Fifth Grade, Sadie Hawkins Dance...

Ashley Scott was tired of never being asked to dance. She was sitting on the bleachers, watching her best friend, Cyndi, spin around the dance floor with Drew. It was rumored that the couple might be the next big thing.

Ashley sighed with disappointment when the song turned to a slower one. Every couple on the gym floor started swaying closer together as the lights grew dim.

Fifth grade sucked. She was tired of being taller than most boys. Her rail thin body made her look more like a boy than a girl at this stage. It didn’t help that her older sister had filled out early and had full B cups strapped to her chest. Ashley scanned the darkness and found her sister Amber being held tight by one of the most popular boys at their small school in Golden, Colorado. No doubt there would be a line of boys waiting to dance with her after that one.

She sighed again and rested her chin on her hands as she watched the dark room.

“Why aren’t you out there?” Just hearing Cole’s voice made her straighten her back. Her sister always told her to stand up straight so what little chest she did have would be right out front.

“Why aren’t you?” Cole stepped up onto the bleachers and sat next to her.

“I twisted my ankle in gym today.” He sat down next to her, their knees touching slightly. “The school nurse told me to lay off it for a few days.” She realized then that she had seen him hobbling around the school earlier that day. “So?” He nodded towards the floor.

She shrugged and felt her back give way as she hunched once again. “I’m taller than most boys in our class.”

“So?” he asked, his eyes scanning the floor. She noticed the moment he found the girl he was infatuated with that week. Mandy was almost half a foot shorter than her and had filled out in first grade. Well, maybe not first grade, but the girl had bigger boobs than most grown women Ashley knew.

“She’s probably only dancing with Brad because you can’t dance,” Ashley hinted.

“Who?” Cole glanced back towards her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. “You could just stand there and sway,” she suggested.

“And leave you up here, all alone?” He nudged her knee with his. She couldn’t stop the smile from coming and felt tears behind her eyes. Feeling self-conscious, even though he was one of her best friends, she glanced around the darkness and tried to think of something to talk about.

She’d known Cole Miller since preschool. In the past year, he’d turned to sports while she’d turned to art. They were complete opposites at this point and might as well be from different planets.

She was pretty sure their friendship was doomed, since he was quickly becoming one of “those” boys in the eyes of every girl in school. Popularity didn’t run with her. Amber, yes, but Ashley, no.

Being the younger sister of one of the most popular, prettiest girls in school was tough. She hated trying to live up to her sister’s reputation. It was exhausting.

“Is it true?” Cole asked.

“What?” She turned back towards him. It was hard being best friends with a boy who looked like he did. His sandy blond hair was always hanging in those soft brown eyes of his. She was pretty sure that by the time she was allowed to date, she would have a thing for boys who looked just like him.

She knew Cole was out of the running, since he didn’t think of her like that. Had never thought of her like that. No, his tastes ran to popular, bustier brunettes, the kind of girls that put Ashley to shame.

“Ash.” He tilted his head. She loved it when he used the nickname reserved only for her closest friends. “Did you win the blue ribbon at the county fair?”

She smiled. “Sure did.” Her small chest puffed up with pride.

He smiled. “I’m glad you chose the blue painting instead of the green one.”

“Water’s Edge.” She said the name of her painting with pride. She was happy that he’d helped her pick which painting to showcase. The fact that he’d taken the time said more than he’d ever know.

“Yeah.” He nodded, his eyes going around the dark gym again. “Congrats.” He shifted as the music turned to another slow song. “Listen. I’m going to—”

“Go.” She held in a sigh. “I’m going to go get some punch.”

He nodded as he made his way down the bleachers. She watched him hobble over to Mandy and start swaying slowly with her.

Her shoulders slumped. She was destined to always be alone.

---

Tenth Grade, Sadie Hawkins Dance...

Once again, Ashley was stuck in the bleachers. This time, she was the one who had her foot propped up. A large blue cast over the lower half of her leg and foot allowed only her hot pink toenails to poke out of the end.

“I can—”

“No,” Ashley told her friend Jennifer. “Go. You’ve wanted to dance with Rob all year. Now’s your chance.”

Her friend didn’t need any more encouragement before she rushed across the gym floor.

Ashley sighed and rested her chin on her hands.

“This looks familiar.”

She rolled her eyes at Cole. “Shut up.” She didn’t even bother with trying to make her small chest poke out anymore. Who cared about her small A cups? Clearly not Cole.

He moved over and sat next to her. In the past five years, Cole had gone from boy to man, while Ashley had stayed tall, lanky, and boobless.

“How’s it feeling?” He nodded down to her leg.

“The same.” She wobbled her cast. “Broken and boring.”

He chuckled. “I heard the city started forcing businesses downtown to put salt on the sidewalks after your slip.”

She diverted her eyes from his. “Yeah.”

She hadn’t told everyone the full truth of how she’d slipped outside the local hobby store downtown. Sure, there had been a sheet of ice on the sidewalk, but she’d been too distracted to notice it. It really wasn’t all the store’s fault. She hadn’t meant for the old lady that ran the place to get in any trouble.

“What?” Cole asked, nudging her leg like he always did when he was trying to get something out of her.

“Nothing.” She glanced around the gym. “Why aren’t you dancing? You don’t have an excuse this time.”

“Sure, I do. Candy is out of town,” he answered.

“Oh, right.” Candy was Cole’s latest girlfriend. “Unlike half the football team, you don’t cheat.” Cole was captain of the football and basketball teams. He was one of the best players in every sport at Golden High School. He was an all-star and one of the most picture-perfect guys in the entire state of Colorado.

Cole chuckled. “Right.” He looked around. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after graduation?”

“Damn.” She turned to him. “We still have two years.”

“Right, but my old man is forcing me to start with the stupid college applications.”

“Already?” She felt her heart kick in her chest. The thought of leaving Golden, of Cole leaving Golden, caused tears to threaten behind her eyes. They’d been best friends longer than she’d been friends with anyone else. Cyndi had moved to Utah, Monica and her family moved to Aurora, and Jennifer, well, her family had just moved to Golden two years ago. Cole was the only steady friend she’d ever had. She’d been wrong when she’d believed they would go their separate ways. He’d turned jock and had quickly become the most popular guy in school, while she’d slowly become the quiet, shy artist, but their friendship hadn’t wavered once.

“I always thought you’d go to Paris, you know, study under some of the best,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

She turned slightly towards him. Cole was one of the only people in her life, besides her family, that truly believed in her art.

“I have thought about it.” She bit her bottom lip and frowned when she noticed him looking at her funny. “What?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Nothing.” He glanced away.

She nudged his leg. “Spill.”

He sighed heavily. “It’s just…”

Just then, the music turned to a loud song and the dancers cheered.

“I’m going to…” He nodded towards his buddies, who were all jumping and dancing in a large group.

“Sure.” She gave him a half-hearted smile. “Have fun,” she said to his back.

---

High School Graduation...

Ashley held onto Cole’s arm as they walked down the long aisle. It was official, they were high school graduates.

They’d made a pact back in… she couldn’t remember what grade, to walk down the aisle with one another at graduation. Barring, of course, any serious relationships one might have at the time.

Since Cole had caught his last girlfriend, Kimmy, cheating on him, he was currently single, like she’d been all throughout school.

Sure, she’d gone to her senior prom with a boy, but when he’d tried to grope her in the limo afterwards, she’d broken things off quickly.

“Are you going to the party?” Cole asked. There was always a huge get-together in the gym after graduation. She had planned on skipping it.

She waited until they stepped outside to answer. “I—”

“You have to,” Cole broke in. “I’m not going to be there alone.” He held onto her shoulders and used those big brown eyes of his on her.

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll go.”

“Good.” He glanced around. “I have to go talk to the folks.” He groaned. “See you in an hour?”

“Sure.” She nodded and then went to find her own parents.

An hour later she’d shed the graduation gown and cap and stood just inside the gym doors, looking around.

She’d been to plenty of dances, but nothing had prepared her for the graduation party. The noise level was deafening.

Instead of using the entire gym floor for dancing, there were games set up everywhere, a picture booth near the back, and old sofas in the corner with a movie playing on the old TV from film club. The small dance floor near the front was crowded with people drinking punch and dancing happily.

She started to make her way to her normal hiding spot, the bleachers, but was pulled by Jennifer towards the photo booth.

There, she hid in the background of a few group pictures while Jennifer tried to get as many pictures of her as she could.

“I’m going to miss you.” Jenn hugged her again.

She could smell the liquor on her friend’s breath and knew that her latest boyfriend, Robby, had probably supplied it. Robby was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he was probably outside smoking.

“I am too.” She pat Jenn on the back. “You’re only moving downtown.” Jenn had been accepted into DU. Ashley was helping her move her stuff that weekend into an apartment her parent’s had gotten for her. “It’s half an hour drive.”

“Yeah, but we won’t be seeing each other every day.” Jenn frowned at her. Then her friend’s eyes moved beyond her and Ashley knew that Robby was back. Jenn’s eyes lit up and her smile bordered on idiotic.

“Go.” She nudged her friend towards the doorway. “Have fun with Robby before he leaves.”

She watched Jenn and Robby disappear into the darkness that was the make-out corner and sighed. She made her way towards the snack table and piled a paper plate full of carbs and salty items.

“I heard you’re thinking of going to Paris?” a voice said from directly behind her.

She turned to see Mason Gore standing there.

Mason was one of Cole’s best friends. Glancing around, she realized Cole was still MIA.

“I’ve been thinking about it.” She shrugged. “What are you doing?”

Mason’s eyes darted around the room too. Then he leaned a little closer to her. The guy had pretty much avoided her for her entire life, so her eyes narrowed at his current behavior. “I’m going places, saving people.” He winked at her. “Top secret stuff.”

“Right,” she said slowly.

“My dad is FBI.” He almost whispered it, causing Ashley to lean closer. “He got us an in.”

Ashley’s eyebrows rose slightly. Everyone knew who Mason’s father was and what he did. Well, at least his title. The man not only worked for the FBI, but he was one of the top of the top in the Denver offices.

Mason surprised her by taking her elbow and tugging her towards the end of the bleachers.

“I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but I know how close—” Mason got cut-off when someone bumped into her, spilling her entire glass of punch on her cream-colored shirt.

The look on Mason’s face told her that her shirt and the rest of the evening was ruined.

“Oh, man, sorry,” someone said.

Ashley didn’t even turn to see who it was. She bolted towards the girl’s restroom without another word to Mason.

Inside the brightly lit room, she felt tears well up. The new silk blouse her sister had bought her for graduation was now covered in red punch.

She tried in vain for the next few minutes to clean herself up, but the fact was, there wasn’t any hope.

Pulling out her phone, she texted Jenn and told her she was leaving.

Without waiting for a reply, she made her way quickly across the floor and out the front doors.

She was halfway to her car when she heard someone calling her name.

Turning, she held in a groan when she saw Cole running towards her.

“Where are you going?” he asked when he stopped in front of her.

“Home.” She motioned to her shirt.

“Oh man.” He ran his hands through his hair, then looked around. As Mason had just done, Cole grabbed her arm and pulled her lightly towards her car. “I was hoping… that is… I wanted…”

Ashley stopped and narrowed her eyes. Cole was never short for words. “What?”

He leaned against her car and sighed heavily. “I wanted to make sure I saw you tonight.”

She let out a low laugh. “You’re not going to act like Jenn are you?” Cole’s dark eyebrows drew together in question. “Never mind.” She shook her head. “I’m sure we’re going to see each other.” She opened her car door, but Cole placed his hand on the door, holding it shut.

“You don’t know that,” he said softly. It was then that she noticed how close he was and how he was looking at her. Her heart skipped several beats.

She’d fantasized about her best friend for years. Years! But she had never wanted to cross that line for fear of losing him.

She lost track of what he was saying as her mouth went completely dry.

“Come back inside, just for a little while,” Cole said as his hand moved to the base of her spine.

“Cole.” Her hands moved to his arms, unsure if she was holding him or pushing him away. His friendship was too important to her to risk, even if it meant giving up her dream man.

“Ash, I’ve meant to tell you…” His dark eyes searched hers as he moved closer.

When he didn’t speak, she asked, “What?”

He shook his head lightly, then closed his eyes. “Sometimes, you just have to take the plunge, you know.”

“No,” she said again after another moment of silence. When his eyes opened, she had only a split second to hold her breath before his lips covered hers.

She felt her knees go weak, and her entire body shook as he pulled her next to him. She’d been kissed before, several times by several different boys, but nothing had ever come close to Cole kissing her now.

Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sighed when he tilted his head to the side, his tongue playing with the crease of her lips, then dipping inside. She felt her insides melt as their tongues touched for the first time.

He moved slightly and pinned her to the side of her car, his hands roaming over her hips and back as her nails dug into his shoulders.

“Ash,” he whispered next to her lips. “I’ve wanted to do that for years.” He rested his forehead against hers.

“Why didn’t you?” she asked. Her eyes refused to close as she scanned his lips and chin, wanting more.

Cole leaned back, his eyes searching hers. “Don’t forget this, me.” He sighed, then looked off towards the building. “I have to go.” He dropped his hands from her hips. “I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step away. “I should have…” He shook his head. “Sorry.” He turned away and rushed back towards the building.

She must have stood there, leaning against her car, for ten minutes before climbing inside and driving home.

From that night on, she dreamed of Cole. Only Cole. He’d ruined her for any other man. Especially after she’d heard from his parents the following week that he’d left.