Reckless, Stupid, Overindulgent

"OMIGOD YOU GUYS THERE HE IS!!"

All four of us squealed as that face appeared on the screen, swooned as his smouldering green eyes looked deep into the camera, staring down to the depths of our souls. Alice actually moaned and tossed some of her popcorn at the TV.

"I mean, just look at that FACE!" Devin yelled, practically bouncing with excitement. Everyone giggled wildly until I shushed them.

"Guys guys guys shut up shut up shut up! It's coming!" We all stared in silence, waiting for the moment the entire beginning of the movie had been building up to. His first line.

"I know that you think I'm insane. But the truth is I owe it all to you, my love." It was the classic among our group. The handsome hero wearing that deliciously well fitting, cream colored suit and saying those brilliant words to the most amazing woman he'd ever met, and we were only five minutes into it.

More giggling and squealing. What can I say? We were in love with him. And by that I don't even mean just the character. It was the actor himself. Tom Astwich the fantastic. Tom Astwich the beautiful. Tom Astwich the amazing actor. Tom Astwich the Brit.

From the day we first saw him on the screen, we were in love. Kate discovered him first, which according to the Code said that she had dibs on him forever, but none of us really held a grudge-- he had plenty of very attractive (also British) costars and really, who was going to meet him in the first place? He was our favorite daydream, and on the evening of our High School graduation, we could honestly think of no better way to spend it than in the basement of my house, with the love of all our lives. Well, that and the fact that Alice's ex was hosting the only party that any of us thought could be worth going to, and there was no way we were going anywhere within a mile of that asshole now that we weren't being forced to spend seven hours a day with him.

Besides, Tom Astwich was suuuper hot. And it really was a good movie anyways. Tom was also a completely fantastic actor.

But right about now, something happened that would change the lives of all four of us for the rest of our lives, me more than anyone. Embarrassingly, at that exact moment I was obsessing quite loudly about a particularly attractive freckle he had beneath his left eye. Somebody coughed in the doorway.

It was Tom. Tom Astwich.

Alice screamed. Kate choked on her popcorn. Devin yelled out some profanity and then broke down in fits of laughter. I just sat there, silent. I was searching so damn hard for all of the clever things I'd decided I would say to him if something as completely crazy as this ever happened--because believe me, I had definitely thought of them-- but there was nothing. No words. I think I might have gurgled a little in a sad attempt to speak. Someone had the good sense to turn off the television.

"Is-- uh-- is Margot down here?" He seemed nervous. Adorably nervous. Adorable because we were about eight billion times more nervous than he. He was basically a god amongst us silly teenaged fangirl. This perfect human being. This greatest of all God's creations. This most-- did he say my name?

Everyone was looking at me. I blinked, hard, several times.

"Yeah. That's me. I'm Margot." I felt the words fall out of my mouth. This was utterly surreal.

"Can we talk?" he asked. Tom Astwich. Wanted to talk. To me. I mentally slapped myself into awareness. If I was going to have a conversation with the love of my life, then dammit I was going to sound intelligent!

"If I were to be given the opportunity and refuse a conversation with you, I would not be the only one who wanted to shoot me in the face. So yes. What do you want to talk about?"

His eyes shifted nervously to each of my friends. "I wondered if perhaps we could speak alone?"

Alice had her hands over her mouth, but I still heard that little squee! escape. If I were to be a rational person, I would have said that I wanted to stay in the company of people I actually knew. I would have at least stayed inside the house. Because when we look at it plainly, I had never met this guy. He could be here to murder me with an axe. And yet, I suggested we take a walk. Outside.

Summer was just beginning, and it was my favorite time of the year. It's fair to say that for most of my life, night walks in the summer were my favorite thing to do. But when I stepped out into the warm night air, I could feel my heart beating out a samba in my chest. Seriously, the thing was trying to mutiny.

"What's up?" I managed to keep fairly cool, and the words only sounded a little forced.

"I have some news for you. And you'll probably not like it at all, and I'm really sorry. I wish there was something I could do about it, but believe me when I say it's equally distressing for me." This remark from him did nothing for the samba in my chest.

"Did somebody die? I didn't think we knew the same people."

"Everyone is fine, to the best of my knowledge. No, what I have to say pertains mostly to just you and me."

"How can something be about you and me when the closest to you I've ever come before today is watching you on a screen?"

"This is exactly why I've struggled with approaching you for so long. What I'm going to do I have absolutely no right to do, no matter who you ask. This is something that is going to forever shift our lives and the lives of those around us. And it's not your fault, and it's not my fault either. It's a cruel trick of fate that we've got to live with."

"Okay please just spit it out because I can't take all of this buildup and I might have a heart attack."

"Right, sorry. I just really want to get this right."

We stopped walking. He got down on one knee. He pulled out a ring.

"Margot Rothman, I know this is the exact opposite of what a bright girl like you with a future would want for her life, but will you marry me?"