I woke up in my bed the next morning, Tony the cat cuddled besides me. Caleb's words rang in my head for the ten-millionth time: "Sweet dreams, Em." In fact, my dreams were pretty sweet, each one involving him in some way. Last night, my parents were on the verge of tears of joy, hearing about my meeting with Dave, Adam, Chris, and Vic and the shopping adventure. I didn't tell them about the run-in with Lisa, though, because I don't want them to worry anymore about me. My siblings had tons of fun listening to me tell them, in full detail, of what happened Friday night and all day Saturday.

Cooper chimed in and said,"This Caleb is helping you in ways I've never seen anyone do before. You're visibly happy, you're trying out new things, and so much more."

"Well, he's-" I slapped my hand over my mouth and blushed. My brother raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. "He's amazing," I whispered. Cooper laughed and patted my shoulder.

"That's great. Just be wary of that Lisa girl, will you? She seems like bad news."

"I will."

As I went through my Sunday into Monday, all I could think about was Caleb. When I got up on Monday, I got on a new outfit- light blue jeans, white, buttoned down, long-sleeved blouse, and black Converse sneakers- and rushed to school, bursting with energy. At lunch, I heard someone shout my name, and I looked over to see Crystal pointing to an empty seat at her table, where Caleb, Victoria, Adam, and Dave were sitting as well. Picking up my lunchbox, I froze when I saw Lisa gritting her teeth, her eyes practically shooting daggers at me. But just then, something I haven't thought of before popped into my head.

I don't care.

Standing up, I grinned at my friends and began to walk over there. Just as I reached the table, someone violently pushed me out of the way. I almost fell and had to grab onto the edge of the table to jeep that from occurring. Lisa was sliding into the empty chair that I was to sit at, and she said,"I decided that I'm going to sit here today."

"No, you're not."

The whole cafeteria was silent as Caleb pushed back his chair and stood up. "H-huh? What do you mean, 'no?' " she looked shocked to her toes, and I took that moment to fully stand up. Caleb glanced over at me, took a deep breath, and continued talking.

"You purposely shoved my best friend, Lisa, out of the way and acted like nothing happened after that and sat in the seat we-" he gestured around the table,"-were saving for her. Not for you. You can go back to where you previously came from."

Lisa sat, stunned, and then slowly stood up to face me. "I warned you, didn't I? Now that you broke my rules, you better watch your step because I'm coming for you," she hissed into my ear. Then she held her head her head high and walked back to her old table. After a few seconds, conversation started up again in the cafeteria, and Caleb motioned for me to sit down. And I did, but I couldn't say one word because I was paralyzed with terror, imagining what Lisa's going to do to me.

@@@@@@

Thankfully, the week went by uneventfully, but it stunk because I was paranoid and jumpy the whole time. But something totally awesome popped up, like a ray of sunshine peeking through dark clouds. On Friday night, the phone rang, and I happened to answer it before my parents.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

I almost dropped the phone, and my mouth went into an o-shape. Caleb called me?! How? I never gave him my number... but I bet it's on his call history from me calling my parents. Clever.

"Oh! Hi, Caleb! How are you?"

"Good. Look, I kind of wanted to ask if you were free for tomorrow."

I was dangerously close to hysterically laughing in glee, something that I rarely do, and when I replied, my voice was an octave higher than usual. "Um, yes, I have nothing planned, really."

"Well, then... would you like to... maybe... hang with me?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, surprising myself with my eagerness.

Caleb laughed lightly. "Is five in the afternoon okay?"

"Yup! I'll see you then..."

"I'll pick you up at your house, alright? Bye!"

"Bye!" As I hung up, I was shaking with excitement. My parents walked in, asking who called, and then they stopped, took one look at me, and knew exactly who it was. They just smiled, and nodded, signaling that it was okay to go with Caleb tomorrow. "Thank you," I said softly, giving them my widest grin, and ran upstairs to get ready for Saturday.

I told the news to my brothers and sister, and Cooper said,"So you're going on a date-" I bowled him over before he could finish, a deep shade of red, as my siblings practically were rolling on the floor, laughing. After that, my sister, Julia, dragged me to my room and assisted me in picking out the clothing I should wear. "It's going to rain tomorrow, but it's going to be warm," she said. We finally decided on cream-colored, knee-length capris, a long-sleeved white sweater with holes in it, and a pine-green cami. Along with these were white sneakers and a green headband. "Beautiful," Julia murmured.

Will and Cooper gave me some good advise. "Give him a gift. Just a tiny gift can go a long way," Cooper said. I wonder how he knows that, since he actually hasn't been in a relationship before. At least, not one that I know of.

"Also, homemade presents are taken to the heart more than bought presents," Will whispered, winking cheesily. I snorted and went right to work. It took a little bit, but I made a mini jersey, since I know he plays football. So, I made a tiny, burgundy-colored shirt, put Caleb's last name, Nolicke, and his number, 28, in white, fabric lettering on it. I searched forever for a nice piece of wood, and, after finally finding one in my backyard, I pinned the jersey to it, and then carved "To Caleb, from Emma" on the back of the wood with a screwdriver, which proved to be a heck of a job. In the end, I absolutely loved it; I just hoped Caleb felt the same way.

I could hardly sleep, I was so terribly nervous and excited, and when morning came, I ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off, making sure everything was ready, including the gift, which I put in a little red bag. Then finally, at 5:00 pm exactly, the doorbell rang. I shooed my family upstairs, knowing that they were hiding in a place in the hallway where they could eavesdrop without being seen or heard. I just shook my head and chuckled. Holding the present behind my back, I opened the door.

There stood Caleb, wearing an unbuttoned blue plaid, short sleeved shirt with a black tank-top underneath, khaki shorts, and hiking boots. He literally and figuratively stole my breath away, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, he held out a little envelope with a bow on top. "Here. You can open it once we get to the place I wanted to show you, okay?"

"Well, then you can't open this either until we're there,too," I replied, handing him the bag with the jersey plaque inside of it. His eyes widened, and he smiled. "Thank you. Well, let's get going, shall we?" Caleb held out his hand, and I took it, relishing every second of this adventure.

After a three-minute walk from my house, we arrived at an abandoned trail, which was evidently where we were heading. "I love this trail because it seems as if Mother Nature took it in her arms and made it truly beautiful," he murmured, a small smile appearing on his face. And when I saw the trail further down, I could see what Caleb was talking about.

Strewn across the old, wooden path was grass and flowers peeking up through the cracks. Wrapped around trees were budding vines, and moss hung down from the branches. Every kind of flower and pretty little birds were everywhere, and I was enchanted by it all. The two of us made small talk as we walked along, and at one point it started to rain.

"Do you want to turn back? Is the rain bothering you?" Caleb asked.

"Not at all! I love the rain!" I replied.

"I hoped you would've said that," he said, sighing a breath of relief, and then pointed to the side of the path. "Is it alright if I check something out real quick?" His eyebrows raised and he looked hopeful.

"As long as you don't leave me out here alone, of course you can. I'm going to walk a little farther."

"Okay, thanks."

After a minute of walking alone, I spotted a small wooden bridge standing over a relatively deep-looking river in front of me. Out of wonder, I kept on goingand started walking over it. Unfortunately, I didn't notice a rotted, weak board coming up, and I stepped right on it. Under my weight, it broke, and I went down, almost losing my shoe and the envelope Caleb gave me to the river below. In the suddenness of what happened, I screamed without realizing it, and wondered if Caleb heard me.

I discovered that my leg, mid-thigh down, was stuck in the hole I made, and when I tried to dislodge myself, my leg wouldn't budge. Just then, I heard Caleb yell,"Emma!" and turned my head in time to see him running towards me, rain spinning from his hair and clothing, the gift bag swinging around in his hand. He skidded to a stop next to me, panting, and looked right at me. "My god, you gave me a heart attack when you screamed. Now, let me help you," Caleb whispered, a slight quiver in his voice. In a few minutes, I was standing on the bridge next to him, my leg still a little sore. He led me off the bridge, and then abruptly pulled me into a hug.

I blushed furiously, but then realized that Caleb's body was trembling. I hugged him back, and he buried his face into the damp hair laying on my shoulder. " I really thought something bad happened to you. I'm just so glad you're alright," he whispered, his breath warming the side of my neck. Trying to comfort him, I rubbed his back, and he composed himself soon after.

We continued to walk in the rain, Caleb holding my hand tightly and not letting me out of his sight. After a few minutes, he stopped and gestured for me to go in front of him. When I did, he covered my eyes with his hands, and I hoped that Caleb couldn't feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "We're at the place I wanted to show you," he said, and as we walked around a bend, Caleb guiding me from behind. "One, two, three! Surprise!" he shouted, taking his hands off of my eyes.

What I saw struck me speechless.

We were at a meadow filled to the brim with pink roses, chrysanthemums, and lavendar. It bordered a cliff, from which I could see a glistening lake and a surrounding forest below. The rain finally stopped, and the clouds moved to reveal a bright pink sky, a flaming sunset, and a vivid rainbow. All in all, it was the most magical place I've ever been to.

Butterflies danced around the edges of the sea of flowers, and Caleb asked me,"Do you like it?" I clutched his hands, stared deep into his eyes, and smiled.

"I don't like it. I love it."

He grinned. "Open your present."

"You first."

"Oh, alright."

Caleb took the plaque out of the bag. He smiled widely and exclaimed,"This is so cool! I absolutely love it!" I laughed when he said that, since that was exactly what I thought about it earlier. "Now, time for your gift," Caleb said, sounding nervous. I opened the envelope and pulled the item out, gasping in delight. It was a choker, with red lace on the edges and white lace in the middle. Hanging off of it was a locket with a beautiful rose etched on it.

"Oh my gosh! This is amazing!" I exclaimed, running my fingertip over the lace and locket. Caleb's eyes sparkled, and he practically glowed. "Thank you so much," I murmured. He gently took the necklace out of my hands and brushed my hair off of the back of my neck. I blushed profusely as he placed the choker around my neck. I took a step towards him, but, just my luck, I slipped in mud and started to fall back. Thankfully, Caleb swooped in and caught me before I hit the ground. My arms were wrapped around his neck, while his were around my shoulders and lower back. Both of our faces got flaming hot, but even when we fully stood up, we didn't let go. Caleb looked at the setting sun, bit his lip, and then started to talk to me.

"I... I have always liked you, not just after the science project, but way before that, too. I never approached you because I was afraid you'd ignore me or turn me down. And now that I know you better, I like you even more, so-" he took a really deep breath,"-I must ask you a question." He cast his gaze up for a second, and then looked me straight in the eye as he asked,"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I stood still, not even daring to breathe. What should I say? Yes? No? Maybe another time? If this got to Lisa, she would probably blow a gasket. But this isn't about her; this is about us, Caleb and I, and I will not back down because of her. I know I really like this boy, and I know exactly what I'm going to say.

"Yes."

His eyes widened, and Caleb blushed as he took out two identical rings out of his pocket. They were a silver color with a blue rhinestone on top of each. "I got this from the four; Crystal and Dave's have a red rhinestone, and Adam and Vic's have a green one. They brought the idea to me, and I thought it was nice, so..." I held out my hand for him, and Caleb slipped the ring onto my ring finger on my left hand. He was about to put on his own, but I stopped him and slid it onto his ring finger.

A light breeze traveled through the meadow, our meadow, causing the flowers to sway and petals to float in the air. Caleb gently touched my jawline with the edges of his fingertips, and then moved to his hands to my cheeks. I knew he could feel my face burning up now, and he was blushing as well. Caleb tilted his head slightly to the side and whispered,"May I?"

"Yes."

He moved his face closer and closer, and I trembled and closed my eyes. Then it happened. Caleb's lips touched mine, and I could feel the electricity from that touch, the sparks flying between us, and I imagined that we lit the whole forest up, brighter than even the moon. His lips were soft and sweet, and they felt perfect against my own. We finally separated, Caleb's hot breath fanning my face. I was surprised to see that the sun was gone at last, and in its place was a full moon and twinkling stars. I hugged Caleb, trying to make this day last an eternity.

"Well, we better start heading back home, or we'll look like zombies tomorrow," he said, chuckling. He leaned down to my ear and whispered,"This was the best day of my life."

"Mine too."

Caleb smiled and looked out at the vast view beyond our meadow. I looked too, for a long time, before we began the trek back. Because, at that moment, I realized that, though this secluded place feels like it came out of a fairy tale, just like the princesses in the stories, my own dreams just came true.

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Dear Readers,

I apologize deeply for the wait you had to suffer through! If you haven't blown up at this point with my slowness and continue to read this book despite it, then I LOVE YOU!!! Ah, so, I'm so nervous because I'm supposed to get a letter from the Lehigh Valley Performing Arts high school in the next 1-3 days, and it says if I got accepted into that high school or not. I'm going to die if they decline me. Figuratively. So, anyway, vote, comment, and all that other stuff if you choose. I REALLY, REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE THIS BOOK!!! Tell me if you have any suggestions! Bye!
-Levilove6289
P.S- I put a song up-it's called "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding (50 Shades of Grey remix, also nightcored). I'm seriously addicted to it and I thought it went quite nicely with this chapter. :)