I dedicate this again to Arcadia. You got two Realize chappies dedicated to you now. Hahaha! Well, this time it's because you made REALLY AWESOME GIFs. I don't know how to put them here, but it's really cool. She made the characters look more alive. I truly love it. Thank you, Arcadia. :) xx

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Friday came and it was what all of them were waiting for.

The school was transformed. The school grounds were filled with booths wherever you look; Marriage booth, Cotton booth, Key-chain booth, etc.

A big stage was at the center of the quadrangle. But the biggest attraction of all was the roller coaster.

Maxine, Kim, and Jen went to every booth in the school - except for the Marriage booth, of course.

Kim and Jen then had an idea to force Maxine and Todd to go to the Marriage booth. So they asked for the help of Brian, Karl, and Peter.

The plan was to separately lure them into strolling around the school. Then, when each of them passed the Marriage booth, make them go inside without any idea that they awee the ones who are supposed to marry each other.

The gang had done the job - so far. The only thing that went wrong was the timing. The girls were about to pass the Marriage booth when on exactly the same moment, the boys stopped their tracks in front of the same booth.

The gang stopped and stared at each other.

"Oh, you're here, too?" said Brian in a falsely surprised voice. "What a strange coincidence! We even stopped at the Marriage booth."

"Don't push it," Peter whispered to Brian.

"Yes," breathed Kim, playing along. "Why don't we go check it out?"

"Let's go, then!" said Brian enthusiastically. He turned to the others and said, "You coming, guys?"

Karl, Peter, Jen, and Maxine nodded as they followed.

Todd looked suspicious, though.

Something's wrong, he thought. Brian's overreacting.

But he followed, anyways.

They entered inside the tent and was met by a wide spaced room with a red carpet that led to the altar. They were looking around when a voice spoke behind them.

"Ah! At last. You've finally arrived, Todd Samuels and Maxine Ferguson."

The gang turned toward the direction of the misty voice, and they saw a senior high school student that was clearly playing the role of a priest.

Maxine's mouth fell open. Todd shot a glare at Brian.

They knew what was about happen. They knew that the gang plotted it. They knew that they were about to be married on this grand Marriage booth.

"Come, come, so we can start," beamed the senior.

Todd cleared his throat. The senior looked at him expectantly.

"Don't we have the right to decide for ourselves if we wanted to be - to be . . ." Todd trailed off, irritated of not being able to say the word.

"Married," finished the senior, nodding. "Of course, you can. But - as your sponsors already paid us, we have no choice but to do what we are paid to do. Because we cannot give back what has already been given."

"What sponsors?" asked Maxine distractedly.

"You're friends," answered the senior, pointing to the gang.

"Don't worry," said Todd quickly. "You can keep whatever they gave you."

The senior shook his head. Maxine thought that he was playing his role well.

"That - we cannot do," said the senior seriously.

"Just do it, Todd," Brian told him, when Todd opened his mouth to argue. "The marriage whatsoever is not real."

"I know that," said Todd, annoyed.

"It's also not a big deal if you say 'I do'," added Kim.

"It's a big deal for me," said Todd through gritted teeth.

"It's not like you're gonna marry Max for real," shrugged Peter.

"Then again, I'll bet it'll feel like for real," murmured Karl thoughtfully.

Peter stepped on Karl's foot to make him shut up, causing Karl to yelp.

"It's just for fun," grinned Peter.

"How the hell can it be fun?" demanded Todd.

"What do you think, Maxine?" asked Jen suddenly.

"I think it will be a nightmare marrying Todd even if it isn't for real," said Maxine, frowning.

Todd's eyes became cold as he turned to look at her.

"You think that marrying me is a nightmare?" he asked with a low voice.

"Y - Yes," stammered Maxine. For a moment, Todd's reaction scared her.

He smiled darkly. "Welcome to your nightmare, then."

He turned to the senior, as the senior got wide-eyed while he took a step back from Todd.

"Let's get this over with," said Todd tonelessly.

The gang exchanged incredulous looks, and then they grinned.

Maxine froze.

Was he serious? Was he really serious?

He is so sadistic! thought Maxine.

She had never experienced this kind of event in her whole life. After all, she was admitted to an all girls' school half of her life. She had never liked a guy before - except for those teenage celebrity boys. When she was in elementary, she attended a normal school - which did not help her on romantic experiences as to she was still too young.

Now, for once in her life, she was going to be married (even if it was not real) to the most unbearable guy ever existed. She was going to have this on her memory for the rest of her life. She couldn't take that much of a nightmare. No . . . She couldn't . . .

"Maxine Ferguson, please step forward beside Todd Samuels," said the senior over Todd's shoulder, where Maxine stood motionless.

She dreamily and slowly walked to Todd's side.

This is not happening to me, thought Maxine.

I hope this is worth it, thought Todd.

"We are gathered here today . . ."

Todd was standing with an unreadable face, while Maxine was standing with a dazed look. The gang watched Todd's expression rather than to listen to the priest's words. They weren't used to seeing Todd in a position like this. But it made them happy that their plan worked.

"Do you, Todd Samuels, take Maxine Ferguson as . . ."

Todd didn't reply right away. His lips twitched involuntarily.

"I do," he finally mumbled through gritted teeth; it was barely more than a whisper.

"And do you, Maxine Ferguson . . ."

Maxine stared at the senior. She was determined not to say 'I do' no matter what. She didn't want this in her memory. No freaking way would she let Todd have his way, like he always did.

"You know, I was thinking about my mom," began Todd under his breath so that only Maxine could hear him.

Maxine didn't want to listen, but it was quiet. There was nothing to distract her.

"You see, I care about her - as any child would do with their mothers. But frankly, you don't seem to care about yours."

"I do!" gasped Maxine indignantly, looking abashed.

Todd smirked triumphantly.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed the senior.

"Wha -?" Maxine looked dumbstruck. She unable to speak, slowly realizing that Todd tricked her into saying 'I do.' And she fell for it.

Todd could easily read what was on Maxine's mind. He fought hard not to laugh.

"The rings," called the senior.

That put Todd out of his glee and Maxine out of her thinking.

"There are rings?!" asked Todd and Maxine incredulously.

"Of course," answered the senior impatiently. "It is the sign of your marriage."

"But this isn't real," Todd pointed out.

"However, it's still a marriage," said the senior in the same tone.

"We can take it off, right?" inquired Maxine, worry clear in her voice. It was as though she would be humiliated when seen wearing a marriage ring.

"It is your decision," assured the senior.

Todd let out a sigh of relief.

The ring bearer came forward.

It was Karl. He was holding a very beautiful pair of silver wedding rings.

The senior gestured Todd to take the smaller ring and put it on Maxine's finger.

Todd blushed and looked away as he did so.

Maxine, on the other hand, closed her eyes as she put the bigger ring on Todd's finger with her hands mildly shaking.

Then, there was an applause from the gang.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife," said the senior happily. He turned to Todd and added, "You may now -"

"Don't you dare finish those words," warned Todd.

"But -"

"Yeah, like I would really do that," said Todd sarcastically. "Stuff it," he added coolly as he started walking away. He abruptly stopped and looked over his shoulder to Maxine. "I'm sure as hell that you'll never forget what just happened this morning for the rest of your life, Max." He sneered. "Have fun with the nightmare."

After the last word, Todd left.

What on earth did he just do? What did he marry Maxine for? Although, he must admit, seeing her face like that really made a good laugh.

Since he was all alone now, he burst out laughing. He could perfectly remember Maxine's expression when she realized he had tricked her into saying 'I do.' It was priceless. She just couldn't help falling into his traps, could she?

Then, he deeply sighed.

"Whoa . . . What was the sigh for?" asked someone from behind him.

Todd turned around and saw Brian.

"I didn't know you can't sigh freely anymore," said Todd.

Brian rolled his eyes.

"What did you say those words to Maxine for?" he asked. "I mean, as if you could forget your marriage."

Todd winced at the word 'marriage'.

"Fake marriage," he corrected. "And did I say anything about forgetting it happened?"

"No. But you sounded -"

"Brie, remembering that we - that we fake married was a sacrifice I'm willing to take."

"And why would you sacrifice a life-long memory that you obviously dislike?" queried Brian curiously.

A wide grin stretched out of Todd's face.

"Because it's worth it."

At the Sky Studio, the gang was trying to do a final rehearsal before the show.

No one mentioned what happened that morning at the Marriage booth. It was still obvious that Todd was very much irritated about it.

He and Maxine were not wearing the rings anymore, though. Maxine hid it in her purse while Todd hid it in his wallet. Both of them didn't understand why they would hide it like a treasure item rather than getting rid of it. But they did hide it, anyways.

"Nervous?" Brian asked Maxine after their very last practice.

"A little," admitted Maxine sheepishly.

"You're nervous about the fact that you'll be singing duet with Todd," said Jen casually. "Am I right?"

Maxine didn't answer.

"Are you?" asked Todd, after a moment of silence.

Everyone looked at Maxine and waited.

"Slightly," she murmured, shaking her head. "I mean, this is the first time that I'm singing with a guy in front of a crowd."

"That's what makes you nervous?" said Todd incredulously. Then, he laughed.

Maxine glared at Todd. "I don't see how this is a laughing matter."

Todd tried to compose himself, but he was still grinning.

"That's because you don't understand what the laughing matter is," he chuckled as he turned to the rest. "Let's roll."

They were walking down the stairs when Maxine insisted to know what was funny about what she said. Todd just chuckled. But the others were also clueless as to why Todd laughed.

"Do I really have to explain it?" said Todd with a raised eyebrow and an amused look. "Max, you're worried about singing with me in front of the school, while I'm worried of being humiliated - in front of the whole school - by singing a love song. Love song. Now, isn't your reason of being worried is pretty much unreasonable compared to mine?"

"Oh," breathed Brian and Kim in understanding.

"Ah, I see your point," said Peter.

Jen nodded.

"Pfffft . . . That'll be hilarious," chuckled Karl.

Maxine raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand what he was trying to say. But why did everyone else seemed to understand clearly?

"What's so reasonable in worrying on singing a love song?" she asked. "What's even wrong in singing a love song?"

Todd sighed.

"Maxine, Todd Samuels doesn't sing love songs," explained Brian.

"He doesn't even hum show tunes," added Peter. "Nobody had ever heard Todd sing apart from us. That's why nobody knows that Todd can sing. Then, out of the blue, he's gonna sing a love song in front of all the students of Sky. It's just . . . not Todd. He's not like that. And seeing him do that is really -"

"Weird," continued Karl.

Everyone nodded, agreeing.

"Exactly," said Todd.

Maxine was still confused. She shook her head and said, "Whatever."

They headed to the Sky Quad where the stage was placed especially for them. The sea of students was gathered by the stage, while Kim and Jen decided that they will watch from the back stage. The gang prepared, and took their usual spots with their instruments. There was an excited atmosphere surrounding them.

Maxine felt a lot better.

"What's up Sky students?" she said brightly, behind the microphone. "We're the Sky Deviants!"

The crowd cheered happily.

"Okay, okay," said Maxine. "Let's just enjoy the last hours of school before the Holiday break! Two - three - four!"

As soon as Maxine said four, Todd played the drums. The crowd went wild. Brian followed and played his guitar. Then, Karl and Peter did. And finally, Maxine sang.

"He used to be a first-class Romeo, my knight in shining armor, my charming prince . . . ♫"

They went on and on. More students came to watch and sang enthusiastically with the rest - the chorus was very catchy. Out of nowhere, Jen was holding a video camera and filming.

Todd played the drums incredibly good. It was as if there were two persons playing the drums instead of one.

Brian was mouth-watering. The way he played the guitar was superb.

Karl and Peter were like twins that could not play enthusiastically without the other.

Maxine was singing the song with feeling. It was like she chanted a spell on the lyrics that made everyone listen and sing along.

When they finished four songs in a row, the crowd of students went wilder and louder than before. The gang beamed at each other. But then Todd and Maxine realized that it was time for their duet.

"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, for our finale," began Brian from his microphone. "We prepared a special duet for you."

There was a roar of cheer and applause.

"The song was composed by Todd and Maxine, mind," said Peter on his microphone.

"And it will be performed by them, too," added Karl. "That's why I'm gonna be the drummer for the next few minutes."

There were loud whispers from the crowd. As expected, they couldn't quite believe that Todd was going to sing.

From a distance, Headmaster Sky was applauding like a maniac - proving that what Brian said was right.

Todd stood up, and the whispers automatically broke. He walked until he was beside Maxine.

"Honestly," Todd began, "we haven't come up with any title at all. So after the song, feel free to - er - suggest what you think should be the appropriate title."

The music played. It didn't sound like a pop song. It sounded amazingly like alternative rock. The only difference from their usual songs was there were two voices singing and taking turns sing solo.

Todd sang first,

"Every moment I see you, ♪

I've got this unknown feeling

And I know I'm changing. . .

You made this cold heart beating. . ."♫

Maxine sang, then,

"Every moment you're smiling, ♪

My world's out of control,

It feels my heart is melting,

And everything's on hold. . ."♫

And together they sang,

"Please stay with me, ♪

I'll make you smile . . .

We're meant to be,

Even in a thousand miles,

I finally know what this feeling is,

But I can't say it (can't admit what it is)

Maybe someday I'll have the courage,

And admit how this feeling affects me. . ."♫

Todd sang again,

"I'm lying to myself ♪

About being in love.

But I cannot stop

My heart from loving you,

'Cause you're the only one. . ."♫

Then, Maxine again,

"I can barely pretend ♪

That I can prevent

Myself from loving you . . .

My mind's so confused,

I don't know what to do. . ."♫

Not taking their eyes off of each other, together they sang soulfully,

"I'm thankful this day, ♪

'Cause now I can say,

I want to be with you.

I don't wanna hide this.

This chance, I cannot miss . . .

So to the world and you,

I love you (I do)

And I can't lose you . . ."♫

On the last two verses, only Brian's guitar was playing so that the voices of Todd and Maxine clearly heard.

When the song ended, there was a few moments of silence.

Todd and Maxine were still staring at each other's eyes. For the first time in days, the song sunk in them.

Did it finally open their minds to what their hearts truly feels?

There was a sudden burst of applause and cheers that it was deafening.

"That was marvelous!" beamed Headmaster Sky as he stumbled to climb up to the stage to congratulate them. "It was truly fantastic! Remarkable, I say! I've never seen anything like it!"

Todd and Maxine broke their stare and looked at Headmaster Sky. And then, Todd remembered what he said to the crowd before so he went back to the microphone stand.

"Any thoughts?" he said.

"Feeling love!"

"Falling in love!"

"Falling asleep!"

"I love you, Todd!"

Todd winced. The gang and Headmaster Sky laughed behind him.

"How about, 'Unknown Feeling'?" suggested Jen behind her video camera.

Todd looked thoughtful.

"Hmm . . . What do you think, Max?" asked Todd, looking at Maxine.

Maxine was taken aback. She didn't expect Todd to ask for her opinion. She wasn't expecting it at all. In fact, she was so surprised that she couldn't find her voice to answer. So instead, she grinned at Jen and gave her thumbs up.

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Woohoo! TOXINE! Hehehe.. I'm going to repeat a question from this chapter: Did it finally open their minds to what their hearts truly feels? Well, that's for you too find out. LOL. ;) But what do you think? What do you predict is going to happen?

Note: From here on out, the upcoming chapters are NOT to miss. From here on out, you are going to feel giddy, irritated, excited, triumphant, aaaaaand giggly perhaps. Hahaha! Hang on there. :)

Upload: I upload on weekends. ^_^

I'd just like to share something nice that I learned from Pump Up The Volume. It's a very good coming-of-age film from the 90s. Y'all should watch it. Here's the message: "We're all worried, we're all in pain. But just remember one thing - it can't get any worse, it can only get better. High school is the bottom, being a teenager sucks, but that's the point, surviving it is the whole point. Quitting is not going to make you stronger, living will. So just hang on and hang in there."

Please Comment and Vote -- if you like, which I'm hoping you DO!! ^_^