Three students, one impatient couple and one terrified teenage boy, stood just outside the entrance to Silverlake High School. Though they had already passed through the metal detectors, the three hadn't walked inside the doors yet. The one teen in a bright pink hoodie looked terrified. His fingers gripped firmly around a large black poster as if he were guarding it with his life. His feet were glued to the concrete, unable to take a step forward.

"Oh my gosh, Randy. We don't have all day," Sammy said, checking the time on her phone. "First period starts in less than ten minutes, and Dora is gonna start to wonder why none of us have met her by the lockers yet."

Randy clutched the sides of the poster he held even tighter. He had stayed up all night working on it. It had a black base, but he had glued individual glow-in-the-dark stars in the shape of his and Dora's favorite constellations. He had also sprayed it with silver glitter and had made sure the constellations were positioned accordingly, as they would be seen in the night sky, both details he thought Dora would appreciate. The only part that worried him was the words written on the poster.

"Come on, buddy." Diego rested his hand gently on Randy's shoulder. The Homecoming dance was only a week away, and Diego had already asked his girlfriend a month in advance. Randy, despite confiding to Diego his desire to ask out his crush this school year, had still procrastinated the confession. "It's time."

He felt himself being pushed forward, through the doors and down the crowded halls. He wanted to put his hoodie over his head and pull the strings as tight as he possibly could. Suddenly, they were in the hall where Dora's locker was. She had her back turned, so she couldn't see them approaching.

This was how he was going to die. It would be a slow, painful, agonizing death. He wasn't going to be able to handle the rejection. He would walk up to Dora, smile, and ask to her prom. Then, she would look at him with those bright, chocolate-brown eyes, give a big warm smile, and say she just wanted to be friends. He would melt into a pitiful puddle or possibly spontaneously combust from the rejection, and that would be the end of his days.

Diego stopped them and looked Randy straight in the eyes. "You've got this. Just remember, she's my cousin. If you break her heart, I'm legally bound to kill you."

Randy squeaked. His heart was pounding louder and his hands shaking more and more. "Of course! You know I would never do anything bad to her." His voice dropped lower. "She's going to reject me anyway, so you have nothing to worry about."

Diego let out a light scoff, and Sammy rolled her eyes. "You and she are both so clueless." Shaking her head, she yelled "Hey Dora!"

Dora turned around at the sound of Sammy's voice. Again, Randy froze. Diego and Sammy practically dragged Randy up to her, with Dora looking only slightly confused.

"Hola! Is everything okay friends? You said to go on ahead, so I've been waiting here."

Randy couldn't respond. He had his eyes glued on hers, and a thousand thoughts were racing through his head.

"Sorry about that Dora, we just needed to help Randy with something." He nudged Randy forward.

"Diego and I need to go to class now, but Randy has a very important question to ask you." Sammy grabbed Diego's hand and hissed, "Don't chicken out!" in Randy's ear before the two quickly walked away.

Dora suspected something suspicious was going on. She looked at Randy questioningly, and he gave a weak smile.

He cleared his throat. "Um, hey… I mean hi, yeah… hi. Hi Dora."

"Are you okay Randy? You seem rather pale and sweaty today."

So much for trying to look nice. The new shirt and extra brushing on his hair had apparently done nothing to keep him from looking like a complete idiot. He looked down, fidgeting with the poster that was currently folded in half. Dora followed his gaze.

"What's that? Is that why Diego and Sammy waited with you? You needed help with a school project?"

"Not exactly…"

He started to open the poster but felt himself stop. He looked up, and Dora did as well. He studied her for a moment, taking in her round face, scrunched up nose, adorable bangs, and sparkling, compassionate eyes. They had been friends for almost a year now. A surge of confidence went through him.

"Dora, the truth is I like you." He didn't wait for a response from her. He couldn't. If he stopped, he was afraid he would sprint away. He just kept going. "You're so beautiful, but that's not even the best thing about you. You're intelligent and kind. You came up to me and treated me like a friend from the very beginning, something no one else in this school has ever done to me. You're so brave, brave enough to be yourself and go on these crazy adventures just because you care so much about others. I know I'm not the smartest guy, or most popular, or bravest. But I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have a friend like you. And even if you don't feel the same, you deserve to know that you are a star Dora. I'd really like to go to Homecoming with you would give me a chance." He opened the poster, to show his gift to her.

A blush rose up on Dora's face. Randy felt himself turn back into a sheepish state. There were a few seconds of silence as Dora read over the poster and took in Randy's words.

"S-Sorry if it's a little corny," he stuttered, trying to break the silence. "You're out of this world, HOCO? Not the best line, but I got it from the astronomy club forum…" he trailed off.

Dora was still quiet. Her face was almost unreadable as she put her finger up to the black construction paper, tracing the dots.

"Are these…?" she began to ask quietly.

"Constellations?" he finished for her. "Yeah. I put some Incan ones in there, from the jungle puzzle. The two in the middle are Perseus and Andromeda, from the Greek mythological love story." Now it was his turn to blush. He had no idea what was going on in her head, and he almost felt sick as he waited for her response.

"Randy, I…"

Suddenly, she grabbed the poster out of his hands, then wrapped herself in a tight hug with him. She had to reach up to wrap her arms around his neck and side, and she buried her nose his shoulder. Randy was so startled, it took him a moment to realize what was happening and return the embrace. She pulled away after a few seconds, her eyes shining brightly. Randy reveled in the moment of ecstasy.

"No one's ever said anything that nice to me Randy, or given me such a wonderful present." She was absolutely beaming. Her voice turned shy, only to say, "You should know, I'm new to this whole high school crush thing. I mean, I've never even gone on a date before."

"Me neither!" he yelled, probably a little too excitedly. He kicked himself mentally. "I mean, that's to say, umm, you have nothing to worry about Dora. Just be yourself, all I want is to just be with the real you."

By that point, the two were both blushing like crazy, staring nervously into each other's eyes. The two-minute warning bell suddenly rang, knocking them out of their trances.

"I better get to class," Dora said meekly. She held up the poster. "I'm definitely taking this with me. I'll get to look at it all day."

Randy laughed. "Y'know Dora, I never did get an official answer about the dance."

She lifted on her tiptoes and planted a quick peck on his cheek. "Of course, that's a yes for the dance."

Randy was now in complete bliss. He gave a goofy smile.

"Bye Randy," she waved excitedly, still her energetic self. She skipped off to class, radiating even more happiness than usual.

Randy watched her go, almost in disbelief in how truly lucky he was. He didn't make it to class until after the bell rang since his homeroom was across the school, but he didn't care. He touched the cheek where she had kissed him.

"Classic us."