The Beginning: A Novel of Crossed Paths

Chapter 4: School Dance - Mark

for giving me lots of advice that I can put to good use, and for being the first to comment on all my chapters.  Thanks for not holding back.

Hey everyone whose been reading!

Thank you so much for the comments and votes.  I feel loved!  The chapters are coming fast now because I already have a bunch written.  Later, though, things will slow down a bit.  Believe it or not, if you try to write the equivalent of a nine page chapter on this site in one day, you can give yourself carpel tunnel.  I've done it before, so I know its possible.

Keep up the commenting!  I love replying to each and every one.

Abookats

P.S.  The song on the side got stuck in my head today.  I want to see if I can get it stuck in any of yours.

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Chapter 4

School Dance

Mark

“Are you asking anyone to the dance, sweetheart?” my mom asked me a week before the event.  “If you are, you better ask them soon so they have time to get a dress.”

There was only one person I might even consider asking, but she was already taken.  “No, mom, I’m going alone and hanging out with Trevor.”  If he isn’t too busy, I said in my head.

“Oh,” she said, sounding a little concerned.  I supposed she thought I should have a girlfriend by now.  “If you’re sure,” she added.

“Quite sure,” I assured her.  I finished the rest of my cereal before hopping in my Jeep and driving to school.  Trevor was outside my door before I had even turned off the engine.  He looked a bit nervous.

“Still trying to figure out if you want to ask her?” I questioned, walking at his side into the building.

Trevor was wringing his hands as he answered, “Course.  I just don’t know if she’s been asked yet.”

“I’m pretty sure no one’s asked her yet, Trevor.  No one’s brave enough to do it, even though she’s too nice to turn anyone down,” I added as an afterthought.  He still looked nervous, so I went on, “If you’re too chicken, I could always ask her to go with me.”

“Don’t you dare,” he said, “although that just might be my motivation.  I’ll make you a deal.  If I haven’t asked her by the end of this weekend, you can ask her on Monday.”

Nice.  “Deal,” I replied, holding my hand out for a shake to finalize the deal.  Trevor took it without hesitation, so maybe he was more set on asking her than he made it seem.  Trevor and I went our separate ways, and I continued to my first period class to endure a frighteningly boring hour of Pre-Calc.

The day passed quickly, my schedule being habit now.  Trevor still hadn’t asked her when I asked him if he had in second period, nor had he in lunch.  I cheerfully reminded him that he had only had sixty hours until it was my turn.

I watched Scarlett during Microsoft Excel and she appeared like she did not care in the least about the upcoming school dance the rest of the girls were so worked up about in the school.  I decided to try to talk to her this period, just to make sure no one had asked her yet.  It was a free period and she was playing the pinball game that was installed on all of the computers with surprising skill. Though it was not that surprising, I guessed, considering all things computer seemed to come naturally to her.

She had just gotten an impossible high score of over eighteen million when I leaned toward her and muttered, almost in awe, “Nice score.”  She flipped to a Microsoft Word document and started typing, like she always did when I spoke to her in this class.