Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 19 Part 2-Ellie

Longest. Seconds. Ever.

Then he replied.

Where?

A blast of relief catapulted through my body and I smothered an excited squeal. My fingers tapped against the keyboard.

Next to the corndog stand at the end of the park.

I watched and waited. My eyes were glued to the screen.

Cool.

....

...

...

Oh. My. Goodness.

I actually did that.

I did that right?

I asked him to meet me?

Internally, I was squealing. My skin boiled and my eyes started to water.

I couldn't believe I'd done that.

I stood up slowly, my legs feeling shaky. In just a few minutes, I'd be with William Johnson. Alone.

What could possibly happen?

I risked the smallest glimpse in Will's direction and nearly fell back onto the bench. Will shot me a wide grin, his white teeth sparkling despite the dim lighting.

Without my permission, my lips stretched into a smile in response. Then, as if I had boatloads of confidence, I spun and strode away from the bench.

The whole while, the words resounded in my mind: William Johnson. Alone.

I kept walking till I came to the edge of the festival, the crowd thinning out to a few couples kissing on benches or with hands entwined beneath trees. Barely able to breathe, I stepped off the paved pathway, following a shortcut beneath a canopy of gargantuan trees. The lighting from the coloured lanterns faded, replaced by pale white moonlight filtering through the dark leaves above, streaking a white path across the floor.

I tried to force breath into my lungs as I weaved through the park.

Calm down, Ellie. Breathe. You can do this.

I continued as I noticed lanterns begin to flicker on in the distance. I spotted the corndog stand emerge, along with a few people and a pebbled pathway.

The corndog stand had been my safe haven when I was younger. Strange, I know, but when you live with a mother that would institutionalize you for touching fast food, a secluded spot with tons of oily fried delicacies is pretty spectacular. To add to it, just a few feet away, behind a row of trees, was slightly higher ground, perfect for watching fireworks. I couldn't count the times I'd stood here, watching the blasts of colour in the sky and imagining kissing Will under them. Imagining sealing our fate as an eternal couple.

And now I'd get the chance.

For the first few minutes I paced, nervous butterflies making it impossible to stay still. Of course, Will would be much later that me, considering I knew a shortcut here. Despite that, nerves still clogged up my throat.

William Johnson said he liked me.

That was what I needed to think about. That was all I needed to know.

And if it was true...

I blew on my hands, trying to regain warmth in my fingers. I can't imagine what could happen if it was true.

"Ellie?"

My heart sputtered to a stop before starting up again in double time.

I spun rapidly to face Will.