Harassenger: Backseat Admirer ✔️

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"Where are you dragging me to?" Mick hadn't let go of my hand the entire way to my vehicle. After bring thrown off by the horse, I was in no shape to be walking so fast with a bruised butt.

"I'm taking you on a real date. Well, a date as friends, of course. A friendly date."

"Where to?" I asked, my heart beat intensifying with the word date.

"The first rule of a date every man should abide by: keep your plans a surprise." He opened my passenger door, letting me go in.

"I didn't say you could drive my car." I mentioned.

"You didn't say I couldn't." He dangled my keys in front of me, leaving me wondering how he got them in the first place. He must have dug in my purse! That smart bastard.

After stopping at the gas station, where Mick generously filled my tank, we drove for thirty-six minutes more to be exact. Mick pulled into the parking lot of an elementary school. It was two stories high, and appeared not to have been renovated since it came to be.

"Why are we at an elementary school?" Oh no. I had a feeling he was going to tell me a story about some estranged son he secretly visits at high school regardless of a restraining order put forth by the mother.

"I know what that crazy mind of yours is thinking. No, I do not have a child. This is Rene Rost Elementary. Every year there's a statewide spelling bee for children six to ten. In my spare time, I used to judge the kids, and I sponsored the program. I haven't been here in years."

"Oh, I remember that, but I had no idea the statewide spelling bee still existed; it's been so long ago. I was in the spelling bee once before." English was my strong suit and always had been, and when I won the school's spelling bee when I was in the first grade against fourth graders, my mother made me go to state with the second and third place winners of the school.

"Really? Me too. I had an uncle who started to work here and after my high graduation, asked me if I could be a judge. I haven't judged in a while, but I loved it. It was nice to bring these kids' dream to life, even if it's a small dream."

"That is so sweet, and totally unexpected."

"I laid low in high school. I struggled to balance grades and sports, but my dad pushed me too hard, and in result, I gave up. I wanted to show you I haven't always been carefree. I cared a lot about my education, but I guess I started to care about what my father thought about me more than anything." I could see the pain in his eyes, an inside dwelled sorrow that I could very much understand. Everyone tries to be someone they're not for other people. I've done it for Holt; we've all done it.

"Can I tell you what I see? When I look at you, it's like I'm seeing the sun for the first time. At first, it burns my eyes and gets under my skin, but when I look closer, I see so much more. I start getting used to it being there and seeing the bright side, and what I thought was once a nuisance, isn't really so. Mick, you don't need to prove anything to your father, or to me. You're a good guy." Maybe I was too emotional, but what can I say? Girls just wanna have sun.

"No one's ever said that, to me anyway." He nervously laughed.

"Sorry. I guess I was too mushy."

"Nah, I like it." He licked his lips, resting his hand on the armrest next to mine. Our hands were centimeters away, and I tapped my fingernails on the leather to stop them from moving closer to his.

"Good."

"I guess we should go in now. I brought you here because the state competition is today, and I thought we could watch it. The rules are different and more difficult, so different I don't know if I ever would've won second place."

"You won second in state?"

"Yeah. I won second in the elementary, too. I got beat by a first grader. I hated her ever since." He mumbled.

"Wait, hold up. You were beat by a first grader? What did she look like?" It can't be...

"Dark blonde hair, short, and always wore pigtails."

"Oh my gosh. Mick, you're thinking about me! I won first place at school. I won and I competed with the second and third place winners. We road the bus together to come here and you were the jerk kicking my seat because you were mad you came in second!" I said.

"No way. What was I wearing?"

"I was in the first grade. How would I remember? I remember you had glasses because I thought about breaking them." I pointed out, thinking about the nerdy, turned model sitting next to me.

"Shit, that was me." I knew that was him on the bus! (Or as I like to call it, the 'yellow twinkie'.)

"Who would've thought we would have met so early?" Sounds like fate.

"It's a small world. What do you say we go watch some other kids fighting for the spelling bee?"

"Duh, I wouldn't miss the crowning for anything!"

After watching the spelling bee, and applauding the youngsters who didn't win, we stopped to have dinner.

No, it wasn't a fancy restaurant on a terrace or a candlelight, homecooked meal. And no, we didn't eat at a buffet to save money. Our dinner was a spontaneous as our day had been. We ate our food in a cafeteria filled with chatty children and plates full of non-vegan pizza and vanilla cake. It was the best date I ever had, and it wasn't a date at all. Mick Conrad had given me the best 'friendly' date, not only that I had in Destin, but that I ever had.

We walked to my car together, casually talking about the day.

"I feel sorry for the runner-up. I know what it's like to come in second, no thanks to you." He said, nudging me on the shoulder, and I nudged back.

"It must suck to be second best." I teased, sticking my tongue out. He pretended to grab my tongue with his scissor-like fingers, then set them back to his side.

"I don't come in second anymore, sorry to break your heart. Tell me, Natt, that this date did not come in second to those other dates you've been on. Tell me that the curse of being second is over." His hair whipped around, playfully flowing in the wind, but yet his blue eyes were as serious as ever. In his eyes alone, I felt a thousand suns of radiating heat warming my body.

"No, this date was not second. It was third."

"Natt!"

"Okay, it rates first. If it was to be categorized as a date."

"Right. Yeah, of course."

Dear Lord, I wish this had been a real date.