I Can Ride

Giving In

----->>> picture of Emily on the right

"Fine." I say. A smile instantly makes it's way onto his face and I can't help but return it with a small smile of my own. "Cool. So, I'll pick you up at 8:00 tonight." "Ok." "Oh yeah, give me your number so I can text you when I'm on my way and you can tell me your address." "Alright." I took a pin out of my back pack and grabbed his hand and pulled it towards me. I wrote my cell number on the top of his hand and wrote my name underneath it. I released his hand and look up at him. "See you tonight then." "Yeah." I turned around and made my way outside to the parking lot. I hopped on my bike and put my helmet on. As I was just about to pull out, I saw Danny staring at me outside the front door. I smiled to myself and pulled out of the lot and drove home.

When I got home, I heard something crash onto the floor. It sounded like glass and I'm sure it was considering the sound came from the kitchen. I put my bag down and walked into the kitchen to see dad crouching to the floor picking up broken glass. "Dad, what happened?" I was pouring myself a cup of coffee and some spilled onto my hand and it was really hot which made me drop the cup." "Who drinks coffee in the afternoon?" I ask. "Me." I laugh slightly, "obviously." "Oh, by the way, we were invited to have dinner at one of my callings house tonight." "Oh um, I actually have a date tonight." He immediately hops up from the floor and looks at me. "Since when?" he asks. "Since today after school." "With who." "A boy?" I say but it comes out as a question. "Don't be smart." he says jokingly. "Sorry." I say with a slight laugh. "So who is the lucky fellow that's taking my daughter out tonight?" "His names Danny. He's been pestering me all week, trying to get me to go out with him." "And why did it take you so long to agree?" "Because of his reputation." "What's wrong with his reputation?" "He's kind of the schools bad boy." "Oh." "Yeah." There is a moment of silence that takes over the kitchen. "Just, make sure you're careful tonight, ok?" "Of course dad. We're going to a carnival about 45 minutes out of town, so we wont be alone." "Good. Well, have fun then. What time is he picking you up?" "8:00." "I'll be gone by then so make sure you lock the door and you know you have to be back by 11." "Alright. I'm gonna go upstairs and work on homework." "Ok." I walk out of the kitchen, grab my back pack from the kitchen and run upstairs to my room.

"Ugh, why does math have to be so complicated?!" I say out loud to myself. I have been working on homework since 4:00 and it's now 6:00 and I cant get my stupid math homework done. I pick up my cell phone and call Emily. '"Hello?" she answers the phone on the third ring. "Hey Em." I say. " Oh hey Candy." "So I was wondering, could you maybe start tutoring me in math like a day or two after school a week or maybe during free period." "Yeah sure. But why not just ask the teacher?" "Because I don't understand the way he teaches it and I figure if I have someone else help me, you being the other person, then maybe I'll be able to understand it better." "Ok then. How about every Tuesday and Thursday? Will that work?" "Yeah that's perfect. Thanks a lot Em." "No problem. Hey, Simba, Pete and I are all going to the mall tomorrow, you should come with." "Yeah sure. What time are y'all meeting?" "At 12." "Ok, I'll meet y'all there." "Cool. See you tomorrow." "Bye." I hang up the phone and look back at my math homework. I'll just do it tomorrow or Sunday or something. It's not like he actually takes it up anyway. I put my homework back into my back pack and lay back on my bed. I grab my phone and my head phones and go onto Pandora. I click on Jamestown Story Radio and the  song "I Don't Wanna Lose You" comes on. I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics. As the song plays, I cant help but think of my mom. I just miss her so much and a lot of things remind me of her. I grab a red marker from my night stand and as I listen to the chorus, I find a space on the head board of my bed and write them down. "I need you in my life or I'm not alright. So don't walk away, I wont be ok if you do. I just don't wanna lose you." Once the song was over, I whipped a stray tear from my cheek and smiled.

At 7:30, Danny text me and I gave him my address and started getting ready. I left my hair the way it was since it was already in it's natural curls. I went to my closet and picked out a pair of cut off dark blue jean shorts along with a my V-neck short sleeved fox racing shirt and my black and gray Jordan's. I put on a new coat of mascara and lip gloss. I checked my phone and had a text message form dad. "Have fun and remember, be careful." I text him back, "I will. Love you." and put my phone in my pocket, right as the door bell rang. I grabbed my jacket and walked out of my room and too the door. I opened it and there stood Danny in a pair of dark, nice fighting jeans and a tight black shirt that showed off his sexy muscles, and a black leather jacket. He noticed me checking him out because as soon as I looked back up at his face he had his signature smirk on his face. "See something you like?" he asked. "Eh, I've seen better." His face dropped and I laughed. "Come on, lets go." I shut the door and locked it and made my way over to his car. When I got to the passengers side, Danny was standing beside it with the door held open for me. "You're actually opening the door for me?" I ask incredulously. "Believe it or not, I can be a gentleman when I wanna be." I smile at him and step into the car, muttering a thank you. He closes the door and walks over to his side, hops in and starts the car.

During the car ride, we talk for a little bit. "So, where are you from?" "I'm from Virginia. I've lived there my whole life." "Why the sudden move." "Dad got a promotion which moved us here." "I bet you didn't like that, did you?" "Not at first. But after starting school this week and making a few friends, I'm starting to adjust." "What did your mom think about the whole thing?" I stay silent for a moment. I bend my head down and look at my hands. "She um...I wouldn't know." I say. "Why?" "She um, she died 5 years ago." I say softly. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry Candy. I didn't know." "It's ok." I say. He moves his hand over top of mine and look up at him. He smiles at me and I smile back, letting him keep his hand there. The rest of the drive, we talk about random things like, favorite colors, tv shows, movies, music, etc. We actually have quite a lot in common. I never expected that. The car stops and Danny turns off the ignition and looks at me. "We're here." he says. He unbuckles and walks over to my side of the car and opens the door for me. I step out and he shuts the door. Well, here we go, I say to myself as we make our way to the ticket booth at the front entrance.