Opposite Day

A Lot Can Change in a Day

In my hurry to get to sleep that night, eager to start a new day where I had my freedom of choice back, I forgot to set my alarm. I hurried as best as I could when I woke up twenty minutes late the next morning, dressing frantically and cutting my makeup routine down to record time, but my efforts were in vain— the bus was driving down the street before I even made it halfway to the stop. I spotted Derek through one of the many windows, our eyes meeting briefly before he passed.

I sighed, stomping a foot in frustration. This was not what I had planned in my head last night.

Before I could begin the short walk back to my house to ask my mom for a ride, I heard an approaching vehicle and turned to see the olive green car that'd been missing from the driveway. Harper sat behind the wheel, offering a smile. "Need a ride?"

I hurried around to the passenger's side, tossing my bag in before hopping inside and closing the door. "I thought you already left for New Hampshire. "

She shook her head, starting the drive. "I'm staying till dinner. Just went to pick up some breakfast." She nodded to the bag sitting beside her thigh on the brown seat.

"I can't believe you wake up at this hour by choice," I joked, resting against the headrest. If it wasn't for my nerves, I could've fallen asleep right there, but Harper looked as chipper as always.

"Early bird gets the worm," she said, shrugging. A smirk grew on her face before she spoke again. "Mom told me you had a date last night. Kalvin?"

I groaned. "Never." 

Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion decorating her features as she looked at me with wide eyes. "Just a day ago you were talking my ear off about how much you like him!"

It was my turn to shrug. "A lot can change in a day."

"That much?"

"Harper, in twenty-four hours I managed to flip my life upside down. I learned Kalvin is basically insufferable, the guy I've been turning down all year is seemingly perfect, I finally snapped at Mr. Brine, I went on the best date of all time, and as of yesterday, I'm totally friendless— don't worry, probably for the better," I assured her after her expression of concern.

"Sounds like you had a busy day," she laughed through the words, turning onto another road. My heartbeat quickened as the school came into view. I stayed silent as we got closer, chewing on the inside of my lip, wiping my sweaty palms against my jeans.

Harper pulled up to the drop off curb and I watched as a nearby bus pulled away. I recognized the tag number and my eyes shifted to the crowd, searching over a few familiar heads before spotting the moppy, dark hair I was looking for.

"Ally?" Harper asked, and I turned my attention back to her, ready to thank her for the ride. "You're not totally friendless— I do exist, you know."

I rolled my eyes, her words putting a smile on my face. "Trust me, I know. Thanks for the ride. I'll see you at dinner," I said, opening the door. She wished me a good day before I closed it, heading up to the entrance.

I knew where I needed to go, I knew what I needed to do, and I kept telling myself over and over that I would. It was my choice what would happen today. I couldn't let the spark I had with Derek last night fade away without even trying to keep it.

My feet took their usual route through the crowded halls, passing groups of teens and banks of red lockers, my Converse smacking determinedly against the linoleum tile. I turned down the same hall I always did, but I didn't stop beside my locker like usual. I kept walking, eyes trained on the figure a ways ahead. Derek was donned in a baggy navy blue jacket, his ragged book bag sitting at his feet as he rummaged in his locker.

I breathed deeper as I neared him, willing myself to keep going. I could do this. It was a choice, and whatever happened after, good or bad, it was just something I'd have to choose how to react to. I forced myself to push that thought out of my mind— the future wasn't here yet and I didn't need to panic over it. Right now, I just needed to fix the present.

I reached the tall figure, but he didn't seem to notice that someone had stopped beside him. I swallowed before finding it in myself to speak. "Derek."

He turned, eyes meeting mine before glancing around, almost as if he was looking to see if I was really talking to him. I tried not to think about the surrounding people, his bemused expression, or the way my stomach was churning with nerves. I just had to do it.

I stepped forward, bringing my hands to the sides of his face. His eyebrows shot up, eyes widening as I closed my own, leaning in and pressing my lips against his. My heart fluttered in my chest, waiting for a response— he was tense for a second, but relaxed with a sigh as he moved his lips against mine. 

My stomach filled with a new kind of nerves at the motion, knees barely able to support me. My hands moved to his neck and he placed one of his on my waist, somehow making my heart beat faster. I knew people were around, but the feeling was overwhelming, ridding my mind of any embarrassment at the PDA.

Derek gently pulled away, his face bright red, eyes searching my face as my hands returned to my sides. "You are really one confusing girl," he repeated the words from last night, mouth almost stretching into a smile.

I smiled back, blushing at the fact that he was still holding me. "I lied yesterday, Derek. I had a great time on our date, and I really, really like you."

He tilted his head to the side, but the grin on his face let me know that while he may have been confused, he wasn't upset. "You do?"

I nodded. "I know I messed up last night, and I'm sorry for acting so cold. I don't really have an explanation for why I did what I did," I admitted, not wanting to lie but knowing the truth was unbelievable. "There was so much going on yesterday and— Well, it's not important anymore. But I wanted to ask you..."

I sighed, staring into his dark brown eyes, which were unreadable enough to make me doubt myself for a second. How had he managed to do this every week? "Derek, will you go on a date with me?"

His lips turned upwards, and he leaned in slowly, placing a soft peck against mine. Our eyes met again as he spoke. "Allison, I've been waiting for you to ask me that all year."

The End!

Thank you all so much for reading Opposite Day-- it was just a random idea that came to me one day, and I'd been wanting to attempt a short story for a while, since I'd never written one before!

This is a first draft so it's definitely not perfect, but I really hope you enjoyed reading! Your comments and votes have meant the world to me 💙

In kind of exciting news for the future, I plan to have this be the first in a series of standalone short stories that revolve around teen fiction with some sort of magical element! The next one will probably be called Imaginary, but I'm not sure when I'll have it ready to post 😉

Until then, thank you so so much for reading!