Monday came, once again. And, for the first time in forever, I rode the bus alone. Mickey was at the back with the Alphabitches.
Obviously.
Needless to say, it was a long bus ride. And an even longer morning. 

Eventually, lunch rolled around and I headed to the cafeteria where I met up with Tinera.

"You look a whole lot better from Saturday", she smiled as we lined up. 

"I'm feeling a whole lot better, thanks", I replied, smiling right back. We got our lunch and headed over to our usual table.

"How's it going, Rache?" Sean said as I placed my tray beside him and sat down.

"I'm alright, for the most bit", I said, emphasising the second part of my sentence.

"And?"

I turned to face him. "You don't even wanna know what our next Geography project is." 

"Tell me about it", Antonio added, putting his sandwich down. "Rancourt wants us to design our own country!"

Tinera chuckled. "That doesn't even sound that bad. What's the big deal?" she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

Before Antonio and I could launch into full complain mode, we heard a male voice above our heads.

"Is this seat taken?" All four of us turned to see Zach standing there, gesturing to the empty seat between Tinera and me - where Mickey used to sit.

I bit my lip nervously.

"What happened to your usual seat?" Antonio challenged. "Or has someone replaced you?"
I glanced around the caf, and sure enough, there was no empty seat at the 'popular' table. The last seat, presumably where Zach was supposed to be, was occupied by none other than Michaela.

Zach sighed. "I thought I'd get a warmer welcome than this, Rachel". My eyes widened as he said my name. "After all, we have a date later today".

"Wait what?!" Tinera blurted. She and Sean gawked at me as if I'd grown an extra head, and I really couldn't blame them for it.

I slumped in my seat.

"So you didn't tell them? Now that is disappointing", Zach remarked, shaking his head. I glared at him.

"Well you might as well sit here since you have 'nowhere' else to go", Tinera muttered, stabbing at her salad. Antonio huffed before picking up his sandwich once again. Zach and I exchanged a look before I glanced at Sean, hoping my eyes could serve as my explanation for now.

After a moment, he sighed. "Alright, Zach, you can -"

"About damn time!" Zach sat down beside me before Sean could finish his sentence. I noticed Tinera rolling her eyes and bit my lip again.

"Wear something pretty this evening", Zach whispered to me. "I've got something special planned". I managed a nod before pushing the rest of my food around my tray rather than eating it.

As soon as the bell rang, Tinera took off. The rest of us left shortly after, in complete silence. I dumped the rest of my lunch in the trash and headed to my locker.

From the looks of it, things weren't getting better anytime soon. Instead, things were getting worse.

During Spanish class, my mind wandered back to the alcohol incident. Whether it was a mistake or just another petty attack, I didn't know for sure. But I was almost certain it wasn't the former.

And then Mickey came to mind. The way she'd turned on me at the party was completely unexpected. I mean, we'd been friends for years, and yet she was convinced that I was capable of betraying her like that. It didn't make sense to me at all.

I was still deep in thought when Antonio poked me with his pen to get my attention. "So, what's the deal with you and Zachary? I thought you hated him now", he whispered after a quick glance at our teacher. Senora Lopez hated it when students talked in her class. Luckily for us, she was too caught up in her teaching to notice.

"I know, I know. What I did was pretty stupid", I replied, a bit flustered. "But I couldn't help it!" 

Hormones, ya know?

"Senorita Rachel, is there something you have to say to the entire class? Something more important than my lesson?!"

I looked up to find Senora Lopez glaring in my direction. And I could already feel the heat creeping up into my face.

"Sorry, Senora", I mumbled, sinking low into my seat. I grabbed my pen and scribbled a note for Antonio.

Me - we'll talk later

A - fair enough. but you need to talk to Sean about this

I looked at him in protest, but he met my eyes with a look that said, "you know that i'm right, so dont bother". 

I sighed in defeat. I knew what I had to do. I just wasn't looking forward to it. I nodded at Antonio before returning my attention to Spanish.

By 3 PM, i was home and getting ready for my date with Zach. I was meant to be happy, and I tried to cheer myself up - listening to all my favourite tunes and trying to sing along to the lyrics and the like - but I couldn't change the fact that i was bummed out.

After a lifetime of selecting, I finally decided on wearing my favourite green blouse with a black skater skirt. Since Zach had hinted at something more than just a casual date, I decided to curl my hair before putting it in a high ponytail. By the time i was ready, it was 3:48 PM. I had grabbed my purse and was about to go downstairs when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Sean.

S: whats up with you? you've been acting weird since lunch

Me: im just a little rattled by everything rn

S: does this have anything to do with zach?

Me: not really. its more about mickey. i still havent spoken to her since the party

S: well thats true. i havent seen her around either...
     but is there anything else besides that?

Zach crossed my mind briefly, but i decided not to bring it up.

Me: not necessarily. i miss my dad is all

S: rightttt
      when is he coming back again?

Me: tonight, actually

S: really? thats great

Me: ikr ^^

"Rachel! Your date's here", my mom called from the bottom of the stairs. Despite my slight mood, I felt a small surge of exitement. Which I was grateful for.

Me: i have to go now, sean. zach's here
        for our date

S: oh alright then. see you at school tomorrow

Me: see ya

I slung my purse over my shoulder and made my way downstairs where I found my mom with Zach. And he looked hot as ever in his and jeans. 

He and my mom were in a middle of a conversation (most likely about what time she wanted me home and all) when I approached them.

"Woah, Rachel. You should totally wear that colour more often. It looks great on you!" Zach gushed.

I smiled shyly at him. "Thanks, Zack. You don't look too bad yourself". 

Just then, my mom cleared her throat. "Alright then. You kids should get moving. Zach, be sure to get her home on time".

"Yes ma'am!" he said so sharply I was surprised he didn't salute as well. 

"Thank you. Now go have fun, you two", she said, ushering us out the door. 

We both laughed at my mom's eagerness to get rid of us as we walked to Zach's car. 

"So... where are we going?" I asked as he slid into the driver's seat beside me.

"You'll see", he said with a smirk as he started the car. 

•••

"So how are you with fancy places?"

I snorted. "Me? Fancy places are wayyy too high maintenance for me". I shook my head before continuing, "not to mention I'm pretty klutzy".

"Well, you might have to get used to it. At least for tonight", Zach chuckled as he parked the car. "We're here".

"And where exactly is 'here'?" I asked as we got out. He smiled at me before looking away to the side. I followed his gaze and my eyes widened at the restaurant in front of us. It had to be one of the most expensive ones in our city. And, obviously, one of the fanciest. 

"Woah".

"Impressed?"

"Impressed? More like stunned. This place is way outta my comfort zone", I blathered. "Also, how rich are you?!"

"Rich enough", Zach said, smirking. "Shall we?"

He led me inside where he claimed his reservation. I stared in awe at the restaurant's interior as the waiter led us to our table - a small booth situated in a corner. Zach smiled sweetly at me as I sat down and I felt myself blushing.

"This is so romantic, Zach", I gushed, admiring the candlelit setup as he slid into the seat opposite me. "I still can't believe you're doing all this".

It was true. It's not like we'd talked that much before. And now he was being the perfect gentleman. 

"You deserve it, princess", he smiled his incredible smile and I blushed once again. After a few minutes, we'd placed our orders and gotten our drinks.

There was the usual small talk - about the weather, school work, life after high school and the like. By the time our food had arrived I was feeling a lot more at ease than I was earlier. And so I decided to speak up about what had been bugging me.

 "So Zach", I began cautiously. "Why did you kiss Mickey at the party?"

He frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about, Rachel? She kissed me"

"Well, it's not like you pushed her away"

"What's your deal, Rachel? It was just a kiss", he huffed in annoyance. "And it's not like I'm your boyfriend or something, so why are you getting so worked up about it?"

I was taken aback by his statement. I mean, sure I was mad. He made out with my best friend when she was fully aware of the fact that I liked him. But then again, it's not like I had a hold on him. 

But still.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that you'd be so touchy about it", I snapped, reaching for my purse and pulling out my phone. "In fact, since you're so keen on making out with every girl you can, why'd you ask me out?"

Now he was the one in shock. I laughed as I stood up from the table.

"It was nice getting to know how much you really care, Zachary". I opened the Uber app, punched in my details and requested a ride.

"Oh, and don't bother showing up at my doorstep to apologize again. Because next time, I will slam the door in your face".

A/N: yes. i am alive indeed

and i plan on typing the shit out of my keyboard for the rest of my summer.

which is just a month. *cries*

im too lazy for this lol

love you all :* thanks for reading

PS: i apologize if this chapter sucks. especially the last part. but i cant keep being a ghost writer

so i hope you like my amateur writing hehe

aaaaand i'll shut up now ^^

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