When a 14-day dating challenge erupts between skeptical Blossom and her secretly smitten best friend Hunter in the waning days of 1999, their easy friendship is plunged into a maelstrom of teenage angst, unrequited affection, and the terrifying poss...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~ ~ ~ 1999
The bell's shrill cry was a welcome sound, a sharp punctuation mark at the end of another tedious day of algebra and whispered gossip in the hallowed halls of Westmount High. Blossom, her stack of textbooks and papers digging uncomfortably into her hip, surged forward with the throng of students towards the exit. She scanned the sea of faces, her eyes searching for the familiar head of chocolate-brown hair that always managed to look perpetually ruffled, no matter how diligently Hunter tried to tame it.
There he was, leaning against the brick wall by the flagpole, a lopsided grin already blossoming on his face as he spotted her. It was that very grin that made her heart do an involuntary flip-flop, a sensation she desperately tried to chalk up to exasperation rather than anything...else. "Hey, Blossom!" he called out, pushing off the wall and heading her way.
"Hey," she replied, stuffing her homework clumsily into her backpack so she wouldn't have to hold it anymore. "So, what's tonight's big adventure?" she asked, a hint of playful scepticism creeping into her voice.
"Adventure?" He feigned surprise, his eyes twinkling. "No adventure. Tonight, we're tackling...fitness." He said, stretching his arms theatrically. Blossom's eyebrows shot up. "Fitness?" she repeated, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her face.
"Yep! We're doing something active for our date, something healthy," He grinned, his enthusiasm infectious. "Think of it as...team building for our love journey."
Blossom rolled her eyes, trying to mask the blush creeping up her cheeks, and she couldn't deny that a faint smile tugged at the corners of her own lips. It was hard to stay annoyed with Hunter, even when he was being deliberately, infuriatingly, adorable. "You and your cheesy lines," she muttered, but the edge had gone from her voice.
"Hey, they're working aren't they?" He laughed, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "So, head home, change into something, you know, sporty. Track pants, sneakers. I'll pick you up in, say, thirty minutes?"
"Okay, okay," she conceded, feeling a reluctant surge of excitement. "Track pants it is. But don't expect me to start liking fitness, or worse, love fitness because of this date." She made sure to put emphasis on the 'love fitness' part, just to rile him up a little.
Hunter just winked. "We'll see about that, Bloss."
"Don't call me Bloss," she retorted automatically. He chuckled, then turned to walk away, his easy laugh echoing in the afternoon air.
Blossom watched him go. This whole 14-day bet was bizarre, and she still couldn't picture herself falling in love with anyone, let alone someone like Hunter. She was content with their easy friendship; she had been for years. Still, there was something about the boy that made her heart do that crazy flip-flop all the time, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that it had nothing to do with what Hunter was trying to convince her of.
