Pretend We’re On A Date

Teresa’s prompt today makes me think of some of the things that went on when I was back at high school. I have to admit, I would not go back there if you paid me a fortune. I sympathise so much with teenagers who have to endure that ordeal! The great news is, it will end. You will escape and have chance to live the real life!

Your challenge today, should you accept it, is to explore your teenager and write your best Young Adult tale and see where it leads…or whatever/wherever the picture takes you.

https://maplesswanderer.wordpress.com/2020/01/28/daily-writing-prompt-28/

When I saw the photo, I thought back Annabelle when she was a teenager, before her relationship with Dean began. I wrote a flash fiction post a few weeks ago, called Make It Special, about some of the kids at school who were making fun of Annabelle. This is a follow on from that.

Annabelle pulled out her phone to read the text message that she had just received:

“HE’S A COMPLETE LOSER NAN. WHY DON’T YOU COME OVER AND HANG OUT WITH ME AND THE BAND?”

She sighed as she read Dean’s message. Dean had warned her when she showed him the note she had found sticking out of her locker. At first he had thought it might not have anything to do with Trent Walker. Dean thought it could have been some of the same cheerleaders who had been teasing Annabelle for weeks about Trent, who had written the note.

The note had contained an invitation to go out for coffee at The Bella Ragazza Brasserie that Saturday and claimed to be from Trent. Annabelle had been suspicious about it. She was still feeling the sting of humiliation after he had asked her if she wanted to go with him to the dance, and given him somebody else’s number to reply. Annabelle was certain he was being put up by the cheerleaders to make fun of her.

Seeing him coming in from football practice, she had presented the note to Trent in the corridor and asked him if he had written the note. Some of the other guys on the football team sniggered as they watched Annabelle challenging Trent. He had darted a look towards some of the cheerleaders who were giggling, before he replied that he had written the note himself.

Realizing that all eyes were upon her, Annabelle had responded, “You didn’t say what time.”

When Annabelle had told Dean about what happened, he had been very sceptical. “The guy is a complete jerk Nan. Don’t take it seriously.”

“But I think he might actually show up. I don’t think he is interested in me. But why would he admit in front of everyone that he had sent me a note inviting me out for coffee and then agree a time with me? I just want to go down there, and if he comes, I want to tell him that the cheerleader bitches have been laughing at me for weeks about him, so I’d appreciate it if he could just back off and quit beefin’ me.”

“He’s jerking you around Nan. Why don’t I come down there with you and say something to him?”

When Saturday arrived Dean dropped off Annabelle outside The Bella Regazza Brasserie. “I thought you were just going to tell him to quit bugging you. Why the hell have you put that stuff all over your face? You don’t need to go making yourself pretty for him.”

“Aaaaw Dean, did you just call me pretty?”

“Get out of here spud-face. I’ve got to be at Liam’s in half an hour for band practice. If you’re not finished with him by then, you’re walking home,” he told Annabelle as she climbed out of Dean’s car.

Almost as soon as Annabelle was sat down, she realized that she had been set up. She recognised some of the football team and cheerleaders, when they walked into the brasserie and sat down near to where they could see her. She tried to pretend she had not noticed them, but out of the corner of her eye, she realized they were laughing and whispering about her. After reading the text message Dean had sent to her, she sent another back to him:

“DEAN, PLEASE GET IN HERE. HALF THE SCHOOL ARE HERE TO WATCH ME BEING PUT DOWN. PLEASE COME IN AND PRETEND YOU ARE HERE FOR A DATE OR SOMETHING. PLEASE!”

Within a few minutes Dean appeared. Annabelle grinned. He slid into the seat beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, “What’s going on?” he whispered into her ear.

“Thanks for coming in Dean. The cheerleaders and most of the football team walked in just after I arrived. Whatever Trent is planning, they have all come to watch.”

Dean muttered, “They’re a bunch of friggin’ freaks. Why don’t we get out of here?”

Annabelle gasped, “Here he is! It’s Trent. Pretend you’re in to me.”

Dean stroked the side of Annabelle’s face with his fingers. Staring into her eyes, he asked her, “Are you trying to make him jealous?”

Annabelle was could see Trent walking towards her table, arm and arm with Backa, one of the nastiest girls on the cheerleading team. But ignoring Trent, she spoke quietly to Dean, “Why would I want to make him jealous? Dean, you are just rescuing me from being the victim of another one of their cruel wind-ups. I just want these idiots to realize that they can’t make me as miserable as they seem to want me to be.”

Dean smiled with pride, “Nan, you’re worth so much more than they are. You deserve to be happy.”

Annabelle wrapped her hands around Dean’s as Trent and Becka lingered just a few steps away from the table she and Dean were sat at. Bringing her face close to Dean’s she murmured, “Thank you for being my friend.”

He rested his lips against her forehead, “You’re not just a friend Nan. You’re more than that to me. Much more.”

Annabelle’s eyebrows knotted together in confusion, “You don’t need to overdo it Dean.”

Dean grumbled into her ear, “God, you are such a brat. Can we go now? I need to get over to Liam’s.”

“Yeah, let’s leave these suckers behind. Can we hold hands on the way out? Let them think we’re into each other.”