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Description
Explaining the Kiss
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

For sweetsara234

   That was the weirdest day of science class ever.  What was going on back home had affected the turn that a simple frog dissection had taken.  For some reason he was suddenly inspired to free every single frog in the classroom, and as he did the entire room was thrown into an uproar.

   As he sat there outside of the principal's office waiting to be picked up by his mother, Elliot started to recognize exactly what had happened because of these influenced actions.  He wasn't exactly sure if his extra-terrestrial friend was the cause, but considering how weird things had gotten since E.T. had arrived, he felt he could safely assume that this was the case.

   And yet the frog fiasco and the fact that he was facing punishment from both the school and his mother wasn't what weighed the heaviest on his thoughts.

   For a brief moment not even the problem with how to help E.T. was the center of his focus.

   Right before his teacher had grabbed him by the arm, dragging him to where he now sat in the hall outside of the principal's office, almost like a choreographed scene from a movie, Elliot had stepped up and kissed this girl that sat near him in class, right on the lips.  Even with all the other things swirling around his head, this was the one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb.

   He knew he was better off worrying about the other things, but he couldn't, not now.

   "Boy, Mom is going to freak out when she hears about this," Elliot murmured softly to himself.  He paused, letting the words sink in, closing his eyes as he groaned and sunk lower into his chair.  He clasped both hands to his face and muttered even softer, "And what's worse is there's an alien living in our house right now.  How could things get any worse?"

   Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.  He let two of his fingers come apart so he could peek out from behind his hand.  The principal was looming above him and said, "You just stay right there young man.  Once your mother gets here you're going to explain this to everyone, including how you plan to reimburse us for all of the frogs you let escape."

   The principal walked away without another word, not waiting for a reply from Elliot.  Letting out another groan, Elliot murmured to himself, "Yep, this day could not get any worse."

   With his eyes closed, he could see the mess in the classroom playing out again in his head.  Frogs croaking and jumping around the room; girls screaming, boys laughing, and nobody knowing quite what to do.

   Then, it happened again.

   There she was, the girl with the blonde hair.  He was facing her, and she was facing him.

   He knew who she was.  If she ever caught him looking at her, she would look away, almost in disgust.

   But something about this time was different.  Perhaps it was more of E.T.'s bizarre influence.

   She was a bit taller than him, but then a kid slid to the ground, creating a step for him to use in order to reach her.  It was the strangest feeling Elliot could remember having.  It was like the chaos in the background faded away.  He stepped up on the back of the kid on the ground, just as she stepped forward to meet him.  They both leaned forward, and then…

   "Ugh, I kissed her didn't I?" Elliot moaned.

   He rolled around in his seat.  He couldn't get that image out of his head.  It cycled over and over again, and each time it did, more details cleared up for him.  He knew before it was done the kiss would be burned into his head forever.

   His body started to relax a little though.  It's not like she was the classroom geek or anything.  She was a really pretty girl after all.  Her blonde hair was so silky and pretty as it curled on her shoulders.  Whenever he did catch her smiling, her pearly whites always glistened.  She had such beautiful eyes too…

   Wait a second.  Where were all of these thoughts coming from?  Elliot had never put such thought into a girl before, let alone something like love.  Why on earth did he kiss her anyway?

   "E.T.," Elliot groaned softly.

   He sat up in his chair, finally lowering his hands from his face.  His thoughts turned for a moment to his alien friend.  He hoped that his mother hadn't discovered E.T. yet.  It was going to be hard enough trying to explain what had happened today, especially when he didn't understand it himself.

   Elliot opened his eyes.  He struggled to keep his thoughts from turning to that kiss again, but he was failing miserably.

   "Why did I do that?" he muttered softly, closing his eyes.  He sighed a little, but as he was thinking about it, he realized that while his actions confused him, they didn't bother him to the point of disgust.

   The more he thought about it, the more it started to send tingles through him.  Even though he was in a lot of trouble and had plenty of reasons to be fearful of being grounded forever, he found he couldn't help but feel…different.  It was as though what he should have felt at the moment it happened was finally catching up to him.

   Kissing her made him…happy.

   He opened his eyes, realizing he was smiling a little.  Shaking his head, he moaned again and wailed softly, "Oh please, she was under E.T.'s influence.  The next time I see her she's liable to slap me.  The girl hates my guts."

   He pulled his legs up into the chair, hugging his knees, resting his head on the caps.  He tried desperately to think about something else, unable to think of a time in his life when he was more confused.

   In this state, he didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching him again, not looking up when a shadow rounded the corner and almost apprehensively approached him where he sat.  It stopped in front of the chair, not moving.

   Though he didn't hear the footsteps, he heard a voice, one that was more than enough to bring him out of his little bubble of misery.

   "Hey Elliot?"

   His head shot up, tingles going up and down his spine before he could even face her.  He recognized her voice immediately.  It was Erika, the girl he had kissed.  Her blonde hair was curled neatly on her shoulders.  Her eyes were wide and bright, alive with curiosity.  Though she wasn't smiling, she wasn't frowning either.  That angry glare that Elliot had already assumed would be there, wasn't.

   But if she wasn't there to chastise him, why was she there at all?

   Maybe to laugh at him.

   Still, things couldn't get much worse, so as he sat up he bravely replied, "Y-Yes?"

   She gazed at him curiously for another moment.  She lowered her eyes, looking away as a soft giggle escaped her.  "That was a crazy thing to do.  The teacher is still fuming.  Why did you do that?"

   Elliot groaned a little, realizing he wanted to know the exact same thing.  He thought of E.T. again.

   "I just…I wanted the frogs to be free, back home in the river and marshes where they belong.  Nobody wants to be away from home in a strange place, with terrible things happening to them," Elliot explained, for that was as close to the truth as he could get.

   Erika looked back at him, her lips curled in slight disgust.  "But they're only frogs, the icky things.  Is it worth getting into so much trouble for?" she asked.

   Elliot sat up, letting his feet fall back to the floor as he crossed his arms, looking away from her.  "As a matter of fact, yes.  Besides, I wasn't looking forward to slicing into a frog anyway."

   "But don't you like frogs?" she asked.

   "Exactly!" Elliot cried, turning back to her suddenly, causing her to let out a gasp as she stepped back from him.  Settling back into his chair, Elliot crossed his arms again and said, "I do like them, so, why would I want to cut one open?  If I want to know what a frog looks like on the inside, I could go to the library and read a book about it.  Why hurt an innocent frog?"

   Erika held a hand to her mouth, the ends of her lips curling slightly as she watched Elliot go straight-faced, becoming as still as a statue.  She couldn't begin to fathom what was going through Elliot's head when he started freeing the frogs, throwing the science class into a frenzy.  No love of frogs could be strong enough if it meant facing suspension and a punishment from an angry mother.

   Elliot was a weird one, but the gutsy move was funny, and almost admirable.  He had to be a strong one if he would still do all that knowing what the consequences would be.  She didn't understand it that well, but suddenly this boy that she once would have done anything to avoid, was now quite cute, especially as he sat there stubbornly, unwilling to look at her.

   "You're in a lot of trouble you know," she said softly with a giggle.

   He looked back at her.  He felt his cheeks burning, not realizing it was because they were now beet red.  "Yeah, I kinda realized that," he muttered, "What's so funny about it?"

   She turned away from him a little.  "It's not my fault Elliot.  You're cute sitting there like that.  It makes me want to giggle."

   Elliot growled a little.  "It's not funny okay?" he groaned.  He looked away from her and pulled his legs back up into the chair.

   "I think it is," she said, turning back to him, "Not that you're in trouble, but just, how cute you look sitting there wailing."  Elliot only blushed harder, trying to force the frown deeper into his face, not looking back to address her.  She saw that he was getting upset, and let out a sigh as the laughter faded.  She knelt down beside the chair and said, "Look, I'm sorry.  I didn't come here to make fun of you or upset you.  I really just wanted to know why you did that, and well, why you did the other thing…"

   He felt the back of his neck begin to burn.  Here it came.

   "What…what other thing?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

   He saw her smile out of the corner of his eyes, shaking her head.  "Stop it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  It was right before the teacher dragged you out of the room."

   Elliot sighed, hanging his head and closing his eyes, wishing he could shrink out of existence.  "You mean the kiss," he murmured, making his voice as small and quiet as he possibly could.

   Erika's cheeks were rosy red, and she looked away, trying to hold off a nervous giggle.  "Yes," she whispered softly.  While everyone tried to clean up the classroom, I sat there trying to ignore that it happened at first, but then when I couldn't, I started to wonder why I had kissed you in the first place.  I was hoping that maybe if you told me why you did, I'd understand why I wanted to as well."

   His eyes forced themselves open as far as they could.  Elliot looked back at her, able to see the blushing on her cheeks.  She was just as confused about the kiss as he was.  However, as he stared at her he began to feel less unsure about it as he once was, and it wasn't because he could blame it all on the influence of E.T..

   A soft sigh escaped him.  He knew why he would look at her during class between half-listening to the teacher and doodling on his homework.  He had done it long before E.T. ever showed up, even if he wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, or himself.  There was no way he would ever say it.  He was just a kid, and girls…they were annoying.

   But Erika was different.  She was a pretty girl, her blonde hair curling neatly, her eyes sparkling, and her smile just the thing to compliment her laughter.

   Of course before now he would never have breathed a word of it, especially to her.  Surely she would have humiliated him to death if he said anything to her.  And yet, now she was being oddly nice to him, and blushing shyly before him no less.

   Things certainly couldn't get any worse now.  What did he have to lose?

   "It's because…well, I-I think you're cute, Erika," he murmured softly.

   Erika could feel butterflies in her stomach as her heart pounded.  "But…but why do something like that…in the middle of all that craziness?  Why not…just tell me?"

   Elliot groaned, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his knees.  "Oh please," he muttered, "You would have killed me if I said something to you.  Plus, in all that chaos nobody else would notice."

   She lowered her eyes.  "So, you would have been embarrassed to tell me, is that it?" she asked.

   "No," he murmured, looking back to her.  When she looked up at him, he sighed and said, "What it is, is I figured a girl like you wouldn't have anything to do with a guy like me, plus…I guess it's not the cool thing to do…talk about love and stuff I guess."

   Erika's eyes lit up a little.  "Maybe for boys, but girls don't mind talking about it."

   "Well there, you answered your own question," Elliot said with a sigh, looking away.

   Feeling her neck erupt with tingles, Erika giggles softly.  "I-I guess you're right," she said, "I guess that if you're gutsy enough to do what you did, you felt you could have done anything else at that moment, right?"

   Elliot closed his eyes.  Maybe that was what it was.

   "Yeah…I guess so Erika," he murmured.  He paused for a moment, then replied, "Look, you can forget about it all if you want to.  I didn't mean to gross you out or anything.  I appreciate that you're being nice enough not to totally trash me for it."

   Erika laughed a little.  "The only thing you did that grossed me out was unleashing that hoard of frogs on me and the classroom," she explained.  Elliot didn't respond, although she could have sworn she heard a stifled laugh escape him as his head rested on his knees.  Standing up, she sighed softly and said, "Don't feel bad Elliot, you're a nice guy.  Before I thought you were just another nerdy guy, but what you did was really gutsy, and, well, it was sweet of you to want to save the frogs, even if I do still think they're slimy and gross.  I guess it is cruel to keep them away from their home where they belong, and it was sweet and kind of you to do what you did.  That's pretty awesome I think.  You're quite different than I thought you were."

   Did she really say that?

   Elliot looked up at her.  She was standing there with her hands clasped before her, gazing shyly at the ground, her cheeks still a rosy pink.  She glanced back at him, smiling a little when they made eye contact.

   He sat up, letting his feet, fall back to the floor.  "Are you…really telling the truth?" Elliot asked.

   Erika nodded a little, kneeling back down once she did so.  Sighing softly, she looked up and said, "Just promise me one thing."

   "Umm, sure," he replied.

   "If you're going to save frogs in the future, or bugs or lizards or anything creepy, make sure you do it so they aren't crawling all over the place.  It's gross," she said as she shivered.

   Elliot grinned.  "Heh, okay, I promise," he said with a soft chuckle.

   She looked back up at him.  "Oh Elliot, be nice.  At least I'm trying to talk about them in a mature manner, which is one other thing I want you to promise."

   "Something else?" Elliot asked.

   The two stopped talking as they watched the principal emerge from his office at the corner of the hall, heading in the direction of the secretary's desk, who mentioned the arrival of Elliot's mother.

   "Oh great," Elliot moaned, finally remembering what he was about to face.

   He felt Erika grab one of his hands, causing him to let out a gasp.  She stared at the hand for a moment, as though in awe of what she was about to say and do, and enamored by these feelings swirling around her head.  Taking a breath, she looked up at him and said, "Be honest with me from now on.  Maybe we can be friends, and, maybe, once we both grow up a little, maybe…we could be something more.  But, that'll never happen unless we are honest, and can tell each other anything.  If you do that, then, who knows, maybe I'll try getting to know frogs, and whatever else boys like to do."

   Elliot couldn't believe what he was hearing, and even further beyond his grasp to understand, was what he felt ready to say in reply.

   "I…I think I can do that."

   "You think?"

   "I mean, I know I can do that…I'll try."

   Erika smiled.  "It's okay, I don't want to ask you to do too much.  It won't be too much, I promise.  If you're brave enough to free those frogs, knowing it'll mean facing punishment, I know you can find it in you to be honest with me.  If your love of frogs is that strong, then whatever you feel for me has to be that strong too."

   "You're right."

   "R-Really?"

   Elliot paused, swallowing hard, his cheeks still red.  "Yeah…of course.  If I'm not expelled from school and escape getting grounded for the rest of my life, maybe, maybe we can have lunch together…or something."

   Erika giggled softly. She watched as Elliot looked back at the bend in the hallway.  He could already hear the principal and his mother talking.  He cringed, feeling a sick knot form in his stomach.  Any good feelings from this talk with Erika suddenly began to disappear.

   But then, something chased away the sick knot, and the fear.

   He felt Erika press her lips against his cheek, holding his hand tightly as she did so.  He was paralyzed where he sat, feeling his heart pound fiercely.

   When she pulled away, he looked to her, expecting to see her blush.  By now, however, the rosy pink tint had faded, and her smile was shy, but strong.

   "Don't worry, I know why I did it that time, and after talking to you, I think I understand why it happened the first time too," Erika said with a smile.

   Elliot's eyes were wide, his cheeks still beet red.  "I'm…I'm just glad you don't hate my guts, Erika," he stammered.

   She giggled, rising to her feet.  "It'll be okay Elliot.  If you've got the guts to do what you did, and then tell me how you feel, I know you'll make it out of this alright.  Next time you see me, come say hello, and we'll spend some time together.  …I like that idea of lunch, maybe outside by the fountain in the courtyard."

   The voices of his mother and the principal were getting closer, and yet for some reason he felt he was able to ignore the fear.  Even though he still had to figure out how to save E.T. and get his life back to normal, there was a little stability forming in the background for him to fall back on.

   Perhaps if he wasn't expelled and grounded for life, he would have something to look forward to once he had gotten out of this mess.  Erika was a light at the end of the tunnel for him now.  She had taken an embarrassing and confusing moment and made it quite the opposite.

   She was a sweet and pretty girl through and through.

   A smile managed to curl Elliot's lips as he shook his head.  "Thanks Erika.  I'll do just what you told me to.  I'll see you later okay?"

   Erika nodded, smiling.  She turned to leave, but looked back one more time and said, "Just don't do anything crazy like that again, okay Elliot?"

   "You mean letting the frogs go or the kiss?" Elliot teased with a grin.

   Erika scowled a little, but laughed.  "You know what I meant," she murmured softly, "Besides, it wasn't just you kissing me.  I kissed you too.  Goodbye Elliot!"

   Elliot watched as Erika dashed away, escaping before the principal or his mother could spot her there.  All he could hear in his head now were those last words.

   "I kissed you too."

   "She did, didn't she?" Elliot murmured, "I'm not sure about all girls, but Erika, she's…different.  She can make me feel better no matter what.  I'll have to tell E.T. about her later, that is if he even understands me."

   Just then, the principal and Elliot's mother rounded the corner, stopping and staring him down as he became aware of their presence.

   "Elliot, would you please step into my office?" the principal asked.

   Elliot didn't reply outside of rising to his feet.  As Elliot, his mother, and the principal filed into the office, Elliot thought for a moment how he was going to explain himself.  Then, he remembered what he told Erika.  Like he wanted for E.T. he would say he just wanted the frogs to be free, and back home where they belonged, and nothing more.

   It wouldn't be so bad.  He had gotten out of trouble worse than this before.

   And no matter how bad the punishment was, he'd find a way to get back on track.  This time he had an advantage he didn't have before, in the form of that pretty girl from science class, with golden blonde hair curling on her shoulders, sparkling eyes, and a beautiful smile.

   He had a new friend, who one day could very well be something more, all started with a once unexplained, and now understood kissed shared amidst chaos.

   There, at the end of it all, Elliot had Erika waiting just for him.

Description
Explaining the Kiss
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

For sweetsara234

   That was the weirdest day of science class ever.  What was going on back home had affected the turn that a simple frog dissection had taken.  For some reason he was suddenly inspired to free every single frog in the classroom, and as he did the entire room was thrown into an uproar.

   As he sat there outside of the principal's office waiting to be picked up by his mother, Elliot started to recognize exactly what had happened because of these influenced actions.  He wasn't exactly sure if his extra-terrestrial friend was the cause, but considering how weird things had gotten since E.T. had arrived, he felt he could safely assume that this was the case.

   And yet the frog fiasco and the fact that he was facing punishment from both the school and his mother wasn't what weighed the heaviest on his thoughts.

   For a brief moment not even the problem with how to help E.T. was the center of his focus.

   Right before his teacher had grabbed him by the arm, dragging him to where he now sat in the hall outside of the principal's office, almost like a choreographed scene from a movie, Elliot had stepped up and kissed this girl that sat near him in class, right on the lips.  Even with all the other things swirling around his head, this was the one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb.

   He knew he was better off worrying about the other things, but he couldn't, not now.

   "Boy, Mom is going to freak out when she hears about this," Elliot murmured softly to himself.  He paused, letting the words sink in, closing his eyes as he groaned and sunk lower into his chair.  He clasped both hands to his face and muttered even softer, "And what's worse is there's an alien living in our house right now.  How could things get any worse?"

   Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.  He let two of his fingers come apart so he could peek out from behind his hand.  The principal was looming above him and said, "You just stay right there young man.  Once your mother gets here you're going to explain this to everyone, including how you plan to reimburse us for all of the frogs you let escape."

   The principal walked away without another word, not waiting for a reply from Elliot.  Letting out another groan, Elliot murmured to himself, "Yep, this day could not get any worse."

   With his eyes closed, he could see the mess in the classroom playing out again in his head.  Frogs croaking and jumping around the room; girls screaming, boys laughing, and nobody knowing quite what to do.

   Then, it happened again.

   There she was, the girl with the blonde hair.  He was facing her, and she was facing him.

   He knew who she was.  If she ever caught him looking at her, she would look away, almost in disgust.

   But something about this time was different.  Perhaps it was more of E.T.'s bizarre influence.

   She was a bit taller than him, but then a kid slid to the ground, creating a step for him to use in order to reach her.  It was the strangest feeling Elliot could remember having.  It was like the chaos in the background faded away.  He stepped up on the back of the kid on the ground, just as she stepped forward to meet him.  They both leaned forward, and then…

   "Ugh, I kissed her didn't I?" Elliot moaned.

   He rolled around in his seat.  He couldn't get that image out of his head.  It cycled over and over again, and each time it did, more details cleared up for him.  He knew before it was done the kiss would be burned into his head forever.

   His body started to relax a little though.  It's not like she was the classroom geek or anything.  She was a really pretty girl after all.  Her blonde hair was so silky and pretty as it curled on her shoulders.  Whenever he did catch her smiling, her pearly whites always glistened.  She had such beautiful eyes too…

   Wait a second.  Where were all of these thoughts coming from?  Elliot had never put such thought into a girl before, let alone something like love.  Why on earth did he kiss her anyway?

   "E.T.," Elliot groaned softly.

   He sat up in his chair, finally lowering his hands from his face.  His thoughts turned for a moment to his alien friend.  He hoped that his mother hadn't discovered E.T. yet.  It was going to be hard enough trying to explain what had happened today, especially when he didn't understand it himself.

   Elliot opened his eyes.  He struggled to keep his thoughts from turning to that kiss again, but he was failing miserably.

   "Why did I do that?" he muttered softly, closing his eyes.  He sighed a little, but as he was thinking about it, he realized that while his actions confused him, they didn't bother him to the point of disgust.

   The more he thought about it, the more it started to send tingles through him.  Even though he was in a lot of trouble and had plenty of reasons to be fearful of being grounded forever, he found he couldn't help but feel…different.  It was as though what he should have felt at the moment it happened was finally catching up to him.

   Kissing her made him…happy.

   He opened his eyes, realizing he was smiling a little.  Shaking his head, he moaned again and wailed softly, "Oh please, she was under E.T.'s influence.  The next time I see her she's liable to slap me.  The girl hates my guts."

   He pulled his legs up into the chair, hugging his knees, resting his head on the caps.  He tried desperately to think about something else, unable to think of a time in his life when he was more confused.

   In this state, he didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching him again, not looking up when a shadow rounded the corner and almost apprehensively approached him where he sat.  It stopped in front of the chair, not moving.

   Though he didn't hear the footsteps, he heard a voice, one that was more than enough to bring him out of his little bubble of misery.

   "Hey Elliot?"

   His head shot up, tingles going up and down his spine before he could even face her.  He recognized her voice immediately.  It was Erika, the girl he had kissed.  Her blonde hair was curled neatly on her shoulders.  Her eyes were wide and bright, alive with curiosity.  Though she wasn't smiling, she wasn't frowning either.  That angry glare that Elliot had already assumed would be there, wasn't.

   But if she wasn't there to chastise him, why was she there at all?

   Maybe to laugh at him.

   Still, things couldn't get much worse, so as he sat up he bravely replied, "Y-Yes?"

   She gazed at him curiously for another moment.  She lowered her eyes, looking away as a soft giggle escaped her.  "That was a crazy thing to do.  The teacher is still fuming.  Why did you do that?"

   Elliot groaned a little, realizing he wanted to know the exact same thing.  He thought of E.T. again.

   "I just…I wanted the frogs to be free, back home in the river and marshes where they belong.  Nobody wants to be away from home in a strange place, with terrible things happening to them," Elliot explained, for that was as close to the truth as he could get.

   Erika looked back at him, her lips curled in slight disgust.  "But they're only frogs, the icky things.  Is it worth getting into so much trouble for?" she asked.

   Elliot sat up, letting his feet fall back to the floor as he crossed his arms, looking away from her.  "As a matter of fact, yes.  Besides, I wasn't looking forward to slicing into a frog anyway."

   "But don't you like frogs?" she asked.

   "Exactly!" Elliot cried, turning back to her suddenly, causing her to let out a gasp as she stepped back from him.  Settling back into his chair, Elliot crossed his arms again and said, "I do like them, so, why would I want to cut one open?  If I want to know what a frog looks like on the inside, I could go to the library and read a book about it.  Why hurt an innocent frog?"

   Erika held a hand to her mouth, the ends of her lips curling slightly as she watched Elliot go straight-faced, becoming as still as a statue.  She couldn't begin to fathom what was going through Elliot's head when he started freeing the frogs, throwing the science class into a frenzy.  No love of frogs could be strong enough if it meant facing suspension and a punishment from an angry mother.

   Elliot was a weird one, but the gutsy move was funny, and almost admirable.  He had to be a strong one if he would still do all that knowing what the consequences would be.  She didn't understand it that well, but suddenly this boy that she once would have done anything to avoid, was now quite cute, especially as he sat there stubbornly, unwilling to look at her.

   "You're in a lot of trouble you know," she said softly with a giggle.

   He looked back at her.  He felt his cheeks burning, not realizing it was because they were now beet red.  "Yeah, I kinda realized that," he muttered, "What's so funny about it?"

   She turned away from him a little.  "It's not my fault Elliot.  You're cute sitting there like that.  It makes me want to giggle."

   Elliot growled a little.  "It's not funny okay?" he groaned.  He looked away from her and pulled his legs back up into the chair.

   "I think it is," she said, turning back to him, "Not that you're in trouble, but just, how cute you look sitting there wailing."  Elliot only blushed harder, trying to force the frown deeper into his face, not looking back to address her.  She saw that he was getting upset, and let out a sigh as the laughter faded.  She knelt down beside the chair and said, "Look, I'm sorry.  I didn't come here to make fun of you or upset you.  I really just wanted to know why you did that, and well, why you did the other thing…"

   He felt the back of his neck begin to burn.  Here it came.

   "What…what other thing?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

   He saw her smile out of the corner of his eyes, shaking her head.  "Stop it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  It was right before the teacher dragged you out of the room."

   Elliot sighed, hanging his head and closing his eyes, wishing he could shrink out of existence.  "You mean the kiss," he murmured, making his voice as small and quiet as he possibly could.

   Erika's cheeks were rosy red, and she looked away, trying to hold off a nervous giggle.  "Yes," she whispered softly.  While everyone tried to clean up the classroom, I sat there trying to ignore that it happened at first, but then when I couldn't, I started to wonder why I had kissed you in the first place.  I was hoping that maybe if you told me why you did, I'd understand why I wanted to as well."

   His eyes forced themselves open as far as they could.  Elliot looked back at her, able to see the blushing on her cheeks.  She was just as confused about the kiss as he was.  However, as he stared at her he began to feel less unsure about it as he once was, and it wasn't because he could blame it all on the influence of E.T..

   A soft sigh escaped him.  He knew why he would look at her during class between half-listening to the teacher and doodling on his homework.  He had done it long before E.T. ever showed up, even if he wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, or himself.  There was no way he would ever say it.  He was just a kid, and girls…they were annoying.

   But Erika was different.  She was a pretty girl, her blonde hair curling neatly, her eyes sparkling, and her smile just the thing to compliment her laughter.

   Of course before now he would never have breathed a word of it, especially to her.  Surely she would have humiliated him to death if he said anything to her.  And yet, now she was being oddly nice to him, and blushing shyly before him no less.

   Things certainly couldn't get any worse now.  What did he have to lose?

   "It's because…well, I-I think you're cute, Erika," he murmured softly.

   Erika could feel butterflies in her stomach as her heart pounded.  "But…but why do something like that…in the middle of all that craziness?  Why not…just tell me?"

   Elliot groaned, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his knees.  "Oh please," he muttered, "You would have killed me if I said something to you.  Plus, in all that chaos nobody else would notice."

   She lowered her eyes.  "So, you would have been embarrassed to tell me, is that it?" she asked.

   "No," he murmured, looking back to her.  When she looked up at him, he sighed and said, "What it is, is I figured a girl like you wouldn't have anything to do with a guy like me, plus…I guess it's not the cool thing to do…talk about love and stuff I guess."

   Erika's eyes lit up a little.  "Maybe for boys, but girls don't mind talking about it."

   "Well there, you answered your own question," Elliot said with a sigh, looking away.

   Feeling her neck erupt with tingles, Erika giggles softly.  "I-I guess you're right," she said, "I guess that if you're gutsy enough to do what you did, you felt you could have done anything else at that moment, right?"

   Elliot closed his eyes.  Maybe that was what it was.

   "Yeah…I guess so Erika," he murmured.  He paused for a moment, then replied, "Look, you can forget about it all if you want to.  I didn't mean to gross you out or anything.  I appreciate that you're being nice enough not to totally trash me for it."

   Erika laughed a little.  "The only thing you did that grossed me out was unleashing that hoard of frogs on me and the classroom," she explained.  Elliot didn't respond, although she could have sworn she heard a stifled laugh escape him as his head rested on his knees.  Standing up, she sighed softly and said, "Don't feel bad Elliot, you're a nice guy.  Before I thought you were just another nerdy guy, but what you did was really gutsy, and, well, it was sweet of you to want to save the frogs, even if I do still think they're slimy and gross.  I guess it is cruel to keep them away from their home where they belong, and it was sweet and kind of you to do what you did.  That's pretty awesome I think.  You're quite different than I thought you were."

   Did she really say that?

   Elliot looked up at her.  She was standing there with her hands clasped before her, gazing shyly at the ground, her cheeks still a rosy pink.  She glanced back at him, smiling a little when they made eye contact.

   He sat up, letting his feet, fall back to the floor.  "Are you…really telling the truth?" Elliot asked.

   Erika nodded a little, kneeling back down once she did so.  Sighing softly, she looked up and said, "Just promise me one thing."

   "Umm, sure," he replied.

   "If you're going to save frogs in the future, or bugs or lizards or anything creepy, make sure you do it so they aren't crawling all over the place.  It's gross," she said as she shivered.

   Elliot grinned.  "Heh, okay, I promise," he said with a soft chuckle.

   She looked back up at him.  "Oh Elliot, be nice.  At least I'm trying to talk about them in a mature manner, which is one other thing I want you to promise."

   "Something else?" Elliot asked.

   The two stopped talking as they watched the principal emerge from his office at the corner of the hall, heading in the direction of the secretary's desk, who mentioned the arrival of Elliot's mother.

   "Oh great," Elliot moaned, finally remembering what he was about to face.

   He felt Erika grab one of his hands, causing him to let out a gasp.  She stared at the hand for a moment, as though in awe of what she was about to say and do, and enamored by these feelings swirling around her head.  Taking a breath, she looked up at him and said, "Be honest with me from now on.  Maybe we can be friends, and, maybe, once we both grow up a little, maybe…we could be something more.  But, that'll never happen unless we are honest, and can tell each other anything.  If you do that, then, who knows, maybe I'll try getting to know frogs, and whatever else boys like to do."

   Elliot couldn't believe what he was hearing, and even further beyond his grasp to understand, was what he felt ready to say in reply.

   "I…I think I can do that."

   "You think?"

   "I mean, I know I can do that…I'll try."

   Erika smiled.  "It's okay, I don't want to ask you to do too much.  It won't be too much, I promise.  If you're brave enough to free those frogs, knowing it'll mean facing punishment, I know you can find it in you to be honest with me.  If your love of frogs is that strong, then whatever you feel for me has to be that strong too."

   "You're right."

   "R-Really?"

   Elliot paused, swallowing hard, his cheeks still red.  "Yeah…of course.  If I'm not expelled from school and escape getting grounded for the rest of my life, maybe, maybe we can have lunch together…or something."

   Erika giggled softly. She watched as Elliot looked back at the bend in the hallway.  He could already hear the principal and his mother talking.  He cringed, feeling a sick knot form in his stomach.  Any good feelings from this talk with Erika suddenly began to disappear.

   But then, something chased away the sick knot, and the fear.

   He felt Erika press her lips against his cheek, holding his hand tightly as she did so.  He was paralyzed where he sat, feeling his heart pound fiercely.

   When she pulled away, he looked to her, expecting to see her blush.  By now, however, the rosy pink tint had faded, and her smile was shy, but strong.

   "Don't worry, I know why I did it that time, and after talking to you, I think I understand why it happened the first time too," Erika said with a smile.

   Elliot's eyes were wide, his cheeks still beet red.  "I'm…I'm just glad you don't hate my guts, Erika," he stammered.

   She giggled, rising to her feet.  "It'll be okay Elliot.  If you've got the guts to do what you did, and then tell me how you feel, I know you'll make it out of this alright.  Next time you see me, come say hello, and we'll spend some time together.  …I like that idea of lunch, maybe outside by the fountain in the courtyard."

   The voices of his mother and the principal were getting closer, and yet for some reason he felt he was able to ignore the fear.  Even though he still had to figure out how to save E.T. and get his life back to normal, there was a little stability forming in the background for him to fall back on.

   Perhaps if he wasn't expelled and grounded for life, he would have something to look forward to once he had gotten out of this mess.  Erika was a light at the end of the tunnel for him now.  She had taken an embarrassing and confusing moment and made it quite the opposite.

   She was a sweet and pretty girl through and through.

   A smile managed to curl Elliot's lips as he shook his head.  "Thanks Erika.  I'll do just what you told me to.  I'll see you later okay?"

   Erika nodded, smiling.  She turned to leave, but looked back one more time and said, "Just don't do anything crazy like that again, okay Elliot?"

   "You mean letting the frogs go or the kiss?" Elliot teased with a grin.

   Erika scowled a little, but laughed.  "You know what I meant," she murmured softly, "Besides, it wasn't just you kissing me.  I kissed you too.  Goodbye Elliot!"

   Elliot watched as Erika dashed away, escaping before the principal or his mother could spot her there.  All he could hear in his head now were those last words.

   "I kissed you too."

   "She did, didn't she?" Elliot murmured, "I'm not sure about all girls, but Erika, she's…different.  She can make me feel better no matter what.  I'll have to tell E.T. about her later, that is if he even understands me."

   Just then, the principal and Elliot's mother rounded the corner, stopping and staring him down as he became aware of their presence.

   "Elliot, would you please step into my office?" the principal asked.

   Elliot didn't reply outside of rising to his feet.  As Elliot, his mother, and the principal filed into the office, Elliot thought for a moment how he was going to explain himself.  Then, he remembered what he told Erika.  Like he wanted for E.T. he would say he just wanted the frogs to be free, and back home where they belonged, and nothing more.

   It wouldn't be so bad.  He had gotten out of trouble worse than this before.

   And no matter how bad the punishment was, he'd find a way to get back on track.  This time he had an advantage he didn't have before, in the form of that pretty girl from science class, with golden blonde hair curling on her shoulders, sparkling eyes, and a beautiful smile.

   He had a new friend, who one day could very well be something more, all started with a once unexplained, and now understood kissed shared amidst chaos.

   There, at the end of it all, Elliot had Erika waiting just for him.