• tab This was not the way thing were supposed to turn out.
    tab Shoving his hair out of his eyes, Nate leaned against a tree while he caught his breath. Even though he had promised Cass that he would try not to visit Fantasia anymore, he couldn’t bear to stop himself. Things in the real world had become complicated again, far too complicated for his liking. After what had happened between him and Jenna, he needed some time to think, and Fantasia was the only place where he knew he could be alone.
    tab Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he glanced back at the monster he had just defeated. It had originally been an ogre, but now its appearance was almost unrecognizable after becoming the victim of Nate’s fury. The victory should have pleased him but instead it only made him feel worse. This ogre had done nothing wrong and yet, that reasoning hadn’t stopped him.
    tab Walking back over to the dying monster, Nate wondered if he should just put the beast out of its misery. It wasn’t like it had long to live anyway. Yeah, this was his fault, but Jenna’s as well. If she had told him what the problem was then perhaps the ogre wouldn’t have had to suffer. He couldn’t understand why it was so hard for her to tell him what the problem was. True he had done the same thing but at least he had admitted something was wrong. Yesterday it was obvious that something was up and when he saw her in that damn bikini his suspicion had been confirmed. She was keeping something from him. What it was, he didn’t know and until he did, he wouldn’t be able to relax.
    tab Unsheathing his sword, Nate stood straight up before raising it directly above the ogre. The last thing he saw, before bringing down his blade, was the look of gratitude, almost as if it was thankful that Nate had abruptly ended its life.
    tab “You just couldn’t stay away huh?”
    tab Wiping the blood off his sword onto the grass before sheathing it, Nate kept his eyes trained on the dead ogre’s body, “So I came here, big deal.”
    tab “Says the guy who thinks its time to grow up,” a second voice added.
    tab Glimpsing behind him, Nate caught sight of Cass and Theo standing a few feet away from him. He didn’t know what they wanted and he wasn’t sticking around to find out. “If you don’t mind, I want to be alone.”
    tab “So you can kill another innocent creature?”
    tab Fully turning around and facing them, Nate let Cass see the anger still burning within his eyes. “Do you need to have an explanation for everything I do?” His voice came out louder than he intended it too, and yet he didn’t regret shouting at her.
    tab Shaking her head in confusion, Cass tried again, “I’m just trying to help. I heard that you and Jenna had a fight and I-”
    tab "Why do you always have to butt in to everything I do?”
    tab “Don’t yell at her!” Theo called as he moved past Cass, storming straight towards Nate. “I don’t give a damn what your deal is, but don’t take it out on her!”
    tab He knew that he should stop while he was ahead, while he still had the right to call Cass and Theo his friends. Knowing that should have been enough to stop him. It didn’t.
    tab “Since when do you care about anything that isn’t related to you?”
    tab He could hear how stupid he sounded, possibly throwing away eleven years worth of friendship just because he couldn’t keep a lid on his temper. And even as Theo approached him, his hands balled into fists, obviously meant to punch him in the face, Nate couldn’t stop himself from dealing another blow. ”Would it kill you to actually care about somebody else for once in your god damn life?”
    tab The next thing Nate knew, he was staring at the sharp tip of one of Theo’s arrows.
    tab “You better choose your next words carefully,” he warned, “say something stupid again and I’ll shoot.”
    tab “Stop it,” Cass yelled, as the sky seemed to darken. “This isn’t what Fantasia’s for,” and she was right. Fantasia was supposed to be a place immune to their conflicts in the real world. Instead all it was doing was supplying another place for them to fight. All around them, Fantasia was changing, adjusting to match the hostile atmosphere that circulated between Theo and Nate. Within moments, the lush green grass had dried up and become dust, the trees shriveling up as their leaves turned grey.
    tab As if he couldn’t see the rapid changes occurring in Fantasia or hear Cass’s pleading words, Nate drew forth his sword. “Like your really have the guts to actually shoot me,” he sneered.
    tab WOOSH
    tab Ducking out of the way, Nate watched the arrow that had been meant from him hit a nearby tree. Clutching his sword tightly, Nate charged at Theo swinging his blade, narrowly missing Theo’s ear.
    tab Back and forth they went, Theo firing arrows as quickly as he could, Nate slashing the, before they could reach him. Though he could hear Cass screaming at them to stop, Nate blocked her out and continued to advance towards Theo. Pulling his arm back, he cut another arrow in half before swinging his sword at Theo’s chest.
    tab Too slow.
    tab Pulling out another arrow, Theo started to taunt Nate, accusing him of holding back Enraged even further, Nate ran at him again, though the only thing his blade sliced through was air.
    tab “Stop it you guys!” Cass yelled as tears streamed down her face while Nate prepared himself for another attack.
    tab Out of the corner of his eye, Nate saw Theo coming at him. Turning back, he blocked another arrow with ease though he failed to see the one trailing behind it. He jumped back, but not quick enough and at the arrow grazed his arm. Ignoring the burning pain, Nate lifted his sword again, not understanding how he could possibly be losing.
    It should have been an easy victory; Nate was, after all, the more experienced fighter between the two of them. And yet, Theo had managed to gain the advantage over him very quickly. Though it was his own fault for letting his temper get the best of him, depriving him of the stamina needed to fight properly, Nate stubbornly refused to admit defeat, not even when he had his sword knocked from his hands.
    tab “Surrender Nate, lose with some dignity,” Theo had his final arrow pointing at his exhausted friend’s heart.
    tab It was over: at this point, he had no chance of beating Theo, so why couldn’t he just admit it? Nate knew that this whole fight had been pointless, a battle over a problem that Cass and Theo had no part in. If Jenna had just trusted him from the start, then none of this would be happening. He knew that he had made a mistake by retreating to Fantasia when he should have stayed by Jenna’s side. Maybe he shouldn’t have yelled at her. Instead he could have tried talking to her in hopes that she’d open up to him.
    tab “Do you admit defeat or not?” He raised his bow, arrow ready to fly.
    tab Looking up from the dried ground, Nate shook his head, “Never.” Though he was the one that was wrong, he’d never admit it, not even to himself. Hands tightening into fists, Nate charged at Theo, preparing himself for one more attack.
    tab In that moment, two things happened. The first was Theo’s arrow stabbing the ground, missing its target by mere inches. The second was Nate being slammed against a tree with Theo holding him above the ground by the collar of his shirt.
    tab “Had enough? Or maybe a few punches to that thick skull of yours might finally knock some sense into you!”
    tab “Enough!”
    tab Cass appeared besides them, tears streaming down her eyes. Throughout their battle, Cass had been screaming at them in background until her voice was horse. “Put him down Theo,” she begged. Reluctantly, Theo obliged.
    tab Marching over to Nate, Cass didn’t hesitate as she slapped him hard across the face. “That’s for being a complete dumb a**,” she yelled before wiping the remaining tears away. “Now tell me what happened between you and Jenna so I can slap you for that too.”
    tab Rubbing the place where she had slapped him, Nate shook his head in disbelief, “Why is it, whenever something goes wrong, it’s my fault? Hasn’t it ever crossed your mind that maybe its Jenna that’s wrong? That it’s Jenna who says she’s fine even when it’s obvious she’s not? That it’s Jenna who’s refusing my help?”
    tab Nate watched Cass’s angered expression change into remorse. ”If that’s the case, than just tell us what's going on rather than trying to block us out,” she whispered. “Let us help you.”
    tab Feeling the last of his temper vanishing, Nate let out a sigh, “Its not that simple, there are a lot of things that I can’t tell you” he muttered before running a hand through his hair.
    tab “Figures,” Theo mumbled before turning away.
    tab Nate knew that it was just another excuse, but what else could he say? To explain what was going on, he’d have to tell them about that creep Jason and what he did to Jenna, otherwise Cass and Theo would never understand why Jenna’s behavior was such a big deal. But Jenna didn’t want them knowing. Why she wanted to keep it a secret was beyond him, but it wasn’t like he was going to force her tell the truth.
    tab Not ready to give up, Cass tried again, “Then what can you to tell us?”
    tab When he didn’t respond, Theo motioned for Cass to join him, “Lets go, this traitor obviously doesn’t think we’re good enough to know the truth.”
    tab Nate watched Cass gaze sadly at the ground before joining Theo. With Theo’s words still ringing in his ears, Nate spoke up.
    tab “For the last two days, Jenna’s been acting strange…” he went on to tell them about what had happened at the beach. He mentioned the difficulty Jenna faced when it came to trusting people. Though it wasn’t the full truth, it was enough to satisfy his friends’ curiosity,
    tab “…Something’s not right, and the longer she keeps it a secret, the more angry I become. And after today, I guess I just couldn’t take it anymore. I told her that if she wasn’t going to tell me the truth, than she shouldn’t bother talking to me at all.”
    tab Once he was through speaking, Nate felt as if a large weight had been lifted from his chest.
    tab “You could have just told us,” Theo said at last. “Not that I don’t mind kicking your a**, but still, it would have been a hell of a lot easier.”
    tab Nate shot him a look before glancing over at Cass who was now sitting on the ground, picking at the grass that was slowly beginning to grow back. He had yet to apologize for the things he had said to her and he knew that Cass wouldn’t help him until he did so.
    tab “Listen Cass, the things I said before, you know I didn’t mean them.”
    tab Folding her arms, Cass pursed her lips together like a sulking child. “How should I know if I should believe you or not?”
    tab She wasn’t making this easy, “Give me a break. I was mad and obviously not thinking.”
    tab Besides him, he heard Theo whisper, “When do you ever think?”
    tab Sighing, Cass put her hands on her lap before getting to her feet after a long gap of silence, “You’re lucky that you’re my friend, otherwise I’d never talk to you again,” she ran a hand through her hair as the sky started to brighten. “So, enlighten me, how exactly are you going to handle this situation with Jenna, not by yelling at her I hope.”
    tab Smiling, Nate knew that she had forgiven him, at least, for the time being.
    tab “I could try talking to her again, that is, if she lets me. I said some pretty shitty things to her.”
    tab “Not surprised.” Theo smirked.
    tab “What Theo means to say,” Cass nudged Theo with her elbow, “is that you need to work on keeping a lock on your temper.”
 Though her translation was supposed to make him feel better, Nate still felt like a jerk. Jenna probably needed him and instead of staying by her side, he had completely turned his back on her.
    tab “If I only she’d fill me in, than maybe I could help her. These last two days I’ve just felt completely useless.”
    tab “Wait,” Theo looked over at Nate curiously, his blue eyes shining brightly. “When did you say she started acting strange?”

    tab “Jenna? Jenna are you in there?”
 Ignoring Dahlia’s voice, Jenna pulled the blankets back over her head, wishing that her grandmother would just go away.
    Thankfully, Dahlia hadn’t been home when Jenna had come running into the apartment, tears streaming down her face as she raced into the safety of her room.
    tab Hearing Dahlia call her name again, Jenna resisted the temptation of jumping up out of bed and straight into her grandmother’s arm where she could ball her eyes out and finally rid herself of the secret that was weighing her down. But of course she could never do that. Even now, her own parents had no clue about what had happened on that day in May nor imagine why their daughter’s social life had dried up was because her whole school thought she was a liar. There was only one person she could talk to and at the moment, he hated her.
    tab Not long afterwards, Dahlia gave up and walked away. Sitting up, Jenna brought her hands to jacket that Nate had given to her at the start of the summer, back before things had become complicated. If only she could go back in time and stop herself from meeting Cassidy, than she was sure that none of this would be happening. But if she hadn’t met Cassidy, than she would have never met Nate and would probably still be scared to trust people.
    tab Sighing she wondered what Nate was up to. The last time she had seen him he had been pretty angry and wouldn’t be surprised if he had gone to seek out Cassidy or Theo. The image of Nate being with another girl into her mind and she tried to shake it away. True, he hadn’t exactly said that they we’re over, but he had definitely hinted at it.
    tab Feeling her stomach rumble, Jenna wondered if she should make a move towards the kitchen. Dahlia had ears like a fox though, and would be upon her the moment she heard the refrigerator door open. In the end Jenna decided to risk it. Besides, she was going to be spending the remainder if her vacation hiding in her room and she needed to stock up on the necessary junk food.
    tab Cracking her door open, Jenna crept out of her room, glancing around nervously, knowing that the moment she ran into Dahlia she was sunk. Moving over to the kitchen, Jenna hastily opened the fridge and grabbed what was left of the chocolate loaf cake that Arnie had bought over the night before. Since she had been busy with Nate, Jenna hadn’t really noticed that she wasn’t the only one caught up in a summer romance. Ever since the swim race, Arnie had become a frequent visitor, often appearing just before sunset with a dozen or so flowers for Dahlia. The two of them made it look so easy, being in such a simple relationship. Neither of them had to worry about the problems that she faced, especially since Arnie didn’t seem like the type of guy who had a short temper. Closing the fridge door, Jenna turned around and came face to face with Dahlia who was leaning against the kitchen counter, hands on her hips.
    tab “Well, well, what do we have here?”
    tab Putting the piece of cake on the table, Jenna walked over to the cabinet to get a fork, “I just woke up,” she lied brilliantly, “now I’m hungry.”
    tab Raising her eyebrow, Dahlia shook her head, “Just woke up you say? Funny, I could have sworn that I heard what sounded like crying coming from your room. Care to share with me?”
    tab Damn, Dahlia had heard her after all.
    tab “It’s not important,” she said, trying to keep her cool and not let Dahlia know the truth.
    tab Crossing the room Dahlia took the fork from Jenna’s hands, “Did that Nate say or do something to you…” her voice trailed off as she searched Jenna’s eyes.
    tab Yes.
    tab “No, he didn’t do anything,” she replied as she looked away from her grandmother’s eyes.
    tab For a moment Dahlia presumed to stare at her unflinchingly until at last she stepped away, obviously satisfied with Jenna’s response. Placing the fork back on the table, Dahlia turned as if she was about to leave, “Once your done eating, could you run an errand for me?”
    tab “Well…I…I…”
    tab “It won’t take long if that’s what your worried about,” Dahlia opened the fridge and pulled out some milk before grabbing an empty glass, “I just need you to go over to Dora’s and fetch my power bars.”
    tab Leaving the apartment was the last thing that Jenna wanted to do. Out there somewhere, Jason was waiting for her, most likely knowing that Nate wasn’t going to be an obstacle anymore.
    tab “Listen Dahlia, I’m not sure if that-”
    tab “Jenna, a little exercise and sunlight won’t kill you,” she plucked her purse off the table, reached in and handed Jenna a few bills. “Now get going.”
    tab It wasn’t a suggestion it was a demand. Sulking, she took the money from Dahlia’s hands and walked back into her room and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Before walking out of her room, she grabbed the jacket that Nate had given her and pulled it on. After pulling on her flip-flops, Jenna grabbed her phone before storming out of her room.
    tab “Thank-you sweetheart,” Dahlia called from the kitchen.
    tab Jenna ignored her as she closed the door behind her.
    tab Once outside Jenna knew that she had to be on her guard. Cautiously, she stepped onto the boardwalk, glancing behind her to make sure that Jason wasn't lurking behind a bench or lamppost.
    tab “About time.”
    tab Too scared to turn around, Jenna self-consciously clutched her jacket tightly, Wha…what are you doing here?”
    tab Hearing Jason approach her, Jenna felt her heart start to race. “Is it a crime for a guy to wait for his girlfriend?”
    tab For a moment she forgot her fear and turned around. “I’m not your girlfriend,” she snapped though she had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying that she was Nate’s girlfriend.
    tab Smirking, he stood up from the bench he had been sitting on and cocked his head in the direction of the apartment building. “So that’s where you live…”
 “What? You’re stalking me now?”
    tab Lips curling into a smile, Jason shook his head, “You wish. As it was, a rather nice guy named Lance told me where you lived here. He even told me what room number your staying in.”
    tab Of course Lance would do something like that. Knowing Jason, he probably had asked around, telling people that he was looking for his girlfriend. And it made complete sense that it would be Lance that gave Jason the information he needed, especially since it meant making a fool out of Nate.
    tab Suddenly she felt Jason’s arm on hers. “Back off,” she whispered coldly as she shoved him away. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
    tab “Aw, did something happen between you and your boyfriend? You seem like you’re in a bad mood.”
    tab “Even if something did, why would I tell you?”
    tab Moving in front of her and blocking her path, Jason looked her up and down. “It really doesn’t matter. But look on the bright side, now that you and your so-called boyfriend are finished we can pick up right where we left off…”
    tab Before she had a chance to react, Jenna found herself trapped in his arms, while Jason smashed his lips on hers.
    tab Around them, Jenna could hear people whispering as they stopped and watch the two of them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lena and her gang watching them, a look of maliciousness sprawled across her face. Behind her, Rena and Gina were clicking away on their phones. She knew what would happen now; the rumors would start up again. Within hours everyone would be talking about her and the mysterious boy she was seeing behind Nate’s back.
    tab “Hey, let her go!”
    tab Jason was caught off guard, giving Jenna the opportunity to push him away as they turned to see the crowd parting for Nate, Cassidy and Theo.
    tab “If it isn’t the boyfriend,” Jason sneered as he grabbed Jenna’s arm again, pulling her back to him. “You know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he called to Nate. “There’s something about our little Jenna that you should know.”
    tab “Let me go,” she tried to break free but there was no use. Glancing back, she watched Nate approach them, his green eyes narrowing into snake-like slits.
    tab “I said let her go,” he replied coldly.
    tab Ignoring Nate’s venomous tone, Jason continued, “I don’t know how to tell you this but Jenna has this bad habit. She likes picks up gullible losers and tell them that she’s single, when in reality, she’s just looking for some sucker she can fool around with.”
    tab Grinning triumphantly, he put his other arm around her, “I don’t know what she told you but, Jenna’s my girlfriend and you can easily tell from the expression on her face that she’s missed me.” Jason finished is he bent down slowly and kissed her on the cheek.
    tab Jenna had to fight the urge to throw up as she jerked her face away from him. Tears streaming down her face, she turned back to Nate who was looking at the ground. “He’s lying. Please Nate you have to believe-” Jason cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand.
    tab “Sorry for all the trouble she’s caused you,” he shot Nate a friendly smile before turning his attention back to Jenna. “Come on Jenna, lets go somewhere where we won’t be disturbed…”
    tab Jason had just stared to pull Jenna away when Nate’s voice shot through the crowd.
    tab “Do you really think I’m as stupid as everyone else? That I would fall for your bullshit?” He looked at Jenna and she could see the anger raging in his eyes. “You can lie all you want but I know the truth, and if you don’t let her go I’ll make sure everybody here does too,” he threatened.
    tab Pulling his hand away from her mouth Jason glared at her furiously, “Don’t tell me you’ve been telling people that pathetic story of yours?” He was yelling at her, not even bothering to mask his real personality.
    tab “Why wouldn’t I?” She cried, “Why wouldn’t I warn him about the monster that you really are!’
    tab Raising his hand shoved her hard onto the ground, “You little whore, couldn’t you just accept the truth!” he towered over Jenna, his hand balled into a fist ready to hit her again. But before Jason could reach her, Nate tackled him to the ground.
    tab Eyes widening, Jenna watched as Nate ceaselessly punched Jason, shouting things that couldn’t be heard over the screams and cheers that where being emitted by the crowd of spectators. When Nate had tried to fight Lance he hadn’t stood a chance; but with Jason, Nate had the upper-hand. Back and forth the two of them hit each other, but Nate gained the greater advantage when he pinned Jason to the ground.
    tab It should have made Jenna happy, watching Jason getting the beating that had been long overdue, but instead she was scared. After a few minutes later, she found herself on her feet shouting at Nate to stop.
    tab “That’s enough Nate,” she hear herself yell. To her surprise Nate had heard her, with Jason still pinned down, he turned to face her. Compared to his fight with Lance, Nate had barely gotten a scratch from his little brawl with Jason. The only sign that showed he had been fighting was his blood- covered fist.
    tab “Are you sure?” he questioned, as he glanced back down at Jason who lay crumpled and bleeding on the ground. “I wouldn’t mind beating the crap out of him some more.”
    tab Nodding, she watched Nate get to his feet before heading over to her. The reality of everything finally being over was so surreal, it didn’t seem possible. If Jason knew what was good for him, he would never go near her again. Jenna was so naively relieved that she hadn’t notice Jason getting to his feet before it was too late. The next thing she knew, Nate was on the ground with Jason choking the life out of him.
    tab Screaming in fear, she watched Theo jump in and throw Jason off of Nate and help his friend back to his feet. Nate massaged his throat and winced painfully. Slowly he brought his hand to the back of his head and when he pulled it back, Jenna’s stomach churned when saw that it was covered in blood. Before Theo could hold him back though, Nate walked over to Jason, picked him up by the collar of his shirt and sneered. “You really are a loser, couldn’t even fight me unless my back was turned.” Then he forcefully shoved Jason back on the ground with a satisfying crunch.
    tab Before anything else could happened, a man moved in between the three of them, ordering them to break it up. Nate glared at the man before turning back towards Jason.
    :tab“I’m warning you, if you ever go near her again, I’ll really beat the crap out of you.” 
 And with that Nate confidently turned his back on Jason and made his way over to Theo and Cassidy who had now joined Jenna.
    tab Ruefully, Nate let Theo helped him back to the apartment building, where Cass carefully bandaged his hand. Then Theo and Cassidy left in a hurry to leave Jenna and Nate alone to talk things out. At first Nate didn’t say anything, instead he picked at the cloth wrapped around his knuckles. But when Jenna gently put her hand on his knee, her eyes, still tearstained from watching Nate so close to death, he glanced up at her with eyes shining like emeralds in the afternoon sun.
    tab “You should have just told me,” he mumbled as he tucked a few strands of fallen hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her swollen cheek from when Jason had slapped her. “I could’ve stopped him before he’d hurt you.”
    tab She knew that he was right, but she wanted to say something, to do something that would ‘make it all right. Tearfully she began to apologize, “Nate I’m-”
 “Shhh,” he whispered softly. “I know.”
 “But-,” she tried again.
 “Hey look I know it’s hard to understand, but with everything that’s happened, but I just don’t want to spend any more time on apologies,” he glanced meaningfully at her. “Okay?”
    tab Mid-speech Jenna closed her mouth and nodded thankfully.
    tab “Great now that that’s over… have anything else you want to share with me?”
    tab “Yeah,” she smiled before leaning in and kissing him, realizing with certainty that the nightmare she had been trapped in was finally over.

    tab It was still fairly early when Nate and Jenna returned from their date, and came to stand in front of Jenna’s apartment.
    tab Even though Nate’s fight with Jason had happened nearly a week ago, people were still whispering about it. Especially Lena, who seemed obsessed with the concept of Jenna cheating on Nate. “I know what I saw,” Lena would constantly tell people. “It’s painfully obvious that she’s two timing him,” and then her two sidekicks would quickly nod mindlessly in agreement. But of course, Nate and Jenna couldn’t care less about Lena’s pitiful attempts to cause them pain. Nate was a master at ignoring any kind of talk that involved him; and Jenna too, had become confidant enough to brush off any gossip about her. .
    tab “Do you want to come in?” Jenna slowly pulled out her key from her purse, “Dahlia’s out with Arnie and you know how long that’s going to take…”
    tab Nate looked at the ground, unsure if he should say yes. Ever since his fight, he noticed Jenna becoming more confident with herself. And although he was happy for all the progress she’d made, he didn’t want to push things and make Jenna feel uncomfortable again.
    tab “Well?” she interrupted his train of thought.
 She watched him open and close his mouth indecisively, unsure about what to say.
    tab As if reading his mind, Jenna took a step forward and kissed him lightly before wrapping her arms around him. Pulling back he watched as she gazed boldly into his eyes. And then, in no time at all, they were in her room kissing each other. 
 After laying Jenna down her bed and removing his shirt, Nate watched a brief look of insecurity flash across Jenna’s face.
    tab Guiltily he reached for his shirt muttering his apologies, but Jenna sat up and reached out to stop him.
    tab “I want this Nate,” she whispered as she tossed his shirt off the bed before lightly kissing his cheek, and then traveling down to find his lips.
    tab Laying her back down Nate stared into her eyes, still unconvinced by her actions. He had to know one final thing before taking it any further. “Do you trust me?” he whispered softly. For a moment Jenna just stared at him wordlessly.
    tab Just when he was beginning to doubt her, he felt one of Jenna’s hands grasp his own. “Believe me when I say this,” her voice flowed with unheard confidence as she stared him directly in the eyes. “I trust you,” she spoke as she once again felt Nate’s lips on hers.
    tab Afterwards they lay with their arms wrapped around each other just like they had weeks before on the night of the dance.
    tab “What are you thinking?” Jenna asked him so quietly Nate could barely hear her.
    tab It was an easy question to answer. He was thinking about how far he had come from the beginning of the summer, about how much both of them had changed. If someone had asked him a few months ago what his plans were for the summer, Nate never would have envisioned something like this happening. Before Jenna, the only people he cared about had been: Theo, Cass and himself. No one had broken through the protective shell he’d kept up to separate himself from reality, the barrier that constantly kept him in Fantasia. And then Jenna had come along, and he had come to realize that he didn’t need Fantasia anymore. 

    tab “I was thinking about,” he closed his fingers around her hand and smiled, “how thankful I am that you were able to save me.”
    tab “I should be saying the same thing about you,” she whispered back as she buried her head I space beneath his chin.
    tab Kissing her forehead lightly, he kept his arms locked around her waist, while he whispered things tenderly into her ears. It didn’t matter what he said to her, the summer was ending soon and he was determined not to waste the little time he had left with her.
    tab Hours later, he woke and for the first time, allowed himself to believe that this wasn’t a dream, wasn’t his imagination running wild. Glancing besides him, he saw Jenna huddled beneath the blanket, holding the fabric tightly in her hands as if she was afraid to let go. Nate felt a cool breeze graze the back of his neck and felt Jenna shiver in his arms. Rubbing the back of his head, Nate slipped out of bed and padded over towards the small door that led to the terrace. Closing his eyes, Nate took in the familiar salty smell of the ocean; let it linger on his mind before pulling the door closed.
    tab Sighing he returned to Jenna’s side. Lying down besides her, he carefully wrapped his arms around her still shivering body, and held her close. Before closing his eyes again, he glanced back at the terrace door and wondered if this was the first time since summer began, that the once comforting summer air had become cold.

    tab It amazed Jenna how quickly the week seemed to come to an end. It was her last week there; the one that she wished could last forever. In less than two days she would be back with her parents.
    tab Nate had hardly left her side the past few days, but she still felt that it wasn’t enough. If it were possible, she would have liked to stay in White Sands long after the summer ended. She would have loved to walk through the halls with Nate on his first day of school, to witness the changes that had occurred within him that summer in action. She was sure that his days of being hated and bullied were a thing of the past. Nate wasn’t the same guy he had been when she had first met him in June. Now when he talked to people he looked them in the eye and smiled. Jenna found it incredible how the slightest details could make a person look and be ten times better than they had been before. Jenna was certain that if Nate walked into South Hollow High with his new attitude he’d be the most drool-worthy boy by the end of first period.
    tab “How’s the water?”
    tab Glancing up from where she sat on near the edge of the pool Jenna smiled as Nate sat down besides her. “Pleasantly cool,” she replied before Nate’s lips lightly grazed her cheek before finding her lips. And for a moment Jenna was lost in their kiss.
    tab As Jenna reluctantly pulled away from Nate, her gaze flitted across the pool for a moment, where Lena and her crew sat on lounge chairs trying to read magazines. Every now and then Jenna caught Lena throwing glances in their direction. The rumors about her and Jason had long since vanished from the public radar. Naturally, Lena had moved on, anxious to find her next unsuspecting prey to sink her claws into.
    tab “So, you’ll never guess what I did,” Nate said as he dipped his hands into the water to test the temperature. Jenna watched with amusement as Nate jerked his hand back out, startled by its coldness.
    tab “Make friends with Lance?” she mused teasingly.
    tab Rolling his eyes, Nate wrapped his arm around her waist, “Sorry to disappoint you but I’d rather die then give that jack-a** a high-five.” Jenna laughed as he went on, “Anyway as I was going to say, I just had a friendly chat with the swim coach up at the high school and I am proud to that I have officially rejoined White Sand’s swim team,” he finished his announcement triumphantly.
    tab Jenna couldn’t believe it. “What happened to not wanting the team to get credit for all your hard work?”
    tab Shrugging his shoulder, Nate stood back up and unzipped his lifeguard’s jacket, revealing his perfectly toned swimmers body. “I realized that I couldn’t hold grudges against those idiots forever,” he paused and grinned mischievously. “I mean, it’s not their fault that they don’t know the difference between a backstroke and a breaststroke.” Then smiling at her he went on to say. “And, I lied when I said I didn’t love swimming. I miss the thrill of competition and of course being showered with praise from my adoring fans.”
    tab Standing up, Jenna followed him to the pool steps. “I always had a feeling that you were being less than honest about that. Although I don’t real see any adoring fans,” she gave him a playful shove as he scoffed indignantly. “I always saw the way your face lit up when you were in the water. It’s where I always thought you’d belonged instead of sitting out baking in the sand. Although, now that I’ve mentioned your long hours in the sun, I have to wonder why you‘re not tan.”

    tab “Ha-ha, funny. I’ll have you know that I am tan enough,” then he turned and gazed intently into her eyes for a moment. “But, you know that if you keep talking like that about me, people are going to start thinking that I’ve gone soft,” and with a small smile he stepped into the water.
    tab Even though the pool was crowded with other residents, they all cleared a path the moment Nate dove into water. It was as if he was some kind of water God, commanding the space without even having to ask for it. While Nate did his laps, the entire area fell silent as everyone watched in awe as he practically glided across the water. For him it was effortless, it was almost as if he flying. Even Lena had dropped her magazine, and to Jenna’s utter joy, she was sitting on the edge of her chair with her overly glossed lips hanging open.
    tab After four laps Nate got out at the shallow end. Glancing around curiously at his mesmerized onlookers, he tried not to look too pleased with himself as he mumbled, “Honestly it’s like they’ve never seen a guy swim before,” as he sat down on the steps. After a brief moment everyone, started talking again, and resuming what they’d been doing before Nate had stolen their attention.
    tab “What makes you think they were looking at you Nate? It’s not like you’re a super cool knight or anything.”
    tab Turning around, Jenna grinned as Cassidy appeared with Theo standing awkwardly behind her. While Cassidy ran over to Nate and started poking him, Theo smiled uncomfortably at Jenna before looking away. He still wasn’t as friendly with her as Jenna would have liked, but at least she saw that he was trying.
    tab “So this is where you two have been hiding out, we’ve been looking all over for you,” Cassidy pouted as she left Nate alone and walked over to Jenna. “Hey there’s actually something I want to tell you, can you come with me for a sec,” she whispered eagerly into her ear.
    tab Nodding, Jenna waited for Nate and Theo to become to engaged in their own conversation, before she followed Cassidy over to the relatively deserted hot tub. “What’s up?” she asked tentatively.
    tab Cheeks flushing strawberry red, Cassidy giggled girlishly as she shuffled her feet, “Just now, when we were in the ballroom Theo kissed me!”
    tab “That’s…that’s really great!” was all she could manage to say, “I’m so happy for you!” but as excited for Cassidy as she was, Jenna just couldn’t picture Theo expressing such an extreme emotion since, considering his remarkably stoic demeanor. In fact, she was surprised that Theo was even into Cassidy since he always acted more than annoyed usual whenever Cassidy was around.
    tab “I know, isn’t it? It’s like the perfect ending to a perfect summer!” Cassidy squealed.
    tab A perfect ending.
    tab Once again Jenna, found herself thinking about the end of summer vacation. In just a few days, she would have to leave Nate and return to a place where she didn’t have any friends waiting for her. But then she suddenly realized that was she wasn’t worried about being friendless. Beyond her ex-friends was a whole different world, one that she would have never considered stepping into if they hadn’t ostracized her. It was because of their actions that she was able to have met Cassidy, Theo and especially Nate. She wasn’t even afraid of the rumors about her and Jason, they were meaningless, Nate had taught her that. Let people believe what they think, she thought to herself, they’re just denying themselves the truth. Inside Jenna knew that the only reason people gossiped about her, was because their lives were so mundane that they had nothing else to talk about.
    tab “Hey you guys, lets race,” Nate called out to them from where he stood.
    tab Smiling at each other Jenna and Cassidy walked back over to the guys. While Cassidy went off with Theo to set their stuff down on some empty chairs, Jenna walked directly over to Nate who was standing by the pool.
    tab “Ready to get your a** kicked,” she smirked as she slid into the water, with Nate. “I think you’ll be surprised to see how well your lessons have paid off.”
    tab She knew he was going to win, but there was no sense in letting him feel too confident. Even if she did come in dead last she didn’t care. As long as she was having fun and being with the boy she loved, what happened next didn’t really matter.
    tab Jenna, Nate Cassidy and Theo all took their positions next to each other.
    tab “On your mark…” as she heard Nate count off, Jenna readied herself anxious for the start. Jenna didn’t know how her first day of senior year was going to go. Jenna knew that she could still be the laughing-stock of the school, but on the other hand, her old friends might have realized their mistakes and want to apologize. But regardless of the outcome, Jenna was done hiding from the future and even though Nate wouldn’t be with her when she walked through her very own halls, she felt ready to face the student body.
    tab “…Get set…” Quickly glancing to her right, she caught Nate’s eye and smiled. Nate had protected her; he had returned her trust in people and helped make her stronger. She would miss him while she was gone, but the impact of everything he and Cassidy and Theo had taught her would remain long after the summer ended.
    tab “…Go!” Nate yelled and she was off.


    tab Epilogue

    tab “Can you believe Mr. Jones gave us homework on the first day?”
    tab Jenna shrugged her shoulders at Ashley as they headed towards her locker. Besides the homework, everything else had actually been tolerable. Earlier that morning she had woken up to find a text message on her cell, from Nate, wishing her a good day. At the time she had lazily replied back “yeah right,” too tired to respond with a response that seemed more joke-like. She hoped he hadn’t taken her seriously, because it wasn’t like she was afraid of what people might whisper about her as walked by them; it was because she already missed him. Their last days together felt like a distant dream, ones that she wished she could live over and over for the rest of her life.
    tab “So do you want to hang out after school?” Ashley leaned against a locker and waved as a few of their new friends walked by. Jenna turned and waved at them too. Ashley had introduced them to her earlier that day, and they all hit off instantly. The six of them even made plans to eat out together for lunch the next day. Even later in the day when Jenna saw Rachel and her old friends, they didn’t matter. They were her past and she was living in the future. Of course, she didn’t have to worry about them gossiping about her anymore, there was an even bigger story going around school. Jenna wasn’t shocked; this was High School after all.
    tab “Sure.” Shoving the last of her books into her locker, Jenna suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her jean pocket. She pulled it out and as she flipped it open and she saw that there was a new text message waiting in her inbox.
    tab “Ooh. I bet it’s from your boyfriend,” Ashley giggled as they headed towards the door.
    tab Opening the message Jenna smiled as she read it.
    tab “how was ur day?”
    tab Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, she eagerly typed her response.
    tab “can’t wait 2 tell u l8er.”