In Love With a 1D Fangirl

Part 3

“So.. you don’t actually have tickets?” Mitch shoved a chicken nugget into his mouth. As always with  one of the better lunches served by the cafeteria, he savored it.

“Nope. But, Zowie doesn’t know that.” Colin sat back in his chair, smirking. He glanced over to the table where she sat. There was no way this could go wrong.

“And you expect her to just take your word for it? I mean, she did just shoot you down yesterday.” Mitch still didn’t look sold.

“That’s why I made this.” From his pocket, Colin pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to his friend.

“Impressive. Looks like an actual receipt,” Mitch handed the paper back, “So let’s pretend this works. What happens when she finds out it was all a lie and you really don’t have tickets?”

“THAT won’t be an issue. By that point I’ll have my foot in the door and she’ll like me for me. She’ll think it’s sweet because of all the trouble I went through to get her to talk to me. It’s the perfect plan!” Colin beamed.

“Right... can I have your porn collection when she vaporizes you for being a moron?”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole. And, I don’t have a porn collection, so ha! Now, watch the master at work.”

Colin could have found the table where Zowie sat with his eyes closed. The shrieks and giggles she and her friends emitted were way more effective than a neon sign. As he neared them, the confidence he had felt at the table shrank. Talking to her alone had been intimidating. Now, like a flock of birds, her friends surrounded her, preening and squealing, ready to thwart him with cackling laughter. Calm. Stay calm. They can smell fear.

The table fell silent at his approach. As one, each girl turned to look at him. The silence hung heavy with expectation, and for a moment, to Colin, it felt suffocating.

“H-hey, Zowie. What’cha d-doing?” He cursed himself for stuttering. With much effort, he choked down the newly formed lump in his throat.

“Um, eating? It’s lunch.” Giggles flitted around the table, and Colin flushed red. He was sure that giving a speech to strangers while wearing nothing but his underwear would have been less embarrassing. Nothing on earth could shred a boy’s confidence than the laughter of teenage girls.

“Cool, cool. So, I had a question.” Another uncomfortable silence came over the table.

“Well, are you going to ask?”

“Right. Sure. Just wanted to make sure it was OK. So, I was wondering if, maybe, you would--”

“Look, Conner, I’m not interested. I thought I made that clear yesterday.” The looks of hunger on the girls’ faces almost caused him to run away. A feast of gossip had just been laid before them and they wanted to gorge. Word of this would be around the whole school before the end of the next class.  If he could have melted into the floor, he would have.

“I know, I know, but I just happened to snag a couple of One Direction tickets and thought maybe you’d like to go. B-but if you’re not interested, I understand.” He turned to walk away, dejected.

“Wait! You’ve got tickets to One D? But, how? I tried so hard but they sold out almost instantly.” Zowie jumped out of her chair.

Colin turned back around and shrugged, “My dad knows someone at Q102 and they managed to smuggle a couple of tickets.”

“Oh my God, no way! I don’t believe it. Seriously?” She fanned herself with her hands.

“Here,” he handed her the paper in his pocket, “I just take this to the ticket window before the show and I’m in.” Colin had to stop himself from grinning. Everything was going as planned. He hoped Mitch was watching.

Zowie eyed the paper closely, her hands shaking slightly.

“I had no idea you were a fan. I mean, most guys hate them.” She handed back the paper, looking at Colin in confusion.

“I’m full of surprises. So, does this mean you’ll go with me?”

“You’re joking, right? Of course I’ll go!” She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight.

Holy shit! She’s hugging me. She’s actually hugging me! Colin tried to focus on the feeling of her body pressed against his, taking in the warmth of her skin and the scent of her perfume.

He was still a bit dazed when she let go, “So, since the concert isn’t for another couple of weeks, would you maybe like to get something to eat Friday?”

Zowie sucked in her breath.

“I don’t know, Cooper. I’m not looking for a date. I told you.”

“Well, I guess I can find someone else to take to the concert...” Colin let that hang for a second. It was a cheap shot he knew, but failure was guaranteed if he didn’t.

“Fine. Dinner, this Friday. But it’s not a date.” She pouted.

“Excellent! Friday it is!” He started to walk away, but turned around abruptly, “Oh, and it’s Colin.” He smiled and returned to his seat next to Mitch. The nervous knot in his stomach had been replaced by a rocket. He wanted to jump and shout. The laughter he had been fighting finally spilled from his lips.

His friend just stared at him.

“What? No comments? You seem shocked.” Colin wasn’t going to let Mitch off easily.

“You actually did it. Never saw that working. Still, I think she’s going to kill you before the end, but whatever.”

“The hard part’s over, man. Now I’ve just got to let my natural charm take care of the rest.” Colin happily took a bite of his remaining food.

“Yep. You’re screwed.”

Colin punched Mitch’s arm.

“Asshole.”

“Dude!” Mitch tried to rub the throbbing out of his arm. Colin grinned at him.

“I’ve got this. Trust me.”

For the first time in a long time, Colin looked forward to going to class. Each hour that passed took him closer to Friday night. Now all he needed to do was think up the perfect date.