Speed Dating - On Hold

Speed Dating - 2

The next day as I was sitting against the oak tree in the front lawn of West Pacific High, me and Dee's usual meeting place, I overheard a bunch of girl gossiping about Autumn. Okay, more like eavesdropping.

"I totally can't believe it." Said a brunette.

"Ya, well it's true. I heard that she totally broke down and the Wannabe's couldn't even get her out of her room for her scheduled manicure!" another girl gushed.

"Well, at least Ashton is single. That means he's up for grabs. We could totally hit it off!" said the brunette.

"No way! Everyone knows he's got a thing for Cerelia Scarletti!"

"Shhh! She's right behind you!" the girls turned to look at me while I pretended to be engrossed in my book that was turned upside down. Blushing, I quickly flipped it right side up, hoping none of the girls noticed.

"Oh yea, I totally forgot." They started again as they turned back around, uninterested in my activity.

"I bet he's gonna ask her out today!"

"OMG! Really? Wow! They just broke up though! Damn, Autumn must have messed up real bad to deserve something like this! But I heard that Ashton's been planning to break up with her even before he heard about the 'Riley Incident.' Oh well, all the more reason to break up." the brunette babbled constantly.

"Hey look!" she said suddenly. "There he is now!"

I glanced to where she was pointing as soon enough; saw the truth to her words. He walked up towards me looking so super cute with his back pack hanging off of one shoulder.

"Hey," he said when he got near me. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"O-oh! No, not at all!" I said, feeling my cheeks warm up from the unexpected stutter. He dropped his bag and sat next to me.

"Sooo, heard you broke up with Autumn?" I said with too much hope in my voice. He smiled.

"Ya, and I've had my eye on someone else for some time." I nodded, not really knowing how to respond to that. Thankfully, Mercedes came to the rescue.

"Hey Ceelee, guess who just asked me to the Valentine's dance?" she stopped, just noticing that Ashton was sitting next to me. "Oh hey Ashton. Didn't see you there!" she said nonchalantly. How can someone act so normal and calm in front of the cutest guy in the whole universe? Not possible, I thought.

"So...um anyways, I'll see you in homeroom!" Said Dee as she backed away and headed to the school.

"Was that Mercedes Lupoz?" asked Ashton.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. He's just the girl that Justin Stark has been crushing on."

Justin Stark, second most popular guy in the school a.k.a Ashton's super tight bff. I swear they are tighter than the Jonas brother's pant! And their pants, by the way, are tight!

"Ya, he said that he was going to ask her to the dance," Ashton's voice snapped me back into focus.

"Well that works out perfectly!" I said. "Mercedes has a crush on Justin too!"

There was an awkward pause and then Ashton asked, "Hey, umm, Cerelia? Do you have a date for the Valentine's dance?" he gave me a questioning look.

"Umm, no actually. Kind of embarrassing considering the dance is this Friday." I responded, sheepishly.

"Oh cool. Listen, would you mind going to the dance with me? I'm kind of dateless too," he asked with a playful grin on his lips.

"Sure!" I responded all too quickly. He gave me an uber cute smile.

"Kay, then I'll pick you up at seven?" I nodded just as the bell rang. He stood up and he held out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself up. A jolt of electricity coursed through my body as soon as we made contact.

We started walking towards the front doors of the school when I noticed Ashton was still holding my hand. I looked down at our hands intertwined with each other and blushed. It was just yesterday that I was a nobody and Ashton was still dating Autumn. I let out a soft, happy sigh.

"What are you so happy about?" teased Ashton. I glanced at him and smiled.

"Oh, nothing,"

We walked past Dee and she winked at me. I noticed that people were staring at us and whispering. Ashton must have noticed it too because he let go of my hand and put it protectively around my shoulders. As we reached our homeroom class, I noticed that Autumn wasn't in class today. Ashton spied her empty seat and sighed, running his free hand through his hair, making it look handsomely dishevelled.

We sat down in our usual spots, me sitting in third row and Ashton right behind me. Throughout class, Ashton was doodling on my back with his finger, Dee had a huge smile plastered to her face, and all was peaceful without the Seasons.