Unveiled Love

Author's Note: Attention Readers! This was a very enjoyable story for me to write. But after I submitted the last one I wasn't sure if it should end here or not. After careful consideration, I decided there should be one more chapter to officially end this story. Please enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think when it's over. I'm spending some of my free time brainstorming a sequel but I shouldn't start until this one's over. Have fun.

Friday

Maurecia's POV

It was a beautiful night, my mom was so happy to see me again and my dad spent a little extra time talking to me after dinner. Every time it was my turn to speak I only wanted to talk about Todd. He's the only thing I set my heart on last night. And I'm glad that my parents approve of him. My mom would like to meet him sometime in the future but that doesn't matter right now. As long as one of them knows him then he's good. After I wake up at 5:45 A.M. I think I should begin my day now. That's usually really early even for me, but I just slept for two days didn't I? I'm not tired at all and my headache is gone. I poke Fluffy lightly on the nose.

"Come on Fluffy. Let's get ready for school." He doesn't move. I bet he slept well last night to but when I'm ready then he needs to be ready as well. I pick him up below his quills and hold him close to my face. "Wake up Fluffy!" I say noticeably louder. He opens his eyes quickly in growls at me. "Are you ready to begin the school day?" He shakes his head. "You don't want to see Todd again?" He shrugs, I think he's tired but I'm wide awake now and ready to resume my life. Everyone at Wayside probably missed me.

"Let's go Fluffy." I tell him as he sighs reluctantly and puts on his skates. I change into my usual school clothes, put on my helmet and skates, and storm out of the room. I attempt to grab my backpack but I'm assuming Todd still has it because I can't find it anywhere. As I get downstairs I'm greeted by my mom getting a cup of coffee.

"Good morning sweetie." She says calmly. I can tell she's glad I'm back.

"Good morning mom. What are you doing up so early?" I ask.

"Well I didn't need to work the night shift last night." I suppose that makes sense. My mom is a doctor who often works at night time. She takes any sleep she can get. "I'm actually going to change locations." We make eye contact.

"We're moving away?" I ask somewhat scaredly. She chuckles and shakes her head.

"No Maurecia. I was really worried about you the past couple of nights and so I've decided I'm going to work at the hospital you stayed at." I'm relieved.

"I'm okay now." She nods.

"I know. But in case it happens again, I'd like to spend my time near you. It wasn't a fun time at the office the past couple of days questioning your condition." I can understand that.

"Okay mom." I say as I grab a piece of bread and begin slathering peanut butter on it. "Hope you don't mind if I leave in a couple of minutes." She flinches.

"Darling, it's only five fifty. Why are you in such a hurry?" I begin smearing jelly on the bread as Fluffy licks the spoons.

"I want to go to Todd's house before school." I pick up his skateboard. "He forgot his skateboard." She sighs.

"Can't that wait until you're both at school?" I'm imagining she forgot what it felt like the day she and my dad fell in love.

"Well mom, I really want to see Todd again." She stares speechlessly. "Yesterday he visited me in the hospital and I think he's the sole reason I woke up from my coma." She shrugs.

"Well comas don't usually only last two days. But isn't Todd the person who hit your face in the first place?" I nod.

"He thought I was going to punch him again. But he's said sorry so many times and he carried me down the stairs. And I'm positive I'm in love with him." Fluffy squeaks cutely in agreement.

"Well Maurecia. I suppose that's okay. Do you think your father will care?" I roll my eyes and smile.

"He and Todd have already met and he supports him." She looks shocked.

"He's okay with you dating a boy he only just met?"

"You'd have to be my conscience to understand my feelings. But he's the best boy anyone could have. But they can't have him because he's mine!" I say with intensity. "Besides, he took care of Fluffy for me Wednesday night." Fluffy gives a thumbs up.

"Okay I'm alright with it, but do you think he's awake now?" I shrug.

"I don't know for sure. If he isn't then I'll just leave the skateboard on his porch and head to school." She looks concerned.

"What are you going to do at the school for two and a half hours?"

"Probably skate the hallways."

"But sweetie you could-" I cut her off.

"I could crash my head again. I know that. But I've never crashed before and I guarantee Todd won't hurt me again." She looks a little sad.

"That's fine. I'm just really worried about you." I look up feeling a little guilty. "For two days your father and I weren't sure how you got hurt or if you were going to even wake up. I'm glad you're awake now but it was still a very tragic feeling to think we could've lost you. We love you Maurecia." She says as a tear streams down her face.

"I know mom, and I love you to." I give her a hug and she doesn't want to let go. "But I've been in love with Todd since the day we met and I felt the same way the other night." She's shocked.

"You thought you were going to lose him?" I nod and begin a lecture.

"He said he was sick of Wayside School and wanted to go back to his old school. The thought of me going back and not seeing him next week, it wasn't pleasant, it wasn't promising; it felt like a stairway to hell. I couldn't sleep well knowing that someone I hold so close to my heart could leave our school forever. I'd never see him again. I know where he lives now but he still would never bother to talk to me even if I came to his house. But yesterday I learned something I was very surprised, yet very proud to hear. Yesterday I learned that Todd had the exact same feeling for me the past couple of days. He had that heartbreaking feeling under the stress of not knowing when I'm coming back or if I'm coming back at all. And the first thing I felt when I woke up was his presence." She cries a tear. "He was holding my hand." Fluffy grins. "And he didn't leave my side after I woke up either. I got to hug him tightly and tell him I loved him." I pause briefly. "Do you have any clue how long I've been waiting for that moment?"

"I don't have any idea." She says.

"Let's just say I've dreamed of this day for a long time. But it was even more enjoyable than I predicted. And do you know why?" She shakes her head. "Because he said he loved me to."

"Wow sweetie!" She cries a couple more tears. "You've found the boy of your dreams haven't you?" I nod.

"Yes mother. He's stolen my heart, and he's the only one it races for. I feel it flutter whenever he's next to me. It's a wonderful feeling mom. And I promise you he's worth it. So if being in a coma for two days is the price I have to pay to keep Todd at Wayside, then I accept it." She finally lets go of me.

"Well Maurecia if you're this adamant about Todd then I'll support you." I smile.

"Thanks mom."

"You're welcome. But please be careful." I nod as I take my sandwich with me and race out the door.

"I will mom!" I shout as Fluffy follows me down the porch. "Next stop, 344 South Fairview!"

"EYEEEH!" Fluffy exclaims. After about fifteen minutes, I've eaten my sandwich, and we're at his doorstep. I pull out my phone and realize it's only six fifteen. I set half of his skateboard on the ground and hold it upwards.

"Well Fluffy we're here."

"Uh huh." He responds.

"Well here goes nothing." I say as I knock on the door. After about ten seconds there is no answer. I try one more time and this time a man answers it.

"Hello?" He asks as he looks down at me. "Who are you and what are you doing here so early?" I smile at him.

"My name's Maurecia. Is Todd home?" He opens his eyes a little wider.

"Are you his girlfriend?" I nod.

"I think we can say that now. He forgot his skateboard." I say holding it out. He takes it from me.

"Well thank you for returning it." He sets it down behind him. "Though couldn't you wait until school to give it to him?" I step back slowly.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. A small part of me hoped he'd be awake. We just have so much to talk about now that I'm awake." He smirks.

"You're the girl he injured aren't you?" I nod. "Why are you so forgiving?" I shrug.

"Maybe because I owe him a little sympathy for punching him all the time. He's been a pretty good sport about it all the time but I wouldn't want to get in a physical fight with him." He chuckles.

"I think you could take him in a fight, he's very scrawny." I chuckle at that.

"Maybe so but one time I saw him literally holding the school building upwards to keep it from falling." His smile vanishes. "He's much stronger than most people wish they could be. And he hits pretty hard, I learned that the hard way." I say looking down a little. "But he's the only person I think about every day. Can you tell him I said hi and I can't wait to see him at school?" He smiles and points in the house.

"Why don't you come in for a couple of minutes? It's only forty four degrees outside." I smile and enter the house.

"Well if you insist." Fluffy skates around him.

"And I see you brought his little friend with you." Fluffy giggles.

"Yeah, Todd and Fluffy are my two closest friends. And it seems my absence brought them closer together." Fluffy gives a thumbs up.

"Well young lady, does my son think of you in the same way?" I nod.

"Oh yeah he does. He's spent the past year and a half protesting and resisting me. But none of that matters now. All that matters is that he's staying at Wayside, and he'll be at my side until our graduation." Suddenly I hear footsteps.

Todd's POV

"Maurecia? What are you doing here?" I didn't think I'd see her until school started. She's sitting on the couch and talking to my dad. But it's only six twenty so what gives? I don't even have a shirt on yet. My mom did my laundry last night so my plan was to just get a shirt after breakfast.

"Hi Todd." She says. "I was just meeting your dad for the first time."

"Yeah son. She's a keeper." He says as they both laugh.

"By the way Todd. You have nice abs." I blush at that sentence.

"Thank you Maurecia." My dad laughs again. "I'm just going to get a shirt real fast." I say as I walk towards the laundry room. I'm surprised she's here so early. I thought our plan was we'd talk when we got to school but I guess she couldn't help herself. But I really shouldn't complain. I'm happy to see her to. I just think it's a little unexpected and even embarrassing around my dad. I pull out a white long sleeve undershirt and my standard blue t-shirt. I put both of them on and step back out. I really want to play it cool. When I get back to the kitchen I notice Fluffy sitting on the table eating a small piece of toast. I hear my dad and Maurecia talking but right now I need a minute so I sit next to him.

"Well Fluffy how are you doing this morning?" I ask. He looks up.

"Fantastic." He mouths then he points to me as he continues munching his bread.

"I'm doing okay. I just wish Maurecia and I planned this before she showed up to my house." Fluffy rolls his eyes.

"Tell me about it." I think he wanted to sleep in.

"If I had to guess I'd say Maurecia was biding her energy. Now that she's awake she's got a lot to release." He nods and finishes chewing, he's done with his toast. "So… do you think I'm ready to tell everyone about this?" We make eye contact and he nods lightly. "Are you sure? It's gonna be tough to get past this. I don't think I'm ready for it myself." Fluffy smiles.

"Just be strong Todd." Sometimes I don't know if I'm reading his lips right.

"I don't know if I can." He frowns. "I didn't think she'd be awake today. It's a true miracle that she is, but how are we going to explain this to the rest of the class." Fluffy points at his heart then back at me. "Let me guess. Be honest about my feelings?" He smiles eagerly a nods. "Okay. It's not going to be easy but it should be possible. Right?" He giggles a couple of times. "Okay then." I grab him unexpectedly by his sides. "Let's go!" He squirms around for a couple of seconds but he doesn't poke me. It's nice to have Fluffy around. He's not human but I think he knows more about my potential than I do myself sometimes. I step back into the living room.

"So he's tough enough to deal with kindergarteners every day!" Maurecia says.

"Well I didn't teach Todd to get comfy around kids, I taught him how much work they can be." They both laugh again. My dad doesn't know the half of it. I matured much quicker than the average child probably does. I wouldn't know for sure though because I don't have any siblings.

"Well Maurecia." I say as I step out. "Let's get to school." My dad frowns and Maurecia raises an eyebrow.

"It's a little early don't you think?" My dad asks.

"Well it is thirty stories tall."

"But you've got almost three hours." I shrug.

"My knees are starting to get sore." I say while I remove the bandages from my legs, there's still a large scab around them but it's better than before.

"Wow Todd. How'd that happen?" Maurecia asks.

"I attempted to use your rollerblades to carry you down the stairs." I say nervously. Maurecia continues.

"So then he carried me down all the stairs!"

"That's my boy!" He says as I roll my eyes.

"Can we please go now?" I say half pleading and half demanding.

"Awe is my son too eager to get away from his old man?" My dad teases.

"Dad, not in front of my girlfriend! I-" I'm cut off at Maurecia giving me her sparkling look only a couple inches away from my face. I blush instantly.

"Girlfriend Todd?" He asks a little surprised. I think he was just joking until he heard me say it out loud.

"Well Todd. Are you going to answer him?" She says while blushing a little. I stammer for a second.

"W-well. Y-yes dad. Yes she is." He holds his arms up and hands forward.

"Okay. I didn't know for sure if you were serious or not." He says apologetically.

"It's fine dad." Maurecia gets closer and looks prepared to punch me. I flinch and shut my eyes. Then she wraps her arms around me and laughs.

"Psych!" She says as she continues laughing. My dad laughs with her and I chuckle nervously. "I used to hit Todd all the time, but he took it like a boss!" She squeezes a little harder.

"Okay Maurecia. Can we please get out of here?" The laughter stops.

"Sure Todd." She lets go and picks up my skateboard. "By the way you forgot this yesterday." I take it from her and set it next to the door.

"Thanks Maurecia. And we should probably pick up your bag."

"You took my backpack?" I nod.

"Yeah. Let me show you where it is." I say as I walk up the stairs with her following me.

"Have fun!" My dad calls.

Maurecia's POV

I've never really thought about what Todd's room looks like. I see he has a large bed, a chair for gaming, a large T.V, and a shelf full of video games, action figures, and books? I didn't know Todd loved to read.

"Welcome to my room Maurecia." He says as he turns on the light and sets Fluffy on the chair. "What do you think?" I don't know for sure what to say. I knew he was geeky but I didn't know what way. Regardless it feels nice to be in such a well-organized environment.

"I think you did I good job here." I say. "But I'm just wondering something. Have you ever had a girl in here before?" He flinches and blushes a little. He's so cute when he's embarrassed!

"Come to think of it I haven't. Have you ever been in a room that belonged to a boy?" I shrug.

"I don't think so." I feel another question coming. "Have you ever slept with anyone before?" His eyes widen, I blush deeply after saying that.

"Well… No." He says nervously. I continue.

"Because I've dreamed of sharing a bed with you for a long time." He makes a serious face but before he speaks he's shocked out of it.

"Okay then. I've never really thought about it before. But…" He struggles to make eye contact with me for a few seconds. "You actually want to sleep with me?" I take a step back.

"Okay Todd, we don't need to look that far right now." He sighs. "But can you promise me that sometime in the future, we'll have a night together? I've actually spent a lot of lonely nights pretending you were in bed with me so I had someone to snuggle." I give him puppy eyes. After about ten seconds he stops blushing and regains his confidence.

"Yes Maurecia. I promise sometime in the future, we'll have a night to ourselves." A loving smile appears on my face.

"And will there be cuddling?" He nods.

"It'll probably be the best night of our lives. But we need to wait on that for now." He picks up my backpack and places my diary inside. "Here are your items." I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Todd, you're such a gentleman." I give him a kiss on the cheek. Fluffy giggles at that. "And you get over here you little sweetheart!" I pick Fluffy up, set him in my bag, and put the bag on my back. "Let's go to school Todd!" I say cheerfully. Suddenly a nervous and depressed look appears on his face. "Todd, is something wrong?" He looks up slowly.

"Well Maurecia, I honestly don't want to go to school." I didn't see that coming.

"Why not Todd?"

"Because I've had a rough week. Monday was the least pleasant day I've had all year." I really shouldn't have punched him when he didn't see me. It was wrong and just downright cruel of me. "After you hit the wall I felt like a murderer, like someone who took things a little too far." I pat his shoulders. "Everyone was afraid of me for a while until I talked my way out of a kindergarten bus ride. Then on Wednesday morning I found Fluffy and we got into a fight." Fluffy purrs in sorrow. "He showed me a scrapbook of photos you kept of us together and made it clear you'd spend less time with him while I'm around." I turn to Fluffy and he shrugs. "But even so, we became friends." I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I said I was sorry, he said he was sorry, then he hugged my arm a couple of times." A single tear rolls down my face. "Later he attacked Mrs. Jewls to scare her and get me off of the bus." I didn't know Fluffy would do that. "And yesterday I learned Mrs. Jewls lost her husband in a similar way to how you got injured, and that stress wouldn't leave me the rest of the day. I told them I wasn't going to leave the school, but even so I felt it'd be too painful for me to go back and not see you there today." Another tear comes to my eye. "So, I'm glad you're awake, I'm glad you're done hurting me, I'm glad Mrs. Jewls is more reasonable than before, and I'm glad our entire class respects me more as a person." This is all so new to me. "But I didn't complete all my standards for this week. I failed to find something I care about that eases the pain. Something that'd make the school more enjoyable and worth going to. Now that you're awake all I can think about is how tough it'll be to go back under the pressure of having you with me." I do not understand this. "I don't think anyone will look at me the same way knowing that I punched you square in the forehead and could've killed you. It's not something I thought about before, but it is something that concerns me." He doesn't cry but he holds his head down. I silently approach him and wrap my arms around his shoulders very lightly. I hold his head to my chest below my chin and stroke his back.

"Oh Todd. It's okay." I whisper as I gently message his shoulders. He tears up all of a sudden. "Don't cry. You don't need to be sad anymore." He sniffles and hugs me back lightly. "Can I tell you my side of the story please?"

"Go ahead." He mumbles.

"Back on Monday when you avoided my punches I thought something was up, like you learned how to predict my fist before it hit you. Obviously you weren't happy about getting hit and that makes sense, but even so… I didn't sleep well on Monday night knowing you could be leaving the school." He looks up but I still hold him beneath my chin. "I was scared that at the same time next week, you wouldn't show up to school and then continue to never come back. My dad told me not to punch you again and this time I wasn't going to." Another tear falls from his face. "It's not your fault you didn't know that at the time. It's logical to assume I would've punched you again." He nods sadly. "Todd quick question. If you had let me hug you that day, what would've been your reaction?" He sighs.

"I probably would've seen it as an attempt to restrain my movement so you could punch me again. Then I think I would've squirmed and shouted 'let go!' until you gave up." A sad frown appears on my face. "I've just never seen you hug anyone before. I wouldn't have seen it as an attempt to be pure instead of rough like usual."

"Well Todd, if you hadn't hugged back or tried to escape my grasp, I would've pulled you in and whispered 'I love you' into your ear." He continues to hold his head down. "Would you have still wanted to leave me or abandon Wayside after that?" He shakes his head.

"I don't think so."

"Well Todd, what stressed me out was the thought of not seeing you come back to the school. You made walking up thirty stories each day worth it for me. And I have a few things to thank you for." He looks up.

"Like what?"

"Like taking care of my little Fluffy while I was gone." Fluffy jumps onto my shirt and climbs up to my shoulder. "Carrying me down thirty floors to help get me to the hospital." He looks at his knees. "And how'd you scrape your knees?"

"After twenty floors I was getting tired so I used your rollerblades to get down faster. On the stairway between the fourth and third floors, I miss stepped and was going to crash, but I held you closer to me so you wouldn't get hurt. My knees took the full impact for me." My eyes lighten up a little.

"Well I didn't know that!" I hug him again really tightly. "You actually were willing to endure a crash just to keep me unharmed?"

"Yes I was." He says quietly. I feel another tear roll out of my eye.

"That's the bravest thing I've ever heard of and you did it for me!" He stops crying. "And then later you actually came to the hospital to make sure I was okay." He nods. "I cannot thank you enough for those things Todd. No one else cares about me that much. Except maybe my parents. But you've still far exceeded any standard boyfriend in terms of caring. And so I'll tell you this as it is." We make eye contact. "If you don't go to school today, it's going to symbolize the fear I held all week. If I go to school without you, it'll appear like next week if you went back to your old school. You'd be leaving me, our classmates that do care about you even if they don't look like they do, you'd be leaving our teacher that I guarantee looks up to you as a role model, and you'd be leaving the school that has gone through so many improvements since you came for the first time. So can we please go together?"

"But what can I say for standard four?" I read it and it says 'find something I can say I care about that can ease the pain.' I smile.

"What about me? Aren't I your girlfriend?" He nods.

"Yeah but you're an independent person. I can't actually say you're mine." I pull him a little closer to the point our chests are touching. I feel my heart pounding and I wonder if he feels it as well.

"Todd, you've taken my heart." He pauses for a second. "You've earned my feelings. There isn't another person in the world that gets these feelings from me. You are my special someone who makes me feel this way. I love you Todd and my feelings for you have only increased since I found out how much you truly care about me. How many sacrifices you've made for me, am I just not the girl of your dreams?" He looks up quickly.

"No, no. It's not that Maurecia." He says.

"Because sometimes I feel like a lousy girlfriend. That you're way out of my league because of how much potential you use and how many times I've hit you." He rolls his eyes. "I want to be a better person Todd. And you've inspired me to try harder. So can you be brave and come to school with me? I promise I won't let anyone bug you anymore." He smiles.

"Okay I think I can." He says and I hug him a little tighter.

"Thanks Todd. I love you."

"I love you to Maurecia." I pull his face in and kiss him on the lips. He can't help but kiss me back. As our mouths are locked together I feel my heart throbbing against my chest, and this time I can feel Todd's heartbeat as well. I can tell he's enjoying this just as much as I am. Suddenly I feel our tongues touch and flinch. Todd opens his eyes and pauses as well. The tongue touching was accidental, but a second later he closes his eyes and continues. After a couple of seconds I get used to it. It feels pretty good, and my god Todd is good at kissing! After a solid minute we stop and both of us are exhausted. Fluffy just chuckles a few times.

"So… how was that Todd?" I ask while panting.

"That felt more amazing than anything I've ever felt." He continues panting as well. "Do you always kiss like that?" I shrug.

"I can't say I have since I didn't have anyone to kiss. Are you always that good?"

"I never really knew for sure. But I love it!" He says cheerfully.

"I'm the same way Todd. We need to kiss like that on a daily basis." He nods.

"Then we will." I pull him in for another hug.

"Thank you Todd. I've always dreamed of this day and I was never sure it would come. Can we go to school now?"

"Alright Maurecia. Let's go together." He takes my hand and holds it. Another joyful tear streams down my face; this is way more satisfying than I'd ever imagined it would be.

Todd's POV

After about thirty minutes we're both at the school and I haven't let go of her hand since the minute we left my room. When we're about to go inside I pause.

"Maurecia, hide for a second and come in when you're ready." I say. She hides behind the open window as I enter and spot Louis. "Hi Louis!" I call to him, he turns around instantly.

"Hey Todd! I have some good news for you." I grin and raise an eyebrow.

"So do I. But what have you got to say?" I ask.

"Maurecia has woken up from her coma and is coming back to school today." I keep a completely straight face. "Are you happy to hear that?" He asks as I giggle a few times, I hear Maurecia giggling outside.

"What a coincidence. Did you hear that girlfriend?" She hops through the window and holds my hand.

"Yes I did, boyfriend." She says. "Thanks for the notification Louis." Then she kisses my cheek. Louis looks a little surprised but then he chuckles a few times.

"Whoa. I didn't see that coming Todd. You sly dog!" He pats my shoulder. I can tell he's happy for us.

"Thank you very much for your concern Louis. Now it's time to finish this week without stress." Maurecia gives me a heartwarming smile. "Let's go Maurecia." Before we turn towards the stairs Louis holds his hand out.

"Whoa little dudes. Not yet." I raise an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Maurecia asks.

"There are some improvements taking place on the thirtieth floor." I roll my eyes.

"And why is that?" He shrugs.

"How should I know for sure? Kidswatter told me he wanted to talk to you before class begins."

"What does he want from me?" I ask.

"Is Todd in trouble?" Maurecia asks. Louis shrugs again.

"I don't think so. But he wanted me to find you when you came to school for some reason. So if you'd be in his office by 8:30, that'd be great."

"But you don't know the reason why?" He shakes his head.

"Sorry dude. You know I'd tell you if I knew right? But I really don't have a clue." I sigh. "Well, have a good one you two." He walks into another room. Maurecia takes my hand.

"Don't worry Todd. I'm not going to leave your side." Fluffy gives me a thumbs up.

"Thank you Maurecia. I just hope it's not a severe punishment of some sort."

"I doubt that. Kidswatter never has time to deal with students on his own time."

"Then why do you think he wants to see me today?" She shrugs.

"I have no idea. But I'm sure you aren't in trouble." She hugs my arm. "But I'm here for you anyways." I can't control my smile anymore.

"That's my girl." I say as I kiss her on the cheek. She giggles cutely. We step outside and just sit on the entry stairs, about twenty minutes later Jenny shows up on her bike. She immediately drives our direction the second she spots us.

"WHOO-WE!" She parks her bike at the bottom of the stairs. "Sister Mau, you're back!" She holds her hand out. "Give me five!"

"Alright!" Maurecia high fives her.

"By the way, how's your noggin?"

"It feels much better. And it's all thanks to Todd." I smirk.

"Yeah Jenny. I am good at this sort of thing."

"Nice work Todd. But I'm still confused. How were you able to help Sister Mau?" Maurecia wraps her arm around mine.

"He visited me in the hospital, held my hand, and said a prayer. Then I woke up from my deep sleep." She turns to me. "Right Todd?" I nod.

"That is what happened." I say. Maurecia just stares into my eyes. Jenny raises an eyebrow.

"Is there anything else you have to tell us now that you're awake?" Maurecia doesn't hesitate.

"I'm in love with Todd!" Jenny grimaces.

"That's not too surprising." I turn towards Maurecia.

"And I love you to." I kiss her on the forehead. Jenny's smile enlarges.

"Oh wow! I did not see that coming." She settles down a little. "But I am proud of you two. I knew you had it in you Todd. I just didn't know you did."

"Thanks Jenny." Maurecia says. "Do you think the rest of the class will predict this?" She shakes her head.

"Probably not. But I can only assume they'll be proud to see you again." We both smile at the same time. "And we'd like to hear Todd's final call." A confused look hits my face.

"My final call?"

"On whether or not you're staying at Wayside. We felt you only said you would yesterday because you were in such a good mood. Like you didn't complete your target goals or whatever."

"My standards?" I ask. She nods.

"Yeah your list of standards to remain at this school. And now that Maurecia is back, you don't need to take care of her pet anymore." I suppose all this is true. "But you'll need to tell everyone about this later. And I think they'll be proud to see you two finally together." She gets back on her bike. "Anyway, have a good one!" She drives into the school. After a little while we both go into Kidswatter's office. I'm sitting there playing my Game Boy and Maurecia is writing in her diary and adding pages to her scrapbook. Then after a couple of hours pass the school bell rings and Kidswatter enters the room.

"Hello children." He says. "Thank you for coming in this morning."

"You're welcome Mr. Kidswatter." I say. "But why did you want to see me?" He rolls his eyes.

"Well Todd, I expected to see you in particular, I did not expect to see Maurecia return from the hospital so quickly." Maurecia chuckles.

"Neither did I! But I'm glad I woke up before Todd left this school forever!" She puts her hand behind my neck and onto my shoulder. Kidswatter chuckles a couple of times.

"Isn't that adorable?" Then he gets serious again. "Todd. I've called you in for morning announcements." This is new.

"Is this another principal for the day thing?" I ask and he laughs a few times.

"Good one Todd. But this is actually something I think the entire school needs to hear from you." I look at my watch and its labeled 9:15.

"Can we please start then?" I ask.

"Sure thing." He grabs his microphone and turns it on. "Attention students, attention! This is Mr. Kidswatter speaking, and I have a critical message for everyone today. One of our eighth grade students has gone a long way here at Wayside, heck maybe even farther in one year than anyone else has since their first year." I smile a little but also feel a little nervous. "A student I'm hoping a lot of you know. His name is Todd. When he first joined this school last year, there was a large hazard that no one knew about until it was almost too late. There was a trash compactor on the thirtieth floor and many lives were at stake. It wasn't until a local hero under the name Todd, saved everyone." That's pretty rewarding. "But recently he had a couple of issues here at Wayside, and with not just mine, but hopefully everyone's hope, that he chooses wisely whether or not he stays at this school." I feel my heart constricting a little. This is a lot of pressure I'm under all of a sudden. Luckily Maurecia squeezes my arm.

"Stay strong Todd. I know you can." Then she kisses my cheek. I feel my confidence come back to me.

"Okay I will." I step up and walk towards the PA.

"So after another week of Wayside, I have Todd with me right now. And I think everyone in this building should hear him make his decision now. So Todd, are you going to stay with us at Wayside or would you rather go back to your old school?" He turns the microphone towards me. I take a deep breath, clear my throat, and then respond.

"I'm going to stay at Wayside." There is a little silence for a second in this office; I'm assuming Mrs. Jewls's class is cheering loudly right now. After about ten seconds he proceeds.

"Well there you have it students. Todd is going to stay at Wayside for the remainder of the year. Thank you all for your attention and goodnight." He turns the PA off.

"Thanks Mr. Kidswatter." I say. "Thank you for dedicating this announcement to me." He grins.

"After all the dedication you've given the school, you deserve it. Now please enjoy your school day." Maurecia takes my hand and we spend about ten minutes climbing to the top floor. By the time we get there the lights are off. This isn't something I'm used to seeing.

"What do you think that's all about?" I ask Maurecia.

"I'm not sure. But let's find out together." I nod. We step in the classroom and Myron flips the light switch. I see a bunch of confetti fall from the ceiling.

"HOORAY!" The entire class says the moment they see me, though the applause is immediately halted after they see Maurecia.

"Whoa! What is all this?" I ask. Myron pats my shoulder; he's wearing the class president logo.

"We're all glad you're staying here Todd." He says. "And this time I didn't fail to remember the lights. Awesome right?" He holds his hand out and I high five him.

"Yeah that's pretty cool pal." Mrs. Jewls approaches slowly.

"Maurecia? You're back!" She chuckles a couple of times.

"Yes I am!" There's a little more cheering. "I didn't think I'd be missed so much." Dana steps up.

"We didn't know for sure when you'd be back. But we're happy to see you." She says. "Though, how did you wake up so quickly?" Maurecia turns to me.

"Todd would you like to tell them or should I?" Fluffy pops out of her bag and winks. I feel a proud smile appear on my face.

"I'll say it." I turn towards the class. "After I made it to the hospital yesterday, I sat next to Maurecia. I held her hand and said a prayer for her. For a couple of minutes it was just me crying and feeling pitiful for this. But then, seemingly against all odds, she opened her eyes." A few students gasp in happiness. "I felt my presence was enough to wake her from her coma." Maurecia hugs me again.

"It was, Todd!" She kisses me on the cheek. "I love you." I blush and everyone's eyes widen. Even Shari is wide awake at this point.

"Well Maurecia." I pause and everyone leans forward slightly. "I love you to."

"Awe!" Everyone says at the same time. I pull her in and kiss her on the lips. The entire class cheers and applauds instantly. Mrs. Jewls cries a tear. After we're done the class quiets down and Mrs. Jewls stands beside us.

"That was beautiful Todd." She says. "You're a wonderful student and we're all happy to have you here. And your love for Maurecia is adorable." I smile.

"It's sincere." I say.

"We can tell. And I can't wait to spend four and a half more years with you in my class. Now, please take your seat." As Maurecia is about to sit down she spots Rondi in her seat. She frowns.

"Rondi, this is my seat." Rondi giggles.

"Not anymore." She points at the desk next to mine.

"Since when did this happen?" She asks. Dana speaks up.

"We had a hunch that you two would get together and if so we would allow you to be next to each other the whole day." Maurecia and I both take our seats and hold hands. The whole class is staring at us.

"Well Todd, what do you think?" Myron asks. I smile, turn to Maurecia, and then back to the class.

"I think I'm where I belong." Everyone smiles. "Now that we're all here can we get started?"

"After I get rid of this." Mrs. Jewls erases the discipline list, much to my surprise. "Todd, you'll never have to ride that silly kindergarten bus again. Now let's begin."

This was by far the greatest week I've ever had in my entire life. Sure there were a couple of rough edges but I got around those. Now the entire class respects me, Mrs. Jewls respects me, Fluffy is my friend, and I've found love with Maurecia. Something I've been blinded from the entire time with her frequent punching. But it's all over now. I'm ready to spend the rest of the year and possibly college, or maybe… just maybe, I'll get to spend the rest of my life with Maurecia at my side. It's going to be an exceptional school year I can tell. At the end of the school day she and I are sitting next to a tree holding hands. Now to confirm it one more time.

"I love you Maurecia."

"I love you to Todd." Fluffy sits between us contently.

Author's Note: And that's the official ending of this story. It took me a little longer since I didn't know for sure how I should end it for a while, but it's a much better ending than I formerly had. Thank you all very much for reading this and I look forward to writing another Wayside fanfic in the future.