A Flame Inside Me

Chapter 5

I stare at my closet, deciding what to wear. It was Saturday and Zach would be picking me up in three hours.

"You should wear a dress, that would be hot."

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No."

"Fine~" Maggie sat just outside my closet, digging through my piles of clothes to find something nice. "Not too casual, not too fancy! Remember that!"

"This isn't a date, Maggie. I'll just wear whatever, it's not much to think about."

"Yeah, not technically."

"There's a but after that."

"But, I know you have a crush on him!" She yells excitedly as she continues to search for the perfect outfit.

"Wha- What? Do not!"

She hums a mhm, now ignoring my claims. "What about this?"

"Never mind, I don't need your help!" I say, grabbing a T-shirt and zip-up hoodie, paired with some plain blue jeans.

"If you say so." She shrugs, walking out of my room as I push my glasses up my nose.

I put it on, flopping back onto my bed as I think about the day that's ahead. Zach wants to hang out with me of all people. I mean, at a graveyard but still.

Ten minutes late.

Fifteen minutes late.

Twenty minutes late.

Ding dong.

Twenty-five minutes after the originally agreed time of three he is finally here. "You're late," I exclaim as I open the large door. He wears a black Rolling Stones T-shirt paired with ripped black jeans. His signature dirty tennis shoes are on as well, of course.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I suck at getting to places on time."

"Not a good thing to be in the habit of but good to know."

"Why is it good to know?" He asks, quizzically.

"Um." I take a pause, thinking of a good answer. "To, uh, use it for the essay!" Bingo.

"Oh." His left foot moves on an angle behind his right as he begins to fidget with his thumbs, looking down at his feet.

"Well, lets go!" I say, quickly getting out the door. "Bye Maggie! See you when I get back!"

"Bye geeks!" She calls out all the way from her room.

When we get there, it is mostly empty and silent minus the tuxedo cat who was chasing a butterfly and the two men, one with black hair and one with red, standing by a grave. We get out, walking into the entrance as Zach leads me somewhere.

Does Zach know someone who passed away here? Is that why he is so quiet, he's secretly an orphan with no true family. His parents and little sister we're murdered by a serial killer and he was forced to watch it happen. The police couldn't get there in time and he was forced to watch them bleed out as the murderer escaped, never to be caught. And Zach trusts me enough and loves me enough to now tell me and this hang out will end with him making out with me after I comfort him and rub his back in circles.

"So, uh, why the graveyard?" I ask, already knowing the answer. It's so sad what happened to him.

"I just think they're cool. Dead people are really interesting, I like to talk to them. Although, they never talk back." Oh. Okay so forget everything I just said - thought - because that was just thrown out the window. I slowly nod with my jaw now dropped, not knowing what to say. That's a little psychotic. He sits by a bench near the gravestones and I do the same, pulling out my essay to start typing.

Zach doesn't type on his though, he just stares at me. "What?" I ask him, temporarily stopping the keyboard clicks.

"It- It's nothing."
"It's something. What is it?"

No response. He just stares, his mouth agape as his fingers hover over the keyboard. His hair as messy and pretty as usual, his eyes as shiny and enchanting as always.

"Just reply you idiot!" I yell, hitting him on the back of the head. My thin and rectangular glasses almost fall off my face, and I quickly push them back up.

"Okay! Okay! Fine!"

I stare at him, awaiting his response. He looks down at his screen, opening and closing his mouth slightly. Eventually, he speaks. "I- I think you're really pretty."

I go still as I stare at him. Pre- Pretty?!

"A - And um I know we haven't really known each other long - well we have but we never talked until recently - but, um, anyways I would like to go out with you sometime. Like - Like a date," He stares up at me, a worried look plastered on his face.

My eyes go wide as heat rises to my face. I stare at him as I lose the ability to speak. What do I say? I like him back, why can't I speak? Why does he even like me, I'm. . . Me. Boring and nerdy. What's there to like?

Zach looks at me for a minute before slowly looking at his feet as he nods in what he believes is understanding. He thinks I'm rejecting him. "I- I'm sorry, I should just go."

"No! Wait, Zach-" Then he runs off, leaving me a stuttering mess as I figure out what to do.