Stephanie paused for a second as a wave of regret washed over her. Last time she lost her cool like that was when-- Well... when Ashley Langenkamp -the school's resident mean girl- purposely spiked the ball straight into Tiffany's face, during a particularly rough game of dodgeball back in middle school, breaking off a tooth and causing a pretty severe nosebleed. Ashley was laughing her ass off... until Stephanie got her slingshot. Then the laughter stopped. Langenkamp went back home with -count 'em- eighty-seven marble-shaped bruises all over her body and face, according to the nurse.
Still, she wasn't ready to forgive and forget, just yet. Instead, she rummaged through her backpack for those ever-present leftover school supplies, eventually pulling out half a roll of Scotch Tape.
"Here." she said, tossing it Tiffany's way. "For the..." she motioned toward her glasses.
Tiffany caught it and gave her a silent nod.
-----
It was a beautiful night. Crisp and serene, with just enough moonlight to illuminate their way. Stephanie and Miles walked down the front yard and out the main gate, taking the narrow path to the right, through the woods and up the hillside. She finally decided to let her guard down-- not like she had that much of a choice. Miles always had this quality-- this fun, warm, positive aura, like everything was going to be okay; she felt like she could be herself around him-- it was why she fell for him in the first place. They trekked through the night, laughing and catching up, until they got to what the gang had dubbed Make-Out Point; a small clearing with a killer view. They could see the mansion, the falls, the lake, the town-- their whole world. Further up ahead was Wacky Walter's cabin and the radio tower; the little red light at the top blinking the night away, like a faulty Rudolph's nose. They could hear KLLR's nightly jams in the distance; all music, no commercials, the way God intended.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr4n-Y2tpjc"Wait, that's your master plan?" Stephanie chuckled. "Win me back at Make-Out Point?"
"Win you back? Campbell, I never lost you." Miles smiled, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "So... Wanna tell me why you've been avoiding me since graduation?"
"Miles, I-- I'm not going to Brown."
"You didn't get in?"
"No, I did, I just-- I don't wanna go. I love this town and I-- I don't wanna leave my dad behind. I'm staying here..."
"What, that's it? That's the super duper secret reason you've been ignoring my calls, all this time? Dammit, Campbell, you're dumber than you look."
"..."
"You wanna stay here? Fine, let's stay here!"
"See, this is why I didn't wanna tell you. You've been practically dreaming of going to Brown since you could talk, and I-- I didn't wanna hold you back... I didn't want you to wake up next to me five years from now and realize you've missed out on your dream and-- and resent me for it..."
