Note: Thanks everyone, for hanging in so long. You're the inspiration that keeps me going, and thanks to all of you, I am able to finish Part One of this story. Just so you know, this is a big accomplishment for me; My stories usually come to a standstill after a few chapters, even if I'm doing stories in parts. I thanks you all for enjoying the first part of this story, and hope you'll stick around for the next stretch of the story, Tossing Up: Letting Go, though I can't give a definite date when I'll put it out. But, enough of my ramblins! Let's finish this thing!

Chapter Eight: The Last Day A.K.A. Never Give Up, Never Give In

"You're insane."

"I'm determined."

"You're acting like you're going to war. And we all know how wars started over a girl turn out."

I glared at Leo as I grabbed my t-shirt, pulling it on while he watched me from the doorway of my room. "Just beat it; I'm not going to war over her, there's no one to go to war against anyways." I glanced out my window, across to her window, which still had the blinds drawn. I let out a breath, then grabbed the "item". My way of throwing down the gauntlet, or whatever the saying is. I looked at it for a moment, then shoved it into the deep pocket of my shorts, as Leo groaned.

"Listen, I know you're dead set on getting her to answer your question and all, and I respect that, but do you have to be so gung ho about it?"

I ignored him as I pulled my sneakers on, ignoring the "item" as it dug into my side. "This is going to work..." I muttered as I walked past him into the hall. He watched me for a moment as I started down the stairs when I heard him chuckle softly.

"Good luck," He called out, just as I walked out the door.

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

"What's with that look?"

I looked up as Jessie walked over to the flag closet as I grabbed my last flag, collecting her own flags as well.

"What look? I don't have a look," I muttered, trying to balance all my flags and walk away dignified at the same time; Truthfully, not an easy task.

"You look extremely...hardcore would be an appropriate word," She said, nodding her head a little as she balanced her flags, walking up behind me. I gave a shrug, and she chuckled. "This is about Anali's silent treatment, huh?"

"Does everyone know about that!" I muttered, trying to regain a flag balance as I tried to navagate past a group of flutes to get out the door.

"Pretty much. Stuff like that flies faster than a virus around here," She said, shrugging a little.

I paused for a moment at the top of the stairs outside the school. Anali had just stumbled out of her mom's car, running up the stairs and past me with her head down, running into the building like being outside near me was toxic. I stood there for a moment, as Jessie stood behind me, watching. I then sucked in a breath, bracing myself again. "I'm going to make her answer. Today."

"Well, good luck with that," Jessie said, walking past me down the stairs, towards the parking lot. She gave me an encouraging nod as she passed, half smiling, and I felt better, if only a little. This was going to work. It was simple, and it didn't sound too impressive, but it was going to work. I was going to make it work.

"Alright..." I said to myself, getting a better grip on my flags as I started down the stairs. But just as fate would happen, the moment my spirit was up, something had to bring my physical self crashing to the ground. Literately.

"Shoot!" I heard the sharp, strained word behind, but before I could even turn around, something long and hard smacked me over the head, making me lose my balance, and inevitably, crash to the ground.

Now normally, falling hurts, without a question. But when you fall on about five different flags on a set of stairs, it presents a very special, unique pain, equal to falling head first into a rocky cliff. Not a good sensation after the initial shock wears off.

"Oh my god!" That was the last thing I heard before the searing pain came speeding in and about a dozen voices all speaking at once blurred into a single mind-blasting buzz. Man, and I thought my first hangover was bad...

I felt myself being lifted up and sat down, and vaguely made out the sound of someone asking me if I thought anything was broken, if anything hurt-duh-and behind that, someone scolded a voice that was nervously apologizing over and over again. After sitting for a moment, I was helped up again, and led inside, onto a chair, and was promptly handed an icepack to hold to my head. Mmm, Nirvanna into a bag of cold goo...

"How are you doing?" I was finally able to interpret this voice as Frankie, and nodded, with much difficulty I must say. "That was some fall. You sure you aren't seriously hurt?"

I nodded again, then forced out a few words. "Yeah...so what hit me?"

"That would be a flag."

"Who was carrying it? They got a grudge against my head or something?" She paused, and I pried my eyes open, after keeping them squeezed shut this whole time. She gave me a wry expression, and I chuckled, which made the pain worse. "Oh..."

"An's a klutz, she didn't mean it," Frankie said, shrugging a little. I sighed, and she raised an eyebrow. "And she doesn't seem to be the type of girl who would try and take you down for asking her out. Just doesn't seem her thing."

"And it's official; Everyone knows..." I muttered, making Frankie chuckle.

"Y'know, what you're going through...it's kind of like tossing a flag."

I looked up, still clutching the ice pack to my head. "Eh?"

She half smiled, nodding a little bit. "Yup. You see, the hardest thing to do is just to let go. After that, it doesn't matter if you drop it or catch it; You've already gotten over the fear of what will happen if you let go. And if you drop it, it takes just as much effort to pick it up and try again." She stood up, pushing away her chair. "You've already gotten the courage to let go once, and you didn't catch it. It's just time to pick it back up and try again." She patted me on the shoulder, and smiled again. "Come out when you feel up to it."

And then she was gone, out the door to help the rest of the band, leaving me sitting there with a headache that was growing worse. A minute or two later, I heard the band start playing, starting in the middle of the second part of the show. I let out a breath, letting my head fall forward, when I heard the door open again, someone walking in. My first thought was that it was probably one of the band directors, coming in to make sure I didn't need to be carted to the emergency room or something, but when I looked up, it wasn't one of the band directors. Hell, it wasn't even Frankie. It was...

"Anali..." I said, sitting up a little more, while Anali closed the door as quietly as she could. She looked embarrassed and anxious, looking towards the floor as she stood in front of the double doors, wiping her hands on the sides of her shorts.

"Yeah...Frankie sent me in. Make sure you don't pass out or something, and to beg forgiveness, I guess." She rubbed her arm, still looking away, before glancing up quickly. "I'm really sorry. I just lost my balance with the flags, and I tried to hold onto them, but they just...slipped. I didn't mean to hit you...or knock you down the stairs...or..."

"Hey, it's no problem," I said, holding up a hand and forcing out a small chuckle, though it still bothered me how she wouldn't even look in my general area.

"I'm serious. I wouldn't ever try to that to anyone. I didn't mean to..." She said, bititng her bottom lip a little.

"...To avoid me?" Shit. For a moment, I hoped that I had just been imagining that, and I hadn't really said the first thing that popped into my head, but then I saw her freeze up a little, her ears and cheeks slowly turning red, still looking down. Damn. I was hoping that this confrontation would happen under better circumstances...ok, better in the sense that I didn't have potential brain damage, which had been brought on by the one I was confronting. But, my mouth had already opened, so I guess I should just get it over with. "Seriously, why don't you just answer?"

Anali bit her lip harder, looking like she was trying to think of an answer that would explain everything, but it was just out of her reach. "Uhm...well..."

"If you don't want to go out with me, that's fine. I could care less." Ouch. Bad lie. But at least she was looking at me now; it was with a look of incredulous surprise and almost angered disappointment blatant on her face, but at least she wasn't staring at the floor. "Just...stop avoiding me and tell me to my face."

"That's not it!" She exclaimed, her expression starting to become defensive.

"Then tell me what it is!"

She stared at me harshly for a moment, then turned around, opening the door. "You seem fine. Set up your flags and get back in." She gave me a final glare, then pulled the door shut, the bang from it closing echoing in the room, making my head throb.

"Damnit!" I yelled, throwing the icepack to the ground ina fit of blind rage. I realized that was stupid even before it exploded all over the floor. I also realised that it represented this whole problem: A big mess splattered all over the place that I caused, and that I now had to clean up and make right.

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

"Idiot."

I let out a sigh as I walked with Jessie back to the beginning of the set, rubbing the back of my neck with the hand that wasn't carrying my flag. My headache had subsided, I had cleaned up as much blue goo as I could, and trudged outside, joining back in with the rest of the band after spending an inordinate amount of time convincing the band director that I was really alright. Then, of course, it was always fun trying to concentrate without noticing the cold shoulder directed my way equal to that of a Canadian winter. Man, when that girl gets pissed, she really lets it show...

"She started it by not answering in the first place..." I muttered, glaring down at the ground.

"Jeez, that's mature: 'She started it!' It's like you were caught fighting over a toy in the sandbox." She laughed a little while I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew she was right, and this was all stupid and immature, but it's not like I'm going to admit it.

"I just don't see what her problem is! I mean, I've already done my part; why won't she just give me a goddamn answer!"

"Jenisen! I heard that! Pay up or take your lap!" Mr. Trenson yelled from the platform where he stood with the band majors, two blond girls going over hand motions together. I grumbled to myself, walking off the field and dropping my flag as I cursed myself for not bringing money, starting my lap. Apparently, cursing wasn't tolerated here--Frankie didn't seem to care either way, and cursed enough when it was just the guard--so they developed a system where, depending on the curse, you had to either pay them or take a certain amount of laps, the amount for either determined by the severity of the curse. Load of bullshit if you ask me, but the field was big and I didn't want to do more laps than I had to, so I kept it to myself.

The rest of the morning progressed as usual, save the inardinate about of sulking and steaming by me and Anali, who to everyone else probably looked like we were trying to see who could direct more anger while still avoiding the other more. Not than anyone else was paying attention. Everyone else was still trying to get ready for the parent's show at five, where we would show the parents all that we had accomplished in this god-forsaken week. Oh well, at least we got out early.

I continued to sulk all the way up to lunch, where I even left the band room's blessed air conditioning and sat outside to avoid Anali, who was just sitting against a wall listening to her i-Pod and drinking from a water bottle. As I sat outside, watching some other members run to their cars and speed away, trying to get home for a little while, I let out a breath, staring at my sandwich without eating it.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It shouldn't have gone like this, not at all. I was supposed to confront her with confidence, get an answer-hopefully, the one that I wanted, which would be "Yes, of course, I've just been too overcome by flattery to answer and too shy to confront you!"...like I said, hopeful, and of course, impossible-and gone on with life. But then, apparently, when you add the actual girl, stubborn and emotional to a fault, to the equation, it doesn't work out how it was supposed to. Shocking, isn't it?

And damned to hell if I was still head over heels.

I sighed, throwing my sandwich into a trashcan with even taking a bite, and started to walk inside, when I heard voices on the other side.

"This is stupid, An. Why can't you just talk to him?" Crap. "An" was Jessie's nickname for Anali. I froze outside the door, and just stood there, listening.

"Jess, please, just-"

"I mean, the kid put himself out there, and, hello, he's a good catch! Good looking, straight, nice..."

"Jeez, if he's so great, why don't you date him?"

"Boyfriend, remember? And then there's the fact that he's head over heels for you." Jeez, it was scary how accurate Jessie could be...

There was a pause. "No he's not. He probably wasn't even asking for a date. Probably just wanted to go out as friends. I bet he wants me to introduce him to Lana or something." Ouch. Lana was Anali's friend, a picture-perfect tall blonde with stunning features and a penchant for the saxaphone. One of those girls who always has a boyfriend, and even when she does, still has a flurry of guys hanging around her. Someone everyone knows...and usually envies for her good looks and popularity. "Guys never like me like that, especially when I have friends like her. To them, I'm just another body taking up air space...an annoying body..."

I felt my stomach lurch at her tone of voice. Hopelessness. Like she'd already given up entirely, and had to constantly remind herself that she had. And it didn't seem like the company she held, beautiful girls like Lana, were helping her esteem. I started wondering how many feelings she had had to give up because the people they had gone to had been lured in by her beautiful friend. And then I suddenly got why she was pushing me away like this. She didn't want to get close to someone, and then have it ripped out from beneath her when she finally got attached. And she seemed like someone who could get attached easily, and knew so.

She was so afraid of getting hurt she would rather avoid the possibility altogether than risk it. And I had screwed any possibility of getting her to look past that fear by letting my pride take over and tell her I didn't really care if she didn't want to go.

No wonder she was pissed off at me. I had ensured to her that I was like every other guy who had ever let her down because she wasn't a supermodel wondergirl. It was my fault, in the end.

"Oh come on, An, you're adorable!"

The was a sort of snort-one of Anali's little quirks-as I heard something being dropped in a trash bin. "You forget..." Anali said softly. "In our society, adorable just doesn't cut it. I mean, with guys, why have adorable when you can have hot? It's just how it is."

"Come on, An."

I heard Anali chuckle a little, as I leaned against the door, wondering if I should just leave, when I heard her say one last thing: "Jess, seriously; In the fairy stories, do you really think the prince would notice Cinderella without her glass slippers and gown? If he had found her in her rags without ever seeing her in her pretty things, he would have passed her by and married her stepsister instead."

After that, there was silence, and I realized they must have gone further into the school, leaving the bandroom. It was also at that time that I knew what I had to do.

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

The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. The parents came, we performed what we had for the show. And I planned.

I spent every break they gave us thinking, and eventually got it down on paper, where I showed it to Jessie.

"This...is the cheesiest thing I have ever seen..." She said, reading over a second time, before handing it back to me with a half smile. "Y'know, you could have just done a Heath Ledger and sung "I Love You Baby" over the intercom in front of everyone else...buuut, I think something like this would do the trick. Just don't screw it up."

I grinned, taking it back and shoving it in my back pocket. "Don't worry. I won't."

After the big performance, I waited in the band room, having put away my flags early, and watched as everyone else packed up and ran out to meet their rides and leave. When I finally saw Anali, she had walked in alone, and put her flags away, walking briskly past me, obviously avoiding looking at me, as she made her way to the door. Oh no, not this time...

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" She snapped at me as I grabbed her upper arm, stopping her and making her look at me as I firmly pulled her away from the door, and led her into the hallway outside of the band room, and down the hallway around a corner, far enough away that we probably wouldn't run into another member of the band, and wouldn't be interrupted. "Let go, already! I said-"

"Anali." Even I was surprised by my tone of voice, how serious it was. I watched Anali's eyes widen, and then they lost some of the anger that they had held all day, and even looked exhausted and sad. I let out a breath. "I need to say something to you."

She looked up. "Yeah?"

I watched her for a moment, then sighed, running a hand through my hair. I then grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her. I felt her tense up, and try to push away slightly, but I didn't budge.

"Wh...what are you..."

"I like you."

She froze again, and stopped struggling. "But..." She said in a high, soft voice, like she couldn't make out anything else.

"I. Like. You." I smiled a little to myself as I held her, relishing how if I wanted to I could just rest my chin on the top of her head easily. "Everything about you. I don't care that you're short, or stubborn, or a bit odd. Because, I also know that you're sweet, and funny, and cute...which I think is much better than being hot."

I felt her take in a sharp breath, and then lightly felt her hands clench where they were trapped between us. "But..."

"And..." I continued, holding her a little tighter. "I would always prefer you over any girl. Whether you were in a ballgown or rags, I would always prefer you." I then leaned in nearer to her, and whispered, "No matter who else is around, I only see you."

There was a moment of silence. I heard her sniff a little, and suddenly, she pushed away, breaking away. "You...are so...full of it."

Just as I was starting to think that nothing was ever going to work, and that maybe it would just be better for my health to give up, she suddenly leaned up, pushing her hands against my chest as she did, standing on her tip-toes as she kissed me. I didn't really know how to react at first, but it didn't take long before I only realized I had been truly into it when she broke away and I found that my hands had placed themselves on the sides of her neck gently. She looked up through her eyelashes, the greenish-hazel eyes that had first locked me that first meeting staring back at me, and I was suddenly swept up by that first initial feeling. It was all true; Through this whole experience, I could only see her-no matter how cheesy and Halmark gag-inducing it sounded.

"Just me?" She suddenly said, her voice small, but the voice I wanted to hear from now on.

I smiled, and lightly ran a hand over her cheek, leaning down again. "Yes...just you..."

And, after all your waiting, it has finished! YAY! Now, it will probably take a while-so, don't count on it too soon-but look out for the next part of the story, Tossing Up: Letting Go. I hope that you keep with me through it all! Thanks for reading!