I was one of the first ones out of the math class but someone was following me. I could feel him behind me, eyes gazing at my back. But I didn't know which boy it was. I was honestly praying for it to be Joshua, but it could've been Drew for all I knew.

I got my answer when the steady voice of Joshua touched my ears. I breathed a sigh of relief, thanking God that Drew wasn't with me. I didn't want to be stuck with him.

"Grace," Joshua said, walking next to me.

"Yes?"

I could definitely feel the butterflies racing through my stomach. I didn't think Joshua would ever talk to me, much less at school. I also didn't expect the dirty looks a few girls gave me, but Joshua didn't seem to notice them at all. He seemed to be oblivious to the stares he got. I just wished I was that oblivious.

"Did you understand that lesson at all?" he asked with a confused look on his light face.

I stifled my laugh. He looked so lost during the whole math lesson. Not that I admit to staring at him. I never did such a thing. I was a lot more discreet than that.

"Yeah, I did," I said, nodding. "You didn't?"

"How could you tell?" A laugh escaped his lips and I smiled. "I've been lost for ages, Grace!"

"Have you asked Mrs. Lilly for help?"

"No! I'm terrified of her!"

I stopped walking, and Joshua joined me. "How are you scared of her? She's my favorite teacher!"

"She likes you! I don't think she likes me," he said, his eyes wide.

"Okay, Joshua," I said, laughing. "Calm down. She's not that scary. You just gotta ask her for help and she will."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"Then you're gonna be lost forever."

"Not if I ask someone else."

I raised my eyebrows. A sea of people rushed past the two of us, but it seemed like we were the only two in the hallway as he gazed at me. I was seriously melting under his eyes, so I shifted my books around. He looked so sure of himself when he said, "Can you tutor me?"

I stared at him for a second. Why in the world would he ask me? I wasn't the smartest one there. He had smart friends. But he was asking me . . .

"Why not?" I said, shrugging. "I am free anytime, too."

"We'll have to change that," Joshua said, grinning.

My cheeks heated up at that thought, and I said, "When do you want to start?"

"Tonight, of course." He laughed. "I need all the help I can get before finals."

I felt a small smile lift up my face and I said, "Sounds good. Do you want me to come over or -"

"How about I go to your house," he said, nodding.

My house was nothing like his. His was nice and tidy and clean. Mine was cluttered and small. I didn't want him to see that I had little to nothing.

"Uh, okay," I said, stuttering slightly, wishing I could run home and deep clean everything. "My mom won't be home 'till late tonight so you can stay as long as you need."

"Thank you, Grace," Joshua said, smiling. He looked down at me before saying, "Can I come right after school ends?"

"Well, I ride the bus so -"

"I can just drive you there."

"Joshua -"

"I don't mind," he said gently.

"Okay," I said slowly. "I'll meet you at the willow tree outside of the school."

He nodded. "Thank you, Grace."

"Of course."

He smiled at me, and I definitely felt my heart start racing. Everything was melting away as I looked up at him. I could stay lost forever, but something collided with me. Literally. My things tumbled out of my arms, but a hand gripped mine. It was warm and big, signalling it was Joshua. I held onto it as I steadied myself, glaring at Finlay.

"Fin!" I muttered.

"Are you okay?" Joshua asked, pulling me slightly closer to him. I was not complaining about that at all as his hip pressed into mine.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "It's just my best friend is abusive."

"Hey!" Finlay said, handing me my stuff. "I missed you!"

"I saw you an hour ago," I said, using one hand to hold my things. I kept my other one securely in Joshua's. For protection.

"Can't I miss my best friend?" Finlay asked me, her brow dipping slightly. "You're the only one who knows all the stuff that I'm going through, and you still love me."

I smiled. "I can't just stop loving you. Even if you can be a pain in the butt sometimes."

Joshua squeezed my hand, reminding me that I was still attached to him. "I'll see you tonight."

"Of course, Grace," he said, nodding. I let go of his hand and he gave me a small wave. "Thank you."

"Ooh, what are you two doing tonight?" Finlay whispered to me.

"I have to tutor him," I told her. "He's struggling big time in math."

"Ah." She grinned. "Whose house are you going to?"

"Mine."

"Isn't tonight when your mom is volunteering at the hospital?"

"Maybe."

"Do you plan on doing something -"

"Fin," I said, smiling slightly. "You know I wouldn't. Besides, he might just need help with math. That's all."

"Sure."

I rolled my eyes as we started walking. It was silent in the hall, but silent was our thing. I was always comfortable when Fin and I weren't talking. We were just enjoying each other's presence without the trouble of talking.

But it had to end when I saw Drew grinning at me from the end of the hall. "Match Stick!"

Finlay raised an eyebrow as she said, "We have to get to class."

"Not yet."

"Why not?" I said with a bored voice.

"Why do you seem sad, Match Stick?"

I suppressed a smile. "I should get to class, Drew."

"You're no fun," Drew whined. "Be a little more reckless, Match Stick."

"I don't think so," I said, nodding. "I'll see you later, Drew."

I brushed past him and heard his chuckle all the way to study hall.

---

I shifted from foot to foot as I waited at the base of the willow tree. It was usually a meeting spot for the jocks to hang out at or for couples to make out under, but it was just me that cold day. My backpack seemed to weigh my back down as my mind raced with assumptions as to why Joshua was not there. Maybe he forgot about me. Maybe he was just playing with me. Maybe he got caught up with a girl who was so much prettier than me.

I shook my head, trying to banish my thoughts. It wasn't good for me to get lost in my thoughts like that. I had a habit of tearing myself down and it always started just like that.

"Are you alright?"

I turned to see Joshua staring at me with a confused expression. I let out an embarrassed breath and said, "Sorry. Yeah. I'm fine."

I tried to smile but it just didn't quite reach my eyes. But he didn't seem to notice as he said, "So, I was thinking -"

"You actually do that?" I didn't know why I let that slip out. I was about to say something - maybe apologize - when Joshua threw his head back, laughter bubbling out of his lips.

"Yes, I do think," he said, in between his laughter. "Thanks, though."

"You're welcome." I couldn't help but smile around him. For some reason, my troubles were a little less harsh than they usually were.

"Anyway," he said, smiling, "I was thinking that we could stop by Bubbles, the ice cream shop on Morgan Avenue. What do you say?"

"But it's winter," I said, frowning. Somehow my arms were wrapped around my body already as the cold settled in. "It's freezing outside."

"And?" he asked, holding out his hand. A crease appeared in his brow as I didn't answer.

I closed my eyes and nodded, definitely not taking his hand in mine. I opened my eyes again to see the largest smile on his face. An arm wrapped around my shoulders, bringing me close to him. "Thank you!"

A laugh escaped my lips and I said, "Why are you so excited? It's winter! I'm surprised they're even open!"

I pulled away from his warm embrace, not wanting to be too close to him. He grinned and said, "I don't care! I love ice cream!"

"Oh goodness," I said, but I smiled anyway. "Can we go to your car now? I'm freezing."

He grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me to the parking lot. That had been happening a lot lately, and I didn't think I liked it. "Joshua! Slow down!"

"Maybe you should speed up, Grace."

I rolled my eyes as we slowed to a stop in front of a beat up black Jeep. It definitely stood out against the stark white of the small layer of snow. "This is your car?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Hey, don't hate on my Queen," Joshua said, resting a hand on the hood of the Jeep. "She's been through a lot."

My lips lifted into a smile. "I bet she hasn't been through as much as Fin's car."

"Oh no," Joshua said, laughing. "No, the Queen hasn't got into as many car accidents as that girl has."

"I'm surprised Finlay is still alive."

"God is probably up in heaven yelling at her to get it together because it's not her time to die yet."

I laughed, getting in the passenger seat of his car. Joshua got into the drivers side and immediately started it up, blasting the heat. I rubbed my hands together, cursing myself for forgetting my gloves. Fin was right; she needed to live with me to help me remember.

I jumped when Joshua's hands started rubbing circles around my shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"You're cold! I'm trying to warm you up!"

"I can handle that on my own."

But I regretted that statement as he took his hands away. A shiver traveled up my back, but I shook it off. "Are you sure you want to get ice cream?" I asked.

"Of course!" He glanced at me. "I wouldn't miss out on my true love!"

I pressed my lips together as I tried not to laugh. "Your true love, huh?"

"Yes, my true love," he said defensively. "None of the girls I dated reciprocated my feelings so I need something to drown my sorrows in."

I frowned. "Are you being sarcastic?"

Joshua chuckled. "Of course. Besides the fact that I thought I loved someone, but she obviously didn't feel the same way."

"What do you mean?"

He glanced back before backing out of the space. "When I was a sophomore, I had dated this girl for almost two years. I thought I loved her so I told her. Then she revealed that she had kissed one of my best friends. Long story short, she didn't love me, and I guess my feelings didn't matter to her."

I sat in the passenger seat awkwardly. Joshua's body language had completely changed; he seemed closed off from me, his body angled away. A frown settled on his face, and I wished I hadn't asked him about it.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered, hoping he wouldn't hear my voice shake. "I didn't mean to -"

"No worries," Joshua interrupted me, waving his hand. "It's not your fault. I guess I'm not over how I felt back then."

"Well, it's not good to hold a grudge," I said softly. "I've personally felt that anger in my life and it doesn't sit well. You should let it go when you have the chance."

"How'd you get so wise?" A crack of a smile appeared on his face and a sense of warmth ran through my body.

"I've had things happen in my life," I said, shrugging. "Bad things. Good things too, but the bad things always stand out."

"Is that why you're so close to Finlay?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. She was there for me during the worst time in my life. She's my rock."

Joshua nodded, his face pinched slightly. "I can see that."

The car stopped and I glanced around to see the ice cream shop. I didn't know we even left the high school! I scrambled out of the car and caught up to Joshua just as he was entering Bubbles.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" I asked him, rubbing my hands together.

His smile was back on his handsome face as he pointed to the front desk. He said, "I want ice cream!"

"You're so childish," I muttered, but we shared a smile.

The blue interior of the ice cream shop reflected how I felt about winter. I hated winter. It was too cold in the Midwest and it snowed all the time. But I did enjoy staying inside where it was warm and drinking hot chocolate. I didn't have that opportunity as much anymore because of work and school and life, and it saddened me.

"Grace, what do you want?"

I jerked out of my thoughts and skimmed through the list of ice cream flavors. All of them sounded so good, but vanilla was the classic. "Just vanilla."

Joshua frowned. "Vanilla is so boring, Grace."

"Yeah, well, I'm a boring person," I argued.

"I don't think so."

We were brought out of our mini argument as the guy behind the counter huffed. "Could you two hurry up?"

Joshua turned back to the guy behind the counter and said, "You know what? Just forget what I said. We'll share a bowl of birthday cake flavored ice cream."

My face grew warm as the guy asked for money. I was about to reach into my pocket and grab my wallet when Joshua handed the guy a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change," Joshua said, nodding.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to an empty table. I sat across from him, and he had his signature smile back on his face.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

That question threw me off. I wasn't expecting him to actually talk to me like he was; I sure wasn't expecting him to ask about my love life. I shook my head. "No."

"Why?"

"No one's really been interested in me."

A mischievous glint entered his eyes, and he said, "Are you sure?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"That can't be true," he said, shaking his head. "What about that new guy? What was his name? Derek?"

"Drew." I wished I didn't say his name so quickly because Joshua's smile grew. However, his eyes were a little dimmer.

"Isn't he interested in you?"

"Whatever." My face burned. "That doesn't count. That is very recent."

"Yes, but haven't you seen him in math class?"

"I can't see him in math since he sits behind me, Joshua."

"And who's to say that there isn't someone else who feels their heart skip a beat when you look their way?"

My face must've been so red because Joshua laughed. "Your face matches your hair!"

I buried my face in my hands, cursing myself. Why did I always blush around guys? Why was I so freaking awkward?

"Come on, Grace," Joshua said, touching my hands. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna tease you anymore."

I slowly removed my hands from my face and smiled slightly. "I don't need you teasing me. I already have Fin on my back about that stuff."

Before Joshua could reply, the guy set the bowl of ice cream on the table in between them. "Thanks," he said instead.

I grabbed a spoon and said, "God, this looks like a lot."

"Good thing I'm starving!"

Joshua dove right in, devouring the ice cream. A giggle escaped my lips and I joined him.