One of the many benefits of living in Seattle is the weather. Most of the time its cloudy with the odd spot of rain. For some people this may sound like a nightmare but for others, including me, it is perfect.

It wasn't until the day of January 30th 2009 I realised how much I appreciated the weather in Seattle. I opened my eyes to see the bright sun glaring through my curtains. I sat up and noticed I was sweating, leaving a Freddie imprint on my bed covers. My room felt like an oven, I could hardly breathe.

Opening my door I looked upon my mom wearing a summer dress fanning herself with a health magazine.

"Freddie. What are you doing in your Pyjamas? Put some sun screen on with your lotion and get ready for school!" She said while wiping her forehead with her palm.

"It's too hot to go to school today mom. They don't have air conditioning!" I whined.

She didn't say anything but she looked at me. A look that I know says 'You better do what I say' and I knew better to go against that look. So I grabbed the TV guide to use as a fan and went to get dressed in my 100 degree room.

I didn't bother going in for Carly that morning because with a brother like Spencer you can get away with taking heat waves off. Instead I got to school alone to find only half of the pupils had bothered showing up, each was glistening with sweat and had a grumpy 'I don't want to be here' look plastered on their face.

I passed Mr Holloway who was muttering 'Damn global warming' over and over. Miss Briggs was of course smiling (she was using this as an excuse to wear a kilt!) and the rest of the teacher's were looking miserable. This was sure looking to be a great day...

I got to my locker and found Sam using a piece of wire to try and break in to her own locker.

"Sam...what are you doing here?" I asked her. It was strange Sam would come in to school on a day like this.

"I'm at school! My mom decided today she would discipline me so I couldn't ditch it" She grumbled banging her locker with her foot having abandoned the wire technique.

"What are you doing?" I wondered.

She sighed, "Open your locker."

I looked at her strangely but proceeded to do what she said. "Ahhhhh!" I cried. The locker was burning hot, sending a pain through my hand.

"See," She shrugged, "I can't get mine open."

"This isn't normal. It's winter! I've never felt this heat here in my life!" I moaned.

"That's exactly why I'm ditching today! No matter what my crazy mom says," She smiled casually still kicking her locker, now less enthusiastically that her face was red with heat.

"What! You can't ditch school!" I told her.

She laughed, "Half the kids aren't here today, no one will care. You can come if you want."

It was my turn to laugh, "No way Sam."

She shrugged, "Fine, stay here all day and die of heat stroke."

"Very funny Sam."

"No, seriously" She said, "You look terrible now."

It was true. I was sweating like nothing else and my hair was a huge puff ball. On top of that the school was so hot I was panting. I probably looked like a poodle.

"Well, I'm going!" She said throwing her back pack over her shoulder, "Have fun here dork..."

I hesitated. All my instincts were telling me to stay in school and just to deal with the terrible heat but deep down I wanted to run after Sam. What's the worst that could happen? I could die and my mom would know I ditched. What good is it going to do staying here though?

Sam was nearly out the door. Should I stay or go? Then I decided, for once in my life I was going to take a risk. I was going to go with Sam and that was a risk in itself.

"Sam! Wait up, I'm coming!"

She stopped and grinned, "Really? You, ditch school? Awesome Freddork."

I smiled nervously, "I told you before. I can be bad."

She snorted, "Whatever. Now hurry up, we have to run before the bell goes."

I had no time to have second thoughts as Sam grabbed me by the hand and pulled me in a run. The second I moved my legs faster my head was spinning and I felt dizzy. I could hardly see the gate as we ran through it in to the lane beside the school. The sun was beating down on me and I felt like I was the oven.

I barely noticed Sam coming to a stop, it took her putting her foot in front of me sending me face first in to the cement. I looked up to see her giggling and pointing at me, I ignored her, I was used to her teasing and tricks by now.

I looked around to see we were in some sort of lane, luckily, mostly in the shade. I didn't recognise it at all which was strange because due to my mom's 'fun bonding walks' I knew every street in the neighbourhood.

"Where are we?" I asked her. She only smiled.

"You'll see. I go here every time I ditch school and it'll be even better in this heat."

I crinkled my nose nervously, "Are you sure you know where your going Sam?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, of course. Don't get your knickers in a twist!"

"Very funny Sam," I sigh.

"Yes, it was," She grins, "Thank you Freddie. Now follow me, we're almost there."

I was again hesitant to follow her. Let's face it, Sam is not the kind of person you want leading you down a lane you've never been before. Nor is she the kind of person you want to be responsible for letting walk in to a land you've never seen before. So I followed her, either because I was too much of a gentlemen to leave her or because for once in my life I felt like I was having fun.

Soon enough we reached the end of the lane and came out in to a deserted park. Green grass stretched out for at least 20 metres and then clashed with hundreds of trees. Left and right forest filled every gap leaving what was lurking inside it up to the imagination. Knowing Sam we would soon be walking through the forest of trees, it wouldn't be Sam if ditching school didn't involve dangerous woods.

"We're going through the woods, aren't we?" I asked her knowing the answer.

"Hmm," She groaned, "I didn't know I was that predictable. I'll have to up my game..."

"I don't think it's a good idea Sam," I said chickening out at the thought of what must live amongst the trees.

She sighed, "Don't be a wimp. I go here all the time"

"I just don't think...."

"You're coming!"

"No Sam...its dangerous...."

She sighed again and pulled me by the hand. I could of course struggle my way away from her grip but I figured it would be much less painful to just let her drag me in to the scary woods. My stomach was grumbling with fear, I hoped to god Sam couldn't hear it.

Sam was walking fast, she seemed really eager to show me her secret place so I walked along with her. We went over logs, through nettles, under branches, on top of twigs and walked through more trees than I had ever seen in my life. No one was in sight which was strange because Seattle is full of hikers.

"How did you find this place?" I asked Sam after a while.

"Miss Briggs caught me ditching once and chased me down the lane," She laughed, "I just decided to keep running and I ended up here."

I couldn't help but smiling. Only Sam could somehow end up accidently running through miles of forest. I wondered where we were going, at the back of my mind I thought it could be some sort of Sam trick but I pushed that out of my train of thoughts.

"At least it's shaded here," I said.

"Not any more," She smiled, "We're here!"

I looked up. The first thing I saw was a waterfall. It was small and running down a wall of rocks that seemed to come from nowhere. The water was glistening in the sun with the trees reflecting against it as it poured down . Under the water fall was a curricular pool. It was clear blue and surrounded by all colours of flowers. The whole place was so beautiful it took my breathe away the moment I saw it. It was something out of a fairy tale, something I didn't think existed in the real world.

With my mouth still open I looked to share my shock with Sam. She though had already taken her shoes off and my heart jumped when I saw she was taking her clothes off. I sighed in relief when she had her bikini on underneath.

There was a lump in my throat that I quickly wished would go away. She looked beautiful. Her skin was glowing under the sun and she was reflected in the water. Her hair blew slightly in the breeze and as she smiled at me my stomach took a jump. My eyes jumped only for a second to her body in her bikini. I was a respectful guy so I tried not to think of my friends like that but this time it was too hard to be unlike the jerks I go to school with. Sam...well, she looked so hot and I couldn't deny it no matter how much I wanted to.

I heard a splash taking me out of my thoughts. Sam had jumped straight in to the water, straight under. I panicked for a second when she didn't appear but then she emerged to the surface giggling, most likely at my shocked face.

"Are you coming in or what?" She laughed bobbing up and down in the water.

Once again I hesitated. I was sweating in the heat of the almost midday sun and jumping in to a pool of beautiful water sounded like heaven. On the other hand there was a beautiful hateful girl underneath who would probably try to drown me. I looked around me at the forest and back to the sounds of the flowing waterfall and decided.

Sam cheered when I started taking my shoes off. I was a bit embarrassed that I had to wear only my boxers in front of Sam but she didn't seem to notice as she was giggling doing forward rolls in the water. I took a deep breath of the humid air and lifted my legs off the ground and jumped straight in.

At first the cold water cut through me like ice but soon it felt so refreshing I was annoyed I needed to come up for air. It felt amazing, the sun beating down on my skin as I floated in the water. It was 100 times better than being stuck in a boiling classroom all day.

I looked around the surface, "Sam, where are you....AAHhhhhhhhhhhh!"

I had felt a pull at me leg, at first thoughts of sharks and sting rays came to mind but then I remembered who I was with; Sam. She emerged giggling.

"You wet yourself!" She laughed.

"I did not!"

"So did."

"Did not!"

"You did!"

"You're dead Sam!"

She looked at me confused, "Huh?'

I then dived under and grabbed her legs with my hands, I could hear muffled screams from the surface. Content that I had made Sam 'wet her pants' I came to the surface preparing to mock her scream when I felt hands on my head pulling me under. Sam had dunked me. Oh, it was on now.

Soon an all out splashing war was taking place. I would splash her until she was backed in to a corner then she would soak me until I was at her mercy. I must have swallowed half the water because I was laughing so much. It was effortless fun. I soon forgot about school, the heat, where I was and who I was with. We just played like little kids, it was so natural.

"Stop! Stop!" I screamed higher than I would have wanted. Sam was using her feet to send a tsunami in my face, I could hardly breathe from either the water or because I was laughing so much. She of course was only giggling.

"No way Freddie! This is pay back for the twig you threw at me earlier!"

I laughed remembering, I should have known I would pay for that one. Sam was kicking her legs faster sending more waves on to me. I needed to take drastic measures so I ducked under water, grabbed her feet and pulled her under the surface till I felt the waterfall above me. I came up for air letting her do so as well.

The waterfall was banging hard against my skull hurting me. So I swam back a little and came up in the space between the waterfall and the rocks. It was silent other than the sound of the running water. It was like we were in a bubble full of only air. I could see the trees through the blurred vision of the water. It was incredible to be inside an actual waterfall. Even Sam seemed in awe, she was glazing around trying to work out where she was.

"This is pretty cool!" She said jabbing her hand in and out of the fall.

"Yeah," I agreed, "It is."

"So are you glad you ditched school today?" She asked.

"Without a doubt."

It was the truth. I was glad I ditched school for a few reasons. One: I got to see this awesome place. Two: I had the best time I've had in a long time. Three: I got to see a side of Sam I had previously ignored, the amazingly beautifully fun side.

"Thanks Sam," I blurt out.

She eyes me with a weird look, "For what?"

I shrugged, "For taking me out today. I had fun."

"Good. You sure needed it," She laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," She said carefully, "You and Carly have been...boring lately. All you do is think about school...you have no fun!"

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped myself knowing it was the truth. With it being the middle of our second last year we had being putting everything in to school, maybe too much.

"I guess your right," I sighed, "I need someone to remind me to have fun every once in a while."

"That's what I'm for," She said making me chuckle.

"Thanks as well I guess..."

"Huh?" I asked.

"Well...." She said her cheeks slightly pink, "I had more fun than I would have if I went myself.....and it was nice...realising your not just a boring tech geek..."

I suddenly let myself notice her. She was floating on the water showing only her face. I noticed all her features were glowing. Especially her eyes, they were blue. She was moving closer to me and I placed my hand on her soft shoulder.

This time I didn't hesitate. I did what my instincts were telling me.

I kissed her.

AN: I apologise for my only knowledge of Seattle weather coming from watching Greys Anatomy. I apologise for it being unrealistic for it to be so hot in January. I apologise for it being unrealistic to find a waterfall pool thing in Seattle (if it is...) But other than that thank you for reading :D lol.....please comment, it makes me smile !!