paul was walking with Linda on the shores of a lake. The sun was setting, and the sky a beautiful auburn color. Hand in hand they just admired the beauty of it all. Life was perfect.

But Linda suddenly stopped. Paul asked her if she was ok. But Linda didn't answer. In fact, Linda was crying. Paul tried to comfort her, but was interrupted by a large hand grabbing his throat. It was Jill. And that evil smile returned to her face. Paul tried to tell Linda to run, but was unable to speak. Jill's grip was too tight. He could feel his life slipping away. He looked at Linda, who was still crying, and mouthed I Love You, before Jill squeezed tighter.

Paul awoke drenched in sweat. He had another dream involving Jill and Linda. He got up and went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He didn't know what was going on, but this was the second dream in which Jill did him in. What did it mean? He didn't know. But he was sure everything would be alright. 

He was able to fall back asleep. His alarm went off. He got up and showered. He dressed and had breakfast and waited for the bus. Less than two weeks before the dance, and a night with Linda.

The bus came, and once he said hi to John and Mindy, made his way to Linda. Once seated, they discussed the upcoming dance. Paul's parents didn't have a car that could accommodate Linda's height, so her parents were going to have to drive. Linda told him that she had a dress all picked out and was buying it this weekend. 

Paul laughed and told her that he had a suit picked out and was buying it this weekend also. They shared a laugh. Great minds think alike, they told themselves. 

The bus arrived at school, and they were the last ones off. They didn't see Jill anywhere, which they didn't know if was a good thing or bad thing. And hopefully they wouldn't find out the hard way.