First dates are horrid. It's like your first day at a new school. You always want to get over it as fast as humanly possible. Both make you so nervous you feel sick to your stomach; and trust me, it's not because you're feeling those butterflies flutter about down there. But nothing is quite as dreadful as a blind date. Especially if you ever have the misfortune to experience a blind date as I did.

It had been late in September. Bianca and I were walking to the bus stop under the half barren trees. Leaves the colours of red and gold swirled down from high above us as we stomped through piles of rain soaked leaves on the path. We had been talking about a movie we desperately wanted to watch. When we had reached the bus stop Bianca had suddenly turned to me and asked, " Hey, Frankie? There's this boy, who has a friend named Matt, who wants to go out on a date with you. It's the perfect way to see this movie!!"

I had adamantly refused when I found out that Bianca herself knew little about him and she had quickly changed the subject to a new song that she had heard on the radio on the way to school. A few weeks later, Bianca had come running into my room to tell me that I had a date that night.

"Bianca, I don't attract so many boys that it could be possible for me to forget a date!"

"Frankie, this is a surprise blind date! So of course you didn't know about it till now! So get in that closet and get dressed. Remember that boy I was telling you about and his friend Matt? Well your date tonight is Matt, who is dying to go out with you, dear!" Then Bianca practically threw me into the closet!

No matter how hard I tried to get out of going, Bianca argued about how rude I would be and how I would be hurting Matt's feelings. She also pointed out that she would be there with me and that we would get to watch the movie for free, for the boys were paying. Finally I just gave in; I have found that giving into Bianca was not always concurring defeat. However, if I had only known, I would've tied myself to the front door in order to get out of going on this date.

As the girls had headed off to the mall, Matt and his buddy were already there: early and nervous.

"Dude, would you calm down? You've waited ages for a chance with this girl and you've finally got one. So CHILLAX!" he lectured me, as if I was the only nervous one here. This date was important and if there had been any other way, I wouldn't have wanted a blind date. It was making me extra nervous.

The minutes kept ticking by and it seemed that every minute my neck snapped back towards the clock hanging in the middle of the food court. Finally it had been time to meet the girls by the fountain.

I had to work hard at walking there nonchalantly instead of racing there like a dog chasing the Frisbee. And there they were; God, she looked beautiful.

At the same time Bianca had noticed the boys and pointed them out to Frankie.

"Frankie! Frankie, look! Over there, see? Those are the guys!" I turned to see two boys as she frantically waved them over. And oh-my-GOD! One of them looked like a Roman deity; he was absolutely gorgeous. In fact, in my mind he was Gorgeous.

The boys had come over and as a group we had headed over to the theatre. But Gorgeous kept talking to Bianca, and his friend felt this asinine need to compensate for our respective dates ditching us by trying to flirt with me! God, if I had only been able to choose which I wanted more: to go home and soak my pillow with mascara-streaked tears or to throw up my lunch. Especially when we were watching the movie and Gorgeous' friend attempted to put his arm around me! Just because Bianca could go ahead and steal my date didn't mean her date could get ideas about us!!

Once the two couples left the movie, Frankie started to walk away, leaving Matt bewildered.

"Where are you going?" I asked her piteously.

"Away from YOU!" she tossed a glare directed at me over her shoulder. Thankfully Bianca and Dean had heard that. Bianca went rushing after Frankie, presumably to find out what was wrong.

"Matt, that girl is so obviously not right for you. Sorry your night's been so terrible," Dean tried to console me, but it didn't work. It only made me feel worse.

"Shut up, man," I growled back, trying to think of what I had done wrong. How could things have gone so amiss?

Meanwhile Bianca had finally caught up to Frankie and had demanded to know why she was acting like such a bitch.

"I'm acting like a bitch?! What about you? You're the one that stole my date from before my own eyes!" I gave Bianca a hard look.

"What are you talking about? I haven't bothered with Matt ONCE! You're the one who keeps hanging onto Dean, while poor Matt tries desperately to be the centre of your attention. That was so harsh, the way you've been treating him!"

"Wait, what? Are you telling me, that the guy I was supposed to be with is called Matt? And the one you're supposed to be with is Gorg—I mean, Dean?"

"Yeah," she turned around right as they had walked up to us.

"Uhh, hi? I'm Dean," Gorgeous raised his hand in a lame attempt of a wave while Matt, my date, just hung back, devastation plastered all over his face.

"Oh god!" my face turned bright red. I felt so stupid. "I'm so sorry Matt," was all I could choke out of myself before I ran off to get out of the stifling atmosphere.

That was the last time I went on a blind date. Ever since that excruciatingly humiliating day, I haven't trusted Bianca and her recommendations of dates. She was still with Dean and I avoided seeing him or Matt like the plague. I had never been more mortified in my entire life and the poor guy; I must've made him feel so miserable. However, it was a learning experience. I learnt that there is nothing worse—no first day, no date—that could ever be compared to the horror of blind dates.