Trust me, babe

Chapter 27

Kathryn

I slammed my locker door shut and threw my backpack — my heavy, heavy backpack — on my shoulder. The school day was finally over and I could head home to enjoy the rest of the day together with Jacky and Kenzie. Or at least I could if I completely ignored my math homework.

I pushed my way through the crowded corridors and towards the front doors of the school. I had just made my way out of the front doors and into the sunny schoolyard when I heard someone call my name.

I looked around, confused. Then I spotted Samson. He was leaning against the school gate and waving at me with a happy smile on his face. Did he ever go anywhere without that happy smile?

"Hi babe," he greeted me as I walked over to him.

"Hi." I was working hard not to let my smile spread from ear to ear. Somehow seeing him had made me that happy. But I didn't want to look stupid, smiling so widely. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you of course," he said.

"Me? Why are you waiting for me?" I asked, looking at him with a confused expression. But confusion wasn't the main emotion for me at the moment. Some sort of excitement was. Excitement which caused millions of butterflies to start flying around in my stomach.

Even if I wasn't meant to feel that way, if I wasn't meant to feel anything positive at all when a guy was waiting for me at the school gates, I just couldn't help it. I knew I should've just told Samson I was busy and then walk straight past him. But I couldn't. I didn't want to. I much rather stayed with him and waited for him to tell why he had been waiting for me. Curious me. Easily charmed me.

"I wanted to ask you something," Samson said and looked at his feet. Was he blushing?

I waited for a while but he remained silent so I asked: "Ask me what?"

Samson was kicking the ground with his feet — I couldn't help but wonder didn't it hurt his toes — and when he raised his face from the ground to look back at me I could see it from his face that he was nervous. It was very uncommon for him, being nervous. So it just made me all the more curious.

"I wanted to ask you if I could take you out for pizza today," he finally blurted out.

I stared at him for a while, wondering what to say. I had been so determined to never go out with any guy ever again. I had been so determined to avoid Samson. Or at least I had tried to be determined to avoid him. I knew where it'd most likely lead if I let a guy close to me. If I started seeing someone, dating someone.

But on the other hand I wanted to say yes so badly. Just like I had wanted, deep inside, when he had asked me out at the Taronga Zoo. And I knew that if I'd say no now it might very well be the final no. This was already the second time he asked me out and if I'd once again give him a no he'd probably give up and stop asking. This was probably my final chance.

My chance to fix what had gone wrong at the Taronga Zoo.

"Yes," I said. "You can take me out for pizza today."

Samson's face lit up. "Really? You mean it?"

I nodded.

"Oh God! Yeah!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "You have no idea how relieved I am feeling right now. Relieved and happy. I was so nervous to ask you out again when you had said no already once. But I just felt so hopeful after your birthday party that I had to try one more time," Samson babbled, his eyes shining.