I was never there

Chapter six

I was riding my bike, trying not to fall off from nerves; I had almost crashed into a tree a moment ago.I was wearing my father's tuxedo and wondered if I was overdressed.Ivy was already standing by the window, waving at me. I waved back, almost toppling off my bike, but luckily she had already turned around to open the front door. I quickly got off my ugly bike and tried to strike a cool pose."Hey," she said."Hi," I replied with a forced voice."I'll just grab my bike, okay?"I nodded and realized ten seconds later that I should have offered her a ride on the back. Ivy walked over with her black bike, closing the wooden, rotting garden gate behind her. We rode together to the cinema and my heart was about to burst. She was riding half a meter away from me, she had never been this close to me before. We parked our bikes under the canopy at Paté. Slowly, I took the key out of the lock and looked to my right; Ivy was struggling with her lock. Should I help her, I thought, what if it fails again and I embarrass myself... But I decided to offer her my assistance."Can I help?" I asked."Yeah, this damn lock is impossible, but I don't have the money to buy a new one."I walked towards her and smoothly pulled the key out of her lock, handing it to her with a fluid motion."Here you go," I said."What do you do differently than me," Ivy muttered to herself as she stuffed her bike key into her jacket pocket.We went inside together (omg, just TOGETHER), bought Coke and M&M's, and walked to theater seven.I placed my bottle of Coke in the cup holder next to my seat while Ivy plopped down beside me and put the M&M's in the cup holder between us."Can we still get popcorn during the intermission?" she asked."Uh, yeah. Sure," I said, awkwardly smiling at her. She sweetly returned the smile, even sweeter than the Coke and M&M's combined.The lights dimmed, and the commercials that had been playing on the screen earlier transitioned into the beginning of the movie with a completely botched transition.

It was intermission, and half the people flowed outside to use the restroom or, like us, get popcorn or drinks.We walked straight to the popcorn machine where a woman with bright red hair and a full bosom stood grinning. There was a name tag pinned to her chest that read 'Beth'; the name suited her well."Can I help you?" she asked."Yes, we would like a large tub, sweet and salty," Ivy said.I was relieved she spoke up because I didn't dare open my mouth, afraid of saying something wrong or stumbling over my words.Ivy took the popcorn tub, and I paid."Hey, can I please buy a bottle of water too?" she asked."Yeah, of course. But quickly, the movie is about to start," I said."Okay, can I have your debit card?"I nodded and handed her my debit card. She ran back and dropped the popcorn tub on a table along the way.I turned around and walked back to our seats. I sat down, leaned all the way back, and sighed. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up, pretending not to be in love with her, pretending not to want to kiss her.Ivy came back just in time as the lights slowly dimmed.It took a moment for her to realize, but she then said, "Damn. I forgot the popcorn.""It's okay.""No, because that tub cost like ten euros or something.""That's true...""Sorry," she whispered."It's okay," I said again and reassuringly placed my hand on hers, but I felt her muscles tense up, and I turned into a tomato.Quickly, I withdrew my hand.

We hadn't said anything to each other throughout the entire way back home, and the silence was unbearable. Finally, we arrived at her house.Ivy got off and opened the garden gate, forcefully shoving her bike into the shed before walking towards me."Well... Thanks," she said. "It was... nice.""Yeah," I said and now I was certain she would never want to see me again. And, I know, it's embarrassing to hang out with me, let alone go to the movies. She doesn't like me, and she never will.I stared at the ground and suddenly... Suddenly, I felt two warm, lovely lips on my cheek, and when I looked up, the front door closed shut.

:)