No Answer - A Finished Short Story by Mo

Haha. Yes, yes, it was a compliment.

Maturity: I'm a total loser, and if you guys have read my other stories, you probably know what cheesy romance to expect from me. 'Nough said.

Fantasy: Naahh.

Part 7

Kayda huddled by herself, leaning against a clothing rack. Her drenched hair fell over her shoulder in coils of deep purple. She had a fuzzy, duck-print bathrobe wrapped around her bikini-clad body.

The teenager's eyelids felt heavy but she tried her best to contain the tears that were threatening to gush down her cheeks. Kayda had messed up everything. Her crush liked her back, and she almost had her first kiss... But she had to back out of it like the coward she was.

I really screwed things up this time, she thought to herself angrily, burying her head in her hands with frustration. Why can't I just have manned up and kissed the guy? Now he hates me. I'll never get the chance again.

Heaving a sigh, she rose shakily to her feet. Though hanging out with Josh was now out of the question, she figured it would have been anyway. I guess I should be happy that I got to talk to him at all, she told herself.

Kayda decided that she'd make the best out of the situation she was in. Since she had a bit of alone time now that Josh left, she could go shopping. Well, not exactly shopping... More like borrowing, considering she had no intention to pay for anything if she was currently the last woman on earth.

With a mischievous grin, she made her way to the most expensive store she could find. She didn't feel the need to buy any everyday clothes, so she went straight for the fancy stuff. There was always this one dress that she saw in the shop window every time she walked by. She remembered gazing it in awe each time it met her view but being too scared to see the price. Kayda hoped it was still there.

Sure enough, when she entered Le Chateau, the nicest formal store in the mall, she saw the dress of her dreams still in the showcase. She wondered why no one had bought it yet. It was a liquid shade of silver, flowing to the floor like a gentle waterfall. The dress had no straps and had a corset top that dipped into a slight V. On the bottom there were breezy layers of tulle and silk, giving the beauty more volume.

Kayda marveled at the dress for a few moments, just taking it all in. When she finally snapped out of her daze, she checked the price tag. The girl nearly choked. $1000! No wonder no one bought it, she thought in surprise, It must be real silk.

Her eyes sparkled when she came to the realization that the price didn't matter; it was hers now. With a little giggle of delight, Kayda pranced off into the change room, slipping into the material eagerly but cautious not to rip it. It looked even more amazing now that it was on.

The dress perfectly hugged her curves, emphasizing her body in all the right places but not tight enough to make her look large. The silver looked just right with her grey eyes, giving them a bit of sparkle. Her hair, which most would assume to clash with the outfit, actually went perfectly with it. The shade of silver had the slightest tint of blue that seemed to compliment the violet perfectly.

Please with herself, Kayda ran her fingers through her now dry, wavy hair. She hadn't realized how nice it could look when she didn't straighten it. On certain days she ended up looking like a lion, but today seemed to be her lucky day. She thought about putting on makeup before remembering that Josh said she looked pretty without it.

Though content with no longer having to worry about putting on makeup, even thinking Josh's name made Kayda's heart sore.

"Oh, Josh..." she sighed sadly, slipping back into her black Converse and mopily gliding out of the store. Even though she looked stunning, she was certain that he would take no notice. He probably thought she was one of those shallow girls who only went for muscley, sportive guys with no brains.

She returned to the mattress store and grabbed her Ipod from her backpack. She set it to "My Immortal" by Evanescence.



With the calming melody rippling through her ears, she collapsed onto the bed and let the tears finally tumble down her cheeks. She knew she had no real reason to be sad because there were people worse off than her... Weren't there? But if it was true that her and Josh were the only ones left, then she lost everyone she loved. She lost her friends, her family, everything. And for what? To almost kiss a guy she barely knew?

Sure, they were alike in so many ways; they liked the same music, dressed the same, and well... She did feel a connection with him, that was for certain. She had liked guys before him, but for some reason, she was just more drawn to him than to anyone else. There was certainly something special about Josh, she just couldn't figure out what.

But no matter what she felt for him, it didn't matter now. He couldn't possibly feel the same way for her after she blew him off like that. She could be just overreacting, but what else could she do? Kayda had no idea what it felt like to have a guy like her, and she couldn't imagine why any guy would. The shock of feeling loved for the very first time in her life and then throwing it all away in a split second was too much for her to handle. Not to mention the whole "being the last people on earth" thing. If anyone deserved to overreact, it was Kayda.

She sighed and turned off her Ipod, wrapping her hands around her knees as she lay on the bed. She indulged herself in the peaceful silence.

Suddenly, the mattress shifted beside her. She jolted upwards in surprise, seeing Josh appear beside her. She blinked away, avoiding eye contact and wiping the moisture from her face.

"You were crying?" he asked sheepishly.

"No," she insisted, hiding her face away from him.

He gently lifted nudged her face towards his with the tip of his finger. He seemed embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I made you cry, Kayda..."

"You didn't make me cry!" she snapped, the tears beginning to well up again. "I wasn't crying!"

Josh sighed in clear frustration, but his face was more saddened than angered. "Obviously, all my presence does is upset you. Do you want me to leave?"

Kayda shook her head vigorously. "Listen, I'm the one who should be sorry... I'm just so moody all the time and it really isn't fair to you. I used to wish all the time to just be able to talk to you and now that I have the opportunity, I'm acting like a total idiot."

She met his gaze for a brief second to find that his eyes were glowing like polished gems. "You... Why would you want to talk to me?"

Her stomach twisted, wondering if she should tell him the truth. She could feel her cheeks heating rapidly.

"I-I... Well..." she stuttered, "Isn't it obvious?"

"What?" he asked quietly.

Kayda bit her lip nervously, unsure how she could possibly tell him. "Ireallylikeyou!" she spit out all at once, followed by a nervous chuckle. "Well, that was romantic..." she muttered to herself.

Josh smiled at her in amusement, his eyes shining even brighter. "I like you too," he admitted, a lot more calmer about it than she was. He wrapped his warm hand around hers and pulled her into a light embrace. She breathed in his pleasant aroma as she leaned into his shoulder. When they finally pulled away from each other, they found their lips nearly touching. They admired each other quietly for a few moments, lost in one another's eyes.

"Promise not to pull away this time?" he murmured, his breath a whisper against her mouth.

"Promise," she worded.

He leaned in towards Kayda, cradling her in his arms, and their lips locked.

<><><><><><><>

(Dang, I'm cheesy. XP)

Awww. That was sweet.
Don't you dare mess it up, Mo. Don't. You. Dare. xD

OMG!!! BEAUTIFULNESS! That was a really really sweet chapter. ^^

First of all, I have a new favorite word! Ireallylikeyou!

"Promise not to pull away this time?" he murmured, his breath a whisper against her mouth.

"Promise," she worded.

He leaned in towards Kayda, cradling her in his arms, and their lips locked.

I was like, "OMIGOD. " That has to be the sweetest thing I've ever read on someone else's stories. It's perfect. Just perfect. I got a heart flutter. x3 *sigh*

OMIGOD. ._. Why does Kayda get to be the lucky one? Man, I should really be going over to Jamie's house to see if he's still alive. >.> Why'd I have to get on the computer?

Haha, I won't, Arianna. XP The story's almost over, so yeah. ^^ I might continue it in a sequel, though.

Thankies so much, Shadow. ^^ I like that part too.

Yeah, I'm so jealous of Kayda. DX I wish that could happen to me.

Me too. ._.

OHMIGOD. I should show this to Jamie!!

Do it, Shadow

It's good to hear that you're not going to be mean to Kayda, but I don't want to see this story end.

OMG. xD Don't tempt me, Ari, it's bad enough that I even suggested it to myself . . .

Haha, you should, Shadow. XP

Aw, sorry. But I had intended it on being short... I'll probably try and think up a plot for another one, though. It depends how I do on Beyond Reflections.

TEMPTING . . . *.*

You should, you should, you should. *swings clock in front of your eyes*
I'm not being the least bit helpful, am I? xD

May I join you in this, Arianna?

*Peer pressures Shadow*
Muahahaha.

Now I can blame it all on you. xD
No, it was Mo's idea, not mine. No, I take no responsibility for that post. xD

*dies*

There, now I can never show him!

Sowwy, Shad...
So, back to the story... Is it going to be a 10 part story, then?

More like an 8 part. I can't see how I can possibly fit in 10 parts.

Okay, that's cool.
Will we get to see it soon?

Hmm... It depends on how much homework I get this week.

Ooh, me likey!

*joins in peer pressure/hypnosis*

More please Mo MOOORRREEEEE! MORE!

Aw, thanks! I'll write up the part now.

Maturity: Use of a word that maybe I shouldn't have used... ? XP It's like an old people word, though... Just dun look up what it means.
Oh, and snogging of course.

Fantasy: Depends on how much your imagination can soar!

Part 8

Kayda leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She had never been this close to her crush before- it made her feel so lucky. The entire situation continued to boggle her mind, but she figured that she might as well make the best out of it.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a hair-raising screech that split through the air.

"No fornication in the mattress department!!" shrieked the voice, causing the couple to snap their heads in the direction it was coming from. There stood an older lady with her mousey brown hair in a bun. Stray stands jutted out of the edges, framing her stress-lined face. She held a broom defensively in her hands, and behind her were three or four stunned customers. In her bewilderment, Kayda couldn't tell if they were more shocked by the fact that there were two teenagers, one of which who was in a very expensive dress while the other still had his swim trunks on, making out on a mattress or that there was a crazy lady screaming at them.

Josh was the first to speak up, "M'am, it's not what you think," he insisted quietly, pulling abruptly away from Kayda.

The teenage girl was glad that Josh at least found something to say, even if it was probably the least effective sentence on the face of the earth. All Kayda could do was stare dumbly at the people around them. Not only was there an average amount of customers, but she could also see people passing by the shop windows.

This makes no sense, Kayda thought, brain pulsing with confusion.

"Oh, young man, I'm sure it's exactly what I think," the old lady snarled. Kayda noticed that underneath her name tag, which read "Rosemary", the word "Manager" was written. "Now, get out of my store before I call the security guards!"

Kayda nodded wordlessly and swiftly scooped her bag in her arms. Since Josh lived not too far from the mall, he didn't have a bag; all he had were the clothes that he wore the day before. He quickly slipped them on and the two of them escaped the store as quick as they could.

Several strangers gawked at the pair as they walked by. Kayda guessed it was because of the dress she was wearing and without a doubt would be returning asap. She couldn't afford to be in trouble for stealing when her parents would be mad at her enough as it is. Since the clocks around clearly showed that the school day was over, that meant that her and Josh had technically skipped their classes.

To make matters worse, they had been in the mall for a day and a half. Kayda could probably make up an excuse for not going to school for a day, but how would she explain where she spent the night?

She sighed, turning to Josh. "What are we going to do now?" Kayda asked. He seemed to be about as eager for her to return the dress as she was, for they were headed in the general direction of Le Chateau.

"After we return this," he eyed the flashing silver with an admiring yet nervous glance, "We should probably head home..."

As Josh said the last part, he looked at her regretfully and laced their fingers together. She sighed, "Well, we had fun while it lasted, right?"

Josh cast her a smile in agreement as they reached the entrance of the store.

"I'll wait outside," he told her.

Kayda made sure to rip off the tag so that it didn't trigger the censor before she passed through the gateway. Ducking behind clothing racks to avoid being seen by the staff, she reached a change room and struggled out of it as fast as she could. It only took a few seconds to throw on the wrinkly clothes from her backpack and return the dress to the counter.

"It didn't fit," she muttered quickly with a polite smile, ducking away as soon as the employee returned it to its original place on the mannequin. Kayda would miss the beautiful dress, but at least she was able to try it.

Kayda made her way back to Josh, who was standing patiently outside of the store. When she met his gaze, he pulled her into a tender kiss.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go before my parents shank me," he chuckled, "They just called me and they seem pretty ticked. See you at school tomorrow, Kayda."

"Bye," she whispered. Kayda couldn't help but feel lonely as he exited the mall.

Oh well, I'll survive the night without him, she reminded herself.

The girl winced as she heard the ring of her phone float through the air. When she checked the caller ID, she saw it was her mom. "Oh, I'm so screwed."

<><><><><><><>

Kayda lay on her bed, thinking the day over. It turns out that whatever happened, it only seemed to her and Josh like it was over a day. In reality, only a few hours had passed while they were in the mall. She found it strange how things worked out like that, but it was definitely a good thing.

She had told her parents that she skipped class to hang out with her friends at the mall, earning her a two week grounding from all electronics, including her IPod. It made her furious, but it was much easier than trying to explain what really happened; the only thing the truth would get her was a therapist.

On the bright side, she had Josh now. As she twiddled the silver star that her grandma gave her ever so long ago, she wondered how such a thing could have happened. Time seemed to literally have slowed down for them and there was no logical explanation for it whatsoever.

A silly voice in the back of her mind kept on thinking back to the last thing she thought before falling asleep the night before she had to bike to the city.

I'd give anything and everything for him to notice me...

As she recalled that thought, her gaze flicked back to the shooting star.

But this thing can't possibly be real, can it?

La Fin

----------------

Watch for the sequel this Winter.

*gasp* Magic shooting star, magic shooting star!

Perhaps.

Aw, I was like only like 200 words away from a Novelette. Dang. XP