I was getting ready for school the Monday following my weekend date with Willow when my phone rang. I wasn't used to receiving calls so it was a surprise. I reached for my phone and smiled when I saw that it was Willow calling me. Since taking her out, I hadn't been able to get her out of my head. I had probably thought about her so much, I had willed her into calling me.

"Morning Henry."She greeted as soon I picked up.

"Good morning. Is this a butt dial or did you actually intend to call me?"I asked making her laugh.

"It was intentional. I just wanted to ask if you've left for school yet?"She inquired.

"Nope, I'm still at home, why?"

"I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if you'd pick me up and Charlie on your way. My truck won't start and Robert has already left for work."She requested.

"I'd be happy to pick you guys."I replied getting a little excited at the prospect of spending some time with Willow before class.

"Really? Thanks you are a life saver."She cheered.

"I try."I chuckled.

"I'll just hang up now before you get too smug. See you in a few."She replied before hanging up.

I put my phone in my pocket then finished up with tying my shoe laces. I pulled on my hoodie and grabbed my backpack before leaving my room. I usually skipped breakfast to avoid running into my family so that's exactly what I planned on doing. I walked downstairs and heard all three of them laughing in the kitchen. Usually I'd be jealous and feel a little pinch in my heart from being excluded but ever since Willow and I became close, I no longer felt anything. She made me happy and the joy of being with her was slowly filling the hole caused by my absent family. As long as I had Willow I would be okay.

I needed to pass by the kitchen to get to the garage so all eyes turned to me when they saw me walk by.

"No breakfast today?"My mom asked taking me by surprise.

She never cared whether I ate or not.

"No, I'm okay."I replied rushing out of there before it got too awkward.

I caught Matthew smirking at me before I disappeared inside the garage. He thought he was winning but I was the one with the girl he had been pining over for months. Technically Willow wasn't mine yet but we'd had one successful date and I was hopeful that after a few more, I'd be confident enough to make her mine.

Matthew hadn't ranted me out to our mom about the fight which had definitely shocked me. I had whooped his ass so he was probably afraid of me doing it again. It had taken him longer than me to recuperate which was a win for me. With Willow's support I'd also stopped doing his assignments for him thus cutting my final link to him. He probably had some other poor soul to torture but that was none of my business. Matthew and I were reduced to enemies who shared a house but didn't talk to each other. It was the perfect life for me.

After getting my car out of the garage, I drove towards the Miller residence and found Willow and Charlie waiting for me outside. The weather was still a little cold so Charlie was bundled up in a coat, scarf and gloves. Willow on the other hand looked great in black jeans, a black t-shirt and a leather Jacket. She'd done her hair in braids over the weekend which made her look super cute.

I was about to get out of the car to help out with Charlie but she stopped me assuring me that she had it. Five minutes later Charlie was safely strapped in the backseat and Willow was seated next to me.

"Morning Charlie."I greeted turning to do our signature handshake.

"Good morning Henry."He replied in his usual cheerful voice.

"No handshake for me."Willow teased when I started up the car driving towards Henry's Elementary school.

"You said they were lame."I pointed out turning to glance at her.

"Did I?"She defended her voice getting a little sharp.

"Yes you did."Charlie affirmed.

"Two against one, I don't like this."Willow lamented making me smile.

After our date on Saturday we hadn't been able to see each other again since she had a shift on Sunday and I didn't make it to the arcade. I got caught up in coding. I was in the final stages so the game would be ready for sale by the end of February. I'd already pitched the idea to a few gaming companies online and the offers I got were pretty good. I would wait until it was ready and accept the best offer. The money was good and if everything kept going great with Willow I'd talk her into running away with me. It was the perfect plan and I was really hopeful that it would all fall into place.

We dropped Charlie off before proceeding to our school.

"Thanks again for picking us up otherwise I'd have been forced to beg my mom for a ride and that wasn't how I wanted to start my week."Willow expressed.

"I don't mind. Do you know what's wrong with your truck?"I asked.

"No but I called Robert and he said he'd look into it later."She replied.

"Well I'm happy to drop you off until you get it fixed."I offered.

"That's really nice of you, I appreciate it."Willow replied.

When we arrived at school I found an empty spot and parked my car.

"So how do you want to play this?"Willow asked before we alighted the car.

"What do you mean?"I asked confused.

"Do we walk in together hand in hand or do we separate. I've never really done this before so I'm confused."She explained.

We were still trying to figure out how to behave towards each other now that we were dating. We weren't official yet but I still wanted people to see that there was something between us.

"We do what feels natural."I replied not wanting to pressure her into anything.

"Okay."

We both got out of the car and I locked it behind me. We started walking towards the front doors together and for some reason found ourselves gravitating towards each other. Our hands brushed against each other a few times before I finally got the courage to take Willow's hand in mine. When I looked at her to see if she was okay with it I found her smiling at me which assured me that I was on the right track.

We took turns grabbing our required books from our lockers before I walked Willow towards her first class.

"I will see you at lunch."I declared when we got to the door of her Spanish class.

"See you then."She replied.

Without thinking I leaned closer and kissed her forehead. It just came so naturally I didn't even have to think about it. When I pulled away I expected to find an angry Willow staring back at me but she just grinned before getting into class. I was stunned for a moment before I gathered my bearings and walked to my own class.

Chemistry first thing Monday morning, definitely an engaging way to start the week. Everyone looked up when I entered the class which took me by surprise. I was always ignored so it felt unnerving when everyone was staring at me.

I quickly sat down at the back to the class wondering what was going on. My chemistry partner Owen grinned as soon as he saw me. We weren't close friends, just lab partners but he was a solid guy and a good partner.

"Why are you grinning at me like that and why did everyone look at me when I walked in?"I asked looking at him skeptically.

"Because you're the most famous person on campus right now."He replied.

"What? Why?"I asked surprised.

"You can't seriously not know."

"I don't so please enlighten me."I requested.

"You're dating the hottest girl in school. Man I wish I was as lucky as you."He replied shaking his head.

"I'm not dating anyone."I countered trying to wrap my head around things.

"Really? So you and Willow aren't an item?"He asked.

When he mentioned Willow's name a few things made sense but it didn't fill in all the blanks.

"No, not yet at least. We just went out one time and kissed on new years."I explained.

"You lucky dog."Owen exclaimed a little too loudly making a few people give us weird looks.

I had no idea anyone paid attention to me or my dating life or that Willow was considered the hottest girl at school. It made me sort of proud that she only had yes for me but a little skeptical because us attracting that kind of attention was not what I had planned for. I had no idea how Willow would react to the news.

"But seriously dude congrats on landing her. I hear she turned down everyone who asked her out including your twin. You must teach me some of those charms."Owen expressed.

"Maybe some other time."I mumbled distractedly.

Besides Willow I had to think about my brother and how he would take the news. He thought that Willow and I were just friends but when the news got to him that we were dating, he would definitely not be pleased. I just hoped that for the sake of everyone he would accept defeat like a big boy and leave us alone. I wasn't afraid to beat him up again to protect Willow and I. I'd go to the ends of the earth to protect what Willow and I were building. I had never felt so strongly about another person before and would do anything to keep Willow.

Our teacher came in and class started before Owen could talk me into hanging out. There was a reason I kept to myself before and even if Willow had made me more outgoing and chatty that was restricted to her, Jack and Charlie. Class ended without any further hick-up though people kept staring at me.

It didn't end with Chemistry class though because everywhere I went people kept staring and pointing. Being tall didn't help because I couldn't blend in with the crowd and disappear. Putting my hood up only helped so much.

By the time lunchtime rolled around I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I was tired of all the questions, stares and gossip going on around me. Instead of going directly to the library I decided to wait for Willow by her locker. I was already at the edge of my rope and was hoping I could talk her into skipping the rest of the day with me. It would only be for the afternoon so I could get used to being associated with dating her.

I was scrolling through my phone to avoid looking up at people when I was suddenly shoved against the locker an arm choking me and another holding my swinging arm in place. The position felt so familiar because it was my brothers go-to intimidating move.

"Hi Matthew, I was wondering when you'd show up."I groaned talking first to throw him off his game.

Normally I'd let him shove me around and get in a punch or two but not anymore. I didn't want Willow thinking I was a wimp who couldn't stand up for himself.

"Looks like you've grown a set of balls since you began dating my girl."Matthew spat choking me harder but I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me me scared.

"She's not yours. Never has been and never will be. Now if you'd please take your arm off me before I break it."I warned.

"Just because I let you get a few hits in during new years doesn't mean you have what it takes to beat me."Matthew retorted.

Without giving him a chance to realize realize what was happening I quickly reached for his arm and twisted it around before shoving him against the lockers. His face was shoved against the metal and I was the one causing him pain.

"Want to say that again?"I whispered in his ear.

"Get off me you jerk."He shouted but his voice came out all muffled.

He tried wriggling away but my hold on him was strong. I also had the upper hand because if he made even one wrong move, I'd snap his throwing arm. A football captain was pretty useless if they couldn't play and he didn't want to risk that.

"Now listen here Matthew because this is the only time I'll ever say this without using my fist. I might have allowed you to push me around before but that's over. Now I have someone I care about, who gives me the strength to stand up for myself so listen and listen good. Stay in your lane and leave me and Willow alone. If you ever and I mean ever try to mess with us, I will a snap your hand and break both your legs for good measure. Do you hear me?"I growled.

Matthew didn't reply so I tugged at him arm harder making sure he felt the pain.

"I asked, do I make myself clear?"I yelled shoving him against the locker.

"Yes."He gritted out clearly in pain.

"Good."I said before pulling him away from the locker and kicking him away.

He stumbled but was saved from face planting by his football buddies. He didn't even look back at me, just scurried off like a lost little puppy with his tail tucked in between his legs.

"Fuck, that was hot."The unmistakable voice of Willow exclaimed behind me taking me by surprise.

I turned around to find her staring up at me, her amber eyes shining with an emotion I wasn't quite familiar with.

"Oh hi Willow, how long have you been there?"I asked rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

One minute I was threatening to cripple my brother and the next one I was a nervous wreck. I blamed Willow and the effect that she had on me.

"Long enough to hear you stand up for the both of us. You're becoming braver, I like that and I'm proud of you."She grinned.

"Thanks."I mumbled trying my hardest not to blush but my heating cheeks betrayed me.

Thankfully she didn't say much else just smiled up at me. Hearing her say that she was proud of me made my insides all mushy. I liked making her happy and proud of me.

"So are you ready for lunch?"She asked grabbing her food from her locker.

"Yeah but in my rush to leave this morning I forgot to pack any lunch."I explained remembering how fast I'd left the house in the morning.

"We can share mine or eat at the cafeteria."She suggested.

I considered her offer but then I remembered how everyone would be staring at us wherever we went so I completely dismissed the cafeteria idea. I also didn't want to see Matthew again after our little altercation.

"Or better yet. We can skip school and go have lunch at MacDonald's."I countered.

"Who are you and what have you done with Henry?"Willow teased.

"He's here just really hungry and not in the mood to eat at the cafeteria."I replied hoping she'd agree.

"Okay then but aren't you afraid of ruining your perfect record."Willow asked.

"Oh believe me it's not that perfect. I've skipped before. I was just smart about it so no one noticed."I assured her.

"Let's go then."She smiled taking my hand and leading me towards the entrance.

I smiled at our joint hands elated at how right it felt to be with her. I'd definitely found the one in her and I wasn't going to loose her or mess up.