Fighting to go on

Chapter 9

            I stared into my closet and started to panic. “Oh my god, I have nothing to wear!” I said.

            Sarah peered over my shoulder. “Sure you do. Go sit down, breathe, and I’ll find something for you.”

            I did as she said and put my head in my hands. “Why the hell did I agree to this?”

            “Because you like him and he’s freaking gorgeous. That’s why,” Sarah replied.

            I raised my head back up and grinned. “Oh yeah.” I watched as she rummaged around in my closet, pulling out items and then putting them back.

            Finally, she walked over to me with two pieces of clothing. She handed me a denim skirt that ended an inch or two above my knees and a simple purple tank top. I looked at both pieces of clothing for a moment before shrugging. “I guess those are good. And I have a pair of simple black sandals that will go well with them.”

            I took the two items and went into the bathroom. I got changed quickly and then went back into my room. I did a little twirl in front of Sarah and she gave me the thumbs up. I sat back on my bed and Sarah grabbed her makeup bag. I eyed it warily. “Really? You’re going to make me wear that stuff?”

            Sarah rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to eat you, Sam. Have you never worn any before?”

            “Of course I have. But I rarely put it on and I don’t see why I have to now,” I complained.

            “You want Ryan to think you look good right?”

            “Yeah, but he obviously likes how I look without makeup, or he wouldn’t have asked me out. So again I ask; why do I have to wear this stuff?”

            “Oh, just hush and suck it up. I don’t have sisters, so this is the only time I’m going to get to do this.”

            I grumbled a bit more, but gave in. Luckily, she kept it light, only enhancing my features. I had let my hair air dry earlier, so it had a slight wave to it that had made Sarah extremely jealous. Apparently if she let her hair air dry, she looked like a poodle.

            When she finally deemed me ready to go, there were only ten minutes to go until Ryan was supposed to be there. We went downstairs to wait and Charlie let out a low whistle when he saw me. “Looking good Sam,” he said.

            I smiled. “Thanks Charlie. You going out with your friends tonight?”

            He nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to head to the arcade. We should be back before you though.”

            The three of us sat in the living room talking while waiting for Ryan to show up. When the doorbell rang, my heart started to race and my palms got clammy. I went to answer the door, and when I opened it, I swear my heart stopped.

            Ryan was wearing faded jeans with a white t-shirt and a black button up shirt over top, left open. His hair was as unruly as usual, but that made him look all the hotter because it seemed like he didn’t care.

            He was looking me up and down and he cleared his throat before he spoke. “You look beautiful, Sam.” He brought his hand out from behind his back and handed me a single red rose. I took it from him and raised it to my face so I could smell it.

            I smiled shyly at him. “You look good too. Do you want to come in for a minute? I’ll put this in some water and then we can go.”