"What time are you coming over," she asked, lying on her bed twirling her hair through her fingers, the picture of a typical teenaged girl.

"About tonight, Mary-" he began

"Don't! Stop," she closed her eyes and sighed. Always, always, always. About that, Mary... I can't make it she remembered. She had hoped Jake wouldn't be like that. She was fed up with guys constantly canceling on her. "You're not coming are you?"

"What," where did she get that idea? "Yes, Mary, just listen to me," he sighed, she'd be pissed anyway, he knew it. "Can you meet me by the exit?"

"Yes, so you are coming?"

"Yea, I told you I was."

"Why by the exit?" The directions weren't really that hard... Her house was really easy to find.

In the next ten minutes, Jake went on to explain to Mary that he was really tied up with work and he didn't have much time tonight. He was gonna come down, but he only had about a half hour. Her house was about fifteen minutes from the interstate. If he drove to her house, they wouldn't have anytime to be together.

She was, as he predicted, pissed, but she would meet him.

**********

He called her again. He'd be late, but he'd meet her off of exit 21 at 10:30. She sighed. Okay, okay. When he got there, she let him know that she wasn't gonna put up with being on the back burner.

"Kiss me, Mary," he grinned. She pushed his hand away.

"You never take me seriously," she sighed.

"You're too cute," he said.

And she bickered. And he grinned. She was in a bad mood anyway.

"Mary,"

"What?"

"Kiss me!"

She grinned. She needed to drop out of her funk. She leaned forward and kissed him. He put his arms around her and held her close.

She convinced him to come back to her place. She really wanted him to meet Dan and Kelli.

"Okay, but I absolutly have to leave by five."

She grinned. Much better.

**********

After one margarita, she was better. Not so uptight. She sighed and fell back onto her bed. He leaned over and kissed her.