This choice: A real date? Sounds good • Go Back...Chapter #8Dates That Go and Come by: rugal b.   You're not sure how many times this week you've found yourself thrown completely for a loop but once more you're left stunned. Rachel wants a date, an actual date with movies and popcorn and all of that, with you? Well you'd be an incredibly stupid person to look this gift horse in the mouth wouldn't you? So for once you don't even hesitate in your agreement to the idea. "Yeah," you say though still in a bit of a stupor, "a date tomorrow sounds good."
"Cool! Okay then!" Rachel exclaims. "Then it's... a date, I guess!"
"Yeah," you say nervously. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Right, yeah," she replies. "Um, I'll see you after school?"
As things have been going well however you decide to try again and make up for your embarrassment from earlier today. "Well sure but how about we eat lunch together tomorrow?" you suggest. "I can eat with your friends or you can eat with my friends or, you know, we can eat just the two of us."
Rachel seems a bit taken aback by that however. "Well, I'm not against it really," she states and your heart sinks a bit, "but maybe we should wait until after we see how that movie goes. You know, if it goes well then, like, we can do that."
"How come?"
"I mean you know how it'll probably look to people right? If we start eating lunch together without having ever really talked before?" she asks. "They'll probably start talking about how we're, you know, dating and stuff. And I had fun today but we're not yet, right? But if tomorrow goes well, then..."
She lets the thought hang there and you don't have to be a genius to get what she's implying. Tomorrow's date is going basically make or break your status with her and obviously you want it to go well. So you decide that it's best to not press the issue and agree once more to meet up with her after school. She's happy with that and the two of you then part but not before she gives you a friendly hug which causes you to melt just a bit.
You're definitely feeling on top of the world throughout the rest of the night and into the next day and you can hardly contain your excitement. Even Dorothy pulls you aside when you come in to class the next day and though you can't read her expression she says that she heard from Rachel and wishes you luck. It feels like nothing can get you down.
That is until the end of fourth period when Rachel stops you on the way out.
"Hey," she says quietly. "I know what we... agreed to yesterday. But something came up. Family stuff. I won't be able to make it out today, sorry."
You're left stunned and confused and can do nothing but watch her exit the classroom and disappear into the crowd.
* * * * *
"You ask me," Keith says as he muches on chips, "you got played big time."
You're sitting out in the quad with your usual group as you eat lunch. "The hell is that supposed to mean?" you ask him. "She's the one who invited me to hang out yesterday and she's the one who suggested we go see a movie."
"Yeah and she's the one who told you it ain't happening." Keith looks at you and shakes his head. "Face it, ya got played. She was just playin' a joke on you ya know. Settin' you up just to fuck witchya."
"Tilley you're full of shit," Jenny, who's managed to join you today, retorts.
"How do you know, Ashton?" Keith shoots back. "You her friend or somethin'?"
"Not really and that's got nothing to do with anything anyway. Just because you," she says and points at him for emphasis, "can't get a date doesn't mean your friends can't. Or that every girl's just playing around with other guys."
"Yeah? A'ight then Ashton," he shoots back, "why don't you date Will then?"
"The hell are you doing!?" you ask him. "She's not interested in that!"
"Yeah, I'm not interested in any of you fuckers!" she adds.
"What'd I do?" asks James.
"Nothing!" Jenny responds in a huff.
"I mean it is what it is right?" Carson jumps in. "If things came up then it's not like there's anything anyone can do about it."
"If she's telling the truth," Caleb says and you can basically hear the smirk in his voice. "What? I'm not saying she did but if she did would it really be a surprise? I mean it's this guy and all."
"Gee thanks," you say as you slouch.
"You don't need to be an asshole about it," says Jenny.
"The fuck are you defendin' him so hard for Ashton? Maybe you really do wanna..."
But Keith is stopped by Jenny glaring at him. Hard. She says nothing; she doesn't need to. Her look says it all and after a moment you watch as he slowly starts to back down.
"Right, yeah, whatever. I ain't sayin' nothin'," he finally says. It's like a dog who's gone to the bathroom in the house and knows it's done something bad.
"Look," James finally says to you, "just don't worry about it. Give it a day or two and maybe it'll work itself out."
"You really think that?" you ask.
"I mean maybe she'll try and make it up or maybe she won't," he shrugs. "Either way that'd be working itself out right?"
* * * * *
What you thought was going to be a date for today ends up with you doing much the same thing you do most days. You spend time after school with Caleb and Keith and the rest of the night at home. You're only thankful that you hadn't mentioned anything to your parents previously about a date so they don't say anything about it to you. You don't really think you could deal with the agony of not only having your date canceled but then having your parents grill you about what happened while your mom heaps sympathy. It'd only make you feel worse despite the intentions.
You want to put it out of your mind and just push through Friday as normal with a "whatever happens happens" mindset and hope that the weekend will give you ample time to put any of it behind you. But it seems like the universe wants you to keep thinking about it because when you open your locker when you get to school to grab some books there's a note in there too. You pull it out and notice that it's handwritten and it definitely looks like a girl's. The message though is very direct.
Saw you yesterday and thought you looked cute. Want to meet? Getting lunch at Panera on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there. 
You take the note and show it to Caleb asking him what it is. Caleb, of course, isn't the most helpful person around and seems to focus more attention on snarking at you than offering any real advice. Even when you ask him if he thinks it's real he can do nothing but shrug. Could it be from Rachel? Again however he's no help at all so you're left feeling frustrated by the time you roll into Walberg's class.
"Hey Will," Dorothy says lazily as she strolls up to you just after you've sat down. "You doing good?"
You look over at Caleb who pointedly ignores you in favor of his phone so you're forced to turn back to her. "Yeah," you say, "I'm doing fine."
But you can tell from her expression that she seems to pick up on the lack of enthusiasm in your voice. "Mmm, yeah, well I just wanted to check on you 'cause, like, you know." Her face takes on a sympathetic quality as she speaks.
"You know? About what?" you ask trying to play dumb.
"Rachel, you know. She told me about having to cancel. 'Cause she had a family a commitment," she says. "I didn't know 'till after school otherwise I would've said something to you yesterday."
"Oh, well it's not like that's your fault though," you say in an attempt to reassure her.
"I mean it kind of is though? Like it wouldn't haven even gotten that far if I hadn't made you come out in the first place or anything."
You shrug and wave off her concern as you try to put on a strong appearance; as if you're not actually bothered by what happened. "It's fine, it's not a big deal. Really," you state. "Actually, uh, do you want to hang out again today? After school I mean."
"Oh!" she exclaims in surprise. "Today probably isn't gonna be good. I've got stuff I've gotta do right after school. But, hmm..." She stops and thinks for a moment. "You ever been out to the Warehouse before?"
"Can't say that I have," you answer.
"Okay 'cause, like, I was gonna head out there tonight with some friends and if you wanna come, you know, that'd probably be cool."
"I'd like to," you say as you slouch, "but I've got a curfew for a eleven. My parents are pretty strict about it too."
"That sucks," Dorothy says with a bit of disappointment.
"Well I'll see you Monday though. Maybe we can hang out then?"
"That'd be cool," she says. "Maybe we'll run into each other this weekend too, who knows? You got anything going on?"
You briefly consider showing her the note you'd found in your locker but decide against it. "Not really, probably just hanging around," you say.
"Same," she replies. "Well I guess I better get in my seat before the Walrus starts getting antsy. I'll see you on Monday."
The rest of class goes off like normal and outside of her giving you a brief goodbye you don't get a chance to talk to Dorothy again. In fourth period Rachel gives you a terse hello but doesn't mention anything else so probably that note wasn't from her you realize with a sinking feeling. You take lunch with your usual crew though minus Jenny again with James saying that she texted him to say she wasn't feeling well and was going to see the nurse (everyone shudders thinking of the haggard Nurse Diesel, as the nickname goes).
As you're eating and talking with everyone else though your mind continues to go back to that note. It's probably bullshit but you wonder if you should go where it mentioned on Saturday and see if anyone shows up.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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