Josh is freaking out again! He has yet another date with Bridgette, and while this isn't the first time it's happened, he's afraid of messing the whole thing up, and ruining things with Bridgette. So this time, the boys are stepping in to help Josh turn on his charm setting.
Prince Charming Wannabe!
Josh was up in his bedroom, on his laptop at the desk that he had. He was looking around at five-star restaurants that took reservations. Josh was looking around vigorously on the net for the perfect place to eat. His reason: he was planning on asking Bridgette out on a date.
"Alright! This should be the perfect place," Josh said. "Their desserts are top-notch, too. I know Bridgette will love that."
He logged off of his laptop, stood up, stretched, and then he said, "Now I just need to practice how I'm going to ask her out."
Josh went in front of his full-length mirror and started to practice in front of his mirror. He wanted to be suave and charming to Bridgette and win her over.
He knew the orange-vanilla cologne was probably going to be seen through right off the bat, and he decided to make sure not to use it again.
"Hey, Bridgette…" Josh began, trying to be smooth with his words; not liking the sound of it, Josh shook his head. "Bridgette, Mon Cherie…"
Josh slapped himself in the face; he thought he sounded like Pepé Le Pew, speaking French the way he did. He shook his head again.
"Bridgette, my love…" Josh said, trying to be charming, but he shook his head again.
"No, that won't work…" Josh muttered. "Bridgette, my love…"
Josh just slapped himself in the face again, and he tried again, before saying, "Bridgette, go on a date with me! No, that's too demanding…"
He shook his head again, and then he said, "Hey, Bridgey-bear, wanna grab a bite tonight? No, too corny… UGH! This is harder than I thought…"
Josh got a drink of water from the glass on the side table that he had and
"So, Bridgette, do you have any plans…" Josh began, backing up from the mirror; however, his foot caught in a wire that he failed to see.
He stumbled a little bit, waving his arms to balance himself, only for him to fall backwards.
"Wh-Wh-WHAAA!" Josh shouted, as he fell backwards.
From downstairs, Hector was reading the news when he heard all of the crashing and other noises from Josh's bedroom.
Hector dashed up the stairs before skidding to a halt in front of Josh's bedroom; he flung the door open and asked, "Josh, what happened?"
Josh's room was a mess. Josh was lying on his stomach with his arms sprawled out, his legs were up against the wall, several cosmetic containers were on the floor, including a bottle of blemish cover-up that spilled in Josh's hair, and was dripping down his face. Josh had literally tripped on a wire and unplugged his lamp, knocked over a chair, his bed covers were on the floor, and Josh had a lump on his head.
"Being clumsy again?" Hector asked.
"Hit the nail on the head, dad…" Josh said, standing up, and beginning to clean up his room.
"Are you practicing how to ask Bridgette out on a date again?" Hector asked Josh.
"Right…" Josh said. "I just get so tongue-tied with her…"
"Like father, like son, I suppose," Hector says, with a chuckle. "I was just the same way when I met May…"
"Dad, this isn't the time for stories of your youth… Or maybe it is… Dad, how did you interact with mom and make her fall in love with you?" Josh asked.
"Well, back in my day it was considered normal, but…" Hector began, and Josh started to listen intently and eagerly to his father's words for advice on how to woo Bridgette for a date.
The next day at school, Bridgette was at her locker. She was gathering up her books for her combined English-Social Studies class and for her Pre-Calculus class for the day.
"Hello there, beautiful baker." Josh said, from beside Bridgette.
Bridgette turned to Josh and she said, "Hey, Josh…"
However, Josh put a finger to her lips, and said, "Hush, my love. I just want to look into your beautiful, pink eyes…"
"Josh, what are you doing?" Bridgette asked.
"Romancing my girlfriend, especially when my desires are for an evening meal together…" Josh said, tracing a finger down Bridgette's cheek.
"Josh, really, this…" Bridgette began, but Josh was puckering up and aiming for a kiss at Bridgette's lips, but Bridgette merely freaked out a bit in her body language.
"Josh, no, really, this is getting a bit…" Bridgette began, but Josh kissed her on the cheek a few times.
Bridgette blushed, both from the sensation of the kiss and from embarrassment of the situation; she was not sure what had gotten into Josh.
Bridgette tried to keep josh at bay by gently pushing against Josh's face to prevent him from landing a kiss.
"Josh, do you think you could, maybe, save the kisses for later? Kissing me in the hallways isn't the most appropriate thing right now…" Bridgette asked him, trying not to cause a scene in the hallway.
"Don't be silly, sweetheart," Josh said, with a smile. "Love doesn't wait for anything."
"Well, is there anything I could do to um… make you chill out for a little while?" Bridgette asked, trying to smile and make Josh back off for a second.
Josh once again suavely said, "Sharing an evening meal with you would be just the thing…"
'Okay, being polite isn't working… Time to tell it like it is.' Bridgette thought, before taking a deep breath.
Josh puckered up and once again tried his best to kiss Bridgette, but Bridgette held him by the shoulders before looking at him sternly.
"Josh…" Bridgette said, pushing Josh away.
Josh finally snapped out of it, and he asked Bridgette, "Um, yes? Is there something bothering you?"
Bridgette sighed in relief now that Josh had come back to Earth for the time being. She took a deep breath and started to speak.
"Listen… If this is your way of asking me out to dinner, you get an A for effort, but a C- for how you went about it!" Bridgette said, putting her hands on her hips.
"What the huh?" Josh asked, confused.
"Listen… that awkward, yet comical side of you is cute, but… there's a time and place for everything…" Bridgette explained. "So don't act like a humanized Pepé Le Pew, okay?"
"Is that a 'no'…?" Josh asked, fearing the answer.
"That's correct," Bridgette said, before sighing a bit. "Listen, Josh, your socially awkward side is endearing, but… keep it to a minimum, please? Or rather, could you try to be more chivalrous about it?"
"I'm afraid I don't know much about that…" Josh sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
Bridgette sighed loudly before saying, "Then… Could you try to learn how to be chivalrous in manner before asking me again? I know that being yourself is just what everyone should do, but…"
The bell then rang and Bridgette said, "Sorry to cut this short. I gotta get to English-Social Studies. See you later."
Bridgette took up her backpack and started to walk away; she took one look back at Josh before continuing on her way to class.
Josh was left out in the cold; a frosty wind blew past him, anime snow piled on him, and he became frozen in a block of ice. The ice shattered as he started to cry silently; he failed at asking Bridgette out again. Tears were flowing down his face, he was sobbing, and there were blue lines running down his face.
Coming into the classroom, right on time, as always, Bridgette took her seat at her desk and she sighed, begrudgingly. She looked out the window, which was where her seat was, and wondered what was running through Josh's mind. She groaned a bit before turning her attention back to the whiteboard and listening to her teacher about their next topic.
"Okay, so in the book "In The Time Of The Butterflies", Minerva wanted…" The teacher began, while Bridgette listened intently.
Josh, on the other hand, had his head down on the desk, and he was groaning in annoyance with himself. He felt really upset that he screwed up and got a 'no' from Bridgette about his offer for a date.
Luckily, he did not make the reservation quite yet. He decided not to make any appointments until things were all decided; he learned from his father that tentative plans stay tentative unless they are otherwise confirmed.
Josh had an anime raincloud hanging over his head, and he was just depressed.
His aura was very depressed and he felt so embarrassed; Ricardo and Luke, who were in his class, looked at each other, and nodded.
"Looks like Josh struck out in the baseball game that is asking Bridgette out on a date." Ricardo muttered.
"I'll bet he did something corny and embarrassing again…" Luke also muttered.
"We'd better talk to him once class is over." Ricardo muttered back.
Josh failed to hear his friends; his mind was too clouded with the issue at hand to think about class or even anything else for that matter.
'What was I thinking?! Following Dad's tactics was no help! I should've known his advice would be outdated…' Josh thought, feeling bitter and disappointed with himself.
After class, Josh walked out of the classroom, still sulking; he was walking sadly, and heading for his locker when…
"Yo, Josh!" Ricardo said, shouting from behind; Josh looked behind him and saw Ricardo, Luke, and Cody walking towards him.
"So, flunked out with Bridgette again, eh?" Cody asked.
"It's all over my body language, isn't it?" Josh said, moaning; he slapped himself in the face. "That's what I get for asking an old-timer for help on romancing the girl…"
"You were taking advice from your dad?" Ricardo asked.
Josh nodded in response.
"Well…" Luke said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know what to say…"
The boys started looking at Luke in expectance. Luke looked to Cody, then Ricardo, then to Josh, and then he did another once over before blinking and asking, "What?"
Josh realized what Ricardo and Cody were silently implying. Figuring this out, Josh got down on his knees, started to shed tears, and grabbed Luke by the shirt while begging, "Luke! You gotta help me! You gotta help me!"
"Why ask Luke?" Cody asked, teasingly. "He's not exactly 'Don Juan' himself. The only girl he can charm the socks off of is his own girlfriend, and only she was able to look beyond his intimidating appearance until the rest of us and the girls were able to look past that."
"Very funny, Cody," Ricardo said, rolling his eyes and chuckling. "But Luke's the only one who was raised with the values of chivalry and proper treatment of girls. He's the only one who can help Josh out."
Seeing the wet look in Josh's eyes, Luke sighed, and said, "Okay, fine, but Cody, Ricardo, you two are going to help, as well."
"Sounds fair." Ricardo and Cody said, with a shrug.
"Let's go, Josh." Luke said, as he started to lead Josh away. Josh followed Luke's lead, as did Ricardo and Cody.
Back with the girls…
"Did Josh do something uncalled for again?" Buttercup asked, as Bridgette explained everything to the girls.
"Yes… Listen, I get what he wanted, which was a dinner date with me, but at the same time… Did he have to go and do something that stupid?" Bridgette inquired.
"Well, Josh isn't exactly well-rounded in talking to girls…" Bubbles said, in Josh's defense.
"And he's a failure at chivalry… Unlike Luke…" Blossom says, with a big smile on her face as her eyes lit up at the thought of her chivalrous boyfriend.
Buttercup merely slapped herself in the face and then she said, "Josh is really an idiot if he thinks that act he pulled is going to score any points with you, Bridgette."
"I think you're stretching it a bit, Buttercup, but you're right…" Bridgette said, before sighing.
"If we know Josh, he's probably sulking around somewhere right about now." Blossom said.
"I just hope it doesn't last too long. When someone has love on the brain the way he does… It's kind of hard to think about anyone else." Bubbles said, in agreement.
"Then Josh had better learn to shape up or he'll drive Bridgette away. This isn't some stupid Warner Brothers cartoon," Buttercup said, referring to the Pepe Le Pew cartoons Josh would often allude to. "But there are some merits to that analogy."
"Either way, I won't accept Josh's invitation unless he learns how to be a little more chivalrous about it…" Bridgette said, looking up to the ceiling in annoyance.
"Josh loves you to pieces and can't stand the idea of ever having his heart broken over you." Bubbles said.
"I'm sure you're right…" Bridgette said, before sighing.
Back with the boys, Josh was asked to sit in a chair while Luke, Ricardo, and Cody were up at a whiteboard easel with whiteboard markers and erasers.
"Okay, Josh… We all know you're head-over-heels in love with Bridgette. The question is, what exactly you want from Bridgette; what do you want to say to her or what are you trying to ask her?" Cody began, trying to be specific about what they wanted Josh to do.
"Well, that's a tough question, Cody…" Josh said, standing up. "All I wanted was to ask Bridgette out to dinner."
"And how did you go about it?" Ricardo asked.
"Very passionately, for one thing. I called her 'beautiful baker', and I tried to romance her…" Josh said, making body motions and such to demonstrate what he was doing. "I told her all I wanted was to gaze into her beautiful, pink eyes. I also said that my desires would be quelled if she would attend dinner with me. Just when I was about to kiss her…"
Josh slumped again before continuing, and he said, "She said that I got an A for effort, but she hated how I went about asking her out to dinner. Bridgette got the message, but…"
After hearing and seeing what Josh did to romance Bridgette into going out on a dinner date with him, the boys groaned; Cody face-palmed himself while Ricardo spat into the garbage can in disgust.
"This is what I have to work with?" Luke asked, before shaking his hand.
"Hey, it could be a lot worse and a lot more work than normal." Cody said, in Josh's defense.
"If anyone can whip this guy into shape, it's you, Luke." Ricardo said, putting a hand on Luke's shoulder.
"You have to help me, Luke!" Josh said, about to fall to his knees and beg.
"This is going to take every trick in the book of chivalry that I know…" Luke muttered, before sighing. "But we can't get anything done if we don't start. So, boys, I'll need your help with this. Lesson #1: Elocution."
Josh cocked an eyebrow in confusion as the boys sat him in a chair while Luke started to write some things on the whiteboard.
"Wh-What's all of that?" Josh asked, looking at everything written up on the board.
"These are some key phrases and points that I use when talking to Blossom, but this is something I think you should get used to using, too. We're practicing trying not to stammer or stutter when talking to your girl." Luke explains.
"Okay," Josh said, before taking a deep breath. "G-Good morning…"
Cody slammed a ruler on the desk and told Josh, "RELAX! You're stammering."
Josh took a deep breath once again, and then he continued, "How do you do, Bridgette?"
Ricardo nodded and Josh kept practicing over and over.
"Next, diction." Luke said, writing something on the white board.
"'The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain…' Why do I care where the rain falls?" Josh asked.
"This is the practice in diction," Cody explained. "This is going to help you learn how to speak in a coherent, appropriate manner."
"This won't require me to put marbles in my mouth, will it?" Josh asked, a bit uncomfortable.
"Not if you do it correctly." Ricardo says, with an expectant look on his face.
"So, the best way to practice diction is to learn tongue-twisters." Cody says.
"Okay…" Josh said, before taking a deep breath. "The rain in Spain falls plainly in… Oh, no, that's not right."
"Nice catch." Luke says.
After a few more rounds of practicing the phrase, Josh managed to start getting it right, and he soon was able to do it five times in a row without messing up.
"The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain." Josh said, with success.
Cody, Ricardo, and Luke were nodding and clapping in approval.
"Good, now for lesson #2." Luke said, with a nod.
"What, there's more?" Josh asked, in surprise.
"You didn't think there was any more than just proper speech?" Cody asked.
Josh shook his head in embarrassment, causing all of the other boys to sigh in annoyance.
"Okay, Lesson #2: posture, balance, and poise," Luke said, writing up another set of words on the board. "Boys, do you have the books?"
Ricardo smiled and then he placed a stack of books on the table, before saying, "Here you go, Josh."
"Wait, I have to read all of that?" Josh asked in surprise.
The boys chuckled and then Ricardo said, "No, you're not going to read these books; you're going to walk with them on your head."
Cody, on cue, then dropped a large pile of like-sized books onto Josh's head; Josh started to stagger about and walk a little awkwardly.
"Relax, Josh! Raise your head up high," Luke said. "You need to balance the books on your head in order to get your posture and walking correct."
Josh stumbled and staggered and he nearly lost his balance a few times. However, Josh also tripped up a bit, and then he lost his balance and staggered into the wall before bumping into it and falling down on his back.
The boys could not help but stifle their laughter, and they were having a hard time keeping themselves from laughing so hard that they could not breath. Luke had the most success while Ricardo let out a few chuckles. Cody tried to reel it in, but he was soon rolling on the floor while laughing his head off.
Josh sat up, and while throwing the books off of him, he said, "Cut it out, you guys; I'm trying to be a gentleman for my girlfriend, and you're laughing is as helpful as leeches on a dead person."
Josh stood up, and picked up the books in annoyance.
"Sorry about that, dude, but we couldn't help but laugh. You ran into the wall and fell on your back like someone who wasn't looking where they were going; you looked like you ran into a flagpole on the street." Cody said, before laughing again.
"Very funny," Josh sarcastically said before putting the books back on top of his head. "Now let's get some more practice. Less laughing, more work."
"I see you're motivated." Luke said, with a nod.
"Anything for my sweetheart." Josh said, blushing, thinking of Bridgette.
Josh kept trying, with each attempt having an embarrassing failure. He ran into the wall face-first again; he tripped on a loose wire on the floor; he fell on his back, amongst other embarrassing screw-ups. Josh soon found himself at the seventeenth try, but this time, he was doing a lot better than his previous tries. However, he once again tripped over his feet, falling flat on the floor.
"Come on, Josh, keep trying. Tenacity yields results." Luke said, encouraging Josh to keep going.
Josh complied and tried once more. He was walking with his head up straight, and he was using his arms to balance himself; after getting the hang of it, he put his arms back down, kept his head up, and started to smile as he was walking, and he soon started to walk nicely without feeling the books that much.
"Nice work, Josh! Now you're getting the hang of this!" Luke said, as he and the boys were clapping.
"Thanks," Josh said, before sitting in the chair and breathing. "So, is that it?"
"No," Luke said, writing something on the whiteboard. "Lesson #3: chivalry and manners."
"More, still?" Josh asked; he was not so much complaining, as he was exhausted.
"It isn't going to be as much work as it sounds, Josh," Ricardo said. "You've already gotten the attire down, and you know your basic manners. You still need a bit of tweaking, though."
"Tweaking?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you're clumsy," Cody said, bluntly. "And you aren't used to formal settings, so we're going to get you ready for that scenario."
"Really?" Josh asked, standing up.
"Yes," Luke said, with a nod. "Table etiquette, and other small gestures…"
Josh nodded in compliance and he paid attention to the boys' instructions.
Luke had created a table setting and was giving Josh lessons on the proper table etiquette and how to use the right utensils for the right food and the right methods for holding the utensils. Josh struggled at first, but he soon got the hang of it, soon even adding his own flair to the way he held his silverware while still doing it properly.
"Nice work, Josh," Cody said. "Now for other manners we need to include."
Josh was tutored on how to hold the door for a girl in a formal session. The boys also had him hold out a chair and push it in for a girl.
However, there were a couple of times that Josh messed up, which included him tripping on his own feet and he only earned laughs from the other boys. After what seemed to be several hours, Josh managed to learn everything.
Josh opened the door and let his friends enter and exit perfectly.
"Nice work, Josh," Luke said. "I think you're ready… So long as you don't mess up during the real thing."
"That's not really encouraging, Luke," Ricardo said. "Might I suggest something?"
"What idea do you have?" Josh asked.
Ricardo smiled and gave Josh a few suggestions that Josh took to heart. He was ready to ask out his girlfriend.
The next day, Bridgette was at her locker; she opened her locker door and she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Okay, now I just need to get my books," Bridgette began. "Pre-Calculus, Humanities, Physics…"
She took out the books as she named them off; however, she shuddered a bit, causing her to realize her instincts were kicking in. Bridgette got a nice vibe from her sixth sense this time, but for some reason, she could not fathom why.
She turned around and she smiled, as she was about to get to class; however, she stopped in her tracks when she saw a large bouquet of red and pink roses in front of her face. Bridgette smiled a bit as she saw the flowers.
"Aw!" Bridgette said, with a big smile on her face.
"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl," Josh said, revealing his face from behind the bouquet. "For you, Bridgette."
"Thank you, Josh," Bridgette says, as she took the flowers into her hands. "That's so sweet."
"Bridgette," Josh began, taking a deep breath and smiling a bit; he had a blush on his cheeks. "Would you grace me with your presence in a formal dining room?"
The other boys were watching from another corridor, and they were all smiling at Josh and his success in his attempt so far.
"So far, so good…" Luke said, nodding in approval.
"Now if only he doesn't trip up on his own words," Cody said. "He'll cream it if he doesn't stammer."
"Don't jinx it, Cody," Ricardo said. "He's doing what he can; it's not like we haven't given him the tools, so cut him some slack."
"Okay, okay…" Cody said, before sighing.
"A nice, evening meal with you in a high-end restaurant with you would just make my day… Darling." Josh said, rubbing the back of his head, and blushing red.
Bridgette hugged Josh, and she said, "Yes. Yes, I will!"
She kissed Josh on the cheek before walking to her class; she turned back and said, "Just tell me when the reservation is and I'll meet you there."
Josh put his hand on his cheek and he was on cloud nine. Hearts were fluttering around his head; he shook his head, and sighed romantically, before taking up his bag and going to his next class.
"Yes! It worked!" Cody said, as he shared a group high-five with the other boys.
"Now we just need to make sure that Josh doesn't act like an idiot at the restaurant." Ricardo said.
"Hey, don't go meddling around," Luke said, bopping Ricardo on the head. "We've played our part by giving Josh the tools, let's let him use them the way he thinks is right; he can't rely on us forever."
"Luke's right," Cody said. "Let's let them alone for a while and see what happens. I'm sure Josh will be able to figure this out and do it right."
The boys all nodded in agreement before leaving the corridor to go to their next class.
Back with the girls, they saw how good of a mood Bridgette was in, and they all went over to her desk to inquire about the situation.
"What's gotten you so happy today?" Blossom asked Bridgette.
"Oh, I have a date with Josh; he asked me out to dinner and gave me flowers." Bridgette explained, while showing her friends the bouquet.
"Oh, how cute!" Bubbles said, taking a sniff of the flowers. "Josh certainly has turned his behavior around."
"I think that for him to go from clumsy to chivalrous in one day is incredible," Buttercup said. "Luke must have helped him out."
"I don't think that's out of the question," Bridgette said, with a light giggle. "So I guess thanks to the boys, Josh knows how to be a gentleman. I can't wait to eat with him."
"For you to get this excited about Josh is something else," Blossom said. "I certainly wasn't expecting that from you."
"Who knows about anything with Josh? He can be either really sweet, really stupid, or just plain awkward." Bubbles said, with a shrug.
"But that part of him is cute…" Bridgette admitted, as she looked at her flowers, longingly.
Later that afternoon, Josh was at home, making a phone call to a restaurant that was in close proximity to both his house and Bridgette's house.
He thought it would be a good idea to go to a nearby restaurant because it was within walking distance between both houses. Josh also thought it would be good so that way they would not have to commute by taxi and spend money on transportation so they could enjoy more at the meal.
Checking the weather, Josh saw that it was to be a clear sky that night, so Josh found another bonus with the restaurant he chose: looking at the starry sky.
"Okay, so, can we reserve a table for two for six-thirty tonight? You can?! Thanks!" Josh says, before hanging up his cell phone and then calling up Bridgette.
Bridgette was working on an assignment for her Humanities class when her cell phone started to go off. She picked up, saw the caller I.D. was Josh, and she picked up the phone.
"Hey, Josh." Bridgette asked.
Josh cleared his throat, and he said, "I made reservations for us at six thirty tonight; I'll pick you up, okay?"
"That would sound fabulous." Bridgette said.
"That's great!" Josh said, trying not to trip up on his words. "I found a place that's a formal restaurant, so we have to dress nicely. I can't wait to see you in another beautiful dress; you'd be beautiful in anything. The restaurant is also within walking distance of both of our houses, so we can walk there without having to worry about money for transit. That, and it's a beautiful, clear night, tonight, so we can look at the stars while walking there. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect, Josh!" Bridgette said, her eyes lighting up while she smiled and she started to look forward to that night.
"That's great," Josh said. "I'll pick you up tonight… Mon cherié."
"I'm looking forward to it." Bridgette said, with a sultry voice.
Josh and Bridgette hung up their cell phones and they both sighed romantically; they were so excited to see each other that following night.
Bridgette stood up from her desk, and said, "Now to pick an outfit for tonight… After I finish this essay."
She sat back down and got back to work on her assignment. Bridgette was really good about her homework overall, so she was not worried about messing up for that night.
A few hours later, Josh was standing outside Bridgette's house, and he was making some last-minute adjustments to his suit. It was the same yellow tuxedo he wore for the school dance the day that Cody got his superpowers.
Josh took out a few breath mints and ate them; he started adjusting his bowtie, which was black, and then he combed his hair back for the eighth time that hour. Josh tried to relax, but for some reason, his nerves were getting the best of him. He took a few breaths and then he managed to reel in his nerves.
He rang the doorbell; Josh stood there with baited breath as he waited for Bridgette to come out the door and show him what she was wearing for that night.
After thirty seconds, Bridgette came out the door; she was wearing a pink cocktail dress with a pink ribbon that tied around her waist with a bow sticking out from behind her. She smiled and she had a nice pink lipstick on. She was also wearing pink wedge shoes. Bridgette smiled brightly, and batted her eyelashes.
"Hi, Josh." Bridgette said, sweetly.
"H-Hi, Bridgette; looking se – um, sweet." Josh said, with a smile.
"Thanks." Bridgette said, catching Josh's slip-up and giggling.
Josh offered his arm and Bridgette wrapped her arms around Josh's offered arm and they were soon walking to the restaurant. Josh managed to keep himself from tripping on his own two feet, and Bridgette was happily looking at the stars. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Josh felt his heart throb.
At the restaurant, Josh opened the door for Bridgette. Bridgette smiled sweetly as she entered the restaurant, and she turned back to Josh with a smile. Josh smiled; he walked into the restaurant, but…
He tripped on one of the steps and fell flat on his face; rather than hearing a groan from his girlfriend, Josh heard Bridgette giggle and laugh a bit.
"You okay?" Bridgette asked, as she helped Josh stand up by holding out her hand.
"I'm fine," Josh said, red in the face, while rubbing his head. "Just humiliated."
"That clumsy side of yours is so like you, Josh. Don't worry; the night is young." Bridgette said, as she took Josh's hand and started to go into the dining hall.
Josh was blushing; he felt really worried that he would just end up causing more trouble and embarrass Bridgette that night.
After they made it to their table, Josh held out Bridgette's chair, and she sat in it; this earned a smile from Bridgette.
"That's so sweet," Bridgette said. "Since when did you become such a prince charming?"
"I've had lessons," Josh said, simply, and he tried his best to make a joke of it. "I'm quite the quick study."
Bridgette giggled a bit before saying, "You certainly learned how to be tenacious; that's part of what won me over."
"I guess you're right." Josh said, with a chuckle.
He gently pushed the chair back in, and he was about to sit in his own chair, when…
Due to a broken leg in one of the chairs, when Josh sat in the chair, it fell backwards, causing Josh to fall onto his back and ended up hitting his head on the floor.
Bridgette giggled.
"Are you alright?" Bridgette asked, as she looked to the side and saw the position Josh was in.
Josh sat up, and he said, "Can we get another chair over here, please?"
Josh stood up and dusted himself off; after the staff hauled away the broken chair and replaced it with a sturdier one, Josh sat down gently, trying to make sure he would not fall over again.
"I don't understand why you think my clumsiness is so funny," Josh said, a bit sadly. "I'm trying to be more poised for you."
"Josh… I wouldn't have you any other way, but the manners are nice." Bridgette said, taking Josh's hand into her own.
"I'm glad you're impressed." Josh said; he brought Bridgette's hand to his lips and kissed it, causing her to blush.
The pair's waiter soon came, and their orders were taken; a basket of bread and butter was brought out and they were happy to eat it.
"Yum… A soft roll dough with high-gluten flour and a small amount of enrichers in here; no doubt about it." Bridgette said, eating a roll.
"You know your stuff." Josh said, happily.
"I'm not boring you with this?" Bridgette sheepishly asked.
"No… It's actually really great to listen too. As an archaeologist's kid, it gets dull hearing about artifacts and ruins over and over again, so this is a nice change," Josh said. "And your sweets are the sweetest I've ever had."
Bridgette blushed happily; she said, "Luke was your teacher, wasn't he?"
"That and the rest of the boys," Josh said, with a chuckle. "But I'm just glad to be here with you tonight."
Bridgette blushed as she and Josh held hands.
"Dinner is here," Bridgette said, as she saw their waiter bring their meal. "Let's eat."
Bridgette's meal was a poulet basquaise with a side Caesar salad with extra dressing. Josh, on the other hand, had a Ratatouille dish. While Bridgette was enjoying her dish immensely, she looked up every now and again to look at Josh. His face looked red as he took a bite of his Ratatouille.
"You okay, Josh?" Bridgette asked.
"Water…" Josh said, as he opened up his mouth and started to wave his hand over his tongue.
Josh then gulped down an entire glass of ice water in one sitting; Bridgette, with a worried look on her face, shouted, "We need more water over here! Stat!"
A waiter rushed over to Josh and was about to fill his glass when Josh used his body language to tell the waiter he needed the whole pitcher of water. Josh took the water pitcher and he drank the whole thing, but his mouth was still on fire. Josh started to drink glass after glass of water until Bridgette counted ten glasses of water.
"What was in that Ratatouille that's causing Josh to put out the fire in his mouth?!" Bridgette asked, frantic.
"We modified the recipe and added some red Scotch Bonnet chili peppers in place of one of the red bell peppers for clients who can take the heat…" The waiter began.
"What?!" Bridgette shouted. "Idiot! Do you know how high on the Scoville scale those peppers are?! Get Josh some whole milk! It's the only way to get that capsaicin down! Drinking water is just going to make it worse!"
"Right away, Miss!" The waiter said, before dashing into the kitchen.
"Josh, just relax, relax…" Bridgette said, as she rubbed Josh's back and tried to get him to calm down.
"My mouth is on fire! Water isn't helping!" Josh said, as he tried to drink another glass of water, but his stomach was getting full.
"Whole milk, miss." The waiter said, bringing Bridgette a tall, cold glass of whole milk.
"Thank you!" Bridgette said, before putting the glass to Josh's mouth. "Drink this, Josh!"
Josh started to glug down the whole milk, and he soon felt a lot better; putting the empty glass down, he said, "Whew, that was close…"
Bridgette looked around and saw that everyone was looking at her and Josh strangely.
"We'll… take the check and go…" Bridgette said, as she and Josh finished their food; Josh had a lot of whole milk to drink to prevent his mouth from melting.
After paying the tab and leaving, Josh and Bridgette were walking back to Bridgette's house, but there was a heavy silence between them.
"I'm sorry for making a scene," Josh said, sadly, breaking the silence. "Just when I promised myself I wouldn't…"
"It's not your fault, Josh," Bridgette said, taking Josh's hand into her own. "You didn't know that those guys put Scot Bonnet peppers in that thing."
"Next time, I'm going to read the ingredient list before I do something stupid like that…" Josh said, sighing in annoyance with himself.
"Josh…" Bridgette said, putting her head on his shoulder; Josh put his arm on her shoulder, as well, and they were feeling a little crummy.
However, Josh saw an ice cream stand, and he said, "Hey, Bridgette… Want an ice cream?"
"Ice cream?" Bridgette asked, as she looked in the direction that Josh was pointing in. "Are you sure? You drank a lot of water…"
"I already went to the bathroom before we left the restaurant," Josh said. "Besides, I still feel some heat from that Ratatouille… Some ice cream might be just the thing to get rid of it…"
"Good thinking." Bridgette said, with a smile.
Bridgette and Josh then sat down at the ice cream stand; they avoided any kind of spicy ice cream for obvious reasons.
Josh had a sundae with caramel-pecan ice cream, vanilla bean-pumpkin ice cream with butterscotch chunks inside a cinnamon-sugar waffle cone. It was topped with a ground-clove whipped cream and orange sprinkles, with a cherry or two on top. Josh was digging into it like a dog in the backyard.
"This is great ice cream!" Josh said, as he dug into the ice cream; he had whipped cream and sprinkles all over his face.
"Oh, Josh, you're so messy." Bridgette said, with a big smile.
Bridgette had a sundae, as well. It consisted of a large scoop of chocolate ice cream, a scoop of dark-chocolate brownie-swirl ice cream with brownie chunks and a fudge swirl, a scoop of white-chocolate ice cream, topped with chocolate whipped cream, hot fudge, and chocolate sprinkles.
"You're quite the chocolate-lover." Josh said, smiling at Bridgette's ice cream.
"Well… I've always loved chocolate; it can be bitter, sweet, both… And there are so many varieties of chocolate, too." Bridgette said, with a blush, before the two of them were giggling before going back to their food.
"The only thing sweeter than this ice cream is your kisses, Bridgette." Josh said, with a smile.
Later, Josh brought Bridgette back to her house; she was walking up the steps to the front door, with Josh escorting her there.
"I hope you had fun tonight… in spite of that spicy mishap…" Josh said, rubbing the back of his head, sheepishly.
"That spicy Ratatouille isn't the only thing hot around here," Bridgette said, before wrapping her arms around Josh's neck and pulling herself closer to him. "The passionate love between us is getting hotter than a jalapeno pepper right now…"
Josh took this as a hint to kiss Bridgette; as the stars were shinning down on the two of them, Josh and Bridgette shared a long, passionate kiss with each other, with Josh holding Bridgette by her waist.
After the two broke the kiss, Bridgette said, "See you at school tomorrow."
Josh reluctantly let go of Bridgette while she sadly let go of him, as well. She gave Josh one last peck on the cheek before going inside her house. After the door was closed, Josh slunk to the floor, hearts fluttering around his head, and a lovesick smile on his face.
"*Sigh*… L'amour…" Josh said, before stifling a chuckle.
The next day, Josh was on cloud nine while walking through the halls at school. Luke, Ricardo, and Cody soon approached him.
"Hey, Josh! How'd it go?" Luke asked.
"It went great last night… but I do have to say this… Scotch Bonnet peppers were both a stupid mistake and a lucky accident…" Josh said, blushing red in the face.
"Explanation?" Ricardo asked.
"Last night, I ordered the Ratatouille, but I forgot to read the ingredient list and it included Scotch Bonnet chili peppers, so I downed a ton of water and a lot of dairy… but I got a sweet, heated kiss in return…" Josh said, blushing.
"So you ate chili peppers by mistake?" Cody asked, before shuddering. "That must have been a riot…"
"Yeah, but…" Josh began, but soon saw Bridgette entering her classroom. She looked in Josh's direction before winking at him and then she entered her room. "Like I said, a lucky mistake…"
Josh sighed, releasing red hearts from his mouth, but as they stopped in mid-air, they were ignited from the heat from the peppers.
Sorry this took so long… I was working on other stories… And I've been not only quite busy, but lacking in ideas for this story, too. If you have any suggestions for future chapters regarding any of our pairs or something else, just let me know, please?
Next time…
Blossom: Luke's acting ridiculous… What happened?
Bubbles: I wouldn't expect anything less from Josh, but the other boys are acting crazy…
Buttercup: This is like something out of those stupid Pepé Le Pew cartoons!
Bridgette: There are rumors going around about a so-called 'Secret Cupid'…