Him and Me.

Him and Me- Nine.

Donned out in jeans and a plain fitted black shirt, I sat out on the steps in front of my house. It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brightly, and the breeze was light and cool, but not enough to make one freeze. Summer was approaching. I looked over at my neighbor's garden, filled with brightly colored flowers. A small smile made itself into my face as I spotted pots of orchids that hung lazily around the garden, lining the greens of grass and leaves with splashes of lilacs and pinks and whites. They looked absolutely exquisite. Too bad neither my mom nor I had a green thumb. I would've loved to have a garden like that. Nature's beautiful, isn't it?

Turning my gaze up at the star-filled sky, I looked for Orion. I had always looked for Orion. It was the first constellation my daddy and I spotted using my telescope when I was six, and it had been my favorite constellation since then. As I spotted the three stars lined up, making up Orion's belt, my smile widened a bit. I then decided that I was going to try to have as much fun as I could tonight.

Yes, it was Saturday, and I was waiting for Kyle to pick me up. I said yes to bowling after Cynthia wouldn't let me hear the end of it. Kyle was pretty, well, annoying (in an adorable way) too. Immediately after lunch last Tuesday, he walked me to class and told me how much more fun it would be with me going to the Bowl-o-Rama with them. I told him again that I still don't know if I would be able to go, using my mom as an excuse. Sure enough, Wednesday night, mom said I could go bowling with my friends. It was safe to say that I was so surprised that she knew, I stared at her wide-eyed long enough for her to actually slap my cheek gently. Then she told me that a certain someone called her at the museum and asked for permission if I could go out on the weekend. Mmhmm, you got it right! It was Kyle who called my mom.

It was sweet, kinda. I mean, he asked my mom for permission! It was just a night out with friends. It was bowling, for cheese's sake. But still. It was a nice gesture.

Feeling a slight crick already forming in my neck, I bent my head down from glancing at Orion and slowly moved my head from one side to the other. Yep, that felt better. Briefly I glanced at the watch strapped around my wrist. It was a six, and Kyle said he was going to pick me up by six thirty. I stuck a leg out to stretch, followed by my other leg. Instead of sneakers, I decided to wear flip-flops tonight. We would be renting bowling shoes anyway. I pointed my toes, loving the feeling of tension in my calf muscles as I stretched.

I didn’t know if Colby was coming. After that little moment between him and Kyle last Tuesday at lunch, Colby told me once again that I should come to bowl. There had been no news from Cynthia if Colby agreed to the bowling night, though. At chemistry class, things were normal. By this time normal included: Colby and Hannah being seatmates, Colby answering a few questions (Mr. Solis seemed to have an affinity for him now), Colby darting glances my way. It was a good thing that school would be out in a few weeks. No more chemistry class with Colby. My knees bent back up to my chest, and I wrapped my arms around my legs to keep them in place. Gazing down I saw a row of ants crawling into a crack on the step just below me. I watched as the little black dots bumped heads on their way home.

It was tempting to blow into the black dotted line, to disturb the ants’ pattern. I decided against it though. I was not one to disturb ants on their way to their beloved colony.

Just then, a black Ford pick-up rolled to a stop outside my house. I jumped up to my feet as the driver’s side door opened, revealing Kyle. He was ten minutes early. Upon spotting me, a smile made its way onto his face, and I couldn’t help but smile back. A red shirt clung onto his body, paired with black jeans and sneakers. His hair was slightly messy, and was a lot longer than I remember. I had always noticed that with guys, it seemed like their hair grew so much faster than girls’ do. Kyle’s hair was beginning to curl, and a few stray strands graced his forehead. It was the shine in his eyes though, that made him look absolutely gorgeous. As he made his way toward me with a wave, I felt my smile widened.