Cupid's Enemy

One

"Go to prom with me,"  he whispers softly. It is the third time he has asked me. I have found ways to avoid responding back to his request. Maybe because I'm scared and maybe because I don't want to deal with prom in general.

"Iris," Matt says. We were in his car and he was driving us to his house. It was where we always go on a Friday right after school. No one was home so we had our freedom. But maybe today that might have been a bad thing, because I was more obliged into saying something when it was just us.

"Matt," I decide to speak up. If I don't speak up, I may never be able to hold any peace. I turn my head to him so I can clearly read the expression of his face, even if it is concentrated on the road in front of him. "Matt, I appreciate that you want to go with me, but-"

"But you don't." he completes my sentence. "Don't you think that's a little cliche for you to say? Iris, just say yes." He furrows his eyebrows as he talks.

"Why won't you take 'no' as an answer?" I cross my arms and stare out the car window. I notice the children playing in the front yard of their house. I could hear their giggling as we pass by.

"I know you Iris and I know that you want to go to prom. Deep inside of you, you do. And you know that I am not the only guy who has asked you to go," he takes a right turn at Hummingbird Way. Which had meant...

"You have a long line yourself," I jump up. "You are the most handsome guy at our school."

"Then why don't you want to go with me?"

"Because, I..."

He stops at a red light and turns his head to me. His deep dark brown eyes twinkle a little too much. I can sense the confusion and anger that he feels within him, but I am affected by the sadness of his face.

"Iris, I love you and that is no surprise," he looks down at my hands that have been turned into fists seconds ago. "All of your other reasons of not to go to prom doesn't matter. What matters is who you'll be and what memories you'll make."

"I think you should stop convincing me," I say when Matt reacts to the green light. I see the smirk spread across his face out of my peripheral vision. Smugly he says, "Is it working?" He chuckles to himself.

We arrive at the entrance of an interstate. I smack my hands against the dashboard. "Where are we going?" I rose my voice. The whirring of the cars in front of us made me feel anxious. Why weren't we going to his house?

"Townview Mall, that is where," he merges onto the freeway and accelerates his car. I stand up straight and put my back against the black leather car seat."I hate you so much." I whisper to myself but it makes him laugh and slap his steering wheel. It's like all the sadness is gone. What quick recovery.

He shakes his head and drives on, "I love you and your stubbornness."

°°*°°

Shopping. It might have annoyed me by how tiring it is. I would have to agree with those who say that shopping is a sport because it requires a lot of walking. Matt was by my side, holding my hand. We looked good together, almost too good.

Matt dragged us to the mall only because he knew my obsession of "dressing up". All the gowns and dresses made me smile. I really hate how convincing he was.

"So," Matt smiles as we walk out of a store. He carefully handles my dress and passes me the bag of my new shoes. "that's a yes."

I laugh at him, "I still hate you."

"And I still love you," he grins.