Let Me Fall

My last class of the day lets out, and I begin to clear my desk, putting my notebook and pencils back into my messenger bag. I pull my cell out and check to see if I’ve received any new messages, silently hoping that I have nothing in my message inbox. A sigh of relief passes from my lips when I see that Patricia hasn’t sent me anything yet. That mean maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late to back out of lunch.

I’ve spent the entire morning dreading my last class, watching the clock and wishing that 12:50 would never come. I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to this. Maybe I was just thinking about how badly Mom has wanted me to make friends, or maybe I wasn’t even thinking at all. Whatever it was that possessed me to say yes, I am now having second thoughts. I mean, Patricia seemed nice enough, but what if the same can’t be said about her friends?

What if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m weird? What if she really is friends with Brian? Even worse, what if that boyfriend she was gushing about is Brian? Then I’d have to tell her what a jackass her boyfriend is. Or even worse than that, what if she’s not friends with Brian but one of her friends recognizes me from last year and blows my cover? And if that happens, what am I going to do when I have to explain why I had to leave school? I can’t do that.

It’s not that I’m ashamed of being a single mom; I’m not. I just don’t want people to pity me. I don’t want them to feel like they have to be nice to me because I was the stupid girl who got knocked up by her ex-boyfriend who never really cared about her. That’s the last thing I want; friends who are only friends with me because they feel sorry for me.

But who’s to say that anyone’s going to judge me if I have to come clean? Hell, who says that anyone’s even going to recognize me? For all I know, these people could become really close friends; the kind of friends I keep in touch with long after college is over with. And even if they’re not the kind of people I’d hang out with, what harm will it do to have one lunch? I was able to do it with Brian; I can do it again… Maybe…

I chew on the inside of my bottom lip as I stare down at my phone. I just don’t know what to do. I feel so torn. While there’s half of me that wants to cancel and run home, there’s the other half wants to go and attempt to make some friends; it’ll be a long, lonely semester if I don’t make any friends now. Yet part of me is still debating whether or not I should back out as the other part waits for the phone to vibrate and the screen to light up with the arrival of a new text message.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Huh?” I ask, looking up to see a tall, slender guy with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes standing a couple of desks ahead of me.

“I asked if you’re alright,” he replies, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You looked a little…out of it.”

I chuckle, nodding my head. “Yeah, I’m sure. I was just thinking.”

“Is it something important?”

“I suppose you could say that,” I answer, shrugging my shoulders. “It’s just… Can I ask you for your opinion?”

“Sure,” he says, smiling as he leans against the desk beside him. The legs grind against the tile floor for a moment, and I inwardly cringe at the sound. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright.”

“So, what’s your dilemma?”

“If you were invited to try something new, what would you do? Would you go for it or would you back out and stay in your comfort zone?” I ask, biting my bottom lip anxiously.

“You want my honest opinion?”

“Of course.”

“Well, if it were me, I’d go for it. I mean, you’ve only got one life, right? Might as well take some chances and step out of your comfort zone sometimes. You’ve gotta live your life, don’t let it just pass you by because you were scared, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thanks… What’s your name?”

He chuckles, revealing a bright smile. “I guess we skipped that part, huh?”

“Yeah, just maybe.”

“It’s Jimmy.”

“Well, thanks for the good advice, Jimmy,” I smile.

“You’re welcome… I think it’s your turn to introduce yourself.”

“Oh, right! It’s Piper.”

For a brief second, I swear I see recognition flash in his eyes -- just like I thought I saw with Patricia earlier today. But it disappears just as quickly as it came. “You’re welcome, Piper,” he says, smiling back at me. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later. And good luck with that decision of yours.”

“Thanks.”

He gives a small nod of his head before turning to leave the room. I look back down at the phone in my hands, open up my contact list, and begin to scroll down to Patricia’s name. I find her number and sigh, trying to think of what to write. However, I don’t have to think very long.

My phone starts vibrating and a new window pops up on the screen, informing me of a text in my inbox. I open the message and read it quickly. Gnawing on the inside of my lip, I begin to type my reply. My eyes scan over what I’ve written; I take a deep breath, and hit send.

Sighing, I slip my phone into my pocket and walk out of the room. I make my way to the end of the hall, down the staircase, and out of the building. Once outside, I adjust the strap of my backpack and head towards the quad, which is where I just agreed to meet Patricia.

After a couple of minutes walking behind a group of girls who trudged at a snail’s pace while they chatted about how they just can’t wait for Rush Week and hope to get into the sorority of their choice, I arrive at the quad. I click my tongue as my eyes scan across the crowded area and I begin to push my way through, hoping that I’ll spot Patricia and get the heck outta here. Maybe we should have decided to meet somewhere else…

“There you are, Piper!”

“Hey,” I reply, turning around to see Patricia and a pretty blonde grinning at me, “guys…” I trail off, my eyes on the blonde who I’m pretty sure I haven’t met.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you that Laney was going to be with me,” Patricia says, noting my gaze. “Piper, this is one of my very wonderful friends, Laney. Laney, this is Piper, that girl I was telling you about earlier.”

“Hi,” I greet Laney with a tiny wave of my hand, “nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice meeting you, too,” Laney replies, still smiling. “I know you probably weren’t expecting to meet me just yet, but Patricia and I just had Algebra together, and I’m gonna be catching a ride with her to the diner since my boyfriend’s gonna be running a little late.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Patricia asks.

I shake my head. “No, I don’t mind at all. So, um, should I just follow you guys out to the diner in my car?”

“Well, you could always just catch a ride with us if you want to. There’s plenty of room in my car for the three of us.”

“Oh… Well, um,” I nervously lick my lips, “I actually need to go somewhere like right after lunch, so I think it’d be best if I just followed you guys. That’s alright, right?”

“Of course,” she beams. “Well, we should probably get going. We don’t want to leave everyone waiting too long. Where’d you park, Piper?”

“I parked in the lot behind the science building. What about you?”

“Same,” she answers. “I guess this will be easier than I thought.”

Patricia leads the way out of the quad, Laney and I following close behind. I fiddle with the strap of my messenger bag, trying to keep it from sliding down my arm as we push our way through the crowd. As we exit the quad, I hear a familiar laugh.

I turn my head to see Kendall sitting on a bench with Reese sitting comfortably on his lap. They’re laughing at someone I have never seen before-- probably a new friend of theirs-- and I feel my stomach knot up. I bite my lip and quickly turn my gaze away from them. I know it’s stupid and that I should hate his guts-- and part of me does. But there’s still part of me, a teeny tiny part of me that wishes that I was the one sitting on his lap.

~

I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as I follow Patricia’s car down the street. I gnaw on my lip as I look at the passing buildings, noticing how familiar they all seem. She turns once more into a parking lot, and I follow, parking in the space beside her car. I shut off the engine and glance out the window to get a good look at the diner. My heart pounds in my chest, I swallow hard, and I draw my lips together. It’s the same place Brian took me to yesterday.

I exhale through my mouth and reach for my wallet. I grab some cash and make sure that it’s enough to cover my lunch before I stuff it into my pocket. I pull my keys out of the ignition, take a deep breath, open the door, and step out of the car, making sure to lock it before shutting the door. My eyes scan over the parking lot, searching for any signs of Brian’s Impala.

“So it looks like the others are here already,” Patricia announces, breaking my concentration.

“Oh, they are?” I ask, taking one more look at the other cars in the lot. None of them are Brian’s.

“Yeah. Well, just about everyone,” she amends. “ Anyway, I guess we should go on in and find the others.”

I follow her and Laney across the parking lot and into the diner. I nibble on the inside of my bottom lip, anxiety building up inside of me and tying my stomach into what feels like a million knots as we get closer to the diner’s doors. I had been hoping and praying that she wasn’t talking about this place; I had told myself over and over that there was no way that she could possibly be friends with Brian, but now that we’re here, I feel like seeing him inside is inevitable. Laney pulls open one of the doors and the three of us file inside. I swallow hard and my heart pounds in my chest as I slowly look around the small restaurant.

“There they are,” Laney says, pointing towards a rounded end booth towards the back, “in the usual spot, as always.”

“Of course,” Patricia chuckles. “Is there really another booth that can fit all of us?”

“Well, there is the other one that looks exactly like it right over there,” Laney points out with a slight smirk playing on her lips.

“You know what I meant,” Patricia replies, rolling her eyes. “Now, let’s go join them, shall we?”

The two of them begin to make their way to the back where all of their friends are waiting for them. I take a small step forward, slowly trudging behind them. My eyes scan over the several people sitting at the table. There are two more girls there, a blonde and a brunette; both of them are incredibly pretty. Sitting with them are three guys, and my mouth falls open when I see the one sitting next to the unknown blonde.

“Everyone, this is Piper,” Patricia says as I finally walk up to the table. “Piper, this is, well, just about everyone. This is my boyfriend, Zacky. That’s Johnny and his girlfriend, Courtney. And over there’s Missy and her boyfriend--”

“Jimmy,” I finish, my eyes still focused on his familiar face.

“Oh… You two already know each other?” she asks, looking between me and Jimmy.

“Well, kind of,” Jimmy answers, smiling. “We just had a class together and talked for a little bit afterwards. It’s good seeing you again, Piper.”

“Yeah, good seeing you, too,” I reply with an uncomfortable half-smile.

“Well, at least you’ve got a familiar face here! Now, come on, sit,” Patricia orders, slightly tugging on my arm and pulling me down to sit in the booth with her. Laney slides in beside me, her gaze flitting towards the door for a moment before she brings her attention back to the group.

“Laney, where’s Matt?” the brunette, I believe her name is Courtney, asks.

“Oh, he’ll be here in a little while,” she answers, tucking her hair behind her ear. “He got held up with something for basketball.”

“Oh, okay.”

“So, Piper, is this your first year?” Jimmy’s girlfriend queries.

I nod my head. “Mmhmm, it’s my first year. What about you guys?”

“It’s the same for all of us. Were you here last semester? I don’t recall ever seeing you around on campus.”

“No, I wasn’t. It’s my first semester, but I’m pretty ahead on credits because I took a lot of AP courses in high school,” I tell her, somewhat surprised at just how easy lying about this is becoming for me.

“Hi, guys. How are you doing today?” a familiar voice asks. I look up and swallow hard when I see Loretta standing by our table.

“Hi, Loretta,” Patricia beams. “We’re doing pretty well today. What about you?”

“I’m doing just fine today.”

“Has it been busy today?” Patricia’s boyfriend asks her.

“Not really. It hasn’t been slow, but it hasn’t been packed, so I guess you’d say that it’s been pretty steady today.”

“That’s good.”

“Yep, I think days like today are the best. You aren’t too rushed, but there’s still plenty to do to keep you occupied,” she smiles, and the others nod their heads. “So, are you guys ready to order yet?”

“Um, not just yet; we’re waiting for Matt to show up. He shouldn’t be much longer, though,” Laney answers, and Loretta smiles.

“What’s holding that boy up this time?”

“It was just basketball,” a tall, muscular guy says as he approaches the table. I can only assume that he’s Matt. “But it didn’t take too long.”

Loretta smiles at him. “It’s good to see you, Matt.”

“Good to see you, too,” he grins, revealing a pair of dimples. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing well. And yourself?” she queries as Matt scoots in beside Laney.

He casually drapes his arm around Laney’s shoulders, confirming what I had already figured out-- that he’s Laney’s boyfriend. “I’ve been alright. It’s just been a busy day today. I’m glad to finally get a moment to relax. I hope I can last the rest of the semester.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, just like you did last year.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now, what can I get you guys to drink?”

“Beer,” Jimmy quickly answers, beaming broadly. I wonder why he’s smiling.

“You know we don’t serve alcohol here, Jimmy,” Loretta says, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. I take it that this is a regular exchange for them.

“And I still think that you guys should really consider it.”

“I’ll make sure to suggest it the next time we decide to add new items to the menu.”

“Ah, alright. Well, I guess I’ll just have a Diet Coke.”

Loretta simply nods her head as she quickly jots down on her notepad. Missy orders a water, Courtney, Johnny, and Zacky ask for Coke, and Patricia asks for a Diet Coke. Loretta finishes writing on her pad and looks at me. I anxiously gnaw on the inside of my lip and I look down at the table, pretending to be looking at the drink choices on the menu.

“I’ll have an orange soda,” I finally answer, looking up to see her write the order down. She moves on to take Laney and Matt’s drink orders, not even giving me a second glance. It’s almost as if she thinks I’m a regular part of the group…

After she takes Laney and Matt’s orders, she pockets her notepad and pencil and turns to walk back to the kitchen. I watch her as she makes her way through the restaurant, wondering why she didn’t seem to recognize me. Did she notice me and just didn’t want to draw any attention to me, or does she simply not remember me at all? Maybe I’m just another nameless face that Brian’s dragged to the diner-- nothing special at all.

Not that I wanted to be special to him or anything…

“Oh, I almost forgot! Matt, have you met Piper?” Patricia asks, her voice slicing through my thoughts.

“I don’t believe I have,” he says as he turns his head in my direction. There’s a smile on his face, showing off his dimples again. “But I think the name rings a bell. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” I reply, wondering why he said that my name sounds familiar. I mean, it’s not like my name is super common and there’s a million Piper’s running around.

“So what’s your major, Piper?”

“I’m studying Psychology.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Yeah, it is…” I trail off, not really sure what else to say.

“Is it really?” Johnny asks, and I turn my head to look at him, scrunching my eyebrows. “That interesting, I mean,” he clarifies.

“Well, I think it is,” I answer. “It’s not exactly for everyone, but I find human behavior to be quite fascinating.”

“Don’t mind Shortshit,” Jimmy tells me.

“Yeah, Johnny’s undeclared right now, so he asks just about everyone if they really think their majors are cool and interesting,” Missy adds on.

“Ah, I see.”

“Alright, guys,” Loretta’s voice chimes as she approaches our table with our drinks on a large, round tray. “I’ve got a Diet Coke,” she sets the drink down in front of Jimmy, “a water, three Cokes, another Diet Coke, an orange soda, an iced tea, and another water.” She places the last glass in front of Matt and pulls out her notepad again. “Have you guys figured out what you wanna eat yet?”

“Um, have we?” Courtney asks, looking at all of us and waiting for confirmation. Everyone else mumbles yeses or nods their head. I bite my lip for a moment and knit my brows together.

“Do you know what you want, Piper?” Missy queries.

I look up at her and nod my head. “Yeah, I just had to think for a moment. Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she smiles. “I guess we’re all ready, then.”

Loretta smiles, “Alright, so what are we having today?”

Everyone places their orders, but it doesn’t even look like Loretta needs to write any of this down; it’s as if she already knows what they want. And maybe that’s true since they do seem to be regular customers here. When it’s my turn to order, I look down at the menu, hoping for something on the front to jump out at me, but no dice. What did I get yesterday? That was good…

“I’ll, uh, I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich,” I say, looking up at her to see if maybe my order rings a bell for her. Surely she remembers me from yesterday. But again, there is nothing, no glint of recognition in her eyes or anything like that, she simply nods her head as she writes down my order and moves on to Laney and Matt.

She finishes taking our orders, smiles at us, and tells us that our food will be out in a few minutes. We all thank her before she turns to walk away. I watch her as she moves away from us, seeing her check on other tables as she passes them by. Just about everyone she talks to seems to know her, and she seems to know them. How come she can’t remember me? While part of me is relieved that she doesn’t recognize me, the other part is hurt that I was so easily forgotten.

“Hey, Matt, I thought Gates was supposed to come with you,” Zacky suddenly pipes up.

Matt shakes his head as he sets down his glass. “Nah, I asked him if he wanted to come with, but he said he had something else to do.”

“That sucks. I wanted to introduce the whole gang to Piper. I was sure he was going to come,” Patricia says, sounding genuinely disappointed.

I furrow my brow and look at everyone, wondering who the hell Gates is. I mean, what kind of name is that? Is it a nickname? Is it his last name and they just call him by it? I know that some people do that. “Um, who’s Gates?”

“Oh, he’s just a friend of ours,” Matt tells me, a smile playing on his lips.

“Why do you call him Gates?”

“It’s his stage name,” Jimmy answers.

“Stage name?” I ask, still slightly confused. “You mean, like, how some rockstars have stage names?”

“Exactly,” he replies, grinning.

“So your friend is in a band?” I query, slightly intrigued, and Jimmy nods. “What does he play?”

“He’s our lead guitarist, and damn good at it,” Zacky answers proudly.

“Wait, so you’re all in the band together?”

“That’s right,” Matt says, smiling.

“Wow. That’s… That’s really cool. So, what do you guys play? Do you have stage names, too? What kind of music do you play?” I ramble, each question tumbling out of my mouth before I even have a chance to think about shutting up.

Matt chuckles. I bite my lip, realizing just how stupid I must sound. My cheeks grow warm and I shake my head. “I’m sorry,” I mumble.

“No worries,” Zacky chimes, a warm smile on his lips.

“It’s actually nice to have someone other than the girls get all excited about our music,” Johnny adds on, and I laugh softly at the comment.

“Well, it’s true,” Jimmy chuckles.

“And to answer your questions, I’m the lead singer, Zacky over there is rhythm guitar, Johnny there is on bass, and Jimmy’s our drummer.”

“Cool,” I nod, taking a look at each of them and trying to picture them in their respective positions in the band. Even though I don’t know them that well, it does seem to fit.

“And we do have stage names,” he goes on. “I’m M. Shadows.”

“Zacky Vengeance.”

“Johnny Christ.”

“And I am The Reverend Tholomew Plague!” Jimmy announces proudly, raising his arms up into the air and earning a couple of looks from nearby customers. I notice Missy smile fondly at him. She’s clearly used to him doing this sort of thing. “But some people think it’s a bit long, so you can call me The Rev.”

I can’t help but smile at him; there’s just something about him that makes you smile. “Very nice stage names, guys. And the kind of music you play?”

“We’re not really into labels,” Matt starts, “but I guess we’d count as… metalcore?” he says, looking to his friends for input.

“Yeah, that’s close,” Zacky says, nodding in affirmation. “Maybe hard rock and metal, too.”

“I just say we play kick-ass music,” Jimmy interjects, and the others nod in agreement. “You should come by sometime and watch us practice, Piper.”

“Oh… Um… I don’t know about that…” I trail off, now wishing that I hadn’t shown so much interest in their band. I have Trevor to take care of; I can’t really just up and leave whenever to go see these guys practice… And I definitely cannot drag my baby to one of their practices.

“Why not?”

My throat grows dry, and I open my mouth as I try to figure out a decent excuse not to go. “I’m just… I’m kinda busy and don’t know if I’ll have the time… Besides, I don’t know if I really like that kind of music. No offense.”

“So you’re saying you’re not a fan of awesome, kick-ass music?”

“Well, no--”

“Then why don’t you give us a shot? You know, step out of your comfort zone a little bit,” he suggests.

I bite the inside of my bottom lip, recalling the advice he had given me at the end of class. He’s right. It wouldn’t hurt me to step out of my comfort zone every now and then…

“Jimmy, don’t be so pushy,” Missy murmurs to him. “Sorry about that. If you don’t wanna come by and see them practice, it’s totally cool.”

“No, it’s okay,” I tell her, looking back at Jimmy. “Jimmy’s right; it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Maybe if you guys give me a head’s up about when you’ll meet up, I can move some stuff around with my schedule to come by and check the band out. Which reminds me, what is the name of your band?”

“Avenged Sevenfold,” Johnny says.

“Or A7X,” Zacky tacks on with a proud look on his face. “I came up with that.”

“That’s actually a really cool name. How did you come up with it?”

“Well, everyone was supposed to be coming up with a list of possible band names,” Matt starts, “so I went home and started writing some. I looked into The Bible and came across something in the fourth chapter of Genesis; the chapter about Cain and Abel.”

“Oh, right! What is it?” I trail off, trying to think of the passage. “Something like, ‘whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.’”

“That’s the one,” Matt says, nodding his head. “So, I thought it was cool and wrote it down. Come to school the next day, and none of these fuckers came up with any band names. I was the only one who did my homework. So we just picked from the list I came up with, and we all agreed on Avenged Sevenfold.”

“I see. And how’d you come up with the A7X thing?” I ask, turning my head to look at Zacky.

“Well, the A for Avenged, the seven for, well, the seven in sevenfold, and the x is like a fold,” he said, doing a little gesture to show what he meant.

I chuckle and nod my head. “I see. I must admit, that’s pretty awesome. I’m totally going to have to come to a practice and see what you guys have got.”

“You really should,” Patricia pipes up. “They’ve got rehearsals over at Matt’s parents’ garage at least once a week.”

“Yeah; they’d be over at my place, but it’s not big enough. And my mom and dad don’t live too far away, so we just meet up over there,” Matt says.

“And they don’t mind?” I ask, surprised. Most parents I know wouldn’t let their son and his friends practice in their garage. Well, maybe if they were in high school; but college? Not as likely.

“Not at all,” he replies, smiling. “I do pay them a little something, though. They usually don’t accept it, but I insist that they take it since we’re using up their space.”

“Wow. Your parents must be pretty cool.”

“They’re not bad.”

“Alright, guys, sorry for the wait there,” Loretta says as she approaches the table with a large tray of food. How she manages to carry it all is actually amazing me right now. I know that if it were me, food would be all over the floor.

“No need to apologize, Loretta,” Laney tells her with a kind smile. “We understand how things can get.”

“And that is why I love you guys so much,” she says, as she shifts a bit and starts to take food off of the tray. She expertly places our plates in front of us, all of the orders going to the right people. “Is there anything else you guys need?”

“No, I think we’re good,” Courtney answers. “Thanks, Loretta.”

“You’re welcome, guys. I’ll be back in a little while.” And with that she turns on her heels and walks away from the table.

We all begin to dig into our food, making small talk in between bites of food. I ask each couple how they met and how long they’ve been together. All of them have been together since high school, either meeting in school or knowing each other since childhood. If only I could be as lucky as all of them. They all seem so perfect; they all suit each other so well. It must be nice to meet the right person so early. You get to avoid so much; the bullshit, the heartbreak.

“So, Piper, do you have a boyfriend?” Missy asks casually as she reaches for her water.

“Um, no, not at the moment,” I answer, licking my lips. “That ended like a little over a year ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says-- genuinely, might I add.

“You know, Gates is single, too,” Patricia mentions with a sly smirk on her lips.

“Oh… Umm…” I trail off, not sure what to say.

“Baby, what did I tell you about trying to set Gates up with girls when he’s not even around?” Zacky whispers to her, and she rolls her eyes.

“To not to. But, I think that he’d really like Piper. Don’t you guys think so?” she says, looking to the other girls. They all nod their heads. “See?”

“Even so, I’m sure he could find someone on his own.”

“Maybe.”

I chuckle at her lack of confidence in her friend’s ability to find a girlfriend on his own. “I’m sure he’s a great guy and all, but I’m not really interested in dating right now. Figure it’s best to focus on my studies.”

“But what if you meet a great guy? And Gates is a great guy.”

“I don’t know…”

“Syn’s really awesome, Piper,” Missy vouches.

“Syn?” I ask her, puzzled.

“Oh, right, we didn’t mention that one. His stage name is Synyster Gates,” she clarifies. “So we call him Syn or Gates a lot.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I’m sure that…Syn…is a fantastic guy, but I just don’t know if I’m ready to date right now. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Besides, you might change your mind when you meet him,” Patricia adds, that tiny smile on her lips again.

~

Lunch comes to an end. We get our checks and pay our bills, leaving a very nice tip behind for Loretta. Everyone scoots out of the booth and we head for the doors. As I’m walking, I look down and pat my pockets, making sure that I didn’t drop my phone or my keys, and I bump into Loretta.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Loretta,” I apologize.

“It’s alright, Piper,” she replies with that warm smile on her lips. I look at her in surprise for a moment before the corners of my lips curl up. “I’ll see you later.”

“Okay,” I say before she leaves to check on a couple of customers. I guess I wasn’t so forgettable after all.

“Piper, you coming?” Patricia calls out through the door.

I nod my head and head over, catching up with them. We all walk across the parking lot and exchange goodbyes before we split up to our respective vehicles. I check my phone before I pull my keys out of my pocket, making sure that I didn’t miss any calls while my phone was shoved in my pocket. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve missed a call or text because I didn’t feel my phone vibrate.

There are no missed calls or voice messages, so that must mean everything at home’s alright. I slip my phone back into my pocket and find the key to unlock my car. I look up in time to see a very familiar car drive into the lot.

My heart races as I watch the vehicle pull into the now empty space beside my car. I wonder if he saw me standing here…

The car’s engine dies down, and a few seconds later the owner emerges. He doesn’t seem to notice me as he climbs out, though. I watch him as he shuts the black car door, and his eyes finally fall on me.

“Hey, Piper,” he greets me, a grin on his face.

“Hi, Brian,” I answer, my pulse beating loudly in my ears.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here. What are you doing here?” he asks, walking away from his car.

“Just came here with a girl from my English class to have lunch with her and a few of her friends,” I answer honestly. I’ve been lying so much lately that it almost feels foreign to tell someone the truth.

“Oh, well, damn, there goes me asking you to join me for lunch,” he says, chuckling softly as he makes his way around my car.

“Yeah, I guess so… What are you doing here?” I ask dumbly before quickly mentally smacking myself for asking such a stupid question.

He smiles at me and runs his long fingers through his hair. “I was hoping to meet up with some of my friends for lunch. I, uh, had something to do when they all got out of class and now I’m just hoping that I can catch them before they leave, but I think I might have missed them.”

“Oh… Okay…”

“Yeah… So… Since you’ve already had lunch… You wanna go out to dinner with me tonight?” he queries with a charming smile.

I stare at him for a moment in disbelief. Is he really doing this now? Man, the guy just doesn’t know when to give up! “Sorry, Brian, I don’t think so,” I inform him as I unlock my car. “I’m just not interested in going on a date with you.”

“But it won’t be a date,” he quickly insists.

“You’re kidding me, right?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Last time I checked, a guy and a girl going out to dinner together fell into the date category.”

“Well, this one doesn’t. I am just asking you to dinner as a friend. I mean, think about it, it’s a Thursday. That’s not a date night, is it? Because I don’t think it is. Dates are more of a Friday or Saturday night kind of thing. This is going to be strictly platonic. I swear.”

I draw my lips together into a thin line and look at him for a moment. I cannot believe that I’m actually thinking about this! I should just tell him no and leave. But there’s something about the hopeful look in his brown eyes that makes me want to consider the proposal. Maybe he’s right. Maybe this wouldn’t count as a date…

“So what do you say, Piper?”