"The Best Presents Are For No Reason At All"

"Nat, I need to use the phone!" thirteen year old Alex Wolff yelled running into the living room, startling Nat and Rosalina.

"Well, it's in the kitchen, where it always is," Nat said. Alex raced out of the room.

"What was that about?" Rosalina asked her boyfriend.

"I really don't know," Nat said. "Alex has been acting like that all week. I think he's planning to kill me so he can be the leader of the band."

Rosalina giggled and cuddled up to Nat's chest as he continued to flick through the TV channels.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Alex just hung up the phone and was now dialing a different number. He rocked back and forth muttering to himself as he waited for someone to answer. Just before the answering machine picked up, there was a voice at the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey Juanita, it's Alex."

"Hey Alex, what's up?"

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Alex nervously asked twirling the phone cord around his fingers.

"No. Why?"

"Meet me at the skate park at eight-thirty," Alex said smiling.

"Um...okay."

"Cool. See you then."

"Bye Alex."

Alex hung up the phone and pumped his fists in the air in excitement. He hurriedly ran into the living room, once again startling Nat and Rosalina, and headed into the room he still shared with Nat, closing the door behind him.

That night Alex arrived at the skate park around eight and went into the small building near the entrance. He went up to the owner, Tony, and they went into the control room. Alex looked out the window at the empty skate park with a smile on his face. Juanita is going love this, he thought.

Juanita grabbed her skateboard and helmet and left her house at twenty after eight. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she walked to the skate park. Why did Alex want to meet up with me alone? she wondered. It was never like Alex to call her for something like this.

Juanita rounded the corner and the first thing she saw was the skate park sign lit up in neon colors. Her eyes widened in amazement as she noticed the rest of the park lit up in all sorts of colors. She saw a figure standing near the entrance holding a skateboard. She got closer and recognized the figure as Alex.

"Alex? What is all of this?" she asked, still amazed by the beauty of the park lights.

"All of this is for you," Alex said smiling.

"What? For me? Why?"

"Because..." Alex paused and took Juanita's hands. "I wanted this to be a special night for us. And...this is the place I met you, and where I realized I fell in love with you."

Juanita's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could say anything, Alex leaned in and kissed her. They pulled away and looked into each others' brown eyes.

"I love you too Alex," Juanita said.

Alex smiled and the two kissed again. This time when they pulled apart Alex picked up their skateboards and took her hand.

"Come on. The park's ours all night."

End