What [Not] to do Around Someone you Love

Summer slid into a seat in between Skyfire and Hazelbean, slamming her lunch down on the flimsy table. All the seventh graders jumped and turned at the sudden noise, but Summer didn't seem to care. "Holy. Freaking. Cheese, you guys," she seethed through clenched teeth; she was still standing and had her arms tensed tighter than they needed to be to support her weight.

Her whole face was flushed pink and tiny rivers wound their way down to her chin.

"Summer, what's wrong?" Hazel asked; the last time she saw Summer this embarrassed was after the fourth grade fiasco.

"You would not believe what just happened to me in Mr. Dai's room."

"What?" The two chorused.

"Well, you know Vinero, right?" Vinero was Summer's latest crush; a tall, jokular, pale blue/teal haired fellow with an adorable stutter and a tendency to freak out/entertain the class and the teacher all at once.

"Yeah?" Hazel supplied for the both of them. She leaned forward and begun to attempt an obvious steal at Summer's pile of carrots she had snagged from the lunch line.

She shoved the plate forward, hiding her head. "Take it," she sighed, "I'm never going to eat or do anything again."

"OK, Sum," Sky sighed, realizing she wasn't just trying to be dramatic. "Spill."

It was the middle of history class and Vinero had stalled the class lesson yet again to go on his rant about knowing where Mr. Dai ived and stalking his every movements. Most kids, including Summer, just played it off as an ongoing joke; mostly because they were slightly scare of what Vinero did in his free time.

"And I swear, I know w-where others live, too," Vinero continued, "like Finn or Ginger Spice or Summer-r or--"

"Wait." She turned around in her seat and locked eyes with him. Still no good at 'hiding her emotions', she broke out into a smirk, heart a flutter. Since when do you know where I live?" The tone was supposed to be interigational but came out as light and playful instead.

He blinked. "Since I knew you had a crush on me."

The whole class ooo'd at this, looking at Summer for denial. Her blushing face and adverted eyes told them all they needed to know.

"Do not." She tried to convince them anyway.

"D-denial." Vinero announced just as quickly.

"Seriously, Vinero," Summer mumbled, "when will you get over yourself and admit not every stinking girl has a crush on you? Maybe you have a crush on me but don't want to admit it and are trying to make me look guilty." The whole class stared as she jumped out of her seat and marched right over to him; although he was at least two heads taller than her, she felt a strange sort of power as she lectured him in front of the class. "Ever think of that?"

Mr. Dais watched with interest, too, as he was that type of teacher.

"If you don't have a c-crush on me," he started, leaning down so they were at eye level, "why are y-you smiling?"

"What?" She touched her mouth and, sure enough, it was curved into a grin. She tried to force it back down but it forced her to bark out a nervous laugh instead. "Because I'm actually standing up to someone," she lied, "and it's been a while since I have."

"L-liar."

She stomped her foot in a toddler like manner. "Shut UP!"

He smirked. "A-anger."

"Just listing certain emotions doesn't rove I like you, Vinnie." Summer scowled; "we're just friends."

The class went in an uproar, making remarks to Vinero about him being friend-zoned or Summer having an ice-cold heart. "BURNED!" Came multiple remarks, but the two were in such a staredown non of them noticed.

"If you just wanna be f-friends," Vinero continued in his overly cocky way, "then you w-won't mind if I a-ask you a f-favor?"

Summer relaxed a little, hoping this whole thing was over. "Sure."

"Kiss me." He turned so his left cheek was facing her.

"W-w-w-w-what?" Summer stuttered; she wasn't sure if she heard him right. The room suddenly felt like it was closing in on her and she felt as if she were running out of air.

Mr. Dais stepped closer to the duo, trying to get past the gaggle of students that had crawled out their own desks and formed a circle round he scene. "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" They chanted.

"Now, now, Vinero, that's enough!" Mr. Dais tried to scold over the chants; but his whisper-quiet scream was no match for the growing volume of the chant.

Summer felt extremely dizzy, like she was gonna faint. She didn't know what else to do and let her alter-viloent-ego take over, resulting in her punching his cheeks twice--hard enough  for his head to snap left and right as she made contact; her Tae Kwon Doe lessons had really paid off. "Just. Friends," her alter ego commanded Even though it was loud enough in the room for them to be heard by the first and third floors in the three-story-middle school, her voice carried over all of it.

The ego slipped away, putting her back in her place. She felt as if she had watched it all as from a movie. Suddenly overwhelmed with fear and realization of what she done,  she ran out of the classroom and refused to come back in.

"So what?" Skyfire scoffed, "that jerk totally deserved it."

"You shoulda kneed him in his balls," Hazel added, "for extra affect."

Summer shook her head. "I don't want everyone to think of me like that, I just... I..."

Over her shoulder, she heard a faint taunt. "Cause you love Vinero~."

She snapped her head over to see the taunter himself standing a few tables away. "So what if I do, huh? At least I try to be freakin' modest about it, YOU CREPPIN' SL**!!"

A soon as the words were out of her mouth, she immediately covered her word-hole and glanced nervously around the room. Her dad had taught her not to swear and she just had. In front of the entire school. And four lunch monitors were coming at her at once.

She stared at her friends in deadpanned disbelief; they both had shocked and amused expressions on. She blew her growing bangs out of her face and crossed her arms over her chest. "Holy. Freaking. Cheese."