Forced to Commit, but Not Forced to Love

Ch 6- H8rs gonna H8

Acting.

That's what he was doing. He was acting. Curses once more to my naive nature.

Thinking that he was just messing with me (and perhaps) flirting, I actually got ready in a causal outfit (look to the side >>) to match what he was wearing. I did my makeup and let my hair loose in its natural curls. Then, taking my phone and picking my shoes, I went downstairs with a smile on my face. This is really embarrassing for me to say but.... I haven't been on a date before. Ever. In my life. 

And so, I walked into this mess thinking that the one guy whose taken the initiative to take me out could actually care about me. Maybe. I don't know, I was overly optimistic. 

James smiled when I came down, and did the typical "I've have her back at ___ and ___" date stuff that I've only seen in movies. He even held the door for me when we left the house and entered his car.

The first few moments of the car ride were silent. And very awkward. I attempted to break the ice with a simple question. "Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

He replied with a grimace and a huff. "No."

Somehow, I was getting the vibe that he didn't want to talk to me. Was it something I said? I decided to lighten up, maybe get him in the happy mood by some humble flattery. "Well, thanks for taking me out. It's really nice of you to-" 

James cut me off with an angry voice. "Shut up. I don't even want to be here. My parents forced me to take you somewhere so we could 'get to know each other.' Whatever. There are so many other things I could be doing right now, but instead I'm stuck with you. My parents set this up, so let's go and finish our time together, and call it a day."

Saying I felt crushed was an understatement. Tears threatened to spill over onto my face as I heard his words and realized the truth. It was all a show. Fake. He was only acting. What the hell, I should have been stronger than to let some British boy get to me. 

I turned my head away from him and remained silent. I didn't want to start drama by creating a fight. I got enough of those at home. All I could do was look outside the window and refuse to meet his gaze. Without even realizing it, I quietly put up my defences. I'm not letting my guard down only to be hurt again, it was too painful last time.

It was a long car ride.

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 "An escape room?" 

James groaned as he parked the car. "It was what my parents set up okay? If it was up to me, we wouldn't be here. They thought it would be 'fun'."

I threw my hands up in mock defeat. "Just asking."

We both got out of the car and started walked to the building without saying a word. I thought it was just awkward silence between us... until I saw James texting on his phone. With an exasperated sigh, I quickened my pace and started walking ahead of him. I didn't want to be trailing behind him if he was making no effort to acknowledge me. I opened the door and warmth filled my cold body.

The general waiting area of the building was almost like a scene straight out of an old detective movie: the lobby was decorated with a 1950s vibe, jazz music was grooving in the background, and all the employees were dressed in trench-coats and fedoras. 

(Room: http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/postcard-chicago-ymca-hotel-lobby-1950s.jpg) 

I drew in a breath, my face grinning at the sight. I had always loved detective movies and mysteries, and I had wanted to pass an escape room (it was on my bucket list). This was going to going to be awesome.

My face curled into a frown as I saw James still texting next to me. How was this going to work if he didn't even care? I decided to text Grace. What? If he could ignore me and text random people, I had the right to do that too, right?

To: Grace

Forced date w/ Brit boy. Escape room :D but he wont even look at me or talk to me :( he doesnt even want to be w/ me. what should I do??

The reply came back almost immediately.

To: Lily

U think James of all people will bring u down??? Gurl, no! I will personally whoop his ass next time i see him. but u gotta do somethin 4 me now on ur date

To: Grace

What?? I'll do it :( help me

I had the sudden feeling that someone was looking at me. Turning my head, I found James looking at me intently. The moment I made eye contact with him, he snapped his head around and wouldn't return my gaze. I shrugged it off when my phone vibrated, drawing my attention back to Grace

To: Lily

Enjoy urself :) just live up ur time during this date with that douche & show him how happy u can be w/o him. if h8rs gonna h8, smile & move on. they can trail behind u if they want ;)

I almost burst out laughing at Grace's text. Ah, she knew how to cheer me up. And it was true: if I wanted to take this escape game seriously, then I'll do it. I'm not gonna give a crap about if he won't get into it- he's the one who brought me here!

Too bad if James doesn't want to be on this date with me; I'm gonna enjoy my time anyways.

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A/N- Sorry this chapter is so short! I have SAT's next week and I'm freaking out :O I wanted to set things up here before the next chapter where it all goes down. The transition in this chapter is bothering me, but i wanted to get it out of the way before the competition starts.

The story got up to 13 likes! 3 more than the goal!! Can we get 340 views and 16 likes before the next chapter? I promise it will be longer than chapter 6.

Also, who do you guys think should play each character? I need a Lily, James, and a Grace. 

For those who don't know what escape games are, here's a link to a sight that will explain it pretty well. http://realescapegame.com/category/real-escape-room/

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