Samantha sorted through the vast amount of clothes that hung in her closet.
"I have nothing to wear!"
Every outfit was the wrong color, style, or worse, made her look fat. She was half-tempted to call Randi for advice, but then thought better of it.
Finally she found what she was looking for; a simple pink shirt and a black skirt. She dressed carefully, making sure she looked perfect before leaving her bedroom.
As the clock struck 4pm, nervousness settled into the pit of her stomach. Jake would be here any minute! She took one last look at herself in the mirror, and ran her fingers through her hair.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
Samantha's heart felt as though it had stopped.
"Just relax, Samantha." she told herself, but that was easier said than done.
"I'll get it!" Mike yelled from the living room.
"NO!" Samantha screamed, taking the stairs two at a time. The last thing she needed was her bratty little brother humiliating her in front of Jake Ryan.
Breathless when she reached the door, she flung it open.
And there he stood, smiling at her.
"Hey."
The mere sound of his voice made her feel like melting through the floor, not to mention his smile.
"H-Hi." It was nearly impossible to keep her voice from quivering.
"You look nice." He said as his eyes searched her up and down.
"Thanks, so do you." She said, smiling at the compliment.
"Nice" was an understatement. Drop dead gorgeous would have been more truthful.
"So are you ready to go?" he said after a short silence.
She nodded her head, grabbed her purse and closed the door behind her.
Minutes later they were in his car.
"So where are we going?" she asked.
"I thought we'd grab a bite to eat, and then see a movie." Jake said, giving her a smile.
"How does that sound?"
"It sounds wonderful." Samantha said, a little too dreamily.
They drove in silence until they arrived at a familiar restaurant:
The Meltdown.
She couldn't believe it. He was taking her here?
He must have noticed her stunned expression. "This is okay, right?"
"Yeah, um... I just... It's great." she stammered, ignoring the perplexed look on his face.
As he helped her out of the car and they walked through the parking lot, Samantha felt as though she were floating.
The Meltdown was the greatest hamburger hangout in the city. Practically the entire student body had been
there at one time or another and Samantha was no exception. She had spent countless hours here with Jimmy
and Randi, munching on fries and drinking frosty chocolate shakes. Only difference was that while Randi and
Jimmy were discussing school or music, Samantha's attention was focused on the corner booth. So many times,
she longed to be in Carolyn's place, sitting next to Jake Ryan. Her wish had finally come true!
Jake held the door open for her and they walked inside. A hostess approached them and she vaguely heard
Jake request a booth for two. She tried to avoid the stares that were coming from the kids at the
infamous corner booth. Was that snickering she heard? As she glanced over at them, she could see some
familiar faces; football players, cheerleaders and Carolyn...
With "Farmer Ted" from the dance!
What the heck was he doing here? She could see him laughing as Carolyn playfully fed him French fries.
"Samantha, are you coming?"
Jake's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see him ushering her to a small booth. They slid into
the seats and a waitress handed them two menus. After taking their order, she disappeared, leaving them
alone.
"Don't worry about those jerks." Jake said, motioning toward the kids in the corner booth.
"But I thought they were your friends." Samantha said.
Jake shook his head. "Not anymore. I just can't relate to them, you know?"
"Because of me?"
He smiled. "I guess you could say that."
Her face reddened.
"So, I tried to call you the other night." He said.
She stared at him in disbelief. "You did?"
"Friday night, after the dance. There was a party going on at my house. Carolyn's idea of course. She's such a
partier. It got pretty intense, so I closed myself off in my room. I wanted to talk to you but I talked to your
grandparents instead. I don't think your grandmother appreciated my phone call very much. She gave me a
lecture and told me to stay away from you."
Samantha laughed and buried her face in her hands. "Oh God... Grandma Dorothy. She and my Grandpa
Howard were staying in my room."
"Well that explains it then." Jake said.
Samantha had to know...
"So how did you know I was at the church?"
"I went by your house yesterday and that little Chinese guy told me you were at the church getting married. He
looked really familiar. What was he doing at your house?"
Samantha sunk into her seat. "You mean Long Duck Dong?"
Jake laughed. "Yeah, I guess. Is that his name?"
"Um hmm..." Samantha said, munching on a French fry. "He's an exchange student who lives with my Grandma
Dorothy and Grandpa Howard."
"So you're not married then." Jake said with a smile.
"No, that was my sister Ginny. I was her bridesmaid."
Jake's expression turned serious. "You sure looked beautiful."
Samantha's cheeks burned from the compliment.
Finally she asked the question she'd been dying to ask since yesterday afternoon:
"Jake, why did you come to the church looking for me?"
A smile crossed Jake's face as he reached across the table and took her hand.
"Because... I like you, Samantha."
She looked over to see the kids in the corner booth pointing at her, laughing hysterically, probably unable to
believe what they were seeing.
But none of that mattered:
Jake Ryan liked her!