Beautiful ➳ Neil Perry.

sept

Alice rushed home straight from school that afternoon.

She didn't bother waiting for Chris, Jessica or Adrienne this time, her mind filled entirely of Neil and Neil only at this point.

"Where are you going?" Jessica had asked earlier, "I've never seen you in a rush to get home from school before."

"She must be on her way to see someone," Chris teased, pushing Alice's arm playfully, "A Neil Perry, maybe?"

"Oh, shut up."

It was no surprise to her that her friends knew about her rendezvous with Neil. Pushing her friends' comments aside, she made sure she didn't forget her textbooks before making her way home.

Alice had never been on a proper date before, but she didn't feel too nervous at all. Neil just made her feel welcome and comfortable, always knowing the right things to say. She knew she didn't have to try so hard to impress him at all— he made it clear that he liked her enough to want to spend extra time alone with her.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room, Alice made sure she looked her best from head to toe. She picked out the pale pink cardigan she rarely ever wore, pairing it with her white skirt. It was an ensemble she never wore unless it was a special occasion, since the pale colours were easy to stain and ruin. Alice never wanted to risk that when she went out, but today was different. Today was Neil.

Alice glanced at the clock, glad she was on time to leave. If one thing was for sure, she didn't like to leave people waiting for her. Making sure she locked the front door behind her, Alice took a few steps down the front stairs before her attention was caught by the loud honk of a 1959 Ferrari.

Bemused from the sudden disturbance waiting ahead of her, she rolled her eyes when she recognised the figure leaning against the Californian car.

"Hey, baby. Did ya miss me?"

It was Jonathan Denver, one of Chet Danbury's best friends. For over the course of a year, Jonathan made various attempts to make Alice his girlfriend and despite her disinterest in him, he never really stopped. He had moved to live in California just over two months ago, but apparently he was back now.

The blonde-haired boy bounced off his car, quick to find his place alongside Alice who didn't pause to entertain him.

"Hey, hey. Where are we going?"

Alice stared, an impatient expression clearly directed at him.

"Don't do this right now. I'm on my way to meet with someone and you're just here to ruin everything, as usual."

"So you're going on a date . . . And the guy is letting you walk?" Jonathan raised a brow, howling out in laughter before running a hand through his carefully styled hair, "I, a real gentleman, shall drive you to said location."

He grabbed onto Alice's hand to which she pulled away forcefully.

"No, I don't need you or your stupid car, Jonathan. Just get lost and don't look for me again," she snapped, taking another look at her watch before continuing down the sidewalk.

Jonathan had made it clear that the main reason why he liked Alice so much was because he enjoyed the chase. His whole life, he had been convinced he could get every girl he wanted. So now, he didn't feel like stopping until he got Alice.

"Just my luck," Alice sighed, shaking her head in disbelief, "Just when I thought everything was going good for once."

It wasn't too long 'til Alice reached her destination, her mood lifting at the sight of Neil waiting for her in front of the movies. She smiled, biting her lip when she realised she might've been smiling too much. And it was like every problem that clouded her mind suddenly vanished.

"Hey, you," he smiled back at her, seemingly pleased to see she dressed more warmly today.

"Did you wait too long for me?" Alice returned, holding tightly onto the arm he offered her.

"Doesn't matter, it was worth it."

* * *

Alice wasn't the biggest fan of the movies. It wasn't the fact she didn't like watching films— that part of it she enjoyed.

It was the erratic shouting and jeering of other viewers during the movie. If movies were meant to be enjoyed, how were you meant to enjoy the movie with disturbances such as those? Alice found it hard to concentrate on the film in front of her because of the noise and movement happening all around her.

Coming today with Neil was against her normal practice, but that's how it always was with him. Trying new things and turning bad experiences into good ones. Turns out, it all goes down to the memories you make at that place.

"Is here okay?" Neil asked, as the two walked into one of the middle aisles.

"Yeah, here's fine."

Alice laughed as Neil passed her the bucket of popcorn.

"You might have to hold onto this for a while, I find myself almost finishing the bucket way before the movie even starts."

* * *

The sky was dark by the time the film came to an end, but their date was far from done.

Walking down the street with their arms linked, Alice let Neil lead the way to their next destination. And to her surprise, they were standing in front of one of Vermont's best art supply stores.

"You're kidding me right now," Alice laughed, "Neil, you know what my father would say . . . You know what Elsbeth would do."

"I know," he smiled, "But what about you? What would you do without it?"

"Die a sad and lonely death," she joked, pushing open the front door.

"Die a sad death maybe, but not lonely."

Alice felt the butterflies in her stomach, forcing away the smile she could barely hold back. "You're so sweet."

She'd missed the scent of the paints and canvases and new paintbrushes. It must've been too long since she last felt at her happiest; doing what she loves most.

Alice didn't wait to grab every type of brush off the shelves, passing all the different pallets and paints to Neil who followed closely behind her. It was like she was finally piecing herself together; slowly but all at once.

"Hey, maybe you could paint a portrait of me someday."

Alice smiled teasingly, "It's too bad I paint landscapes, not people."

At this point, Alice had spent hundreds of dollars on her new art supplies but she couldn't possibly put a price tag on something she has wanted for all these years.

"Thank you . . ." she said, her smile warm with content, "I don't think I would've ever done this without you with me."

Neil mirrored the smile, capturing Alice in an embrace.

"I'll have to stick around then, if it means you'll keep going."

Then Alice looked up at him, drawing Neil even closer to her with her eyes. He lifted a hand to gently cup her cheek and kissed her softly. The kiss he left on her shaking lips sent a whirlwind of butterflies to her stomach and before she knew it, she was kissing him back.

It was Alice's first kiss. She never imagined her first kiss would happen so suddenly and out of the blue, but that was the beauty of it. It wasn't planned nor was it certain to happen. And yet, it was with the right person.

After they pulled away from each other, Alice gazed up at Neil, smiling up at the boy she knew she was falling in love with.