There was something about that Dwayne Richardson that really bothered me. I couldn't tell what it was, exactly. But all I knew was I can't fully trust that guy.

Anyway, a week had passed since the first day back at school. Nothing happened much. It was the usual high school life. Or so I thought.

It was a few minutes ago when Dwayne Richardson caught my attention. For the past week, I wasn't paying any attention to him at all. I mean, I didn't care that he was a hunk or something. I was a guy, those things didn't thrill me.

It wasn't until half an hour ago before I found out that he joined the Movie club – Dakota and Alyson's Movie club.

The bell just rang then. I went by Dakota and Alyson's table, holding my lunch tray in one hand.

"Hey, I'm going to have lunch with Annabelle and the guys today," I informed Dakota.

"Okay," Dakota said cheerfully.

"Later, D," I said, frowning a bit. She wasn't usually that cheerful.

I was about to leave when she said, "Sure, whatever," in that jolly voice again. I stared at her for a minute. Something was definitely wrong.

"Are you all right?" I asked her suspiciously.

"Of course I am!" she said brightly, grinning at me.

Now, I was sure of it. No sarcasm from her? That was bizarre.

Then, Dakota stood up and went to buy a soda – almost hopping on the way. I was bemused.

Turning to Alyson, I asked with a raised eyebrow, "What's wrong with her?"

"Well," Alyson said sheepishly, hesitating. "It seems kinda nerdy..."

"That's normal, Allie."

"Well, you see, there's a guy that joined the club earlier today," she started. "And it's awesome because it was totally unexpected."

"How?" I asked in confusion.

"Aaron, I think you know that it's almost impossible for someone to join our club when he's not a freshman."

I looked away and ruffled the back of my hair. Yup, she was right.

"I know Dakota thinks that, too. Because it's very much a shock for her that someone like Dwayne Richardson joined our 'nerd' club. Obviously, he's nowhere near a nerd," Alyson explained.

"Who?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Did she just say 'Dwayne Richardson'? And did she also just say that he joined the Movie club?

"Dwayne Richardson," Alyson said the name again, "the new guy."

Yeap, she said it, all right.

Now, here I was, sitting with Ethan, Luke, Annabelle and her friends. It was a few minutes ago when I started watching Dakota's table. It was when Richardson sat beside them. I shouldn't be bothered about it. I should be happy that someone was nice enough to sit with Dakota even though almost everyone was watching them. But seriously, no one was that nice.

And dude! He was hitting on Dakota. The way he smiled at her was more than friendly. But of course, Dakota wouldn't notice that. Unconsciously, my knuckles were clenched. I didn't know what came over me. I just felt like I had to knock that guy out.

I glanced at our table, hoping to calm myself, when I saw Luke who was also watching Dakota's table. He was looking at that direction attentively.

What's up with Luke lately?

Whenever we were across Dakota's locker, he was always glancing in that direction. Whenever we were talking about Dakota, he seemed serious and all ears. He acted as though he liked Dakota.

!!!

My eyes widened in comprehension. That was it! That was the only explanation for the way he'd been acting lately. I stared at Luke across the table.

Man, Luke's into my best friend. I should be cool with it, right? I mean, he was a decent guy and all. And I'd rather him be Dakota's suitor than Richardson. But why did I feel like I was still troubled?

Hmmm... It must a protective feeling since Dakota's like my sister already.

Anyhow, I opened my mouth to ask Luke about it when Trixie – Annabelle's friend – gasped. We turned to her. She was looking over at Dakota's table.

"Why is Dwayne over there???" Trixie demanded. "A guy like him isn't supposed to be sitting with –" she paused to glance uneasily at me, and then she added more quietly, "– them."

I was about to tell her off when I realized on the back of my mind that Trixie and her posse can make Dwayne leave that table. And hopefully, he'd stop hitting on Dakota.

"Don't you think so too, Annabelle?" Trixie asked Annabelle expectantly.

Annabelle looked at Dakota's table with no reaction, and then she turned to Trixie.

"Well," she said, sneering, "it's his loss, isn't it?"

Trixie stared at Annabelle bemusedly, as if she was out of her mind.

"If you say so," said Trixie reluctantly. After a minute or so, she let it go and returned to talking about other stuff.

Man, that was close. But I was a bit impressed at how indifferent Annabelle was when she talked about Dakota and the new guy. It had been a week since we've started going and leaving school together. She stopped talking about Dakota in front of me. At least, she tried her best to ignore the fact that I had a best friend – it was her way of keeping herself from being jealous. When we were together, it was just all about us and our world.

I glanced one last time at Dakota before turning my attention to the people around me. I wouldn't let this matter go that easily.

The bell rang. I kissed Annabelle goodbye and waited for the girls to leave the cafeteria. As Luke, Ethan, and I left together, I casually cleared my throat.

"Ethan," I said with a low voice. "I need you to do something."

Ethan studied me for a long moment, and then said, "You know me." He shrugged. "It depends on what it is."

"I'm sure you can handle it," I assured him with a crooked smile on my face.

Luke kept staring at me quietly.

"C'mon, man," complained Ethan. "Stop putting me on suspense. Just tell me what it is."

"Find out everything there is to know about Dwayne Richardson."

Physics and RST with Dakota were totally strange! She was so cheerful that it was hard to recognize her. I had no idea what had gotten into her, honestly. I don't even want to recall what happened during those two periods that I spent with her. It was as though I was with somebody else.

Could Richardson change her just like that? Just by joining her club? How much more can he change her if he started courting her?

I closed my eyes.

Ugh. I didn't want to imagine it. Well, she might turn girly from then on – but she certainly wouldn't be the same Dakota I know.

I shook my head.

People change, Aaron, a small voice reminded me. It's only a matter of time before she matures enough to be self-conscious. And you don't have any choice but to accept it. Both of you are growing up. You can't expect her to be the same boyish girl forever.

"Hey," said Ethan, as he neared us, pulling me out of my thinking. "'Got some background check on Richardson."

Luke and I closed our lockers and turned to listen. We were on our way to the gym for basketball practice, when Ethan showed up at the end of the hallway.

"He's from Beverly Hills, LA. He moved here to take care of his grandparents and stuff," Ethan paused to grimace. "Anyway, people say he's a kind, handsome, and non-athletic guy. They say he's more into art...?" Ethan added slowly, as though unsure of what he was talking about. Then, he hastily shook his head. "I don't know what that means but I'm sure of one thing. That dude is gay." Ethan added, nodding.

Whoa. Richardson was too good to be true. I mean, what kind of guy would be interested in art? Seriously, there was something fishy about that dude. Although, if he was gay...

"But then why...?" I trailed off thoughtfully.

"Why what?" asked Ethan curiously.

Why does he act like he's interested in Dakota? I thought. I've seen the way he looks at her. There's no way that he's into guys.

"No," I assured them. "He's not gay."

"How can you tell?" Ethan demanded.

"Ethan," said Luke, "just because the guy likes art doesn't mean he's gay." He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Ethan looked skeptical. "But it's weird!" He grimaced.

Luke and I chortled.

"You know what else is weird?" Ethan asked quietly. "I swear I've seen him somewhere before. Doesn't he look so familiar to you guys?"

Luke and I thought about it for a minute.

"No," we told Ethan in unison.

"Hmm," he mumbled thoughtfully. Then he shrugged and said, "Whatever."

Luke shook his head again at Ethan's behavior. We were used to it by now. Most of the time, it was amusing. But on some occasions, his childish manners were tiring.

"So, Aaron," said Luke, changing the subject, "satisfied with the info? He sounds like a nice guy." He added the last word as he leaned on his locker.

I stared at Luke for a moment. The thought of him liking Dakota came into my mind. I wanted to ask him directly about it but I might be wrong on my assumptions. Then again, his actions these past few days were odd. Plus, he seemed to be distracted by something – or probably someone.

Anyhow, I would think about that later.

"Maybe so," I answered his question, shrugging. "It's still too early to tell."

Yeah. Nobody here knew Dwayne Richardson well enough to really know who he was. It was definitely not a good idea to judge him easily based on what Ethan found out about him.

"Why are you suddenly interested in him, anyway?" Ethan suddenly asked, confused. "Is it because he's getting close with Evans?"

I didn't answer, and looked away. They stared at me, waiting. I continued to stare at the empty corridor. Then, I sighed.

"Am I being too protective?" I asked sheepishly, turning my eye on them. I finally voiced out what was on my mind since lunch.

"No," said Luke automatically, while Ethan answered, "Yes."

"Dude, you're the best friend," said Ethan, raising an eyebrow. "Not the boyfriend."

"It's not like you told her to stay away from him," justified Luke, as he put his hands in his pockets. "You just did a little recon."

"Isn't that the same thing?" asked Ethan, frowning in confusion.

"No," replied Luke incredulously.

Ethan thought about it. There was a moment of silence before he smiled. "Oh, you're right," he said, nodding.

I sighed again. My mind was getting confused by the minute. For now, though, I would just have to settle on taking steps one at a time.

"Alright," I finally said, waving my hand as a gesture for them to stop and listen. "I'll let it go. Just..." I trailed off; searching the right words to simplify the things I wanted them to do and at the same time, not appear overly protective.

Luke and Ethan waited attentively. I looked at them casually.

"Just make sure to keep an eye on Richardson for me," I told them conversationally, as if it was no big deal.

"Fine," said Luke amusedly, rolling his eyes.

Ethan smirked. "Easy," he snorted.

But the truth is... For me, it was a big deal.

I ruffled my hair as I entered my room, wearing a white t-shirt and pajamas. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Dakota's bedroom lights were still turned on. I saw her stretch her arms as she yawned. She was still smiling.

I walked toward the talkie in my room and turned it on.

"What's up with you at lunch today?" I asked her.

She jumped in startle. When she saw me, she rolled her eyes. When my question sunk in her, she frowned and turned on her talkie.

"What do you mean, A?" she asked in confusion.

"Well, you weren't your usual self," I said, shrugging. That was definitely an understatement.

"Oh," she said in understanding. "You mean, why wasn't I sulking, like the usual?"

The way she said those words so casually was mind-blowing. Seriously, who was she?

"Yeah," I replied carefully.

She shrugged and said cheerfully, "I made a friend – who joined our club, by the way."

She was grinning! Dakota Evans, grinning like a cheerleader. See what I mean? She was acting totally bizarre.

"I know," I said, composing my facial expression. "Allie told me about Richardson."

"Cool, huh?" she beamed, as she paced in her room. "I didn't expect someone like him would join the club. He's so nice," she added, smiling gently.

I froze. I hadn't seen her smile like that since... Junior High. That was almost four years ago. I missed that carefree smile so much – without the sarcasm and edge. And she was smiling about that Richardson. Of all the people and things, she was smiling about him. I felt the sudden urge to hunt Richardson down and beat him up.

I shook my head in hope of washing the violent feeling away. Whoa. This protective feeling of mine was getting way out of hand.

"I've never heard you talk about someone like this before," I laughed in shock. "It's so strange."

It was strange.

"Then, you better get used to it," she said, smiling playfully.

"Wow. You really like him, don't you?"

Her smile instantly vanished. Her eyes widened in surprise by what I said. She clearly did not expect it.

"What? No," she said incredulously, looking at me as though I was out of my mind.

I decided to tease her, trying to hide my mixed feelings about this.

Man, this brotherly feeling I have for her is strong, I thought.

"C'mon, he obviously likes you, too," I said, grinning.

"No." She was frowning now. "He likes Allie."

"D, have you seen the guy look at you?"

"Stop assuming, A," she scolded me. "I'm pretty sure he likes Allie. Anyway, he's just a friend – nothing more." She sounded like she was pretty sure about it.

I sighed. There was no point in arguing with her. She was so stubborn that she wouldn't believe me no matter what I say. That was one of the problems with Dakota. She never had any boyfriend in her life, not even a fling or whatsoever. So she didn't know when someone was already hitting on her. She was so dense. Maybe that was why I get too protective of her sometimes – okay, most of the time.

"Don't worry, A," Dakota suddenly said. "You will always be my best friend," she added teasingly.

She thinks I was jealous? I almost laughed.

"I'm not worried at all," I assured her confidently. "You see, I know that no one can replace me even if they tried."

I was one of a kind.

"That's because no one is as cocky as you," she scoffed.

I laughed out loud. "Are you sure about that?" I asked, thinking about Ethan.

"Okay," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe Ethan's a little cockier."

"Little?"

"Whatever," she said, waving her hand. She walked toward her bed and said, "Now, good night. I'm going to bed."

I stared. I can't believe what I just heard.

"This early?" I asked in disbelief. "Are you really Dakota Evans?"

"No, she's been abducted by aliens," she countered, rolling her eyes as she turned to me. "You're currently talking to a cyborg," she added sarcastically.

I cannot help myself but smile. That was the Dakota I know.

"That's more like her," I commented. "Nice imitation, cyborg."

She sat on her bed as she moaned, "Really, Aaron. I wanna sleep. I feel so tired. I didn't know being cheerful takes a lot of energy." She scowled at me as though she was blaming me. "I honestly don't know how you do it."

After that, she lied down and closed her eyes.

I chuckled. Then, mocking a realization, I said, "Hey, since you're a cheerful girl now, maybe you could join the cheerleading squad and become a cheerleader."

Dakota instantaneously sat up and stared at me disbelievingly, her eyes wide with disgust.

"Gross!" she muttered, covering her mouth as if she wanted to puke.

I laughed at her reaction.

She removed her hand from her mouth as she said cynically, "Yeah, I'm sure Annabelle will love that." With that, she went back to lying on her bed, her arms stretched.

I stopped laughing and looked away.

Well, I had no comment for that. I mean, I really didn't get why Dakota and Annabelle didn't like each other. Hold on, that was a lie. They were from "different worlds", like Annabelle would've said. They absolutely had nothing in common – except me. I tried to talk them into hanging out. But they disagreed – that was putting it light. What really happened was that Dakota punched me in the arm (which surprisingly hurt); and Annabelle didn't talk to me for three days. I didn't want to force them either.

God knows what they would do to me if I did.

"You'll never know," I shrugged, as I went to sit by the window. I gazed at the stars. "You might end up being friends," I teased, grinning. But of course, I knew that it was very improbable for that to actually happen.

"Sorry, but I'm not into witchcraft," she muttered a-matter-of-factly.

"What?" I asked, confused. But when I looked at her, she was already fast asleep.

I smiled and looked up the stars again.

"Sweet dreams, D."