“He’s so cute,” Lucy sighed.
She was talking to her friends and gushing about Ethan.
“Does he go to school here?” Angela Wilson asked. “I’ve never seen him around.”
“That’s the weird part,” Lucy admitted “He doesn’t go here and yet we ended up in the same room together.”
“Wow!” Whitney Anson exclaimed.
“That is certainly a day I will always remember,” Lucy said.
That afternoon while waiting for the bus, Lucy’s phone buzzed.
It was a text that read: Hey. I can’t stop thinking of u.
Me too. She replied.
Look up. The next text read.
She looked up, when her phone buzzed for a third time a minute later.
No, no. Look out the window.
She looked out the window and there he was. She ran out to him and gave him a hug.
“What are you doing here?” she asked breathlessly.
“School ended early for me, so I thought I’d come and do you a favor,” Ethan told her.
“A favor?” Lucy asked.
“Save you from taking the bus,” he explained.
“Thanks. I really hate taking the bus,” Lucy admitted.
“So let me take you on a sunset stroll,” Ethan offered.
“Okay,” Lucy agreed.
They walked down to the shore of the sea which was only fifteen minutes from Lucy’s school. They removed their shoes and walked along the California coast barefoot. When Ethan reached for her hand, and interlaced her fingers in his, she rested her body into him, telling him she trusts him. When they reached the end of the beach, they sat in the sand, side by side and watched the sun dip below the horizon.
“How are we going to see our way back now?” Lucy asked curiously.
Ethan took out a lighter and she gasped.
“Do you smoke?” she asked nervously. “Because I will have to call my mom if you do.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t smoke,” Ethan promised.
He took out a candle and lit it with the lighter.
“Now, problem solved!” he said, smiling.
As they walked by the glow of the candle, Ethan saw the glow light up Lucy’s face. He’d never seen a girl look prettier.
When they reached her house, he kissed her hand gently and slowly disappeared into the darkness, thinking of inviting Lucy to an event that would put them at the next level.

“He took me on a sunset stroll and when he took out that lighter, I believed he was a smoker,” Lucy said.
“Is he a smoker?” Angela asked.
“No way! He lit a candle so we could see our way back,” Lucy explained.
“Lucy?” a boy asked. He came up to her.
“That’s me,” she replied.
“This is for you,” he told her.
He handed her a piece of paper and walked away.
“Oh my gosh. Of course I’ll go,” Lucy sighed.
“What? What did he ask you?” her friends asked anxiously.
Lucy read the note aloud.
“Lucy, please be my guest and accept this invitation as being my date to my Homecoming Dance this Saturday at 8p.m. Please call me to confirm. I’d be a lucky guy to take a pretty girl like you. Yours Truly, Ethan.”
“Wow. Go! Go!” her friends shrieked.
“I will, I will,” Lucy told her friends.
That afternoon, Lucy was on her phone.
“Hey Ethan. It’s Lucy.”
“Hey Lucy,” he said cheerfully. “So, will you go with me?”
“Of course,” Lucy told him. “I would love to be your date to the dance.”
“Great!” Ethan exclaimed happily. “I will pick you up at eight.”
Saturday night arrived and Ethan arrived in a tux and white rose boutonniere with his brown hair neatly combed. He knocked on Lucy’s front door promptly at eight.
Lucy’s mom Christine answered the door. “Hello,” she said.
“Hello,” he replied. “My name is Ethan Brimmer. I’m here for Lucy.”
“Oh yes,” Christine said. “The nice boy my daughter can’t stop gushing about. I’m so glad she finally met someone who’s such a gentleman. It’s her first dance she’s ever been invited to, you know.”
“Her first dance?” Ethan asked curiously.
“Yes,” Christine said. “Would you like to come in? Lucy should be ready in a few minutes.”
Ethan stepped inside the giant house and began to take it all in.
“Hey Ethan.”
Startled, he turned around to see Lucy was standing right behind him. She was wearing a floor length pink dress with pink flats and a diamond necklace with matching earrings. Her hair was also swept up in a french twist.
“Wow,” he whispered. “You look amazing.”
“As do you,” she complimented. “Shall we go?”
“Yes,” he said. “But first, this is for you.”
He handed her a white rose and she smiled.
“Mom?” she called.
“Yes honey?” she replied, coming into the room.
“Can you put this in vase in my room?” she asked.
“Sure,” her mom told her.
“Okay Ethan. Now we can go,” Lucy told him.
He took her hand in his and led her out.
“I was sort of nervous when you asked me to accompany you to this dance,” Lucy admitted.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be worried about. You’re with me,” Ethan told her. “But your mom told me this is your first dance. Is that true? You’ve never been to a dance at school?”
“Well, no guy has ever asked me to a dance at my school, so I never went. Not even with my friends,” Lucy said.
They arrived at his school ten minutes later, and Ethan couldn’t wait to get on the dance floor. As soon as he got on the dance floor with her, romantic music started flowing through the room. As they swayed to the music, Lucy let her body rest into his as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. She felt his head resting on top of hers, and soaked in every second in thatmomentt. It was truly the best night of her life.
They danced the night away in each other’s arms, and just before midnight, the principal announced, “The Homecoming king and queen is Ethan Brimmer and Lucy Gracyn.”
They were crowned and Lucy asked, “How did I win? I don’t go here.”
“I guess I can’t stop talking about you,” Ethan admitted.
When he finally took her home, it was a cloudy night, so Ethan lit a candle so they could see their way back.
“Do you always carry a candle and a lighter with you?” Lucy asked.
“I do in case I’m ever out late like tonight,” Ethan told her.
“Why don’t you just carry a flashlight?” Lucy asked.
“I guess I prefer another way to make light,” Ethan admitted. “I guess I’m just different.”
“That’s why I like you,” Lucy whispered. “You are different.”
By the time they reached her house, Lucy was ready to go to bed, but Ethan didn’t want her to leave his side. As they stood on her porch, Ethan wrapped his arms around her so he could feel her in his arms. They stood there for what seemed like hours and Lucy’s eyes began to feel heavy. Eventually she fell asleep in his arms. Snuggled into him, Lucy stayed in his arms till sunrise. When the first light of the day fell on them, Ethan opened his eyes, and at first didn’t remember where he was. “Lucy?” he asked, confused. “Oh wow. Shoot. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily. “Well, good morning to you too,” she said. “Well, I just felt so comfortable in your arms that I fell asleep and I guess you did too. But I should be heading inside before my mom freaks.”
“Yeah. I should be getting home too,” Ethan agreed.
This time, he kissed her cheek and she smiled shyly at him. What a night it had been for them both.

“So tell us everything about Friday night,” her friends insisted. “We want all the details.”
“Well, he picked me up, and was wowed by my outfit,” Lucy recalled. “He gave me a white rose which was very nice.”
“Aw, what a gentleman,” Whitney sighed.
“That’s what my mom said too,” Lucy told them. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, so we walked to his school and the entire night, the DJ played romantic music. I melted in Ethan’s arms. We danced together all night. He was crowned Homecoming King and I was crowned Homecoming Queen. It was after midnight when he took me home. He lit another candle because it was a cloudy night. He does that because he likes it as an alternate way to use light. We were both so tired when he dropped me off that when he put his arms around me, we both fell asleep. We woke up at dawn, and I had to slip inside before my mom found out and he kissed my cheek. It was an amazing night.”
“Oh Lucy!” Angela cried. “He sounds so sweet.”
“He really is,” Lucy sighed.
“Oh Lucy, we’re so happy that you’ve found such a great guy,” Whitney said.
“Thanks girls,” Lucy said. “I’m glad I’ve found a guy that’s as crazy about me as I am for him.”
“Lucy?” She turned around.
“Are you the same boy who was here last week?” she asked him.
“Sure am,” he said. “Ethan and I are very close friends. I’m sorry though. I feel terrible about having to give this note.”
He handed it to her, and after reading the first few lines, she began to sob. The boy was standing there nervously, not knowing how sensitive she was. She was as pretty as Ethan had described her. He felt absolutely terrible having to complete this task. Her friends were looking over her shoulder, reading the note as she was.
Dear Lucy,
I am sorry to tell you this and I wish I could prevent this from happening but my parents don’t want us to see each other anymore. They believe because we don’t go to the same school, I can’t see you. I’m extremely sorry and I hope you don’t hate me forever. But remember this...I love you. I have since the day I met you and I always will.
Take care,
Ethan

She turned back to the boy.
“Who are you?” Lucy asked hm.
“My name is Blake,” he said. “I am a very close friend of Ethan’s. This was not an easy thing for Ethan to do. He really feels terrible about having to write you this note. I feel even worse because he has talked a great deal about you, nothing but wonderful things. I hope you don’t turn your back on him for this. He really feels terrible and as the note said, he really couldn’t control what his parents said. He tried to prevent it from happening, but it got out of his hands.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not mad at him. But there’s still a way for mt to contact him right?” Lucy asked. “I mean, I’m not cut off from talking to him entirely, am I?”
“He wants you to have his email address,” Blake told her. He took a piece of paper and handed it to her. “He loves you dearly. He really wants you to know that. And he most certainly wants to stay in touch with you. I’m truly sorry about this.”
All Lucy could do was sigh.

To: cute boy20@yahooFrom: love-land7@sopris Re: I miss you Dear Ethan, I received your note, and according to this email, I got your email address as well. I was crushed when I read your note. But don’t worry, I don’t hate you. But please find a way to come back to me. I miss you . Yours always, Lucy Ethan slugged into his room and logged onto his computer. He signed into his email and saw Lucy’s email. He sighed. There was hope. With school keeping her busy and hanging with her friends, life for Lucy wasn’t as hard as she thought. But Ethan still existed even though she missed him terribly. To: love-land7@sopris.net From: cute boy20@yahoo.com Re: I miss you too Dear Lucy, I hope you are holding up. I’m really sorry and the days we spent together were the greatest days of my life. I miss you too and hope we aren’t torn away from each other forever. Love always, Ethan After Lucy read that a few times, she noticed her IM chat had a new contact....Ethan. Loveless: Hey Ski bum: Hi Loveless: How are you? Ski Bum: Miserable without you. You? Loveless: Same. I can’t believe your parents told you we can’t see each other anymore. They’ve never met me. They don’t know how great I am. Ski Bum: Oh, I’ve told them how great you are. They just won’t listen to me. Especially my mom. Loveless: I’m so sorry Ethan. It’s all my fault. Ski Bum: Don’t feel bad my love. It’s not your fault at all. My mom is very strict about who I can date. She’s always been like that. About everything. Loveless: So, because of that, I’m going to end up loveless forever? Ski Bum: No sweetheart. I love you and I promise you I will find a way for us to be togethe again. Loveless: I love you too. I miss you like crazy. What time is it by the way? Ski Bum: Almost 11 Loveless: Oh man! It’s a school night and need to get a good nights sleep. I must sign off now before I end up talking to you till dawn. Ski Bum: Like the night of my Homecoming Dance? LOL Loveless: Ha Ha. Yeah, like that night. The best part when I fell asleep in your arms. Ski Bum: Ah, memories. I hope we have more of those in the near future. For now though, goodnight my love. Sweet dreams. :) Loveless: Goodnight darling. I’ll be thinking of you tonight :)

“How are you holding up?” Whitney asked.
“I’m miserable,” Lucy admitted. “I’m a wreck without Ethan. I’m grateful though that I can still chat with him online.”
“Ethan?” his mom asked.”Why were you up until eleven last night?”
“Homework,” he lied.
“Really? You were home afternoon Ethan,” his mom said. “Why didn’t you do it then?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan said.
“You aren’t secretly seeing Lucy Gracyn are you?” she asked sternly.
“No,” Ethan lied again. “Hey,I have some work to do on my computer, so call me when dinner is ready.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as he went to his room and logged onto his computer. She was there.
Ski Bum: Hey there love! Where have you been all day?
Loveless: Missing you like crazy sweetie.
Ski Bum: I know sweetheart. My mom is being so suspicious. She hates you. It really sucks and I feel really bad about it love.
Loveless: It’s okay. Everyone at school hates me except my two friends. I’m used to it.
Ski Bum: Everyone! No, love, you sholding’t take that. Why didn’t you tell me about this?
Loveless: I didn’t know what to say
Ski Bum: Well, that’s something we can deal with later. I can’t stand not seeing you. This is the first time I’ve fallen in love and my parents are keeping us apart I need to do something about it.
Loveless: Tell me when you get an idea. Though I really want to see you too.
Ski Bum: So you feel the same way?
Loveless: Of course I do.If I didn’t,I wouldn’t miss you like crazy. Why is your name ski bum?
Ski Bum: I don’t know. I’ve been to the ski slope and loved it. Why is your name loveless?
Loveless: All my teenage years I have been loveless. I will always be loveless
Ski Bum: Not anymore my love.
Loveless: What do you mean?
Ski Bum: You have a guy who is crazy about you sweetheart. I love you Lucy Gracyn. Wait, I just thought of an idea.
Loveless: And what’s that?
Ski Bum: Expect your cell phone to ring at midnight. I have to go now my love. My mom is calling me to dinner. Leave your phone on. I will speak to you later.
That night, Lucy was sleeping peacefully until...ring! It was her cell phone.
“Hello,my love,” a voice said.

“Ethan?” she whispered.
“I told you I would call at midnight, didn’t I?” Ethan asked.
“Oh babe, you did indeed,” Lucy said. “Where are you anyway?”
“Look out your window,” he told her.
She peered out her window and saw him.
“Hey. Let’s go for a little stroll,” he said.
“How am I going to get out without my parents knowing?” she asked.
The next thing she knew, Ethan was right outside her bedroom, on her balcony. He offered his hand to her and she smiled. She took his hand and a minute later, she was on the ground.
They walked in silence for an hour so they couldn’t be heard by anyone. They walked to the end of Sunset State Beach and finally spoke.
“So,”Lucy said.
“I don’t care what my parents say,” Ethan said. “Especially my mom. She may be my mom, but she can’t control me.”
“I love you babe,” Lucy said.
“I love you too sweetheart,” Ethan replied.
The full moon shone brightly, but Ethan reached into his pocket and set the candle beside them.
Ethan stepped closer to Lucy and took her hand. With his other, he grazed her cheek and leaned in. It was Lucy’s first kiss and it was passionate.
When they separated, they lay in the sand and Ethan molded his body and her. With the warmth of his body around hers, she fell asleep easily.
As the sun rose,Ethan whispered, “Hey sweetheart. It’s morning and there’s something I need you to help me with.”
“What?” Lucy asked sleepily.
He helped her up and they walked back up the beach. An hour later, they stopped in front of a house.
“Is this your house?” Lucy asked.
“Yes,” Ethan said.
He opened the door and his mom said, “Stop! Lucy Gracyn, get away from our little boy!”
“Mom, all the time I have spent with Lucy have been the best days of my life,” Ethan explained. “Why tear us apart because we go to different schools? Look at you and dad. Why can’t I be as happy as you?”
“Oh Amy,he’s got point,” his dad said. “Why be like this? I mean, remember when we fell in love?”
“Oh I do,” Amy sighed. “Honey, I’m sorry I was overreacting. You and Lucy can date.”
He picked Lucy up and hugged her. “Did you hear that love? We can date!”
“Sure did babe,” Lucy said happily.
At last, they were free.