Alexis Season

The next day John asked Alex to be his girlfriend, at lunchtime, rather than in private, and with dozens of eyes upon her, Alex said "I don't want you to get hurt, like Matthew got hurt." She liked John, too, and couldn't bear the thought of another person being put in the hospital on account of her.

Even though many kids winced at the mention of Matthew, John replied quite simply "I won't be hurt."

Alex was on the verge of tears, thinking of the consequences, but she choked them back, and said "Yes."

There was no burst of applause, no cinematic explosion like the end of a cheap movie, but rather the hiss of whispers filled the air. People were apprehensive about this, mostly because they feared John's safety. They didn't know his parents had already accepted his decision.

But John sat down next to Alex, and held her hand for the rest of the lunch period to keep her from crying.

John and Alex hung out more during school, and went on two dates, first seeing the latest Harry Potter movie, and then going to the arcade. They held hands in the hallways, but for awhile, that was the most that happened. The school collectively sighed in relief that John wasn't beat up by his dad, and everything seemed to be going normal, just like any other couple.

With summer approaching, Alex and John decided to go mini-golfing for their third date. It turned into a double-date, as they met John's friends Nancy and Scott there, just as they were starting. They decided to all play together. They all lived fairly close to the mini-golf course, so they walked home afterward. When they reached Alex's street, Nancy and Scott said they would continue and John could bring Alex to her door.

Alone now, Alex and John stood awkwardly in front of Alex's door, not really sure what to do. John counted the dates in his mind, and wasn't sure whether to follow the "third date rule" or not.

He went for it.

John kissed Alex smack on the lips, but went a little too fast, so Alex almost fell. John caught her, but kept his lips on hers for as long as he thought was good. Both of them lost track of time in that kiss. Alex had obviously never kissed a boy before, and she didn't know what to do. But she loved it, so after the shock faded she kept her lips tight to his, and closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss more.