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“Hey, guys.” Christine suddenly says in the middle of an intense gaming session between her, Jeremy, Michael and Rich. “What do you when your trying to ask a girl out on a date?”
The three look at her with shocked faces.
“What?” Christine asks.
“Christine, I don’t think we’re the most qualified people to tell you anything about about dating.” Michael notes.
Christine quirks her head. “Uh, why?”
“Jeremy has anxiety, Rich is repressed, and I’m gay, sooo, I don’t think we’re gonna be very helpful.”
“Come on, at least try!!” Christine cries. “Jeremy, help me out here man!”
Jeremy jumps a little at his name. “Oh, umm, well my dad said you should buy her flowers, and-and say her clothes are nice.”
Christine nods. “Okay, okay.”
Michael clears his throat. “Maybe you could, I dunno, say you think she’s smart. I don’t know how girls work.”
“Oh! Oh!” Rich leans over so Christine can see his grinning face. “You tell her she excites you!! Sexually!!”
“Gross, Rich.” Jeremy mumbles.
“It works!! Trust me, Chris!!” Rich exclaims.
Christine pauses and shifts on her beanbag. “You know, I like the flowers thing. I might do that.”
“Cool.” Jeremy says. “But, who’s the lucky girl?”
She briefly thinks of Chloe, with all her confident stance and nice smile, and just how deep she’s dug herself into a hole by getting a giant crush on Chloe, and she feels heat rush to her face.
“Oh! It’s- it’s embarrassing.” Christine waves off.
“Christine, it’s literally impossible to be more embarrassing than me.” Jeremy says plainly.
“Well you haven’t see me in my middle school years, so you can’t say shit.” Christine asserts.
Jeremy sighs. “Fine. Just tell us how it goes.”
Christine nods. “Yeah, I just gotta know her favorite flowers.”
***
While walking up to the popular kid table at lunch feels awkward, as soon as Jake notices her and waves, Christine relaxes.
“Hi, Jake!” She says as soon she come into earshot.
“Hey, Christine. What’s up!”
“Oh, I just have a question for you.”
Jake leans back on his wheelchair. “Ask away.”
Christine sits down on the table’s bench. “Well, I need to know Chloe’s favorite flowers are.”
Jake frowns. “Damn. Me and Chloe didn’t really do a lot of ‘romantic’ stuff together. I guess I never got her flowers.”
Jake turns to Jenna Rolan, who’s tapping away at her phone. “Jay! What’s Chloe’s favorite flowers?”
Jenna looks up. “Chloe said she hates flowers.”
“Oh.” Christine mutters.
“Sorry, Christine. I never found out why, though.”
“It’s cause she’s allergic.” Brooke chimes in.
Everyone turns to Brooke. She simply shrugs.
“She’s always had bad allergies her whole life. She never said anything because, well, she was really embarrassed.”
Christine puts her head in her hands. “Shit.”
“Why do need to know Chloe’s favorite flowers?” Jenna asks.
Christine blushes. “Uhh…. reasons.”
Jenna blinks but doesn’t press about it, instead she says. “You could just not use them, all you really have to do is make her feel liked and appreciated.”
“Oh, and try to be honest. Chloe hates fake people.” Brooke adds.
Jake swings an arm around her shoulder. “And if push come to shove, I’ve got your back, Christine. I’ll be the dope-est wingman ever.”
Christine smiles a little. “Thanks. Guess I just to be…” She makes small jazz hands. “Creative.”
There’s a small of silence before an idea strikes her.
“What does she think about arts and crafts?” She blurts out.
They all look at her with blank faces. “She’s… neutral? I think?” Jenna says.
“That’s good enough for me!” Christine stands up pats Jake on the shoulder. “Thanks, guys!!”
And with that she runs off.
***
Friday is a beautiful winter day, not too cold, but not too dry. It was perfect. If Christine needed anymore initiative to ask Chloe out today, then that was the final straw.
Christine was never really a nervous person, more just she had some insecurities that caused anxiety from time to time. Unfortunately, those insecurities were rearing their nasty heads today, and Christine was stressing out.
Just a few more minutes, she thinks to herself.
The bell rings and Christine sprints out of the classroom and rushes to her locker, gets her gift for Chloe and runs out of the school.
Through the streams of kids flooding out of the school, Christine spots Chloe walking alone.
She awkwardly moves to her, muttering small apologies to the kids she pushed around.
“Hey.” Christine says.
“Hey.” Chloe replies. “It’s been a bit.”
“Yeah. It has.” Christine reaches out her gift the Chloe. “This is for you.”
Chloe takes the gift and examines it. It was a couple of paper flowers with green stems and different colored petals.
“They’re scented, too.” Christine adds. “It’s fine if you don’t like-“
“Stop.” Chloe says. “This is the best thing anyone has ever given me.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Christine grins. “Cool. Okay. Is it okay if-“
“Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“Huh.”
Chloe looks confused. “That’s what you were going to say, right?”
“I was going to ask if wanted to go out on a date. But if you wanna go fast that’s fine by me.” Christine admits.
“Shit.” Chloe mutters, but she puts out her hand and smiles. “Let’s go on that date anyways.”
Christine smiles back and grabs her hand. Thank god for those paper flowers.