Shy Girl

"Who is that hunk?" Kasey Windsor exclaimed during lunch one day. The rest of the group looked to see a tall, brown haired student walk by, looking confused. Dan and Erik shrugged and continued with their chess game. Val rolled her eyes and returned to her sketch. Kasey's eyes followed the cutie and she smiled. "He must be new, should I introduce myself?" Kasey asked looking away. No one answered and she huffed. Looking back to the new kid, she finds Faith Marden and Tina Porter standing by him.

"Well never mind, the 'Britney Spears Squad' just got to him," she fumed. "They have boyfriends; can't they give the rest of us a chance?" Fire burned in her eyes. She turned back to her friends. It was a warm day in September and school had begun a week ago. This year the four were seniors, not that it mattered, because no one ever noticed them. The four sat outside by the fountain enjoying the sun. Kasey frowned and brought her ever-present camera to her eye. She snapped a few photos of the group.

Most of her photos were of them. Each person brought something different to the picture. Val Lachean was blond and always had a smudge on her cheek and pencil lead on her fingers. She was small in appearance and always wore clothes too big for her, making her seem even smaller. Val never cared what others thought about her looks; she could wear anything and pull it off.

Then there was Erik Michael; he was Hispanic and had short, black hair. Lately he had been wearing black clothes and carrying a pencil and pad wherever he went. He was the whole French-poet-stereotype gone wrong. Erik tried to be witty and reserved, but was quite unsuccessful due to his constant sweating in the hot sun.

Then there was Dan Mills, a smart boy with dark glasses and some form of a sweater vest. His hair was short and uneven. His nose was in a book most of the time so that even his friends had forgotten what he looked like. Kasey wandered away from the group in search of the 'perfect picture'. Kasey pulled her long, red curls back into a ponytail and slung her camera over her shoulder. She quickly snuck across the plaza to the shade of a building. There he was: the new kid. Kasey knew that she should just go up and talk to him, but she was a shy girl. She sighed and stared dreamily at him. Crouched on the cement sidewalk, Kasey didn't see the boys behind her.

Jacob Woods, the main-man at school, was just plain mean. He would push people for no reason only because he was bored. Even his parents thought that he was mean. The only reason he had friends was because his family was rich. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so when he walked around the corner and saw the small redhead he wanted to be mean. He knew it was Kasey and for some reason he didn't like her. It may be possibly because she was from the West Side or just because he was a bully. It was too easy he thought to himself, however his friends Ashley Parker was not mean and knew what his friend was thinking. Ashley put his hand on Jacob's shoulder and shook his head. Jacob just shrugged it off and walked quietly up behind Kasey. He wasn't sure what he was going to do until he saw someone's melted milk shake next to the trashcan.

Kasey never saw it coming; Jacob 'tripped' and spilled the milk shake all over her shirt. A scream could be heard from the other end of the school. Everyone looked at Kasey with wide eyes. Val, Dan, and Erik ran over to where Kasey was. Jacob walked off laughing, and Ashley walked over to Kasey and knelt beside her. Val just glared at him, he seemed about to say something, but Val cut him off, "Save it bud, no matter what you say, you are just like them." Val pointed at Jacob, Faith and Tina now all laughing. "So just leave us alone and mind your own business." And at that Val helped Kasey up and walked her away from the crowd. Dan went and picked up Kasey's camera that had fallen and followed after his friends.

"God Jake, that was so bad", Tina laughed as she hugged her boyfriend Jacob. Faith laughed and pointed as she saw Val and Kasey trip on the stairs. Marc Stevenson stared at them in amazement. He looked to each of their faces and shook his head and walked away in disgust. The girls began to stop him, but a quick look from Jacob stopped them. Ashley ran to catch up with Marc. This year things were going to be different.

Val handed Kasey a tissue as she walked out of the stall. Kasey took it and thanked her good friend. Kasey looked into the mirror and saw her pale face streaked with tears. "What a jerk" she thought as she wiped away her tears. Val looked at her friend with concern, the first of the group to be humiliated this year. They had all been there, Val in 11th, Dan in 10th, and poor Erik in 9th. This was worse because she was a senior.

Kasey threw her dirty shirt away and thanked her lucky stars that she had brought an extra shirt. The two walked out just in time to hear the bell that ended lunch. Dan gave Kasey's camera back to her and walked to his science class. Erik gave the girls a hug and walked off to his English class. Val and Kasey slowly walked to their next class, Human Relations.

They shuddered when they entered the classroom. Ashley and the rich gang were in this class. The girls grabbed the closest seats and waited for the teacher to start the class. She looked out at the class and everyone quieted; she was a new teacher. Ms. Simcox was the youngest teacher at the school and very unpredictable. She began to take roll when the door opened and in walked Kasey's new kid, Marc. A small smiled formed on Kasey's lips, and Val smirked when she saw this. Marc scanned the room and his eyes landed on Kasey, and he blushed. He recovered fast and walked over to Ms. Simcox. "Class, it seems we have the pleasure of a new student. Everyone this is Marc Stevenson from Kentucky. Let's make him feel at home please." She announced, "You may take a seat next to Kasey."

Kasey sunk farther into her seat as Marc sat down to her. A stifled giggle came from Val and Kasey lightly smacked her on the arm. Ms. Simcox began taking roll again and Marc leaned over and whispered to Kasey, " Do you think you could show me around town later?" He had a Southern accent and it sent shivers down Kasey's back. She didn't trust her voice and simply nodded. He smiled and returned his attention back to the teacher.

"Class, we are going to try something new this year. I'm going to split you all into pairs and you will become a married couple. Then I will give you situations that you as a couple will solve." She paused as people started to talk. "I have already randomly picked the couples. However since Mr. Stevenson had joined us we are uneven, we will just find a place for you." And at that, she began to call students to the front to get 'married'.

Trevor Penick sat in the back of the classroom with no fear. At the beginning of the year he had made it perfectly clear that his girlfriend was Faith Marden the head cheerleader. He thought that there was no way that Ms. Simcox would break them up. His cockiness disappeared when he heard himself paired up with Val Lachean. He thought he had heard things, but the teacher repeated herself and asked the two to come to the front of the class like the rest of the couples. He shook his head in disbelief and went to stand next to his wife.

Val went numb when she heard those horrible words. Her worst nightmare came true; the boy who had humiliated her last year was her partner. Everybody thought it was funny when Trevor asked Val to a dance only to throw dog food at her. It had taken all summer to get over the terrible ordeal. She slowly rose out of her chair and felt a small weight on her arm she offered a weak smile to Kasey.

Kasey felt sorry for her friend and again thanked her lucky stars that Jacob wasn't in this class. The next worst would be Ashley Parker; he had just broken up with his long-time girlfriend and now single every girl wanted him. Kasey didn't see the reason: although he wasn't mean, he was still rich and snobby. There was no way the universe would be so cruel to her. But look what happened to poor Val. And at that Kasey's fate was sealed; she was paired up with Ashley.

Kasey stood up and calmly walked to stand next to Val all the while her brain screaming. Well this year had started out great, she thought bitterly to herself. She looked at Marc and knew it wasn't all that bad.

Class soon ended and soon after that the school day ended to end a long week. A Friday night and only one place to be, the Weekend Fair. Marc found Kasey at her locker and asked for the grand tour. Kasey was really excited and nervous but tried to hide the fact that she really liked him.

The small town that she lived in loved the weekend, everyone shut down their shops just to enjoy the street vendors and bon fire later that night. Kasey grabbed Marc's hand and the two were off.

Hours later, Kasey knew tons about Marc and felt like she had known him forever. They shared some ice cream and tons of laughs. It was around six, and Kasey had to call her mother. She called her house and her younger brother Ethan answered the phone. He told her he would tell their parents and also informed her that a 'boy' had called for her. Ethan knew all of her guy friends and had only said 'boy'. Oh god, Ashley, her partner... that put a damper on the evening. She thanked him and hung up the phone sorely disappointed.

Marc asked her what was wrong and Kasey only shrugged. The two walked away from the phone and were soon in sight of Kasey's favorite hangout, The Coffee House. She grabbed his hand once again and pulled him towards the small building. They entered into a dimly lit room with the strong smell of, what else, coffee in the air. Marc went to find a couch to sit on while Kasey went to the counter to order their drinks. Marge, a waitress, noticed Kasey by herself and came up to her. "So honey, where are those freaky friends of yours?" Marge asked pulling five pencils from her big hair. "Oh I'm not here with them I am with that cute guy over there." Kasey pointed to where Marc was and he waved. Marge only winked and told her that she would have the drinks out in a minute and also added not to keep Romeo waiting. Kasey blushed and hurried back to Marc.

Kasey returned with a small smile on her face and sat down next to Marc. They listened to the music for a minute then something Kasey would not have ever expected happened...Marc put his arm around her! Kasey blushed again and her long, red hair fell in front of her face to hide her amazement. Marc only smiled back and tucked her hair behind her ear. The two inched closer together about to kiss when Kasey heard Val shout to her. They looked up to see not only Val but Erik and Dan as well. Kasey scooted closer to Marc and allowed her friend to plop on the couch next to her. Marc secretly slipped his rough hand into Kasey's soft one.

"Oh, you guys haven't met Marc", Val motioned to Dan and Erik. "He is the new guy in our Human Relations class, this is Erik Michael and this is Dan Mills." Val finished the introductions when Erik walked over to someone that had walked in the door. A small girl with short black hair took his arm and followed him back to the group. Everyone said a "hi" to her and when Marc saw her he looked surprised. "Penny!" he looked at her. "Hey big bro, I see you have already made friends." Penny said as she looked at Kasey, who only looked away.

Later on, after they had finished their third round of coffee, Val and Kasey got up to refresh everyone's cups. Val didn't start questioning until they were out of earshot of the group. "So Kase what's up with you and Penny's brother?" Val asked. "Nothing. We're just friends. That's all." Kasey blushed. "Sure!" Val winked and sarcastically nudged Kasey. "Aww, leave me alone," Kasey said, walking back to where the group was.

The seven talked for a while until it was late and Dan had to go home, "Yeah I should get goin' too." Val announced. "Come on Kase! I'm your ride!" Val pulled her away from Marc. "Uh, see ya at school," Kasey yelled back at him. "Yeah!" He replied.

"Okay everyone, take your seats." Ms. Simcox said in her small voice. "Today you all will get your first marriage situations." She said passing out the note cards they were written on. "Whaddya get for yours?" Val leaned over and asked Kasey. "Ohhh!" Kasey moaned and leaned her head on the desk. "It can't be that bad." Val grabbed the card to read it. "Never mind." Val said putting the card back. "What is it?" Ashley asked sitting down next to Kasey.

She just handed him the card. "Oh we're married, we can work through any situation." Ashley said. "That's the spirit!" Ms. Simcox said to the couple. Trevor came up to join Val so they could get to work. "Yo Ash! What's yours?" Trevor yelled across the table. "Well, it says that she," he pointed to Kasey, "just got pregnant and I'm not all up for that idea. What's yours?" Ashley finished. "Uh," Trevor grabbed the card from Val, "I just lost my job and our money is tight so we're supposed to make up a budget on how to spend what we've got." He finished.

"Come on now, get to work everyone!" Ms. Simcox said over the talking. "Where should we start?" Val asked Trevor handing him a piece of paper. "Wha? No," Trevor started giving the paper back. "You are doing this, not me," he finished. Trevor was still a little sour about not being partnered with Faith. However, she seemed to be enjoying her time with her partner, the so-cute foreign exchange student from Europe. Val just sighed and began to write out the budget.

Trevor moved over next to Ashley and began with a long story about something stupid he did. The only thing Kasey could do was sigh, just like Val and move next to her friend and begin her project. The class got over not soon enough and both girls hadn't gotten very far without their partners. Kasey just rolled her eyes at Trevor and Ashley, collected her books and stalked out of the room. She muttered to herself and hurried down the hall to her locker. Finally free of another class and the stupidity of others. Kasey kept walking even though she heard someone yelling her name. She was in no mood to talk to anyone.

Ashley ran up behind Kasey and put his firm hand on her shoulder. She turned around with a bored look on her face. She expected to see him try to make some excuse for his actions in class, but she saw that he had a worried look on his face. She gave him a questioning look and when she did not get a response she turned to walk away. He let her go and stood in the same spot until she was out of sight.

Kasey sat in her room listening to the radio when the DJ came back on, "That was Backstreet Boys and this is a request going out to Kasey from Ashley, this is 'Shy Girl' by O-Town."

Kasey awoke with a start. It was a bright Saturday morning and Kasey let out a groan that was the third time she had had that dream. She hopped out of bed and headed downstairs. Why did she keep having that weird dream; she didn't even like Ashley. She made it to the kitchen and kept thinking about it and didn't watch where she was walking. She walked straight into someone. Kasey was confused. Her cousin Penelope was standing in front for her; however, Penelope lived in Texas. Wait; we are in California.

"Hey cous’, long time no see!" Penelope said as she hugged the still-dazed Kasey. "You are suppose to be in Texas..." Kasey stuttered. "Glad to see you too." Penelope laughed. The two walked back into the kitchen and found Kasey's mom. She explained to Kasey that Penelope was staying with them while she looked at colleges. Kasey was so excited she was going to get to hang out with her favorite cousin. Kasey got ready fast and ran back downstairs to hang out with Penelope for the day.

Their first stop had to be the mall. Penelope said she needed to get some new clothes. Kasey hadn't been at the mall five minutes before she ran into the person she did not want to see... Ashley. Penelope noticed him too and walked right over to him. Kasey stood frozen to the spot...her cousin was not a shy girl; she was the flirter of the family. She slowly walked over to the two. "Hi, Ashley. This is my cousin Penelope," Kasey choked out. Penelope was soon in deep conversation, and all Kasey could do was stand there. Finally she walked off and began to shop. She made several trips and decided to go find Penelope.

Kasey walked back to where she had left Penelope and found her still talking with Ashley. The good thing was that they were saying goodbye. Penelope turned Kasey back around towards the clothing store saying something about needing an outfit for her date.

After trying on everything in the store, Penelope found the perfect outfit. The girls made it back to Kasey's yellow VW Bug and hopped in. "So Ashley is picking us up at 6:00 is that okay?" Penelope asked turning on the music. Kasey reached down and turned the music off. "What are you talking about? Are you going on a date with him?" Kasey questioned. "No, we are going to double date. Your mom told me that you had a boyfriend," Penelope said, as she turned the music back on. Kasey pulled the car over and stared straight ahead.

Knowing that she would have to do this only once, she agreed. Now she had to get Marc to be her 'boyfriend' for the night. Not that she minded to pretend. Kasey drove home in silence, and as soon as she turned off the car, she jumped out of the car and into the house. She grabbed the phone and ran right to her room. She dialed up Marc's house and heard his familiar voice on the other end. She spilled everything, her crush on him, her weird dreams about Ashley and finally the whole double date. He listened quietly and when she was done, Marc told Kasey what he thought about everything. He said he would be a good friend and come with her. He then mentioned that he would talk to her about their relationship when he came over.

Kasey was on cloud nine, as she got ready for the double date. Her dreams of going out with Marc were going to happen. Kasey took a quick shower and stepped out to find a beautiful gown lying on her bed. It was pale green with spaghetti straps, and it went to her knees. Kasey gasped as she saw it; she grabbed it and ran out of her room. Outside her door was her mom, a small smile on her face. "I guess that means you like it. It was mine, I wore it on the first date with your father." Mrs. Windsor hugged her daughter and told to finish up getting ready.

Kasey did just that; she put the dress on and put some of her red curls in a butterfly clip and the rest flowed over her slender shoulders. She put on a bit of makeup and some fruity lip-gloss. At 5:50, Marc came to the house. Kasey had never been so nervous about seeing a boy. She answered the door and was struck by a heavenly sight. Marc wore a simple three-piece pinstripe suit. He held a rose out for her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Kasey felt her knees go weak, but kept her composure and invited him in. They made their way to the living room and sat down. Marc turned to face Kasey on the small love seat and took her hand into his. He looked deep into Kasey's eyes as green as jade. He smiled as she blushed, "Kase, I thought that we would give tonight a chance and if we aren't at each other's throats by the end of the night I would like to ask you to be my girlfriend." Marc said with a slow Southern drawl. Kasey nervously giggled and clamped her hand over her mouth, which made Marc laugh.

Promptly at 6:00, Ashley arrived at the Windsor's front door. He was happily greeted by Penelope and was taken back by the appearance of Marc. As Kasey grabbed her shawl she felt Ashley's eyes on her. She felt his gaze go right through her. A shiver went up her spine and then it was gone, just a chill she shrugged off.

All through dinner she tried to concentrate on Marc, but her eyes always lingered on Ashley. He had always been the guy that every girl wanted, and Kasey just never saw it before. She had always thought he was a snob and left it at that. But when she saw the way he treated her cousin, she knew he was a sweetheart. Ashley also had a hard time keeping his eyes off of Kasey. He had always ignored her, and finally when he took a good look at her, he hated himself for never noticing her before.

The couples went dancing next. They went to a small club that smelled like old socks; at least that’s what Kasey thought. She got sick of the smell and excused herself to the restroom. When she returned to the table Ashley was the only one there. "Where did Penelope and Marc go?" Kasey asked looking around.

"They felt like dancing and I didn't; I also wanted to wait for you to get back..." Ashley looked at Kasey.

"You didn't have to do that; I knew where the table was." Kasey shrugged.

"I wanted to talk to you." Ashley said looking around.

"About what? We have nothing in common, none of the same friends, I don't think that school is exciting enough to talk about," Kasey stated. Ashley went silent as Marc and Penelope returned to the table. The four ordered and soon their food was in front of them. Penelope was always a flirt and picked up a French fry and fed it to Ashley. Kasey watched in disgust, she whispered to Marc and he nodded.

"We're going to walk home, catch you later, Ash. Nice to meet you Penelope." Marc grabbed Kasey's hand and they left. Kasey and Marc walked in silence until they were out of the sight of the club. Marc broke the silence first, "Kase about you and me..."

Kasey stopped and looked into Marc's almond eyes. She could see kindness etched into them. She smiled and kissed Marc on the cheek. He smiled and pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead, then the nose and then on her tender lips. A moment that Kasey would forever remember, time seemed to stop and all that mattered at that moment was Marc. Marc stepped back to see Kasey's reaction. A smile was spreading across her face as she opened her eyes. "Does this mean you are my boyfriend?" Kasey asked in a quiet voice. In response Marc crushed his lips to Kasey's. He picked her up and spun her around. Kasey couldn't think straight and clung to Marc's arm as they continued back to Kasey's house.

When they reached her front door, Kasey didn't want the night to end and pouted as he said good-bye. He laughed at her and gave her a hug. He whispered in her ear that he would see her soon. She smiled and kissed his ear and he left smiling all the way to his car. He got in and kept his eyes on Kasey until she was inside.

Kasey walked into the kitchen where her mother was cleaning up and sat down and watched her mom in silence. Her mom finally finished and sat across from Kasey. They didn't say anything, but shared a moment together. Kasey got up and walked over to her mom and hugged her. "Thank you, you were right. I finally met a boy that cares about me." She stood up and walked to her room. As she got to the door she heard voices inside of her room. She put her ear to the door. She heard a woman's voice and a man's voice clearly, but didn't know who they were. Wait a minute, she thought, this is my room. Why are they in there? She opened the door and wished she hadn't. On her bed were Ashley and Penelope in a scandalous position. Kasey gasped and slammed the door closed and ran to the living room and quickly turned on the TV.

She heard them running around and the door opening. Kasey kept her face toward the screen and heard the two come into the living room. They walked to the door. Penelope said good-bye to Ashley and sat down next to Kasey. They watched MTV in silence until Kasey's mom said she was going to bed. They wished her goodnight. A music video came on it was O-Town. "You know Ashley looks like that blonde one..." Penelope said turning up the volume.

Kasey turned the TV off and faced Penelope on the couch. She looked at her with anger in her eyes. "How could you do that on my bed?" Kasey asked with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," was all Penelope could manage out.

"How am I suppose to look either of you in the eye after you did that in my room, on my bed?" Kasey raised her voice. Penelope could only look down. Kasey walked to her room, stripped her sheets and threw them and the mattress in the hall. Kasey got her sleeping bag out and put it on the floor. Her perfect night ruined so fast. Kasey looked at her answering machine and saw that she had two messages. She pushed "Play"..."Hey Kasey it's Ashley listen I am sorry about tonight but we need to get together for our project. Give me a call, and let's put tonight out of the way." BEEP. Kasey was so mad that she screamed into a pillow. "Hey sweetie, it's Marc, I know I saw you only twenty minutes ago but I wanted to say that I had a great time and I will talk to you later. Call me."

Kasey soon fell asleep and dreamt of Marc and her perfect night.

Kasey finished the story of her date with Marc to Val and she sighed. Marge gave the girls their drinks and left. Val sipped her latte and smiled. Kasey looked around the room and she almost spit out her drink. Standing by the door was Ashley and Penelope. Kasey had left early that morning and didn't want to see them for a while. The girls shrank into the shadows hoping that Penelope and Ashley wouldn't see them. They didn't and continued to another seat. Kasey let out a sigh and sat up straight again.

"You can't keep avoiding them," Val pointed out.

"It seems to be working so far," Kasey retorted.

"Well I will be going, I'll talk to ya later, I have to go to Trevor's and try to work on our project." Val left.

Kasey was about to get up when Ashley walked over to her table. Kasey ignored him and pushed her way past him. He grabbed her arm in his strong grasp. Kasey spun around fast, her face twisted in anger. "Let go of me!" Kasey demanded. He let up on the grip but didn't let go.

"Listen, I said I was sorry, it was wrong of us but I really like your cousin. That is not why I wanted to talk to you. We need to work on our project. Just come over tonight, okay? You can come for an hour and then leave okay?" Ashley said as he let go of her arm. "Fine only an hour; I will be there at six and that's that." Kasey walked away.

Kasey rang the doorbell to the huge white house. Kasey waited for a few minutes in the cold and was about to leave when the door opened. Ashley stood in his silk black boxers and a gray wife beater. "Sorry I am running a little late. Come in and have a seat," he said, opening the door wider. Kasey walked past without looking at him. He ran upstairs, and in a few minutes came back down fully dressed. He wore a black sweater and black jeans. Kasey turned around and almost went into shock because he looked so good. She stopped herself and told herself that she had a boyfriend, a wonderful boyfriend.

Ashley led her to the study where he had his homework set up. Kasey took off her backpack and her long wool trench coat. This time it was Ashley that did a double take. Kasey had gray slacks and a short shirt that when she moved her navel was visible. He also noticed that she had her navel pierced. Kasey felt his eyes on her and sat down so fast that she didn't quite make it on the couch and fell on the floor. Making a quick recovery, she sat down on the couch. Ashley smiled and sat down next to her. They began their work.

After about a half hour they had completed their assignment. Kasey gathered her things and was going to put her coat on when Ashley stopped her. "You said an hour and it has only been thirty minutes." He pointed to the grandfather clock. Kasey took off her coat again and huffed.

"Oh come on you baby, I want to show you something." Ashley said, dragging Kasey along behind him. Ashley stopped at a door and he looked at her. "You wanted me to see a door..." Kasey sarcastically mused. He told her to close her eyes and she only did because she wanted to leave. When she did open her eyes she had to adjust the darkness of the room. It was hard to see until she realized that it was a darkroom that they were in. It was bigger than the one her dad had made their house for her. Kasey was amazed and smiled at Ashley.

"How did you know I would like this?" Kasey asked facing him. He didn't answer, only moved closer to her and kissed her. She kissed him back and then realized that she shouldn't be doing that. She pushed herself away from him and turned her back to him. "I have to go, I can't be here anymore." Kasey said as she walked out the door. Ashley ran after her and stood in front of her.

"Why? I thought you liked me too." Ashley looked into Kasey's eyes. Kasey didn't trust her voice and silently looked into Ashley's eyes, searching for something. She finally sighed and looked away. Ashley placed his hand on her soft cheek and turned her head to face him. There were tears in her eyes. Ashley wiped her tears away with his thumb and pulled her close again. This time Kasey didn't pull away; it was Ashley that did.

"You should go, this was wrong to think I could steal you away from Marc and hurt Penelope like this. It's just that I never noticed how kind you were before. I guess I didn't want to let my friends down and tell them I really liked you. So it's too late. Marc told me that you guys were together and it made me jealous. I had known you since grade school and he had known you for a short time. I always thought that you would pick me..." Ashley sighed and looked away.

"Yeah well it is too late, but if it makes you feel any better, I really liked you. And I would have picked you but you didn't want to get to know me until Marc made you jealous. I need someone that cares about who I am and not what side of town I live on." And with that Kasey left Ashley to his thoughts.

Graduation was over and the kids began to leave for the summer. Marc and Kasey lingered behind everyone. It was their last night together, the next day Kasey was leaving for Paris. Marc had changed the way Kasey looked at life and told her to go for her dreams. He was the only reason she was leaving for Paris and the only reason she was having second thoughts.

They watched as everyone left and sat down on the stage. They were both trying to avoid what was going to happen. If they didn't let the night be over then tomorrow would never come and Kasey wouldn't leave. They wanted to stay together, but both knew that it would never work out.

Kasey cried and looked at Marc. He only smiled and got up. He went to the stereo and turned on some music. He held his hand out and pulled Kasey close to him. He started to sing into her ear and she cried. Her favorite song, Shy Girl:

As Marc ended the song he knew that he had found his shy girl and wasn't about to let her go.

Creative Writing Contest

2001 winners