**Back at the House**
"So" Karen and Brian said at the same time.
"You go first" Brian said chuckling nervously.
"Ok, umm, What's up?" Karen said quietly.
"A lot of things. Look Karen, I know you don't wanna hear this right now but we have to talk about this now-"
"Please Brian, Listen to me, I don't wanna hear this-"
"No, YOU listen to me." he said raising his voice,"All the other girls have forgiven us except you. Now I don't know if you're not forgiving us because it's me asking for your forgivness or your just plain stubborn! We just did that stuff at the hotel because we wanted to find out if you girls had crushes on us and most important of all for me to find out if you like me because I really like you and I want you to go out with me!"
At that point Karen grew very quiet and surprised,"What did you say?"
Brian got up from the couch and sat down next to her on the couch she was on. He put his hand to her cheek, "Karen, Will you go out with me?"
**At the mall**
The boys were in their disguises roaming around the mall with the girls. Since everybody was fighting about where to go, they split up. Nick and Maryann; Howie, Kevin and Latoya; & Jamie and AJ split up together.
**With Howie, Kevin, and Latoya**
They went into a store that specailized in bathing suits. Kevin picked out a black and white bathing suit, Howie picked up a red and brown bathing suit, but Latoya couldn't find any and was still trying some on. Kevin and Howie were waiting outside the Girls' dressing room for Latoya. "Jesus! How long does it take a girl to pick a bathing suit?" Kevin sighed.
"I heard that!" Latoya yelled from the dressing room.
"Shut up Kevin, picking out a bathing suit could be really hard though" Howie said.
Finally Latoya came out, "I found one!" she shrieked.
"Thank god" Kevin said playing around.
"Shut up" Latoya said playfully smacking him in the arm. Went they got out of the store, she noticed that girls were giving her dirty looks. Two girls ran up to them and quietly asked the boys for autographs. Latoya quietly walked away from them to avoid being noticed. That reminded her of the article in the Teen Bop magazine."Oh shit! I just remembered, I have to tell the guys something when we get home!"
**With AJ and Jamie**
AJ and Jamie were running around the mall playfully flirting with eachother. They went into a store and looked around the bathing suit section. AJ picked up a see-through bathing suit and showed it to Jamie,"I think this bathing suit would look really good on you."
"HaHa, very funny" she said sarcastically.
"You know, I haven't gone to the mall and had as much fun as this before" AJ said.
"Yeah, I've never had this much fun with a boy before in a long time."
"So..do you have a boyfriend?"
"No, do you have a girlfriend?
"No, so if you don't have a boyfriend and I don't have a girlfriend, then what do you think we should do?" AJ asked giving her hints.
"I don't know, what what do you think we should do?" Jamie asked getting the hint.
"I think we should do this" AJ said as he pressed his lips to to her's.
**Back at the House
"Yes," Karen said quietly, "I will."
Brian was so overwhelmed with happiness that he did something that he thought he would never be able to do. He brushed his lips against her's. Karen responded quickly as she turned the kiss into a very passionante kiss. Then they broke away. "Wow" was all that Karen could say.
"Yeah, wow" Brian said breathless.
"You wanna try it again?" Karen asked teasingly.
"Yeah" Brian said loudly and they started to make out.
(**Kn: CAAH-CHING!)
**With Nick and Maryann**
Nick and Maryann were in a store looking for bathing suits. Nick was following Maryann holding the bathing suits she was going to try on. When she was done, she took the bathing suits from Nick. "I'm gonna go try these on, Did you go pick out one yet?"
"Yeah," Nick said,"I already paid for it. I also got one for Brian."
"Ok, I'm gonna go in the dressing room" she said and left. Nick watched her from behind as she walked to the dressing room. A few minutes later, she called him. "NICK?"
"Yes?"
"Can you come in here? I need an opinion"
"Ok" Nick stuttered as he walked into the dressing room.
"Alright Nick, I need your opinion on this bathing suit. This is the last one I'm trying on" she walked out of the stall in a aqua and white one piece bathing suit.
Nick couldn't take his eyes off of her,"Um...I.....I..I think you look fine" he stuttered while blushing.
"I think this makes me look fat"
"No, it dosen't. You're beautiful just the way you are and you're not fat" Nick said not even thinking about what he just said.
"You really mean that? Wow, nobody has ever said that to me before. Not even Stevin"
Nick was floating on Cloud 9 until he heard Stevin's name,"Oh yeah, him" Nick said disgustingly.
"I know, the last time I was at the mall was when I broke up with him. But now he's history. I have faint feelings for him and they're fading very fast."
Nick was happy when he heard that,"That's good, you deserve a better man." 'Like me' he thought.
"Yeah" 'Maybe like you' she thought. Even though Maryann's feelings were fading for Stevin, feelings were growing ever stronger for another man, Nick.
**10 minutes later- In the car on the way home**
The ride was silent on the way home nobody talked until they got out of the car and opened the front door, where they saw Karen and Brian in the couch making out with eachother.
"YES IT WORKED....I'M THE NUMBER ONE CUPID." Maryann yelled outloud when she saw the site of all the attention.
Everyone stared at her, even Karen & Brian, as she cheered 'I'm the #1 Cupid' with her eyes closed.
When she opened her eyes, she focused on the new center of attention, herself.
To Chapter 22
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