Because I'm a Girl

Chapter 15

I stood at the parking lot, waiting to see Josh. Despite what happened at the tournament, I knew I had to forgive him. My mission was to recruit Josh into my club and that was my priority. It didn't matter if he hurt my feelings, I just had to make sure my club prospered with his help.

Spotting Josh, I ran over to him. But before I could shout his name, he stopped walking and turned to face me, his eyebrows raised. I slowed to a walk as I approached him, realizing chasing him down in the parking lot had become a habit that Josh picked up on.

"Hey," I said. "Are you free after school tomorrow?"

"You're not mad at me?" he asked.

I shook my head, but Josh didn't look convinced. His eyes questioned what changed and with a sigh, I realized Josh would never make my life easy.

"I need to show you the issues girls face and I can't do that by ignoring you," I said. "So, I forgive you."

Josh stared at me, his eyes analyzing me and I stared back. When Josh finally nodded, I grew relaxed and thus realized how nervous I'd been.

"What do you have planned for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Dinner at a restaurant," I said.

Josh's eyebrows rose and he stared at me, his eyes curious. Surprised he reacted, I stared at him, wondering what was going on.

"You want to have dinner with just me?" Josh asked slowly. "At a restaurant?"

"Yeah..." I frowned. "What's so weird about that?"

Josh smiled, surprising me once again. He shook his head, seeming unable to believe me, and my frown deepened. I didn't understand Josh's reaction.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Josh said, turning around. "I'll pick you up from your house tomorrow."

Josh walked off then, leaving me staring after him as he got into his car. I then shook my head and turned around, and walked off. But as I did, I placed my hands on my cheeks and felt how warm they were. Groaning, I wondered why I always seemed to be blushing.

*****

Staring at myself in the tall mirror that was next to the front door, I stared at the short black dress I wore. It was an a-line dress that flattered my waist, and I wondered why I dressed up. Josh wouldn't care about what I wore, but I still chose to wear a dress - and I rarely wore dresses.

Pushing my black hair back, I smiled when I realized it reached my hips. My pride for my long, black hair was something my mom instilled in me. We loved our long hair and it was something we were proud of.

The doorbell rang and I jumped. I slid my feet into black flats and opened the door, smiling when I saw Josh. He stood before me, wearing black dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt. Relief washed over me because I didn't want to be the only one dressed up.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said. "What restaurant are we going to?"

"Mandarin?"

"Sounds good. Let's go."

Josh and I walked to his car and got in, and Josh began to drive off. For a few minutes we sat in a comfortable silence and I stared out the window, wondering what I would prove to Josh at the restaurant. I didn't have a plan and I wasn't sure what sexism I would face there, but I knew something would happen. So far, everywhere Josh and I went something had happened.