floating | ✓

40| lie

“Alright, give me your phone.” Chase gives me his phone happily. I type my number. He doesn’t let me type my name. He saves it under the contact Vampire Girl.

“Do you understand that I am one thousand years old?” I say, looking at my contact name.

“You do understand I am a wooden toy?” Chase replies with a glint in his eyes.

Woody is not a wooden toy. Instead of telling him, I shake my head and roll my eyes.

“Okay, this is an important question. I don’t want to be embarrassed like the time I brought you flowers. What type of movies do you like?” Chase says.

“Smart boy,” I say. “Anything that’s not romance.”

The last thing I want to do is sit for two hours and watch a romantic movie on the big screen with Chase.

Chase pouts. “Okay, what about horrors?”

“Nooope.” I shake my head. I can see his motive behind that.

“Ah,” Chase pouts again. “Okay then I will see what to do. I will see you on Saturday.”

“So you will leave me alone for the rest of the week?” I say.

Chase laughs.

But that’s what he does. I don’t see him for the rest of the week.

*****

I am sitting in front of my mirror. I am wearing a normal t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It’s Saturday night. Chase will be here any minute, and I haven’t even put on anything presentable for a date.

If I didn’t see him then, would I have said yes?

Why did I even agree to this?

I am looking at the clock. I don’t want to do this. I’d rather do my chemistry homework instead.

I sigh. I put on mascara and apply lip gloss. That’s it. I don’t have energy for anything else.

The doorbell rings.

Mom opens the door as I make my way downstairs. Chase stands there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

I raise my eyebrows.

“Hey.” He waves at me.

“She has pollen allergy,” Mom states. She doesn’t sound impressed.

“It’s plastic,” Chase replies looking guilty. “I felt weird coming empty handed.”

He scratches the back of his head. I chuckle.

“Alright,” I say as I go downstairs and take the flowers from him. We don’t have a vase, so I put them on the kitchen counter.

“I will water them everyday,” I say when I reach him. Chase rolls his eyes.

I say goodnight to Mom. She scans Chase’s face and doesn’t say anything. I leave with him.

“I hope you didn’t mind about the flowers,” Chase says as we buckle up.

“Dead flowers for the dead vampire girl, why would I mind?” I say as I strap in my seatbelt.

Chase looks at me. He smiles. Then we start for the cinema hall.

Chase shows the tickets and we get in. Our seats are in the corner. I raise my eyebrows but don’t say anything.

It’s an old comedy movie and half of the hall is empty.