DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

4/4

"No!" Dustin hollered defiantly, continuing to pace aggressively back and forth across the redhead's bedroom. "I can sleep when I'm dead. Or when Jasper is back from the hospital."

Ruby just rolled her eyes, grumbling in annoyance and disappearing downstairs. "Well if you're not gonna sleep, I'm gonna at least try. Goodnight!"

Dustin ignored the obvious irritation in the Marrow sibling's voice. He was too busy fighting back tears, his throat clenching as sobs piled up in his esophagus. He was worried beyond belief, unable to stop thinking of the agonized screams he had heard over his walkie. The screams that belonged to his best friend.

He had almost lost her again. And this time, there would've been no hoping. There would've been no bicycle lights flickering or cars suddenly moving at the speed of snails. There would've been just total emptiness, and Dustin's world would've been incomplete forever.

He couldn't live like this anymore. With their lives constantly at risk, Dustin couldn't be afraid of being honest with his best friend anymore.

Sometime during his frenzied pacing, Dustin had collapsed onto Jasper's bed, trapped in a deep sleep. He woke hours later to a harsh rapping of knuckles against wood, and he let out a confused gasp as he instantly sat up straight like a board. His vision took a few seconds to focus, but his entire body grew cold with shock when he saw Jasper Hopper, his best friend and biggest crush (since he was being honest with himself), leaning in the doorway.

"Well," she sighed, holding out her bandaged arms to him. "I look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, now, but—Hey! That actually rhymes with my name!" She laughed, amused at her own comment.

Dustin's lips parted open in an 'o' shape, and he sprang to his feet with one massive leap. He rushed forward, charging towards his best friend and not stopping until his face was only a few centimeters away from hers. Jasper glanced up at him, noting the surprise filled in his speechless face.

"Hi." She uttered, a slight smirk spreading on her face.

Dustin didn't respond. Instead, his hands flew up to cup her cheeks as he leaned down and pressed his lips furiously against hers.

Jasper didn't respond at first, her body paralyzed with shock, but she recovered in seconds and began kissing him back. Their lips seemed to melt into one another's, and Dustin, unsure of what to do with his hands, began to run them through the short strands of Jasper's hair. Jasper's heart seemed to leap from her chest as she kissed her best friend, her own fingers brushing through Dustin's curls. The curls she had loved and dearly missed so much.

They finally pulled away, gasping for air. Dustin thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head as he gawked at his best friend, a sensation of electricity seeming to buzz on his lips.

"Admit it," Jasper panted happily, a giggle falling from her mouth. "You have wanted to do that...for so...long!"

Dustin found himself giggling too, his face burning red with slight embarrassment but mostly, joy. "Will you let me do it again?"

Jasper inched forward, the tips of her sneakers touching the tips of Dustin's. She peered up at Dustin, and he could've sworn he saw stars in her brilliant blue eyes. "No," she snorted, causing the hazy smile to fall from Dustin's face. "You kiss like a frog."