"As I remember it, everything began at a college party... Yes! Oh yes. But that's not where I'm going to begin this story,"Ms. Darenlone spoke with a raspy voice. Her dark brown eyes twinkled under the dull light of the library reading corner lamp.

The reading corner was normally where Ms. Darenlone read to the children. It was a huge area in the corner of the library with green (puke-like) carpet covering the whole area. There was a desk lamp next to her on top of this old fashioned wooden desk. Ms. Darenlone sat in the same old rickety rainbow chair that she had for years. She had been reading here since before I was a kid, excitedly jumping onto the carpet just to hear the weird old lady tell her stories.

Everybody always thought of Ms. Darenlone as batty but she seemed to be twice as batty today. She stopped me and my friends today on the way to school. We told her we had to go but she wouldn't listen to us. She said we could skip today and that this was important.

We were just waiting for Anna and Dan, they hadn't walked with us today so of course I had to call them. Dan is  basically a narcoleptic, he is always late because he always sleeps in, so I had to leave him several messages before he finally picked up the phone. However, Anna wasn't here yet for a much different reason. Anna was skeptical of Ms. Darenlone and didn't trust this spontaneous meeting. I was just grateful to be out of school. Weird enough, Ms. Darenlone wasn't surprised by our reactions. She acted like this was all too familiar to her.

"I'll wait.. don't worry,"Ms. Darenlone said in a sickeningly sweet tone.

I nodded with a nervous smile then looked back down at the ground.

Ms. Darenlone always gave me a creepy vibe, don't get me wrong she's as sweet as pie and has never done anything wrong to me but I don't know... she's something else I guess.

Sam, Kyle, and I had been walking to school when Ms. Darenlone's shenanigans began.

"Okay, Ryan, I understand where you are coming from but its prom... all of us are dressing up. You can wear a dress just this once..."Sam pleaded with me. I wasn't completely opposed to wearing dresses but I loved to argue with Sam. He's just so douchey and anti-feminist (or as he calls it "traditional") that its hard not to get into some heated debates with him. Plus I have to keep up my tomboy appearance, can't let anyone know there's actually a woman under these baggy clothes and tied up hair that may or may not have been brushed in the past five days. 

"Okay, Sam, I understand where you are coming from but its 2022... I can do whatever the fuck I want." I gave him a stupid grin and crossed my arms.

Kyle peaked up from his phone for this first time in the past 10 minutes of walking and looked like he was about to say something before Ms. Darenlone piped in. "Well dearies, I always thought dances were a terrible excuse for young men and women to rub up against each other anyways. What's the point in even going to something so scandalous."

I almost shit myself. That lady came out of no where, oh and I could have killed her. Kyle barely mutters a word as is, we almost got him to bud into an argument before she rudely and creepily interrupted.  

"Why don't you guys come inside the library. I have a story to tell you..." Ms. Darenlone gave us her usual toothy (or half toothy due to the teeth that she has lost over the years) as she beckoned us towards the library. 

Sam and I argued that we had school and although we would love to "hang" we had to get going or we would be late. 

She insisted that she would write us a note for community service and not to worry. I mean who are we to deny time out of school. Plus we had to wait for our friends anyways. 

Now we are sitting in the same corner we sat in every friday after school as kids. Interestingly enough, this is where we all became friends. Our parents would drop us off here for daycare so they could have some free time. Little did they know they handful for a group of friends they would receive because of this.

"What do you think she wants us here for?" Kyle whispered, glancing between Ms. Darenlone, Sam and I.

"Who knows? At least we're getting out of school," Sam whispered back. "Oh wait! Speaking of college parties..."Sam started to say.

"We are literally being held captive by a creepy old lady and you're concerned about college parties?" I retorted while carefully watching Ms. Darenlone slowly get up from her rickety chair and start placing books back on their shelves as we waited.

"That's besides the point... Anyhow, Madelaide, that really hot chic I was talking to... invited me to her sorority's party. And... she said I can bring you guys! How cool is that?" Sam exclaimed.

I sighed feigning uninterest. Unfortunately, I had the most stupid, gigantic crush on the idiot. Sam pushes all my buttons but he was just oh so adorable. As I stated, he's a douche but he's my douche and I have the biggest soft spot for him. On the other hand, the most interest he has shown in me is my love life as he has now passed me off to one of his friends, Chad. Don't get me wrong, Chad is great but that's not who I've been crushing on for the past ten years. 

"You remember the last time we attended one of your "super cool frat parties" Samantha? I think I'll pass ,"I waved him off.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that... and that incident was not my fault. I can't help that Anna couldn't handle her liquor and Kyle turned into the biggest flirt we've ever seen." Sam scolded me. 

"Well maybe if you stopped being so darn cute, we'd stop calling you that, Samantha. It is your name after all," Dan stated as he plopped down onto the carpet next to us.

"That is not my name!" Sam shouted which caused a very grumpy look from Ms. Darenlone. Sam apologized and glared at us while we all laughed.

"Well nice to see you too, sleepy head. How's my sleeping beauty this fine morning?" I elbowed Dan.

Dan gave me a slightly annoyed look before smirking, "I would be better if I got some more information about the whole Chad situation." 

"Chad?" Sam asked scrunching his nose before quickly changing his disgusted facial expression to a more amused one.

Dan may spend most of his time sleeping but the 15% of the time that he is awake he is gathering secrets. He gave Sam a knowing smile and then glanced at me for answers

"Yeah... he asked me out," I admitted, running a hand over my face. "Good going, Dan," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, you're welcome," Dan snickered, his smirk turning into a carefree smile.

"You should say yes," Those simple words made my heart ache. Sam said those simple words, those four simple words that made my 10 year crush feel so silly

"Maybe I will," I spoke with a defiant voice and a glare.

Sam looked at me shocked which made me raise an eyebrow. He did say to say yes...

"Anyways, no one is supposed to know so don't say anything. I have to actually give him an answer first," I looked into each of their beady little stupid eyes. Okay maybe they aren't beady or stupid but that's how I feel right now so I'm going with it.

"Hmmm..."I heard Ms. Darenlone hum.

"I'll call Anna," Kyle pulled out his phone.

Ms. Darenlone sat back down in her chair watching us as if she was looking back into a memory.

"So how long have you been keeping this from us? I mean I'm the one who set you guys up. I feel like I should have known first" Sam wondered out loud in hushed tones.

"Never mind your squabbling, let's get this over with," Anna walked in and sat on the carpet with a huff before I could say anything. She looked curiously into Ms. Darenlone's sparkling eyes that seemed to hold nothing but blank thoughts.

I ignored Sam's question and sat next to Anna. "Thank God, you came when you did," I shook my head.

Sam sat next to me, trying to ask me more about Chad.

They were close and told each other everything. Which is probably why Sam was so conflicted and had so many questions. Chad is sort of a player and I know that but he has a good heart and has had a crush on me since he first met me. Or as he told it when he first laid eyes on me. Sam thought it was the perfect idea to set us up but has been acting so weird ever since. I had to admit I was attracted to Chad but I didn't want to be with him while I was still crushing on Sam. But over the years, I've began to like him more and more. He grew on me, like an infectious disease and, honestly, I didn't hate it. Only thing that kept me from Chad was Sam. 

This was besides the point as we were obviously in a very peculiar situation right now. 

Ms. Darenlone grinned wickedly and rubbed her pruney hands together, sounding like leather rubbing against well... leather.

"Now, lets begin... finally," Ms. Darenlone spoke with a smirk plastered across her wrinkled face. Her eyes darkened for a moment, I felt a bit unnerved but I thought I must have just been seeing things. The room got very quiet and there was a very heavy air around us. 

What have we gotten ourselves into?