It Was Him *EDITING*

Ch. 4: It's Not Like That, Really...

Zack looked between Seth and I once more before speaking. "Okay, dude. Let's just go to my room," he shook his head, as if to shake off a thought. Seth agreed and they both headed upstairs to my brother's room. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until I let it go. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Dad winked at me. "B-But, it's not like that, really," I protested. Dad just walked over to Mom, who was working on her scrap book at the table, and they both chuckled. I rolled my eyes and went back to cleaning the couch. After what had seemed like hours, I threw away the last piece of that notorious popcorn and plopped on the couch, making sure I had no snacks on me this time. I grasped the remote and flipped through the channels until something caught my eye. I stopped at the reality TV channel and saw that a dating show was on. Argh, I guess.
"So, which date will you choose, Stephanie?" An upbeat, deep male's voice asked. A brunette with shiny waves down to her waist and a pink floral dress on squealed, "I'm not sure, they're all so handsome!" "Well, you gotta choose someone," the host prompted. Stephanie squinted her eyes, as if in deep thought. Then her face lit up. "Okay, I choose you, Richard!" She shouted with glee, pointing right at...the host. He chuckled aloud. "You can't do-," I snapped the TV off. Ugh, too much. I pushed myself up off of the couch and sauntered over to my dad. "Hey," I said, playfully elbowing him. He looked up and smiled. "What's up, buttercup?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. I rolled my eyes at his age-old saying. "What's for dinner, tonight?" I questioned. "You'll have to ask the mom, here," Dad answered, pointing his thumb towards Mom, who was still hard at work on her scrapbook. She looked up. "Well," she started. "So far, there's gonna be mashed potatoes and gravy, prime ribs, and root beer. Why don't you go ask Seth if he would like to stay for dinner?" Mom asked. My heart skipped a beat. "Uh, sure. Can do," I responded, my voice trembling. I headed up the stairs towards Zack's room. Once I got there, I hesitantly knocked on the door. Zack yanked it open the next second. "What do you want? We're trying to kill zombies here," he shouted in my face. Seth popped up beside him. His face instantly lit up. "Hey, Stella," he said. My heart fluttered. "Hi," I managed, looking down. "My mom would like to know if you would like to stay for dinner," I whispered. "Yeah. Sure," Seth said. I looked up and saw his beaming face. "Alright, you two," Zack cut in and slammed the door in my face. And that was that. I guess Zack just likes slamming doors, then.

"Could you set the table, please?" Mom asked me as she walked past. "I'll get the boys," she shouted over her shoulder. I gathered silverware and began to set the table. Five minutes later, it seemed, Mom walked down the stairs with Zack and Seth in tow. I had finished setting the table by the time they arrived. "Thank you, sweetie," Mom kissed my forehead. I smiled in response. Zack and Seth took their spots as Mom and I set out the food. Just then, Dad walked in from the living room. "Mmm, I smell something good," he exclaimed playfully. Everyone chuckled. "Well, shall we?" He rubbed his hands together.

"And, so I asked the clerk, 'Do you have any children?' And she just gave me the funniest look that said, 'Oh, what do I say now?'" Mom bursted out laughing as she told us the story of how she got in a fight with a cashier. I had almost finished the ribs that were on my plate when someone whispered my name. I looked up and saw Seth right across from me. I blushed. "Hey," I mumbled. Seth smiled. "Hey," he casually replied. I looked down again, putting and end to our little conversation. A few minutes later, it seemed that everyone was finished. "Thanks for the dinner," Seth shook hands with my dad. "It was great." Seth looked over and caught my eye, the corner of his mouth playing in a smile. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I managed to smile back. Then Seth said his goodbyes to everyone, and left. If there is one thing that I'm completely sure of, it's that I've fallen helplessly for him. And maybe I've fallen farther than I can handle.

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Did anyone catch the foreshadowing I did? *insert eyebrow waggle* teehee....Until the next chapter....