Who Is Lucas Ryker O'Riley?

64. FEELS LIKE A NIGHTMARE

The following day, I sat in front of the mirror trying to recreate the beautiful makeup the girl at the salon had effortlessly achieved on my face.

I followed her instructions as best I could, but my attempt wasn't nearly as beautiful as her work. It didn't look bad, but definitely not as gorgeous as what she had done. I just hoped Jeremy didn't find it hideous when I saw him in a couple hours.

He had called earlier in the morning and asked me how I felt about go-carts and mini-golf. I had no objections, so I guess that's what we we're going to do. Fine by me, as it was competitive, which was better than dinner and a long walk along the river, while trying to have awkward conversation, which was something I really wasn't ready for yet.

Continuing to work on my face, my thoughts returned to last night, when Dave turned off the game and sent me to go call Mandy.

Before I called her, I stalled by brushing my teeth for an extraordinarily long time and then spending entirely to much time picking out my sleepwear.

Yes, I was stalling, trying to avoid the inevitable.

I finally decided on a pair of pajamas, choosing the closest thing to a drab, ungirly pair I could find. They were striped gray with muted pinkish, almost brown dots.

When I finally opened my laptop to Skype call Mandy, I dialed her number with the camera off. I wanted to talk to her before she saw the new me; hair, pierced ears, makeup and all.

When she answered, her smiling face popped up on my screen and the first thing she asked was why my camera was off.

"I uh, I'll . . . Well, just let me talk. Hear me out," I explained.

The expression on her face, went from jubilation to fright, in an instant.

"What's wrong," she asked fearfully. "I knew something was wrong when you didn't answer my calls or call me back last night and this morning. You-You're breaking up with me aren't you? It's another girl isn't it? Oh, gawd. I knew it when I didn't hear from you. You--You've met someone else there, haven't you? And you're ashamed to face me. She's sitting next to you isn't she?"

Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She already had herself worked up to the point of crying and I hadn't even said anything yet.

"Mandy . . . Mandy," I called out her name, trying to get her to calm down. "It's not what you think, Mandy."

I was trying to figure out how to explain, where to began.

"Then what is it," she asked, wiping a tear from her cheek. "if it's not about a girl."

"Well act--"

"I knew it. It's a girl."

"No, Mandy, wait. It's not like that."

I paused. How am I going to explain this, I thought. I was at a loss for words. I knew I should've prepared, thought this through a little better before dialing her number.

Finally, after a long, awkward pause, I decided, rather than speak, I'd just have to show her.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

With my hand nervously trembling, I moved the mouse and clicked the video button.

The second my face appeared on the screen her jaw dropped.

"Oh . . . my . . . gawd! Lucas?"

I dropped my head, "Yeah."

She didn't immediately say anything else and I certainly didn't know what to say, so there was awkward silence as she continued to process what she was seeing.