Flora
The next morning I lay in bed not wanting to get up. I rolled around thinking of Sean and wondering if I had a chance after all. After much analyzing I decided that he didn't hate me, but it was still a long way from what I had hoped. I fumbled for my phone and saw it read 11:19am.
I decided to call Sandra. "How was your night with Dan?"
"Well..." It was amazing how I could sense her smirking. Her smugness was seeping right through the phone. "It was good."
"Are you smirking right now?" I demanded as I padded to the kitchen in my satin slippers. "Did he kiss you?"
"Yes to both questions." Sandra was obviously pleased with herself.
"That's fast!!"
"I've forgotten how much fun high school boys can be. They're so pure." Ewww! What did that even mean? "Speaking of which, did you make Sean your new puppy yet?"
I debated over telling her the truth. Sandra was so full of herself right now she couldn't possibly identify with me. I used to share her confidence in thinking there was no boy hard enough to conquer, but I was sure the concept was still new to her. "I'm making small progress," I said as I threw open the refrigerator.
"How so?"
"I'll tell you when there are more juicy bits to share."
"You mean you have no progress."
"Sometimes you are so annoying, Sandy." I fumed.
"Annoyingly accurate, you mean. Seriously, why're you so intent on getting Sean? If he's not interested you should just move on. He's not as hot as you make him out to be anyway." Sandra agreed Sean was cute, but she had never been able to see just how overwhelmingly cuter he was compared to the rest of the student body.
"So why didn't you move on when you thought Dan wasn't interested in you?"
"Daniel is never not interested in me, thank you very much," Sandra said arrogantly. "Plus you're not as serious about Sean as I'm about Daniel."
"How do you know I'm not serious about him?"
Sandra laughed. "Come on! You know you're not! Aren't you just hung up on him because he's hard-to-get? If he had asked you out you would've dated and ended it already."
"That's so not true."
"Think about it, honey. You're not really interested in him. You're just interested in a challenge, for a change." Sandra sounded so righteous I just wanted to hang up. She was incredibly obnoxious with the way she always assumed that I was only after Sean because of my ego, like he was an animal head I just couldn't wait to hang on our living room wall. "Besides, you don't even know why you like him, aside from his pretty face."
I sputtered and couldn't get out a halfway intelligent response. It was true I probably couldn't conjure up an essay on everything I liked about Sean, but my affection wasn't any less real just because I wasn't Hemingway. Besides, true love can stem from physical attraction. "Well, what do you like about Daniel?" I decided to attack rather than defend.
"His outlook on life," Sandra said smoothly, not missing a beat. "You know, looks may change over time, but I see past the skin."
I just about choked on the Perrier I was drinking. Sandra and Daniel were such a perfect pretentious match made in hell. "With all due respect, an outlook on life may change more drastically than appearances," I said. "Look at Tom Cruise. He looks exactly the same as he was in Top Gun, but he's now a Scientologist."
She snorted. "I can't discuss anything serious with you, Flora."
There she went again, making me feel stupid. I tried not to react on it and told myself she was only kidding. "Fine, I'll call you later if anything happens, Sandy."
"Okay. You have a good weekend. Remember, life's too short to waste on guys you don't really like," Sandra preached in her usual know-it-all way.
"Goodbye, Sandy."
I was so sorry I called her. I needed someone level-headed and perceptive, which was Janet. I rang and found out she had dropped by for brunch with Sean and his family! Being neighbors could be so convenient.
"Lucky you! How was he?" I searched the fridge for more food to eat as we chatted. It was funny that my family could afford anything, but the fridge was almost always empty because nobody ate in. Brunch at home was a lost concept, as ancient as a vintage Louis Vuitton suitcase.
"Fine. The usual. Why? Did something happen?" Janet asked.
"He didn't mention anything about me? Nothing about the party last night?"
"No."
So he really did keep his promise. It was up to me to tell Janet everything. After a very detailed recount of last night's events, she replied with, "Well, he did care about you drinking too much and walking home by yourself, but I gotta tell you he would do that to almost anyone."
"Really? He would walk any girl home?"
"Any girl that had just locked herself in a room with him and made a confession then walked out in a huff in the middle of the night, I assume."
I hated how matter-of-fact Janet sounded. Some friends I had. "Oh. So you think I don't really have a chance."
"I don't know. But I think you already did all you can do. Now it's up to him."
I exhaled. "I'm not going to give up like that. If he doesn't act soon I'll build up my next attack."
"You're very determined this time," Janet observed. "Why? Sean's not the only cute guy you know of. It's not just some ego thing, is it?"
"Janet! You and Sandy said practically the same thing! Why's it so hard to accept the fact that I can actually be serious about a guy?"
"You know why. I haven't seen you taking anyone seriously since Max, and even then I thought you only dated him because you thought going out with a senior will upgrade your social status."
I felt a flicker of annoyance rapidly catching fire and spreading through my veins. I loved my friends, but they saw so little in me. They all thought I was silly and frivolous and that I could only be after a guy because of my ego, the challenge, social status, or that I wanted someone cute to look at. Well, the last part was true, but it was a lot more than that.
"Anyway, it's none of my business, but as your mutual friend all I wish is that you take care of yourselves and no one gets hurt in the process," Janet went on.
Some mutual friend she was. Janet was clearly more of Sean's friend than she was mine. "Yes, that's what I hope too."
"So if you're just going to play him and dump him, I wish you wouldn't. Even if you are, please don't tell me."
I was horrified at this comment. "That's really uncalled for, Janet. I can't promise you that I'm going to marry him, but my intention sure isn't as horrid as you suggested."
"In that case I apologize."
"Jeez, what's your problem? If you have developed a crush on Sean yourself you can tell me right now." I was never fully convinced that Janet never liked him. It was too hard to believe, like serving a plate of divine cheese platter in front of a mouse for thirteen years (that's how long they'd known each other) and expecting the mouse to never even take a sniff.
"Relax, I'm not interested in him. And good luck with your next attack."
Great. I had the most supportive friends in the whole world. Thank God I still had Carmen. She was my go-to person when I wanted to hear something nice, and she would even pretend to share my enthusiasm over Sean even though I knew she couldn't care less.
I was all set to go to an afternoon salon trip with her when the phone rang. I threw down the pair of skinny jeans I was holding and dove for it, assuming it was either Janet or Sandra calling to try to be a better friend this time. One look and my pulse quickened instantly.
The name on the screen flashed Sean Foster. It was like the first time he'd ever called me!
"Hi," I said, trying to slow my heartbeat to no avail. I hoped that hi sounded sexy enough despite the lump in my throat. I felt like it had swollen up the way it always did when I ate Thai food. That was my "oh my god I'm so happy you called and please chat with me for as long as you like" hi but I wondered how much of that went through.
"Hi, Flora." He sounded cool. Smooth. "This is Sean. I'm just calling to see if you feel okay."
"Oh yes. I'm fine. Thanks for calling." My mind went blank. I was supposed to be great at phone conversations. "Uh...how are you?"
"I'm fine," he replied. "Did you get in trouble with your parents?"
"Actually, no. My parents weren't even home."
"That explains it. I thought it was kind of late last night."
"Yeah," I said lamely, still trying to get over the fact that HE CALLED ME! I ordered myself to think up a new topic or obviously he was going to hang up in a second. I rummaged through my room with my eyes desperately, searching for inspiration, and all my designer brands stared back at me blankly. Something told me that Sean probably wouldn't want to chat about shoulder bags.
"Well, I'm glad that you're fine."
Oh no that was his exit line! "Please don't hang up just yet! I promise I'll have something interesting to say soon," I blurted. What is my problem?!
He laughed, taken by surprise. After a pause he said, "Actually I was going to ask if you want to meet for coffee, if you're not doing anything later."
"Wow...seriously? Of course I want to!" I squealed.
I could almost sense the spirit of Sandra shaking her head in mid-air. She always acted like a guy needed to get through her secretary to secure an appointment with her, at least two weeks in advance, but I wasn't like that. Obviously I would ditch anything else I had planned, i.e. Carmen, to meet Sean even if he suggested bird watching.
I refrained from jumping up and down in the room. I turned up the volume of my Bose stereo speakers as I reorganized my outfit, changing the theme from salon trip with girlfriend to Coffee date with to-be boyfriend and got ready for our first "date", or whatever Sean thought it was.
Step three, overdue but complete.
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