I know I have to deal with school before I go on my date with Dylan, but to be fair, I'm actually excited to be in calculus class today, which is very unusual.
It's only because Mrs. Clark is giving us the grades for last week's assignment and I think I nailed it! I studied so hard to make sure I got an A, that I'm smiling by the time she gets to my desk. Now it's the time that my hard work pays off.
She gives me the paper and my smile fades away the moment I see the big C marked in red.
I got a C? Are you fucking kidding me?
I keep staring at my grade as I sigh heavily, seconds away from tearing the paper apart. I truly don't know what I did wrong.
What do I have to do to be good enough in this shit I'll probably never use in my life?
"All right everyone, you have your grades, but don't beat yourselves up. It was a hard test, only one person got an A."
Great, let me guess who...
"You can ask Bennett for help in case you need." Of freaking course.
She smiles widely at him and it makes me want to throw up. I think she might have a crush on him or whatever.
He looks rather embarrassed with the exposure and I can see him sinking deep in his chair.
Why do my classes with him have to be chemistry, math and everything I'm not good at? It just makes me feel even more brainless than I already do around him.
Why can't we have PA together? Well, he's so annoyingly good at everything he does that I'm sure he's good at climbing a stupid rope hanging from the gym's ceiling too.
I'm so pissed off right now.
The class is dismissed shortly after, but I don't move. I'm still staring at the paper that is announcing my failure in capital letters, as if the grade will magically change if I look long enough.
"I can help you if you want." I look up to find Bennett standing right in front of my desk and staring down at me. I didn't realize everyone else had already left the classroom, so it's just the two of us.
This is how I get to be humiliated even more. Awesome.
"Thanks, but I'm helpless. God, I'm so stupid." I cover my face with my hand, but he gently takes it and pulls it out of the way, letting it go once he can see my face again.
It's a weird and somehow bold gesture, but cute at the same time, to be honest.
"You're not stupid. You're smarter than you think." I look at him with disbelief, but I see no signs of sarcasm. He actually means it. "You just need some extra help, that's all."
For the third time in a span of a week, Bennett is trying to help me. At his parent's house during his mother's party, yesterday at the cafeteria when I spilled juice all over myself and he offered to help me clean up - yeah, that's a story for another time - and now.
''If it makes you feel any better, it was indeed a hard test.'' Well, it doesn't make me feel better. I'm not sure if he's trying to show off, but I don't think he is. "Just let me know if I can help you, ok?''
I frown at his offer. He's offering to tutor me?
It's a known fact that even though Bennett is a genius, he doesn't tutor anyone. It's not his thing, not to mention the fact that people are a bit afraid of him and his weirdness.
''I thought you didn't like tutoring.''
''I don't.'' He shrugs. ''I don't mind tutoring you, though. It's the morons of this school that bother me.'' He smirks and I half smile. ''It's not like I'll let you fail.''
It's unusual to have Bennett acting like this. He's always a gentleman, I'll give him that, but he's really trying to be there for me and make me feel better.
"Bennett, can I ask you a question?" He was about to leave, but turned back to me as soon as the words were out of my mouth.
"Sure." He sat down in the chair in front of me.
"Why have you been trying to cheer me up lately?"
He takes a deep breath before answering me, serious this time.
"Like I said before, I care about you, Alex. We've known each other our whole lives." That doesn't exactly answer my question and he knows that. "To be honest, now that Dylan is gone, I thought it was a good opportunity to show you that there are other people who are here for you."
I can't deny that I have been feeling good about the way Bennett is acting around me this past week. We had our ups and downs when classes started, but it feels different these past days.
It's nice to have him being like this and even if it's not a big deal, it makes me feel special somehow.
I know he wouldn't do that for just anyone, like offering to tutor me.
"Hey, Bennett, I've been looking for you." The girl from chem class - you know, the one that he was talking to the first day of classes - bursts into the classroom, startling us and making me look away. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you had company."
She shoots me a glare and I can't help but notice the bitter tone in her voice. I wonder what her problem is, considering I don't even know her.
"Ben, we have to go to the lab, remember?" She seems annoyed, so maybe her problem is that Ben is spending time with another girl. She was flirting with him that day after all.
Well, I guess Bennett has a 'not so secret' admirer.
Not that I think he is corresponding to her flirting. I mean, even if he is being nicer to me, he is still a robot.
But what do I know? It's not like I spend time with them and I know he hates being called Ben, but maybe he is into her too and doesn't mind. This thought makes me feel uncomfortable, for some reason.
He nods and stands up, making his way to the door.
"Let me know if I can help you study, ok?'' I nod and smile, just to get a reassuring smile back from him.
I don't know why Bennett is being so nice, but I wasn't expecting to feel so good about it.
.........................
Ok, I'm freaking the hell out.
It's finally Friday, after an intense week and I'm in my room getting ready for my date with Dylan.
I still can't believe I'm going on a date with him! I've waited for this moment my whole life and now that it's here, I'm actually panicking.
Like, panicking big time!! I'm hyperventilating and that's not a good sign. I even took a preventive medicine for the migraine, because it usually happens when I'm nervous.
"Will you relax, please?" Lilly is here to help me get ready, but all she is doing is telling me that I should chill, which means that she's not helping at all. "Go with the black dress."
"You think? Isn't it too much to go to the movies?"
I look at the short dress that is lying on my bed and I put my hand on my chin as I contemplate if this is the outfit I should wear.
"Are you kidding me? That's perfect. Dylan will be head over heels for you." I smile, the excitement and nervousness increasing with that possibility. "Plus, the weather is nice, you can show some skin, you know?"
I feel my face reddening with her comment. It's just a movie, it's not like I'm hoping to have a make out session with him.
Ok, maybe I am secretly hoping for that. It's not like I've dreamed about kissing him at least a thousand times.
Oh damn, my hands are starting to sweat.
It's not the idea of kissing that freaks me out, I've kissed a couple of guys before, but kissing Dylan? He's way out of my league.
Lilly says I should be more self-confident and summer did help me, but still, the old insecure Alex creeps her way back more often than I'd like.
I've always been insecure, that's a fact. I don't think I'm smart, or pretty or cool enough. I feel different with my new clothes and look, but sometimes it doesn't feel like me and I miss my old look.
But NO, I'm not that person anymore. I'm grown up, I'm smart... in my own way and I am pretty and cool. I shouldn't doubt myself.
I wouldn't be going on a date with Dylan if it wasn't true.
Maybe I'm making a big deal out of this date, more than I should. Dylan dates all the time, so I'm sure it's just a regular date, if you know what I mean.
Pleeeease universe, just don't allow me to make a fool out of myself.
ALEX, BREATHE! I keep repeating this to myself.
I put on the black dress, decided to focus on the positive side of things as I let my hair fall loosely over my shoulder.
"Damn, you look hot." Lilly says and I take a look at myself in the mirror.
Yeah, I look great. I feel great.
Such a mood swing...
The doorbell rings at this exact moment and I know it's Dylan because a few seconds later, I hear him talking to my dad about this Sunday night football game.
I say goodbye to Lilly and go down the stairs trying not to rush and my dad is the first to spot me, considering that Dylan has his back to me.
My dad's eyes widen and I'm not sure I get what his reaction is exactly, but I see a mix of a proud smile with a frown, so I really don't know what's on his mind.
Dylan then turns around to face me too and I swear his mouth fell open a little, just to make me feel even better.
"Alex, you look incredible." He ignores my dad, who clears his throat and pats him on the shoulder.
"Well, you take care of my girl. You know you are family, but I won't hesitate to murder you if you hurt her." And then he smiles.
"Dad!" Oh, the embarrassment.
"What? He better watch his parts." And now he laughs, like an evil laugh.
I feel mortified already.
"Don't worry George, she's in good hands." Dylan pats my dad on the shoulder too, not seeming intimidated at all.
I'd be terrified, but Dylan is a pro, so I'm sure he dealt with worse than my dad. I mean, look at him, he looks like a cute teddy bear and Dylan knows him too well.
I smile and follow Dylan to the door, but before I leave, I give my dad a deadly glare. He doesn't seem affected by it one bit, so he just shrugs and goes back to the living room.
We go to Dylan's car in silence and he speeds up, making me think he's going to open the door for me, but he rounds the car and goes to the driver's side instead. We both get inside and I take a minute to collect my thoughts as I put the seatbelt on.
I'm in Dylan's car, about to go on a date with him! I know I've already said it, but holy shit, this is surreal.
"I meant what I said, you really look incredible." I shift my hands nervously on my lap and smile as he eyes me from the corner of his eyes.
"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself." I can't say that he looks amazing or that my heart skips a bit just with the sight of him. I don't want him to think I'm too into him, even if that's probably pretty obvious by now.
He's wearing a blue button down shirt, with dark jeans and his blond hair is perfectly styled. His tanned skin is so attractive that I have to force myself to look somewhere else.
His cologne, that is so familiar to me - because I've sniffed his clothes more than I should - hits my nose and I feel intoxicated by what Dylan West is.
Damn, I love him so much!
"I thought we could watch the new Fast and Furious movie." He says and quickly looks at me to see my reaction, before looking back to the road. "Or we can watch something else if you want."
"No, Fast and Furious is perfect." I've been dying to watch it for a while, so it is indeed a perfect choice. Like I said, I'm an action movie girl all the way.
He parks the car and leads us inside. I'm not sure if we should hold hands or what I should do, so I just decide to go with the flow and see how this goes. After we get our tickets, popcorn and M&Ms, we make ourselves comfortable in our seats.
I keep playing with my hair to keep my hands busy as a way to ease the nervousness. I'm afraid he might notice how nerve wrecking this is for me.
"So, I have one thing to confess." He says while we wait for the movie to start, slightly sitting on his side to be able to face me. I do the same and look at him with curiosity. "I was looking forward to our date tonight."
I smile widely. "Me too."
"I mean, I never thought you and I would ever hang out like this, it's... different.''
"I know." Even though I thought a lot about us finally going out, I guess a part of me also thought it would never really happen.
"It's nice." He takes my hand in his and I feel my stomach twist. "I enjoyed spending time with you last week, we have so much in common, we even like the same movies. It's really hard to find a girl who would be willing to watch Fast and furious and of course, we're both good looking, right?"
I laugh at first, thinking of at least twenty other things we have in common. Trust me, I made a list.
But the important part is that he said I'm good looking!
"I'm sure we have a lot more in common than that." I smile, fidgeting with my fingers again.
"Definitely." He was going to say something else, but the screen turns bright and the trailers start.
I absolutely love watching the trailers when going to the movies. I don't know, it just captivates me to have this small piece of an entire movie and I'm left to imagine the rest.
At some point, I feel Dylan's arm go around my shoulder and pull me a bit closer, so I boldly rest my head on his shoulders. Then his hand goes up and down my arm just to send shivers down my spine.
Even though I love Fast and Furious, I can't help but zone out of the movie as I'm already picturing our wedding and how we'll tell people how it all started. Crazy, I know, but I can't help it.
"Well, he went to deliver something at my house and stayed the night watching movies and chatting with me. I was in my pajamas, but he didn't care. Next week we went to the movies and we just couldn't be apart after that, so here we are.'' He would then kiss me, people would cheer and we'd be having our first dance next.
My jaw hurts from all the smiling. It will be an amazing wedding.
Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, we're just watching a movie. But maybe not.
I guess I got so lost in my fantasy about our future that the next thing I know, the credits are rolling on the screen and the movie ends. Sorry Vin Diesel, but I was too busy to focus on you.
''Damn, it was insane! The part when the car blows up just when it's about to cross the bridge, that was awesome." He comments on the movie and I just nod, not knowing what to say.
We stay there waiting for everyone to leave and when I stand up right after he does, he grabs my hand in his.
He glances at me as if he's asking me if it's ok to hold hands. How could someone not be ok with Dylan holding their hand when he's smiling like that?
We keep chatting about the movie all the way to my house, while our hands are together, only letting it go when he gets out of the car and this time he does open the door for me.
I guess Bennett is not the only gentleman in this family...
Ok, why the hell is Bennett on my mind right now? No, ew, stop.
I look at Dylan as I leave the car and he holds my hand once more as we slowly walk to my door.
When we get to the porch, he turns to face me and grabs my other hand as well, so I'm facing him too and waiting for him to say something.
"How come I've never noticed you like this before?" He asks and I bit my lip.
"I don't know. I'm glad that you are noticing me now though. Better late than never, right?" He lets go of my hand for a second and passes his hand through his perfect hair.
I can feel my knees weak when he does that and I must say I'm having a hard time breathing.
"I'm sorry, Alex."
"What for?" I ask worried as he looks serious.
"You're so beautiful. I hate myself for not realizing it before."
"Hey, it's ok. You had your friends and you know, a fan club, I was just... Alex, we've known each since we were kids, sometimes it's hard to see what's right in front of us."
"Yeah, I guess it is. Damn, this is so... unexpected." I only smile at that at the same time that he leans a bit closer.
Is this the moment when he kisses me?
I close my eyes waiting with anticipation for his soft lips to touch me and when they do, I wait for it.
You know, the fireworks.
I always thought that when I finally kissed Dylan, I would be invaded by a wave of excitement and it would be an explosion, like fireworks and electricity.
What I felt instead, was nothing.
.........................
Hey Lovely Readers,
I'm glad to update another chapter! Just to say, I'm loving the comments and interacting with you! It's such a huge motivation :)
How come Alex didn't feel anything kissing Dylan? What do you think that means? Dylan seems to really be into her.
Let me know your thoughts!
Another update is coming up very soon.
Love, Me