I checked the Z-Phone daily and so far there was no word from John. Minutes trickled by into hours, and hours bled into days, until finally it was only a week before the Harvest Dance. I was still contemplating whether or not I should ask Clarissa to go. Especially since John hadn't contacted me at all, and it seemed I was home-free for at least another week.
Clarissa and I had been hanging out a lot more of late, and I'd been helping her with her essay. Borgos' methods were working well for me, especially since I had personal connections with dragons, and could offer insight about past events that didn't quite match up with their explanations, leading Clarissa to suspect supernatural activity.
We hung out at lunch almost daily, and we often helped each other with assignments.
It was Monday, and the dance was taking place this Friday. Not only was I terrible around girls to being with, but asking would be to admit my feelings for her. Borgos encouraged me greatly, saying that everything would be fine, and that of course she'd go with me. Still, I wasn't sure... But time was of the essence. And, according to Borgos, girls needed at least a week to arrange their outfits, and consult with their friends and whatnot. I don't think I'll ever under stand how girls operate.
Finally, I decided it was now or never.
I was going to do it today, no matter what.
The question was how?
Borgos, ever helpful, suggested I ask her over, or at lunch. I decided on the latter. Throughout my first and second period classes, I mentally created, edited, and discarded hundreds of scripts. Should I just ask her bluntly? Get a conversation going, and causally pop the question? Act all confident and just march right up to her while she's at her locker? It was almost laughable really. If I had to choose between asking Clarissa to the dance, or fighting 10 of those creepy rock monsters from that volcano, I'd pick the rock monsters. Yes, I'm that nervous.
I swear someone froze time in all my classes, and speeded lunch up. Before I knew it half the period had gone by! Today, Borgos, Clarissa and I were eating outside in our usual spot under a patch of secluded trees at the far end of the football field. Borgos was keeping his distance, jogging around the track and shooting me looks of, 'just do it already,' whenever he passed us. I tried, really I did... it's just it wasn't that simple. Quite a few times Clarissa would look at me oddly, and ask me if I was feeling alright. I guess she could tell I was kinda...out of it. Finally, our conversation died away, as she took a drink from her water bottle. Well, it's now or never, I chided myself.
"Hey, Clarissa?"
"Mhmm?"
"I was just, uh...wondering if..." I can't do this...
"Wondering what?"
"If um... if you'd like to..." I could feel my throat going dry, "If, you'd um..."
"If I'd what?"
"...if you'd... lend me your biology notes... cause I think I missed something from the note yesterday." Good one, you spineless, lily-loving little-
"But you got everything on that note, remember? You borrowed my note during English and copied it."
You probably deserved that; I chided myself, "Oh, my apologies then."
Borgos jogged by on his lap, giving me an annoyed expression, and silently tapping his watch and holding up 5 fingers. 5 minutes until the bell rang. Fuck.
"Ace, you okay?" Clarrisa asked, "You don't look so good..."
"Yeah, I uh...ate too much."
"But you've barely eaten a sandwich; you usually eat at least 4. Is something bothering you?"
Borgos ran by again, holding up 2 fingers and mouthing silently to me; 2 minutes you dolt!
Now or never, Ace. Suck it up, and deal with it. "Look, Clarissa," I decided to just blurt it out, "What I really wanted to ask you is-"
The bell rang, laughing maniacally at my failure.
Borgos shot me a look of disappointment, and then starting jogging to his next class.
Clarissa got up to go, but I grabbed her arm. She gave me a questioning look that said, 'don't make me late for class, or I'll kill you.'
"I...never mind."
She shot me a quizzical look, and seemed almost hurt as we walked to English in silence.
We barley spoke for the rest of the day. She seemed wounded for some reason. I was walking around aimlessly after dinner in the field, when I heard a small sigh. I looked up, and spotted Clarissa sitting under the same cluster of trees we'd sat under during lunch. She looked kind of...well, sad. I walked up to her and sat down. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself stranger," she muttered, punching me in the arm lightly.
"What's wrong? You seem kinda depressed."
"Oh, it's nothing; it's kind of stupid really..."
"Wanna talk about it?"
She leaned against me and closed her eyes, "You'll think I'm shallow."
"No, I won't. Just tell me, please?"
She sighed, "Damian, from our biology class, asked me to the Harvest Dance."
My blood ran cold, and a feeling of dread seized me, "When?" I growled instictivel, narrowing my eyes.
"Today. After school."
Fucker! I growled again, only to have my blood begin boiling as a little maniacal voice sang; you could have asked her at lunch. "Well, are you having trouble finding a dress or something?" I managed through gritted teeth.
"No, it's just... I'm not sure if I really want to go with him. I'm mean he's good-looking and all, but... well there's...Ace? You're gritting your teeth, you okay?"
I closed my eyes for a second and took a few deep breathes, "I'm...fine. Go on."
My words were clipped.
"Well, it's just...there's this other guy, and I kind of wanted to go with him, but I don't think he feels the same way about me as I feel about him."
I felt as though my life were shattering before my eyes, and then felt immediately shoddier, as a blanket of dread settled around me. "Who's this other guy?" I croaked, wondering if I even stood a chance.
"Well, he's someone you know really well," she began. "He's really smart, and I've got over half my classes with him."
Damn it...just my luck, "And?"
"He's pretty cute, and I went to the movies with him."
I decided that I'd kick his ass if I ever saw him. I couldn't believe this.
"...He's into some of the same things you are, I guess. He kind of keeps to himself, and he held my hand a few times," she blushed.
I closed my eyes again, "Go on."
"He's also been helping me with my essay on mythology. He seems to know a lot about dragons too, and his eyes are absolutely amazing."
She's killing me.
"He's also a bit of a trouble maker, but he's really cool to hang out with," she was grinning now. "Oh, and sometimes we hang out at lunch. He's also in our art class, and I've been helping him lately with his assignments..."
I mentally sized up the guys in our art class. I wondered who it was. John Green, maybe? Whoever this guy was, he sure made her smile a lot...I hated it.
"He also has a really cool taste in music..."
I was practically seething now. "And?" I had to force the word out.
"And I think he might like me too, but he seems a bit shy about asking me out."
"Well, first of all, this guy sounds like a complete loser if he can't even ask you out."
Her eyes were twinkling now, "Naw, I think it's cute. I just wish he'd hurry up and ask me already though."
"Who is it anyway, John Green?" I managed.
"No."
"Harry? Robert? Jordon? Damn it, Clarissa, it better not be Jordon, he's an asshole."
I didn't see what so was funny, but now she was trying not to smile, "It's not any of them, you know him really well already."
A terrible thought suddenly severed my last strand of hope. "...is his hair black?"
"Yes."
Damn it! If Borgos betrayed me I'll kick is ass! "It's not Borgos, is it?" I blurted out. I didn't believe it at all, but I wasn't really thinking, considering Borgos wasn't even in our art class.
She gave me a puzzled look, "You're really out of it today, huh? And no, it's not Borgos. My mystery guy's eyes are green."
I let out a sigh of relief; I hadn't suspected him anyway, but still...
"His name is under five letters."
For the next ten minutes I blurted out every guy's name I could think of, and finally I'd given up. "Look, I have no idea who he is, but I'm...happy for you," I sighed. "You should just ask him to the bloody dance if he's such a chicken..."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah... I mean, if you guys held hands a few times and stuff..."
"K. Ace?"
"What."
"Will you go to the Harvest Dance with me?"
"Har, har, I give you an A on communication. You'll be fine when you ask him. I'm going to go find Borgos. Night."
I got up and started walking mechanically. I didn't see anything, and I felt numb. You lost your chance, mate. I sighed, and my shoulders slumped.
"Ace?" it was Clarissa again, jogging beside me to keep up with my long strides. I hadn't even realized I was walking so fast. I slowed down so she could keep up.
"...what."
"You have to guess who my mystery guy is. He has emerald green eyes, his hair is black, he's in over half my classes, 3 to be exact, and I've gone to the movies with him once. We've been hanging out a lot lately too, and I think he's squeamish around blood because he held my hand during the gory parts of the film we saw. He's also been really nervous to ask me out, and he's been helping me with my mythology essay. And I already tried asking him out, but he didn't take it seriously."
"Well, he's not worth your time then."
"Really?"
We'd stopped and were standing in the middle of the field. "Really." I still couldn't quite figure out why she looked like she was trying not to smile. I raked my fingers through my spiked black hair. "I mean, hell... It's not that hard to ask someone to a dance. If I was him, I'd just march right up to you, and say; Clarissa, will you go to the Harvest Dance with me? He sounds like an idiot."
"Yes."
I stopped then, and stared at her as she started grinning. I guess she could tell I was still baffled because she started laughing. I stood there, stunned, as she hugged me. "Yes, I'll go to the Harvest Dance with you. Now, was that so hard?" her eyes twinkled again.
"But...how?" I felt the edges of my lips tugging up to form a smile.
"Let's just say a little bird named Borgos told me you were a little nervous. So, I decided to help you out a bit," she grinned.
"Well, I guess that was easier than I thought."
"Your face was hilarious; I swear you were going to punch out the next guy you saw."
"You're terrible, you know that?" I grinned, "And for the record, I'm not squeamish around blood."