Saturday had been fun, but on Sunday morning, I couldn't wait to sleep in, curl up with a good book and take a break from socializing.

So when I was woken up by the sound of something hitting my window, I was seriously tempted to roll over and let someone else deal with it.

Except, apparently, I didn't get a choice. The moment I had pulled the covers back over my head, something hit my window again.

I groaned. A bird? No, probably not, or it wouldn't have made that sound two times in a row. Then what, neighborhood kids? Were there any kids living around here who liked to throw stuff at windows? Or…was there an emergency?

Great, and now I was awake. At eight in the morning. On a Sunday.

…Might as well get up and check, then.

Groaning, I peeled myself from the sheets and rubbed my eyes as I trotted to the window. Another small, dark object hit the glass. I carefully opened the window and peeked out, hoping whoever was down there wouldn't accidentally hit my face.

And almost fell out.

"Hey, Rapunzel," Brandon greeted me, wide awake and smirking and handsome as ever. "I thought I'd never wake you."

Jolting away from the window, I desperately tried to smooth out my hair, wondering how rude it would be to bolt off to the bathroom and wash my puffed-up, sleepy face before letting him see me again. "What—What—" I managed out, my cheeks burning like the sun itself. "What are you doing here?"

Brandon shrugged, tossing another rock up and down in his hand. "I was in the area," he answered. "Thought I'd drop by."

"Right…um…" I frowned at him. "How do you even know where I live?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Dropping the rock, Brandon climbed easily over the fence, then swung himself up into the tree in front of my window. I instinctively shrank back and hoped I didn't look too much like I had just woken up. "Are you free today?"

My introversion said no. My heart was shouting yes so loudly that it drowned out everything else. "Yeah," I said. "Why?"

Brandon dangled his legs from the branch he was sitting in. "You haven't seen much of the country here, right?" he said. "Thought I could show you around."

My heard did a leap, even as my panic rose. "Wait," I spluttered, looking down at my old pajamas. "Now? I mean—I'd love to," I added with a nervous smile. "But I'm not ready, so…"

"I can come back later," Brandon answered at once. He wasn't holding onto the tree at all, and really, how was he not scared of falling down? "Just one thing."

He had lowered his voice, and I instinctively did the same as I asked, "Yes?"

Brandon scooted closer until he was almost right under my window. "Don't tell people about this," he said, his eyes staring deep into mine, green and intense and so strangely vulnerable. "Not your friends, not even your parents. I want this to be our secret."

Excitement fluttered in my chest, but it mingled with something else, something strange and unsettling, like walking up an old flight of stairs and feeling one creak under your foot and not knowing if it was safe to step on. "Okay," I said. "But…why?"

Brandon looked down, a light breeze brushing through his dark hair, making it fall into his eyes. "People think I'm a bad guy, remember?" He smiled bitterly. "If you tell them about this, they're gonna try to stop you."

He didn't say what he so clearly meant: Please, I'm so lonely. I'm sick of being isolated and treated as a villain because of my ex-girlfriend's lies.

How could Felicia have said all that about him? He was so clearly suffering. He was so obviously scared of losing me, the first person in ages who had shown him kindness and understanding at school. How could she not see how bad he was hurting?

"I really think they'd like you if they gave you a chance," I said gently. "But if that's what you want, I can keep this a secret."

He smiled, and there was so much genuine relief in that smile that I didn't know where to look. "The world really does need more people like you," he said. "Great, then I'll be back later. Stay close to your window."

I watched him climb down and leave, then hurried to the bathroom to make myself extra pretty. My face smiled back at me from the mirror, not quite the same as with Felicia's makeup and hair magic, but after I was done with my morning routine I still looked cute and happy and presentable.

Picking out an outfit was more difficult, because I did have some cuter clothes, but none that I'd wear for a date. This was a date, right? I really hoped it was, but I didn't know what else it was supposed to be. So what should I do? If only I had Felicia and the others here with me, they could definitely help me find something to look my very best—

Do you like dressing like this?

Maybe Felicia had been onto something there. My wardrobe was what I felt safe in, not what would make me feel beautiful.

But Felicia wasn't here, and she definitely wouldn't approve of any of this, and I had promised Brandon to keep quiet anyway. Shopping wasn't an option either, since I didn't know how soon he'd be back. So…I had to find a solution on my own.

I took a deep breath.

Stop overthinking.

Brandon knew me in my drab school clothes, and he liked me anyway. Who cared if I wasn't dressed to the nines? The best I could do was put on my best jeans and my favorite shirt, so that was what I'd have to go with.

For the rest of the morning I sat curled up under the window, heart pounding as I waited for Brandon to come back. I barely dared to leave my room, even to eat, and I gulped down both breakfast and lunch at a record-breaking speed before running back, claiming to my parents that I was really excited about the book I was reading.

Part of me still felt guilty about hiding this from them. I always told my parents about the important stuff that was going on in my life; keeping secrets felt wrong. But it was for Brandon, I told myself. I wasn't hiding things from them for no reason.

The world was cast in the golden light of the afternoon sun when a rock finally knocked against my window again, and I was on my feet in a heartbeat. One last quick check to make sure I looked okay, and then I opened the window.

"Hey," I said, lighting up when his eyes met with mine. "Just give me a second, I'll be right down, um—"

"You're taking the stairs?"

I paused, then understood what he was asking. If I went outside the normal way, my parents would definitely ask me where I was going.

"What else?" I answered. "It's the only way out."

"You could climb."

Swinging himself over the fence, Brandon pulled himself into the tree again. "Sneak out," he said. "No risk, no fun."

I hesitated. If lying to my parents felt wrong, sneaking out felt terrible. And that was even if I didn't fall. What if the branches gave way underneath me? Or what if I didn't make it onto the tree at all and got stuck hanging from the outside of my window frame?

"Um…" I hesitated, but I couldn't say just how terrified I was of falling, because I had told him I wasn't that scared of heights. But the mere act of looking down was enough to make me dizzy, to say nothing of climbing. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Nothing I ever do is a good idea," Brandon answered. "Life's no fun if you only listen to the good ones."

I swallowed, then steeled myself. You got this, you got this. Just don't look down.

Yeah, no. There was no way I could do this.

"Scared?" Brandon asked, and for a second I thought that this was it, he would turn back and ditch me for being a coward. But then a large, calloused hand closed around my own, gently pulling me towards him. "Relax. Do you trust me?"

That was a no-brainer. "Of course!"

"Then follow me," he answered. "I'm not letting you fall."

My heart in my throat, I slowly pushed myself out of the window, holding tightly onto Brandon's hand as he pulled me after him into the tree.

My pulse was pounding. Just for a second the weight of what I was doing was almost enough to make me turn back.

I'm really doing this.

Step by step I followed Brandon down from the tree, into the garden and over the fence. He led me around the corner to a shiny black motorbike, the placed a spare helmet in my hands and sat down on it.

"Get on," he said.

I hesitated as he put on his own helmet; I'd never ridden on a motorbike before. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said. "It's worth it, trust me."

Okay, good enough. I put on the helmet and clambered behind him onto the bike, wrapping my arms carefully around Brandon's waist. He snorted, then pulled me forward to tighten my grip. "Hold on tight," he said. "Lean into the curves."

The engine roared to life beneath us, and we sped off. For some time I had no idea where we were going. All I could think about was following Brandon's motions to avoid falling off, his broad back against my chest, his leather jacket warm from the late summer sun despite the cold wind beating against my skin. I pressed close to him, my pulse throbbing so hard I thought he could sense it even through his jacket. The world became a green and golden blur around us.

Then he slowed and stopped, helping me off the bike. The air returned to my lungs, and I carefully took off the helmet.

Brandon had brought me to the top of a tall hill above the town, on the edge of the forest. Streets and houses stretched out below us, small and friendly and colorful; and beyond that, green grass and golden fields and dark patches of trees.

"Wow," I whispered. "It's…This is beautiful."

"Right?" Brandon replied. "It's my secret spot. Most people ignore it because they think it's boring."

"I think it's amazing," I answered, stepping onto the grass and turning around, taking in the whole scenery from side to side. The sun was in my eyes. The wind was in my hair, playing with my pigtails, making them fly all over the place. It carried the first colorful leaves of fall, and one of them got stuck in my hair. "Why wouldn't people like it?"

Brandon stayed beside his bike in the shadow of the trees, the green of his eyes matching the green of the forest. "You have no idea," he said quietly. "Guess people are so blinded by bling and material things they can't appreciate this anymore." He cracked a smile. "Good to know you're still real."

I smiled back, joining him under the trees again. For some time we stayed there, talking and enjoying the view; but I couldn't stay out too long, or my parents would notice me missing. So Brandon let me ride behind him on his motorbike again, and he helped me sneak back into my room the same way I'd gone out.

"Let's do this again?" he asked.

I smiled. "Of course!"

For the rest of the afternoon I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, my thoughts straying off the book I was reading and back to Brandon, over and over. My parents noticed how happy I was, but when they asked, I simply said I'd had a really, really good day.

Not really a lie.

I was about to go to bed and dream of more dates like today when my phone lit up with a message.

It was from Felicia.

My joy vanished in a heartbeat. Felicia? Why was she texting me? She hadn't—she hadn't seen me with Brandon, had she? Was the secret out already? Was I in trouble now?

But when I read the message, it had nothing to do with him at all.

Hey quick question. are you allergic to cats?

I blinked. Cats? Why cats of all things?

No, I texted back. Why?

Felicia's reply was quick as lightning.

Excellent, she wrote. Meet me at the school gate tomorrow after school.

There was a moment's pause, and then she added another message.

And DON'T tell Louie or Chelsea.