Vampire Kisses

Getting Asked

I like cranberry juice and by like I mean I can drink it from time to time. My best friend, on the other hand, drinks it every day with every meal. Not only her, but Riley and Zach do the same. It is weird seeing as Amy used to hate cranberry juice. Riley is changing her a lot, but I'm not complaining since she is still my best friend and her changes don't really affect me.

I'm sitting at the lunch table with Amy and Riley. I look around and can't see Zach anywhere. "Where's Zach?" I ask, looking at Riley.

I wait for him to finish eating the food in his mouth. "He had to go pick up something for his mom. He should be back by now."

"Hey." I look at Zach with wide eyes as he sits down next to me. "Do I have something on my face?"

I feel the blush making its way to my cheeks. "No, I just... What are you doing here? I mean, you can sit anywhere you want. It's not like you aren't allowed to sit here, because you can sit here. It's a free country and..." I drift off as I notice Amy giving me a pointed look. I blush more when I notice I had been rambling.

"If you don't want me to sit here, I can go sit somewhere else."

"No, it's okay."

He smiles and says, "Good. Earlier I told you about my party but I never got to ask if you wanted to go. Also, I was wondering if you would like to go out first for ice cream then go to my party."

What is it with people shocking me these days? Zach beat everyone. He just asked me out. "Is that...like a date?"

I notice his cheeks are flushed and he rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, unless you don't want it to be."

"It's a date." I smile at him sweetly but inside I am screaming so hard. I just got asked to go on a date. Zach asked me out on a date.

***

Once I get home I literally start jumping up and down. I grab my phone and ask Amy if she wants to spend the night so she can help me get ready for tomorrow. She replied she was already on her way; she knows me too well. I quickly take a shower and go to the kitchen to prepare food for Amy and myself, and store some for my mom if she comes home. I decide to make chopped chicken breasts, chopped potatoes with chopped zucchini and bell peppers.

"Something smells very good. What are you making?" Amy looks over my shoulder and she practically melts right there.

"You should clean that drool." She wipes her mouth then glares at me when she realizes I was kidding.

"Is your mom joining us?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know but I doubt it. She is spending way too much time with a coworker of hers."

"Oh, that sucks that you have to be alone here. You know you can move in with us if you'd like. My mom already sees you as her daughter. She won't have a problem with it."

I love Amy's mother but I feel like it's my responsibility to stay in this house and keep it clean for my mom. She has already gone through a lot with my father's disappearance and later on, my brother follows his footsteps and leaves as well, without saying good bye, not even a note.

"Thank you, Amy but I need to stay here."

She gives me a sympathetic smile. "I don't know how you do it."

I frown. "What do you mean? Do what, exactly?"

Amy opens the fridge and takes out a few cherries and sits on the counter. "I admire how you stay strong through everything. I remember how devastated your mom was when...the stuff that happened, happened. You cried but you stayed strong. You kept going to school and getting good grades, you managed to take care of your mom and take care of everything around the house. I would have gone crazy."