Once we arrive at the bowling alley, Phoebe bitches to Dean about having to wear the weird-looking, smelly shoes that hundreds of people have probably worn. He rubs his temples in annoyance.

We collect our balls, testing each one for the perfect weight. I pick up the light pink one, and Ryker holds the blue colored one. He shows me the correct way to toss a bowling ball, occasionally putting his arms around me. He said I flick my wrist each time I throw the ball. I'm a softball player, and a pitcher at that, not a bowler. I have spent hours training to make my wrists flick, so there is no turning back now. I laugh to myself.

It's Phoebe's turn now. She goes to throw the bowling ball, becoming unsteady and loses her footing. She ends up throwing herself face-first on the wax flooring. I hear people laugh in the other lanes as she remains sprawled out on the floor. I stifle back a laugh and decide to help her off of the floor as her miniskirt flew up, revealing her butt cheeks.

Seriously though, who decides to wear a short skirt and a thong to a bowling alley?

"Don't you dare touch me!" She barks and yanks her arm away as if I electrocuted her.

I put my hands in the air and roll my eyes at her exaggeration. "I am just trying to help you," I say.

"Well, I do not need your help, Stephanie. If I did, I would ask for it, but that's never going to happen." She fixes her untamed hair, trying to pat it down into place.

"Um, my name is Scarlett. Not Stephanie. And by the way, you're welcome." I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to fight the urge to say something impolite.

She rolls her eyes before flicking her hair in my face. "Like I care. Waste of space and time." She kisses Dean on the cheek as he was returning from the snack bar with her soda.

I shake my head and sit back down beside Ryker. Dean walks over to me while Ryker gets up to bowl.

"Thanks for helping her, that was nice of you. I know she hasn't been nice to you and I apologize for that," Dean says to me. He was busy getting her soda when she beefed it, otherwise, he would have helped her. I shrug my shoulder and avoided eye contact.

Suddenly, I feel the warmth of his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, are you mad at me or something?" He asks.

I catch Caleb and Nina staring at us from the corner of my eye.

"No. I don't know why you would think that," I say and continue, "you don't need to apologize for her behavior. She's a big girl, so she can do it herself. I don't know what her problem is. I haven't done anything to make her dislike me, but oh well, no sweat off of me," I whisper, shrugging his hand off my shoulder. It's my turn now as I stand up to grab my ball, leaving Dean sitting alone.

After a few more throws, we finish the game, and Ryker ended up winning. Caleb asks Dean if he could drive Ryker and I home as he has a surprise for Nina. Dean agrees to take us home.

"Yeah, that's not a problem. We can drop you off first, Ryker," he says to him.

Ryker whispers something to Dean as he shakes his head in response. "Fine, dude, alright," Dean says, sounding agitated.

What was that about?

We get into Dean's jeep, and I sit behind Phoebe. Dean turns around in his seat to face me and asks for directions on where I live. I thought we were going to take Ryker home first?

I tell him my address, and he puts the jeep in gear. During the drive home, Ryker places his hand over mine. His hand is cold but somehow comforting as I let my fingers intertwine with his. I look at him and smile, glad that tonight was a success.

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight," he whispers.

"No, thank you. I had fun tonight, Ryker. The food was pretty bomb too." 

"You fucked that burger up. I was impressed." He smiles, looking at my lips, and his stare lingers for a second too long. I'm glad that it's dark in the car, hiding the redness forming across my cheeks.

"Aww, you two are so adorable. Aren't they, babe?" Phoebe says to Dean sarcastically.

I glance up to see if Dean is showing any emotion, but he murmurs, "sure," and turns up the volume of the music in irritation. I catch him looking back at me in the rearview mirror before his eyes dart back on the road.

We pull up to my brother's home a few minutes later. I suppose it's my home too now.

"Well, thanks for the ride home, Dean. You guys have a good night." I give them a faint smile and get out of the jeep. Dean looks at me, giving a small wave and a weak smile in return.

Ryker hops out of the jeep and asks to walk me to the front door. I nod and notice Dean glaring at us with wary eyes before turning back to the road.

"You looked sexy tonight, Scarlett," Ryker utters as we reach the door. My cheeks grow hot from his compliment, feeling awkward because Dean's jeep is sitting idle in the drive.

"Thanks," I whisper, as he looks at me and puts one hand on the small of my back, bringing me closer.

He touches my cheek with his hand, gently stroking with his thumb. I exhale from his touch. "Will you go on another date with me tomorrow? This time just you and me."

I nod, and before I have a chance to say anything, he presses his lips on mine. I close my eyes and kiss him back, getting lost in the moment. His hand pulls me closer towards him with a space of a few centimeters between us before the sound of a horn interrupts us.

BEEP! BEEP!

"Hurry the fuck up, Ryker. I have shit to do," Dean yells, tapping the steering wheel continuously.

I pull away from Ryker, my cheeks burning, and I can't stop smiling. Ryker grins at me before whispering in my ear, "I can't wait to see you tomorrow at school." He gives me a quick kiss before heading back to the jeep. I feel flushed and lightheaded from the change of events.

What the hell just happened?

I watch Ryker climb into the jeep and catch Dean rolling up his window, glaring at me before driving off. All I could think about is I just had my first kiss, and it was good. I didn't get butterflies in my stomach, or even the sparks that fly between us as our lips meet like I'm used to reading, but I did feel happy after. Ryker was a great first kiss, and I'm already excited about our date tomorrow. I rush to my room, pulling out my cell phone to call Nina and tell her what happened.

"Oh my gosh!" Nina squealed. "See! I knew you two would hit it off. How did your first kiss feel? What are your plans for the date?" She asks excitedly.

"It felt good, but I guess it wasn't what I expected. In the movies, they make it seem magical with fireworks and a deep soul connection. He didn't say where we were going," I respond, sparking my curiosity about where Ryker will take me. "Speaking of dates, where did you and Caleb take off to?"

I hear her call out, "Tell Dean he can come over then. Jake is home." I don't think she's talking to me.

"Nina....you there?"

I wait for her to respond."Hmm? Yeah, sorry, Scarlett. I was talking to Caleb," she replies. Caleb took me to his apartment, and we shared a bottle of champagne. He went to a lot of trouble decorating the table with candles and flower petals. He made it truly romantic."

"Aww, that is cute. It sounds like you had fun then. Is everything okay with Dean? I heard you say something about him," I ask, biting my lip. I hope she doesn't think I sound desperate. I just want to make sure he is okay. He was acting strange tonight.

"Dean? Oh yeah, I'm sure he's fine. Caleb received a text from him, asking if we were at my house because he couldn't get ahold of Jake. He said he needs to talk to him about some stuff. I guess Phoebe pissed him off tonight."  She exhales loudly over the phone.

We said good night and then I walked out to the living room to sit on the floor to join my brother and Valerie, who were cuddled on the couch, to watch the rest of 'Just Go With it.'

We carried on talking until we said goodnight and I walked to the living room to join my brother and Valerie, who were cuddled on the couch, watching 'Just Go With It.'

I sit on the floor in front of the two love birds and couldn't stop thinking about my first kiss with Ryker and our date tomorrow. Just then, I receive a text message from an unknown number.

"Hey cutie, it's Ryker. Got your number from Nina. See you tomorrow. I will pick you up around 6. ;)Night!"

I feel Seth lightly kick my back as he sees me smiling at my phone. "Who are you texting over there?"

I text Ryker back before responding to my brother. "Goodnight. See you at 6!"

"It's just Ryker. He is taking me out tomorrow," I finally answer.

"Eek, how exciting for you," Valerie squeals at the same time Seth says, "Guess that means I will be meeting him then too." I roll my eyes and laugh at how he is trying to be a big protective brother.

"Are we still going to town in the morning to look at cars?" Seth asks me.

I forgot we were talking about going to look at some cars this week. I hate having to always ask Valerie and Seth to drive me to school and other places. I'm almost eighteen, so I think it's time I get a car. My dad took me to get my license on my sixteenth birthday, but I never got a car. I saved up some money from working during the summer to help, but my parents left behind quite a bit of money for Seth and me when they passed, so I think getting a car would be a good investment.

"Yeah, I think it's time," I respond to Seth. I am going to call it a night. See you guys in the morning." I say as I stand up from the floor and start to head towards my room.

"Night, Scar," Seth and Valerie both say.

I rush to put on my spandex shorts and a tank top, ready to plop myself into bed and go to sleep. After an eventful night, I am sure looking forward to tomorrow and can't wait to see how it goes.

(I don't know about you, but I wish I had a brother like Seth.)