10 Ways to Fall in Love

It was nothing but a bet. A bet between rich kids. John dared Zach, and Zach never turns down a dare. That’s how it all began.

“Zach you always say you will take any dare right?” John asks his friend Zach.

“Yeah… Why?” Zach cautiously replies.

“That girl, Flower, she is always glaring at me. Who does she think she is? She doesn’t have money, she’s nothing. I want revenge. I dare you to get her to fall in love with you, and then when you get voted prom king dump her sorry ass on stage. I would do it myself, but I am dating Abby.”

“Fine I’ll do it. I never turn down a dare.”

Later that day Zach finds Flower and starts talking to her. She is confused, but would feel guilty ignoring him considering he has never done anything to her, or anyone she cares about.

Every day Zach talks to her. Every day she opens up more and more to him. Every day he forgets more and more about the dare.

Soon enough a month passes, and the two become such good friends they are inseparable. Everyone who is rich assumes it is because of the dare, so they leave Zach alone. All of the people without too much money are very confused and just hope that Zach really cares about her.

Soon enough there are prom posters all over school, which makes Zach start to think about how to ask Flower to the dance completely forgetting about the dare all together.

Flower walks into school the next day, and when she walks to her locker she sees the inside and outside are completely covered in heart sticky notes. Starting at her locker leading to somewhere there is a path of rose petals of all different colors. A few sticky notes tell her to follow the path on roses. She does as she is told and ends up at Zach’s locker. She was facing his locker, and abruptly turns around, and ends up face to face with Zach.

“Flower, please got o prom with me. Please.” Zach nearly begs Flower.

“Of course Zach.” Flower eagerly answers Zach

Before prom the two go on a few dates, and they have a great time on every date. They still hang out after school a lot like they always did, but they claim that those aren’t dates those are two friends hanging out.

Finally prom comes around and Flower is excited and starts getting ready. She does her hair simply. She has some natural waves with a two wire head band with a big heart on top in her hair. She paints her nails a simple sparkly light blue color. She wears simple jewelry. She keeps on her wrist bands she is constantly wearing. She wears a simple heart choker necklace, simple heart earrings, and a heart charm bracelet. Her dress is a deep blue with a V-neck, while her shoes are bright blue converse.

Zach is excited for prom. He could care less that he is more or less guaranteed to be king. He was happy to be going with Flower, the dance itself he could care less about. His happiness is killed in one moment however when his friend John calls to remind him about the dare. When he is reminded about the dare his heart simply gets crushed. He realized he had to do the dare, not because of anything other than he used his word promising he would do it.

Zach goes to pick up Flower deciding he is going to try to ignore the dare as much as possible and try to have as much fun as he possibly can. When he gets let inside her house he sees Flower running downstairs because she doesn’t want to be the girl that makes their dates wait. When he first sees Flower his heart managed to completely stop, and move at a speed that is so fast he should be dead, at the same time.

“You… You look beautiful. No that isn’t right, you look so much more than beautiful, but no words can describe how gorgeous you look.”

“Thanks Zach.” Flower shyly replies.

Then they leave. Until the dreaded moment they two are having a great time. They totally ignore both of their groups of friends and just spend the time together. To them just being in the same presents as the other was enough to make them happy. To them that night was theirs, and no one else’s. Then the announcement of who was king and queen came on.

“The prom queen is Mady, and the king is Zach! Both of our king and queen please go find your date, and have a dance with them, after you each say a few words of course.”

Mady goes up and thanks everyone for voting for her. She sounded so genuine, and you could tell she was truly thankful, and then she went back to her date Sean who wrapped his arms around her as they listened to what Zach had to say.

Zach begins to speak, and with every word to come out of his mouth his heart sinks and dies, “I never liked Flower. I asked her to the dance because of a… a… a dare.” He finally manages to choke out.

Zach looks at her, and sees all the tears rolls down her face. She is crying so much she could refill all the oceans in the world, and still have some tears left over.

Flower had never been on a date. Flower had never had a guy care about her. Flower never had a guy crush on her. Flower never had loved a guy. Flower had never been in love. Until Zach. Zach changed all of that. She had been on a date. She had a guy care about her. She had a guy crushing on her. She loves someone. She is in love. The thing that she found most funny is the fact she doesn’t regret loving him, because at least now she knows what it is like to love someone, and to feel loved.

Flower runs out of the school as fast as she can the second Zach finishes her announcement. Flower was suddenly so happy she hated heels and that she wore her favorite converse.

Zach throws the crown he received on the ground and runs out of the school as soon as he has finished his announcement. He, however, was farther from the door then Flower so when he runs out he can’t find her. He makes a quick judgment call and goes home and grabs a guitar before driving to Flower’s. The reason he is doing what he is doing is because he knows Flower. Flower is a romantic, and he is going to do one of the most classic romantic things ever done.

Zach arrives at Flower’s and starts throwing rocks at her window. Then her light flickers on. He grabs his guitar and starts to play and sing as he sees a tear-stained Flower approach her window and open it. He sings, “I'm so in love with you
My mind is set on you
This time and every time
I just can't get enough of you
And when I'm stuck at home
They think I'm all alone
Don't know what I would do
If they knew I was here with you
Here with you
I'm here with you
I'm here with you
I'm here with you
I'm here with you
If they knew I was here with you

You came in my life
At time I was down
You colored the world
And turned it around
And I can't believe
It's all that I need
It's true
And I don't wanna fight this

I'm so in love with you
My mind is set on you
This time and every time
I just can't get enough of you
And when I'm stuck at home
They think I'm all alone
Don't know what I would do
If they knew I was here with you

I'm so in love with you
My mind is set on you
This time and every time
I just can't get enough of you
And when I'm stuck at home
They think I'm all alone
Don't know what I would do
If they knew I was here with you

I'm so in love with you (I'm here with you)
My mind is set on you (here with you)
This time and every time
I just can't get enough of you (here with you)
And when I'm stuck at home (here with you)
They think I'm all alone (I'm here with you)
Don't know what I would do (here with you)
If they knew I was here with you”

“What the Heck Zach!” she yells down to him, “I’m so confused!!!”

“Let me explain.”

“I’m coming down don’t move.”

She goes down stairs, and Zach explains everything, every detail to prove to her what he is saying is the truth. She shockingly forgives him. They spend the rest on the night cuddled up in her backyard without saying a word. They are both happy to be together, everything else was irrelevant.

At four in the morning Zach breaks the silence, “I wrote that song about you, ya know?”

“But the beginning is about a poster.”

“The beginning was about a poster, but the part I sung to you I wrote while thinking about you.”

“AW Zach that is so sweet.” She says while turning around in his arms.

Their eyes lock, and their heads move towards each other until their lips touch. Zach grabs her waist and pulls her closer to him. She grabs the back of his neck not letting him pull away from the kiss.

The rest of the weekend they hang out constantly as boyfriend and girlfriend officially. Everything was perfect until Monday.

Monday Zach walks into school with thoughts of Flower, a common occurrence for him, when John comes up to him to congratulate him on a great job at fulfilling the dare. Zach says whatever. Then he sees Flower walk into school and he is about to approach his girlfriend when John stops him by grabbing his shoulder and saying, “What are you doing bro?”

“Going to talk to my girlfriend.”

“Dude but what about you dumping her in front of everyone?”

“I fixed that, now if you excuse me I am going to go to my girlfriend.”

“Oh no. Hold on. You can’t be friends with us and be with her. She is poor and we have money. You have to pick her or us.” He says then he lets go of Zach’s shoulder and walks away.

Zach walks up to Flower while thinking. Before Zach says a word Flower talks, “They are making you choose aren’t they?”

“Yeah…”

“I’m sorry you have to choose Zach, I wish you didn’t have to choose, but unfortunately life just doesn’t roll that way. Let me know when you have decided. I won’t lose any respect for you if you don’t choose me.” She says. Then she kisses his cheek and walks away.

Weeks go by and Zach doesn’t talk to anyone. He ignores his friends, and he doesn’t approach Flower. In an odd way this was good for him, it made him think what does he miss most?

Zach is sitting at home trying to write lyrics when he has a revelation that matches who he misses the most. Flower was never going to make him chose to be with her or them. The guys they made him. If they were really his friends then they wouldn’t have made him chose because that isn’t what real friends do. His band mates Cameron, Michael, and Nathan told him either way they were his friends.

Zach drives straight to Flowers and starts throwing rocks at her window. She walks to her window sees it’s Zach, gives him a one minute finger, then proceeds to run and meet him outside. She was about to ask him what this was all about, and what he decided, but she is cut off by his lips, and she isn’t complaining.

He pulls away and whispers to her, “I chose you. I should have made that choice a lot faster, but those guys were my friends for a long time and---“ Flower takes her hand and puts a finger in front of his lips.

“Shhh. It doesn’t matter. To me all that matters is you chose me in the end.”

Then they kiss.

Tomorrow is the day where Zach will tell John and the others that he chooses Flower and is no longer friends with them, and he isn’t worried. He thinks it will be one of the easiest things he has ever done because he knows his friends won’t be there in ten years, but Flower will be with him in ten years with a wedding ring on her finger.