I stood over Mercedes, empty food tray in hand.

Damon and Sierra jumped up as Mercedes slowly turned towards me, her mouth hanging open, pure rage burning behind her eyes.

I backed away a little as she stood. "You're fucking dead!" She yelled out before tackling me to the floor.

I quickly pulled my arms up to cover my face, the lunchroom erupting with noise as she threw punch after punch my way.

Any time now, Kennedy. This is really starting to hurt.

Felicity yelled out over the noise. "Leave here alone!" Before tackling Mercedes to the floor next to me.

I sat up, seeing Kennedy still sitting at the table, watching everything unfold.

Then, I felt a strong pair of hands grab my shoulders, hauling me up.

Damon and Sierra stood in front of me. "You're lucky you're a girl." He said.

"Unluckily, I am to." Sierra added, slapping me hard across the face.

I stumbled back, clutching my cheek. Mercedes stood in front of me then, fists balled at her sides.

Felicity tried to come to my rescue again, but Damon and Sierra stopped her, holding her back.

Mercedes smirked. "What're you gonna do now, loser? Your friend can't protect you from me anymore."

I squared my shoulders, my whole body tensing. Here we go...

Then, at the last second, Kennedy stepped between us. "That's enough!" She yelled, staring Mercedes down.

She looked shocked. "But, she started it."

"She retaliated. You've done nothing but pick on her since school started. What'd you expect her to do?" Kennedy scolded.

Mercedes scoffed. "Alright... If that's how you want it."

Before another fight could break out, the lunchroom was swarmed with teachers, everyone quickly going back to their table.

Mercedes pointed a finger at Kennedy. "This isn't over."

She eyed me as well before walking off.

Kennedy turned to me once the commotion died down. "What the hell were you thinking?"

I smiled a little, despite the situation. "I knew you cared about me..."

She looked around the lunchroom, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. "Look, meet me in the parking lot after school and we'll talk. Ok?"

I happily nodded. "I'll see you there."

She just walked off, not saying another word.

Felicity sat back down at our table and I took the seat across from her. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?" She said.

I laughed lightly. "So I've been told."

She poked the fresh cut on her lip. "So, do you still think she was just using you?"

I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out after school..."

The end of the day couldn't come quick enough. I had no clue what Kennedy wanted to tell me, but the excitement of being in her presence once again was enough to drive me insane.

I could barely contain said excitement as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

I made a quick dash for the main entrance, rushing out into the parking lot, where Kennedy stood, right next to my car.

She averted my gaze as I approached. "So, uh, what'd you wanna talk about?"

She looked around the quickly emptying parking lot before speaking. "What happened at that party was a mistake. I was drunk, ok?"

I shrugged. "So was I..."

She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Look, it can never happen again. I can't... I can't jeopardize what I have here for some stupid dream."

My heartbeat sped up. "So... You do have a crush on me..."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I don't just go around kissing people for nothing."

A big smile started growing on my face. "The Kennedy St. James has a crush on me..."

She shook her head, trying to hide the smile on her face.

"I... I have a crush on you to, you know..." I said.

She looked up at me. "Really?"

I nodded quickly. "Big time."

She folded her arms over her chest, leaning back against my car. "That's sweet... Really it is... But, nothing can ever come of this... Please, I just need you to understand that..."

"Kennedy... You said something to me the other day, that I am who I am and I don't give a shit what anybody thinks... That's not true, I've hid my feelings for women from pretty much everyone my entire life... I just wanted to ride out high school and then I could get out of this place and be who I really am... But, when you kissed me, all that changed. All of a sudden, I didn't care who knew or what they might think... I just wanted to kiss you again..."

She lowered her head, not speaking a word.

"If you truly don't want anything to come of this, then I'll drop it and never bother you again... But... If you wanna give this a try, I'm all in. And we can keep it a secret... Nobody else would have to know..." I finished, hoping that she wanted what I wanted. That she would want to give this a try.

   She finally looked up at me, a tear in her eye. "You really don't care if we kept it a secret?"

   A burst of excitement shot through me. "Well, Felicity already knows about the crush and the kiss. But, that's it. No one else, I swear."

   She laughed lightly, standing up straight. "Come here..."

   I stepped towards her, letting her pull me into a deep kiss.

   My eyes instinctively fell closed, my heart thundering in my chest.

   When she pulled away, I could see a wide smile spreading on her lips. "Let's give this a try."

   I jumped in the air. "Yes!"

   She laughed some more, taking my hand in hers. "Let's grab Felicity and get outta here."

   I gave her a salute. "Yes ma'am."

   After dropping Felicity off, I drove Kennedy to her place, pulling into her driveway.

   She turned to me before getting out. "Hey, by the way, those things they said in the bathroom... They weren't true..."

   I took her hand in mine, flashing her a small smile. "I know..."

   She returned it, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

   "Bye..." I replied, watching her step out of the car.

   She gave me a little wave before walking into her house.

   I pulled out onto the street, heading home.

   Not bad for a geek...