Life Isn't All That Bad

When I woke up the next morning to the doorbell ringing, I decided to ignore it, shoving my face into my pillow in hopes of falling asleep again. Whoever was at the door obviously wasn’t too important if they didn’t call first.

Of course, then the person began knocking loudly on the door. I checked my phone for the time, discovering 2 missed calls from Garrett. Okay, so maybe the person at the door did call first. I sat up, putting my glasses on. In the mirror, I could see my hair sticking out in all directions, so I quickly threw it up in a messy bun. It still stuck out in every direction, but at least it was out of my face.

I headed downstairs, still half asleep. Opening the door, I found Garrett looking very impatient.

“You can’t go on a date with John!” He blurted out the moment the door was opened.

I rubbed at my eyes, still too tired to comprehend what was happening. “…What?”

Garrett’s eyes went wide as he looked me up and down. “Do you um, have pants on?”

My sleepy self pulled the hem of my shirt up, revealing my purple shorts. “I’m good.” Had I not been half asleep, my shame probably would have embarrassed the hell out of me. “Please, come in so I can have some coffee and wake up, while you say whatever you have to say.”

He trailed after me as I headed into the kitchen, hoping to find some coffee. Lucky for me, my mom had made a pot of coffee before leaving for work. I felt like I never saw her anymore, with her working all the time.

I poured myself a mug of coffee, mixing in some milk and sugar, before turning to Garrett. “Okay, so you were saying?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee.

“Y-you can’t go on a date with John,” he said, a little more nervous than the first time.

“It’s not exactly my choice,” I remarked, sipping at my drink. “Why does it even matter if I go on a date with him?”

My question caught him off guard. “Well, uh… You said so yourself, all he does is embarrass you. It just… He’s not good enough for you,” Garrett stuttered out, seeming unsure of his answer.

I raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter. “So who is good enough for me?”

“Oh, um… I-I don’t know… b-but not John,” he said, his cheeks turning red.

“Look, I don’t really want to go on this date, but I have to. John pointed something out to me last night- I don’t give new people a chance. I just… I need to give him a chance, you know? I need to prove to him that I can give people a chance,” I explained, staring down at my coffee mug.

“But you do give people a chance!” He exclaimed. “We wouldn’t be friends if you didn’t give me a chance.”

I just shrugged, drinking the rest of my coffee. “I’m not changing my mind, Garrett. It’s just one date; it’s not a big deal.”

“But…”

“I don’t have time to argue with you, Gare,” I said with a sigh. “I need to go shower, so…”

Garrett just turned and headed for the front door, grumbling something under his breathe that I couldn’t quite hear.

I couldn’t understand why he was so upset. I wasn’t thrilled over the date either, but I’d only be proving John’s point if I didn’t go. But why did it matter to Garrett?

He couldn’t possibly be… jealous, could he?

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After my shower, I opted to take a nap. My wakeup call this morning, which hadn’t been all that early, just left me feeling incredibly tired. And I needed to mentally prepare myself for this date. Of course, what I didn’t expect was to sleep until 4:30 in the afternoon, leaving me with two and a half hours to get ready.

It probably seemed like a lot of time, but I’d never been on a date before. I didn’t know what to do.

‘Hey, can you come over? I need help.’ I sent a desperate text to Liz, silently praying that she had her phone with her, and that she wasn’t busy.

Someone must have been listening to my pray, because a minute late, my phone buzzed. ‘I’ll be there in 5’

And sure enough, about five minutes late, the doorbell rang. Liz looked supermodel perfect as always, even though she was just wearing a pair of loose gray shorts, and an old, black tank top.

“What’s up?” She asked, stepping inside.

“So, um, I need your help because I uh, I kind of have a date tonight,” I stuttered out, scratching at the back of my neck.

“What?” Liz shrieked, her eyes going wide. “With who? Did Garrett ask you on a date?”

“Um, my date isn’t exactly w-with Garrett…”

“Oh my god! Why didn’t I know you were getting all the boys? If I didn’t have Kennedy, I’d be jealous! So who’s the date with?”

I pulled at the hem of my t-shirt. “J-John…”

Her jaw dropped. “John as in John O’Callaghan? He asked you on a date?” I gave her a weak nod. “Well, what are you doing to wear?”

“That’s why I need you. I don’t know what to wear!” I felt so girly for caring, but it was my first real date.

Liz grabbed my wrist, dragging me up to my room. “So, did you have any plans on what to wear?” I just shrugged, and she let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll find something for you.”

While Liz dug through my closet, I sat on my bed, feeling useless. “I don’t really want to get too dressy… Going on this date was not my choice.”

She turned, giving me a strange look. “Why would you not want to go on this date?”

I just shrugged, pulling at a loose string on my bed. “He seems like a bit of a manwhore…”

Liz held up a hand to stop me. “John may be the biggest tease on the face of the earth, but he never dates. He’s John fucking O’Callaghan. The fact that he asked you on a date is a big deal. He may have a reputation, but believe me, the guy is a sweetheart,” she said, turning back to my closet. She pulled out a piece of black fabric. “Oh, you should definitely wear this with those shoes you wore to the party.”

I looked at what she was holding up. It was a little black dress with a large owl on the front. Suddenly, I was questioning why I had ever bought it.

“Liz, I-I… I don’t want to get all dressed up,” I stuttered out, staring at the dress.

But I had no choice. After what felt like years of her fixing my hair and makeup, I was finally ready for the date, leaving me with only 20 minutes until John was supposed to pick me up.

I must have looked nervous, for Liz gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I gotta head home, but good luck tonight!”

Soon after she left, the doorbell rang, signaling that John was here.

Time to get this over with.