Three

"What?"

"I um... wanted to know if you wanted to go out on a date sometime," I shrug. Sammy looks at me, still dumbfounded.

This past weekend, Sammy and I spent time together at my house playing video games and chatting about life in general. I guess she didn't get the message that I was trying to woo her. I hope this doesn't make the rest of my Monday super weird. Or the rest of the week. Or the rest of my life.

"Really? I thought you were just platonic with me," she says, kind of shocked.

"Well, I like you. Not just platonically," I tell her. She smiles.

"Sure, Peters. How's Saturday for ya?" she asks me.

"Sounds good to me. 6pm at Giannotti's?" I ask.

She nods. "You got it."

I walk off to class and my heart continues to pound out of my chest. I really hope that wasn't as awkward as it seemed.

"My little boy is growing up! Your first date, ah. I feel like it was just yesterday that you were in diapers," my mom eagerly spouts. I make a face, a little uncomfortable at her comments.

"Well, I should probably go."

"Alright, you two have fun. Don't get into too much trouble," my mom winks. I cringe.

I hop in my car and start to head over to Sammy's. My heart pounds as I make my way down the dark streets, wondering if this was a mistake. This is going to go very wrong, very fast.

I eventually make it to her house, this being only the second time I'd been there. The first time was for an art project, so I can't say I was super calm when I pulled in the driveway. Being that I don't want to make even more of a big fuss, I just stay in my car, engine running. I shoot her a quick text to let her know I'm here, and before I know it, she's walking out.

It was tough to see in the dark, but her outfit was really nice. She wore a nice blue dress, which is a change from her normal fashion for sure. Her short hair was styled with the help of a headband, and her makeup was even more accentuated than usual.

"Hey," I simply say, feeling awkward. I start to back out as she buckles up.

"Hey, Peters. Thanks for picking me up," she says kindly.

"It's no problem. I know it's annoying to get a ride from your parents," I say, sympathetically.

She pauses. "So, Giannotti's. I actually haven't been there before. Is it good?" she asks, trying to make casual conversation, probably noticing how nervous I am.

"Yeah, I've been there a few times with my parents, and once with Austin and his family. It's pretty good."

"Cool."

We stay somewhat silent, commenting on a few random things. For the most part, I felt very tense.

I pull in to the parking lot and we head inside. Once we're seated, I feel a bit better. But for me, that wasn't much of a difference. I look over the menu as intently as possible so I could avoid conversation for a bit, as I had no idea what to say. As I'm reading, however, Sammy does try to pick it up. She's always been more extraverted than me.

"So, what made you like me, huh?" she asks, sincere.

"Well, you're a really cool person. And very pretty," I say awkwardly.

She laughs a little. "I can tell you're tense. It's just me, there's no need to be anxious."

I laugh nervously. "Sorry, I've never been on a date before. I really have no idea what to say, or what I'm doing."

"It's okay, don't sweat it. Here, easier question hopefully: when did you start liking me? I didn't even notice," she says.

"Um, it hasn't been too long. I guess being friends for so long and then getting closer recently has helped," I shrug. She nods, a little unconvinced.

After this mess of a conversation, we change the topics and talk a bit more as if we were chatting in school normally, and things felt a lot smoother.

I'm not sure if this is a good match for me.