30/ a sky full of stars

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     As you have probably already figured out, I have never been on a date with anyone. Not surprising either, judging by my looks and popularity.

     Because of this, I was in shock when Jason requested that I go to dinner with him, and not somewhere like Arby's. No, this place where we are going, the way he described it made it seem elegant and expensive. And of course, I have nothing to wear that falls under that category.

     So, Haley and I are currently at the mall trying to find something halfway suitable for me to wear.

     "Charlie, would you do something for me?" Haley asks out of nowhere. She sounds almost desperate. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, but nod, signaling her to continue. "Well, as you probably already know, Emily and I are getting married in a few weeks, and..." she trails off, her cheeks fired up in embarrassment.

     "And I was wondering if you would help us plan it," she finally continues. "And, in return, you can be a bridesmaid. We need a few more." My eyebrows shoot up. I had not even thought of that before. However, the idea of standing in front of a big crowd, or any crowd, in a dress does not sound too appealing to me.

     "I'll be happy to help you," I reply, and Haley lets out a sigh of relief. "But, I'm not sure about the bridesmaid thing." Her face falls, and I suddenly feel guilty.

     "Oh," she says, sounding disappointed. "That's okay, I understand." I shake my head as if waving a white flag.

     "No, Haley," I argue. "I mean, I would love to. But I can't stand in front of crowds. I have issues with that." I say quietly. She sighs again in relief, as if understanding.

     "Why didn't you just say so?" She asks, her face lighting up as she pulls a dress off the rack. She gasps, feeling the fabric. "Oh, please wear this tonight! It's beautiful! Jason will love it." I smile a little and take the snow white dress from her and head for the dressing room.

     Well, Haley was not wrong. This dress is beautiful, soft, and really comfortable. The length is perfect; it falls directly to my knees. The sleeves are practically spaghetti straps, which I have never liked, but since the rest of the dress is flawless, I'm willing to look past it.

     I step out of the dressing room slowly and hesitantly, keeping my head low. Normally when I feel this good about something, my ideas and opinions get shot down.

     But the corners of Haley's mouth turn upwards and her eyes light up, letting me know that this dress is the one. "You look spectacular," she says, sighing. "If I wasn't engaged..." her sentence trails off and she smiles bigger, throwing a wink at me. I raise my eyebrows and blush.

     Did she just hit on me?

     "Thanks?" I reply, trying to shake off what she just said. I bet she has said things like that to other girls before. "You really think Jason will like it?" I ask, disbelief flooding my voice as I try to steer the conversation in another direction.

     "Of course he will." As I step back into the dressing room and get out of the dress, I ask Haley a question through the door, something I've been wondering since Jason asked me to dinner.

     "So, what's this dinner date all about?" I ask. "He almost sounded urgent. Is something on his mind, do you know?" I'm met with silence, but eventually she speaks up.

     "Um, I promised I wouldn't tell," she responds. "But I promise it's nothing bad," she comments, and I can almost hear her giggle afterwards.

     If it's nothing bad, then why did he sound urgent?

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