Entry 4: I Asked Preston Out!

I woke up incredibly early this morning. With how I'm feeling right now, I'm regretting it.

Psych!

I've never been more wired in my entire life. I could run a marathon with the energy coursing through my body at the moment.

I finally spoke to Preston today!

Surprisingly, things ended in my favor too! God is finally putting me back on his 'Favorites' List.

This morning, while still in my 'Preston is the Love of My Life' enchantment from the weekend, I decided to get up at the crack of dawn. I'm talking 5am.

For two hours before school, I scrubbed my body in the shower, did my full skin care routine, applied makeup fit for a Kardashian and styled my hair so neatly Preston wouldn't be able to resist.

I looked for the cutest outfits I could find.

For school, I wore a short dress with a cute jacket over top. I also put on white socks and my cheerleading sneakers.

My blonde layers were neatly pulled half way up into a ponytail that I tied up in a ribbon. I looked perfect.

Once I got to school, I went directly to the office before club period. Now in order to pull off what I needed to do, I had to cause some trouble. I told the office ladies that a car in the staff lot was being towed as a senior prank. It was a total fib but it cleared the office well enough. As soon as the coast was clear, I ran behind the computer and looked up Preston Dunn in the school system. By the time the secretary's came back I had already taken a picture of his information with my phone and slipped out to the gymnasium.

Alyssa was great but his school file only added to the Preston Dunn Index I had begun to form

Name: Preston Everett Dunn

DOB: January 1st

Grade: 12

Locker # 175

Class Schedule:

Club Period: Study Hall

First Period: Health

Second Period: Spanish

Third Period: Physics

Fourth Period: AP English

Fifth Period: Lunch

Sixth Period: World Cultures

Seventh Period: Pre-Calculus

Eighth Period: AP Music Theory

His class schedule is impressive. He's taking two advanced placement classes which proves he's smart. He isn't in any clubs so for Club period he has study hall in the auditorium. His locker was obviously located in one of the senior hallways but now I know exactly where it is.

With this information, I was too curious about Preston to go to club period. I decided to ditch and do some investigating. It wasn't like I wouldn't see the girls at practice after school anyways. I walked by the auditorium on my way to Preston's locker. I just poked my head in but I didn't have to look far. He was seated near the door with his textbook open. It had music notes on the page he was reading so I assumed it was his book for Music Theory. He looked so cute sitting there reading. I wanted to know exactly what he was thinking. I wanted to pick his brain and wedge myself inside of it.

"Miss Lockwood, you don't belong here."

I could hear the vice principal behind me and it made me jump 10 feet in the air.

"Sorry Mr Holstead." I slunk away and peeled my eyes off Preston. I had to get out of Mr Holstead's sight.

Rounding the corner to the senior hallway, I was pleasantly surprised to see Preston's locker neighbor at the locker #174. As I approached the boy, he was obviously shocked by my presence.

"Hey," I said charmingly and casually.

"Hey...?" He said back skeptically.

"I'm Parker," I smiled. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

"I know who you are."

I rolled my eyes immediately. Of course he knew who I was. Who didn't?

"What can you tell me about your locker neighbor, here?" I asked pointing to Preston's locker.

"I don't know... not much. We don't talk. The guy is pretty quiet."

"Do you know what kind of girls he likes?" I ask boldly.

"Not you."

This was offensive as the boy looked me up and down as if I wasn't an impressive specimen.

"What's that supposed to mean."

"Look, you're totally hot. I mean, I would totally hook up with you but Dunn.... He's very much into girls that are like...."

"Like what?" I asked

"Well you're like a Barbie. I'm pretty sure he likes girls that resemble Tim Burton characters."

"Tim Burton...?" I whisper to myself as the boy walked away.

At least he called me hot. And a Barbie. Those are compliments in my book. Unfortunately, he only confirmed that I am definitely not Preston's type.

After this unfortunate encounter, I decided to go back to the one person whose opinion I could trust. No, not Leah's cause she only ever said things that made me feel good. She didn't know how to tell me the truth about things if it wasn't something positive. I needed to go to Alyssa. Like I wrote before, she's the key.

At lunch, I sat with the cheerleaders and waited for Alyssa to walk by. I immediately told her not to sit with the freshman today and to join us instead. The way her face lit up like the Fourth of July was enough to show me she was willing to do whatever it took to fit in with the squad.

Alyssa sat right next to me and I began to pick her brain.

"I need to ask you some things about your brother."

"Go ahead! I'll tell you anything I can!" She smiled.

"Well I kind of need you to just tell me anything," I said desperately. I didn't care how lame I sounded. I was, in fact, desperate.

"Why don't you just ask him out? I'm sure it would be better to hear all about him from him."

The look I gave this girl. Was she crazy? She's his sister, she's supposed to know him better than anyone! He wouldn't go out with me. Not by his own free will.

"Uh....Have you met your brother?"

"Parker," she giggled. "You're totally out of his league. I think he's lucky that you even like him."

I kept the same look on my face that I gave her the first time. One of complete and total disbelief. Where I thought I'd struck oil, as an oil well, Alyssa was drying out. That is, I thought so until she spoke up again.

"After practice you should go over to my dad's auto body garage. Preston's band practices there and sometimes he works on cars for extra cash. Either way you could catch him there and ask him out."

Watching Alyssa shrug me off was almost insulting. She was supposed to help me, not rely on me to do all the work but whatever. I understood the confidence she had in me. To her, I was a pretty, popular girl that could have my pick of any boy in school. I don't think she knows what my declining social status was like last year. She's only a freshman so unless an upperclassman filled her in, how would she know?

Anyways, after practice I decided to take Alyssa's advice and approach Preston myself. Leah was totally on board with taking the detour on our way home. I love that I have a best friend that's so supportive of my antics.

As soon as we pulled up to the garage, Leah pulled into a parking space and my stomach fell to my butt. All of a sudden, it dawned on me just where we were and what we were doing there. I was going to ask out Preston Dunn.

I pulled down Leah's mirror and fixed my makeup with some lipgloss and mascara. I let my hair down and tousled it to make it look super casual and sexy. As soon as I got out of the car, I rolled my shorts to make them shorter and I hiked up the bottom of my shirt to show a bit of my midriff.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"You look hot!" Leah lied.

I could tell she was lying.

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "We all know I have the body of a prepubescent tween."

I played with my hair one last time before finally conjuring the courage to go into the auto body shop.

When I first got inside, it smelled like gas, oil and metal. I could hear faint, live music being played so I knew Preston's band was there just like Alyssa said they would be. The entrance of the shop led to an office type space. Nothing like my fathers office. It was more rustic and messy. Sitting at the desk was Preston's dad. The same man that sat with him at our game the other night.

When he looked up from the computer, he seemed shocked by my presence. I don't know if it was because I was a girl or the way I was dressed but despite all of that he was very friendly.

"Car troubles, miss?" He asked with a polite smile.

I smiled back nervously and shook my head.

"No...." I admitted, rocking back on my heels. " I'm actually here to see...Preston."

I forced myself to speak his name.

"My son, Preston?" Mr Dunn's shocked look from earlier couldn't compare to the one he was sporting now. "You're here to see Preston? My son? Preston?"

The man was in complete and utter disbelief.

"Are you two dating or something?" He asked.

"No... Well, not yet. But hopefully" The bashful smile on my face gave me away. I couldn't help myself. The thought of dating Preston swirls around in my mind 24/7.

Mr Dunn could read me like a book. The lovey, dovey, doe eyes I was sporting, the way I tried to look more mature than I was. It was written all over his face.

"Well he's somewhere in there," He pointed to the garage area with an encouraging smile. "Good luck, Miss...?"

"Lockwood. Parker Lockwood."

I gave his dad one last charming wave before I walked into the garage. I hoped I made a good first impression as his future daughter-in-law.

I was not prepared for the stares I would get from all of the men inside. There was a slight feeling of regret as I wished Leah would've come inside with me but I made her wait in the car. I thought I'd look childish if I dragged my best friend along to ask a boy out.

I found where the band was practicing. As I approached I could hear them griping about how hard it was to practice without Preston. This made me nervous as I thought his dad was mistaken and he wasn't actually there.

I gulped hard before I approached the boys.

"Hey," I called their attention.

When they looked at me, their faces sent a deep feeling of despair into the pit of my stomach. They were wearing those faces. The same face the kids at school wore whenever they saw me.

They knew.

They knew what I had done.

Sure, they were seniors last year but everyone in school knew what my dumb ass had done. Absolutely, everyone. I couldn't escape it. Boys always seemed to be a little stunned to see me in person. Almost like they were starstruck ... but not in the best way.

"Parker Lockwood?" The bass player stifled a laugh as he said my name, confused.

"Whoa, I knew you looked familiar," the drummer laughed. I'm pretty sure he was high. In fact, they all permeated a marijuana type scent.

I sighed wanting to melt into the floor. But alas, that was never going to happen. I had to do what I had gone there to do.

"Yes, hi," I tried so hard not to let my smile drop. "I'm looking for Preston."

The drummer pointed with his drumstick in the direction of a car a few feet away. The long, slender legs sticking out from under it could only belong to one person.

"Thanks," I said anxiously.

As I turned to walk away, I could hear them whispering about me. Wondering what my business was with Preston. I didn't care. I was going to ask him out. What was the worst he could do? Reject me? Literally nothing any guy could do would be worse than what Drake Whittaker did to me in my sophomore year.

I approached slowly, my confidence fleeting with every step. I crouched down on my knees and sat on my feet before tapping on Preston's knee gently and cleared my throat.

"Um, Preston?" I asked.

God as my witness, the way this boy came out from under that car made me drool. Like literally my mouth was filling with saliva. If my mouth had opened, it would've spilled out.

He slid out on a mechanic creeper, sat up and furrowed his brows looking at me. Preston looked so sexy with the black sludge smeared on his hands and face. He smelled like motor oil and cologne. His hair was still so perfect, I wanted to reach out and touch it. The way his earrings dangled. The way he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The way he fanned himself with his shirt, exposing his lean, toned abs. I wanted to lick them. I kid you not. I just wanted to slide my tongue down his body.

I had never been that close to him before.

Preston was even more beautiful up close.

Drake didn't have anything on him.

He was a totally different breed.

No, a different species!

I started to breathe heavier than I wanted to as my heart pounded harder in my chest.

"Car trouble?" He asked just like his dad.

I didn't know how to respond. All of the words in the world left my brain. He gave me a quirky look like he was wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Eventually, my brain caught up with what was going on and I found the ability to speak up.

"I'm actually here to see you."

"Me?"

"Yeah," I choked out. My throat was dry. Bone dry.

Preston began to get up from the ground and I rose to my feet with him. I could tell by the way his eyes lingered on my body, the outfit alteration was now working in my favor. As we spoke, he scanned over me a couple times, never quite able to hold eye contact.

"You go to Whitfield. You cheer with my sister." He observed aloud and pointing to our school's name across my chest.

"Yeah, I'm a cheerleader." I stated proudly.

"Okay. What's up?" He asked. "Did Alyssa do something wrong?"

"No! She's perfect," I assured him. "She's actually the one that encouraged me to come speak to you."

"About?"

I took a deep breath before answering.

"Well, I was just wondering if you would maybe...might be interested in hanging out sometime. You know, like a date or something?"

The moment the words left my lips, I was mortified. I'd never asked a boy out before. I didn't know how to do it and the way I did it sounded way too insecure. I should've demanded he go out with me. I should've had a specific date in mind. Ugh, I could've at least planned ahead but it's fine. Things ended up working in my favor. Except, at the time, I wasn't quite sure if that would happen because he quickly met my request with more than a simple scoff.

Like, he actually laughed at me!

"Are you serious?" He smirked amused. "What are you? A freshman?"

Despite how offended I was by him basically laughing and the fact that he was so amused, answered the question.

"Yes I'm serious. I'm a junior, not a freshman. I might look young but people tell me I act much more mature than my age."

A lie. Yes, I know but I needed to convince him.

The way he rubbed the back of his head and looked around awkwardly, I could tell he wasn't taking me seriously.

"Please, just one time. Give me a chance and if you aren't interested afterwards, I'll leave you alone forever, I swear."

In the side mirror of the car, I could see that his eavesdropping band mates were signaling him. They were egging him on and urging him to agree. He was still hesitant, despite the total boost they were giving me.

"I don't know...."

I twirled my fingers in my hair nervously, looking up at his face and staring at him with my big, pleading eyes. He was so tall it nearly broke my neck. Preston looked down at me and folded his arms.

"I guess maybe if you want, you could come to The Basement on Friday night. We could hangout there for a bit."

And just like that I had done it. I had accomplished what no girl in school ever could. I convinced Preston Dunn to go on a date with me. Just one date but now I have that entire date to convince him to go out with me again and again and again and again until we officially become boyfriend and girlfriend.

I'm so ready to show this boy what Parker Lockwood is capable of. Sure, maybe I wasn't some leggy, double d chested older girl but I still have a lot of other things working in my favor, right?