Part 2
Everyone in the room was silent. Luz stood in the center of attention, all others staring at her in complete surprise, save for Amity who was more focused with sipping on her smoothie. Boscha looked at the paper in her hands, then up at Luz and back to the paper again. Her disbelief seemed to only be matched by Willow, who seemed frozen in place.
"Did you know about this?" Gus asked her, snapping her out of her daze.
"No. I did not." Willow replied a bit huffily. "Luz, what is going on?"
Luz turned to face Willow, beaming excitedly. "I'm doing my best friend a huge favor, that's what! After all of the grief Boscha's given you over the years, it's time for her to start making up for it all!"
"Okay, so why a date?" Willow asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well what better way to make up for being a bully than to be something the opposite?" Luz asked in return. "Instead of pranks, she'll do romantic gestures. She'll pay you compliments instead of throwing insults at you. For just one day, she'll give you reasons to smile, not frown!"
"And…" Amity pressed between sips of her drink.
A sheepish smile came to Luz's face, her enthusiasm fading a bit. "And because I maybe, kinda, sorta… ship the two of you."
Willow pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a heavy sigh. "Luz… shipping fictional characters is okay, but not real people!"
"I tried to tell her." Amity mumbled around her straw.
"Amity, are you saying you knew about this?" Willow inquired.
"Well, yes. I did try to talk her out of it, but she was just not willing to listen to reason. Not that it makes much of a difference. You do still have a say in the matter, after all. Plus I'm confident that Boscha is going to back out of the deal."
"Says you!" Boscha said, stepping up to Willow. She glanced at the paper in her hand and then looked Willow in the eyes, her cheeks flaring up a bit. "Miss Park, would you do me the privilege of allowing me to escort you around town tomorrow for a day of fun?"
"What?" Willow asked, dumbfounded.
"It's on the paper." Boscha explained. "Please don't ask me to repeat it. Just say yes or no so we can wrap this up already."
"You're actually going along with this?" Amity asked in awe.
"Boscha Trilochana is not a sore loser." Boscha stated firmly. "I may not like it at all, but I lost and now I have to uphold my end of the deal. So as long as you want to go, I'll be taking you out all day tomorrow."
"All day?" Willow repeated.
"Yup. From breakfast until dinnertime." Luz elaborated, starting to waggle her eyebrows a little. "And she has to do whatever you want for each and every minute. How do you like that?"
"Alright Luz, that's enough." Amity chided with a harsh whisper. "No trying to influence Willow's decision."
Luz pouted a little and crossed her arms. Amity smiled and pulled her in for a hug, going to take another sip of her smoothie. She felt Luz pull it away and then she slowly went to take a sip, a playful look in her eyes. In return, Amity pulled her cup back only for Luz to try and tug it away again. They ended up in a little tug-of-war for the drink, pressing their cheeks against one another while they each tried to grab the straw in their mouths. After a few seconds the corners of their mouths touched and they inadvertently kissed, the tip of the straw between their lips. Their eyes met and they both burst into a fit of giggles.
"Do the two of you seriously need to do that here?" Boscha asked, narrowing her eyes at the couple. "Get a room!"
Both Luz and Amity blushed and stopped fooling around. Although Luz quickly took advantage of the situation to steal a sip of Amity's drink, earning her a quick glare. Luz then gave Amity a quick apology kiss on her nose, prompting another short fit of giggles from them both. Boscha let out a soft growl and rolled her eyes before returning her focus to Willow.
"So could you hurry up and just reject me already?"
"No." Willow surprisingly replied. "I've decided that I'm going out with you on that date."
Boscha stared blankly for a moment before letting out a nervous laugh. "Good one! You almost had me there for a second!"
"I mean it, Boscha." Willow said seriously. "I understand why you would think I was joking. If anything I should want to keep far away from you. But I do like the idea of having you do whatever I want for one whole day. Who knows? Maybe you'll surprise me and it will be nice to spend time with you." She added with a short giggle, but then her face became stony again. "But odds are you'll end up meeting my expectations. I'll just have to wait and see. You can meet at my house at seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. You know my address already; you threw stink bombs through my bedroom window last week, after all."
Willow then left, waving to her friends as she made her way to the door. Luz stepped away from Amity to begin a little victory dance to celebrate Willow's decision. Amity was caught between shaking her head at her girlfriend's antics or admiring the way Luz swayed to a rhythm only she could hear. Boscha meanwhile was experiencing the very opposite of Luz's emotional state. She looked like she had just lost the Grudgby championship.
"Wow, I never thought I'd hate it so much to not be rejected." She said, seeming a bit overwhelmed.
"Don't worry. It may not seem like it now, but this is a win for both of us." Luz said.
"I still think she's going to back out. Maybe we should have her do an Everlasting Oath." Amity suggested.
"Nope." Luz replied. "She's getting a fair chance. Boscha's not the type of girl who'd wimp out of a challenge. So she won't back out of a date with Willow, right Boscha?"
Boscha snapped from her daze. "I won't. I'm going to give that dork the best day of her life! And then I'll go back to making it miserable afterwards." She said earnestly before letting out a groan. "Ugh, tomorrow is gonna suck!"
She went to leave, giving Skara, Amelia and Cat a dirty look as she went. After she was gone, Luz grabbed the guava off of the judge's table and held it up high.
"Who wants a refill, from a freshly made batch?!"
A round of 'me's and 'I do's rang out from all who were present. Luz grabbed her things and started to head out with everyone parading behind her. They started to chant her name as they walked, annoying Boscha greatly as they passed her by. Her sour mood persisted for the rest of the day, right up until she went to bed that night.
- - - - -T- - - - -O- - - - -H- - - - -
The next morning, Boscha woke up bright and early as she always did. After her morning rituals of some light indoor exercise, a hot shower and brushing her hair, she got dressed and went out the door. She hadn't gone all out with her choice of clothes, settling for some black leggings, a blood red t-shirt and her letterman jacket.
As she walked to Willow's house, Boscha felt her stomach growl. She hadn't eaten anything that morning since she figured she was most likely taking Willow out for breakfast. Hopefully just someplace that served coffee and pastries instead of some diner. Boscha didn't have a lot of money set aside and she wasn't really looking to use up all of it in one day.
When she got to the front door of the Park residence, she hesitated. In her head a little voice was saying it wasn't too late to back out. To just sneak off and do whatever she wanted with her day instead of spending it with Willow. That little voice however was easily squashed by the might of Boscha's ego. She was far too proud a witch to cower out of something so simple.
Boscha knocked on the door and waited. About fifteen seconds later, it was opened by a middle aged man with dark-greenish tinted hair, light skin and dark blue eyes behind rectangular glasses. Boscha couldn't help but notice just how much Mr. Park looked like Willow. He even had the same warm smile on his face when he greeted her.
"Hello, may I help you?" He asked, his voice soft and sweet, also like Willow's.
"Oh, um, hey. I'm Boscha Trilochana. I'm here for Willow. She and I have a… date today." Boscha replied.
Mr. Park gasped. "You're her date?! I had no idea she was going out with someone! Please, come in and make yourself at home!" He said, stepping aside. Then he raised one hand to call up the stairs. "Gilbert, sweetheart, come down here! We have a special guest!"
From the second floor, Willow's other father came into view. Gilbert came down and stood beside his husband, giving him a questioning look when he saw Boscha. His husband was smiling excitedly, only adding to his curiosity.
"Honey, this is Boscha. She's here to take our little sapling out on a date!"
"A date?!" Gilbert repeated in mild shock. "Willow isn't old enough for dating yet!"
"Oh don't be ridiculous. She's more than old enough." Mr. Park replied before returning his attention to Boscha. "Why don't we go and sit in the living room while Willow gets ready? She should be finishing up her morning workout by about now."
"She works out?" Boscha asked herself quietly.
Willow's fathers went into the living room, Boscha following behind them. She was looking forward to seeing just what sort of thing Willow considered to be a 'workout'. Probably something like skipping rope or an aerobics dance. The thought of it made her smirk a little. Maybe she'd get something fun out of this day after all.
They entered the living room and Boscha froze at the sight that she found there. Willow, currently dressed in a black unitard with forest green legs and sleeves, was working out alright. Specifically she was doing bicep curls with some heavy looking dumbbells. She wasn't facing their direction, but Boscha could see the intense focus on Willow's face while she did her exercise. It was very different from what she had expected.
"Oh wow…" Boscha whispered. "She works out…."
For a moment Boscha could only stare at Willow in awe. The look of concentration on Willow's face while she lifted the heavy weights put her image in a new light for Boscha. Never would she have guessed that the girl she had teased and laughed at wasn't just some plant loving nerd. It… it started to make her wonder if maybe there was more about Willow she didn't know about.
Gilbert cleared his throat to gain his daughter's attention. Willow snapped out of her focused mode and looked over, very surprised by the sight of Boscha in her home. So much so that when she turned to face the other three, one of the dumbbells slipped from her sweaty palm and landed with a powerful THUD on the floor.
"Careful, sweetheart!" Gilbert said, rushing over and moving the dumbbell over to check the floor. "Oh, thank goodness. The boards didn't break this time."
"This time?" Boscha quietly repeated. "How heavy are those?"
"Sorry Papa. But I wasn't expecting to have all of you watching me." Willow said, setting the other dumbbell down before turning her attention to Boscha. "And you're here earlier than I expected."
Boscha smiled a little and let out a nervous laugh. "Well I figured it would be better to show up early and you know, not make you wait or whatever. So um… hi."
"Yeah, hi." Willow replied, starting to head for the door. "I guess I'll go get ready and we can start our day together. Just give me fifteen minutes, okay?"
"Now hold on just a minute, young lady." Gilbert said before Willow could get too far. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oops. Sorry again, Papa. I'll put my weights away."
"Allow me!" Boscha suddenly offered. "Where do they go?"
"The corner over there, on the little, wooden rack." Willow told her.
She stepped over to where the dumbbells sat on the floor and crouched down. Taking one in each hand, Boscha went to stand again, her arms being pulled down by the weight and catching her off guard. Boscha put a little more power into her legs, lifting the dumbbells and slowly carrying them over into the corner. As she set them down onto the hand-made wooden rack she silently marveled at how heavy they had been. It hadn't been too difficult for her to carry them, but Willow had made it look like it was almost effortless when she had been exercising.
"How strong is she?" Boscha asked herself under her breath.
Boscha's eyes wandered over to Willow, focusing on her arms. Normally when Boscha saw Willow, she never really noticed her. At that moment though, she couldn't help but realize that there were definitely some muscles in the sleeves of her outfit. She couldn't help but start to wonder if there was more to Willow's exercise routine. Boscha usually did sit-ups, push-ups, lunges and some jogging in place with ankle weights. Were those also things Willow did each day? Did she do any deadlifting?
"Young lady, it's rude to stare." Gilbert said suddenly.
Did Willow's father just catch her staring at Willow intently like some sort of weirdo? Yup. Willow noticed it too. She looked almost uncomfortable as far as Boscha could tell. The condescending look she was getting from Gilbert wasn't helping matters either. Boscha quickly mumbled out an inaudible apology, focusing her eyes on the floor.
"Please speak up and make eye contact when you speak to someone." Gilbert instructed.
"Didn't you just tell me not to stare?" Boscha asked, almost cattily. "That means I'm supposed to avoid eye contact."
Gilbert frowned in response, his eyes narrowing at her. Willow's eyes widened a bit in surprise and she raised one hand to cover her mouth. Mr. Park however seemed to find some amusement and let out a quick snort, which only served to further aggravate his husband.
"I don't appreciate that attitude." He said firmly. "Just what are your intentions with my daughter, Miss Trilochana?"
"Oh, Gilbert, don't be like that." Mr. Park said, placing one hand gently onto Gilbert's shoulder. "Boscha seems like a very nice girl. I'm sure she wouldn't do anything that would upset our Willow. Now let's leave these two alone. We need to go run our errands anyway."
"We didn't have any errands…" Gilbert began.
"Yes we do." Mr. Park interjected. "Lots and lots of errands. It was very nice meeting you Boscha. Willow, have fun on your date today. I look forward to hearing all about it later!"
Mr. Park pushed on Gilbert gently, coaxing him to leave the room. One the two men were gone, Willow turned to face Boscha, giving her a knowing look. She crossed her arms and the corner of her mouth tugged up a little in an almost devious little smirk.
"Boscha seems like a very nice girl." She said, starting to shake her head slightly. "If they only knew."
A cold bead of sweat ran down Boscha's face. She stood frozen in place, her eyes wide as Willow turned and left to get ready. As she went towards the stairs, she paused and gave Boscha one last glance before disappearing from sight. Boscha began to relax after that, letting out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
Things were turning out much differently than she would have guessed. She hadn't even thought about whether or not Willow's parents were aware of all the times she had picked on Willow. It was just a good thing that she hadn't told them about anything, for whatever reason. And then there was that… whatever she had experienced after seeing Willow working out. That was proving to be even more of an issue. Boscha couldn't figure out where it had come from. It wasn't like she had just seen Willow for the first time or anything like that. She took a moment to close her eyes and take a few deep breathes to regain her composure.
Meanwhile, Willow wasn't quite sure what was going on herself. She was certain that Boscha had just been checking her out. No one had ever looked at her that way before. It was a little unsettling, but also a bit… exciting? She shook her head to clear the thoughts. No, this was Boscha. It wouldn't make any difference if Boscha was showing interest in her. This wasn't a real date. It was just a chance for her to get back at the mean girl for all the trouble she'd been put through.
A shiver of self-disgust passed through Willow at that thought. It just seemed so petty. Sure, Boscha was more than petty with all the teasing and pranking. But Willow really had to wonder if that made it okay for her to sink just as low. It didn't take long for her to come to the conclusion that she wouldn't be happy with herself in the long run. She still planned to get plenty out of the date today, but maybe she wouldn't be quite so hard on her. Unless Boscha wanted to be difficult, then she'd be happy to give her some grief.
She stepped into her room to grab a change of clothes and then went to the bathroom to freshen up. After she had washed really quick and put on her school uniform, Willow checked to make sure her hair looked alright. Then she used a couple spritzes of her favorite perfume just because it seemed appropriate. With her preparation finished, she returned downstairs where Boscha was waiting for her by the front door.
"Okay, so what's up first? Breakfast?" Boscha asked.
"Oh, I um… I already ate. I always eat before I do my morning exercises. Have you not eaten yet?"
"No, I was just wondering if you wanted to get a bite." Boscha lied. "I already had something to eat before I left my house."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Boscha's stomach betrayed her and let out a loud growl. Her cheeks went slightly red and she tried to pretend to be oblivious about it, earning a small smile from Willow. Boscha stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and turned to head for the door.
"Anyways, we should get going. So what do you want to do first?"
"I promised my parents that I'd do a chore before I left." Willow replied. "So you'll be helping me with that first."
"Of course." Boscha sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. "And by 'helping you', I'm guessing that I'm doing all the work while you watch."
"Don't worry. I'm going to help you. I'll be supervising."
"So I'll be doing all the work while you watch." Boscha repeated flatly.
Willow giggled and began heading for the hall, gesturing for Boscha to follow. She led her to a door which went into the cozy backyard of the residence. Unsurprisingly, the space was mostly dedicated to a garden with rows of various plants growing within. There was a little, picket fence surrounding the garden and a tiny shed stood in the corner of the yard. Boscha stopped in front of the little fence and waited at Willow's request while she stepped into the shed.
During the short wait for Willow to come back out, Boscha was mulling something over in her mind. The moment that Willow stepped backed into view, holding a wooden tray and a trowel in her hands, Boscha got ready to speak. She hesitated however, leaving her standing with her mouth open momentarily before she closed it again and looked away. This didn't go unnoticed by Willow, who raised one eyebrow questioningly at the other witch.
"Do you want to say something?" She asked.
"You… you're really pretty!" Boscha blurted out, her cheeks flaring up.
"I… um… uh…" Willow stammered, her own cheeks very pink. "Thank you. Where did that come from, though?"
Boscha let out an annoyed sigh. "It's on the list of things I have to do today. I'm supposed to compliment you once every hour at the least."
"I see. So you were just saying it because you had to." Willow noted.
"But it was true." Boscha said, sounding completely sincere. "If I have to compliment you, then I'm not gonna just make something up. So, yeah, I think you're pretty."
The blushes on both girls faces grew, neither of them able to look at the other. Willow shuffled her feet for a moment, trying to get her mind focused on the task at hand. She stepped over and held out the tray and trowel to Boscha, keeping her gaze averted.
"H-here. All you have to do is remove any weeds in the garden and gently set them onto this tray so my dad can replant them later."
"Your dad wants to replant the weeds? Why?"
"Not here. He'll bring them out somewhere away from town, returning them to nature." Willow explained. "Just because we don't want them in the garden doesn't mean we don't want them to continue to live."
"Wow, your family is kinda weird. But whatever." Boscha replied with a shrug. "Let's get this over with."
She unzipped her letterman jacket and handed it to Willow, not wanting to get it dirty. Taking the tray and trowel she stepped into the garden and set to work. For the most part it was fairly simple, but there were numerous little weeds poking up out of the soil. As she started the tedious labor, Willow stood on the other side of the fence to observe.
As Boscha removed the weeds one by one, she could feel Willow's eyes on her. Probably to make sure she just didn't go the easier route and rip the weeds from the ground instead of going with the more delicate procedure of digging them up. Boscha didn't have a way to keep track of the time, so she could only guess how long it was already taking her to start in that one corner of the large garden. But she knew this was the start of what she anticipated would be a very long day.
To Be Continued.
Well this may end up being four parts after all, not that I'm complaining. I'm having fun with this story and hope you're all enjoying it too. Just a quick note about the surname I picked out for Boscha. Trilochana is a Hindu name which translates into 'Three-Eyed'. It just seemed to fit and I do like the way it sounds. So until they reveal (or if they ever reveal) Boscha's last name, I'll be using that.