Even Angels Fall

Chapter 3

~~~~~~~Christina~~~~~~~

"So, do you have any free time? Like ever?" Mike asked from his spot next to me on the bleachers. He'd insisted on joining me for lunch every day - not that I objected too terribly much. He promised that he'd let me work for at least half of the hour, without interruption. I hadn't been comfortable with all the looks we got that first day, so our lunch spot had become the bleachers, out on the field. I knew the escape couldn't last too much longer. It was already mid-October and it was starting to turn cold out.

"Sure, I do," I mumbled, barely glancing up from the article I was working on for the school paper.

"Really? When?"

I just had to figure out the wording of this last sentence to feel like it was done...

"Christina!" he said, startling me.

"What?" I jumped and tore my gaze away from my paper.

He smirked. "You can't even spare a minute from your work to have a conversation about this supposed free time you have."

"Mike, you know I have a lot to do."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed. "But when do you get in any time for yourself? You know? When do you get to relax? Have fun?"

"I...have fun," I said awkwardly, even though I couldn't remember the last time I let everything go and just had fun.

He raised his eyebrows. "Like when?"

"I..." I tried to think of an example.

"Go out with me."

"Mike..." He hadn't asked me again after that first day. I was sort of shocked that he was still interested in hanging around and even more shocked that he seemed to be able to do the friend thing. I'd been relieved that he hadn't asked again, because it was going to be much harder to tell him no like I'd have to. Because now I really did want to go.

"Come on," he tried. "Blow off one of these meetings and do something you actually want to do."

"I want to go to them," I argued.

"Is it really going to bother you to skip the language club?" He raised an eyebrow.

I smiled.

"Come on," he said. "We've been doing this mentoring and lunch thing for a few weeks now, and I mean I'm glad I'm helping out. I really enjoy doing it, but I want to spend time with you too. Just you. Without kids or school work getting in the way."

I looked down and tried to think of what to say.

"You're wounding my ego here, Christina," he said, making me look up. "I've never begged a girl for a date before. You can't say no to a man who begs."

"I don't know." I smiled, trying to distract him. "You'll always be the boy who used to eat my crayons."

He grinned.

"You always ate the blue one," I said with mock bitterness. "Blue was my favorite."

"I know. I just did it to get your attention. And to gross you out."

I laughed. "Good job. I think I cried the first time."

"Well, if you go out with me, I promise to buy you a whole box of blue crayons," he said, getting back to the subject.

I gave him a small smile and knew that he wouldn't be distracted.

"I want to," I admitted.

He smiled again.