"The Cinderella Foundation: Let one of our prime boyfriends charm and romance you or your special princess….. Oh my god," I did a facepalm while looking at their stupid, stupid website. How'd Mom even find this page? Seriously! You'd think the NCA could afford better graphics. As my eager mother described, it was just a site where you could go and setup a date with one of their many criminals….. I mean boyfriends. She refused to tell me which guy she picked for my date so I could be "surprised". Surprised, indeed; more like mortified. I had to admit, all the men were pretty good-looking. Must only let a select few criminals sign up for this programme. Heh, wonder what that vetting process is like.
It was quarter to six and I was doing some pre-date research. I wasn't lying when I said I hadn't been on a date since high school, and even then it was sparce. It was supposed to be a "dinner and movie" date. Well I guess there's nothing to worry about that; at least I'll get some free food out of the deal. Sure beats peanuts and grapes for dinner. I opened a Google tab and typed in "How to prepare for a date with a hot, rich criminal". Most the entries were on dating mobsters. Great. "Mmmmmmmm, maybe YouTube will have something better." Copy and paste! Annnnnnnnnnd nothing. Oh well; I'm an adult, I should know what to do well enough. As I scrolled through the links, one caught my eye. "Ooooooh! How to survive an anime harem! No! No, stay focused, Ana! It's almost go-time!"
Hopping up from my chair, I decided that the next thing to do was to pick out an outfit- I had the anime harem video playing in the background. As I stared into my tiny closet, this heaviness landed on my shoulders. "Nugh, I don't have anything nice to wear….." It was true. Since I started Masters the only places I've bought clothes is Primark and the university store. Nothing I owned costed over forty pounds, and that was a sweatshirt with my university's logo on it. Everything else either had positive affirmations or cartoon characters on them.
My fingers twiddled together as I contemplated my pathetic options. "I could go with my university hoodie, but he might think that's me bragging…" Then again, why should I care about that? This guy's supposedly a billionaire. He probably doesn't give a crap about anything I do or wear. In other words, nothing I wear will impress him. Ok well I guess that takes the pressure off a bit. Still, I wanted to look somewhat decent for our date; Mom didn't say where we'd go for dinner but I bet it was somewhere moderately fancy. The agony continued when I realized that my best pair of pants were a pair of old skinny jeans. And don't get me started on my shoe selection.
Wearing a navy-blue shirt with the phrase "Positive Thoughts" in white letters on it, my jeans, and the cleanest pair of converse I had, I exited my bedroom door with backpack in hand. I used to carry purses everywhere but switched to backpacks at some point; probably when my last purse strap broke and I had to choose between buying a new one or toilet paper and shampoo for the month. I double-checked to see if I had everything in my backpack. "Key, wallet, phone…" As I was doing this while walking, my rooms were going to lounge on the couch with a bowl of peanuts. They noticed me there immediately, both smiling my way.
"Alright. Birthday girl gets to pick the movie," Paul chimed. My back instantly arched and my foot came to a sudden halt; it's almost as if I forgot we were in the same room. "Oh, no!" My mouth said before I had time to think. Jose shrugged. "Sure you can. We'll even watch one of those Disney movies if you want." "Uh no….. What I meant was, uh….." Oh crap! How the heck am I going to get outta here without telling them about my fake date?! I know just how they'll react, and it won't be good. This is bad! Think, Ana, think! And do it fast! It's almost six o'clock! The car will be here at six to pick me up. Hurry!
They watched me as my lips stammered wordlessly a little. "Uh….. um… N-No. I've uh…. I've gotta go to campus!" "So late?" Paul's eyebrow raised, though neither of them looked alarmed. "I-I've gotta get a book from the library. I forgot to pick it up today and I need it for tomorrow's lecture. Sorry guys, we'll watch a movie tomorrow night." "I'll come with you," Jose grinned warmly. My fingers twitched with fear, which they didn't notice cause I was still clutching my backpack handle. "That's ok! I uh….. was going to stay there for a while and do some work anyway. You've done a lot already today, Jose; you just take it easy tonight." He shrugged again and Paul stood up to come over to me. He wore a friendly expression which convinced me that they believed my story.
This pleasant smile drew across Paul's lips as he helped me put my backpack on. "Alright. Just make sure to take the bus if you leave after dark. I can come pick you up from wherever later if you want." This, of course, made me grin back at him in turn. "Thanks, Paul; I appreciate that," my gaze softened onto him. He nodded and unlocked the front door for me. Jose glanced over in my direction from over his shoulder. "Be safe. Have fun, Anny!" "I will!" I yelled back, shutting the door behind me after I stepped out into the hall. Once out of view, I exhaled this anxious breath I'd been holding.
I really hope I will…..