I woke up early since I had forgotten to turn off my alarm clock for today. Advanced Lit was canceled for today, and so were the rest of my classes. Tom had dropped by after the party, and he seemed pretty relieved. He said the breakup was kind of rocky, but at least he was free and clear. Apparently, Kate thought he was cheating, which he technically was, but he said nothing serious had happened between him and Sam, so it was kind of true. When it comes to breakups, Tom was kind of the master; he never said s*** like ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ or, ‘I need some space’, he just makes a clean break, with every girl he’s ever dated. Which is pretty miraculous. I’m no playboy, but i’ve had my fair share of breakups and most of them weren’t pretty. I’ve never cheated on a girl, but i’ve had more than one beverage dumped on my head. Tom left early this morning to get back to Connecticut where Sam was picking him up from the airport. I’d decided that I was going to ask Charlie out today, which could either go really good or really bad. The thing is, with relationships, you’re never just ‘okay’. You’re either great or having a really crappy time. It’s not like i’ve never been in a good relationship, but i’ve never found ‘the one’. I think guys like to believe that girls are way more self-conscious of love and relationships and asking guys out, but secretly, guys are right up there with them, even though hell would freeze over before any guy admits it. I had no idea what to expect from Charlie, but I was gonna give it a shot anyway. I would give her some time before I went over to her dorm, and I knew from Jan that she didn’t have classes today either. I had already eaten breakfast and all the usual morning stuff before checking the clock. 10:18. There wasn’t much else to do, so I thought bringing some coffee would be a good idea. It was a rainy day, which was usual for England, but still a pain when you forgot your umbrella in your car and the coffee shop is closed. I was already discouraged, but there was no point in turning back now, so I jogged the rest of the way to Charlie’s dorm, which I had strategically found the location of by watching her walk home for the past two and a half weeks. I knocked loudly on the door, not meaning to be rude, but I was soaking wet by now. The door opened almost immediately, and Charlie stood at the other end of it.

“Hey, Charlie.” I said.
“Oh, Alex! You’re soaking wet! Come in, come in!” She said, standing aside and beckoning to the living room. I walked in, thanking whatever high power was on my side, and shut the door behind me.
“I’ll be right back.” She said and hurried up the stairs. I looked around while she was gone; this was one of the cleanest dorms I had ever seen. Yeah, it was a girl’s dorm, but this place was spotless, so either everyone was OCD, or they were barely here. Charlie was back down in less than five minutes with a bundle of clothing in her arms.
“Here, these are Mike’s, he stays here with Jan and everyone’s been finding bits of his clothing, but, I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“The bathrooms around the corner, just throw your clothes over the shower.” She said. I nodded and walked over to the bathroom as she headed over to the kitchen. I changed quickly, but stayed in the bathroom for a little longer. I hadn’t exactly expected her to invite me in and give me dry clothes, but all the more reason to like her. She was pretty and bright, but she had a heart. About 50% of the girls on campus were b****es, which left the remaining half either socially awkward, in a relationship, or too single. Then there was like, a hundredth of a percent that were actually pretty cool. It sounded really stupid that I would like her even though I had only met her twice, but that was her effect on me. I didn’t think I was in love with her, but I could see myself falling hard and fast pretty soon. I shook my head quickly and opened the bathroom door. A sweet smell drifted to my nose as I walked back to the kitchen. Charlie was behind the counter, pouring pancake batter onto a griddle.

“Hungry? I always make pancakes when the classes are cancelled.” I thought about it for a second, trying to think of the best strategy.

“I can’t actually, i’ve gotta drive Tom to the airport. But, I wanted to know if you wanted to go see a film tonight? There’s a cinema on campus, and it’s actually pretty cool.” The easy part was over, and I could feel my face getting red. She looked a little surprised, but smiled.
“Yeah! Yeah, that’d be great. What’s playing?”
“I think a horror movie.”
“Cool, I love horror movies. So i’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, i’ll meet you on the green at nine.” She nodded.
“Well, tell Tom I said to have a safe trip.”
“I will. See you tonight.” I thanked her for the clothes again and walked out the door. Hell yes! Not only had I achieved what I had set out to succeed, but she actually seemed happy.


12:30
Bri,

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! HE ASKED ME OUT, HE ASKED ME OUT!!!! He came over this morning, and he asked me out!!! We’re going to a horror movie tonight at nine!
Okay, i’ve calmed down now. But i’m just so happy! Alex asked me out, which is a relief because I was eventually gonna ask him out. Oh my god, what the hell am I going to wear?! I can’t wear a dress because I will not be able to sit comfortably in it for a whole movie. Maybe a skirt? Jeans? OH! I’ll wear my sandals (it’s too warm for heels) and that red shirt Mantha got me (the ruffly one) and dark-wash shorts! Okay, now comes the real decision; hair curled, crimped or straight? Then down, up or half-updo? Ugh! I’m gonna need the whole damn day to get ready! Oh well, the result will be worth it. I’ll be cool, suave, aloof. Calm. There’s another problem, though; I really hate horror movies! Oh well, excuse to hold his hand. Oh god, this is turning out to be a Nicholas Sparks fantasy. Ugh.

Charles
(p.s i’m still waiting on that email about your date with Chris!)