If the Heavens Ever Did Speak, She's the Last True Mouthpiece

Forgotten Jackets

Tyler was currently walking on cloud nine. The hard part was over. He had confessed his feelings, gotten the girl, and now was the time to enjoy it.

He had woken up the day after confessing with a smile on his face (along with a million texts from Miriam, Mei, and Priya giving him the Shovel Talk). After assuring each of them that he would treat Abby right, and yes, for the thousandth time, he would have her back home safe by midnight, he noticed the time.

It was 5:00. He had slept in really late. 'That's what I get for staying up until 3 in the morning,' he thought to himself cynically. 'Kind of hard to sleep when you can't stop thinking about the fact that you have a date with the most wonderful girl in the world.'

He got out of bed, put his best clothes on (black dress pants and a button down white shirt accompanied by his basketball letterman), brushed his teeth, and got to work planning the perfect date. 'A perfect date for a perfect girl,' he mused.

He scoured the the web, searching for the best places to go mini golfing. Sweet Retreat? Nope. Pirate Park? One-star rating. Frankie's Funpark? Closed. Albert Park Mini Golf? Tyler's face lit up. 'We have a winner...'

Glancing at his clock, Tyler realized that he needed to leave now if he was going to pick up flowers for Abby on the way to her house. His internet search took up more time than he thought.

He rushed to the door, picking up his skateboard on the way. 'This will save me a lot of time,' he smiled. He made a mental note to thank Miriam once again for teaching him how to skate.

With the addition of wheels, Tyler was able to cut the travel time to the Daisy Mart in half, and soon found himself in the floral section of the store.

After searching through the array of flowers (and a quick Google search of "What do healthy flowers look like?"), Tyler picked out a blooming bouquet of Gladiolus.

He thought he remembered hearing that they represented strength, and who better embodied that than Abby. He had no idea where he got that information, but he certainly hoped it was true. 'Maybe I accidentally paid attention in class once.'

He brought the flowers up to the checkout, and set them down to be scanned. The cashier, who's name tag read "Devon," smiled, giving him a knowing look.

"Which one is it?" he asked curiously.

"Huh?" Tyler had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh come on, don't give me that," stated teasingly and gestured to the window. "I've seen you out there with that group of girls nearly everyday. Which one are these flowers for?"

Tyler looked down at the counter, blushing furiously.

"A-Abby." When Devon gave him a look that said 'I-have-no-idea-which one-that-is,' Tyler continued, "T-The short one..."

"B-But don't tell her I called her short," Tyler added quickly. "She'd have my head on a stick "

Devon let out a chuckled before asking, "You have a date tonight? Your total is $10.50 by the way."

"Yeah, I'm picking her up in-" he checked his watch, "-15 minutes. Any advice?"

Devon shrugged. "You seem like a good kid. I know it sounds cliché, but just be yourself." Devon handed Tyler his flowers. "She accepted the date because she likes you for who you are, yeah? So just be exactly that."

Tyler nodded his head before smiling. "Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, man." Tyler concluded his sentence by holding his hand out for a fist bump.

Devon rolled his eyes lightheartedly before returning the gesture, shaking his head with a smile when Tyler imitated an explosion as their knuckles hit. "Where you taking her, dork?"