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[color=00FA9A][i]This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

This is me praying that this was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again
These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you.[/i][/color]
[img]http://www.cobbk12.org/simpson/valentinovo-divider-31.png[/img][/center]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][i]At seventeen minutes to 1AM, the afterparty of the Athlete Awards Ceremony of King’s Academy was in full swing. 

Every December, an awards ceremony for the school’s star athletes was held at the King’s auditorium. Every member of a team would be called out to the stage to receive an award for representing the school, with special distinctions given out to the top players of every sport. After the ceremony, a banquet is held for the students and their parents. And after the banquet, an after party for the kids would follow at the house of one of them.

Celeste Kingsley had graciously offered up her parents’ penthouse as the venue this year, taking full advantage of them being away on holiday. The rooms were filled with athletes in different stages of partying: drunken dancing, beer pong, chugging contests, making out, throwing up, you name it. Kellie Anne Nicholson had been one of the athletes in attendance, jumping at the chance of having some fun alongside her dance family. And although she’d stuck with her group for most of the night, her eyes had often wandered around the room in search of the one who’d had her heart since freshman year. 

Sometime between her fourth beer and second tequila shot, Kellie Anne had decided tonight would be the night to make her move. She’d been bidding her time for the last hour now, looking for the second the social butterfly took a break on his own. Finally, her break came when the tall boy broke away from his friend group and made his way out to the balcony. Grinning, Kellie Anne squared her shoulders and downed the rest of her beer. It was go time.

With a cheap excuse, the brunette distanced herself from her friend group and made a beeline to the bathroom. Once inside, she took a long look at her reflection in the mirror, carefully examining her face to make sure she was looking as close to perfection as she could. After a few hair fluffs and an application of a fresh coat of grape-flavored lip gloss, Kellie took a deep breath and exited the room. She stood at the hallway for a few seconds, starry brown eyes scanning the room for any signs of her target, but letting out a relieved breath when he was still at the balcony. Sighing deeply, the Hispanic girl closed her eyes, said a quick prayer to Cuba’s Virgin of Charity, and headed out to join him.

[color=00fa9a]“Congrats on the junior lacrosse award, Max Wallenberg,”[/color] she began with the brightest of smiles, hoping her voice wasn’t shaking with the same nervousness her hands were. [color=00fa9a]“You’re, like, [i]definitely[/i] the best player our school has. If anyone deserved it, it was you.”[/color]

Max had been staring out at the houses that lit up the night of Palm Beach deep in thought about the award he had been given tonight. His whole junior year had been dedicated to being the best player on the junior varsity team. Now the only goal he had left was to be named captain and to do that he needed to become better than Warren Diedrikson, which obviously is easier said than done. The young man slowly turned around when the girl spoke to him. A signature wide grin spreading across his face as he saw who was talking.

[color=36506B]“Huh… I wouldn’t peg you as a lacrosse fan, Kell.”[/color] he laughed leaning against the balcony railing. [color=36506B]“Flattery will only get you this far, what can I do for you?”[/color] he fixed his blue eyes on her, huge smile still intact.

From the moment she’d laid eyes on him at age fourteen, Kellie Anne had always wondered how someone’s smile could be so naturally breathtaking. Everytime Max smiled, she could swear everything else dimmed around, as if cowering in fear of the brightness he emitted. Kel often liked to say he put the sun, moon and stars to shame, even if everyone else thought she was being melodramatic. But this wasn’t the time to be thinking about the stupid things she wrote in her journal! It was time to focus!

The girl heard herself let out an awkward little cough before responding. [color=00fa9a]“Oh, I looooove lacrosse. My brother Hudson used to play back in high school, so Mil and I were his little cheerleaders. Huds plays for Stanford now. That’s why I wouldn't dare to miss a game from you guys!”[/color] Kellie said brightly, sliding the glass door behind her and turning to face Max. Her statement was all true, and it served as the perfect answer without giving away that the main reason she went to the King’s games was to see him in action and not because she cared all that much for the sport. His question made her hands shake harder, palms sweating. [color=00fa9a]“I just, you know, wanted a little break from the party. Getting a little too crazy inside,”[/color] she lied, not wanting to tell him the only thing he could do for her was to do her.

[color=36506B]“Oh?”[/color] Max’s expression changed in to one of curiosity [color=36506B]“Crazy how?”[/color] he asked as he stepped closer to Kellie. [color=36506B]“From what I have heard you dancers are no stranger to crazy nights.”[/color] his voice dropping down to a low husky whisper. He reached his hand out to brush a few hairs from Kellie’s face, making sure his hand touched her cheek ever so lightly while his eyes never leaving hers. After a silent moment his smile was back full force as he pulled back leaning again on the railing. [color=36506B]“But I see what you mean. Put that many horny athletes in one apartment and shit’s bound to happen”[/color] he laughed winking. 

It was hard to keep calm when the guy you’d crushed on for a year and a half chose to close the distance between you and him, and even harder when his hand was brushing your face. Any hopes of playing it cool vanished as soon as a blush crept up on her cheeks, skin feeling hotter where Max’s touch had been. Kel held her breath for a bit, afraid that she didn’t she would start hyperventilating. Thankfully, Max decided to step away long enough for her to catch her breath.

When he commented about her supposed crazy nights, the girl raised a curious eyebrow. The last thing Kellie wanted was for Max to find out that the craziest thing she’d ever done in her life was to eat raw cookie dough while baking, so she decided to turn the attention back to him instead. [color=00fa9a]“And from what [b]I’ve[/b] heard, [b]you’re[/b] no stranger to what happens when you put ‘that many horny athletes’ in one room,”[/color] she teased back, giggling while shooting Max a playful wink. 

The young man blinked and made a mock shocked face [color=36506B]“Again with the flattery...”[/color] he chuckled, smirking at her. [color=36506B]“So my reputation has spread then,”[/color] he began slowly. [color=36506B]“And yet here you are… So I’ll ask again: what can I do for you?”[/color] he said, with a bit more interest this time.  

Kellie Anne swallowed hard, trying to summon the courage she always said she would have when the opportunity to talk to Max came. And although it took the better part of a minute, she finally did. [color=00fa9a]“Why don’t you try and find out?”[/color] the girl heard herself say, giving the blond boy in front of her the exact smirk he’d had a few seconds before.

Impressed, Max closed the distance between them yet again. [color=36506B]“Is that an invitation, then?”[/color] he asked, placing his right hand on the small of her back as his blue stare bored into hers as he tried to figure out what she meant. He chuckled one last time before he leaned in and planted on her lips the passionate kiss he’d became famous for around campus. His left hand found its way through her brown hair, and he felt her tense up in his arms before she slowly relaxed into them.

And just like that, Kellie Anne Marie Nicholson died and went to heaven. 

When she’d sought out Max that night, the most she’d been hoping for was to carry on a conversation long enough to exchange phone numbers.What she [b]hadn’t[/b] expected was to get wrapped around his muscled arms, with one of his hands tangled up in her hair while he kissed her with a passion that burned harder than the shot of tequila she’d had an hour before. The initial shock had paralyzed Kellie on the spot for a bit, eyes wide and arms hanging limply by her sides until the realization of what was happening finally washed over her. But when it did, the brunette was kissing Max back with the longing she’d held back for years, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling their bodies as close together as they could be. 

A feeling of warmth spread throughout Max’s body when he felt his kiss reciprocated with the same passion as he was putting out. He had initiated the kiss mostly out of curiosity, but now that he was invested, it was time to kick into high gear. His hands moved up to cup the girl’s face as he kissed her harder and faster before finally pulling away. The familiar grin crept back to his face as he kept his eyes on the visibly stunned Kellie. 

[color=36506B]“Was that what I could do for you? Was my service sufficient?”[/color] he laughed as he let the petite girl go. He had to admit the girl interested him in a way a lot of the girls at King’s didn’t, but the thrill of the hunt was too good to give up. He had to stick to his usual plan: give them a little taste so they crave more. 

When he’d finally pulled away, it took all of Kellie Anne’s self restraint to keep from hyperventilating like she wanted to. Without a doubt, her first kiss with Max Wallenberg had been everything the brunette had hoped for and more. The girl’s head was spinning, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she fought back the wanting pumping through her veins. The chemistry between them was undeniable, so strong she could have sworn sparks flew around them. And when he asked if his services were sufficient, she bit back the need to tell him she hoped they were just getting started.

[color=00fa9a]“Is that it?”[/color] Kellie heard herself blurt out instead, disappointment dripping from her words. Realizing how that made her sound, the girl flushed and quickly added, [color=00fa9a]“N-not that I mind of course. I completely understand if, like, that’s… it…”[/color] The more she spoke, the more she put her foot in her mouth, and the more nervous she got, so she decided it was probably best to flee the scene of the crime before she could embarrass herself any further. [color=00fa9a]“So, um, I guess I’ll just… You know... Go… Back inside…”[/color] she mumbled and stumbled, sliding the glass door open to finally make her escape, cursing herself for being such a coward along the way.

Max couldn’t help but let out a sigh of disbelief as he watched Kellie slip back inside through the sliding doors. He chuckled and rubbed his chin as he went back to stare out into the night. He’d have to keep an eye out for that girl.[/i][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

This was the memory playing on Kellie’s head as she started her car and backed out of the Nicholson driveway: the night she and Max had met, back in December of 2017. More often than not, memories of her time with the lacrosse captain came to her as flashbacks in the strangest moments, bestowing her with either happiness or sadness at any given time. As Kellie sped past the man-made lake in the center of Crown Heights, her peripheral vision spotted a very familiar truck in the parking lot. Her sandal-clad foot slammed on the brakes, bringing the convertible blue beetle to a complete stop in the middle of the road. Behind the Oakley sunglasses, her brown eyes searched around the pier until they finally fell on the truck’s owner, accompanied by his faithful canine sidekick.

Kellie’s heart skipped a beat, the way it always did when she saw [i]him[/i]. Max Wallenberg was like a fine wine: getting better looking with every day that went by. Ever the show off, her darling Maxie wore nothing but a pair of boxers that clung to his body like a wetsuit, emphasizing the features she’d gotten to know well for the better part of five months. A smile crept up on the corners of her mouth when she realized the Calvin Kleins he wore were actually part of a gift she’d gotten him back when they dated: a habit she’d gotten him into that he’d clearly not broken. The young woman watched as the boy played around with his dog Charlie, that bright smile of his never leaving his handsome face. 

But ultimately, the inevitable punch to the gut came when she noticed Max and Charlie were far from lonely. A petite brunette not too different from her was being helped back to the pier by Max, her wet clothes sticking to her and revealing far too much of her stupid body. With eyes now clouded with tears and a vice-like grip on the steering wheel, Kellie watched as the two lied down on the pier next to each other, with the girl wearing the all-too-familiar dumbstruck expression of those charmed by Crown Heights’ walking ball of sunshine.

The sound of a loud horn made Kellie jump in her seat and look around in panic. Her heartbreaking observations were interrupted as a white SUV sped past her, the driver shooting her a nasty look along the way. Shaking with a mix of sadness and surprise, the brunette slammed her foot on the accelerator and sped off, hoping that the stupid horn hadn’t brought any attention to herself.[/color][/indent][/indent]