"A bonfire?"

"a Bonfire? What tomorrow?"

"But they just had a bonfire..." said Julia.

"I know!" said Stella, a bit heatedly. "I told him as much. But you know Matt, as soon as I said that he was blubbering some nonsense for going on 15 minutes straight. Something about messing up, and about missing the girls being there, and he mentioned you to Julia, and something about messing up.. but that was after he broke into a mournful chorus about being 'lonely, so lonely' and he was turned towards the other wall by that point, so he might not have been talking to me by then really. I can't be sure."
"A bonfire?" said Mary.. again.

"Hm," said Julia.
Maddie didn't say anything at all.

..a date. Yes, a date. ..hmm. More nonchalant I'm thinking.

Why yes, it's just a date. Yes... it's a date is all. Nothing serious... 
Hmm.. that sounds ok. I'd have to tell them. It was only 4 hours away now anyway. I'd have to do it soon...
I glanced up from where I sat on my bed. They were talking about something. The words seem to echo and bounce around the room like a spirited beach ball over a rowdy dance floor.

It's just a date. I tried in my head again... Hm.
My eyes followed the beach ball as it darted passed again to where Stella was ironing her hair or something in front of an oval mirror. But no sooner had it landed there that it soared to where Mary sat on her bed with a folded magazine. But it didn't seem to want to land anywhere at all. Back to Stella, then to Julia's desk... and on and on. And somehow 'I have a date', simple and as well rehearsed as it now was, just seemed out of place.

I'll just have to wait for them to finish their conversation...

"It's not a bonfire," said Stella.
"And even if it is..." said Mary in a skeptical kind of way.
"Even if it is, there is certainly some ulterior motive in play," Julie finished her thought.

"And yet..." said Stella, trailing off.
"Is this all we have to work with?" said Mary.
"Do you think Matt is lonely?" asked Julia.

The conversation stalled unexpectedly. But the 'date' topic seemed more out of place than ever.

"Hmm," said Mary, as if Julia's question was both unexpected and riveting.

"I think he likes you a lot Julia," said Stella, in a well-measured kind of way. "He seems to feel like he messed up somehow."
"But a bonfire?" said Julia. And this was a perfectly understandable response to the other girls because the conversation continued as normal.

"I could see how Matt might think it romantic," said Mary. "And he might think that by inviting all of us you might be... well, more inclined to go."

"It seems like too much speculation to come to that though," said Julia.

"True," said Mary. "But it is possible. And the other guys would go along for the bonfire if Matt was convinced it could win you back."

"Heck, they'd go along for it just for the marshmallows honestly," said Stella.

"Hm," said Julia.'I um.. have a date?' I thought silently in my mind. 'in um.. a couple of hours... and I'm kind of freaking out a tiny bit... you know, nonchalantly.. in a big way.'

"Hm," said Julia.
"Hm," I said. It was oddly helpful actually. So I tried it again, "Hm."

"I don't know," said Stella, "But I don't think it's connected. You know how he gets all flustered under pressure. They probably have plans to ...I don't know, lure us out, and climb through the window to spread peanut butter on our blankets or something."
"That makes sense really," said Julia.
"No doubt wanting payback for our toilet paper teepee, and my terrifying mummy disguise."
"Oh.. no doubt," said Stella.
"Must be it," said Julia.
"I have a date," I said.

Hmm, that went well.
The girls looked at me surprised. Mary even giggled.
But then there was a knock at the door. 

"Holy pumpkin seeds," said Stella. It was odd to see her in such a state of panic. Her eyes ricocheted from Maddie to the door, then to Julia faster than a beacon of golden light in a room of mirrors growing somehow still wilder with each object they passed.
"Right now?" asked Julia.
"I- ah," I said, suddenly unsure, glancing at the clock again. No.. it was only three still. Could I have gotten the time wrong? No, I- I don't think- only I wasn't in the clearest headspace. No, it was five. Maybe someone was here to talk to someone else.

But before she could find the words to say this, Mary was already halfway to the done.
"Don't!" Julia and Stella called to Mary in a rush.

"She's ah- She's not ready yet!" Stella yelled at the door. Sharing a wide-eyed look with Julia.

..hm, It was five pm though, or am I going mental..

"Yeah, um... Come back in an hour," Julia told the door, with a sense of laughter in her voice.
Stella glanced between me and the door as if to say 'What are you playing at'! She looked at the too-fuzzy carpet without even seeing it, then to the door again. "Three," she practically yelled toward the door. "I call dibs on her hair and eyes!"

"Three-hour makeover? No way," said Maddie, "Besides you just gave me a makeover!"

"Well yeah," Stella conceded, "But I think curly pigtails would be fun this time." She couldn't conceal her excitement.

"We can compromise at two hours," said Julia, as if this was perfectly reasonable. "Come back in two hours!" she told the door.
Mary giggled again.

"I can't," said the door, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Wes', "That'll be too late."

Maybe I am going mental, I'm sure the date was with Asher.

'Wes', Mary mouthed in silent surprised delight to Stella and Julia.
"Wes?!" said Julia in a tone that might have conveyed.. any number of emotions.

"Oh my grapes," said Stella. "That happened..." But she couldn't seem to find the word she was looking for.

"Fast?" Julia offered for her.

"Fast sums it up," said Stella. "I was thinking it would take at least another two weeks for them to get past their denial enough to recognize how passionately in love they are with each other."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa.. whoa whoa," I said, pointing a finger accusatorially towards Stella. "I- don't, you, no! don't you.." the words stuttered and stumbled out of my mouth. "I don't think so," they decided on.. seemingly randomly.

"Oh-" said Stella. "But then-?" her eyes danced in a triangle, apparently grappling for meaning.

"Mary?!" she and Julia said together.

Mary giggled again.

I must be getting better at girl talk because my heart dropped at the implication. Mary.. our Mary, dating Wes? Was this possible?
"No!" I said, just as Mary said the same.

Ah, sweet relief. "You're not dating Wes?" I said to her, needing confirmation. Only ..why? Why does my chest hurt at the thought of it? 'passionately in love', Stella had said. Could that be-- no way. I mean.. he's been a bit nicer recently is all. Stella's such a romantic. I can't let her influence me in that way. Especially not when I'm going out with Asher in just a few hours...

I felt a bit cold at the thought. What am I doing? Do I even like Ash?

... I- don't know, he's a good friend though. A friend.. my friend, Ash... Was I being fair to Wes?
"Can you open the door Maddie?" said Wes' voice. "I need to tell you about how Ash is going to steal your diary."

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