A New Beginning

Shane and Shania

Shania entered the art room and found her friends sitting at their usual table. She could hardly control herself; Shane had finally asked her out! She couldn't wait to share the news with everyone. As Shania took a seat at the table with her friends and set her backpack at her feet, she immediately blurted out, "Guess what, guys?"

"What's up, Reynolds?" Adam questioned with a friendly smile.

"Shane just asked me out!" Shania exclaimed excitedly. "Oh my gosh! I still can't believe it!"

"Well congratulations!" Abigail replied. "I'm happy for you guys!"

"Thanks," Shania beamed.

"I knew it!" Adam cried. "I knew all along that Peterson liked you! I'm gonna have to give him shit about it in gym," he added mischievously, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"That's so exciting!" Onya added

"Yeah," Abigail agreed. "And I wonder what's taking Adam so long!" she added as she gave Adam a playful, annoyed look.

"Hey, now!" Adam replied. "I will when I'm ready!"

Abigail sighed. "And when will that be?" she wondered.

"Yeah, Adam!" Shania chimed in. "What's taking so long?"

"Okay, okay!" Adam exclaimed, raising his hands in the air. "If it makes you happy, Abigail, wanna go out for dinner at the Pizza Shoppe tonight?"

Abigail giggled. "Sounds like a plan!" she responded.

As Mrs. Mallard raised her voice to begin class, Adam whispered, "I'll text you the details later!"

"Okay!" Abigail whispered back. "Sounds good!"

That evening, Shania waited nervously at the dining room window, which faced the main road leading up to her house. She was waiting for Shane to pick her up for their first date at Cassidy's Cakes and Ice Cream. She was wearing an open-backed floral sundress with a silver necklace and earrings to match. On her feet, she wore her favorite cowboy boots.

"Wow, I can't believe she's actually old enough to date now," Shania's mom stated.

"Yep," agreed her dad. "Three down, nine more to go."

Just then, Shania spotted a black car pull into the driveway. Her heart jumped with both excitement and nervousness. That must be him! Shania thought to herself. She jumped out of her chair and waited at the door for a knock. As soon as he heard it, she flung the door open. Shane stood in the doorway, wearing a name brand T-shirt, jeans, and a cap on his head. His dark hair covered one of his eyebrows, making him look very handsome. "Hey, Shania," he greeted her.

"Hi!" Shania replied. She turned to her parents, who were sitting at the kitchen table. "Mom and Dad, this is Shane, the guy who I was telling you about." Shane smiled politely towards them and extended a greeting towards them as well.

After a little bit of small talk, Shane checked the time on his phone. "I suppose we better go, so I don't keep you out too late," he stated.

"All right, you two have fun!" Shania's mom called after them as they left the house.

"We will!" Shania called back. She followed Shane towards his car.

"Your parents seem nice," Shane remarked as he hopped into the car.

Shania climbed into the passenger side with her purse slung iver her shoulder and slammed the door shut. "Yes, they are," she replied. "My dad can be a little strict sometimes, but overall, they're good."

"Gotcha," Shane said as he started the engine. He backed out of the driveway and drove down the gravel road that led into town. "I still don't understand how you manage with all those siblings," he remarked.

Shania giggled. "Oh, we manage!" she replied giddily.

Shane gazed at Shania for a moment. "You look good tonight," he said with a genuine tone in his voice.

"Thanks!" Shania replied. "So do you!" she laughed a little, her cheeks turning pink.

"I don't know about that," Shane shook his head. "My black eye hasn't healed up quite yet. Still looks pretty ugly."

"Even with a black eye, you look great Shane," remarked Shania.

"Nah, you look better!" Shane argued playfully as he turned a corner in the road.

Shania blushed. "No, you look better!" she insisted.

"You are something else," Shane sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, then, we'll agree to disagree."

"Sounds like a plan!" Shania giggled. "I can't believe I won an argument against you, Shane!"

"You didn't win. I said we agreed to disagree, which means, no one has won." Shane stated defiantly. However, he couldn't help smiling.

"Fine, whatever," Shania replied, smiling back at Shane. He looked so perfect, even with his black eye. She loved his dark hair, his confident blue-gray eyes, his personality, and everything about him.

Soon, Shane pulled in front of the small ice cream shop. "Ready?" he asked Shania.

"You bet!" Shania exclaimed. She and Shane got out of the car and walked in the building together. Shane dug his wallet out of his back pocket and paid for both of their ice cream, and they sat down at a table near the window. "So what brought you to Colorado?" Shania asked.

"My dad's job," answered Shane, taking a bite of his banana split.

"What does he do?" Shania wanted to know.

"He's a college professor. Lost his job in Chicago and found a new one here."

"Aw, that must be hard," Shania remarked sympathetically, taking a bite of her strawberry sundae.

Shane raised an eyebrow. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" he replied.

Shania couldn't help but giggle. "Yes, you definitely are!"

As Shania went to bed that night, she kept thinking about her evening with Shane. Had she made a good impression on him, or had she just made things awkward? She knew she was overthinking, but she just couldn't help it. What if Shane decided that he wasn't interested in her anymore?

Suddenly, Shania received a text on her phone. Her heart jumped when she saw that it was from Shane. It read: Hey Shania, I hope I made a good impression on you tonight. I had a good time, and I hope you did too.

So he did enjoy being with me! Shania thought excitedly. She immediately replied to Shane's message to let him know that she, too enjoyed their time together and she was looking forward to spending more time with him. After lying in bed and texting Shane for a while, she fell asleep happy and worry-free.