Efflorescence

Chapter 8: The Date

Chapter 8

The Date

Selena

I swear, any minute now my heart is going to jump right out of my chest. I don’t even know completely why I was so nervous. I guess it’s just that I haven’t been out with a guy since ever. Yeah, that has to be it. I don’t even like this guy- I don’t want to be near him.

But then why is my heart beating so rapidly while I’m reading his text?

Archer: How bout I pick you up at 7?

Seven? A.m. or p.m.? Wait, Selena. It’s already six. There’s no way it could be a.m. Or maybe he means tomorrow morning. But I thought he said Friday when he asked me out. My phone vibrated and I got a well needed text from Reese.

Reesie: Pipe the fuck down, bitch.

Me: Thanks, hoebag. I have a question!

Ressie: Huh?

Me: Well, Archer said that he was going to pick me up at 7. Did he mean like 7 in an hour or 7 tomorrow morning? I’m so confused!!!

Reesie: Again, pipe the fuck down. And he means 7 tonight, dummy.

Me: Oh, ok.

Me: Oh shit! That’s in an hour! I need to get pretty!

Reesie: Have fun, good luck, and no getting pregnant.

After Reesie and I stopped texting and twenty minutes later I had my cloths pick out and on, I forgot that I still had to answer Archer. I quickly sent him a ‘sure, whatever’ and did my makeup and hair.

I was just doing the finishing touches when I heard the doorbell ring. Crap. I was not expecting him to come up to the house.

I raced down the stairs to try and get to the door before anyone else did. To my dismay, my attempt was in vain. I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Sierra and Anna at the door. Sierra was still in her pyjamas from yesterday and Anna was in her Sleeping Beauty dress with a tiara that was bigger than her head, plastic heels, and a pink feather boa wrapped around her neck.

Sierra was giving him some sarcastic remark about where I was and Anna was singing everything she said. It was just a good thing Ren and our parents were out. These two were enough.

“Hi!” I said loudly, casually pushing Sierra from the doorway.

Archer laughed and hugged me like we were good friends. “It’s great to see you.”

I nonchalantly slipped out of his arms. “So I see you’ve met the devil’s spawn.”

“Hey!” Sierra yelled from the couch that she was sitting on now. “You have absolutely no room to talk Miss I’m-getting-ready-for-a-date-keep-the-the-fuck-out-of-the-bathroom-when- you-need-to-pee.” She turned to Archer and said, “It really sucks living in a family with seven people and one bathroom.”

Archer laughed again. “Try one cabin and ten people in the middle o Nowhere, Missouri. Summer of 2010. Not so pretty when three of those people get sick.”

“Ew,” Sierra said as sympathetically as she possibly could sound.

“Once I was a baby and I puked on my mommy and pooped on my panties,” Anna sang out like she was in an opera and did a twirl.

“That’s great, Anna,” I said and started inching to the door. “Remember to keep an eye on her, Sierra!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sierra said as she scrolled through Netflix.