Three days later on June 24th, a present was outside of the dorm's door. Dani went to pick it up but not before Catherine had jumped on her bed yelling, "Happy Birthday!" Scaring the living daylights out of Dani. Once that fiasco was finished Dani picked up the present. It was from Ryker.  Inside it was a drawing, a clipboard and a chocolate. There was also an invite to a restaurant. Drawing is obviously not one of his strong points, she thought. Dani changed into clothes, out of her pajamas. She headed to the dining hall. Ryker motioned for her to sit with him. She obliged. This morning breakfast was waffles.

"Oh my G-" Dani broke Ryker off before he could say, "God." Ryker covered his mouth and was blushing. Dani signaled that he should never say that. "Sorry," he whispered,"I'm just so excited that it's waffles this morning." Dani caught a glance of the Biology teacher. She looked incredibly ill. It wasn't that surprising, though. "I wonder why she doesn't get leave?" Ryker's voice said, ripping her from her thoughts.

"Maybe she can't afford it?" Dani suggested. Ryker gave a look.

"That's oddly dark." Ryker said. Dani turned her head toward Niomi. She seemed to studying a book very closely. Then, Dani noticed Quin's skinny frame sitting next to Niomi. Niomi didn't appear to want to look at Quin. Morgan, at another table, was chatting to his boyfriend, Ezekiel.  Mack (Piranha-boy) and Josephine were also chatting, Piranha-boy was clearly blushing. Dani knew Piranha-boy's name now. "Nostalgiaaaaaaa," Ryker seemed to sigh. Dani smiled but gave him a look.

"Yes. Why exactly is it nostalgic?" She asked, knowing full well the answer. Ryker smiled.

"Sitting with you when my crush was still secret," he explained jovially. Ryker looked at her. "But now, we're together." Dani grinned and kissed his cheek.

"Yes," she said. "Look at Niomi and Quin," she added whispering. "Remember the 'me-you situation' convo, we had?" Ryker nodded. "Well, what do you think now?"

"Definitely a me-you situation before our current me-you situation," he replied.

~~~~~

Later at around 14:00, Dani and Ryker met at Sea Basket. Dani ordered a calamari and Ryker, a hake. They were waiting for their food now. "I don't really know what to talk about," Ryker admitted. Dani smiled.

"Talk about when you first developed a crush on me," Dani suggested. She wanted to hear this story.

"O-oh? Okay then, " Ryker said. "I was in grade nine, as you know. I think I was sitting next to you in.... History?"

"If it was grade nine then affirmative," Dani replied.

"Okay. I don't know what it was but when you laughed at a joke I made, that made the entire class laugh, I....felt warm and fuzzy inside. It was only your laugh, though, not anyone else's. From then on, whenever our eyes met, I felt the same feeling. I questioned why I felt that way. Why our eyes meeting made me blush." I see where he got the inspiration for the poem from. "I don't ever think I realized it was a crush until the start of grade 10, since the feeling had not gone away when I saw the first day of grade 10. I do wonder what started it though, since it wasn't your looks, if it had been your looks I'd have that feeling since the start of the year, which I didn't. But I knew I had to keep it secret, and I was a shy 15-16 year old. I thought you were, believe it or not, out of my league."

"Me? Out of your league? I thought you were out of my league." Ryker looked shocked.

"You thought I was out of your league? Wow." Ryker closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "Tell me your story." She blushed.

"Mine?" Dani looked around. "It was first for your looks, because admit it, you're hot." Ryker nodded. "But when they returned, or resurfaced, they were no longer for your looks. I don't know why or how they changed but... They did. And it was for the better, I think I like your personality and that's what changed them. I think I love you." Ryker blushed.

"I think I do too," he replied. Then their food arrived. Dani dug into the calamari and Ryker ate his hake. They laughed and talked for a bit more and then they left the restaurant. "Dani," Ryker said as they walked back to the school. "I don't want to go on this retreat." Dani smiled and patted his back.

"I don't want to either, but we have to. I'm sure it'll be fine," she said. "Maybe they'll allow us to shift to get out of trouble?" She suggested.

"I guess. I still don't get why we have to go, though."

"Don't worry...."