Rose 19: It's worth it for that smile

This chapter overlaps the last one, but it's different enough to warrant its own chapter. :)

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Link

     I answer the doorbell when it rings, and I open the door to an incredibly cute girl. She jumps a little when she sees me and asks if Fiona is at home. Then she tells me she's come over to finish up some science lab project. She has really nice hair. Who is she?! 

     I ask Fiona as quietly as I can and pray that she doesn't give me away. Chasity. So that's her name. How come I've never seen her before? This town is too small for me to have missed her. Maybe she's new.

    Oh, you can bet I'm not going anywhere else right now, and I don't care if I end up getting on Fiona's last nerve. She'll get over it.

     I hear Chasity giggle while I pull out my wand to practice with it, smiling a little and hoping to impress her if I can. Not everyone can do this stuff after all. I'm dying to know if they're talking about me. Well, not that I care if Fiona is or not, but I hope that's Chasity I feel looking at me. I'm so glad I remembered to comb my hair this morning, I think as I also quickly and subtly check to see if my deodorant is working.

    They finally finish with their homework, and she gets up and comes over to talk to me, dragging Fiona along with her.

     "I saw you have a wand. I mean, I knew Fiona was a witch, but I didn't know her siblings were too." she says and actually blushes a little. I want to do a happy dance, but I thankfully put a lid on that urge. I'm just ... very encouraged that she blushed.

     I manage to get out a small laugh as I say, "Well, I actually prefer to be called a wizard, but yes. And it's really only me and Fiona that can do this kind of stuff. Um, we don't actually know much about whether or not Skye can. He's the youngest." Stop rambling! I think quickly. I just don't want her to feel nervous. She looks like she's desperately telling Fiona to stay put. I can tell.

     Fiona's head turns back in my direction, and I try to get across that I want her to leave us alone. I feel really weird trying to start flirting with Chasity and having my older sister hovering around us. Fiona just rolls her eyes at me and sticks around. She looks at me like she's saying 'What are you doing? Isn't she a tad old for you? Do you honestly think you have a chance here?' 

     How do I know if I have a chance if she won't give me a chance?!

     Fiona can really get on my nerves at times. Stop babying me!

     What on earth do I have to do to get Fiona to leave? I think as I talk about different things. I honestly have no idea what I'm even saying half the time. Thank goodness she looks like she's interested anyway.

     Fiona finally takes the hint and heads upstairs, leaving me and Chasity alone in the living room.

     I wonder if she has a boyfriend, I think as I have this crazy urge to fix this one curl of her hair that's gotten a little out of control. It's really distracting, but I don't know how she'd react to me doing something like that.

     I take a deep breath and finally relax a little when she absently reaches up and twirls her hair, actually fixing the aforementioned curl.

      Oh no. We've been quiet for too long! I think as I start to tense up again. Talk, Link!

      "So, are you a new student?" I ask.

      She turns her face towards me and smiles hugely like she's laughing at me as she answers, "No. I've lived here all my life." I don't care that she's laughing at me. It's worth it for that smile.
      "How is that even possible that I've never met you before today?" I ask. I mean, yeah, she's a little older than me, but not that much older.
      She giggles for a second, still twirling her hair, and says, "I have no idea. Um, you might know my brother though."
      "Oh?" I ask, doubtful.
      "Yeah, um, he's been here before for a few parties. It's Glen."
     "You're Glen Romano's sister?" I ask, incredulous. I knew Glen had siblings, but it's really only Glen that's the outgoing one in that family.

     She giggles again, and I feel like I'm on top of the world that I made it happen.
     "I am." she says with a smile. "Yeah, I guess I don't leave the house too much. I just like to watch so many different things on TV, and then I have to keep up my various online profiles."

    I'm hit with sudden inspiration as I ask, "I bet that leaves you less time to spend with your boyfriend."
      I am so smooth.
      Her smile, regrettably, drops off of her face as she tells me, "I don't have a boyfriend."
     Yes! I can't help but think even if I'm sad to see the smile go.
     She bites her lip as I say with an obligatory look of confusion on my face, "Well, that's surprising. Oh... that's because you haven't chosen just one. That makes sense." Please let me be wrong, I think just as my heart starts racing uncontrollably.

     I feel mild panic go through me when her face falls even more when she says, "No. No, it's not like that. I mean I ..." Any minute now and she's going to cry. She actually pulls her hair a little when she says, "Maybe I should just go home. I mean I don't know why you would think that."
      Oh crap, what did I say!? I think as more panic fills me.
      "No, wait!" I say, sounding pathetic. "I didn't mean it like that! I just was trying to pay you some kind of twisted, crazy compliment, and I guess I screwed up bad."
      She bites her lip again and looks at me in confusion, her finger now twirling her hair like mad. I find myself staring at it, wondering what it would feel like to twist my finger in her hair. I shove my hands in my pockets before I wind up doing it without realizing it.
      Her teeth release her lip so she can ask, "Then what did you mean?"

     I do my absolute best to ignore the rising embarrassment and instead focus on getting that smile back. Even though I'm not very good at this, I forge ahead anyway. "I was trying to say that I can't believe someone as pretty as you doesn't have a boyfriend already." I don't have any air left to say more than that. I hope that was enough.
     She blushes. Thank God. I take a deep breath.
     "Oh." she breathes. The smile isn't back, though. She just blushes a deeper shade of red.
    She looks at the stairwell, and I have an overwhelming need to touch her face. I don't let myself though.
   "Well, like I said, I don't get out much. I'm too much of a couch potato I guess." she mumbles quietly.
    "I'm glad." I say without thinking. Panicking, I quickly add, "I mean ... um, not necessarily that you're a couch potato except that that means that ... that ..." My brain stops functioning when I need it most.
      Thankfully, she starts laughing at me. I want to wilt in relief.

     Instead, I find myself laughing too. Still, I'm a little worried. I mean, I pretty much told her right away I think she's cute. I have no idea what she thinks about me. I do my best to push this worry to the back of my mind.

     "I'm sorry." she gets out between laughs. "I don't mean to laugh at you, it's just you looked so cute just now thinking you were making me upset."
      I swear, I think I must've gotten a shot of Novocaine to my brain because everything goes numb except the thought that she said I was cute. It's all I can do to keep from staring blankly off into space with a stupid grin on my face.
      Ask her out! my subconscious screams at me.
      "I'm not afraid to admit I'm a couch potato." she finishes with a shrug and that smile.

     I try to keep my hands from shaking as I say, "Well, I hope I can convince you to leave your couch and let me take you to the fair tomorrow. It's the first day of summer, and they're changing it out again. Will that be okay?"

    "That sounds like fun." But? "But you know, Mondays are always so packed with homework that I don't know if we'll have time." she says almost sadly, and I feel my shoulders slump.
     She just turned me down.
     "Okay." I say quietly, trying to hide my disappointment. Can't blame me for trying.

     I don't know what to do anymore, not that I had much of a clue before. I just stand here and watch her as she stares off into space with this aggravated expression on her pretty face.
     She turned me down, and she blamed homework.
     I want to go off somewhere and sulk. I thought I'd done pretty good, all things considering, yet she still turned me down.
     "Well, I guess I'll go read or something." I try not to snap at Miss Perfect Hair.
     "Link, hang on a sec." she says quickly, touching my arm. A jolt of electricity flies through me from where she touches me.  
       She said my name, I think stupidly.
      I turn and look at her, and she says in a slightly embarrassed manner, "That doesn't mean we can't hang out right now."
      "Really?" I ask, hopeful.
      That fantastic smile is back as she asks, "Yeah. What do you have to do around here besides play with your magic wand?"

     She's not into sports, so football is out. I do, however, convince her to play a few rounds of horseshoes.
       I hear the laughter in her voice as she asks, "How come you always bring your hand back and forth three times before you finally throw the thing?"
       I'm a little aggravated at her question, but I answer it anyway. "Because that's what has always worked for me. Why change it now?" I toss my horseshoe, and it happily circles around the mark. I straighten up and smile triumphantly at her, gesture to the horseshoe, and say, "See?"
      She smiles a little back at me, shakes her head, and says, "Alright."
      We play all afternoon until the sun sets. I find out a little more about her. Her favorite color is turquoise.
      I win the horseshoe match when we finally finish it up. She looks a little bummed, but I get another moment of inspiration.

    "Link, I really need to be getting back home." she says as I walk back out of the house. "What's this?" she asks when she sees I'm holding a present.
     "Well, I feel bad about beating you at horseshoes."
     "Don't. I suck at stuff like that. It's no surprise." she says as I take her hand and shove the present into it with a goofy grin on my face.
      "What's is it?"
      "A consolation prize I guess. It's not polite to beat the guest at a game." I make up on the spot.
      "Oh, what a load of bull."
      "Just open it." I say, getting impatient.
      She opens it and looks at the rock in wonder.
      "It's turquoise from Egypt. My dad got it while they were there on their honeymoon, and they had extra." I say in explanation.
      "Oh, Link. I can't accept this. I mean..."
      "I want you to have it." I insist. She tries to hand it back to me, and I stubbornly put my hands behind my back. "Nope, it's yours now." I grin.
       Suddenly, her arms are around my neck in a tight hug. I barely have time to react before she says "Thank you" really fast and kisses me on the cheek before saying she needs to get home now and running off. By the time I've recovered, she's made it to the street. She looks back at me, giggles, and gets in a magical taxi to take her home.

    I had a really. Good. Day.