Petrichor

Ryan

                   I feel a bit better the next day. Enough to go to school anyway. Until I remember I'll have to talk to Mikhail about what happened two days ago. I start feeling a bit queasy and debate turning around. 

"You can't avoid them forever." Allen says from behind me.

"I can try." I mutter. 

I adjust my backpack strap, take a deep breath and walk through the doors. Everything seems normal. Not that I expected anything to have changed, but I was absent for two days in a row. I step into my first class and sit down at the back of the class. I was the first one here. Allen wasn't having the same class so we said goodbye in the hallway. I decide to try writing. That would help pass the time. 

I actually just end up staring at the paper, lost in thought. The first thing I had to do was talk to Cassandra and call off that date. It was going to be super awkward and embarrassing, mostly for me, but what else can I do. But after that, I'm not sure. Should I try asking Mikhail on one again, or should I just forget about it. Either way, we were gonna have to talk about me surprise kissing him. I just hope I didn't jeopardize our friendship. He hadn't texted me since.

I barely noticed the class filling up and the teacher walking in. Before I know it the bell has gone and I learnt absolutely nothing that class. I need to speak with them as soon as possible and get everything off my chest.

-----

I bump into Cassandra in the hallways after third period. I was planning on talking to her after school but there was no avoiding it now. How was I going to call off the date without making myself look like a total jerk. 

"Oh Ryan, hi." she says, surprised. 

"About the date." we blurt out in unison.

Cassandra laughs and pushes her hair out of her face. "You go first."

"No, uh you go first." I insist. In hindsight I should have probably gone first considering what she was about to say wouldn't matter since I was about to call it off. Unless she was going to call it off herself. That would get me off the hook without making me look bad. 

"I can't make it this Friday."

Perfect, I sigh in my head. Crisis averted. The universe was finally cutting me some slack.

"But if you're free tonight, I have two reservations at the Bonefish Grill downtown with our names on it."

Not perfect.

"Oh,uh," I stutter. She was looking at me straight in the eyes. "See you after school then."

"Perfect," she grins. "So what were you gonna say."

"That I couldn't wait for our date this Friday," I lie through my teeth. "But I guess I don't have to now, haha..."