Assumptions
Two
“Hey, Patrick,” she said, her voice coming out higher than usual. She was about to blurt her invitation out, but the boy’s arm caught her eyes. Whatever bare skin there was, she saw long, glistening lines running every which way; signs of old scars. But there were some new ones too, overlapping the healed ones. Melissa swallowed; she had never been this close to him to notice the scars.
Patrick looked up at her slowly, his eyebrows knotting in curiosity.
“Hey,” he replied. His voice was a deep rumble, like a growl, only it didn’t sound threatening. If anything, it sounded warm.
“Melissa,” she extended her hand towards him.
His lips curved into a small smile, and he wrapped his hand around her fingers, clasping it and letting go.
“I know,” he said. “We’ve been classmates since I moved here.”
Melissa could feel her face burning. “Oh,” she said, laughing a bit. She looked away, embarrassed. “Right. I didn’t think you’d notice…”
Patrick snorted. “Pretty girl like you?” he said, a smile in his words. “Who wouldn’t notice?”
She looked straight at him. He was looking at her with his big brown eyes. The small smile had not left his face.
“I—” she stammered. Her hands have gone very cold. “You think I’m pretty?” was all she could say.
Patrick chuckled. “Yeah,” he said. He bit his lip. “Very pretty.”
She looked away, unable to stand his gaze. He was, quite literally, melting her. Thank God she was sitting down, for her knees had gone very weak. She prayed Adrian wouldn’t pop out of nowhere to ruin the moment.
“So…” she said, looking up at the sky. It looked unusually bright in her eyes.
“So,” Patrick echoed, going back to tracing lines on the dirt.
“Prom’s coming up,” she said, as conversationally as she could.
To her dismay, Patrick replied with a vague “Mm.”
“Should be fun, huh?”
Again, another vague answer: “I guess.”
Silence.
Melissa didn’t know how to proceed. Patrick didn’t seem interested in Prom at all. She was beginning to wonder if there had been a point of asking him to go with her in the first place.
Then Patrick suddenly said, “Did you want to go?”
“What—?” Melissa stared at him. “Oh, yeah, I do. Only I don’t have anyone to go with.”
“Too bad,” Patrick said and silence fell between them again.
This was infuriating, Melissa thought. One moment, he sounds indifferent, the next he sounds interested. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just out with it.
“Do you want to go with me?” she asked, looking decidedly at the tip of her shoes as she said it.
When Patrick didn’t reply, she looked up. He was staring at her.
“You’re seriously asking me?” he said, looking nonplussed. She noticed his face, too, had fine lines of healed scars. It did nothing to diminish his good looks though. If anything, it added to his appeal.
“Yeah,” she said. She had expected him to laugh at her. But when he only looked flustered, she drew strength from it. “Will you go to the Prom with me?”
Patrick must have realized he was staring, so he looked away. Melissa detected a smile twitching in the edges of his mouth. She felt encouraged, but she knew not to say anything to pressure him. She just watched him determinedly looking at anything except straight at her, his mouth twitching in a repressed smile.
He looked at her now, his smile fully realized, reaching up to his warm brown eyes. He seemed ready to reply, but when he opened his mouth, a different voice said:
“Can I help you?”
Melissa looked up, her stomach freezing over. Sure enough, Adrian was standing before them, carrying several books. He was a tall guy, even taller now that Melissa and Patrick were sitting. He looked at Patrick, a questioning look on his face.
“Oh, hey Drei,” Patrick said cheerfully. “Melissa just asked me to go to the Prom with her.”
“Did she?” Adrian said. “How nice.” And he curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Unfortunately, Patrick can’t go to the Prom,” he said with a tone of finality.
“What?” Patrick and Melissa said. “Why?”
“You have an appointment on the Fourteenth, remember?”
Melissa frowned. The way Adrian said ‘appointment’ made it sound like he meant something else. She looked at Patrick, desperately. Please, she prayed, don’t let this moment be ruined. Patrick had brought his cell phone out and was checking his calendar.
It was an artistically designed calendar application, Melissa thought. It was bordered by the lunar cycle. The dates were in Roman numerals. The month too was named differently. It said Februarius.
When Patrick finally pocketed the mobile, he looked disappointed. He gave Melissa an apologetic look.
She nodded, which was an effort, for she was boiling inside. She wanted to stand up, wrench those books from Adrian’s arms and smash them to his face. Adrian seemed to guess what she was thinking because he backed away slightly when she stood up. But all she did was glare at him and walked away.
She was halfway towards the girl’s bathroom, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, when Patrick overtook her.
“Melissa, wait,” he said. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you to the Prom. But I’m sure I’ll be able to make it up to you the week after.”
Fireworks. That’s what Melissa’s heart felt like. It was exploding like fireworks inside her ribcage. Sure, it wasn’t for the Prom, but Patrick still asked her out! She gave him a quivering smile, a small nod, and she ran to the bathroom before he could say anything else to ruin the moment.
Patrick looked up at her slowly, his eyebrows knotting in curiosity.
“Hey,” he replied. His voice was a deep rumble, like a growl, only it didn’t sound threatening. If anything, it sounded warm.
“Melissa,” she extended her hand towards him.
His lips curved into a small smile, and he wrapped his hand around her fingers, clasping it and letting go.
“I know,” he said. “We’ve been classmates since I moved here.”
Melissa could feel her face burning. “Oh,” she said, laughing a bit. She looked away, embarrassed. “Right. I didn’t think you’d notice…”
Patrick snorted. “Pretty girl like you?” he said, a smile in his words. “Who wouldn’t notice?”
She looked straight at him. He was looking at her with his big brown eyes. The small smile had not left his face.
“I—” she stammered. Her hands have gone very cold. “You think I’m pretty?” was all she could say.
Patrick chuckled. “Yeah,” he said. He bit his lip. “Very pretty.”
She looked away, unable to stand his gaze. He was, quite literally, melting her. Thank God she was sitting down, for her knees had gone very weak. She prayed Adrian wouldn’t pop out of nowhere to ruin the moment.
“So…” she said, looking up at the sky. It looked unusually bright in her eyes.
“So,” Patrick echoed, going back to tracing lines on the dirt.
“Prom’s coming up,” she said, as conversationally as she could.
To her dismay, Patrick replied with a vague “Mm.”
“Should be fun, huh?”
Again, another vague answer: “I guess.”
Silence.
Melissa didn’t know how to proceed. Patrick didn’t seem interested in Prom at all. She was beginning to wonder if there had been a point of asking him to go with her in the first place.
Then Patrick suddenly said, “Did you want to go?”
“What—?” Melissa stared at him. “Oh, yeah, I do. Only I don’t have anyone to go with.”
“Too bad,” Patrick said and silence fell between them again.
This was infuriating, Melissa thought. One moment, he sounds indifferent, the next he sounds interested. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just out with it.
“Do you want to go with me?” she asked, looking decidedly at the tip of her shoes as she said it.
When Patrick didn’t reply, she looked up. He was staring at her.
“You’re seriously asking me?” he said, looking nonplussed. She noticed his face, too, had fine lines of healed scars. It did nothing to diminish his good looks though. If anything, it added to his appeal.
“Yeah,” she said. She had expected him to laugh at her. But when he only looked flustered, she drew strength from it. “Will you go to the Prom with me?”
Patrick must have realized he was staring, so he looked away. Melissa detected a smile twitching in the edges of his mouth. She felt encouraged, but she knew not to say anything to pressure him. She just watched him determinedly looking at anything except straight at her, his mouth twitching in a repressed smile.
He looked at her now, his smile fully realized, reaching up to his warm brown eyes. He seemed ready to reply, but when he opened his mouth, a different voice said:
“Can I help you?”
Melissa looked up, her stomach freezing over. Sure enough, Adrian was standing before them, carrying several books. He was a tall guy, even taller now that Melissa and Patrick were sitting. He looked at Patrick, a questioning look on his face.
“Oh, hey Drei,” Patrick said cheerfully. “Melissa just asked me to go to the Prom with her.”
“Did she?” Adrian said. “How nice.” And he curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Unfortunately, Patrick can’t go to the Prom,” he said with a tone of finality.
“What?” Patrick and Melissa said. “Why?”
“You have an appointment on the Fourteenth, remember?”
Melissa frowned. The way Adrian said ‘appointment’ made it sound like he meant something else. She looked at Patrick, desperately. Please, she prayed, don’t let this moment be ruined. Patrick had brought his cell phone out and was checking his calendar.
It was an artistically designed calendar application, Melissa thought. It was bordered by the lunar cycle. The dates were in Roman numerals. The month too was named differently. It said Februarius.
When Patrick finally pocketed the mobile, he looked disappointed. He gave Melissa an apologetic look.
She nodded, which was an effort, for she was boiling inside. She wanted to stand up, wrench those books from Adrian’s arms and smash them to his face. Adrian seemed to guess what she was thinking because he backed away slightly when she stood up. But all she did was glare at him and walked away.
She was halfway towards the girl’s bathroom, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, when Patrick overtook her.
“Melissa, wait,” he said. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you to the Prom. But I’m sure I’ll be able to make it up to you the week after.”
Fireworks. That’s what Melissa’s heart felt like. It was exploding like fireworks inside her ribcage. Sure, it wasn’t for the Prom, but Patrick still asked her out! She gave him a quivering smile, a small nod, and she ran to the bathroom before he could say anything else to ruin the moment.