Open My Eyes

Sixteen: A Bottle of Water

Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I sighed. I tossed my hairbrush into my bag and shut my locker. I rubbed my cheeks, hoping to rub away the blush that had fixed itself on my face the moment I approached Hope for Youth.

Matt had been entering at the same time, and he waved half-heartedly at me. As he opened the door, he asked, "What's new?"

An eyebrow perked on my face. "What?"

He chuckled shortly. "Sorry. Word on the street is you were Will's date to the party. True or false?"

And that's when the blush took permanent residence on my face. I told him, "Oh, that. I figured that'd be the talk of the office. Um, well, yes, it's true."

He didn't look surprised. He proceeded to follow it up with, "So are you two an item?"

I shook my head.

"Not yet, anyway," he mumbled under his breath. He chuckled, waved, and headed to the locker rooms, saying over his shoulder, "See you around, Angela."

I didn't even get to the girl's locker room before someone else approached me and commented, "So, you and Will, eh?" She winked and walked away.

In the locker room, I was blessed with a short reprieve from the comments, but my blush remained. I shook my head and left the room, inconspicuously checking the hallways for people who might make remarks about Iggy and me.

It wasn't that it was embarrassing to have people talk about it. I was prepared to be the subject of gossip after our grand entrance to the party. I just wasn't prepared for the blush or how jittery I felt telling people I was indeed his date. The butterflies were constantly flying in my stomach and I couldn't keep my hands from fidgeting.

I looked for a distraction so I didn't think too far into what happened. Even though Taylor told me it was only a matter of time before we left the stage of friendship and moved into something more, I didn't want to kid myself. I didn't want to convince myself that something was there, when in truth, there wasn't. But I was currently failing, and so I remained flushed.

Taylor almost ran me over when I exited the locker room. She righted me and made sure I was steady on my feet before saying, "Angie, there you are! I've been looking for you. I meant to talk to you on Friday, but I sort of forgot."

My eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What is it?"

She attempted a reassuring smile but achieved a grimace instead. She inhaled deeply and informed me, "Mrs. Gibbens is pleased with you and what you've done. Which means, it's time for the test."

The way she said it caused my stomach to flip anxiously. I inquired, "What's the test?"

"Don't worry," she assured me, calming down. "I've seen you and you're a natural. You'll pass with flying colors. But I can't tell you what the test is though. You'll just have to see for yourself." She looked at the watch on her wrist. "You should go now. You don't want to be late."

I rushed to her classroom with two minutes to spare to find Mrs. Gibbens outside the door, waiting for me with a knowing smile. At first, I thought she was going to comment on Iggy and me, but instead, she pulled a child forward by the hand, holding on tightly.

"Um, good morning, Mrs. Gibbens," I greeted, eyeing the young girl questioningly.

She grinned. She told me, "Yes, good morning. Today, you'll take your test." She gestured to the child she held onto. "This is your test. Her name is Duffy and she's a stubborn pain. She refuses to sign, even though she understands it perfectly well. If you can get her to sign, you pass. Sound good?"