After the last bell of the day rang, I quickly texted my mom to tell her I would be late. I walked to my locker with more pep in my step than usual. Luckily I was smart enough to keep breath spray and collogue on hand. After fixing my hair, I grabbed my bag was went to meet Sydney. She was just walking there from the opposite side. "Hey," Sydney called out as she walked up to me. "Are you ready to go?" I nodded, and we headed out the door. She immediately froze.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"It's Jaden," she stated through clenched teeth. I could see him talking to friends over by one of the trees. "I have repeatedly told him that I am not interested, but he never gives up. He is a total creep. Oh, but I have an idea." Without a word, Sydney intertwined her hand with mine. I was so shocked I didn't say anything. I just let her guide the way, enjoying the warmth of her hand. "Ethan, you are so funny," Sydney said loudly as we passed Jaden. She leaned into me and giggled. I could not help but smile. Jaden glared at us, looking as though he wanted to punch me, but we continued past him without an issue. As we neared the corner, Sydney glanced back. "He is still looking at us," she fumed. "Please don't freak out, but I want to be sure that he gets the message that I am not interested."

With that, Sydney kissed me. Not on the cheek, but on my lips. Her arms curled around my neck. At first, I froze, unsure what to do. But then I decided it would be best if I kissed her back. Our lips were connected for a good 30 seconds before she pulled away. My face felt like it was on fire; I must have been bright red. This time Sydney was also red. With a small smile, she dragged me around the corner, out of sight of Jaden. "Sorry about that. It's just that Jaden has been such a creep to me. I don't want to go into details, but I thought that might turn him off to me."

"You don't have to be sorry. I am glad that I could help," I said, face still red. "Let me know if you have any more troubles with him. I may not be the biggest, toughest guy. Nonetheless, I would be willing to try and set him straight."

Sydney grinned. "Thanks, I appreciate any support. My friend Rachel is a black belt. She has also threatened to set him straight by kicking his butt in the parking lot."

A couple of minutes later, we arrived at her house. It was one of the well-kept craftsman homes in the old historic neighborhood. Ivy grew up the light blue siding and around the windows, which were surrounded by dark blue shutters. The inside was just as lovely, with updated furnishings that fit the style of the house. Sydney led me past the kitchen, where her mom was sitting at the counter with a bunch of papers in front of her. "Hey, mom, this is Ethan. We have got a school project we need to work on."

She looked up long enough to wave at me but then went back to examining the documents. "Don't mind her. She is always working," Sydney huffed. "Moving on... Would you like a cookie?"

"Uhhh, sure," I said, accepting one of the chocolate chip cookies she was holding up. "Thanks!" Biting into it, I followed Sydney up the stairs and down a hall to her room. A big built-in bookshelf took up the entire wall. She had organized them by color, which made the whole thing pop. The shelves also had plants and an assortment of collectibles, much of which was Harry Potter themed. Sydney's room felt cozy with big fluffy bean bags, a canopy around the bed, and white lights strewn across the ceiling. A big window allowed the sun to flow into the room and provided a view of the well-manicured yard and pool. "You have a really nice place. I like your room!"

"Thanks!" She set her bag next to a desk, which was tucked into a nook opposite the window. "My granddad is an inventor. He has done well for himself, and this is his place which he gave to us. Also, my mom and dad are lawyers, so we have been fortunate to have more than most." Sydney pulled out her notebook. "Here, have a seat." There was a built-in bench in the nook just big enough for two. I set my backpack down and sat down.

Sydney followed, and I could not help but notice how close she was to me. Her leg was brushing mine. "I finished the list during some study time I had in yearbook. I would not say it is exhaustive, but as you can see, there is a lot. I thought we could pick one from each cell on this table and provided more detail. Here is the outline I was thinking of, starting with an introduction to more broadly touch on our full list. What do you think?"

I looked at the outline she had drafted in her neat handwriting, leaving room for us to add details. "I think that sounds perfect, though I feel bad you did all this work by yourself."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all. I am good at this type of thing, plus I had the time," Sydney stated with another one of her smiles that made me want to melt. I still could not get the kiss out of my mind. It may have been acting for Sydney, but I enjoyed it and wished we could do it again. Nonetheless, I felt heartened that she felt comfortable enough to use me for the little charade.

After a little pause, I pulled myself together. "I did have an idea for the presentation. I thought we could make a diagram. At the center, we could have a shrunken scene. I have lots of Legos we could use to make it. Then around the scene, we could make an object to represent the four areas we are covering. I am also taking an art class with access to lots of materials I could use to make something."

"I think that is a wonderful idea," Sydney said enthusiastically. Her hand brushed mine as she reached for a pen. "I will sketch a layout." She drew a box and wrote 'shrink scene.' Then she added four boxes around it, for shrink ray, shrinking potion, shrinking spell, and miniature people. We spent the next hour and a half filling picking which movies, tv shows, and books we wanted to use, adding bullet points to Sydney's outline for reference to write the paper. After which, we worked on refining the diagram. I managed to do pretty well not to make a fool out of myself in front of Sydney.

Looking down at my watch, I realized that it was nearly six o'clock. "I better get going. I told my mom that I would be home by dinner."

Sydney nodded and stretched, causing her shirt to lift up enough to reveal her belly button. "That sounds good. I need a break anyway. Would you like a ride?"

"No, that is okay. I live within a 15-minute walk from here. I will start collecting some supplies for the diagram. Maybe we could meet Thursday and go to my place to work on it."

"Sounds like a plan," Sydney said with a smile.