𝑬𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑴í𝒂 | ᴮᵒʸ ᴹᵉᵉᵗˢ ᵂᵒʳˡᵈ

21: It's a Date

"Hormones- the telegraph system of the body. Sometime between the ages of nine and sixteen, they will start to tell your body to change- very fast."

"This movie's rated "H"... for hurl." Cory said.

"Mr. Matthews, calm down and watch the film." Mr. Feeny said.

"The changes won't all be physical. Sometimes, you'll feel like you're on an emotional roller coaster. For instance, you may occasionally feel aggressive or weepy."

"Shawn, I'm feeling so vulnerable. Do you have a tissue?" Cory joked. Mr. Feeny shushed him.

"And remember, girls, you'll get your hormonal telegram well ahead of your boy classmates. Girls, be patient while they catch up to you. Eventually, everyone hears the morse code of puberty."

Mr. Feeny turned off the tape.

"I got your morse code right here." Shawn said, making a fart noise with his armpit. Mr. Feeny turned the lights back on.

"This film is meant to help you understand the metamorphosis your bodies will soon be going through." Mr. Feeny said. "How? That movie's a hundred years old." Cory said. "The telegram boy was played by George Burns."

"I welcome the changes that will transform me from a caterpillar into a butterfly." Topanga said. "You say a butterfly, I say, a hairball with wings." Shawn said. "Hah!" Him and Cory exclaimed. "That's a beautiful outlook, Miss Lawrence." Mr. Feeny said. "Beautiful? I've seen hormones turn a normal guy's face into craters 'r' us." Cory said. "Yes, there will be side effects. But those, thank goodness, will be the province of your seventh grade teacher." "If it happens." "Oh, it will happen." "Maybe, maybe not."

Shawn dropped his pencil on the floor in between us, and I went to grab it for him as he did. I picked it up and handed it back to him. He made a weird face as he grabbed it from my hand. I sat back upright in my seat and faced the front of the class.

"I mean, I'm young, and I'm fast. I can dodge hormones for days. Years if I have to. I'm gonna stay twelve till I'm forty-two. And Shawn's in with me on this the whole way. Right, Shawn?" Cory said.

Shawn didn't say anything and just kept looking at me. I looked at him, thinking he had something to say.

"Shawn?" Cory snapped his fingers and repeated his name.

♥

Eddie had bought tickets for him and I to see Tombstone tonight, but he has work, so now I gotta find someone to go with.

Shawn and I both like Western movies, so I went up to him at lunch and asked. "Hey, Shawn." He laughed nervously at my words. "You wanna see a movie with me this weekend?" I asked. He laughed nervously again, nodding his head. "Cool, meet me at my locker after school, and Eddie'll drop us off. Later, Shawn."

♥

"So, how was the movie?" Eddie asked. "It was good." I said, hiding my smile as I walked to my room.

Eddie followed me. "Why are you acting like that?" "Like what?" "Like that." Eddie said, pointing at my smile. I took off my shoes and sat on my bed.

"What happened?" "Nothing..." "Come on, Adriana-Camila. I've had that same smile on my face after my first date." "It wasn't a date!" "Right because Aerosmith was." "That wasn't a date either!" I said.

"He kiss you?" "No." "Did you kiss him?" "No." "Then why are you smiling like that?" "I don't know! I've hung out with Shawn one on one so many times, but this one was different." I said.

"Tell me everything so I have a reason to beat him up." "No." "Alright I won't beat him up." "Thank you." "For right now." Eddie laughed. "I'm kidding- I'm really not kidding. I will beat his face in." "Eddie." "But for right now, I won't." Eddie sat next to me. "Now, tell me."

"After you dropped us off, I realized I left the tickets in the car, so we had to sneak in." I said. "Classic." Eddie replied. "Then we bought popcorn." "Who paid?" "We split it." "Wrong. Boys always pay." "Right." I said.

"Now, how was the movie?" "Like we watched it." "You didn't." "I did. We threw malt balls and chewed up gummy bears in people's hair." Eddie put a hand on his chest. "Thank god." "What?" "Nothing. So, was that all?" "Yeah, after we left, you came and got us, now we're here."

"So you had fun?" "Yeah." "That's good. Second dates are always fun." "It wasn't a date!" I threw a pillow at his face. "Fine, fine, fine. It wasn't a date." Eddie winked. "It wasn't!" "Sure." Eddie said sarcastically as he walked out of my room. "Ugh!" I fell back on my bed and covered my face with a pillow.

♥

I sat alone at lunch because I couldn't stand the thought of Shawn. I think my telegram came too early. He came over and sat with me.

"Hey, Shawn." I said with a smile. "Hey, Adriana-Camila." Shawn said through nervous laugh. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yes, I am." He said, shaking his head.

"Your telegram came early too, huh?" I asked. "No, what's a telegram?" He said, nodding his head.

"Eddie keeps teasing me, saying how our first date was Aerosmith, and our second was Tombstone." "Wait, Aerosmith was a date?" "Uh... no?" "Did you want it to be?" Shawn asked. "I wouldn't mind if it was..." said.

"How would you feel about a third date?" Shawn asked. "I wouldn't mind that either." I replied.

♥

I came home and went straight to my room. "Second date blues?" Eddie asked. "It was going well, but then it got awkward and quiet. I felt embarrassed." I said, sitting on my bed. "Don't be. It happens to the best of us." Eddie said about to walk out of my doorway.

"Aerosmith was a date." I said. Eddie stopped in his tracks and turned around with a smirk. "I don't wanna hear it." Eddie put his hands up in surrender and kept walking.

I laid back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wouldn't mind a fourth date with Shawn Hunter.