This deleted scene is about Ella and Iggy's date, mentioned in chapters 28 and 29 of School Days (:

EPOV

I was nervous.

Really, really, nervous.

But I also wasn't about to let those nerves get in the way of achieving the perfect wings of my eyeliner. I had a hot date, dammit, and I was going to look amazing!

Even if my hot date was blind and wouldn't be able to appreciate said amazing looks in the first place. That was a minor detail.

I paused, and shrugged as I continued carefully applying my eyeliner. Makeup wasn't just for other people's enjoyment of my face - it was also for my own enjoyment of my face. It was an art I appreciated and had fun with, and a definite confidence-booster to boot. And Lord knew I needed every scrap of confidence I could muster up tonight, even if I didn't have to worry about my date's opinion of my appearance.

I was going on a date with Iggy!

"Are you almost ready, Ells?" Mom called up the stairs.

"Yeah!" I shouted back, setting down my eyeliner and critically inspecting my handiwork in the mirror. "Damn, I might cut myself on that wing, it's so sharp," I murmured appreciatively to myself.

"It's 6:15!" Mom yelled again. "Iggy will be here soon!"

"I just have to touch up my makeup and hair and put on my shoes!" I assured her. "He might not be here right on time, either!" I set to work on the first two items of business, gazing into the mirror and letting my hands work as I worried yet again about the date.

As much as I liked Iggy, I couldn't help but be a little reserved in my expectations of how this date would go. He did, after all, have a pretty impressive record of ex-girlfriends, ex-hookups and general grody player behavior. He had always been perfectly nice and respectful with me as a friend, but I couldn't help but worry that he might turn into someone else now that I had evolved from "friend" into "date." It wasn't at all that I didn't trust him or didn't feel safe - I was more worried about the safety of my impression of Iggy as a boy I liked. I didn't want to worry about what his idea of a date would be like because of his very long, colorful, and flirtatious dating history, but it would've been difficult for any sane girl not to do so.

I hadn't revealed this insecurity to anyone, not even Nudge, because I didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression or for my concern to get back to Iggy and have him get the wrong idea about how I felt about our date.

It was concern mostly that he would treat this as another date with another girl, just like the dozens in his past. Middle school dates obviously weren't that serious, since most of the time they had to include parent chauffeurs. Still… I had heard some pretty questionable rumors about Iggy's dating track record. He was attractive, nice, funny, intelligent, and had a tragic disability that seemed to only make him more charming. It was really no wonder the girls went flocking to him.

One of my misgivings was simply that he wouldn't take this seriously enough to show up on time. He had said he (which I was assuming meant him and a parent) would come by at 6:30 to pick me up, but I was trying not to hope for anything earlier than 6:45. Iggy wasn't a super punctual person in general, as I had gathered from his tardiness to classes and friend meet-ups alike. I didn't think he'd be able to get to our date on time either, although admitting that to myself made me a little wistfully sad that I couldn't expect him to manage that.

I left the bathroom, carrying my shoes as I padded downstairs in my socks. I was dressed in what I had determined looked casually chic for dinner and a movie: a pink long-sleeve, dark skinny jeans, and short, brown, heeled booties with just a bit more effort put into my hairstyle than usual. I wore the lucky silver jewelry that Max had supplied me with for my past four birthdays. The pieces didn't match other than the metal they were fashioned from and were fairly plain a la Maximum Ride fashion, but they always made me feel a bit more confident when I wore them.

It was 6:29. I couldn't resist peeking out the front door as I walked past, but I didn't see any cars on the street. I bit my lip as I went to go grab my wallet and phone from the kitchen, determined not to worry about when Iggy would arrive. He wouldn't be late on purpose, I knew that. But I couldn't help feeling that being late still showed that he wasn't completely interested in this being different from any other dates he'd ever had.

6:30. I slyly glanced out the kitchen window this time as Mom looked up from her book at the table to observe my appearance. "You look cute, Ella," she said warmly.

"Thanks Mom," I replied. Still nobody on the street. I sat down, trying not to look disappointed. Why was I disappointed? I had been expecting this.

"Would you mind grabbing my tea from the living room, actually?" Mom asked, glancing back down at her book. "I would get it myself, but Damien finally plucked up the courage to face off against the werewolves and I really don't want to move."

I snorted. "Say no more, Mother dearest," I assured her, standing back up only moments after I had been seated. I headed out of the kitchen and toward the living room, which was just a hallway away. I raised my voice so she could still hear me taunt her about her ridiculous novel. "We can't just make dashing, darling Damien wait anymore now that he's finally..."

Oh.

My living room was already occupied by a certain tall, strawberry-blond boy. He was standing in the middle of the room facing me, a slight smile on his face and his eyes trained in my direction.

That wasn't the only factor in my sudden stop, though. Dozens of tealights were perched, glowing, around the room, creating a warm and flickering effect that already made me want to stare. Iggy stood in the middle of the candlelight, and upon hearing me stop talking, he pulled a single, long-stemmed sunflower out from behind his back, extending it toward me. He smiled a little wider. "Hey Ella," he said lightly. "This is for you."

All words seemed to have escaped me as I reached out and accepted the flower, somehow more moved than if he had handed me two dozen red roses coupled with a declaration of undying love. "You're right on time," were the words that finally struggled out of my mouth.

Smooth, Ella. Let's just demonstrate all of our doubts and insecurities right off the bat, shall we?

Iggy laughed, thankfully. "I'm pretty impressed with myself for that," he admitted. "But I didn't want to keep you waiting."

I smiled, looking down at the sunflower again and then gazing around at the flickering tealights. My eyes landed back on him. He wore a gray Henley and dark jeans, and it appeared that he had even attempted to comb his rakish hair. He had put some significant effort into this date already! I instantly felt bad for doubting him so much, even if I had some significant reason to do so. He was my friend, and I knew he didn't want to treat me badly. "Thank you, I appreciate that," I told him sincerely, smiling endlessly. "This is so pretty."

"I like fire," he whispered mischievously. "I owe your mom for letting me light this many objects on fire in her living room."

I couldn't help but giggle as I gazed around. "Well, it's a beautiful effect and I love it," I said admiringly. "When did you do all of this?"

"Just about ten minutes ago, actually," Iggy replied. "I called your mom earlier, and she helped me out a bit." He raised a hand to ruffle the back of his hair, and I wondered if that small action meant he was nervous, or bashful, or both. I was usually pretty good at analyzing guys, but that was generally me analyzing the effect that Max had on them, and not anything to do with me. I was discovering that it was harder to figure out how guys felt about me than it was to see their obvious admiration for my gorgeous sister.

"That's really sweet of you to set this all up just for a pretty entrance for me," I managed to murmur, taking another look at the twinkling little candles scattered around the surfaces of the living room.

"I wanted to make this a memorable first date," Iggy explained, smiling sincerely at me. Warmth shot through me at the hopeful look on his face, and I beamed back at him.

First date.As in, he wanted more than one.

"You succeeded," I informed him happily, watching his smile grow from hearing the obvious feeling in my voice.

"I'm glad," Iggy replied, his pale eyes locking onto mine. I wished he could see me, but it almost felt like he really did. "Now, we should probably put out the candles. I doubt your mom would appreciate a house fire in return for her kindness in letting me take her beautiful daughter out."

I blushed, my cheeks aching a little at how much I was smiling now. "You smooth-talker, you," I teased, but followed his lead in starting to blow out the tiny candles. As I extinguished a few on the table, I noticed a familiar blue mug on a tile coaster. When we finished putting out the candles and exited the slightly smoky living room, I grabbed the mug to bring back to the kitchen.

"For you and your vampire prince to help battle werewolves," I said pseudo-gallantly, setting my mom's tea down beside her open book.

She smiled as she looked up and saw Iggy and I standing there. "Surprise," she offered, her eyes flickering to the sunflower in my hand as she smiled.

"Thanks for helping Iggy do that, Mom," I told her, leaning down to hug her. "You are an excellent actress and I didn't suspect a thing. It was a really nice surprise."

"Ah, it was nothing. I thought it was a cute plan," she said, smiling at Iggy. He sent her a little salute and a grin. "Now, are you ready to get going?"

My mom ended up being the one who drove us to dinner, and it was thankfully not an awkward drive at all. Iggy and I sat in the backseat together, and I was at a loss for a second as to how to communicate with him while my mom chatted away. Usually Max and I did our subtle backseat communication through facial expression, but that clearly wasn't an option here. Iggy was staring straight ahead, a light smile on his face as he listened to my mom. Glancing down, I found his hand resting on the seat between us: I traced little smiley faces on the back of his hand, and he turned and smiled back at me.

I smiled even more.

Mom dropped us off on the curb in the theatre district of the downtown area with cheerful instructions for us to enjoy ourselves. As she drove away, Iggy held his hand out to me, and I happily accepted it. He had pale skin that contrasted with my tan, and his fingers were much longer and firmer than my small, stubby ones. At least I had cute, sparkly polish on the nails of my regretfully puny fingers.

I looked around as Iggy led me confidently forward down the sidewalk. I had gone to see a few movies with Nudge and Terra as well as a few other girls from school and soccer, but the theatre district of Raine Valley was still mostly unfamiliar territory. It boasted several restaurants of varying quality and atmosphere, as well as several cute shops and of course, a movie theatre. Fairy lights were strung through the trees that lined the sidewalk and criss-crossed overhead in the street, but it was still light out and they weren't yet in use.

Iggy paused, and I stopped beside him on the sidewalk to read the sign on the business in front of me. "Jackie's?" I read out loud, wondering if this was where Iggy meant to be.

He nodded, stepping confidently forward and reaching out to open the door for me. I smiled as I entered the restaurant, impressed as ever with how effortlessly he overcame the barriers of his sightlessness.

Jackie's was a cute little diner decked out in blue, black and gold decor with a rock and roll vibe. The smiling hostess led us to a two-person raised booth by the window, where I slid into a blue vinyl seat and watched Iggy tap his foot against the ledge, then gracefully step up into the seat across from me. It was a small detail, but it had fascinated me from the start how Iggy quietly figured things out for himself.

Speaking of which… there was one thing I wasn't sure how he would manage.

"Ah…" I tried to word my thought in a non-condescending way. "What are you thinking of ordering?"

Iggy smiled, pushing the laminated menu off to the side. "It's fine, I've been here a bunch of times and already know what I like," he assured me. "But a Coke to start would be great," he added, turning to flash another smile at the waitress who had just arrived.

I couldn't help but giggle, impressed yet again. I needed to stop thinking about his eyes when he clearly had it all worked out for himself already. "Fanta for me, please," I requested. The waitress repeated the orders, smiled, and left us alone. I glanced down at the menu on the glittery gold tabletop. "So what might you recommend to a newbie here, such as myself?" I asked teasingly.

Iggy rolled his eyes at me. "Obviously the burgers are where it's at. My personal favorites are the Sweet Barbecue Burger with coleslaw or Pineapple Teriyaki Burger with sweet potato fries," he advised me seriously. "Although if you're more of a plain and classic kind of eater, the Jackie's Special with oregano-dusted fries is also amazing."

"Damn, you weren't kidding about knowing the menu well," I remarked, glancing down to look over the options he had just recommended. "Those all sound great."

The waitress returned with our drinks. "Ready to order?" she asked, setting the frosty glasses down in front of us.

Iggy cocked his head at me to check in, clearly already ready to go. I nodded even though I hadn't really thought about it yet - I often found that snap decisions in ordering led to a happy tummy and less agony for my indecisive brain.

Iggy smirked at me after the waitress left with our orders. "What a rebel you are, messing around with my prized and valuable advice," he sighed. "The Pineapple Teriyaki Burger with oregano-dusted fries? The flavors just don't compliment as well!"

"I like oregano though, and I'm not a sweet potato kind of girl," I defended myself. "I'm sorry to insult your five-star chef senses."

"I actually do enjoy cooking," Iggy admitted, a little smile playing on his lips. No Ella, don't stare at his lips! He can probably sense it! I blushed in spite of myself, trying to focus. "...playing around with the flavors, it's like science, but yummier!" he was saying as I zoned back in.

"That's a good way of putting it," I agreed, trying not to let on that my thoughts had wandered. "I like baking with my mom, but Max usually ends up trying to eat everything we make."

"I'm not surprised," Iggy snorted, and I couldn't help but giggle as well. "Your sister makes me glad I'm an only child," he teased. "I'm not sure how you've survived this long, living with her."

"Max is fine as long as you feed her," I replied, thinking of what my life would be like without her. Much less interesting, I would assume. "I can't imagine being an only child. I didn't know you didn't have siblings."

Throughout dinner, I learned that not only was Iggy an only child who liked to cook (particularly lasagna and homemade pizza) but also was a diehard FC Barcelona fan, an ex-trumpet player, and the claimant of two very overprotective parents. I talked about my life lived throughout different states and schools and friend groups, and he managed to cajole details from me like the infamous Cookie Jar Incident of '07 and the Flaming Hairdryer Fiasco of '13. He picked the tomato off of his Sweet Barbecue Burger and stole several of my fries despite my accusations that he was going against his own pro-chef flavor-mixing advice. I couldn't help staring into his pale blue eyes, mesmerized even though I knew he wasn't truly looking back. It felt like he was, though.

It really did.

Iggy paid for dinner despite my protests, and we exited Jackie's with very full stomachs and satisfied palates. "What's next on your schedule, now that I'm so full of delicious food that I can't move?" I teased.

"You're going to get more full of delicious food!" Iggy replied excitedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the street. I laughed as I managed to follow his unexpected change of pace without tripping. "Ice cream time!" he announced, stopping suddenly in front of a brightly-colored storefront.

"My weakness," I gasped in mock horror. "How did you know about the one thing I can eat more of after I'm already busting my jeans?"

"You look gorgeous and slim to me," Iggy said cheerily, and I could only snort at him before he dragged me inside the ice cream shop.

After testing approximately seven different samples, we decided on a cone of chocolate-caramel ribbon for me and a cup of mint chocolate chip and cookie dough for Iggy. I managed to pay before Iggy could get to the register, and he pouted at me as he realized what had happened. "Ellaaaaaa," he whined. "That's my job!"

"You paid for dinner, I got dessert," I retorted, taking back my debit card from the cashier with a flourish. "We're almost even."

"I am a firm believer in the 'I asked you so I'll cover it' doctrine," Iggy complained. Nevertheless, he dug into his ice cream with gusto as we walked back outside, still bickering. He set off down the sidewalk again, apparently on a mission. I followed without question, trying to focus on keeping my cone intact.

Unfortunately, I failed and promptly dripped caramel and chocolate down my shirt. I yelped as the cold liquid hit the skin exposed from my shirt riding up my tummy. Iggy paused in his mission, raising an eyebrow at the noise I made. "I'm dripping everywhere," I explained, licking the edges of my cone in an attempt to remedy the situation. "This always happens!"

"That's why I started getting cups instead of bowls," Iggy snickered, handing me a napkin from the wad he had stuffed in his back pocket at the shop. "They're not quite as fun, but definitely way easier to enjoy and stay un-sticky."

"That's not a word," I objected thickly, my mouth full of ice cream.

"You're sticky, so you don't get to comment on the validity of 'un-sticky,'" Iggy retorted. "Sticky person," he muttered. I shouldered him, which on his annoyingly-tall tall-person body hit him in the tricep instead of his actual shoulder. "Hey! No need for sticky people to be violent toward un-sticky people," he teased.

I promptly smeared my sticky fingers all over his previously un-sticky hands. He yelped and squirmed away, but I was triumphant. "Don't discriminate against sticky people!" I scolded, smirking at him.

Iggy scowled at me and I kept giggling, childishly pleased with myself as I crunched down on my cone. Then he swiftly leaned in and pressed a decisive kiss against my cheek just as I was about to take another bite. I paused, my breath catching and a blush instantly flaring, stricken silent by his unexpected retaliation.

He smirked back at me. "Now you're even stickier," he announced, sticking his tongue out at me.

My jaw dropped as I raised my hand to feel the ice cream smudge his lips had left on my cheek. "That was low," I sputtered, trying my best to dig up some indignation but only finding girlish glee bubbling up at his cute little maneuver. Damn it, I didn't need to be so infatuated with this boy!

Iggy just kept smirking, and I hoped he couldn't sense how much I was internally pleased with that sticky kiss. He stopped walking suddenly, and I almost crashed into him. "Are you finished with your ice cream?" he asked, tossing his now-empty cup into a trash can. "We're here."

I licked the last of my ice cream off my fingers as I turned to look where Iggy was facing, and was surprised to find ourselves in front of the movie theatre. "Are we going to watch a movie?" I asked, unsure of the question. I definitely hadn't expected this on a date with a blind boy.

Iggy seemed to read my mind, clearly catching onto my confusion. "Strictly speaking, you're going to be watching, I'll be listening," he corrected with a slight smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked, hesitating. I didn't want to offend him, but I imagined that listening to a movie would be kind of frustrating, especially in a theatre full of people able to fully experience it.

"I'm good at this, don't worry about it," he assured me. "And besides…" Iggy's cheeks seemed a little rosier, although that could have been the yellow tinge of the streetlights that had just flickered on messing with my vision. "I heard that you really wanted to see Tower Heist. It's playing in 10 minutes."

"You want to watch a movie because you heard I wanted to see it?" I repeated, a smile breaking out on my face. "That's really sweet of you, Iggy."

He was totally blushing! That was no trick of the streetlight! I made Iggy blush!

"Uh, it's really not a problem," he murmured, his hand rising up to ruffle the back of his hair again. I was totally right about that before - definitely a nervous habit. Damn, I was good at this boy analysis thing after all!

"I'd like to watch it if you want to," I said gently, watching the color flare in his usually pale cheeks. This was adorable. I watched him murmur and bluster his way around how thoughtful he was acting and let him lead me into the theatre. He seemed to regain his composure after he managed to buy my ticket for me.

I let him do it that time, honestly. He seemed like he needed something to find his footing again. Aww, I was making him nervous! I didn't think I was capable of doing that. I couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that it was probably bad that I was happy about making the guy I liked feel awkward. It was just too cute that he was willing to sit through a movie and listen just because I wanted to see it.

We settled into seats in the back of the theatre, and I had an excellent view of the screen. "There's a mom with two kids to my right, a couple who look about twentyish a row in front of us, and a group of assorted middle-schoolers to your left," I whispered to Iggy. "The rest of the theatre is mainly young groups and couples. I don't anticipate a lot of annoying behavior."

"Sounds good to me," Iggy whispered back. His breath was warm against my ear, and I couldn't help but smile just at that. "Previews are starting now?" he asked a moment later, as the lights dimmed and the chatter died down.

"Yep," I confirmed. "Looks like a new Disney film, ooh!" Iggy laughed at my enthusiasm, and I settled back into my chair to watch the trailer. He wrapped one long arm around my shoulders, and I held my breath as I tilted my head to lean against him.

I liked how we fit together. His Henley was soft against my face, and he smelled nice in a way I couldn't describe. I closed my eyes for a second and breathed in the moment, very thoroughly happy.

Iggy was right about his talent for understanding and enjoying a movie without physically seeing it, but I still whispered little clarifications and reactions to him throughout the film. It was partially for his benefit and partially because I couldn't help my reactions sometimes.

"Oh my God, those poor employees!"

"What? He did what? He took their money, Iggy! OMG I want to punch him."

"Damn, what a two-faced bastard."

"She's the one from the beginning who you knew was going to be more important later. Surprise surprise, she just swooped in to help."

"IT'S SOLID GOLD."

"Yeah! Lawyer skills! She just freaking passed the Bar, how did she get so good so fast?"

"...but what's the point of a solid gold tire rim? You can't pay the bills with that!"

Iggy laughed and whispered back to me throughout the movie. We were quiet enough not to bother anyone, but it was a lot more fun that I had ever had in a movie theatre. Explaining and reacting with more than facial expressions made me get way more involved in the movie, and I was still chattering away as we exited the theatre after the credits. Iggy seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm, laughing and making his own observations about the movie.

"I was so sure he'd hook up with the lawyer girl," Iggy remarked, his hand finding its way into mine as we walked into the lobby. "I always predict the relationships in movies before they happen."

"I predict the relationships in real life before they happen," I replied, giggling. "Like for example, I called that Fang would be interested in my stunning sister literally the moment I saw him. We were just moving in, and I saw him outside our new house. I just knew even then, and I am positive he is going to ask her out any day now," I informed Iggy. "Although, it's not hard to guess who would be interested in Max because everybody is interested in Max."

"Well I never was," Iggy offered, laughing at the conviction in my tone. "Although I'm sure you girls are used to getting attention when you arrive somewhere new, Max didn't make that much of an impact on me other than her very distinctive attitude."

Did I make an impact on you? I really wanted to ask. I bit my tongue, not bold enough to make that move. "Well, I'm definitely used to Max getting a lot of attention," I admitted.

"Not you?" Iggy asked. He guided me outside, and we sat down on a concrete bench. The fairy lights on the street had turned on, and they stood out like golden dots woven through the trees and studding our view of the night sky. "My dad said he would pick us up after the movie," Iggy explained quickly.

"Ah, gotcha." I nodded. "I tend to stick more to Max's shadow, even though it's totally not her fault. She always includes me and I know she loves me and I love her more than anything. It just gets hard to live up to when your sister is so insanely perfect." I blinked, surprised at what I had just poured out. "Ah, sorry about that. I don't mean to whine," I apologized, trying to suppress a blush.

"It's fine," Iggy assured me. "Fang's not my brother, but he basically has been since we've grown up as best friends since forever, and Fang is definitely someone who fits that same description you're giving to Max." Iggy laughed, ruffling his hair again. "He is definitely no golden boy Prince Charming, but he definitely has a lot of that 'perfect' stuff going for him."

"Another reason why he and Max should get their heads out of their asses and get together already," I giggled. "They can go off and be perfect together!"

Iggy laughed. "Well, for what it's worth from a blind kid, I definitely did not see you as stuck in Max's shadow when you guys moved here," he told me sincerely, his eyes set on mine. I shivered, both from the truth ringing in his words and from wondering how he managed to aim his gaze so perfectly every time.

"That is worth a lot to me, especially from this particular blind kid," I replied softly, squeezing his hand still intertwined with mine. Iggy smiled, glancing down as if he could see our hands together.

A car beeped off to our right, and his head shot abruptly up. "That's my dad," he said, sighing slightly as he we stood together. "Ignore any embarrassing commentary, please," he muttered as we walked toward a silver sedan pulled to the curb.

"You must be Ella!" The tall blond man in the driver's seat greeted me with great enthusiasm, turning his shoulders to smile back at me as I entered the backseat. "Welcome to Raine Valley, and I'm so glad to finally meet Iggy's new friend!"

"Thank you, Mr. Fields," I chirped, smiling brightly at him. His enthusiasm was catching. "I'm enjoying the town a lot!"

We chatted together for the majority of the car ride home, while Iggy smirked and contributed a light comment here and there. Mr. Fields voiced a lot of attempting-to-be-subtle concern over Iggy's ability to handle the events of our date, particularly navigation and the movie. Iggy's hand clenched into a fist at one point, and I looked over at him in surprise to find his smile much tighter and more forced than before. I reached over and covered his hand with my own.

"Actually, Mr. Fields, Iggy was a perfect gentleman all night and conducted himself perfectly well," I told him politely. "I was very impressed with your son's ability to handle everything tonight."

"Well I'm glad to hear that, Ella!" Mr. Fields replied happily. "I'm just always a concerned parent, I'm sure you understand!"

"Of course," I agreed. "My mom is exactly the same." She really wasn't, but a little white lie never hurt anybody. Anything to help Iggy feel more comfortable in this awkward situation.

Iggy turned toward me and smiled gratefully, his posture and fist relaxing. I smiled, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Here we are!" Mr. Fields said as we pulled up to my house. "I'm just going to turn around, our house is the other way."

"Thank you so much for the ride," I said politely, opening the door of the sedan to exit. "I appreciate it!"

"I'll walk you to your door," Iggy said. Before his dad could argue, he ushered me out and followed.

"You didn't have to do that," I protested as he guided me toward my front gate with his hand pressed on the small of my back.

"I want to," Iggy replied, smiling slightly. "And not just because my dad would prefer if I stay safely in the car. I would like to be the 'perfect gentleman' you just told him I was."

I blushed for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. Iggy had a talent for saying things that just made me feel warm all over. "Well, I wasn't lying," I said softly, smiling as I enjoyed his hand spread on my back. We arrived at my front door, and I turned to face him. We were less than a foot apart, and I had to tilt my head slightly up to meet his sightless blue eyes. "Thank you for a really great night," I murmured, suddenly finding it necessary to lower my voice.

"The pleasure was truly all mine," Iggy replied. His smile softened, and he raised one hand to cup the side of my face. "Your cheek isn't sticky anymore," he whispered, smirking as he leaned closer.

And then he was kissing me, and any retort I could've made died in my mind. I reached up and pressed my hands to his chest, my fingers curling around the collar of his shirt. The kiss was sweet and soft and...

...slightly off-center, but that didn't make it any less perfect. Iggy seemed to notice a beat late, his lips sliding across mine to correct that detail. I just kissed him back, clinging to the moment in the dark on my front doorstep.

Iggy pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. I opened my eyes to find his closed and very close to mine, the moonlight glinting off his short blond lashes. "So you can give kisses that are sticky and un-sticky, hmm?" I teased.

His pale eyes shot open, and his lips twisted into a smirk. "You bet I can," he retorted, and leaned forward to kiss me again. I giggled against his lips, and he smiled as we broke apart again. "Good night, Ella. I enjoyed tonight," he whispered, his fingers sliding across my cheek.

"I had fun too," I murmured back, unable to stop smiling. "Good night, Iggy."

He pressed another kiss to my cheek. "Un-sticky," he whispered into my ear. I giggled, and he grinned at me one more time before stepping away and back down the path.

He paused at my front gate as I fiddled with my keys and unlocked my door. I stepped half inside, watching him leave my yard, apparently knowing that I had gotten inside with his ridiculous observational skills. He got into the front seat of his dad's sedan, which had pulled up to the curb outside my house. I stood there, still watching as the car pulled away and headed back down the street, ready to go to bed and dream about those kisses… but wait.

Wait.

What was that smell?!

I let out a shriek as I jolted back to the reality that my date had been last night and my reminiscing thoughts had lasted too long as the harsh scent of burning hair attacked my nostrils. I stared at the straightener in my hand, then at my horror-stricken reflection in the bathroom mirror. I opened my mouth, at a loss for what to screech about first: the atrocious smell in the air, the smoking mess of burning hair and the melting rubber grip of the straightener itself, or the unorthodox halt of the memories about my utterly perfect date.

A burnt chunk of hair flopped off my head and onto the counter. I stared at it, panic rising in my throat. I closed my mouth, and opened it again, ready to screech for help.

"MAAAAAX!"

Hey! Sooo this was a warm-up, to see if I can really write fanfic again XP I have been writing endless essays for school, college apps, and scholarships, and dozens of articles for my school news website and newspaper (I wish I could advertise it but I don't really want to advertise my identity here, lol), but haven't written fiction for fun in a looong time. No time for the soccer-playing, trumpeting, singing, ambitious senior ):

Hopefully this fluffy little date night wasn't too boring (: I'm thinking of trying to finish School Days before I go off to college, but it's just so intimidating… 13-year-old TMI was very ambitious with her intricate plot lines and frankly I have forgotten where I was going with a lot of the threads of it. We'll see what happens I guessssssss…!

I hope you enjoyed! (:

~TMI~