Carl looked at the empty schoolyard. He'd never been at the schoolyard alone before. It actually felt much more idyllic without people screaming, chitchatting and laughing. The magnolia trees blossomed, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining warmly down at Carl. He got struck by the thought that he had to eat faster, since the girls probably would eat the fastest they could. But before his last chew, the girls came running, giggling. He put the meal tray at the grass and stood up, determined.

"Stop following me. What's wrong with you? I don't know what happened to you but if you think I like your attitude, you're wrong!"

Courtney looked adoring at Carl with her blonde, long hair shimmering and her dark brown eyes wide open.

"We understand you. You only want one girlfriend. Me."

The other girls were booing.

"You're not FAIR, Courtney!"

"Just choose one of us, Carl."

Carl looked around at the girls, in despair. He'd never been so humiliated in his whole life. What would the guys say if they saw the girls coming after him like fans? What if some of them already had boyfriends who would beat him up because of jealousy?

"Stop it, I can't!"

Lizzie frowned.

"Just choose!"

Carl didn't know if it was a trap or not. What if they... One: They would keep chasing him after he chose? Or two: The other girls would be jealous? Carl didn't want to make anyone jealous but he was hoping for the second option.

Carl sighed deeply.

"Okay, I'll choose."

The girls were hopeful, waiting for an answer.

"I choose... Courtney."

Courtney walked to Carl and took his hand. The other girls scowled at her. Carl picked up his meal tray and they went to the school cafeteria again. Everyone stared at them as they went by.

They'd never seen Carl with a girlfriend. The only girl he'd been seen with was Amanda, who followed him even though he hated it.

Carl and Courtney were on their way out when their classmate (Harry) held up his hand, waiting for a high five. Carl gave him a high five and then Courtney did the same. For the first time ever, Carl was popular. Trent looked jealously at him from his chair, sighing. His friends, who sat with him at the table, looked friendly at Carl as he got out of the door with Courtney. They were happy for him. Trent couldn't believe it. He thought that Carl would be chased by girls for a long time. But he was wrong. The girls still wanted him but they didn't chase him. Carl got a girlfriend. And Trent's friends seemed to like Carl more than Trent. Everything was the opposite of what he wanted it to be. And he knew that there was only one way to stop it. Take the hypnosis back. But how would he be able to do that? Carl would probably not allow it since he seemed to be in love with Courtney now.

Carl and Courtney smiled at each other as they walked arm in arm in the corridor. Carl had never experienced true love. He'd never said "I love you", just to his family. This was his chance to finally say it to someone he was in love with.

"I love you, Courtney."

"I love you too, Carl."

In that moment, Carl wanted to kiss her pink-colored lip gloss mouth. He came closer with his mouth. But right before it happened, Trent yelled at him.

"Carl!"

He ran to Carl with his black, clumsy shoes and the hair bangs in his light brown hair in the way. Carl looked wondering at Trent.

"We were just about to kiss."

Trent wandered with his eyes between Carl and Courtney, surprised.

"Say what?"

Carl, Courtney and Trent exchanged glances. Then, Courtney pulled Carl towards her and kissed him. Trent was sure that she was in love with Carl just because of the hypnosis. She would probably dump him afterwards. Carl wiped away off some pink lipgloss that got stuck on his mouth from the kiss. It was a wonderful feeling for him that he'd kissed a girl for the first time ever. Courtney. He was daydreaming about them walking hand in hand in the park. Everything was so perfect. Trent groaned, looking at Courtney.

"Don't you get it? You're only in love with Carl because you're hypnotized. I'm going to take the hypnosis back."

Carl took a deep breath, trying to hide his anger. Courtney shook her head and talked calmly to him with her soft soprano voice.

"No, that won't be necessary. I would still be in love with him afterwards."

Trent gave them a resigned look. If he'd known what would happen, he would never have hypnotized the girls.

"Okay then..."

He walked away from them, tired of everything that happened since the hypnotizing. Nothing could cheer him up now. Not even if it would be his birthday, which it wasn't. He was turning 15 in September. Almost like the song title of Radioheads' "15 Step". Sometimes, he could be philosophical and associate everyday things with songs, movies, tv shows or else.

Carl suddenly felt sorry for Trent. Now, he knew that it was Trent who had hypnotized the girls. He's the reason that Carl got together with Courtney. And Carl didn't even thank him. But... why would he thank Trent when he's always been a bully? Before, Carl had no friends and Trent had friends. Now, Trent had no friends and Carl had Courtney. Courtney picked up a pack of strawberry gum from her jeans pocket and put two gums in the palm of her hand. Then she put one of them in Carl's hand as he reached it out. They started to chew. Carl had a bad habit to chew gum with the mouth open. His family hated it. But the friends he had had before thought it was cool. Courtney looked at Carl, sighing.

"Stop chewing with your mouth open."