Hello?

I arrive at the ice cream shop, M&L, where all of them are waiting. They all have their ice cream and Toby was holding mine. Toby has short brown hair that he could flip but didn’t very often. Everyone was there, ‘Great. I really am late,’ I said to myself as I sat next to Toby and Emily, my cousin that was only six months older than me, exactly!

“Does anyone have any tardy sauce?” Jake joked as he took another bite of his ice cream. I gave him a dirty look and he just smiled. Jake was a smart, non-athletic, gamer, bookworm person.

“Bite me,” I said as I smiled back.

“So, where do we want to go?” Em asked as she pushed back her thick reddish-brown hair behind he ear.

“Maybe we should walk and eat our ice cream,” Jake said as he took his last bite.

“If you have any!” Toby said with a little chuckle.

“What about a movie?” Daimean, a tall blonde hair gamer asked.

“I first that!” I said as quick as I could.

“I second it!” Em and Jake said at the same time.

“I third it,” Toby said a little late.

We all laughed as we got up and Jake threw his ice cream cup away. We headed in the opposite direction that I came. The only way that we took to the movie theater was through the park. We all loved that way, it was quite dark now and you could hear the crickets in it.

“So, have you thought about it?” Em asked as she slowed me down from the guys.

“Thought about what?” I asked as we came to a complete stop.

Em widens her eyes with a ‘Seriously!?!?!’ expression on her face. “About you-know-who,” she said shaking her head towards the guys.

I roll my eyes and half smile at her. “You know what?” I say as I start walking towards them, “I haven’t, even if I did… It’s a no.”

“Come on! There is total chemistry,” she said as she followed.

“Are you guys coming or not?” Jake asked looking at us.

“Ya, one second,” I said turning back towards Em. “Not right now.”

We walked faster to catch back up to the guys.

When we arrived at the movie theater, we all got tickets to the new movie ‘Science Project’, it was a science fiction movie that had Tom Hanks in it. We all took sits on the top row at the far left. If there were people there than, well sometimes we had them move or they moved on there own…

After the movie was over, we stepped outside and smelled the fresh air instead of popcorn. Toby and Daimean were arguing the reason of the movie. It was cool now but it felt good to wear shorts. The feeling of the cool damp air was nice from that hot sticky theater.

“What time do you have to be home, Lenex?” Daimean asked as we started walking towards Main Street.

“Well, I have to be home by 10:30. What time is it?” I asked.

“It is 9:37,” Em said trying not to step on cracks.

“Well, now technically it’s 9:37…” Jake almost finished before we interrupted.

“Shut up…!” We all said as we started laughing.

Jake looked a little disappointed at that moment, but he would cheer up. We kept talking about the movie and walking to the park. I kept looking at Toby with his smile and hazel eyes thinking, ‘What if it’s a yes?’ ‘What if we did?’ I caught myself before he could realize and went back to walking in a straight line.

I stopped at the bench in the park and the rest of the gang stopped to see if I was all right.

“Are you okay?” Jake asked.

I could see that Toby wanted to say something but didn’t because I guess he might have been afraid or embarrass but that shouldn’t stop me from thinking about it.

“Ya… I’m all good, but Em could I talk to you for a minute?” I asked with a serious look on my face.

“Ya… sure, I guess,” she said as the guys started walking around the park.

“What’s up?” she asked even though she already knew the answer.

“I think I will ask him but you have to for me,” I say looking super shy.

“Seriously?!? I get to! Yes! When?” She said in a rush.

“Well, you can now I guess; if you want to,” I say watching the guys wrestle around a bit.

“Okay, you stay here and I shall go ask!” Em said as she started running towards the guys.

I was listening to the creek by us with the frogs and crickets, when something caught my eye. In the timber outside the park was a black figure but I couldn’t make something out of it. I stood up and went to the edge of the timber. I looked around but it was pitch black. It looked like a person but I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Where are you?” Em asks as she sees that I’m not on the bench anymore.

“I’m right here,” I say as I walk out of the darkness and into the moonlight.

“Well, he said he should give you an answer tomorrow morning,” Em said with a wide smile on her face!

“It’s going to be a “no”. We are only friends, remember…?” I say with a sad look on my face.

“If you keep saying that than it will be a “no”!” she said while her shoulders sagged.

When the guys got back, I could see the confusion and wondering look on his face. All I did was put a disappoint look on my face and started walking. I was afraid of rejection and I didn’t know to take it back, but I hoped that “the man upstairs” would look among that.

“Lenex, it is 10:17. You probably should go,” Daimean suggested.

“Ya, I will see you guys tomorrow morning,” I said as I turned onto a different road. With a wave goodbye and a smile, I wondered if he was thinking of how crazy and creepy I was.

The road I was on was mostly pitch black but with some street lights along the road. It got lonely with just me and I kept thinking that someone was following me… I turn behind me a black figure disappears in an alley.