"Okay, give me a boost."

I shot Kabel an are you serious look. There was no way my scrawny, chicken arms would be able to lift the six-foot-tall, two hundred and something pound guy standing next to me. Kabel Griffin was built like a tank, all muscle and hard edges, while I could barely pass the pushup test in Phys Ed.

"Not going to happen," I said, backing away from him. "You're going to squash me."

Kabel sighed and ran a hand through his close-cropped hair, somehow managing to make it look messy. "I can't scale this thing like Spider-Man, Q," he said, gesturing to the brick wall looming over us. The plan had been for him to use the ivy to pull himself up, but the vines were weak and tore under his weight.

I glanced around the clearing in search of our friends. It was a moonless night and we'd all decided to wear black, making it nearly impossible for me to find them. But then I heard my best friend's unmistakable giggle. Squinting in the direction it came from, I finally spotted where Liam had pushed Olivia up against a tree.

"Could you guys stop making out for five seconds and come help us?" I called.

Another high pitched laugh burst from Olivia's lips. "Sorry, Quinn," she called back.

A moment later they joined us next to the wall. Liam, who didn't seem to care if he had an audience, snaked an arm around Olivia's waist and buried his face in her neck.

"Seriously?" I said and wrinkled my nose. "You're both disgusting."

"I can't help that the ladies all love me," Liam drawled, a dumb smile on his face.

"The ladies do not all love you," I told him. "Trust me."

"Just because you're jealous..." Olivia said.

I held back a snort. If anyone was jealous, it was her. She'd been eyeing Kabel up ever since he transferred to St. Mary's Prep, but he'd chosen me. Olivia pouted about it for days, and I couldn't blame her. Kabel was all sorts of gorgeous, not to mention his parents had more money than the two of ours combined—and that said a lot. My father was partner at a huge law firm, while Olivia's family came from oil money. Kabel and I weren't official by any means, but we'd hooked up after a few parties and he asked me to Homecoming, which meant he was officially off limits to any of my friends.

"Liam, stop dicking around and help me get up the damn wall," Kabel said. "This was your great idea, remember?"

"Chillax, dude," he responded, holding up his hands in defense. "I'm coming."

A few minutes later, after many failed attempts and lots of cursing, Kabel was perched on the top of the wall. It was taller than I expected—I had to crane my neck all the way back just to see him—and the thought of climbing up there made my heart race. A slow grin tugged on my lips; maybe this would be fun after all.

"Look out!" Kabel called from above.

The three of us took a quick step back. It was quiet for a second, but then a rope ladder came flying down out of the dark and slapped against the bricks. Kabel had carried it up in his backpack so the rest of us could follow him.

"I'm going first," I told them. Without waiting for a response, I grabbed ahold of a wooden rung and started up.

"Where'd you get the ladder from?" Olivia asked Liam as I climbed.

"Swiped it off my dad's yacht. Smart, huh?"

In fact, it was a brilliant idea. Without it, we wouldn't be able to sneak onto the golf course. The wall surrounding Twin Peak Country Club ran the entire length of the property, and the front gate was always locked at nighttime. Not that I would admit that to Liam. If I stroked his ego in the slightest, he'd gloat for days.

When I finally reached the top, Kabel held out his hand. Smiling, I put my mine in his and let him pull me onto the ledge.

"You okay?" he asked once I was settled next to him.

"Yup. Only slightly out of breath," I joked. In reality, it wasn't much of a joke. My pathetic arms were on fire and I was trying my best not to gulp down air, but I'd never admit that to the fittest guy I knew.

Kabel chuckled softly, and then said, "It's cool up here, huh?"

I had to agree. You could see the entire country club from this height, from the swimming pool to the tennis courts and the creek that twisted through the golf course. A few seconds of silence passed as we enjoyed the view together. Then I took a deep breath and gently placed my hand on top of his. He let it rest there for a moment before pulling away, and I tried my hardest not to sigh. Kabel was pretty much the definition of perfect, except for this one problem. Whenever I tried to be affectionate with him, he clamped up.

"What are those two doing?" he said then, trying to fill the awkward silence that had gathered between us. He scanned the ground below, trying to spot Liam or Olivia, but it was as if we were staring into a murky abyss. "Hey, guys! You coming or are you too busy sucking face again?"

"Take a chill pill, Kabel," Liam's voice rose up out of the dark. "We'll be right there."

By the time everyone made it over the wall, it was well past midnight. I kept an eye on the clubhouse as we crept across the lawn, but it was pitch black. Hopefully that meant all the late night employees had gone home.

"Do you even know where you're going, Liam?" Kabel hissed as we stumbled through the dark.

"Are you kidding me? I was practically raised here," he responded. Which was a pretty accurate statement. Liam's family had been members for years, and his father was the president of Twin Peak's board of directors. "I know this place better than my own house. The garage is—" he paused as we made our way around a cluster of trees "—right over there!"

And he was right. Fifty yards away stood our objective: a long, rectangular storage building. A renewed sense of excitement swept over us, and we raced the rest of the way there, our laughter masked by the wind.

"All right," Liam said as we gathered around the garage. "Moment of truth." He cracked his knuckles, and then grabbed the handle. I held my breath, nervous we'd come all this way for nothing, but when he pulled, the door slid up effortlessly. And there, waiting for us, were five rows of top-of-the-line golf carts.

"Awesome." Kabel rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Looks like we're in business."

"Do they normally leave the door unlocked?" Olivia asked as we all stepped inside. "Seems kind of negligent."

Liam grinned and got behind the wheel of the closest cart. "Of course not. I paid one of the bag boys and told him to forget about locking up. In hindsight, I shouldn't have wasted any cash on him. The kid would've done whatever I asked. He looked like he was going to piss himself. Probably thought I'd go to my dad and get him fired if he didn't."

"You're a cruel person, Liam Cunningham," Olivia told him, but she smiled and slid in beside him.

Kabel leaned against a cart and crossed his arms, and I was momentarily distracted by the way his sleeves bunched up over his biceps. He smirked, knowing exactly how the simple pose affected me and said, "You riding with me, Q?"

Shaking my head to clear the fog, I looked away from his muscles and offered him a sweet smile. "And miss out on a chance to kick your ass?" I hopped onto one of the empty cart next to his. The keys were in the ignition like Liam said they would be, and I started it up with one easy turn of the wrist. "Not a chance."

"What if I beat you?" he asked, his voice low. "What do I get then?"

"You'll have to win to find out." I winked at him and pulled out of the garage before he could respond.

Once the three of us were lined up on the pavement outside, Liam laid out the rules. "First one to make it around the course twice wins. No skipping any holes. Other than that, there are no rules. Any questions?" he asked.

"Nada," Kabel said, and I shook my head.

My heart was pumping fast again, and I flexed my hands before gripping the wheel a bit tighter in anticipation.

"Cool," Liam said. Then out of nowhere, "GET SET, GO!" and he took off without a backward glance, Olivia shrieking in delight.

"What a little fu—" Kabel started to say, but his words faded behind me when I stomped on the gas pedal and took off after Liam.

I didn't like golf—I thought it was a boring sport only old men smoking cigars played—so I didn't know the Twin Peak course very well. But I didn't need too. Liam was just ahead of me, and I trailed behind him as he took off path shortcuts. The few times I did lose sight of him, all I had to do was follow the sound of Olivia's squeals to catch up again.

Trying to shake me, Liam took a particularly sharp corner onto one of the maintenance paths. I instantly cranked on the wheel, and for a split second as my cart screeched through the turn, I thought I was going to flip over. The world seemed to slow, my heart jackhammering against my chest as I teetered on the edge of losing control, but all four tires miraculously stayed on the ground.

"Wahoooo!" I whooped, and my teeth rattled as we flew over bumpy tree roots and uneven gravel. I hadn't had this much fun since we got drunk and toilet papered Headmaster Johnson's house.

When the Liam suggested we break into Twin Peak and take the golf carts for a joy ride, I was skeptical. It sounded like a ton of work—we had to breach the wall, sneak across the ground, and pray that the garage was unlocked—and for what? A minimum return of fun? But I was beyond wrong. This was a blast!

"I'm coming for you, Liam!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

We whipped around another corner by the 18th hole, and—

I slammed on the brakes. Parked in the lot by the clubhouse was a squad car, red and blue lights flashing. The officer had crossed the lawn and was waiting for us at the edge of the path.

He shone the beam of his flashlight in our eyes. "Having fun tonight, kids?" he asked, and my heart dropped in my chest.

****

When I was thirteen, I picked up my mother's copy of A Walk to Remember and devoured the story in one sitting. I've been a fan of Nicholas Sparks ever since, so when I was offered the chance to work on the campaign for the movie adaptation of his best-selling novel The Choice, I was beyond humbled. The Choice, which will be in theaters February 5th, is a story about life-changing decisions of the heart. It inspired me to write BLANK, and I hope it reflects the difficult choices that many people face when they are in love. Enjoy!

-Fallzswimmer