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I know you guys waited so damn long for them to finally get together XD So here is an excerpt from what the beginning chapter 11 was going to be, just for you guys<3:

 

The morning was unseasonably warm, spring like breezes were blowing through the nearby fields and trees, melting the last of the snow and icicles perched atop tree branches. The roads were wet with melting ice and snow, and no one could walk under the melting branches without being doused with a few icy drops, quite unusual two weeks before Christmas. Jamie, making the most of the warm weather upon his friend’s insistence, was poking at a few waterdrops that had fallen onto the hood of Josh's boxy old car from the willow tree beside them. He had Marie's note clenched tightly in one hand, mind adrift as he drew thoughtless patterns and circles with the dewy drops, hardly in the mindset to enjoy the tepid weather.
"Nervous much?" Josh asked as he grinned amiably, sitting in the driver's seat with one foot drumming on the pavement, car door open to better enjoy the spring like weather. Both were waiting for the bell to ring, or even come close to ringing. They usually arrived exceptionally early because of Jenna, dropping her off at her preschool, which started an hour earlier than the high school. Unusual for a preschool perhaps, but then Jenna’s school was a little extraordinary.
"What?" Jamie asked absently, turning around from his perch on the hood to look at his friend.
"Oh it's too late now, the sarcasm is stale." Josh replied, raising his eyebrows.
Jamie went back to doodling with water, stomach doing somersaults. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so nervous, though it certainly didn't help to remember Sam's biting words about Marie yesterday. She hadn't exactly proven herself to be committed enough to this to endure ridicule. And if they were to be together she'd probably have to endure more long-term frustration then that to stay with him, as Sam had proven with her brash words. Would he do the same to Marie without realizing? Probably…
"Draw me a unicorn on it will ya? Some rainbows and fluffy clouds in the background."
"On one condition," Jamie replied grinning.
"And what would that be?"
"After it is appropriately decorated. Run Tyler over with it."
Josh immediately broke into a fit of hysterical laughter, "Oh my god yes..."
"Make sure to drive it around in front of him a few times first, let him throw some insults to pretend he's a big man, then BAM clunk clunk..."
"Ah Jamie... I knew I liked you."
Josh got up out of the car to come around and slap him amicably on the shoulder, "And damn if you can't still surprise me sometimes."
Jamie merely raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm glad you could figure that out after all these years."
Another car pulled into the lot then, tires wet from the melting roads, and both fell silent as they watched it park a few spots away. Josh nudged him and winked a few times, then proceeded loudly, “WELL! I better head off to school huh?”
“Wait-“
“SEE YA!” Josh slammed the car door and hurried off before Jamie could protest further.
In his friend’s absence Jamie turned his attention back to the car, in his nervous, and thus ridiculous, state of mind suddenly unsure if he recognized it as Marie’s or not. It was black, was her car black? Why couldn’t he remember? It certainly looked rich enough to be hers. He didn’t think her car was black on second thought, but then she was certainly well off enough to have another car wasn’t she? Hadn’t he seen her drive two different cars to school? Then, after an agonizingly drawn out moment, the car door opened. Jamie held his breath, but didn’t realize it until he released it in disappointment. He turned his eyes back to the hood of Josh’s car, purposefully averting his gaze as Britney closed her door and whirled around to face him. Was she walking towards him? A quick glance up confirmed this, but he continued to keep his gaze blindly on the doodles he was finger-painting, mind milling with possible reasons she could be walking towards him. He even thought for a brief moment that maybe Marie had parked behind him and he didn’t notice, and thus Brittany was walking towards her.
“Hey… uh…”
Despite knowing she was walking towards him for several seconds he was still shocked into silence when she spoke, looking up at her like a deer in headlights.
“I just- I wanted to say that, well I know we don’t know each other very well or anything but um, I didn’t tell them. I didn’t tell anyone. Not that you know… I thought it should be a secret or-“
“It’s okay,” Jamie replied quickly, “I know it wasn’t you.”
She raised her perfectly manicured brows in surprise, “Y-you do?”
“Yea.”
It took her a moment, obviously she’d expected to be blamed extensively for what had happened, but finally she nodded in acceptance.
“Um-would you tell Marie that for me? I tried to call her when she didn’t show yesterday, but she wouldn’t pick up.”
“Oh I don’t think she was picking up the phone for anyone yesterday. But yea, I’ll tell her.”
“Okay,” she conceded, nodding and smiling nervously, then turned quickly to walk away.
“Wait,” Jamie said.
She turned back around as if she had been hoping for his interruption, brows raised in question.
“Thanks for… ya know… not going around telling everyone. It um-it was really cool of you.”
Something in the air seemed a little less tense then, as she smiled, melting the chip off that icy green gaze just a bit, at least enough to make her far less intimidating than she was before. And then, mind slowly clearing of initial surprise, Jamie remembered something he’d been wishing to say to her for several weeks, but thought he would never get the chance.
“And the dance…I’ve been meaning to say, that was just about the coolest thing anyone’s ever done around here.”
Her cheeks tinged a little pinker for a moment, her grin widening as she silently searched for some kind of response, but Jamie interrupted her.
“I know you’re not in the best graces with your uh…your friends. So ya know, if you need a place to sit at lunch and stuff… there’s always room at our table.”
They smiled at each other for a brief moment before both looked away awkwardly, realizing the absurdity of this situation. Not a few weeks ago they were ‘enemies’, Brittany habitually throwing insults like there was no tomorrow. Enemies probably wasn’t even the right word for it, more like they were scapegoats for her to mindlessly release insults upon.
“Thanks, but I don’t think Sam would appreciate my presence much. I don’t blame her…”
“Josh is like a brother to me,” he stated seriously, “you stood up for him when no one else would, with consequences worse than most of the people watching would have had to deal with.” She looked up at him in surprise; smile faded slightly, “I don’t care what she says. You’re welcome any time.”
Brittany studied him like she’d never seen him before, as if looking at a very new and very different person than the one she’d been teasing for the better part of their years of school together. It was several seconds before she shook off the shock, and allowed a small but utterly appreciative smile cross her face.
“I guess I’ll see you at lunch then.” She finally replied, grin spreading.
He smiled in return, “Yea.”

It was another fifteen minutes or so before any other signs of life showed themselves in the parking lot, aside from squirrels running amongst the trees twittering in excitement, no doubt for the warm weather. A few cars had pulled up by then, but still no sign of Marie. Jamie slid off the hood of the car, shoving a hand in his pocket and peering around the lot with a heavy exhale. He glanced down at the note in hand, peering around once more before crinkling it open for what must have been the tenth time.
Wait for me in the parking lot tomorrow morning ~Marie
Jamie folded it back up haphazardly and readied to start towards the school when he heard a car door slam behind him, and light footsteps padding across the damp asphalt. He barely had a moment to comprehend who this could be before a pair of arms latched themselves around his waist. Before he even saw the rust red locks of wavy hair wound into a bun, he smelled that familiar perfume she wore. It was light and earthy, much more pleasant than the heavy floral scent most girls wore. He instinctively embraced her in return, feeling a little strange for it after the fact, and it took a long second for him to remind himself that restraint wasn’t necessary anymore. After this realization crossed his mind he rested his cheek on her hair. For a long few moments neither of them said anything, Jamie feeling slightly dizzy at her sudden presence.
The parking lot was now being bombarded by students, most of which turned a very heated gaze towards them, whispering loudly to their companions, to which when Jamie was not too preoccupied by the person latched onto him, he replied with a deep frown and occasional glare. Finally Marie pulled away from him slowly, gaze averted until she was pulled back enough that looking up did not mean an instant kiss, not that that would have been a problem by any means. A smile involuntarily bloomed across his face, just glad what had happened between them was still there.
“I’m sorry.” She said sincerely, eyes still averted, “I don’t even know how to begin to explain myself.”
“You don’t have to,” he replied with a small shrug, “I told you I knew it was gonna be hard, I wasn’t lying when I said it.”
She shook her head, laughing a little, “You’re too nice to me.”
“Mmmyea maybe a little.”
“Not that I’m complaining…”
“I should hope not.”
“Though I have to say,” she sobered, finally seeming to notice the others around them, “it is a little easier to ignore those looks when you’re here.”
He pulled away from her completely then, taking her hand instead, mind a little fuzzy with her unexpected presence.
“Then what’s gonna happen when I’m not here?” He asked, leaning against the car as he gauged her reaction, “Are you gonna pick up when I call? Still notice I exist when everyone is watching?”
Marie chewed her lip nervously, averting her gaze again until she began to speak, “You don’t trust me…”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“It is what you mean. And… I haven’t exactly proven you wrong yet, so you’ve got every right to think it.”
The grip Marie had on his hand loosened as she spoke, but he continued to grasp hers tightly in protest.
“Don’t take it like that, it’s not like I’m not willing-“
“That’s the problem,” she replied, throwing her hands up in the air, breaking away from his grip, “you are completely willing! I’m the one who instigated this but I’m the one who keeps chickening out… and why aren’t you upset with me?!“
Jamie merely shrugged, looking down at his hands and tracing the lines in his palms, “I don’t want to be.”
“You got upset with me before for doing this-“ she said slowly, sitting on the car hood beside him.
“That was before you kissed me.” He replied, raising an eyebrow with a sly grin.
Marie scoffed at him, laughing, “Oh I see how it is. As long as I keep kissing you you won’t get mad then?”
“Of course.”
She smacked him on the arm playfully, “Well then, I guess I can do whatever I want as long as I pucker up!”
“Now I didn’t say that-“
“Mmm that’s exactly what I heard.” She sang, springing off the hood and starting towards the school.
“Hey wait!”
Jamie grabbed her hand as he caught up with her, bookbag slung over one shoulder, grinning as he spotted the utterly determined look on her face.
“You look like you’re going into battle.”
She grinned, “Good.”
“So…” he began slowly, “we’re really doing this? No qualms this time?”
Marie sighed in response; “I guess you won’t feel better till I prove to you I mean business this time.”
“Might help if I knew what changed your mind.”
She stayed silent for a few moments as they got within viewing distance of the crowd in front of the school, then very much to Jamie’s surprise, she whirled around and slung her arms around his neck overzealously.
“Well, being prepared, with backup” she smiled, “certainly helps. But I think mostly it had something to do with remembering this…”
With a coy grin, no doubt at the flush rising in Jamie’s cheeks, she leaned in for a quick kiss that would probably be called a long, unrelenting one by the two involved, much to the pleasure of both parties. When she pulled back, Jamie was out of breath and seeing stars, lips still tingling from it, grinning like an idiot for a moment before blinking and regaining his composure a bit.
“I-uh… could definitely see how that would waiver your opinion…” he replied, voice cracking.
She giggled in response, pulling away and taking his hand again. Only then did they notice what a stir they’d caused. It sounded like a massive swarm of bees buzzing around them as they walked up to the door, but Marie was pretty sure her protective net would hold this time, at least while he continued looking at her in that magic way that went straight to work on the structural integrity of her knees. Hopefully she would make it to the front door without face planting, though it would definitely be worth the chipped tooth.

 

<3