Spin the Bottle (To Be Deleted)

*1 ~ Out Of Her Shell*

|PRESENT TIME/ Realm of Humans|

|JAMIE|

For the first time in my entire life, I'm terrified of the lunch bell. It rings for only a few seconds, but it signals what's next on my to-do list. Whether it's for the better or for the worse, well, I have no clue. That's why I'm having major doubts.

"Maybe I should postpone until I'm actually ready," I say, swinging my locker door shut.

Mickey tugs me towards her and saves me from getting run over by the hectic hallway traffic. "And when will you be ready? When he's no longer single?"

I laugh because I know she's absolutely right. My whole life continues to be baby steps towards confidence and I feel like I'm almost there. I can't sit back and wait for things to come to me. I need to have the guts to seek out what I want. I have to try.

"I want to approach him, I do. I just can't get myself to actually do it. I mean, with his group around him all the time, I'd have an audience, which scares the hell out of me."

"Girl, don't even worry about them. You're not asking out his whole crew. Plus, every basic hoe here is trying to claim him, so go for it. I'd fight to take a bite out of his milk chocolate, too, if I didn't have my cutie, Toby."

Mickey's long distance boyfriend is from California. At first, I wasn't a fan of her dating someone she has never met. However, two years ago, Double A helped her background check the guy and he finally came to see her. They are currently in their third year together. Back then, Toby traveled with his older sister, who was a total sweetheart. I currently follow her on Twitter and Instagram even though I barely use them as much as I'd like to.

Seeing Mickey in a happy relationship tugs at the envy in me, I'm not gonna lie. It's the very thing that's fueling me to swallow my fear and just ask Leo out during this lunch period. I don't know how he will respond. I pray I don't get humiliated.

I can do this. I can do this. I will do this.

I start fanning my face rapidly while taking deep breaths. "Hype me up, Mick! I need motivation!"

"Girl, I gotchu!" Mickey places her hand on my shoulder, staring deeply into my eyes. "You've got this, Jamie! You're the hottest girl at this goddamn school. You are mad cute. Adorable. Aegyo for days. Kawaii bitch. These other hoes just want him for clout. You want to show him what real love is. Let him know you want him! Show him what he's missing. The worst he can say is no."

"The worst he can say is no," I repeat.

"So do you want him?"

"For two years now, so yeah, I kinda want him."

Mickey slams her hand on a nearby locker earning us a few weird looks. "Then go get that boy! Go! Now!"

All pumped up and ready to go, I start speed walking towards the cafeteria. However, once I'm in front of those double doors, I'm frozen. My stomach starts to squirm around and my mind is starting to play out all the different ways I could embarrass myself in front of my crush. I could walk up to him and then trip. I could make myself look like a nervous mess, which I am, by stuttering the whole alphabet. He could laugh in my face. He could make a big scene of it and embarrass me in front of everyone here.

It's not too late to turn back now...

Just be myself. Stay calm. Don't try too hard. Make it casual. Be straightforward. No stalling. Ask him out.

Without thinking any further, I calmly walk into the cafeteria. I scan around until I spot him in his usual spot next to the vending machines. His friends are with him, as expected. All the conversations in this room simultaneously blur together as white noise; it's loud enough to drown out my worrying thoughts.