It was March 9th, 1985. Mike, El, Lucas, and Max had all decided to go on a double date at the movies and then grab a bite afterward. Mike and El agreed that he would pick her up at 12:30. El was waiting outside on the porch with $8 in her hand. Five minutes had passed by and Mike still wasn't there. She was worried that Mike wouldn't show up. She bounced her leg up and down. She grew impatient and went inside after about 15 minutes, a single tear streaming down her face. Did he ditch me to hang out with his friends? she wondered. It was unlike him to do such a thing, but she didn't know what to think. After an hour of waiting, Mike finally showed up. He was expecting El to be waiting on the porch for him, but he set his bike down and knocked on the door anyway. There was no answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. Mike and Lucas recently got El and Max their own supercomms. It occurred to him that he could just check in on her with his, so he pulled it out of his backpack and began speaking:

"El, it's Mike. Do you copy? Over."

*white noise*

"El, I know you're there. I can see that the lights are on. Over."

*picks up*

"Go away, Mike. I don't want to see you. Over."

"El...What's wrong? Why not? Over."

"You're over an hour late! Why would you do that to me? Over."

"No, I'm not! It's 12:30 right now...Over."

"No, it's not. My watch says 1:30...Over."

"Oh my god...I forgot to remind you to change your watch...shit! Over."

"What do you mean? Over."

"El, this is ridiculous. Just come out here and I'll explain everything. Over."

"Fine...*sighs* Over."

*opens door and walks out*

"Okay, so today's what you call Daylight Saving Time. It happens every year on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 AM and on the first Sunday in November at the same time. *pauses* So, basically you're supposed to set your clock an hour earlier on that day and if it were the Daylight Saving Time in November, you would set your clock back an hour. We use a saying to help us remember which direction it changes during each Daylight Saving Time date of the year. Since March is in the spring and November's in the fall, we say that the time springs forward in March and falls back in November. *pauses* I know. It's really complicated, isn't it? It was hard for me to grasp at first too. The point is that I'm so sorry that you had to wait for me so long."

"It's okay, Mike. I'm sorry that I got mad at you. Can we start over?"

"Don't worry about it! Of course we can."

She smiled at him and held his hand. He took her hand and kissed it.

"We better get going or we're actually going to be late!"

*laughs*

"Okay, lemme just grab my money real quick."

The wad of bills slowly floated in the air towards her, until she caught it in the palm of her hand. She booped Mike's nose and said:

"Let's go!"

They hopped on the bike and headed for the movie theater. They quickly bought their tickets and snuck into the movie during the previews. They plopped down in the seats next to Lucas and Max. Mike whispered to Lucas:

"Hey. Sorry we're late..."

"The movie's about to start, where have you guys been?"

"I forgot to remind El about Daylight Saving Time."

"Nice going, Mike."

*rolls eyes*

Though none of their parents would've approved, they all went to see The Breakfast Club. Mike would look at El every now and then, to make sure that she was having a good time, and sometimes she would catch him in a glance and smile. During the movie, Lucas whispered to Max:

"Do you want me to get you anything? Popcorn? Pop?"

"Nah, I'm good, but thanks."

*pauses*

Lucas suddenly brings it back up after two minutes.

"Please let me get you something...I feel bad."

"Okay fine, stalker! Pop's good."

"I'm on it! *pauses* Be right back!"

Mike turned to El and whispered:

"Have you ever tried popcorn before?"

"No."

"What about corn? Have you ever had corn before?"

"Yes."

"You'd probably like it then. It's this snack that comes from corn kernels. You want me to get you some?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll be right back!"

Lucas and Mike talked as they waited in line for food and drinks.

"Man, I was so nervous in there...I just don't know how you do it!"

"Do what?"

"It just comes so easy to you. You just always know what to say and when it's the right moment to make a move when you're with El. *pauses* I just feel like I need to impress Max all the time."

"You just have to feel your way into it. Pay attention to her body language. You don't have to perform some grand gesture or anything. She likes you, Lucas. Just quit being a pussy!"

"You're right...I don't know what I was afraid of!"

When it was his turn to order, he asked for a large soda. He paid for it and stuck two straws in it for them both to share.

"Is this good?"

"Oh yeah, she's gonna love that."

"Thanks. See you in there."

Lucas made his way back to the movie and sat back down next to Max.

"*whispers* What did I miss?"

"Hey! *rubs arm* Not much. Principal Vernon just assigned them a thousand-word essay where they have to describe who they think they are."

"Ha, sounds like Mr. Myers' assignments!"

"Haha, right?!"

Lucas put his arm around Max and handed her the drink. Her eyebrows danced as they both took a sip.

"This is so sweet, Lucas! Thanks."

Mike was next in line at the concession stand. He ordered a large popcorn, paid for it, and headed back to the movie. He sat back down and placed the bag of popcorn in between them.

"*whispers* Hey! What'd I miss?"

"Principal Vernon is making them write a thousand-word essay where they have to describe who they think they are."

"Yikes!"

*giggles*

Mike reached into the bag and grabbed a couple of pieces of popcorn in one hand, asking:

"You wanna try some now?"

"Sure," she said.

He then turned to face her and took each individual kernel out of his left hand, feeding her one piece at a time.

"*whispers* What do you think?"

"It's really good!"

As he did this, he continued to get closer until he ran out and pretended to take a piece out fo his hand, just so that he could grab her chin and pull her in for a kiss instead. She smiled at the gesture.

She then reached into the bag herself and popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth, Mike laughing as she stuffed her face with more of it. She leaned her head against his shoulder. He moved his arm underneath hers, their palms meeting as their fingertips lined up, slid past each other, and interlocked. Normally, the thought of holding a girl's hand on a date would make Mike nervous, but for some reason, it just came naturally to him when he was with El. Perhaps it was her calming spirit and aura, or maybe it was the fact that he had already kissed her, so it almost felt like second nature to him at this point. If anything, he had skipped that step if you consider the fact that they held hands while running away from the bad men, when dancing at the Snow Ball, and on several other occasions. Holding her hand, hugging her, kissing her—Whatever it was, it all just felt right. There was something about El that just made Mike want to be near her every chance he got. She was just so sweet and someone who he felt very comfortable around. More importantly, she felt the same way and neither of them had any reason to be nervous because this was new to both of them and they were both in it together, 100%.

El looked confused during different parts of the movie, so Mike whispered:

"I'll explain this to you later, I promise."

They stopped by McDonald's after the movie. Max and El were standing in line when El saw a picture of a burger and fries. She started to have a flashback of eating at Benny's and of the bad men chasing her and killing him. It was El's turn next, but she was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear nor notice that the cashier was trying to get her attention.

"Sweetie, I'm gonna need you to order something..."

Max nudged El and looked at her, but when she didn't respond, she asked the lady to give them a moment. She told Lucas to get Mike, who was washing his hands in the restroom. She turned to El and lightly shook her by the shoulders.

"El? Are you okay?"

She snapped out of it and said:

"Sorry...I-I had a bad memory."

"It's ok, El. *pauses* Mike's here now, what do you want me to order for you?"

"Um...A cheeseburger, fries, and a Sprite."

"You got it!"

"Thanks."

Mike pulled her aside and asked her what was wrong. She explained what happened and he comforted her. She hugged him and they sat down with Lucas and Max in a booth.

"Are we all good now?"

"Yes. Thanks, Lucas."

"No problem."

She told them about her experience at Benny's. Max was fascinated and impressed by the stories she told them. When they finished eating, Mike and El rode back home on Mike's bike. They walked up to the porch and sat in the rocking chairs.

"That was fun."

"Yeah! *pauses* Hey, El?"

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure."

She got up out of her chair, walked over to Mike, and sat in his lap. He stroked her hair, placed it behind her ear, and whispered:

"I really like having you around."

She faced him and smiled. She rested her head against his, their noses touching, and whispered:

"Me too."

Both of their lips met at once. Without realizing it, she lifted them up as they were making out. They both freaked out for a second, but then Mike turned to her and said:

"Seems like love is in the air!"

*laughs*