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Chapter Text

Jake swings his legs back and forth underneath the table. His mom sets a birthday cake down onto it. Jake wanted blue icing, but his mom didn't have enough money to get the extra food colouring, so it's white. Jake doesn't complain, obviously. A lot of kids, even at his school, on his street, are worse off them him. He blows out the candles, 13 of them. His mom claps, and wishes him a happy birthday.
"Mom?" Asks Jake.
"Yes, darling?"
"Next year can I have a birthday party?"
"Maybe," replies his mom. "It depends how we're doing." Jake knows this means whether his father comes back, whether they have enough money, whether Jake has any friends to invite. He jumps up in excitement anyways, because a "maybe" is better than a "no" or an "I don't think so, honey".

The next day, Jake goes to school with one goal in mind; find friends. He looks around his classroom, trying to see each of the kids in a new light. 13 year old Rosa Diaz, wearing a leather jacket that she's somehow managed to find to fit on her tiny form, and a scowl. Terry, who's very positive and always seems to be doing the disco, and his older brother, who Jake tends to avoid. Teachers' pet Amy Santiago. She's the complete opposite of Jake. Jake forgets his homework; Amy remembers hers. Jake trips over his shoelaces; Amy's shoes are tied neatly in a bow every day. Jake keeps his hair shaggy, and constantly has to brush it out of his face; Amy's hair is always in a neat ponytail, no strands out of place. Gina Linetti is Jake's age, but she seems somehow, much more childish, and much more adult. She wears bright, flamboyant clothes, to go with her pale skin and shining hair. There are some other kids in Jake's class: sly but charismatic Doug Judy, awful Warren Pembroke, strangely intense Adrien Pimento, but they don't seem as accessible.

Jake goes home and writes down on a paper all the people and their personalities. He swings his legs under the table, and rests his forehead on his arms, trying to choose someone. He decides to befriend Gina first. He writes down things Gina likes: fashion, her iPhone, nail polish... Nail polish! There's something Jake knows about, from hanging around at the drugstore too often, buying chocolate bars and soda pop.

The next day, he strikes up a conversation. Gina is wearing coral pink nail polish. Jake turns around in his chair to face her during math class.
"Hey," he says. She stares at him.
"Is that Coral Palms?" He asks.
"My nail polish?"
"Yeah," replies Jake.
"It is. How did you know? You got a sister or something?" Asks Gina.
"Um..." Jake stutters. "My, uh, cousin really likes nail polish." It's not his best excuse, but it's better then 'I hang around at the drug mart a lot'.
"Cool." Says Gina. "Do you have a favourite colour?"
"Yeah," replies Jake, smiling. "Rose red." Gina lets out a short laugh.
"I can imagine it on you." She says, snorting.
"Hey!" Jake says, mock offended.
"Guys," calls out the teacher. "You have to pay attention. They aren't going to be so forgiving in high school." Jake straightens in his seat.

At the end of the class, Gina hands Jake a note. Want to go to the drug store tonight and look at nail polishes? it reads. Jake gives Gina a thumbs up.

Jake waits on the rocks outside of school, swinging his legs back and forth. He's short for his age, and the tips of his running shoes can barely touch the ground. He fidgets with a pencil, biting it, then spinning it around aimlessly in his hands. Gina walks out of the building, in a way that Jake can only describe as glamorous. Rosa is following her. Rosa's hair is in pigtails, and her boots clomp loudly on the cement.
"I brought Rosa," Gina says, gesturing behind her.
"Hey," says Rosa.
"Uh, hi." Jake waves awkwardly.
"Let's go." Gina starts along the sidewalk to the drug store. It's fall, and Jake can feel the cold air hitting his face. He's sure his cheeks are red, because he can see that Rosa's are, but somehow Gina's skin is flawless. He wonders if she wears makeup, and how long it takes to put on. Then he starts wondering if the other girls in his grade wear makeup. He's pretty sure Rosa doesn't, and Amy might, but Jake thinks she seems too focused on academics for anything extra.

Rosa walks quickly. Very quickly, Jake notices, as he walks double time to keep up. His shoes make no noise, Rosa's boots stomp, and he thinks Gina is wearing heels because he can hear them clicking behind him.
"Jake." Rosa acknowledges him catching up to her.
"Hey Rosa," he replies.
"How's school?" Jake assumes this is her attempt at being friendly, and that's when he realizes it's all in the tone of voice.
"Good, I'm doing well."
"That's good, I guess." She tightens her pigtails, and pulls a pocket knife out of the pocket of her jacket. Jake recoils.
"Woah! You can't have knives at school!"
"Sure I can."
"No you can't! It's against the law!"
"It's only a pocket knife."
"Gina!" Calls Jake, turning around but still walking. Rosa snickers.
"Gina! Are you allowed to have a pocket knife at school?"
"Nah." Gina replies, inspecting her nails. "But it's not like anyone cares. Why?"
"Rosa has one," Jake says. Gina gasps.
"Ooh! Can I see?"
"No. Nothing." Rosa puts the knife back in her coat.
"Oh!" Says Jake. "We're here."
"Why did you drag me here again Gina?" Asks Rosa.
"To look at nail polish." Rosa groans.
"I knew it was something I'd hate." Jake suddenly feels very uncomfortable.
"We can, you know, leave if you'd like." He offers.
"No," says Rosa, "you came here to look at nail polish, go look at nail polish."
"Uh, okay."
"Jake, come on." Gina leads him over to the polishes, and picks out a shade of magenta. "Which colour should I buy? Rosa is too badass for nail polish, and Amy is too obsessed with school and dumb stuff like that." Jake points to a shade of shimmering turquoise.
"That one," he says.
"Oh. Why?" Gina asks.
"Uh, cause it would look nice with your hair." Gina's hair is a shining shade of orangey-brown. She keeps it in light waves that cascade down her back. They contrast sharply to Rosa's dark bushy pigtails, and Amy's slicked back ponytail. Gina smiles.
"Thanks." She says.

They buy the nail polish. As they're leaving, they see Doug Judy, from their class. He points at them and waves. He appears to be mouthing "Ayyyyy". Jake waves back, and Gina smirks.

Jake run-skips all the way home. When his mom asks him what he's so happy about, he simply grins, and replies, "Friends, mom. I have friends." Jake Peralta tucks himself into bed completely happy that night.

Chapter Text

The next day, when Jake goes to school, he sits beside Gina and Rosa. He waves, awkwardly.
"Hey," says Gina. Rosa nods at him. Jake takes this as a victory. During roll call, Jake gets in trouble for giggling at one of Gina's jokes.
"Want to go to the drugstore again after school?" Asks Gina at recess. "I need some nail polish remover, and Rosa probably needs some boot polish or a knife or something." Rosa nods.
"Actually, I need some leaves for my room. Autumn decoration." She says, staring at Gina and Jake. Gina gives her a funny look.
"Cool!" Says Jake, a little too enthusiastically. "I mean, like, whatever." He sighs. Being cool, for him, is a lost cause.

At lunch, he sits beside Amy.
"Um, hi," he says.
"Hey," replies Amy, not looking up from her math papers. She tucks a strand of hair that's fallen out of her tight ponytail behind her ear, and continues writing.
"Uh, I'm going to the drugstore after school with Gina, and uh, Rosa. I wondered if you wanted to come?" Amy's eyes widen, barely noticeable.
"Totally!" She says, stifling a grin. Jake looks at her, and he can't stop staring at her hair. It's so shiny, and perfect. He pulls his eyes away from it, opens his backpack, and pulls out his lunch: a ham sandwich, a cheese stick, and an apple. He looks at Amy's lunch. She has a container of broccoli and carrots, lasagna, and a brownie.
"You have a brownie," says Jake. "Lucky."
"Ugh," replies Amy. "I hate brownies."
"Wanna trade?" Asks Jake.
"Sure."
"I'll trade you my apple for your brownie."
"Sweet!" Amy pumps her fist, then quickly goes back to writing. "You can switch them," she says.
"Are you going to, you know, eat at all?" Asks Jake.
"Maybe," replies Amy. "It depends if I finish this sheet."
"You should really eat," Says Jake.
"I'm busy," Amy says, her voice cracking. "Just, let me work, okay?"
"Okay, sorry."

Jake meets up with Gina and Rosa by the front of the school at 3:45. Gina smirks.
"You're bringing Amy?" She asks incredulously, when Jake tells her.
"Yeah," replies Jake.
"You have a crush on her?" Asks Gina.
"No!" Jake replies quickly. He thinks about her shiny hair, and her pink cheeks, and how quickly she wrote. "Maybe." Gina giggles. Just then, Amy walks out of the building.
"Hey," she says. She's wearing a beige fall jacket, and deep brown leather boots. They match her eyes, Jake thinks. Jake thought Rosa walked fast, but she's nothing compared to Amy. In fact, Jake thinks the two girls are having some sort of silent, unspoken competition. When Amy speeds up her walking, Rosa almost runs until she's ahead of Amy, and then Amy takes advantage of Rosa's overconfidence, and speeds ahead. Jake sometimes feels like he notices everything. Like the strange feeling that goes on when Rosa and Adrian enter a room. Jake almost wonders if they used to date. Or how Gina always makes snarky comments whenever anyone has emotions. How Rosa almost doesn't seem to feel anything. Jake sometimes wonders if he sucked up everyone else's ability to feel things, and now he feels them ten times more deeply than a normal 13 year old boy. Then he usually thinks about something else, because that's too deep, and he needs to calm his brain down.
"Jake," he hears Gina say. "Jake. You with us?" Jake shakes his head, and looks around. They're at the drugstore.
"Sorry," he says. "I guess I kinda zoned out there." Gina leads them all inside the store, and to the nail polish section. She picks out a bottle of nail polish remover, and a bag of cotton balls.
"Do you need anything Rosa?" She asks.
"Yeah," Rosa grunts in reply. Jake follows her to the Halloween section, where Rosa picks out a garland of autumn leaves and berries. Jake grabs himself and Amy two chocolate bars, and they all sit on the bench outside the drugstore in the cold autumn wind. He hands Amy the chocolate bar.
"You didn't need to get me one," she says.
"It's fine," replies Jake, grinning. He can see Gina behind Amy, making a heart with her hands. He rolls his eyes at her, and reaches around Amy to poke her in the arm.
"How was school?" Asks Amy, anxious to break the silence.
"It was pretty good. I think I failed math though," says Jake.
"Sure Jake, you did better than me anyways," laughs Gina.
"Nah, you were way faster. Besides, it doesn't matter, Amy's going to beat us all anyways," replies Jake.
"Math isn't a competition, you realize that, right guys?" Asks Amy.
"Listen, everything's a competition at school Amy. They're always watching," says Jake.
"And they're always grading," replies Gina. Amy actually looks kinda freaked out for a second, until Jake and Gina start laughing. Any pulls a mock angry face, and flicks them both in the shoulder. This just makes them laugh even more, and Jake thinks he even sees Rosa crack a smile. When they finally stop laughing, they simply sit in contented silence. Jake traces the profile of Amy's face with his eyes, trying to commit every detail to memory before it's too late for 13 year olds to be out, and he has to go home. She's so pretty, he thinks, prettier than any other girl he's seen. Her cheeks are red from the cold, and her hands have disappeared into her jacket. Jake is also trembling slightly, due to the fact that it is brisk out, as his mother would say, and he's only wearing a blue hoodie and a leather jacket. He puts his hood up, and catches Amy staring at him. She quickly turns her head the other way.
"I'm cold," says Gina loudly. "Is anyone else cold?"
"I'm cold," says Jake. "Also it's probably time for me to get home."
"I'll go too," Amy says. "My house is in the same direction as yours, Jake." Jake can see Gina smirking, but he rolls his eyes, and turns away.
"Cool," Jake says to Amy. "Let's go."
They turn, and walk down the road, Amy's boots crunching in the fall leaves.

Chapter Text

"Jake," says Gina, poking him on the shoulder. "Drugstore today?"
"Totally," replies Jake. Gina nods at Rosa and mouths the words "drugstore".
"I can bring Amy, yeah?" Asks Jake.
"Fine," Gina snort-laughs, and gives a sly smile. Jake punches her in the arm.
"Ouch!" Yelps Gina.
"Guys," says their teacher. "Quiet down back there."
"Sorry," chorus Jake and Gina. Jake looks across the room at Amy. She's quietly writing in her notebook, no doubt taking notes on what the teacher is saying. Jake is pretty certain he's going to have to ask to use them later, and he thanks his lucky stars that she has such neat handwriting.

After math, he meets Amy in the hallway.
"Amy," he says. "Do you want to come to the drugstore after school with me and Gina and Rosa?"
"Sure," she replies, quickly adding, "and it's Rosa, Gina, and I. The other people always go before you in a list." Jake rolls his eyes.
"Whatever, weirdo."
"You're the weirdo!"
"Okay," Jake quirks the side of his mouth up in a strange half smile that makes Amy giggle. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and tightens her ponytail. Jake takes an extra step so that their feet are matching, hitting the ground at the same time. He looks down and sees that she's careful not to step on any cracks. Pretty, he thinks. She's pretty.

When they're at the drugstore they see Doug Judy. He waves, and smiles, his cheeks growing rounder.
"Hey guys!" He shouts from across the store. Amy and Jake wave at him, while Rosa nods, and Gina straight-up ignores him. He skip-hops over.
"What're you guys getting here?"
"Chocolate," Jake says.
"Awesome! Well, I'm just leaving," replies Doug, running towards the front of the store. Gina rolls her eyes at him.
"Nerd." She says. Jake carefully selects a mint aero from the shelf, and just as he's about to go to the register to pay, the store alarm goes off.
"Hey!" Shouts the man at the front of the store. "Who was that? One of you kids?" They shake their heads. Gina gasps suddenly, and leans in.
"It was Doug," she says. Jake drops his chocolate bar and they run for the front entrance. He can see Doug Judy a block away.
"Run!" He shouts to the others. "We can get him." Jake runs for two blocks, slowly catching up. Everyone else is out of breath by then, but somehow Jake still has enough energy to keep going. Gina collapses first, falling gracefully onto a bench. Then Amy drops out of the chase. Rosa lasts almost as long as Jake, but eventually she slows down, her too-big boots weighing down her feet. Jake grabs Doug by the shoulder.
"Doug Judy!" He shouts. "Give it back! Whatever you stole, give it back!"
"I didn't steal nothing," Doug says, indignantly.
"I know it was you," Jake says. "Now give it back or I'll get Rosa to come beat you up." Doug's eyes widen. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out 3 chocolate bars. Rosa and Amy come running up beside Jake.
"Ha!" Says Rosa triumphantly. She snatches the chocolate bars from Doug, and runs back towards the store to return them.
"Don't. Do. That. Again." Jake says firmly, and Amy purses her lips. Jake lets Doug go, and he runs off. Jake and Amy walk slowly back towards the drug store.
"That was... Actually kinda fun," Jake says, smiling.
"I had fun too," Amy says, closing her eyes for a second. Jake smiles softly at her while she's not looking, and sighs.

The next day at school, there's a new kid, Corey Park. He tells them to call him Savant.
"What is 'Savant?'" Jake asks him at lunch.
"My online name," replies Savant, running a hand through his jet-black hair.
"What do you do online?" Asks Jake.
"Programming, mostly. Sometimes I hack into stuff, if I'm really super bored."
"Can you hack into anywhere?"
"Just about."
"That's pretty cool."
"Yeah, I'm pretty cool."

"Who's Amy Santiago?" Asks Savant.
"Just a friend," replies Jake.
"Just... A friend?" Asks Savant.
"What do you know about me and Amy?"
"Uh... You doodled her name about a thousand times on the notes you gave me to study with." Jake curses in his head.
"Do you like her?" Asks Savant. Jake shrugs.
"Yeah," he says. "Don't tell anyone else."
"So she's just a friend," says Savant.
"For now," Jake replies, looking wistfully at Amy. She's chatting with Gina and Rosa, and she takes off her bag, rooting around in it for some paper or something.

"Do you like Jake?" Asks Gina, on the other side of the playground. Amy looks at him, and shrugs.
"I don't know," she says. "I guess he's kinda cute." Rosa curls her lip.
"Ew," she says. "I'm going." She gets up and leaves. Gina slouches towards Amy.
"Do you think he likes you?" She asks. Amy blushes bright red.
"Uh, I don't really know," she says.
"Do you wish he did?" Asks Gina.
"Maybe. Yes. A little. I mean, I'm confused!" Amy says, ducking her head down, and smiling despite her embarrassment. Gina giggles at her obvious discomfort.
"Okay watermelon, I'm done questioning ya."
"Watermelon, really?"
"Yeah, watermelon."

Jake really likes Amy. Like, a lot. He could make a list of things he likes about her: how clever she is, how she always tucks one strand of hair behind her ear, then tightens her ponytail, how she crosses her legs under her desk, and how she bites her lip when she's doing something complicated. Jake kinda wants to hug her. Or date her. Or something.

The four of them sit on the bench outside the drugstore after school.
"We should catch criminals more often," says Jake.
"Totally!" Replies Amy.
"I guess," says Rosa, nodding. Gina simply rolls her eyes and smiles.
"We need... A team name," says Jake.
"Oh no," replies Gina.
"Wait, I have the perfect one," says Amy. "Nine-nine. The street number of the drugstore. Nine-nine."
"Perfect," replies Jake. "Nine-nine!"
"Nine-nine!" They all say, grinning.

Chapter Text

Jake is sitting leaned against Gina, with his arm around her. Gina is leaned against Amy, who's leaned against Rosa, who's leaned against the side of a tree. Jake can hear the scratch of Amy's pencil and she finishes her homework, and the wind, which is getting colder as it gets closer to winter, is biting his cheeks. Rosa's leg is bouncing, and Gina's teeth are chattering.
"Gina," says Jake. "You should have worn a jacket."
"Shh," replies Gina. "I haven't found the right one yet. It needs to be showy, yet... Elegant." Her hands move around in the air as she talks, displaying her thoughts in front of her.
"Short, and warm," says Rosa. "That's my ideal jacket."
"I'd like a grey one, or a blue one," says Amy. "Maybe with flowers."
"I think American Girl has clothes like that," says Gina.
"Hey!" Says Amy. Jake laughs.
"Calm down, guys."
"I was just poking some fun," says Gina. "No big deal. Hey, do you guys want to go to the drugstore instead of hanging around at school after school?"
"Smort," says Jake. "School sucks."
"Why do you study so hard then?" Asks Amy.
"Duh, cause I want to be a detective when I grow up," replies Jake. "And you have to be smart to be a detective."
"Guys," says Rosa. "Let's go."
"Oh, yeah," says Jake.

"Rosa?" Asks Jake, on the way to the drugstore.
"Yeah?" She replies.
"What's your last name?" Rosa thinks for a minute.
"Goldfinch," she says.
"No, it's not," replies Jake. "I know because your name comes before James Edward on the attendance, and G comes after E."
"Good detective work," says Rosa. "It's Diaz."
"Rosa Diaz," Jake replies, feeling the name out in his mouth. "That's a nice name."
"Tell anyone else and I'll punch you," she says. Jake inadvertently takes a step back. "Okay. Violence isn't the answer." He says, somewhat sarcastically.
"Violence is always the answer."

Jake thinks about his friends a lot. Mainly about the fact that their all girls, and he's not. Jake decides it just kinda happened that way, and he does like all his friends. He likes how sassy Gina is, and also how fabulous she is. He likes how Rosa will stand up to people, and how sometimes she's funny without even meaning to be. He likes how hard Amy works at school, and how organized she is, and how she won't hesitate to tease him if it's necessary. She's also pretty. Like really pretty. Jake thinks that even if she shaved her head she'd still be pretty. One day, he thinks, one day I'll get up the courage to ask her out.

This week, Jake thinks everything is good. His friends are happy, and they like him, and he likes them. Even Rosa seems happy. He's doing pretty well in school, mostly because Amy is helping him study, and that means he gets to see her more.

"Jake," she asks. "Studying today?"
"Sure," replies Jake. They walk home together, Jake squishing underneath his scarf to hide from the piercing cold air.
"Why do you always keep your hair in a ponytail?" Asks Jake.
"What? Oh," replies Amy, touching her hair. "I don't know, I just do. I suppose it's the easiest."
"This is kinda a weird request," Jake says, "but when we get to my house, can I braid it? Your hair?"
"Uh, sure, why?"
"Well I've only ever braided my mom's hair, and it was kind of a joke when I was little, and I want to see if I'm still any good at it."
"Sounds fun!" Says Amy.

They get to Jake's house, and Amy sits down cross legged on the floor. Jake sits down behind her, and grabs a brush off the coffee table. He takes her hair out of the ponytail she has it in, and brushes it down, creating a part. Her hair is dark and shiny, and it smells nice, like strawberries, Jake notices. He wonders what shampoo she uses. He takes her hair, and splits it into three groups, then crosses one into the middle, then the other into the middle, and so on. Amy can feel his hands in her hair, and she's actually quite enjoying it. He finishes the braid, tying it off with a pink hair elastic. Amy looks in the mirror.
"It looks really nice." She says. From then on, Jake braids Amy's hair every day after school.

Then, Jake gets in a fight. Or rather, some boys are rude about Amy and Rosa, and how Jake is only friends with girls. The boys call them "dirty Mexicans" and "go back from where you came". Jake punches them each in the nose, like they deserve, and he gets suspended. He does, not them, for being racist, or rude, he gets suspended. For a month. A whole month. And he's not allowed to see anyone from school. And he might have to go to a whole different school. It depends, on whether he behaves. He collects his stuff from his desk, and hugs Gina and Rosa. He needs to talk to Amy. He needs to tell her... Tell her something. How he feels. Maybe. Then he sees Amy, waiting for him outside the school.
"Hey," he says. "I thought you might've gone home already."
"No, I was waiting for you," she says. "Thanks for sticking up for us." She smiles, and her hands reach up to touch her hair nervously.
"Look, I don't want to be a jerk," says Jake. "You probably don't feel this way, but I kinda wish something could happen between us. You know, romantic style-z, and I wanted to tell you because I might not see you again for a long night time, and I might be moving schools. So, I'm sorry for dropping this on you." Amy's expression is vulnerable, and tender. He waves goodbye, and walks away, carrying his box of school supplies. Amy closes her eyes and turns in the opposite direction. Goodbye Jake, she thinks. I like you too.

Chapter Text

Amy really misses Jake. Like, A LOT. She didn't think she would, it's just a month after all, but then Jake dropped what Gina would call a "truth-bomb". He likes her. In every class, she mulls it over in her head, mouthing the words silently. Romantic style-z. Moving schools. Suspended. The words drop like sledgehammers in her mind. She sits outside with Rosa and Gina after school everyday. She hasn't told them what Jake said before he left, and they just think she's kinda bummed.

"I gotta go," says Rosa, one chilly November day.
"What, why?" Asks Gina. "Do you have other friends? How?" Rosa shakes her head.
"Shut up. No. I just..."
"Yeah?"
"I just have to," Rosa says, walking backwards away from them, onto the field. She turns around and breaks into a run.
"Amy, let's go," says Gina, grabbing her wrist.
"What, where?" Asks Amy.
"Duh, to follow Rosa. Don't you wanna know what she's doing?"
"Uh, not really," replies Amy.
"Whatever! You're coming." Gina grabs Amy by the wrist and tugs her in the direction Rosa ran.
"There she is," whispers Gina. Amy can see Rosa's hair disappearing behind the side of the school. Gina silently sneaks around behind her, to the side of the school and peeks around the corner. She gasps.
"Amy," she whispers. "Look."
"What is it?" Amy groans. Gina presses a finger to Amy's lips, and Amy shakes her head.
"Get off!" She says.
"Just look!" Gina replies.
"Fine." Amy sticks her head around the corner, and she gasps too. It's Rosa, and the kid from her class, Adrien Pimento, and he's kissing her.
"Run!" Whisper-shouts Gina, giggling violently. They sprint back to the field, collapsing from exhaustion and giddiness. Gina doubles over in laughter.
"Kissing," she wheezes. "They were kissing!" Even Amy can't help but crack a smile.
"I didn't even know Rosa had emotions!" She says.
"I know, right? And for Adrien?" Replies Gina.
"What does she see in him?"
"Maybe... His hair?" They start giggling again.
"Or his winning personality," Amy replies. Suddenly, Rosa comes around the corner. Amy and Gina immediately straighten up, stifling their giggles. Rosa nods at them.
"'Sup," she says.
"Nothing much," replies Gina, a hand over her mouth. "What's up with you?"
"Not much. Just needed some, uh, pens."
"Did you get any pens?" Asks Amy.
"Uh, I couldn't find any." Gina pokes Amy again, and they dissolve into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Asks Rosa.
"Nothing," says Amy between giggles. Then, Rosa gets it.
"You spied on me!" She cries. "You saw me with Adrien. You know."
"It's not a big deal, Rosa," says Gina.
"It is to me!" She says. "I actually... Care about him." She grimaces. "I don't want to mess this up so just, don't talk about it, okay?"
"Okay," replies Amy.
"Deal," says Gina.
"Promise?" Asks Rosa.
"Nine-nine." Says Amy, putting her hand in.
"Nine-nine!" They chorus.

She meets this boy at her after school math class. Teddy, he says his name is. Amy knows him from kindergarten, but to everyone else, he's a stranger. From the first minute, Amy can tell he likes her. He gives her all these googly eyes, and his smile softens when he sees her. At recess they talk about studying techniques, and math camp. He's a school nerd, like her. Amy decides she needs to get over Jake, so when he asks her on a date, she accepts. They go to the park, and he buys her hot chocolate. It's pretty cute, she thinks. Sparks aren't exactly flying, but she has a good time. He appreciates her binder organization, and she admires his spotless desk.
She asks him on another date, because she needs someone to hang out with, she needs to stop thinking about Jake, and Teddy is kind, and nice, and... Suitable. Even though she's only in grade 9, Amy realizes that shouldn't be the first word that comes to mind when you think of a boyfriend. She still does all the girlfriend stuff though. She hugs him everyday after school, Gina and Rosa make fun of her, she even kisses him a few times on the cheek, and once on the mouth. She's not really that into it, but she knows he is. There's also the Pokemon cards. He's OBSESSED with Pokemon cards. He has all of them, Amy thinks. He keeps them organized, with different coloured elastic bands. He can tell her about the most powerful ones, and the cutest ones, and the useless ones. Amy doesn't really care, but she indulges him, because he's her boyfriend. So she lives a life of contentment, with her suitable boyfriend. She sees Adrien and Rosa, and they seem to have so much more, even if they're kinda... Intense, for ninth graders. Making out and stuff. Amy can hear Charles Boyle in her head saying 'frenching'. She rolls her eyes, and secretly wishes she could have a relationship like that, full of passion. But slowly, ever so slowly, she falls for Teddy. He's like her: organized, tidy, nerdy about school stuff. They clean their desks together, and the teacher almost catches them kissing. There's a strict "no couples" policy at her school. She's never gotten in trouble, but Rosa and Adrien have, many times. Amy and Teddy hold hands at lunch, and they share a sandwich while Gina groans. Amy can hear her singing under her breath.
"Oh-oh, I'm alone for life," sings Gina.
"I'm sure you're not," replies Amy.
"Sure," says Gina. "Sure."
Now when they kiss, it's almost like Adrien and Rosa, almost that much passion. But even though Amy is happy, she can't get the scene of Jake Peralta staring at her, shrugging slightly, then turning away, out of her head. She needs to forget, she needs to be happy, for a month, maybe longer. So Teddy will do. He's a bit more than suitable now, in Amy's head. He's good, a good, solid boyfriend. And that's what Amy needs right now.