Freaks: Year Two

Dating Wasn't All That Easy As It Seemed To Be

"So, where will you be taking Marlene?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Harry gave a look of surprise to his friend. "What do you mean you're not sure yet?" Jasper looked over from where he was making notes of different healing potions and their properties. "The date is today, Jaz!"

"No, it's on December 20th."

"It is December 20th!" Harry exclaimed.

Jasper looked to Harry from his notes, eyes wide. "What?!"

"You really didn't know??"

"No! I didn't!" Jasper exclaimed, scrambling out of his desk chair. "Why else would I be panicking??" He started to nervously pace, twiddling his thumbs, but then he started to wring his hands together, and then he started to pick at his nail beds. "Oh gods, what do I do?"

Harry threw his arms in the air in exasperation. "Take her on the flying date like Emmaline suggested!"

Jasper turned to Harry, fiddling with his hands. "But...but what if she doesn't like it?"

"It's better than having nothing!" Harry exclaimed. "You need to get your head in the game mate."

"Head in the game?" Jasper asked, exasperated, but also so incredibly stressed. He had been so busy trying to figure out good potions that would benefit his brothers he had completely lost his sense of time again. "Oh gosh...okay, flying date, fine! Easy. Good...oh gosh, I don't think I'm ready for dating!"

Harry said, "Okay, okay, just relax. You're just nervous now. This is very big. It's your first date. Just relax, take a deep breath, one, one, in...two, two...out, Jasper you're not following!"

"Why are you saying one, one, and two, two?!" Jasper asked, frantic. "Why do you count like that! It's one, two, three!"

"It's the way I count my breathing intake!" Harry exclaimed, putting his hands up in defence. "My dad would do that if I had a nightmare, like, one, one, in, and two, two, out, and three, three in, and four, four out, and five five in, and six, six out, and seven, seven–"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jasper said, taking a shaky breath, trying his best to calm himself. It was just a date. His first date, but it was just a date regardless. This was good. This was something a normal kid would do. Preteens would go on dates; this was good for him. He needed some sort of normalcy.

Jasper still didn't know what the heck he was supposed to do next though.

"Okay, the date is in an hour–" Harry started.

"AN HOUR?!"

"YES, JASPER, AN HOUR!"

The dorm room door opened and Maryrose popped her head in the door, her hair a mix of pink and blue put up into two space buns. "What's going on in here?"

Harry pointed to Jasper. "He has a date with Marlene in an hour and he totally forgot about it and is now panicking...rightfully so."

"Hazza!"

Harry made a face. "Why the nickname?"

"Because!" Jasper exclaimed and he gave a panicked look to Maryrose. "You're a girl!"

Maryrose gasped. "Really? I had no idea!"

Jasper stared at her.

Maryrose just laughed. "Relax Jazzy, I'll help you, I can't believe you forgot! Marlene's been excited about it."

Jasper now made a face as Maryrose sat him down in a chair. "Jazzy?"

Maryrose ignored him and said, "But, you're lucky, I won't tell her you forgot."