The chick flick that I picked was not a typical sappy romance. Nick stayed true to his word and allowed me to choose the film, so I repaid the favor by deciding on a milder movie. I didn't want to bore the two boys with a two hour sob show, though personally, that sounded like an excellent option.

Nick didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was quite supportive of my decision. That was typical of Nick. Even though this movie probably wasn't something he would choose to see, Nick backed my decision without second thought, mainly because he didn't want to influence my judgment.

Caleb, on the other hand, clearly wasn't too fond of my choice. He was muttering to himself when I announced the film we were seeing. It was hard to imagine the husky jock being a big fan of chick flicks.

There was half an hour until show time, so Nick and Caleb decided to pass time in the arcade. This was one of the newest theaters in Minneapolis and the facility was state-of-the-art. A row of coin operated machines lined the wall, a few shooting and driving games, a Dance Dance Revolution, and several basketball hoops. The arcade was filled with children and adults alike, mesmerized by the flashing lights and upbeat music.

Predictably, the two boys lined up at the basketball machines. It didn't take long for them to establish a rhythm. Basketballs went through the net with regularity and the digital score climbed higher and higher.

Madison and I watched them play from the concession on the other side of the lobby. With a drink in our hands, we sat down in one of the few chairs and made ourselves comfortable. As soon as I let my guard down, however, Madison began the interrogation process.

"Did you invite Caleb?" Madison questioned.

"No." I was surprised that Madison thought I was the person behind this. After all, I barely knew Caleb and our first meeting didn't leave the greatest of impressions.

"Nick." Madison sighed. "Did he tell you about this?"

I nodded, and Madison didn't seem surprised in the slightest. After all, it wasn't Nick's style to act in an imprudent manner.

"Why did you agree to it?" Now that the first question was out of the way, Madison decided to increase the difficulty.

I was tempted to tell her that the only reason I allowed Nick to proceed with his plan was his promise to salvage my manuscript, but Madison knew me as well as she knew makeup, so there was no sense in lying to her. Well, half lie, I supposed. The manuscript was important to me.

The other half of the reason was that I was genuinely intrigued by Caleb. Not in a romantic way, of course, but in a general sense of curiosity. He was so polarizing. For everyone who hated him, there was someone who loved him. For every Madison, there was a Nick. There weren't many people who could attain that type of status.

My thought process was complicated - I could be described as a classic over-thinker - but my answer was simple.

"I don't know."

Madison rolled her eyes. "You do know. You're just not telling me. "

I glanced at Caleb, who sent yet another basketball through the hoop with ridiculous ease. It almost seemed like he wasn't trying, but I knew that wasn't the case. There was a fierce competition between Nick and Caleb to set high scores, and even though I didn't know who was winning, Caleb's effortless technique gave me the impression that he had the upper hand. No wonder Madison said that Nick was constantly overshadowed by Caleb.

"There's something about Caleb that intrigues me. I don't know what, but I'll tell you when I do," I promised Madison.

I returned my attention to Caleb, who scored one final shot to beat Nick. The margin of victory wasn't large - the competitors were only separated by two points - but it was enough.

Caleb pumped his fist to celebrate the victory. It was a common gesture, one that many people used when they were excited, but Caleb's physique made the motion much more eye-catching.

A clenched fist meant tightened arm muscles, and there was plenty of that in Caleb. It was obvious that all that hockey training paid dividends, as the size of his biceps was larger than anyone in our age category.

That didn't seem to satisfy Caleb, as he decided to further enhance his shape with a tight white t-shirt. The sleeves squeezed against the widest point of Caleb's biceps, and the compression created a noticeable bulge of muscles and veins.

At first, the sight was rather impressive. Caleb had a well defined body and for a brief second, I fantasized about trailing my fingers along the muscles in his arm. However, the more I stared, the quicker the fantasy died. I found the whole tight t-shirt act to be vain and unnecessary.

The people who usually wore this type of clothing were self centered and wanted to draw attention to themselves. Caleb definitely fit the bill. As my mind wandered down that path, Caleb's bulging biceps seemed less like a desirable distraction and more like the ham in the Cub Foods' meat department.

That comparison killed any lingering thoughts about Caleb's biceps. My eyes wandered away from his arms and towards his face. To my surprise, his eyes were waiting for mine.

Which meant one thing. Caleb realized I was checking him out.

Those blue eyes of his remained impassive, as though this wasn't the first time Caleb caught a girl checking him out. That was probably true. Most of the girls at Oakcrest chased after guys with good looks and athletic abilities, which made Caleb a desirable commodity. Girls must have stared at him on a daily basis.

The only hint of emotion on Caleb's face was displayed in his telltale lips. A smirk dangled teasingly, hinting at the amusement that this situation brought him. I doubt Caleb expected this from someone like me, so catching me in the act humored him to no end.

Thankfully, Caleb had the decency to drop the issue. He merely pointed in the direction of the concession, where Nick and Madison were ordering food and drinks for the movie. They had passed me by and I didn't even notice it.

"Let's go." Caleb sauntered towards the counter, exuding an easy sense of confidence. I trailed behind him, trying to keep pace but failing miserably.

We arrived at the concession counter just as Nick and Madison received their food and beverage. Caleb and I shared a glance, equally as confused that they ordered without us. Neither Madison nor Nick were the type to act in such a manner.

"Where's ours?" Caleb asked, slightly puzzled.

Nick shrugged as he tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "Don't know what you two want. Get in line and decide for yourselves. Madison and I will buy the tickets first."

Caleb rolled his eyes. Even someone as clueless as myself knew what Nick was up to. The wingman. Such a pointless role. They provided nothing more than false confidence for their friend. Sometimes that did more harm than good.

I was reluctant to refer to Nick as the wingman because this trip to the theater was supposed to be a friendly, conciliatory meeting. Not a romantic date. Even so, I had the nagging suspicion that Nick saw this as the start of something more.

The two made their way towards the ticket counter, but not before Madison turned around and shot me a warning glance. Caleb noticed the motion and burst out laughing as soon as Madison was out of earshot.

"What was that all about?" Caleb gestured in Madison's direction.

I fidgeted with the brown strand of hair around my ears. Hair color was something I inherited from my mother, although it didn't transfer over perfectly. Hers was a luscious caramel brown, whereas mine adopted a darker hue to appear dirt brown.

"Um, I think she was warning me to stay away from you."

That drew another chuckle from Caleb. "And why is that?"

"Madison can be a little overprotective," I admitted. "She probably thinks that you're a bad influence for me."

Caleb scratched his jaw and chuckled. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but she's probably right."

That wasn't necessarily a bragging point, but obviously Caleb and I had different values. Although I was rolling my eyes on the inside, I managed to maintain a look of indifference on my face.

"What are you going to get?" I asked, trying to change the topic before I completely wrote Caleb off as another arrogant jock.

Caleb scanned the concession menu with his eyes. "Hm. I don't know. Popcorn would be nice but they don't have any caramel corn. Maybe some gummies or chocolate then."

"You're quite the sweet tooth," I noted.

Caleb flashed a toothy grin that reminded me of an eager child at a candy store. I had the impression that he was a person with endless energy. For a second, the arrogant side of Caleb seemed to disappear and that made him a little more tolerable.

"What's your favorite movie snack?" The grin caused dimples to form on Caleb's cheeks, and I found it rather difficult to tear my eyes away.

"Um, probably soft pretzels?"

That caused Caleb's grin to fade. He mumbled something inaudible, but I caught the word "Brittany" in there somewhere. The light hearted atmosphere disappeared and in its place was an uneasy tension. I knew something was off but I didn't know what.

We ordered in silence and waited for our food. Once the cashier handed over our treats, we made the walk back to the ticket counter to rejoin Nick and Madison. They were deep in conversation, and judging by the slight irritation on Madison, I estimated that the topic of discussion revolved around Caleb's appearance today. Once they noticed us, however, the conversation ended on the spot and Madison beckoned at us with the four tickets in her hand.

"About time," Nick jested. "What did you even get?"

Caleb held out his purchase for them to see. "Gummy bears."

"Soft pretzels."

Nick nodded thoughtfully and popped another piece of popcorn in his mouth. "All good choices."

"What did you get? Aside from the popcorn, I mean." Caleb asked.

"Just a large Coke."

"What about Madison?"

I knew the answer even before she spoke up. "We're sharing."

Sharing, especially when it came to food and beverages, was typical of couples but Nick and Madison took things one step further. They shared everything. From carpooling to sharing a locker at school, the two were basically one entity. I wouldn't be surprised if they moved in together soon.

Caleb muttered something about hygiene but it was disregarded by all of us. Madison handed us our tickets, and with everything ready, we made our way to the theater room.

At Madison's request, we sat three quarters back and center of the row. She insisted that these were the best seats in the house.

I had been right to refer to Nick as the wingman, because immediately he manoeuvred Madison down the aisle and sat down beside her. That meant Caleb and I were going to sit together, regardless of who sat down beside Nick. Unless I walked around and rejoined Madison on the other end of the aisle, but that just was disrespectful. Maybe unnecessary.

Caleb took the seat beside Nick and I sat down to his right. We were separated by an armrest and a cup holder, which I decided to place my drink in. Instead of plastic, however, I felt skin as my cup landed on Caleb's hand.

Caleb, who had been engaged in conversation with Nick, turned around in surprise and gave me a quizzical look. He pointed to my right, where an identical black holder was unoccupied.

"That's yours."

The dim lighting in the room was a blessing as my face flushed from embarrassment. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of Caleb. He seemed like the type to blow issues out of proportion.

I mumbled an apology and set my cup down in the proper holder. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that a smirk had found its way on to Caleb's face. There was no mistaking it. The cockiness was back.

Caleb opened his mouth, as though to say something, when the opening credits came on the screen and a hush fell over the crowd. That prevented Caleb from saying what was on the tip of his tongue. He offered a small smile and turned his attention towards the big screen, leaving me to wonder what was on his mind.

The movie I chose turned out to be a wonderful compromise. It contained the sappy, romantic parts that us girls swooned over and interlaced it with enough humorous bits to keep the boys entertained. Given the amount of laughter I heard over the two hour span, it was a fair conclusion to state that everyone enjoyed the show.

During the course of the movie, I found my attention split on to two sources: the screen and Caleb. There was just something inexplicable about his presence that gravitated me towards him. I didn't want to pay any attention towards him, but that was near impossible, especially when he was sitting right beside me.

For someone who was known to be self centered and ignorant at times, Caleb was quite receptive to the film. Caleb's eyes were fixated on the screen, soaking in the action, whenever I snuck a glance at him, which was unfortunately far too often.

There was an exception to that. One of my not so subtle glances was, surprisingly, met by Caleb's waiting eyes. Although I wanted to dismiss it as him being fed up with my constant staring, the way Caleb watched me told me that he had been sneaking the odd look in my direction too.

In an alternate universe, that would have been rather romantic. Something out of the plays we directed in drama class. Strangers crossing paths due to conflict, a flirtatious first meeting and that led to the two children, house with a white picket fence happily ever after. At least that was what happened in blockbuster movies.

But I wasn't some jaw-dropping supermodel actress.

Storybook endings didn't happen to average people like me. Average looking wallflowers that disappeared into the crowd. No, these fairy tales only came true for the popular and the influential. The kind of people that had half the school hanging on to their every word. Like the athletes and the cheerleaders. Those two groups were annual winners for prom king and queen, and usually by a landslide. It was just the natural hierarchy of high school.

If I had to bet, Caleb probably dated a cheerleader at some point.

My tendency to overthink was beginning to creep in. All of this speculation was beside the point. This wasn't some alternate universe and we were most certainly not flirting. Our exchange of glances could be explained by curiosity from not knowing each other. That was it. Caleb couldn't possibly be interested me and vice versa. Athletes and wallflowers didn't mix. Especially given our conflicting attitudes.

I broke eye contact with Caleb and kept my gaze firmly glued to the screen. No more distractions and wild thoughts. I was in no desperate need for a man, and even if I was, it wouldn't have been Caleb. Too much of a bad influence.

The rest of the movie went by swimmingly, without another awkward encounter. My resolve proved to be strong enough; I didn't sneak another glance in his general direction.

The same might not apply to Caleb. I couldn't tell with certainty, and it was possible that I was just paranoid, but I still had the feeling that he was glancing at me every now and then. It was somewhat flattering, but also somewhat unnerving, as I didn't know what his intentions were.

After the final credits had been displayed and the lights were turned on, we made our way back to the lobby. The walk back was rather slow and deliberated. I had the feeling that our day ended here, and what lied ahead was nothing but uncertainty.

Nick was the first to speak up. Rather than addressing the uncertainty, however, Nick opted to avoid the topic altogether. "Did everyone like the movie?"

"Loved. It." Madison was never one to shy away from conversation.

Caleb also chipped in with his thoughts. "Better than I expected."

Everyone turned their heads in my direction, waiting for my input, and I felt the pressure squeeze against my shoulders. I didn't like the spotlight, but sometimes it was placed on me. This was one of those times.

"It was good."

"A pretty underwhelming review from the person who chose the film," Nick teased.

I laughed and loosened up a little. "It was really good. A pretty good mix between romance and comedy."

"You know there isn't too much romance when Nick stays awake for the whole movie," Madison quipped, and everyone laughed.

Nick smiled sheepishly. "In my defense, that date came the day after a game. I was dead tired and the sad songs put me to sleep."

The two bantered for a bit, leaving Caleb and I as awkward spectators. There was no space to enter their conversation, given the constant exchange of inside jokes and witty remarks. All we could was patiently wait for them to finish up.

After a prolonged minute, Nick finally remembered our presence and addressed us. "Well, that's all for today. There's nothing else planned, at least nothing that involves you two."

"Date night?" Caleb asked.

"You bet it is, so leave us alone, training wheels." Nick glanced over at Madison and a smile spread across his face. For someone who had been single for all seventeen plus years of her life, sometimes their sweet romance felt like salt in the wound. Still, I was happy for Madison to have found someone who loved her.

"Training wheels?" Caleb feigned hurt.

"Go away, Dawson." Nick waved half-heartedly, as though he was swatting at a fly. "Don't bother me this weekend. Practice on your passing. Study for the exams. Or take Jennifer here out to somewhere nice."

I was caught by surprise by that last statement. Throughout the afternoon, I knew Nick was trying to set us up, but his efforts had at least been thinly concealed up to this point. I wasn't expecting something so direct. Perhaps the lack of traction was forcing Nick to step it up a notch.

Caleb's gaze fell on me and I could feel my heart beat a little quicker. Although his personality left a lot to be desired, his appearance was undeniably attractive and it made me react involuntarily. I held his gaze, waiting for him to make a move, though I suspected that he wasn't going to ask me out.

I was proved wrong.

Caleb deliberated for a moment, thinking to himself, as the rest of us waited for his decision. Finally, he fixed his attention on me and said the words that were never addressed to me before.

"Did you want to go somewhere with me later?"

For a second, I was tempted to say yes. Even though I assumed Caleb only asked me out of convenience, given the quality of girls who would jump at the opportunity, I thought it would be nice to spend a day with this enigmatic troublemaker. He was equally attractive and interesting, which made for a perfect date. It wasn't like there was any commitment. By the time Monday came around, Caleb would probably forget about me and chase after some supermodel instead.

Madison wasn't going to approve of my decision. She would undoubtedly give me an earful about messing with Caleb, but I had made up my mind. One day couldn't hurt.

The word was on the tip of my tongue. I was going to say yes. However, a subtle but sudden gesture caught my eye and changed my mind.

From the pockets of his jeans, Caleb withdrew his phone and began typing into it. I paused and peered over top of his phone to see what was on his screen. To my surprise and irritation, Caleb