Jolie woke up early and got ready for school so she'd have time to talk to her Mom about getting birth control. When she got downstairs her Mom was in the kitchen baking some blueberry muffins with an apron on and she had some flour on her face and in her hair.

"Hey Jolie!" she said with a huge smile and a high pitched, happy voice. "I made muffins!"

Her Mom had music on and she was bustling around the kitchen and singing and it was the strangest thing. She was acting as if nothing happened last night. Jolie remembered reading about the different stages of grief and one of them was denial and she was almost positive that's what her Mom was doing but she didn't want to burst her bubble. It was better to see her like this than the crying mess she was last night.

"Hey Mom there's something really important I want to talk to you about and please promise not to freak out okay?"

Her Mom looked at her and rolled her eyes. "When do I ever freak out?" she asked.

"Well I'm going to hold you to that," she laughed, fidgeting nervously with the placemat in front of her on the counter. This was a really awkward conversation to have with your Mom.

"Ummm. Well, Austin and I had a conversation last night about our future and he loves me and I love him. We're planning to go to Harvard together and live in an apartment off campus instead of in the dorms. He said that he wants to spend his life with me and get married after we both graduate from college. We're both about to be 18 and we're very responsible and mature for our age. Ugh! This is SO awkward to talk about with you!" she laughed.

Her Mom walked over and sat down on the barstool next to her waiting to see what she had to say.

"Ok," she said exhaling deeply. "We've decided that we're ready to sleep together but we want to be responsible about it. I looked up birth control shots online and I found the one that I want. It lasts for 3 months I was wondering if you would take me to the doctor to get it since I'm not quite 18 yet? I have to have a parent with me," she said, looking down at her hands.

Her Mom sat there for a second thinking it over before saying, "I'm very proud of you for being so responsible and coming to me about this honey. You know, you've always been such a smart young woman and wise beyond your years. When the other kids your age were out at wild parties you were home cramming for tests and learning French on Rosetta Stone," she laughed. "Like you said, you're almost 18 and if you feel like you're really ready, then I'll take you to the doctor to get the shot. Are you sure about this?" she asked.

She smiled at her Mom and said, "Yeah, I'm sure. I really love him. He's the one."

Her Mom smiled and gave her a hug and said, "I'll call the doctor and make an appointment then."

"Thank you Mom," Jolie said, before bypassing the muffins for a healthy breakfast even though they smelled amazing. Her Mom was definitely testing her willpower.

A few minutes later she heard a honk outside and she kissed her Mom on the cheek and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She headed out the front door and saw Austin in his Jeep looking as gorgeous as ever and it gave her butterflies in her stomach as she smiled at him.

"Hey beautiful," Austin said, leaning over to give her a kiss after she got in.

"Hey, so I have some news," she said with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he slipped his hand around Jolie's and started heading towards school.

"I just had a talk with my Mom and I told her that we're in love and plan to go off to college together and spend our lives together. I told her we were ready to take our relationship to the next level and I told her about this birth control shot I want that lasts for 3 months."

"Seriously? I can't believe you just came right out and told her that," he laughed.

"Austin, my Mom is like my best friend. My Dad was always working so it was always just me and her against the world. We literally talk about everything. She's the kind of Mom that if I went to a wild party and got trashed and called her to drive me home, she'd do it with no questions asked and just be glad I didn't drive drunk. I can talk to her about anything with no judgement, just advice. She has always treated me like an adult and listened to what I have to say and asked for my opinion on things. That's probably why everyone has always told me I'm an old soul, wise beyond my years," she said laughing.

"Well, what did she say? Did she freak out?" Austin asked, looking over at her.

"She said that she supports my judgement and if I think we're ready then she's okay with that since we're about to be 18 anyway. She said she would call the doctor to make an appointment for me to get the birth control shot that lasts 3 months."

"Really? She was okay with it?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah she was ok with it."

When they got to school Bailey ran up to her as she was putting stuff in her locker and said, "Can you believe tomorrow is the Homecoming game and the day after that is the dance?" she squealed with excitement. "I can't wait!"

"Oh I forgot to tell you. My Mom totally hooked us up! We'll be riding to the dance in a limo! Let's all meet in front of my house for pictures and then we'll leave from there together. We'll have to figure out a place for all of us to eat before the dance. You look great today by the way. I love that outfit."

"Thank you!" Bailey smiled.

Right then Austin came up behind Jolie and planted a kiss on her cheek and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Bailey smiled and said "Hey Austin. Jolie I'll see you later in class," before she took off down the hall and Jolie saw her stop and talk to Blaze.

She turned around and looked up at Austin who looked around to make sure no one was watching before he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers and she closed her eyes and felt her insides tingle. He leaned down and kissed her neck and then whispered breathlessly in her ear, "Two more days."

She smiled at him and whispered "Two more days," giving him another soft kiss before slamming her locker shut and taking his hand, weaving her fingers through his as they walked towards class.

"Are you nervous about the game tomorrow?" Jolie asked him.

"Not really. I'm actually more nervous about the dance Saturday, or I should say, what's happening after the dance Saturday."

She scrunched her eyebrows and looked up at him as they walked.

"Why would you be nervous about that Austin? It's not like it's your first time. I'm the one that should be nervous," she whispered to make sure no one overheard.

"Jolie I've never been with a virgin before. I've heard stories though and I'm kind of scared that I'm going to hurt you. I'm not exactly small down there," he whispered back. Jolie's face flushed red just thinking about it and she cleared her throat, not sure what to say.

After thinking for a minute she said, "Well I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. I'm sure we'll figure it out."

Austin smiled at her and said, "I'm sure we will." He kissed her lips one last time before walking away and she walked into her class.

She took her seat in the back and was surprised that once again Blaze was there before she was. He seemed to be straightening up his act a little bit she noticed. He was leaned forward in his seat talking to Bailey and she heard her giggle a little bit right before he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

Jolie held in the "Awwwww!" that she desperately wanted to let out and just smiled instead. She was so happy to see the two of them together and thought they made a really cute couple. Blaze actually turned out to not be such a bad guy after all and maybe being with Bailey would be good for him.

The English teacher came in and collected everyone's reports on their dream job and why. Jolie was thankful that she had gotten the whole semesters syllabus from the teacher her first day here and wrote the report already, because she would have totally forgotten with the crazy week she had had. Of course she wrote her report about being a lawyer at her Dad's law firm in New York City. Thinking about it reminded her of the conversation she had with Austin about their future and she felt a flutter in her stomach and she smiled just thinking about the fact that he wanted a future with her.