Two games later, the four found their way over to a table when their games were finished.

"Jack and I so TOTALLY creamed you guys!" Lexy squealed.

"That wasn't fair. He's a Regional Champion!" Gabe complained.

"Yeah!!!" Jen added.

"Why are you talkin'? You never even helped me!" Gabe laughed.

"What! I broke a nail! Besides, you did fine on your own!" Everyone laughed at Gabe's bruised fingers as he threw them up in the air in defeat.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to wash my hands," Lexy said.

"Me too." As Lexy and Jen made their way to the restrooms, Jack noticed a group of guys eyeing the girls, and whispering to one another. Inside the restroom, Jen squealed and jumped up and down in front of Lexy.

"OMG! You two were SO cute! You CAN NOT tell me you don't have a thing for him! I refuse to believe it!"

"Ugh...Jen, not again!" Lexy whined. Washing her hands, she looked at her friend in the mirror and sighed.

"OK, maybe a little." Jen squealed and hugged Lexy from behind. Letting her go she turned Lexy around and backed up with a thought in mind.

"Oh no.....I know that face! What are you scheming NOW?"

"I think it's time for a little OPERATION JACK DOWNEY!!!"

"NO WAY, Jen!"

"Oh come on!" Jen pouted.

"No. What happens, happens. End of Story." And with that said, Lexy opened the door and led them back to their seats. But they didn't get very far. As soon as they reached the end of the hall leading into the food court, they were cornered by two unfamiliar boys.

Back at the table, Gabe watched Jack as he followed the girl's direction to the restrooms.

"So...... you sweet on her, or what?" This caught Jack's attention and he swerved in his seat to face Gabe.

"WHAT? WHO?"

"Lexy!...........You don't need to pretend dude, it's pretty obvious!"

"I.......I don't......like........." Gabe cocked his eyebrow in disbelief, and Jack sighed in defeat. Jack hung his head and looked back at Gabe apprehensively.

"Look Jack, I've known Lexy for quite a while, and you'd be surprised with how many guys she's gone out with."

"Oh well that's comforting, Gabe!"

"No one!"

"NONE?!?!"

"Nope." Jack looked down and tried to comprehend this. Confusion overtook his mind, but before he could speak, Gabe began talking again.

"Look......Lexy's.....different. From afar, you'd think that she was just another little rich Daddy's girl. But she's not. She does have SOME brains!"

"That's not what I was gonna say........."

"I know. But just listen. Like I said, I've known her and Jen for a long time, and Lexy has never once shown interest for a guy............ with the exception of her friendship with me. But she's different when it comes to you. I've never seen her like this before. Usually she's so focused and........well, ever since you came into the picture she seems genuinely......happy."

"Wait.....why are you telling me all this NOW, Gabe?"

"Because I think you may be starting to have feelings for her, and I want you to know that Lexy is very special. You may not think she's the brightest, but she's certainly the most caring person I've ever met. And if you do decide to throw caution to the wind, just try to keep that in mind." Jack looked away in defeat and sighed, unsure of what Gabe was telling him.

"I don't know. We're just too different......"

"You're far from it! Look if you're thinking that she cares more about where you live or how you dress, or your background......then you don't know Lexy at all. I'm living proof of that! She may be new to a couple of things, but trust me, she doesn't ALWAYS judge a book by it's cover." Jack looked at Gabe with a little less apprehension and was about to say something, but his attention was drawn back to the hallway leading to the restrooms. There he found Jen and Lexy being blocked by two guys. One of which was already making a pass at Lexy, and the other was circling Jen. He hadn't recognized them before, but now he could only refer to them as 'old trouble'. When he saw the boys reaching for the girls, he bolted out of his seat. Gabe looked around comfused, but just trusted his instinct and followed suit.

"Hey, there ladies. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. Please excuse us," Lexy offered and tried to move around them.

When they blocked her exit once again, the other boy coaxed, "Hey........what's your hurry? We just want to talk to you." Leaning in to place his hand on the wall and trap Lexy, he said admiringly,"Yeah, soooo....... I saw you bowling out there. You're pretty good." Lexy crossed her arms to make it seem like she was not afraid, but inside, she was a little worried of what this guy's intentions were.

"I had a good teacher."

"I bet you did!" Lexy looked over to her friend for some consolation, but saw that she was in no better situation than hers. The other guy continued to circle Jen and check out the view, while Jen looked back in disgust.

"Ewwww......" she whispered from the smell of him. She searched in purse and took out her perfume and began spraying the air around her to prevent the smell of him to stick to her. As Lexy felt a hand trail along her arm, she worriedly searched their table to call for Jack, but saw it empty.

"My name's Johnny. What's yours sweety?"

"She's NOT interested," a stern voice spoke. When Lexy turned to her right she came face to face with......... *Jack* she whispered under her breath. When Johnny saw Jack, he pulled himself away from Lexy to let her go. Jack immediately pulled Lexy to his side and asked if she was ok.

"I'm fine, Jack." When Gabe witnessed what was happening, Jen followed suit and hid behind him.

"Jack Downey!............ I see, the prodical son has returned! How long has it been, Downey? Two years?"

"Not long enough," Jack spat back. Staring eachother down, Lexy got the impression that they knew eachother and had to have had a history between them. Feeling a little uneasy that something might happen, she grabbed hold of his arm to get his attention.

"Come on Jack, let's go...." Lexy whispered softly and smiled a bit.

As Jack looked down to the sound of Lexy, Gabe turned to the other boys and said, "We don't want any trouble guys. Really." Jack thought about Lexy's request for a minute, but then nodded and began to usher her away. But Johnny wouldn't have it. He immediately ran in front of them to block Lexy again.

"Wait a minute sweetheart, you never gave me a name!"

"Forget it! She's not interested! Just leave her alone!" Jack demanded.

"Ah yes..............Downey. You know......... you shouldn't kid yourself. Did you actually think going to a better school in the city would actually get you somewhere in life?............ Well, you can just forget it. You will never be ENOUGH for them. You'll ALWAYS be known as the low-class Jack Downey we all know from Brooklyn, New York." When Jack stepped up to shove Johnny, it was Lexy who had to hold him back. Gabe came between the two boys and faced Jack.

"Dude, he is SO not worth it!"

"TOTALLY!" Jen shrieked. When Lexy put her hand in Jack's, as furious as he was, it still caught his attention.

Lexy forced Jack to look at her as she whispered, "Just walk away Jack. They're not worth it! Let's just go." As she gave his hand a little tug, he nodded, and led them out of the bowling alley, without looking back.

"Don't kid yourself Downey, it's not worth it!" Johnny laughed.

Back outside, Gabe and Jen gathered at the curb to wait for a cab. Meanwhile Jack stood alone with Lexy not too far from him.

"You alright Jack?" Lexy whispered.

"Yeah. I will be," he grinned reassuringly.

"OMG! That was SO close, Gabe!"

"Yeah....and I didn't even get it on camera!" That last comment gave him a hit to the shoulder from Jen and a fierce look from Lexy nearby.

"OW!"

"shut up!" Lexy mouthed. The cab drive home was very silent and cold. But every so often Lexy would give Jack a reassuring smile and a small shove. Jack mostly focused his attention on the scenery outside his window, slightly embarassed with what had just happened. The last thing he wanted was sympathy from the others, and wanted to be spared the pep talk. But when it came to Lexy's 'Hakuna Matata', he couldn't help but smile a bit at the dorky attempt to get him feeling better.

As the cab dropped Jack off first (since they were already in the neighborhood), Lexy followed him out of the cab and walked a distance away from the others to speak to him privately. Jack turned to wave bye to the others and walked up to Lexy . The two began looking at eachother uneasily for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"So.........I had a GREAT time tonight, Jack. Thank you for teaching me how to bowl. It.........it was really special."

"Uh....you're welcome..........Look, I'm sorry for what happened back there."

"Don't be....It wasn't your fault." Jack was about to say something else, but thought better of it. Lexy lingered for a moment waiting for a response, but gave up waiting.

"Well......goodnight." Lexy said.

"Night..... Lexy." Before Lexy left though, she turned back once more and said one last thing for him to remember.

"And just so you know Jack.........you were ALWAYS more than enough to me." With that said, she leaned up and kissed Jack solemnly on the cheek, lingering in the moment to show as much feeling and emotion that she felt for him. Pulling away slowly she looked at him briefly, and turned to leave.

At a loss for words and as confused as he was, Jack watched the cab drive away. He was speechless, to say the least. He couldn't believe that even after all that had happened, Lexy would still feel the same way about him. He was beginning to think that after their encounter with Johnny that night, Lexy would start to think the worst of him. But she hadn't. *Maybe Gabe was right. Maybe Lexy doesn't care about those things. Maybe she truly does like me for who I am.* But one thing was for sure. This was the second time that Lexy had kissed Jack. The first time she kissed him, he dismissed it because he merely thought it was a small gesture of gratitude for helping her. Also he figured it was small, wishful thinking on his part that she meant for it to 'mean' anything. But this time, he actually FELT something that he had never felt before. He felt excited.....overjoyed......and at the same time.......terrified. There was no doubt in his mind now that he liked Lexy....but he was hesitating for a long time becuase he was afraid to make a move......afraid to get involved with someone. Especially Lexy. Though he still wasn't sure how things would turn out in the end, he knew what he had to do.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Jack walked up his front steps, taking them by two's. He smiled in anticipation of what the next couple of days would bring.......but most of all, he couldn't wait to see Lexy in the morning.