Senior Standoff | RETIRED VERSION

Season 5 - Episode 1 | NOT REVISED

Standing in front of the mirror in Liv's locker, I brushed out my wavy hair.  It had gotten knotted up with the breeze whipping it around through my car window.  With the weather so nice, I didn't regret it.  At first.  My attitude changed a bit when the brush kept snagging on tangles in my long tresses.  The bristles made it through the last knot.  I blew out a sigh of relief and tossed my foldable brush back in my backpack. 

"Thanks," I said.  I shut the door to Liv's locker and turned to her.  "I'm presentable again."

"Can we go get coffee now?  I'm dying a little.  Only caught four hours of sleep," Liv said.

"Yes."  I laughed.  Gently, I gave her shoulder a shove and told her, "Stop whining and just go."

Together we wove through the crowded hallways, in some places packed so tightly that it probably would have been easier to just invent teleportation.  I practically tripped over someone.  Others stood in the middle of the hall in groups, talking.  I swallowed my frustration and shoved past them.

"Hey, Aspen, right?"

I turned to the sound of my name.  A tall boy wearing a jersey was pushing through the crowd.  He stopped before me, a bashful smile on his face, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his blue jeans.

"Yeah, that's me.  What's up?" I asked.
He rocked on his feet.  "You and Asher broke up, right?  If I asked you to hang out, he wouldn't come after me or anything, would he?"

My cheeks were warming quickly.  There was a small smile rising on my lips.  "I mean, we aren't a thing.  Never exactly were.  He's made it pretty clear he doesn't want a girlfriend."

"So, if I gave you my number, maybe you'd want to grab a bite after school?" he asked.
I glanced to my feet for a second, searching for words.  "I'm... not really looking to date anyone else right now.  Still kind of getting over everything that happened with him.  I'm sorry."

He nodded my head.  "I get that.  If you change your mind, here's my number."  He passed a slip of notebook paper to me, a phone number scratched across it nearly illegible in pencil lead.  I pocketed it.  Either I'd remember it was there and shoot him a text, or it would get destroyed in the laundry

"Thanks.  See you around," I told him.
Liv steered me down the hallway until we were out of sight on a staircase.  Somehow, she managed to go down each step without tripping while also looking back at me.

"OH MY GOD."

"I know."  I sucked in a deep breath, righting my thoughts.  Pulling myself back down to Earth. 

"It's happened.  You've reached a point where guys are giving you their number.  You're one of those girls."

"He didn't even tell me his name!  Now when I tell this story, I have to make one up for him."

"Chad.  He looked like a Chad."

"But my first thought is Chad the Impaler."

"Wow, you got asked out by a serial killer."

"Hurry up and get your coffee.  I need to find Asher."

We passed through the doors of the cafeteria, the usual crowd hanging out inside.  The door to the parking lot was propped open.  There was a short line for the coffee carafe.  I watched as Liv made herself a cup that was more milk than coffee, and then pulled an extra dollar out of her pocket and pointed to the stack of cups.

"Thanks."

My coffee was darker than hers, enough that I could taste the coffee in it.  She paid for both cups.  We were off.