I woke up feeling fresh and better than I have in a while. I felt less stressed despite what I still had to do. I had fallen asleep earlier and slept well. My Fitbit said so.

I got ready for my day and dressed is my skinny jeans, an Aztec tank top, and a long sweater.

On my way into the kitchen, I pulled my grey beanie over my curls as I watched Libby turn on the heat.

"Supposed to snow today." She shook her head, but I knew she had no classes. She usually spends her Friday's doing homework and/or training.

"Great. Just what I wanted. Why can't it rain like in Georgia?" I complained, pulling down the things to make myself my cereal.

"Because we're farther north and they get ice." Libby snorted at Tally's smart alec comment as Tally came into the room, yawning dramatically.

"Are you getting in character for your next play?" I sat down, taking Libby's grey boots from by the doorway.

"Yes."

"Don't wear my boots today." Libby said without turning away.

"Why not?" I asked, moving them back.

"Your flats would look cuter." She sang despite how much she hates her singing voice.

"But it's cold." When I finished, I went and grabbed my fuzzy socks from my room along with my school bag.

"Meet up with me after both of your first classes for lunch." Libby commented before disappearing back to her room.

"I guess that means the fountain." I mumbled before sliding on her grey boots and heading out.

As I passed the front desk, Lucas handed me a thermos.

"Hazelnut coffee, as requested." He gave me a warm smile as cold air swept inside as people shuffled in.

"Thanks. See you later." I waved and disappeared to get to my stop.

The bus' heat had busted, making people huddle together for warmth or shiver alone in their boots.

As I climbed off of the bus, a man walked up to me.

"Hello ma'am. Would you smile for me?" I smiled at him kindly, and he handed me a rose from behind his back, the thorns gone. "That smile is priceless. Show it off. You're beautiful." Before he could walk away, I stole a hug.

"You've made my day, and it's eight o'clock in the morning." I whispered in his ear before heading off to my class.

~

I walked out and headed over to the fountain, sitting on one of the benches as I waited for Libby and Tally to show up. When they finally did, they started dragging me off.

"We're seeing a movie first." Libby giggled, and we headed toward the auditorium. We chatted as we walked and conversed and spoke about the proposals form all week.

We sat down where it was comfortable for my neck, but I could tell that we're in the smaller auditorium.

"I've got to use the restroom. Can you get snacks, Tally?" They stood up and left quickly.

As the doors shut, the lights dimmed, and a white, movie screen shaped box filled the screen on stage.

"For the past six days, I have attempted proposing to you everyday. Did you know how oblivious you are? From notes to surprises, I tried many things, but I never seemed to get your attention in the way I wanted to.

"On Sunday, while you were out writing, I sent you a note by the bench. You threw it away in the trash, thinking you had missed it in your litter pick up. I then tried to come near, but you thought it was the ducks over all of the fallen timber. On the bus on your way back, I sent my cousin Melanie to give you the flowers, but she didn't do it as planned." Videos of me appeared on the screen. It had a guy walking toward a bench, dropping a note and then running to hide. Then, it showed him attempting to approach me but never making it due to fallen timber cracking and the ducks cross by the trash can. It switched to the failed video of Melanie and me.

"On Monday, you won a carnival ticket at the grocery store. The marching numbers were to meet up at the carnival for a blind date, and I was your matching ticket number. You barely heard the man and had way too much on your mind, so you didn't come to the carnival." I watched the video at the grocery store, and I started to feel bad. He had tried so hard for that one for me to understand what it was, but you could tell I wasn't really listening.

"On Tuesday, I went to propose to you once you finished swim practice, but your practice ended early, and I later realized I passed you and Missy Franklin by on my way in and your way out." There was a shaky view from a bush of us passing each other, and it followed me to Missy's car as another followed him inside of the aquatic center.

"On Wednesday, I put a note in your mail with a small video camera on it. You flipped right past it." There was video of a guy putting an envelope in my mail stack, and then, the screen went black. It suddenly showed me in my kitchen, flipping through the mail and tossing that one into the trash can because I thought t was spam by the looks of it.

"On Thursday, I tried with the basketball players' help, but that didn't end too well, so I abandoned that idea. Least but certainly not last, I put a bouquet of flowers at your apartment. You glanced at them and moved them aside, thinking they weren't for you." It showed a video of me getting tumbled over by Jeremy, and then, Joshua helping me up before I scrambled off. It also showed me picking up the flowers and then a view of me putting the flowers up in a vase. The camera was hidden in the flowers, so it must still be there.

The video on the screen switched to a view of me watching the video. "On Friday, I had your friends trick you into thinking you were going to see a movie." The screen cut off, and the lights came back on.

A man stood up in front of me and leaned forward for my hand. "Ryla Walters, will you marry me?" I looked up into the eyes of...Tommy Jenkins.

"Yes." I smiled and wiped the tears that he made me cry in guilt of everything I had missed. He put a ring made out of homemade beads on my finger, and I pulled him into a hug over the seats.

"You made me cry with guilt." I spoke while laughing. I felt him chuckle before he whispered in my ear.

"The one who filmed all of this footage is the person who actually got you as their girl. We switched, and he proposed to Shyanne Autry, and I proposed to you. His reason to switch was that he didn't want to propose to his future girlfriend." My jaw dropped, and I pulled away, wondering who it could be.

"Who is it?" I asked him softly.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" He motioned up to the sound booth up on the second level before leaving and disappearing back behind the stage curtains.

I headed up to the second level and knocked on the sound booth door.

"Come in." I felt my heart pound as I recognized the voice. I twisted the doorknob slowly, opening the door before slipping inside. I shut the door behind me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath before letting it all out and opening my eyes. All I saw was a green, long sleeve t-shirt that covered his back, a tan neck, and brown hair. I could only picture one person, but it's most likely my imagination.

He turned around, and I bit my lip to keep from gasping.

Totally not my imagination.

"He told you, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"Sit down." He rolled out the other chair, and I plopped down.

"Well, I like you back." I murmured.

He stared at me silently and didn't say a word. He was scaring me so badly that my heart and stomach were clenching.

I watched as he let out a sigh and rested his elbows on the sound board, putting his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?" I asked, rolling closer. "Did I do something wrong? Am I not supposed to like you?"

He looked up, his big blue eyes sparkling. "You're allowed to like me. It just makes it harder on the both of us if we like each other."

"Why so?" He turned his chair to face me, completely solemn.

"I'm leaving for the soccer USA World Cup team in a week. I won't see you for probably two years."

Oh. That's no biggie. Completely not a problem.

Pfffft! Who am I kidding? That's huge!

"Put it on hold?" I asked, scared for what he would say.

"We can do that. Just, no intimacy before I leave. That's kind of like false hope." His voice was a whisper by the end since his voice went hoarse.

"Is this okay?" I stood up and pulled him into a hug.

"This is great." We walked down and outside where Tommy was standing with Libby, Tally, and Shyanne.

"Eh?" Tally asked as Libby wiggled her eyebrows. I smacked my forehead and turned around, sighing.

"No, it's not happening. We're just friends." Vega spoke clearly although we were both a bit upset about it.

Well, more time awaiting a soulmate. No biggie? Yeah...biggie.

"Just friends, uh-huh." Shyanne laughed along with the others, and we shook our heads, laughing

"Lunch?"

As we all walked toward the Marta stop, a thought hit me.

I leave for the Olympics soon. I guess he'll find out at my going away party that Shyanne is helping me plan.

I guess it isn't as much of a biggie as before. It's still four years on my end.

~

The six of us gathered around a table, and the questionnaire began.

"Why aren't you two getting together?"

Vega took a deep breath. "No one knows this, but I'm leaving for the World Cup next Saturday." Cue the dead silence.

Tommy was the first to speak. "Really? You never said that you got on the team."

"I know. I am now, and I didn't want anyone to treat me differently." He spoke, voicing my thoughts about the Olympics.

"No chance of long distance?" Tally asked, but Libby spoke before either of us could.

"I see why they aren't doing it. They haven't had this information for long, so it may change when he gets to explore and so does Ryla. If it doesn't feel right with anyone else, they still have each other." When Libby's not ditsy, she really can understand me.

"May I take your order?"

~

That night, I sat with Tommy and Vega in my room was we worked on putting the videos together. I voiced over the original many videos, explaining what was happening and going through my head.

"I never would have expected you, Tommy." I said, leaning back.

"You couldn't expect anyone." He replied with a smile.

Vega snorted and started laughing.

I shook my head at him, quirking an eyebrow. He just pointed to my phone. There was a text from Tally there, and he had read it.

I smiled and chuckled. Such an irrational fear.

"Shyanne is afraid of clowns?" He asked as I answered the text.

"Yeah, for as long as I remember. I've even played clown pranks on her." I smiled at the memories.

"Such a bad girl." Tommy snickered, and I lightly slapped him upside the head.

"Well, you did great Tommy." I high-fived him as he packed up his computer.

"You staying Vega?" Tommy asked as he stood up.

"Nope, I've got to put together my video of Shyanne." He kissed the top of my head after he stood up and waved as he left.

My phone rang. Speaking of Shyanne.

"Hey Shyanne."

"When are we having your going away party?" She hurriedly asked.

"Wednesday. You want to start planning now?" She hummed in response, and I pulled out a legal pad and a pen.

"People?" I asked, starting my guest list to lead into everything else.

"Your swim team, Tally, Libby, Lucas, Vega, Joshua, and Tommy."

"Why Joshua?" I asked as I wrote down everyone else's names.

"Ummm..." She trailed off.

"You like him." I spoke. "He's bæ." I heard a nervous giggle, and I burst out laughing. "He won't be invited. Sorry, Shyanne." I could hear her frown over the phone.

"Where to have this?" I asked.

"My flat." I agreed, thinking of her huge space for just her.

We went on and on, planning out thing by thing, deciding who would buy what and plan what. It all went down on the legal pad, and I bet she was writing it all down too. I bet she already had most of what she was suggestion written down.

"Well, I've got to go. My mom's calling me." She hung up before I could say by, and I set my phone down.

I ripped off the paper and folded it before ticking it under my pillow right as my door slammed open, and Libby ran in. She shut it behind her and sat on my bed next to me and placed her hands on my lap.

"There's a boy." I froze in my tracks.

"A boy, you say? This has never been heard of." I pulled out a Reese's and handed it to her. "Speak."

"His name is Thomas Reed, and he has to be the cutest and sweetest boy on earth. I mean, he even has a British accent. I just love his blonde, shaggy hair, and he's tall and lanky and my height, and it's just meant to be."

"Sounds like he could be your brother." I teased her. Her jaw dropped.

"This is a serious matter. How dare you mention such a thing!" She pouted, and I frowned.

"He sounds perfect, Libby. I'm not kidding. But, that brother thing was a joke."

A smile returned to her face along with a blush. "Don't tell anyone about him. And, about this party you are throwing, invite him, please." I nodded and smiled, agreeing to her words as she insisted that I had to meet him.

"Now, time for bed. We have a long school assembly tomorrow." She nodded and left my room.