Adulthood University-On hiatus

Chapter 4

After I calmed myself down, I dialed Elena's number. She needed to hear about this, pronto.

She picked up after the second ring and without missing a beat, said, "Miss me already?"

I laughed. "Of course, I do, boo, but that's not why I'm calling."

"What do I owe the pleasure of this phone call to then?"

"I ran into Freddie at the library."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you're at the library on a Saturday, and focus on Freddie. So what happened?"

"Well, I was looking for something to read, and he came up to me and started talking. We talked for a bit, and then he asked me out. Well, sort of."

Elena shrieked and then asked, "What do you mean, sort of?"

"I guess there is some kind of nature hike going on tomorrow and he asked me to come with him."

"Sounds like a date to me."

"I thought so, too, and I kinda freaked out and asked him if we could look at it as a group hangout."

"Oh, Dani."

"I just don't want to rush into anything."

"Why don't you just see how it goes. You could always turn it into a date if it feels right."

"I guess."

"You know I'm always right about these things, Dani."

"Oh, right. I forgot you're the master of boys."

"I wouldn't go that far."

I laughed. "I'm going to head back to my dorm now and see if Chelsea's current boy has left the room yet. See ya later."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and made my way back to my room. When I arrived, it was thankfully vacated, and I sat down at my desk. I pulled out my copy of Tuck Everlasting and decided to reread it, before lending it out to Freddie.

*****

The next day at approximately 11:30 a.m., I was freaking out. Why had I agreed to go out with him? Even if was only supposed to be a hangout. I couldn't do this. I had no experience with boys. What did I wear? We were hiking, so it needed to be casual, but I didn't want to look like I had just rolled out of bed. Why were boys so difficult to prepare for?

I finally settled on a pair of cute athletic shorts and a t-shirt that showed off my slender figure. I headed down to the lobby to meet Freddie. When he arrived, he looked me up and down and frowned. Did he not like my outfit?

"You forgot the book," he said.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to figure out what to wear, and I guess it slipped my mind."

He appraised my appearance once again and smiled. "You look nice."

"We can go up to my room and grab the book if you want. It's sitting on my desk, ready to go."

Why did I offer that? I shouldn't be inviting guys up to my room. That was asking for trouble.

"Good with me. Then I'll know where your room is."

I nodded and led him up the stairs to my room. When we entered, I noticed Chelsea had come back in the time I had been gone.

"Hey, Chelsea. This is Freddie."

"Well, hello there, Freddie," she said. I sensed a hint of seduction in her voice and rolled my eyes. I couldn't get over her behavior.

"Nice to meet you, Chelsea."