He stared after her in silence for a moment, his heart aching at the thought that he might have hurt her feelings. Maybe she was right; maybe he was being too stubborn about this whole thing. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before making up his mind. As much as it scared him, he needed to tell her how he really felt.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Chester gathered his courage and called after her again: "Hey, Analese! Wait up!"

Chester got out of the car and hurried to catch up with her, his long legs easily keeping pace with her shorter ones. "Look," he said as they reached the entrance of the school together, "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad earlier. It wasn't my intention." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, "The truth is... I do love you, Analese. I've always loved you."

He held his breath, waiting for her reaction. Would she laugh it off like he expected?