After Taco Bell, I drove Layla to her house and parked in front of the usual spot… the bush.

The night hadn’t gone how I expected it at all, and after being chased by the cops, I ended up kissing Layla at Taco Bell. Maybe it was the adrenaline of running from the cops or knowing how much danger I was putting her in when I blasted the NOS in The Beast—I’m not sure. But in that moment, when we sat in the parking lot, I felt like we had somehow connected on a different level. I was finally able to admit that I really liked the girl.

“Sorry for the scare tonight,” I said.

“It’s okay,” Layla assured me. “We made it out of there okay.”

“And don’t worry about—“

“You kissed me, you know? You should probably say something about that.”

I was about to tell her that my license plate had a special coating prevented cops from taking pictures and that the cops didn’t really pursue racers who managed to get away, so long as there was no damage to any people or property, but I didn’t get the chance. I was a little shocked by her sudden boldness, but Layla never ceased surprising me.

“I told you I couldn’t help myself.”

“Do you kiss a lot of girls?”

I gave her a hard stare. “I only kiss girls I like, and I haven’t liked anyone in a long time.”

“Really?” Layla smiled and started pulling on her hair again. She looked so cute every time she did that.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Am I going to see you again next week? Thursday?”

“Yeah, I would love...” she stuttered and stopped. “Oh…Thursday is actually my Prom night.”

“Oh…” I sucked in a deep breath and grabbed on my steering wheel, feeling like I was suddenly jolted back into reality. The thought of her going on a date with another guy bothered me somewhat, and the fact that it was Prom was an instant reminder of just how young she was. “Who are you going with again?”

“I still don’t have a date, but I’m sure I’ll have one before Prom night.”

That felt good to hear, and I paused a moment as I processed it. “No date yet, huh?”

Layla shook her head.

“Does OC High still let anyone accompany students to prom?”

Layla shrugged. “I guess so.”

“How about you let me take you? I haven’t been inside the old school since—“

“What? Really?” she interrupted. “You want to go with me to Prom?”

“Yeah, sure. It’ll be fun.”

“Wow,” she said.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just uh... I’m surprised you want to go with me. I just never expected—“

I cut her off by latching on to her hand. Layla clearly had no idea what a great girl she was. She had no idea how beautiful she was, mature, and fun to be with, even at her young age. She had no clue how many guys out there would kill to have a girl like her.

“About the kiss from earlier…” I said.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“It was a little weak, don’t you think?”

She jerked herself back and started shaking her head lightly. “Actually, I thought it was—“

“Shut up and give me a redo.”

I pulled on her hand, rearing her in closer, and when she was in grabbing distance, I reached around her head and pulled her to my face, smashing our lips together hard. I rummaged my fingers through her silky hair and basked in the feeling of her deep, erratic breaths blowing forcefully onto my face.

She whimpered a little at first, and then her hand moved up to my chin and brushed against the side of my cheek. Our heads tilted, and our lips parted, and before long, my tongue was dancing with hers, letting her know—if there was any doubt before—that I was really, really into her.

Sure she was a few years younger than me, but so-fucking-what? I knew I’d probably get a lot of hell from people if I went to Prom with the girl or even worse if we started dating. But I didn’t care anymore. I knew a good thing when I saw it, and I wasn’t going to let my doubts, fears, or other people’s judgements stand in my way.

That wasn’t me.

I wanted her. Or at least I wanted to verify the feelings that I was having for her.

I pulled away, and for a couple of seconds Layla kept her eyes closed and her mouth puckered, almost like she was stuck in a time lapse.

“Layla?” I asked.

She opened her eyes and sighed. “Yeah?”

“So, Prom?”

Her eyes sparkled, and she looked to the ground as she nodded her head in short strokes. “Yeah… I’d love for us to go together.”

I smiled. “Okay, text me what time it all starts. I’ll come here to pick you up Thursday.” I looked outside to the window, and the thicket of green that was blocking us from view. “I assume I won’t need to pick you up behind the bush?”

Layla chuckled. “I don’t think so. My Dad won’t be happy about any guy picking me up for Prom, but I think he’ll get over it. I’ll have to be home early though.”

“Alright then,” I said. “I’ll see you.”

Layla’s eyes locked onto mine for a moment and she took a deep breath before she popped open the door. She nodded her head. “See you then.”

I watched as Layla walked away, her ass looking so incredibly mouthwatering in the thin shorts she was wearing.

Damn, I whispered to myself.

I couldn’t believe I was falling for a High School chick.

A few seconds later, I pulled away and got another chuckle as I saw Layla trying to climb up into her open window again.

Good thing she lived in a safe neighborhood…