Imagine:
You've had the worst day ever at school: Your teachers were all crueler than usual, your so-called friends all made merciless fun of you, and the meanest girl in school pushed you on the floor and spilled red paint all over you...right in front of your crush, Dalton. Instead of waiting for the bus to come and pick you up (besides, you didn't want the ridiculule that would undoubtedly come from all the other kids in the vehicle), you choose to walk home. All you can think about is Dalton's face when you heard that horrid girl's voice shout "He never liked you in the first place, and he'll never like you now!" His face...it screwed up and twisted in strange ways. Shaking it out of your head, you turn the corner to your street. Your house is only about 10 feet away when you hear a very familiar voice behind you.
"Kaitlyn!"
It's Dalton. You panic on the inside, but all you do is stop in your tracks. You don't turn around, you don't make a sound, you keep your head lowered, still staring out the ground.
"Come to continue the punishment I so obviously deserve," you ask him, unable to look him in the eye.
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
"To help you."
Help you? With what?
"I don't need help. I just need to go home and never leave the house again."
"Not true. What that girl did back at school, that was really wrong. After you left, I told her what a bitch she was and actually got in trouble for yelling at her. I couldn't just let her get away with throwing paint on you, though. That was just cruel. Are you alright? Well, obviously you're not, but maybe we can fix that?"
"How can we fix that?"
"How about you go take a shower and get changed. Then we can go hang out or do whatever?:
"You're not doing this just because you feel sorry for me, are you, because if you are, I really don't need or want you to."
"No, I have my reasons, and those aren't either of them." You see his face turn a slight shade of red. At first you wonder if the paint is seeping down over your eyes, but then you realize...he's blushing.
You get a shower and change into something comfortable. You've allowed Dalton to come inside your house, and he's waiting for you downstairs.
"Jeans and a band t-shirt, nice!" You give him a half-smile, still unsure of his true intent.
"So what did you want to do, because I'd really rather not go out right now. I don't want to face those girls."
"Don't worry about them. As long as I'm around, they won't bother you."
You can't help it and a few words escape your lips.
"I wish you could be around all the time, then..." When you realize you've spoken aloud, you clamp your hands over your mouth in embarrassment. Looking at Dalton, you see him blush and smile before he pulls you in for a hug.
"I can be if you want me to." In shock, you glance into his eyes and see nothing but...could it be...love?
"I do. I do want you to," you say, no longer in control of what comes out of your mouth.
"Well, then. If you won't ask, I will. Kaitlyn, will you be my girl?" You nod 'yes' before giving him a verbal reply.
"Good, then I can do this." Dalton cups your face in his hands and gives you a soft, loving kiss.
