Miss Grande

Chapter 63: Flawless Five Step Plan

Hanging out with Katie was nice. I hadn't seen her in a while, especially since things got complicated with Justin. We talked about life and made stupid jokes. It was nice to just hang out with her.

She let me know that her ride would be here soon, and we made our way downstairs.

   "We need to hang out more." I leaned against my front door and lightly hit her arm.

   "I know! It's so nice being able to be myself around you. It's so much different than being around with my other friends."

   "I've got hands, you know? I can beat them up."

   "I appreciate it, but I'm good. We leave for college soon, so I'm sure things will take care of themselves."

   "I mean it."

   "I know you do. Thank you, but seriously we do need to hang out more. I know you're busy with soccer and your girlfriend, so just let me know what works for you. I'm free basically any day, other than next Saturday. I have a family thing going on."

   "I have plans Saturday too, so that works out perfectly. I'll text you what days work best for me, and we'll get it all figured out."

   "Yeah, of course. Well, it was really nice seeing you again."

   "Yeah! Sorry about not reaching out a lot. I felt like I had made things weird after what happened with Justin."

   "Boys are stupid, and I would never be mad at you over something like that."

"Amen. Thanks, again, for coming by." I opened the door.

"Yeah, I'll see you soon," she shot me a funny face and made her way to the car that was waiting out front for her.

I knew that it was Justin, but it didn't really concern me. It was a little funny though, as Ariana had just been over a few hours prior.

Speaking of Ariana, I was a little mad at myself for how easily I got over every little thing she did. I knew she was working to better herself and showing true change, and it meant a lot to me. It made it so easy for me to just act like nothing was ever wrong. The feeling of her lips against mine was enough to wipe my memory of everything. My only worry became how I was going to make sure she never stopped kissing me.

With thoughts of Ariana came the need to be busy. I rushed to my room to find something to wear for the picnic. It was a much needed distraction from other things I could be doing, mostly myself.

   I knew picnic meant fancy lunch outside and not a little plaid patterned blanket thrown onto grass with a basket. This was something important, but I didn't know any of the details.

   I was so nervous about this, even though there was plenty of time between then and now. Still, I wanted it to be perfect. I realized that was the same day as our first game of playoffs, but I knew that Ariana was very well organized and definitely had a schedule for everything.

   I was too caught up with the idea of the picnic to overthink like I usually would. It would be the first time we were out together in front of her dad, though I'm sure Mister Edward would be fine with us.

   He was practically pushing us together at the New Years ball, and I knew he wanted Ariana happy more than he wanted anything else. We had that in common.

   I found a cute outfit and hung it in my bathroom to iron later. I wasted no time getting ready for bed,. It was still very early, but I couldn't wait for the dreams my mind would conjure up of the picnic with Ariana.

   The next day came and went, and the rest of the week followed. It was wonderful. I was in Ariana's company often. Between helping in her classroom, practices, and games, I rarely left her side. It was nice, like going back to the honeymoon phase. I found myself hoping that it would last this time.

   The following Saturday came with our playoff game early in the morning and the picnic later in the afternoon. We had about 6 hours from the start of the game to the start of the picnic, and we had everything planned out in a flawless 5 step plan.

   Step 1: Team Breakfast.

   We convinced the team that a team breakfast was a better way to prepare for playoffs. Ariana would be showing up at the school early and using the culinary department to cook the entire team a pancake breakfast. It was such a sweet thought and a great chance for team bonding.

   She insisted that I couldn't help cook as to not tire her "favorite co-coach" out before the big game. It was a nice upgrade from my previous label as "star player" but I was her only co-coach. I did manage to talk my way into showing up early to help set up. Obviously I was just going to stare at her and throw everything together before anybody got there.

   Step 2: After Party.

   Once we finished playing, we could recover with pizza from the place we usually went to after games, delivered directly to the field.

   Regardless of the outcome, we all got a chance to celebrate our work with our team and our families. It saved us from having to travel or waiting for parents to pick up their children, thus giving us a quick escape.

   Step 3: Prepare.

   After a speedy clean up on the field, we would leave and go our separate ways. I would have exactly one hour to go to my house, shower, and get ready before making the quick drive to her neighborhood. I could park my car in the park, hopefully avoiding that aggressive duck in the process, and she would pick me up there.

   If anybody recognized my car, I could easily say I was running around the neighborhood again. There wasn't any direct link to Ariana, and it would let us show up to the picnic together, leading to the final two steps.

   Step 4: Charm.

   It's self explanatory. I had to charm Mister Edward, so he would take the news of Ariana being my girlfriend well. Very easy. Charming the Willson's was the other part. I was sure it wouldn't be too difficult. I was good at reading people, so I would be able to figure out my way around their family.

   Step 5: Seal The Deal.

   The business deal you perv.

   But I could be persuaded to seal another deal.

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so... my bad for taking so long to update. life has kept me busy.

what do you think is gonna happen next?

anywho hope you enjoyed & sorry if it made no sense