The 20 Dates Challenge

One - Will You

Will You

Jesse smiles at me as I walk up to her. Her hair is a complete mess. I wave the brush I’m holding at her and her smile broadens. She runs it through her dark curls.

‘Thank you so much,’ she laughs, turning to face her reflection in the mirror, ‘so, has he asked you out yet?’ she giggles.

I roll my eyes at her.

‘He’s not gonna ask me out. We’re just friends,’ I say.

I’m sick of telling her that Alex and I are no more than friends, nor will we ever be more. Alex and I have known each other since grade three, eight years now. We were really close in primary but high school has shaken us both a bit. We still talk, just not as often as we did back then.

‘Oh, get over yourself, Savannah,’ Jesse says, pulling her hair into a high ponytail, ‘all his friends are saying that he’s gonna ask someone in our group out.’

‘Yeah, and it’s not gonna be me,’ I sigh and lean against the bathroom wall.

‘It has to be,’ she gives back the brush, ‘he doesn’t even know any of the other girls we hang out with.’

‘He knows you,’ I say, watching her pull her cherry-red lip balm from her pocket and give her lips a decent coating.

‘Yeah, but he is also my second cousin,’ she puckers before kissing the mirror, leaving a red lip-print.

I sigh again and she starts fixing her eyeliner.

‘Face it, you are the girl he has his eye on,’ she says.

I turn and face my reflection. I pin back some stray hairs with a bobby pin. She finishes with the eyeliner and steps back, checking herself out.

‘Well, someone’s looking hot,’ she giggles at herself.

‘I swear, no one is as vain as you,’ I laugh back.

‘No sweetie, I appreciate my beauty, I don’t flaunt it,’ she’s still staring at herself.

‘Want me to leave you two alone?’ I giggle.

She frowns at my reflection, a little line appearing on her brow between her eyebrows. Then she sighs and turns to leave. I follow her into the hallway. Leaning against the locker is Alex Hershel himself, along with some of his friends. He smiles at me.

‘Hey, Savannah,’ he nods.

‘Hey, Alex,’ I nod back.

He pushes himself off the locker and steps towards me.