Rising From the Ashes

8. Two Questions

Hey everyone! :D To whoever is actually reading this, sorry I haven't updated in a week, I've went on vacation on the weekend and I've also been writing my new story, you should check it out! So as usual, I'd love love love it if you vote and tell me what you think! <3 Hope you enjoy :)

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The next two weeks passed by relatively uneventfully, save for the fact that my French mark surprisingly did not take as big of a hit as I was expecting it to. I spent a lot of time catching up with Mike, watching movies at his house and going out for lunch. I felt guilty as I realized that, other than Jasmine, I haven’t really kept up contact with any of my friends because Jace wanted me to devote so much time to him. In the last weeks of November, I was making it up to Mike in earnest, even agreeing to go on a mountain skiing trip with him despite the fact that I was scared to slide down even the kiddie hill.

When I wasn’t with Mike or Jasmine, or doing my schoolwork in preparation for our school’s exams right after the winter break, I was spending time with Nick, which was surprisingly a lot better than I expected it to be. To my immense gratitude, he had never mentioned the breakdown that I had on our first and only date. Instead, we spent hours hanging out outside of school, watching gory movies and playing air hockey at the nearby arcade while talking about anything that could be brought up without creating another possibility of me bursting into tears.

Despite the fact that we were doing the most unfeminine things on the planet, the list stretching to include even spending a day in my garage putting winter tires onto my car (although I do have to admit that Nick did most of the work while I handed him tools), his endless flirting had never seemed to cease. I avoided his constant touches, laughed at his cockiness and mocked his pet names, but secretly, he was growing on me far too much. While I still thought of Jace on a daily basis, especially when I saw him sucking face with Mel, which would happen to be about twenty times per week, I had to admit that I had him on my mind much less than I would without the constant distractions.

“Earth to Natalie!” Jasmine snapped her fingers in front of my face. We were currently in math class, going through a review of wave functions, and I have completely spaced out from both the lesson and whatever my friend was telling me.

“Sorry.” I smiled sheepishly, pulling my hair out of my face to tie it into a loose ponytail. “Math makes me fall asleep.” Then again, in the last couple weeks, I seemed to be falling asleep almost everywhere.

“Then stop looking at the board and listen to me!” Jasmine whispered, giving the teacher a look to make sure she didn’t notice that we were distracted. “I was saying that Mike still didn’t ask me to the winter formal, or anyone for that matter! It’s in two weeks…I have to pick out a dress this weekend and I don’t even know if I’m going alone or with a date!”

“Haven’t other guys asked you?” I said, covering the small yawn that escaped my mouth. Jasmine was pretty and popular enough in our grade to be staking her hopes on one particular invitation.

“Well yes, Josh and Conner asked me, but I said no.” Jasmine replied. “I was hoping that, well, you know…”

“Oh, calm down. If it’s in two weeks, Mike is not just going to go alone, he’s not that kind of guy. For all you know, he’ll ask you during the weekend.”

“That’s true.” My friend said with a small smile. “I hope.”

“It’ll be fine, I’ll even go dress shopping once he asks you if you want.”

“Why can’t you just go?” Jasmine whined. “You’re going to be dress shopping with me, you’ll probably be there when we all do our hair and makeup, and I’m sure Nick would jump and the chance to take you!”