Derek

Getting Hannah to go on a date with me wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I asked her and she said yes. I didn’t have to coerce her or even ask multiple times – she just said yes. ‘This might be easier than I thought’ I remember thinking as I bounded down the hall excitedly to my English class after asking her out. I stayed home from school sick the next day but when I came back it had returned to how it used to be. She didn’t talk to me, not even to say hi. She was a little different. When I asked where my math book was she said

“Oh, here” and handed it to me instead of just pointing but that was about the only change. I was starting to have second thoughts and my friends all sensed it, but I pretended not to know what they were talking about. Thursday my suspicion changed again when she agreed to finalize our plans for that night and let me drive her home. She was shy at first but as we got closer to her house she opened up a little bit. I realized more than anything she’s just shy. She isn’t anti-social or any of the other terms the cheerleaders labeled people who weren’t exactly like them. She just needs the opportunity for conversation presented to her she can’t create it on her own.

These thoughts all raced through my head as I stood in front of the mirror Thursday afternoon adjusting the collar of my shirt. Deciding what to wear was always the most nerve wracking part of a date for me – especially a first date. And I hoped that proved true today too because I was really nervous about my outfit. I didn’t want to under-dress her but I didn’t want to overdress either. Tonight I had decided on a pair of jeans and a blue and red striped shirt. With brown shoes and coat it was a safe bet. Even if she wore a skirt I wasn’t really too casual. I smiled in the mirror as I fixed a piece of hair. I liked knowing I looked good. I was far from cocky or conceited. I didn’t usually think I looked that great but when I managed to pull it off I was proud of myself. Looking at the clock it read 4:07. I grabbed my wallet from my dresser and checked for cash and my debit card. Then I grabbed my jacket off the bed and was ready to leave.

“Ooh, someone’s dressed up and wearing smelly cologne” my kid sister Deanna said from the couch, throwing a pillow at me to make sure she got my attention.

“For your information I have a date.” I said to her.

“Eeew, who’d wanna go on a date with you?” she asked and I chucked the pillow back at her hitting her in the stomach. I closed the door to the sound of my sister running to complain to my mother. I shook my head and got in the car and headed toward Hannah’s house.

The ride was short, less than two minutes but still enough time for me to be nervous. I was nervous about the bet of course but in the back of my mind I was a little bit nervous about the date itself too.

It was exactly 4:15 when I knocked on the front door of Hannah’s house. She answered the door wearing jeans and a slightly tight fitting red sweater. The outfit was casual but she looked great. I had always seen her with her hair pulled back and her face naked of any makeup. Today however her long hair was loose around her shoulders and even I could see she had put some makeup on. She looked so different. So wonderful.

“Hi. You look great.” I said as she closed the door and followed me to the car.

“So, where are we off to?” she asked as I pulled out of the driveway. Referencing to the fact that I had agreed to decide where we would go on this somewhat awkward date.

“I was thinking maybe The Waterfront” I replied, referring to a lake in the next town which provided us with the Fairfield area version of a boardwalk or pier. There were shops and restaurants along the edge of the water and an amusement area.

“Sounds great.” She said and I could tell from her smile that she really thought so.

“Good.” I said reaching my hand toward hers. She blushed a little bit and I smiled to myself. The plan was working.