Behind the Scenes

Chapter 3

Rosa

Friday. The last day of my first week at this school, and I don't feel invisible anymore.

As I'm walking out the door of Physics, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and a guy sidles up to me and fall in step.

"Hey... Rosa, right?" I glance over at him. He's artsy. Shaggy hair, frosty blonde with dark brown laced through. He pushes his wire framed glasses up further on his face, and I notice the most dreamy eyebrows. He's beautiful, and I smile at him with a nod.

He looks down at the floor and smiles, too.

"I'm Gavin Mirth. We're in the same classes. Obviously. You're PourPourMe on Instagram, aren't you?" He looks at me and adds, "I might have sort of stalked your online presence."

"Yes. That's me. I'm flattered, I think." I laugh.

"You're amazing." He says.

"Well... thanks." I laugh and shift gears. All of these new interactions are really starting to take their awkwardness toll. "What are you on the art track for?" I ask. We turn into the cafeteria and get in line.

"Photography. You can look me up... I follow you." He laughs nervously. "I figured since we'll be in classes together all year, we might as well get to know each other."

"Yeah. That sounds great." I grab my full tray and a bottle of water, and scan the room for Kate and Sarah. I'm feeling gutsy because he's adorable and obviously interested in me— if not romantically, at least as a person in general— so I ask, "Wanna have lunch with me?" And a grin slowly spreads across his face.

"Absolutely." He says.

By the time Kate and Sarah find us, I'm already sort of in love with Gavin Mirth. Maybe just the idea of him? He pulled up his Instagram account on my phone, clicked the follow button himself, and showed me his favorite posts. So he's beautiful, talented, and right on track socially. He did everything right— leaned in close, made eye contact, complimented me, and greeted Kate and Sarah like he wasn't bummed that we had other people around. On our way to English class, he leans toward me so that our shoulders are touching.

"Will you go out with me sometime?" He asks quietly. "Even tonight. Whenever works for you."

"Like... a date?" I ask, surprised. I've known the guy for like an hour.

"Yeah. Is that... is that okay?" He falters, and I almost apologize and say yes because I feel so bad. I try to think of a way to reassure him.

"It's... soon. How about... lunch? Here? Together?" I know how nervous I must sound, but I try to push through anyway. "I'll tell Kate and Sarah that it's just you and me every other day. We can see where it goes?"

"I think I can handle that." He smiles, "As long as it's going somewhere."

_____________

"Tell me all you know about Gavin Mirth." I nearly attack Caleb with this as I'm climbing into his car after school. He's driving me to Mugshot to meet Kate and Sarah. Of course I plan to do exactly the same thing to them, but honestly, I trust Caleb even more than I trust them.

"As long as you aren't going to, like, murder me out of excitement or something." He puts his arm around the back of my seat and pulls out of the parking spot. "I know his name. And that he's a photographer. And he's kind of a geek... in a popular way?"