CeCe Jones was having a great day.
Being a senior at John Hughes High School, she didn't have many things to do at school (not that she had ever done them anyway) anymore, so she had caught up on sleep during her classes that day.
Then at lunch, the hottest guy in school had finally asked her out, after two years of dancing around it, and she was ecstatic.
All of her friends, including Rocky, had been jealous and if there was anything CeCe loved more than herself, it was when people were jealous of her. Rocky being jealous wasn't her favorite thing, but it was necessary to get what she'd wanted for so long.
After all, Matt Higgins was the hottest and most popular guy in school, and the fact that he wanted CeCe made her feel accomplished. She had never tried hard to be popular, that would count as work, but the idea that Matt finally wanted to go out with her validated her status at her high school.
She was so excited that she almost didn't notice him sitting on the couch alone when she came bounding into her apartment.
Almost.
CeCe had skipped halfway to her room when she abruptly stopped and without turning around spoke to him.
"Why are you here?"
"Flynn invited me over." CeCe rolled her eyes at his response. Of course Flynn did. The traitor.
"In case you haven't noticed, he isn't here."
"I noticed."
"Then what makes you think you can hang around here alone?" CeCe asked, turning to face him for the first time. "Or worse, with me?"
"I do not want to hang out with you," Logan Hunter responded, looking directly into her brown eyes with his own. "He asked me to wait for him to get home."
"You must be so cool Scooter, spending all of your time with a 13-year-old," CeCe mocked, dropping her bag in the middle of the floor and walking to the kitchen.
"Don't be jealous Cissy," Logan sneered. "It's not my fault your brother would rather have me as a sibling than you. That's all your fault."
"Flynn likes me!" CeCe defended herself. Logan snorted and reached for the remote.
"Whatever you say Red."
"Don't call me that!" CeCe insisted as she stormed over to him and grabbed the remote from his hands. "And go home Logan, doesn't Daddy miss you at all?"
"If you must know, my dad is busy working and spending time with his new girlfriend and her family," he muttered as he easily grabbed the remote back out of CeCe's hands.
"Poor Little Scooter," CeCe teased, "no one to love him."
She reached for the remote but Logan held it out of her reach. She sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder in defeat; she was no match for Logan physically.
"You're such a brat." Logan said with disgust as he turned the TV on to drown her voice out.
"Maybe I wouldn't be such a brat if you would just apologize and admit you were wrong all those years ago," she suggested as she again made her way to the kitchen.
"Nope, you'll always be a brat," Logan stated obviously as he leant back into the couch cushions.
CeCe lowered her eyes and opened a cabinet. She had to eat a snack now, otherwise her stomach would be grumbling when Matt picked her up later and she could never allow that to happen. She finally saw her favorite cheese and peanut butter crackers were on the highest shelf and she groaned. CeCe stretched her hands out and stood on her toes to reach them, but couldn't.
She groaned again in frustration and tried again, this time reaching high enough to just touch the box. CeCe stretched further and thought she almost had them when a hard body lightly touched her back and a tanned hand grabbed the box of crackers.
CeCe spun around to find herself within inches of a smirking Logan, who held the box of crackers.
"Can you please give me the crackers?" CeCe asked him innocently. Logan almost fell for her niceness, but when he dropped his hand and she immediately went to grab for them his arm shot right back up.
"You'll have to do better than that, Princess."
"Logan!" CeCe exclaimed in frustration. "I'm hungry please give them to me!"
"Admit you were wrong."
"Excuse me?"
"All those years ago, admit it, you tried to sabotage my badminton match."
"It was an accident! How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"Until you admit that you're lying and you did it on purpose."
"It wasn't on purpose! I meant what I said about being friends!" CeCe could barely concentrate on anything with his smell intoxicating her.
"Oh please."
"You're such a jerk you know that?" CeCe said darkly as she tried to reach her snack from his hand. Had Logan always been so tall?
"I'm not a jerk," Logan insisted as he chuckled at CeCe's pathetic attempt to get her crackers. He stopped laughing when she put one hand on his shoulder for leverage, making them impossibly close. Logan found his self control wavering; CeCe Jones was his one weakness and it was slowly killing him not to have her.
"Logan!"
CeCe stood on her toes and her hand was on his wrist when Logan easily lowered his head and crushed his lips onto hers. CeCe stood in shock for a moment, before responding eagerly. Logan smiled against her lips as he dropped the crackers and wrapped one arm around her and tangled the other hand in her long red hair. She deepened the kiss with her tongue, not getting enough from just his lips. Logan had just gotten one of his hands underneath her shirt, touching her bare back when Rocky interrupted them.
"Hey hey hey!"
Logan and CeCe broke apart immediately before Rocky could see them.
"Hey CeCe! ….and Logan?" Rocky looked confused.
"Flynn asked me to wait for him to come home," Logan managed to say calmly. He inwardly cursed Rocky for stopping the only chance he'd have to get CeCe to see him as more than annoying almost-step-brother-kabob-firing-jerk Logan.
"Did he say why?" Rocky asked him, looking quickly between him and CeCe, who was currently frozen at her spot in the kitchen.
"He just said it was important," Logan shrugged. CeCe finally broke out of her thoughts and grabbed the crackers off the floor.
"Can't it be important at your apartment?" CeCe asked. "Rocky and I have important things to do here."
"Talking about what guys aren't going to ask you out can be done with me around," he teased.
"I'm surprised that CeCe hasn't shoved this in your face yet: Matt Higgins asked her out." Rocky said matter-of-factly. Logan's eyes widened slightly as he turned to CeCe.
"Matt Higgins asked you out?"
"Yes," CeCe admitted in a small voice. Logan shook his head in disapproval.
"Why?" CeCe's mouth dropped and she punched his arm.
"Because I'm beautiful and fun and awesome, obviously," she gloated as she flicked her hair off her shoulder.
"But seriously," Logan asked smirking, "why would he want to ask you out?"
"Why wouldn't he want to go out with me?" Logan rolled his eyes at her conceitedness.
"I don't think you should go out with him," Logan said nonchalantly, sitting on the couch.
"Oh you don't?" CeCe asked lowered her eyes. Rocky sighed, aware that they were about to get into a fight.
"No I don't," Logan continued. "You've been pining over this guy for what, two years now?"
"So what?" CeCe asked.
"So why would you want to go out with him and ruin your image of him?" Logan reasoned.
"What do you mean?" CeCe prodded as she sat down next to him on the couch. Rocky rolled her eyes, she was sick of fixing the lies Logan told CeCe to keep her from going out with other guys. She silently wished Logan would be a man and ask her out himself.
"It doesn't mean anything other than Logan is a jerk," Rocky interjected, grabbing CeCe's arm and pulling her to her feet. "Bye Logan, we have primping to do!"
Logan watched Rocky drag CeCe to her room and he sighed, running his hand through his long hair. He leant against the couch with a faint smile on his face. Logan couldn't believe he had kissed CeCe and she let him.
The smile was wiped off his face when he remembered that she had a date tonight.
With someone who wasn't him.
Logan groaned and tried to think of a plan to stop her.
"Someone doesn't want you to go on a date," Rocky stated. "Again."
CeCe rolled her eyes and didn't respond. Rocky was convinced that Logan and CeCe were secretly in love with each other. According to Rocky, her and Logan had a great love story that she liked to relay to CeCe all the time as she analyzed every little detail of their lives.
It wasn't that hard to analyze hate.
"He totally likes you CeCe," Rocky tried again. "I don't know how you don't see it."
"I don't see it because he doesn't," CeCe said flatly.
"Didn't you see how jealous he looked when I told him you had a date?" Rocky said, getting a far-off look in her eyes. "I bet he's out there right now, beside himself that you have a date, just thinking of all the different ways he can win you over."
"Rocky."
"It's so romantic!"
"Nothing about Logan is romantic," CeCe muttered as she put on a tight black dress.
"That's not true! I bet he'd be a great boyfriend," Rocky continued happily.
"Because he was oh so sweet to you Rock," CeCe gave her a pointed look and Rocky gave her a dirty look.
"We're not 15 anymore CeCe, and don't even pretend that you haven't noticed the boy is all types of fine."
CeCe quickly turned back to her clothes. She had most definitely noticed how good looking Logan was. It wasn't fair that he was so attractive with his long brown hair, adorable eyes and great body. If only he was ugly and didn't go to the gym regularly, then she wouldn't be having this conversation.
"See, you totally agree!" Rocky exclaimed, going back into her day dream. "I bet one day soon Logan will take you aside and confess everything and tell you how much he loves you and he'll finally kiss-"
"It wasn't anything like that," CeCe harshly burst her bubble.
"WASN'T?!" Rocky screamed excitedly. CeCe's eyes widened at her mistake and ran to cover Rocky's mouth.
"I'll tell you what happened, but only if you're quiet," CeCe relented as she struggled to keep her hand over Rocky's still screaming mouth.
Rocky quieted at her statement and nodded quickly. CeCe slowly removed her hand and waited a moment to make sure Rocky would remain quiet. When she did, CeCe told her quickly what had happened earlier in the kitchen.
"CeCe?" Rocky asked softly.
"Yes?"
"Did you like it?" CeCe looked at Rocky blankly and Rocky rolled her eyes. "THE KISS did you like the kiss?"
"Oh that," CeCe mumbled. "Yeah, I did. I really did." Rocky screamed and CeCe put her hands over her ears as her door flew open.
"Are you guys okay?!" Logan asked from the doorway, holding an umbrella. "I heard screaming."
"I'll never get over this!" Rocky screamed in her excitement, jumping up and down. "It's just like a movie!"
Logan lowered the umbrella and looked questioningly at CeCe. CeCe rolled her eyes and got off her bed.
"Rocky's just overreacting," CeCe insisted as she reached for her doorknob. "Ignore the screaming."
Logan intercepted her hand and pulled her into the hallway. He positioned her against the wall and put his hands on either side of her waist boxing her in.
"You're not really wearing that on your date are you?" Logan leant forward so their foreheads were almost touching.
"I might," CeCe challenged and Logan shuffled closer to her so their bodies were touching.
"You can't wear this."
"And why exactly can't I?"
"Because when you finally agree to go on a date with me, this is the dress you'll be wearing," Logan whispered in her ear. She shivered and put her hands on his chest.
"I'll never agree to go on a date with you Logan," CeCe said sweetly, saying his name with disgust.
"Yes you will," he smirked and he leant forward to kiss her. CeCe pushed him away with all her strength and was thankful it was enough for her to escape. She turned to look at him from her doorway, where Rocky was still bouncing over her and Logan's earlier kiss, and winked.
"You wish, Scooter."
CeCe gave Matt a fake smile for what seemed like the twentieth time that night.
In the two hours that they'd been out, CeCe had barely been able to concentrate on anything her date had to say. Matt had tried to ask CeCe questions, but he kept cutting her off to talk about himself and it was driving her crazy.
It drove her more crazy that all she could think about was how she changed out of the black dress she'd originally had on. And the lustful look Logan gave her when he noticed she'd changed. It gave her chills just thinking about it.
"Can you believe that?" Matt asked her, laughing. CeCe gave him a fake laugh and agreed with him, although she hadn't heard a word he'd said. "Want to get out of here?"
"Yes!" Leaving was the only thing that had excited her in the past two hours. Matt paid the bill, and the two started walking back to CeCe's apartment.
"So this was fun, right CeCe?"
"Sure!" CeCe lied. She hoped he wasn't going to ask her out again. Matt stopped walking and took CeCe's hand.
"So maybe we can do this again sometime?"
"Well-" CeCe didn't finish her sentence because Matt cut her off by kissing her. He pulled her closer but CeCe didn't like the way he kissed her.
Mainly because he wasn't Logan.
She pushed him off of her and backed away cautiously.
"I'm sorry CeCe was that too forward?" Matt asked frightened. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable-"
"It's ok Matt," she gave him a small smile. "I just don't like you like that. I'm the one who's sorry."
"Oh, ok… Do you still want me to walk you home?" Matt asked dejectedly. CeCe shook her head and gave him a smile.
"That's ok," she said sweetly. "I'll go alone. Thank you for dinner."
CeCe waved at Matt Higgins, the man she had wanted for two years, and she began to walk home. She couldn't believe she didn't have a good time with Matt; she'd been so excited for this. But no, Logan had to go ruin it with his big mouth. Logan ruined everything for her and she was done being nice about it.
If Logan had thought CeCe had been difficult before, he was in for a rude awakening.
CeCe took off her high heels and bolted the rest of the way home. She waited impatiently in the elevator and ran down the hallway when it finally opened on her floor. She stopped short in front of her door to put back on her shoes, and she flung the door open to see Logan, sprawled out on the couch watching TV. He looked up from the TV to see the crazy look on CeCe's face and he gulped.
"Hey Ce, how was your date?" Logan asked cautiously as he sat upright on the sofa.
"It was awful. Do you have any idea why?" CeCe asked him as she slammed the door behind her and took a few steps towards him. Logan was alarmed by the tone of her voice, but tried hard to keep his cool.
"No..."
"Because before it, some buttwipe kissed me and ruined my night!" CeCe said dangerously as she stood directly before Logan.
"I can't be that bad of a kisser," Logan tried to joke but quickly realized it was a bad move when CeCe's eyes lowered.
"Stop playing games with me." She crossed her arms over her chest. Logan looked surprised at her response.
"I'm not playing any games with you," he said slowly. CeCe huffed and uncrossed her arms.
"Yes you are! You're always messing with my head!"
"No I'm not!"
"Oh yes you are!" CeCe accused angrily. "'Oh CeCe you can only wear that dress on our date' 'CeCe your hair is so pretty in the moonlight'!"
"I don't sound like that," Logan said evenly. CeCe's eyes lowered even more and Logan knew he was in trouble.
"Why do you have to ruin everything for me! I was so excited to go out with Matt tonight he's such a nice guy and so hot and he even kissed me and-"
"He kissed you?!" Logan asked outraged as he shot straight up. "You let that guy kiss you?"
"No I didn't let him kiss me," CeCe sneered. "He tried to kiss me and I pushed him away because he isn't you Logan! Are you happy now?"
"No!" Logan blurted. "I'm not happy that guy kissed you, you're mine!"
"I. am. not. yours." CeCe insisted, poking his chest after every word. "I am a free woman, I can kiss whoever I wan-"
"Please don't," Logan interrupted as he wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't kiss anyone but me."
"Stop," CeCe whispered as tears filled her eyes. "You're just going to be mean to me tomorrow."
"No I won't," Logan promised, pulling her close to him. "I really like you CeCe."
"Logan…" CeCe whispered. Logan rested his forehead on hers.
"I mean it," he whispered. "I like you, and I want to be with you. I'm not playing any games CeCe, I want to be with you."
"If you don't mean it, I'll make your life a living hell Logan Hunter, I really really like you and if you're just-"
This time when Logan kissed her while she wasn't paying attention, she was the one to smile against his lips.
"Is this a thing now?" The two 18-year-olds separated and looked around to see Flynn staring at them.
"Maybe," CeCe said noncommittally and the same time that Logan said, "Definitely."
"Okay," Flynn shrugged with a wide grin as he started walking to his room.
"Hey little dude, what was so important you wanted me to wait all afternoon here?" Logan asked him, breaking away from CeCe.
"Isn't it obvious?" Logan and CeCe exchanged confused glances and Flynn annoyingly sighed. "The important thing was for you and CeCe to finally get together."
"WHAT?!" They both screamed at the same time. Flynn grinned.
"What, because I'm 13 I'm stupid? You have both been dying for each other for three years. It's been driving me crazy. Plus, Logan is the only guy I trust for CeCe."
"He is?" CeCe asked incredulously.
"Not only will Logan put up with all of your craziness, Mom loves him and he always hangs out with me."
Logan and CeCe exchanged a glance and they shrugged.
"Thanks Flynn!" CeCe said in only the happy way CeCe could as she grabbed Logan's hand and started dragging him to her room.
"Thanks little dude," Logan winked as he gladly followed CeCe.
CeCe stopped suddenly in front of her door and gasped.
"What is it?" Logan asked concerned.
"I just realized that I like a guy named Scooter," CeCe said in fake disgust. Logan rolled his eyes in fake annoyance and leant down until his lips were only a centimeter from hers.
"You're one to talk, Cissy."
CeCe grinned and closed the gap between them, all the time thinking that her day had ended way way better than she could have ever imagined.