31 Days of December

December 5th

As the lecture I was in started finishing up, I started to feel antsy. This was the moment of truth. Was I going to see the cute guy again? Or was I in the clear of not being spotted? If I ended up being spotted, would he even recognize me? It wasn't like I actually stood out or anything. I do blend into groups well.

Once my professor finished the lecture, I shoved my notebook and pencil back into my backpack. As I swung my backpack over my shoulder, I looked around the lecture hall. The cute guy from last time was coming in, talking and laughing with a group of guys. However, he was looking all over the lecture hall, searching. Once his eyes landed on me, his smile grew, and he waved at me. I waved back to him because I didn't want to be rude before turning and leaving the hall.

When I left the hall, I heard someone shout, "Wait." I stopped and turned to see who it was. I saw the cute guy jog toward me while his friends watched us from where they were standing, amused.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked as I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," He said with his stupid smile. I shoved my hands inside of my hoodie pocket and started picking at nails out of nerves. "I'm Ethan."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ethan," I said, turning to try and walk away.

I heard him let out a sigh before asking, "May I know your name?"

"It's Hailey."

"Well, Hailey," Ethan started to say. I looked at him, knowing he wouldn't let me be without a conversation. "I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night? I'm on the hockey team, and we have a game. I was hoping to see your face in the stands."

I momentarily choked on air before saying, "I'm sorry, I can't. I already have plans with my roommates. Maybe some other time." I gave him a weak smile before walking away, leaving him to absorb my rejection.

Hailey: Good news and bad news. Good news: I talked to the cute guy without making a fool of myself.

Mom: Yay!

Sam: And the bad news?

Hailey: He asked me out, and I rejected him

Sam: I'm sorry. What now?

Hailey: I know you know how to read.

Mom: Why did you reject him?

Hailey: He asked if I was free tomorrow, but the roomies and I had already decided to go to Winterfest.

Sam: I mean, that's fair. You already had plans.

Mom: You weren't rejecting him just because. As you and your sister said, you had plans already. Though I'm sure they would have understood if you talked with your roommates.

Once I returned to my apartment, I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The conversation with Ethan was replaying in my head over and over again. Should I have agreed to go to the hockey game? Maybe the roomies would have gone with me, but I don't want them to feel forced to go for a guy I don't even know.

Sometime later, I heard Alice's voice ask, "How long have you been laying there? Did you even go to your afternoon classes?"

"What time is it?" I asked, not looking away from the ceiling.

"It's almost four."

"Then yes, I didn't go to my afternoon classes. I have been staring at the ceiling since I returned from my morning class."

Alice shoved my legs off the couch so she could sit next to me. I groaned as I sat up, feeling the headache from not eating, drinking any water, or doing anything productive. It was killing my skull.

"So what happened?" Alice asked.

I groaned again, "Can I get a few minutes to get my life together before we dive into the 'How did Hailey fuck up'?" Alice nodded in agreement, and I went to my room.

After taking some ibuprofen, I grabbed my water bottle and headed to the kitchen to make a sandwich. Once I consumed the sandwich, I sat back down on the couch.

"I saw the cute guy again," I said. Alice looked at me with a slightly surprised look. "In fact, we talked."

"Annnnnndddd," Alice dragged on.

"His name is Ethan, and he asked me out."

"Please tell me you said yes."

"Not exactly."

Alice grumbled, "What do you mean not exactly?"

"I may or may not have rejected him."

"Hailey!" Alice shouted.

"What?" I exclaimed. Alice just gave me a look of disappointment and shook her head. "He asked me to come and watch his hockey game tomorrow. I said no because our roomies already planned to go to Winterfest."

"We would have understood if you told us."

"I know, but I barely even know the guy, and it's the end of the semester. I'd rather have fun with my roommates than watch a guy, who I don't know, play a sport I don't know or care about," I explained.

Alice smiled, "I get it. However, this sounds like a problem that needs to be solved with ice cream."

"Ice cream is an excellent idea," I said. Alice smiled before pulling out her phone. I realized she texted the roommate group chat when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Alice: Hailey is having a crisis that needs to be solved with an ice cream run. Does anyone want to join?

Layla: I'm on my way back from work, but I'm free.

Ronnie: Count me in.

Soon Layla and Ronnie joined Alice and me in the living room. They both found a spot to sit. I knew they were going to wonder why I was in need of an ice cream trip, so I told them the story. I started from when I first ran into Ethan to how he has been living rent-free in my mind to refusing to go to his hockey game so I could hang out with them. They both listened as I rambled on, and Alice added commentary every so often to keep me on track.

"This definitely sounds like an ice cream emergency," Layla said once I finished my story. "You've had a long few days."

"Tell me about it," I grumbled.

Ronnie spoke up, "I just have one question. Why?"

"Because I don't know him well enough, and I'll probably never see him after next week, so why try?" I said. Ronnie shook her head and made a tsk noise. "Now, can we go get ice cream?"

Alice laughed, "Yeah, let's go." The four of us all got up from our spots and made our way to the do.

"Wait," Layla said, causing all of us to stop in our tracks. "Who's driving?"