How Did I Fall In Love With You

[Kristin]

Here's another cheesy romance fic for y'all. I hope you enjoy and please leave some feedback:)

**Warning: An occasional cuss word might be slipped in here and there**

~Chapter 1~ (Britnei’s P.O.V)

It was a cold and blustery December afternoon. I pulled my coat closer to me to keep myself warm. I had a love/hate relationship with winter. I hated the cold wind on my face and the slippery ice. But there was something about snow that made things so magical.

I was a sophomore at Columbia University. At the present moment I was heading to the Columbian. It was the student newspaper, and one of the elite student newspapers in the country. This past semester I had earned a spot as resident pop culture columnist. Sophomores rarely got places on the actual paper; that was reserved for juniors and seniors. So it added a little pressure to perform up the high expectation that had been set for me. And I’ve been trying to keep up with that.

I got in the door, joyful to be in the office at last. I got to my desk and began to read some of the email I had gotten. The column had been pretty much a hit with the students. It had made me some friends around campus. But there were also people who didn’t like it. They accused me of things and bashed me for bashing their favorite celebrity or whatever. It was my column; I had the freedom to express my views in whatever way I wanted. If they didn’t agree with it, it was their problem.
Someone knocked on my door. “Come in” I said.
Will Dotson, the entertainment editor came in. “Hi Will, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I know you, along with everyone else, is busy at this time of year, given that it is finals. But do you think you could try to do a favor for me?”
I nodded, getting out my planner. “What is it?”
“Melissa Sandhorn has backed out of her local band profile story that she was supposed to do this weekend. And I can’t get anyone else to do it. Do you have any free time to do it?”
I looked at my planner. “I’m pretty much booked, except Saturday 7 to whenever I decided to go to bed”
“That’s perfect. Will you do it?”
“I guess I can. But I’m going to have a talk with Melissa and tell her that I am not covering for her again” I told him.
“Thank you Britnei, you are a life saver. If you had sad that you couldn’t do it, I would have had to do it and I have absolutely no time to. And that story NEEDS to be in there.”
“No problem, Will. I need to work on my column now”
“All right. Have that on my desk by Monday, along with your column.”
“I can do that.”

By the time I was done working on my column, it was dark outside. It was done though and that was all that mattered.
My cell phone went off right then.

“Hello?”

“Hey babydoll” It wad my boyfriend, Christian, aka Chris. It was amazing how, as busy as I was with school, I still had time to have a social life and have a boyfriend. We hadn’t been able to see each other much lately because it was finals time.

“Hey. What you doing?” I asked.

“Nothing much. Supposed to be studying, but I can’t concentrate. How about you?”

“Just finished my column at the paper, and I’m about to leave” I was gathering my stuff as I said this.

“I see” We talked as I walked down to the subway to get back to my apartment.

“Are you doing anything Saturday night?” He asked.

“Actually yes. I have to do someone else’s [arse]ignment for the paper” I said.

“Britnei!” I could tell that that statement annoyed Chris. “That’s my only free time!”

I rolled my eyes. “Chris, it’s mine too, but I had too. The paper would have been missed up if I hadn’t.”

“You and that damn paper. It seems liker you spend too much time there”

Chris had a major that was nowhere near as stressful as mine, so he didn’t understand sometimes how busy I was. It annoyed the hell out of me. I know, he missed me. I missed him too. But I also wanted to get the best grades I could and do the best job I could at the paper. It was preparing me for later in life. “You just don’t understand Chris. Why do you give me such a hard time about this?”

“Because I miss you and I feel like we get no time together anymore”

I sighed. We had been through this too many times to count recently. “We’ve been through this a million times already. Do we need to go through it again?”

“Probably not….”

“Look… we’ll get time at Winter break. And that’s only a week away. Please, just be patient” I was trying hard not to lose my temper.

The tone calmed down for a while. We talked all the way home and a little bit after I had gotten into my apartment. Then we exchanged “I love yous” and goodbyes.

I sighed as I hung up. Things weren’t always this way. When we met in the beginning of freshman year, everything was perfect. He was really sweet, caring, romantic, funny, everything I wanted in a boyfriend. We always savored the moments we did have together because we knew they were limited. But lately he had become more selfish and wanting me to spend all my free time with him. I hadn’t said yes every time, which really made him mad. Then he always says he’s sorry and lures me back to him. I always fall for it. But I’m not sure how much longer I can take this. It seems to have become a cycle now that never ends. Maybe someday it would end and things would be ok again. But there was also the possibility that it wouldn’t and things could end. I had no clue what I was going to do at this point.

My thoughts turned to other things. I couldn’t wait to go home. It was always fun, with my big family. It consisted of my three sisters, my twin sister Bonni, who was also 21, my younger twin sisters Kristin and Ali, who were 17, my dad, and his girlfriend, Savannah (my parents divorced years ago) and her three kids, Will, 14, Jonathan, 13, and Kaylee, 13 come over all the time. They have started to become like to family to us.
Hopefully also a lot of my friends from high school would be there too. I was still close to a lot of them. Actually, some of them I had known since kindergarten.
Suddenly this feeling of warmth came over me. After getting through one hell of a finals week and spending time with Chris, I could be home. With all the people that I loved.

[Kristin]

I will post another few chapters in this after i get my shower... so look for some in 15-20 minutes or so

[Donald Duck]

nice ;D

[Kristin]

I lied... I got distracted by other things. So i'm going to make up for it now. Please read and leave some nice reviews

~Chapter 2~

So I went to the concert that night. It was kind of a metal/punk band. I liked it, but I wouldn’t go again. It was the type of music that was good to get your aggression out on.

Finals week was absolute hell. I had so much studying, test taking and work to do at the Columbian that I thought I was going to lose my head. I didn’t, but there were several occasions that I was close to it.

Chris and I finally got to spend time together, but it wasn’t till after Winter Break started. Things were the way they always were. It confused me. When we were together, he was the boyfriend I met on that fateful September day. But when we got busy and had to be apart for awhile… he began to be this selfish, controlling time-hog. I had reached the conclusion that I had to leave it alone for now. If things got worse; I would cross that bridge when I came to it. And besides I had no reason to be depressed. It was Christmastime! Everyone was supposed to be joyful during the holiday season.

I landed in the Columbus airport, feeling really good. I had a month of family, friends, free time and good home cooking to look forward to.
Dad and Bonni were meeting me at the airport. This would be an interesting affair, because the bond between them was on the mend. Things between them were severely damaged by things happening a couple years ago. Come to think of it, I haven’t had the best relationship with her all these years. We resented each other in junior high and part of high school because, even though we were exactly alike in looks, we thought we were too different to get along. Now we get along better. I sometimes wish I was as close to her as Kristin and Ali are, but I know that will never be.

I spotted them sitting on a few chairs.
“Hey Brit” Bonni hugged me.
“Hey sunshine, good to see you” That was Dad’s nickname for me since I was little because I have such a positive outlook on life.
“Hey Daddy.” I hugged him too.
We proceeded towards the baggage claim. “So how was your finals week?” Dad asked.
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Do you really have to ask? Let’s just say I wasn’t fun. The last thing I want to think about right now is school.”
“And we have almost a month to forget about it. It is heaven, after going through my schedule. Accounting is such a stressful major” Bonni sighed.
“You’re a math mind, Bonn. You can handle it” Dad reassured her.
“Who’s at the house now, Dad?” I asked.
He looked at his watch. “Kris and Ali should be getting home here in a few minutes. And Savannah and her kids are coming for dinner tonight”
Savannah had been kind of shy with my sisters and I. She thought that we would resent the fact that Dad was dating someone after he and mom divorced. That was nowhere near true. We loved her and her kids to death.

When we got home, Kristin and Ali were doing their homework in the living room.
I gave them both hugs. “What homework do we got going on here?”
“I’m studying for my Pre-calculus final” Ali said. She is a super smart math and science mind.
“I’m writing my English final We have to write 2, 3-4 page essays” Kristin said.
“You guys are getting off easy. It gets a lot more stressfu7l in college. I have just been through one hall of a finals week”
“ I can imagine” Kristin remarked. “You look tired”
“You would be right, Kris. I’m gonna rest before dinner” I went up to my room.

When I got up there, my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey Brit!” It was Kayla Williams, my best friend. I have known her since childhood.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I’m at Nikki’s house. We’re just kind of hanging out right now. What about you?” Nikki Ayers was a part of a circle of friends that we had in elementary school.

“Just got in from New York,” I told her.

“Coolness. Nikki wants to have Christmas party for everyone in the old crew”

What she meant by that was our circle of friends that had known each other since kindergarten. It consisted of her, me, Nikki, Kelli Gray, and Josh and James Hamilton. There was a 7th, Garret Densington, but we lost contact with him years ago after he moved. “Am I invited?”

“But of course. Nikki was going to invite you herself, but she called you when you were on the plane. Oh, and Garret will be there”

I gasped. “You’re kidding”

Kayla laughed. “No, I’m not. It was by pure coincidence that Nikki saw him again. She was at this local place while she was at college. She meets Garret, but does realize it’s him till he told her his last name! She asked him to come and he said he would,”

I laughed. “That is so awesome. We haven’t seen him since 9th grade. Well, you since 6th grade since you had moved by then”

“Very true. It shall be interesting.” She said.

“Well, I need to rest before dinner. Love ya and see ya on Saturday” I told her.

“Allrighty, babe. Bye”

~A Few Days Later~

I was trembling with excitement as I drove to Nikki‘s house. This would be the first time that all seven of us would be together in a room since 6th grade. This was going to be an event for the ages.
I noticed a few cars in the driveway and then parked. Nikki’s parents, Wayne and Theresa, were coming out if the house. “Hi. Are you two going somewhere?”
Theresa nodded. “We are going to have dinner and spend the evening with friends. We want you all to have time together by yourselves.”
“Ok” I shut my car door. “Who’s here?”
“Nikki, Kelli and Josh currently. Have a good time” said Wayne.
“I will” I walked in the house.
They were sitting in the living room, munching on snacks.
“Hey Brit, you’re here” Kelli said.
“Hey Kel.” I gave her a hug and then one to Nikki.
I turned to Josh. “Hey! Been awhile since I’ve seen you!”
“Hey, Sugar. It has. I’ve missed you” We hugged. That was a special nickname he had for me.
I had known Josh as long as I had the others. He and I had a special bond, though. I had always considered him a good friend, but in high school we formed a really close brother/sister relationship. We were there for each other during the really hard times, like for me it was my parents divorcing, my best friend from then betraying me, and Kristin battling cancer. It wasn’t as hard as what he had to go through though. His mom died in a car crash in 10th grade and in senior year, his dad died of a heart attack. Both of those losses were really hard on him.
“Where is James?” I asked.
Josh looked at his watch “He’s getting off work right now, so he’ll be here soon”
James is Josh’s identical twin brother.
“So we’re missing Garret, Kayla and James. Make yourself at home, Brit. Have some food” Nikki said.
“I will” I sat down in the couch next to Josh.
We talked for a bit, until James and Kayla came in at the same time. We all exchanged hellos.
“Now, all we need is the long lost 7th” James said. “Are you sure he’s coming, Nik?”
Nikki nodded. “I gave him the directions to my house and everything. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s going to come any minute”

10 minutes later, Garret came in the door. He looked a lot like I remembered him, just with older and more defined features.
“Umm… hi everyone” He said in a shy voice.
“Hey! We’re your old friends. Why are you acting so shy?” Kayla came up to him and hugged him.
We all exchanged hellos with him.
“Why did you not try to contact us after you moved?’ Kelli asked him.
“I didn’t think any of you cared about me anymore since I hadn’t talked to any of you in some time. So I left without a goodbye. I wish I didn’t know, but what can you do, it happened” He shrugged.
We all settled in for eating and gabbing for awhile. It reminded me of those old times where we always had our little table that we always had to sit at together. It was good to have that again.

We had started out handing out presents. “Well, I have Christmas cards for everyone. I know it’s not much, but it was the last I could do” Garrett said.
“That’s really sweet of you Garr. You really didn’t have to because it was such short notice” Kelli said.
“Yeah, but I’m a guy that likes to do that kind of thing”

After we opened presents, he said. “I’m so glad I found Nikki again. These last couple hours has made me realize how much I miss everyone’s company. We should do this more often.”
“Absolutely” Josh said. “How about next summer, because that’s the only time that he know we all can make it home to do this”
Everyone agreed on that.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you go to the same college as Nik?” Kayla asked him.
Garrett shook his head. “No, actually. I was visiting someone who did. So it was pure coincidence that we ran into each other.”

About midnight, people started filing out. Josh and I were the last ones to leave.
“Britnei, can I ask you something?”
“Sure” I said.
“Will you go out to lunch with me tomorrow afternoon?”
“Maybe. Why?”
“Well just to catch up because we haven’t talked for awhile” He told me.
I considered this. Josh was simply asking me as a friend. I knew this because I knew we wouldn’t develop romantic feelings for each other. And it was really harmless; we were just going out to lunch. Knowing Chris though, he would freak out over anything I did lately. Josh was my best guy friend and I wanted to spend more time with him. “You’re right, we haven’t. You just want to meet somewhere?”
“Sounds like a winner to me” Josh said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you where we are eating”
“Ok” We hugged quickly. “Good night, Josh”
“Goodnight, Brit.” As he walked to his car, my heart skipped a couple beats. “Wow, he really is cute” I thought, smiling.
“What are you doing?” I asked myself. “You’re not supposed to be thinking this! He’s your best friend that that’s the brother that you never had. And you have a boyfriend that loves you even though he doesn’t always show it the way he’s supposed to”
I had to admit, that thought had surprised me. I had never in my life seen Josh in that light. And I didn’t intend to start now. Because if it did…. My life could get pretty messed up. And I really didn’t want that to happen.

[Kristin]

~Chapter 3~

I was really excited as I waited for Josh to show up. This was the first time that we had gotten to spend together in awhile.
I heard the doorbell ring. “I’ll get it,” I said, running down the stairs.
Josh was standing on the other side. “Hey”
“Hey” We hugged. “Ready to go?”
“All set. Let’s go.”

We arrived at the local Ruby Tuesdays and got a table. “That was pretty cool to see Garrett last night, wasn’t it?” He asked.
I nodded. “Very. I didn’t know he was coming till Kayla told me. Do you think he’s changed any?”
“He’s the same person, just older. I thought he had pretty much forgotten about us, since the last time any of us talked to him was in junior high. I’m surprised he talked to me, because my last encounters with him weren’t so pleasant”
“Why was that?” I asked him.
“My friends at the time made fun of him and I was forced to join in. I didn’t want to. I’m not proud of those years”
“Everyone was an idiot in junior high, don’t feel bad!” I said, laughing.
He laughed as well. “I guess you’re right”
We sat back and caught up on each other’s lives. During this time, I noticed little things about him, like the way he laughed at my remarks, or the way he smiled. I hadn’t really noticed those details before. Also I was noticing more how hot he really was.
“Come on, Britnei” I told myself “You’re just friends. It has been that way for 16 years and it’ll always stay that way”. I had no idea how these feelings had come about.
“So, how’s your dating life?” I asked him.
“It’s been so-so. I’ve been dating girls, but it never gets very serious” He sighed. Something about the look on his face made he feel extra sorry for him.
“You seem sad about that. That’s what a guy your age is supposed to do, experience dating before they get tied down later in life. I’m sure most 21 year olds are even thinking about long-term commitment right now,” I said, sipping my soda.
“I don’t know. I’m not ready for marriage either. Still… I’m tired of being with a girl for a few months… and then have it not go anywhere. I want to be in a relationship that I know will last awhile. Someone that will make me happy… and make me experience what love feels like. I haven’t met a girl that meets that criteria yet”
“You will Josh. You’ve got all the qualities that any girl would prize in a boyfriend” I knew this was subtle flirting, but I didn’t care.
“Sure…. You’re just saying that because I’m your best friend.” He said sarcastically.
“I mean it! Don’t be so down on yourself, J-Boog!”
He playfully rolled his eyes. “That’s such a 7th grade nickname, Brit”
“That’s because what earned that name happened in 7th grade, doofus!”
We both burst out laughing. “But really, if you don’t want me to call you that again, I won’t” I offered.
He shook his head. “Naw, it’s ok”
We talked for a little while longer.

After lunch was over, we walked to the front of the restaurant. “So, how long are you in town?” He asked.
“Until the week after New Year’s” I said. “Why?”
“Just wondering, incase we want to get together again”
I smiled. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time. “ We hugged. “Call me, ok?”
“I will. See you later, Brit”
“Bye”
I was tingling from that hug as I walked to my car. It was a feeling that was usually reserved for Chris. Why had this time been so different? Was I falling in love with him? “That thought is totally crazy,” I told myself. “You have Chris”
I shook my head. I had to push these feelings away. Josh and I had seen each other as friends from the day we met. Why should that change now? He would find someone that would make him happy; I knew it.

I arrived back at the house. Bonni was the only one there. She was lying on the couch, reading a science fiction novel, one of her passions.
“Why are you here alone?” I asked her.
She sighed, “Dad is at work and Kristin and Ali have gone off to be with friends. I just don’t want to be social right now” She put a bookmark in her book and shut it. “So, how was lunch with Pretty Boy Hamilton?”
I smiled. That was her nickname for Josh and James because they fit her definition of a ‘pretty boy’. “It was great. We caught up on each other’s lives and had a couple laughs”. That’s it” I decided not to tell her about what I had felt because it wasn’t strong enough to tell anyone about.
“Are you sure?” She teased. “You look a little happier than usual.”
I nodded. “I’m sure”
“Ok” She went back to her book.
I was glad that Bonni and I were starting to get closer. Most of our lives we despised each other because we thought we were too different to get along. Then she moved out when my parents divorced in 11th grade. I thought we would never speak again. But then she called me last year, and the wounds have been slowly healing ever since.

That night, I got a call from Chris.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby doll”

“Hey hunny, what’s up?”

“Not too much. Hey, do you want to spend New Years together?”

“Sure” I thought it would be a great idea. “What do you want to do?”

“Why don’t you come up to my parents house for a few days?” Chris’s parents lived about 20 minutes from New York City.

Since it had been my schedule that had been keeping us apart recently, I decided to do what he wanted to do. “I’ll come for a long weekend, how’s that?”

If he felt any disappointment in my choice number of days, he hid it well. “Sounds great to me”

We made plans and then talked about other things. I was reminded about what I already had. Life was too good right now. Nothing needed to be changed.

[Kristin]

Chapter 4~

Christmas was absolutely wonderful. Most years we travel to a relative’s house, but this year it was not to be. So in the morning, my dad, my sisters and I exchanged gifts for each other. Then in the evening Savannah and her kids came over dinner and more presents.

Josh and I spent a lot of time together that week after. We had a blast. Those little feelings grew little by little, too. As hard as it was, I had to push them away. We would never be lovers. I had a boyfriend who I was happy with and the close friendship we already had was good enough. Why risk losing both while going for a romantic relationship?

Finally it was time for me to head to New York.
Dad and I were at the airport.
“Are you all packed, Sunshine?”
I nodded “Yes Daddy”
“Do you have your ticket and your money?” He asked.
I laughed. “Yes, I have everything I need! Don’t worry about me”
He laughed too. “It’s a father’s job to worry, Britnei” He kissed my cheek. “Have a safe trip, ok?”
“I will” I said, giving him a hug. “See you on Sunday night”
“Ok. Bye”
I walked into the airport.

The flight was uneventful. By the time I got into LaGuardia Airport, it was 9:30. I was completely exhausted.

I arrived in my hotel room a half hour later. Chris had suggested that I stay at his parents’ house, but I had opted against it. He seemed kind of disappointed, but hid it quite well. My reasoning was that we would be too tempted to spend the night together, which I was not ready for.
I decided I needed to call him and tell him I was in town.
Surprisingly I got his voicemail.

Hey honey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m in New York right now. I’ll call you in the morning and we’ll discuss plans. Love you, bye.

~The next morning~

Chris and I had agreed to meet for lunch at Ivy’s, a hip little New York eatery to decide what we were going to do tonight.
I was the first one there, so I sat down in the front of the restaurant and waited. He arrived 5 minutes later. “Hey baby doll”
“Hey” We kissed sweetly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call last night. My cell phone was on the charger” He said.
“It’s ok” I told him.
The greeter called my name, so then we headed back to our table.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” I asked him.
“Actually I have a surprise regarding that. You know how Anna was supposed to go to MTV’s New Years party?”
I nodded. She had been pretty excited about those tickets.
“Well, something came up and now she can’t go. So she gave them to me. She said she thought we would have fun there”
“Wow, that’s great. These are in-studio tickets too. She was so excited that she got those. I bet it was hard for her to give them up.”
“I could tell it was. But she didn’t want to waste them, so she wanted someone to have fun for her.”
“When do we have to be there?”
Chris thought for a moment. “They go on air at 9:00, but the doors open at 6:30. The line is probably going to be long, so we probably need to get there earlier than that”
“Are you going to go back to your parents house to get ready and stuff?”
He nodded. “Then we need to figure that into the time we can spend together now”
We figured that we had only till 2:30; if we wanted to get everything done that we needed to. “That leaves time for quick stroll down 5th Avenue,” I said.
“You took those words right out of my mouth missy. None of my clothes that I have are suitable for this occasion,” Chris said.
“Me either. Well, let’s go”
We stood up and left the restaurant.

Back in the freezing cold, we decided that it would be best to walk. 5th Avenue was only a few blocks away and we didn’t want to have to wait for the taxis.
“So how was your week?” Chris asked.
I thought about this. There was no way I was going to tell him about how much time Josh and I spent together. He would freak out. “Just fine. I spent all of it at home with my old friends and family. How about yours?”
“Basically the same thing. I spent almost every day in New York with friends. I missed you though. I wished you were here more”
“ I missed you too” I did miss him while I was in Columbus. But it wasn’t what it could have been. So I wasn’t lying to him.
We linked hands, although it was harder since we both were wearing gloves.
We walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the bustle around us. It seemed as if the city was zooming passing us. We saw several types of people, like an executive talking stiffly to client on his cell phone, an irritated mother trying to keep up with her three young children and camera-snapping tourists.
I shivered slightly. The wind was really blustery today and making my face feel like it had just been splashed by arctic ice water.
“Are you ok, babe?” Chris asked me.
I nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just extremely cold today”
“Here, take my scarf” Chris took the scarf off his neck and handed it to me.
I reluctantly took it from him “Are you sure? Now you’ll be cold”
He shrugged. “I can tolerate a little cold”
“Ok” I wrapped it around my neck and tucked the rest of it into my jacket.

A few minutes later we reached Macy’s. We agreed to meet at the front an hour after shopping in our respective departments
I arrived at the women’s section. This was going to be a difficult task. I wanted to find something that would look super hot but wouldn’t make me freeze on the way over there. “If an outfit is sexy enough, I don’t care if it’s –30 degrees outside! I’m going to wear it!” I thought. New Years was one of those times where you could sacrifice a little bit for fashion.
I aimlessly looked at things for several minutes, picking up pieces that I liked. I figured that I could put together outfits in the dressing room.
When it seemed like my arms were acing with al the clothes I was carrying, I went to the dressing room. After what seemed like a million trial and errors, I finally put together something I liked. It was a black halter slinky mini dress that hugged me in all the right places. With the right pair of boots, this outfit could be killer.
I went to the shoe section. I immediately saw the cutest pair of pointed toe boots with a sliver star chain around them. The heel wasn’t the flattest in the world either. I didn’t care what they cost; I had to have them.
I tried on a pair in my size and they fit perfectly. “We are done.” I looked at my watch. An hour had almost passed. Hopefully Chris hadn’t been waiting too long. Shopping wasn’t his favorite thing to do in the world.
I walked back to the entrance, bags in tow. Chris was waiting with a bag of his own. “Did enough damage to your credit card?” He teased.
I gave him a kiss. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
He looked at his watch. “We need to be heading towards the train station”
I nodded. “Ok. Let’s go”

We got to the station 10 minutes later. “Well, I’m going to head home. I’ll see you back at your hotel at… 5:30?”
“Yes. I love you”
“I love you too” We kissed.

I went back to my hotel and collapsed. My feet were so sore from all that walking. I could afford to rest a little bit before I had to glam myself up for tonight’s festivities.
I turned on the TV, and found an episode of Real World after a few channels.
My cell phone went off again.

“Hello?”

“Hey Britters” It was Josh. I could not help but smile.

“Hey J-Boog. What are you doing?”

“Nothing much. How about you?”

“Resting before Chris and I go par-tay!”

He laughed. “Where did that come from? You never party that much”

I told him about the MTV tickets.

“Wow, that’s pretty awesome. I know you’ll have a blast”

“I’m sure I will. So what are you going to do tonight?” I asked.

‘Nothing compared to what you’re doing. James and I are just going to a friends houses for food, beer, poker, and maybe watch some of the New York festivities”

“That sounds fun too” I said. “Don’t drink too much”

“Hey, I won’t! It’s you I’ll worry about” He told me.

“Josh, I was drunk once in my life. It’s an experience that I would not like to repeat anytime soon” I playfully snapped back.

“I know you won’t. You’re a good girl”

“And proud of it” We both laughed.

“Well I need to rest a little so I can save all my energy for tonight” I said.

“Ok. I’ll let you go. Talk to you soon, girl.”

“I’m sure we will. Bye Joshie”

He snorted. I was one of the few people that could get away with calling him that. “Bye Britters”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. My feelings for him were growing, little by little. I couldn’t let them get to the point where I couldn’t control them. I would lose Chris.

I was all set to take a nap when my phone went off again.

“Hello?”

“Hey Crisby” It was Kayla.

“Hey Brook. What are you doing?”

“Trying to arrange plans for tonight. I think I’m going to the Sky Club with a couple friends”

My face lit up. I loved to go to that place on occasion. “I love that place! We need to go together sometime”

“Ok. We will. It’s so weird how we live in the same city but don’t get to see each other that often” She said.

“Well a), it’s humongous, and b) we both are very busy people”

“Very true” I heard a beep on her end. “Someone is calling. Lovens”

“Lovens to you too. Bye”

I managed to take a 20 minute nap before I had to get ready. I applied my make up and did my hair. I slipped my outfit on and checked myself out in the mirror.
“Looking hot Britnei” I told my reflection.
I heard a knock on my hotel room door. It was 5:30 on the dot. Chris liked to be on time. I strutted to the door and opened it. Chris was standing there in a stripped button down shirt and leather pants.
His eyes widened in amazement. “Look at you sexy mama”
I grinned a sexy grin “Thank you handsome lover. Ready to go?”
“Yes, if you are”
“Let me grab my coat” I got it and we headed out.

20 minutes later we were at the MTV studios. The line to wait was there, but too long. There a lot more people. The roads in Time Square were shut down.
After a long, freezing, boring wait, the doors were open at 6:30. People lead us all in and sat us in places in the studio. Chris and I got good seats near the performing stage. We had NO idea who was going to be there, but hopefully we might meet some good celebrities.
Chris and I talked to people sitting next us, Frank and Hannah. They were very nice. We all even exchanged numbers.
The show went on the air at 9:00 sharp. Carson Daly was hosting. He talked the camera, some of the other VJs and guests. He even talked to some of the people in the audience. I got a little nervous when he came up to me.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Britnei” I said.
“Where are you from?”
“Columbus, Ohio, but I live here in New York for college”
“Very cool. Are you spending your New Years with anyone special?”
“My honey Chris, who’s right here.” I put my hand on his.
“How long have you been together?”
“A year and a half” Chris said.
“Are you going to kiss when that midnight hour comes”
“Heck yeah, it’s one of the best things of New Years” Chris said smiling.
“Give it up for Britnei and Chris everyone” Everyone cheered.

The rest of the night was a blast. We saw some good performances including Nick Lachey, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan.
Simple Plan was out when the midnight hour hit. Confetti was all around and Chris and I planted a big smooch on each other.
“So did you have fun this new year?” Chris asked.
I nodded “Definitely so. I love you”
“I love you too” We kissed again.

[scarecrow]

While your work is easy to just jump in an read, and I can appreciate the way you've created this love triangle, I find your main character (and all your other characters, for that matter) a little two-dimensional and substanceless, their personalities so indistinct that they could be interchanged and no one would notice.

There are the grammatical and punctuational mistakes which, though they are bound to happen in any story anyway, are so prevalent that they start to distract one from what is going on in the story.

Britnei and her boyfriend come off as a little emotionally immature to me, to tell you the truth. They say they discuss the problem of their clashing schedules and the little time they have together, but do they really? Sure, they have a tiny little argument that Saturday when Britnei has some work to do on the paper, but nothing is resolved. It's an understandable problem that really happens to people, but how childish is it to just dance around the problem and moan about it when it surfaces and then pretend everything is fine when it doesn't, instead of really facing it the mature, adult way: sit down together, say what's really bothering them with their relationship, and most importantly figure out a SOLUTION! that works for the both of them. Note the emphasis on the word SOLUTION, because without a SOLUTION, the problem is just going to happen time after time.

And even the love triangle bothers me, because it looks like Britnei suddenly notices just how hot her friend is just when she is having relationship problems. She liked her boyfriend back in the day because he was "perfect", but now that he's not perfect anymore, she notices that she has other options. Jeez, what a witch. She gets kudos for not immediately coming on to him, but it looks to me like its just a matter of time. Childish.

[Kristin]

Thank you for the honest feedback, scarecrow. I have been trying to print out my stories and edit out all the grammer and punctionation mistakes, but I can't catch them all. And I agree with you on my characters personalities; I use a lot of myself in them so they do turn out to be similar. That needs to be worked on.

I thought I was trying to have Britnei and Chris sit down and fix things in their conversations. But now that you point it out, I guess I didn't.

Again, thank you for reading and giving your honest opinion on this story. I shall try to improve on the things you talked about.

Kristin

[Chris]

Ready, Set, Spotlight!

This is something new I'm gonna try to give some of our older entries in the fiction section that have been obscured by time some of their due recognition. What I'm gonna do is review the week's selection and sticky it to make sure it gets maximum exposure for one week. I just wanna make sure that no one misses out and that all our contributing writers from way back when get credit where credit is due. And for my first try, I'm going to highlight Kristin's "Why Did I Fall In Love With You", an apparently incomplete story about a girl who's relationship with her boyfriend seems to be out of sync as life gets in the way.

As I was browsing through the older stories for something to highlight, this one immediately caught my eye, because this was from back in the day when I was scarecrow. I don't fully know why, but back when I was scarecrow I was a bit of a self-righteous, catty bitch when it came to reviewing, slightly (or more than slightly) evident in the review above. I noticed that I hadn't seen her around much since then, and it occurred to me that maybe, as often was the case when I was scarecrow, I was too vehement, too insulting in my reviewing, and I could have possibly driven her away. I was saddened to see upon checking her profile that her last post was indeed the above August 9th pseudo-appreciative reply to my snarkiness, where I'm sure she pretended to be thankful for all the hurtful, callous things I said about her writing. Sure, she hung around for a little longer than that, her last login date being December 1st, but I can't shake the feeling that she never got up the courage to continue with her story because of the tongue-lashing I now wholly regret. Now, a little older and hopefully a little wiser, I aim to make things right in some small way.

Kristin's simple and understated story about Britnei's waning relationship with her boyfriend and her growing attraction to her friend Josh, despite being a little on the amateur side, is a warm piece about how Britnei's hectic major and her position on the school paper get in the way of the little time she does have to spend with her boyfriend Chris. When Britnei goes home for Christmastime, she pals around with her old gang, Josh in particular, and starts noticing that her feelings for him are somehow changing and growing.

While the piece does suffer from the lack of descriptions, the occasionally awkward dialogue and an overt simplicity, this is par for the course for any fledgling teen writer. The simplicity is excusable, given the target audience, and where Kristin lacks in experience she more than makes up for in the real heart, comradry and sense of family she's given to her albeit faceless characters. When Britnei and her family open themselves up to new people in their homes and hearts, or when she hangs out with her friends or with Josh, or when she's with her boyfriend in New York, the ease these people feel with each other is so subtle that it's easy to not notice its even there. Even though Britnei finds herself increasingly attracted to Josh and increasingly at odds with Chris, she is determined not to let a little bump in the road change her path, and her determination is rewarded as all the tension between her and her beau just evaporates when they are with each other.

I'll admit, it's teenybopper fluff. It's seriously lacking any real depth. But as fluff goes, you could find worse. And while the story may be incomplete, maybe it's for the best that Britnei finds her story's end at a kiss to her boyfriend on New Year's, the perfect, fluffy feel-good end that Kristin never got.

[Angie]

Just a warning - I am a very harsh reviewer usually, but I felt compelled to look through part of your story because Pestilence has been a pest about it lately. So yeah, I apologize if I come off sounding mean; I'm just trying to help, really.

Review of the first chapter:

I always like to see people start off a chapter/story with a descriptive paragraph to get in a little imagery before diving in.

You seem to have some issues with grammar (as before stated by another reviewer) and flow - try to make more fluid transitions between phrases and sentences, and possibly get into a bit more heightened style so we get the impression that the narrator is serious about being a writer. To help you get used to writing like this naturally, you might have someone go through an example of your work with a red pen and be very critical about it and show you how to reword things. Perhaps you could go to your English teacher for a lesson like that.

“Well, I know you, along with everyone else, is busy at this time of year, given that it is finals. But do you think you could try to do a favor for me?” - Do you know anyone who really talks quite like this? I would reword it if I were you.

Might want to cut down that first section of dialogue a bit--it seems to have some unneccessary length to it.

"It seems liker you spend too much time there" - I would make this less passive by saying "You spend too much time there."

"We had been through this too many times to count recently. 'We’ve been through this a million times already.'" - This is redundant.

"I sighed as I hung up. Things weren’t always this way. When we met in the beginning of freshman year, everything was perfect. He was really sweet, caring, romantic, funny, everything I wanted in a boyfriend. We always savored the moments we did have together because we knew they were limited. But lately he had become more selfish and wanting me to spend all my free time with him. I hadn’t said yes every time, which really made him mad. Then he always says he’s sorry and lures me back to him. I always fall for it. But I’m not sure how much longer I can take this. It seems to have become a cycle now that never ends. Maybe someday it would end and things would be ok again. But there was also the possibility that it wouldn’t and things could end. I had no clue what I was going to do at this point." - You've been in past tense up until this point, but then you suddenly jump to present tense. Be consistent.

"It consisted of my three sisters, my twin sister Bonni, who was also 21, my younger twin sisters Kristin and Ali, who were 17, my dad, and his girlfriend, Savannah (my parents divorced years ago) and her three kids, Will, 14, Jonathan, 13, and Kaylee, 13 come over all the time." - I don't really see a point in having this part.

Overall: There are quite a few errors and typos, so you should probably have someone check that for you. From what I've read, this seems to be a simple, warm, realistic story. Just make sure you make it unique. Good luck. I hope this helps.

[Chris]

Angie, I could just kiss you, I swear. Thanks for your help!