{[ Italics = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}
Chapter 4
"Green Tamales"
"I do not!" Vicki said defensively, averting her eyes to the floor and a faint pink flush surfaced on her cheeks.
"You so do, it's not even funny!" Juni giggled, pointing her finger at her friend. "It's really obvious. I'm surprised he doesn't suspect anything!"
"Ron and I are just friends, nothing more. You're just being silly," Vicki tried to convince Juni that the suspicions were meaningless. "I don't even know why I bother defending myself when I know I'm right."
Juni laughed, shaking her head at Vicki's unbelievable stubbornness.
"All right, Villicana, you may have won this round," Vicki grumbled, plopping down onto Juni's bed.
"What's the big deal? From what you've told me, you two seem to have a lot in common. Why don't you go out?"
"I don't know. What if he says no?"
"If he does, then he's not worth your time," Juni smiled, handing the cordless phone and phonebook to Vicki. "Call him. Suggest going to that new Mexican restaurant," she offered.
Vicki inhaled a breath, taking the phone from Juni and began searching through the white book.
"Ron Stoppable… ok, here it goes. If this blows up in my face, I will destroy you," she muttered jokingly to Juni.
Vicki dialed the number, waiting nervously as the other end rang.
"Stoppable Residence," a female voice answered.
"Uh, yeah, is Ron there?"
"Who may I say is calling?" the woman, most likely his mother, asked.
"A friend of his. Vicki."
"Just a moment, dear."
There was the sound of the phone being set down and the woman calling to what seemed like the other end of the house for Ron. There was a click.
"Ok, Mom, you can hang up!" Ron
yelled back to him mother. She hung up
the other phone line. "Hey, Vicki? What's up?" he said.
Vicki couldn't believe how nervous she was at that moment. She's never been like this in her whole
life. But now…
"Hey. Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you a question."
"Ok, shoot."
Vicki paused yet again.
"Hello?" he said, wondering if she'd hung up by mistake.
"I was going to go out to that new Mexican restaurant, Green Tamales, tomorrow night and I was just wondering… ifyou'dliketogoalongwithme?" Vicki quickly mumbled the last bit of her sentence. She promptly got a swift jab in the arm by Juni.
"Say what?" he asked.
"Would you want to come along with me?" Vicki repeated, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth with anxious anticipation.
"Sure! That's sound pretty cool," Ron agreed, much to her extreme relief.
"Really? Great! I could come get you at around four o' clock. This is the kind of place you have to dress semi-nice. You know: ripped or stained clothing rules… kind of a drag," she said, both of them chuckling a bit.
"No prob. Anything for genuine Mexican cuisine. See you then," he said, sounding like he was smiling.
"Great. Four o'clock. Later, Ron," she said, hanging up the phone then falling backwards onto the bed.
"Way to go, girl! You've got a date!" Juni giggled cheerily, hopping about the room.
Sure Vicki was excited too, but at the moment she felt as if she were going to vomit butterflies.
*~*~*~*~*
"Who was that Ronald?" Mrs. Stoppable poked her head in the door.
"A friend from school. Invited me to Green Tamales tomorrow night," he said casually.
His mother then got a big smile on her face.
"Oh my little boy! You've got a date! That's so cute!" she beamed, disappearing from the doorway.
He looked a bit puzzled, then immediately got a very panicky feeling in his stomach. Like a fistful of butterflies were all flapping at once to try and get out via his throat. A date? An actual date-date?
*~*~*~*~*
Vicki arrived right on time, but sat in the car for a moment just staring up at his house. This was also the first time she'd been out on her own driving, only having been able to drive people around legally since last month. Most days he'd been too tense to drive, leaving it at home majority of the time. But tonight, she felt this was an occasion she needed to drive. Plus both parents were out taking care of various business. Her car was a new black Chevrolet truck. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and heading up the walkway to the front door then rang the doorbell upon reaching it. She looked herself over one last time, checking her outfit over. She was wearing long pinstripe pants, black & white striped heeled-boots, a white long-sleeved blouse, and a long black coat over it all. She also had on a black ruby-studded choker collar for the occasion, which her mother and father had given her for a past birthday (plus it matched her eyes very well). The door opened, revealing a petite blonde woman and husky blonde man in the doorway.
"Is Ron ready?" she asked nervously. Ron's parents smiled at her, coffering her to come inside and have a seat while she waited.
"Do you go to Middleton High?" the mother asked, carefully looking Vicki over.
"Yes. I'm the same grade as Ron. We have a couple of classes together too."
At that moment, Ron came hopping down the stairs with Rufus bounding right behind at his heels. He was dressed in plain black jeans, some nice black dress shoes, and a red dress shirt. His hair remained the untamable flaxen mane, which Vicki had always seen, and secretly was one of the features of his she'd deemed a favourite.
"Let's get-a-going!" he said excitedly, obviously unable to fully contain his anticipation for the delicious food that was awaiting them.
"What time do you think you'll be back?" Mr. Stoppable asked the two as they headed for the door.
"I'd say about seven-thirty," Vicki answered.
"Ok. You two have fun, ok?" Mrs. Stoppable waved them goodbye from the doorway before closing it.
"Whoa! Nice ride, V.B.!" Ron exclaimed when he got a good look at Vicki's car. She blushed a bit, flattered that he liked the truck.
"Off we go," she said, starting up the car as they both buckled up. Then she drove off down the road towards the restaurant/shopping district, into the night that would change the rest of Vicki's life before she'd know it.