Holding On To Happy | ✔

20. Without Warning

"Bowling?"

"Nope."

"Indoor ice skating?"

"Definitely not."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I folded my arms across my chest and waited as Calvin grabbed his anatomy book from his locker. Our upcoming date was giving me anxiety, but know what he had planned would put at ease. Except he was being very tight lipped about it.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

He closed his locker and we headed to our first classes.

"Because that would defeat the purpose of a surprise," he pointed out.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't really like surprises."

He laughed, "All you need to know is that it'll be fun."

I wanted to argue that outside of scary movies and writing, he didn't know what I liked to do for fun. Then I remembered the dessert he surprised me with at Sweetie Pies. Maybe he paid more attention than I gave him credit for.

"Okay, I'm trusting you."

"Good," he smiled. "Are you on dish duty at Bloom tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm taking my mom there for her birthday dinner," he explained. "So, I'll need the gifts."

We stopped at the end of the corridor, where we had to split up to get to our classes.

"I'll give them to you after school," I said. "And if you tell me where you're taking me on our date I can get you free desserts."

He simple laughed at my efforts to bribe him. "I'll see you later," he said before turning on his heels and walking to his class.

+ + +

"Well, that escalated quickly," Alyssa said as she set up her video camera for the Homecoming nominees interviews. "Yesterday you didn't even know if he liked you and now you're going on a date?"

"Yeah, it seems surreal," I admitted. "Everything is going so perfectly I feel -"

Alyssa clamped her hand over my mouth, her eyes narrowed at me. "Don't you dare over think this to death," She demanded. "You will go on this date and you will be happy and you will not convince yourself that you don't deserve to be. Got it?"

I nodded and she smiled triumphantly as she removed her hand.

"Ahem," a voice coughed and I looked over to find Jasmine standing in the doorway. "If you two are done being weird I'd like to get this interview over with."

"Sit there," Alyssa instructed, pointing to the stool in front of a jungle themed back drop.

Jasmine did as she was told, her eyes widened when she saw the camera. "You're filming this?" She asked in a panic as she pulled out a compact mirror and began to touch up her makeup and fluff up her curls. "You could've warned me!"

"Whoops," Alyssa drawled, rolling her eyes as she continued to mess around with the camera. "I forgot the memory card, I'll be right back."

She left the room, leaving me alone with Jasmine. Who sat across from me, glaring and filling the room with a thick layer of awkwardness.

"So, you have a date?" She asked after a while. "You and Derek must be thrilled to finally get out of the shadows."

"I'm not dating Derek," I said for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'm going on a date with Calvin."