Sorry for the late post on this story. Hybrid school is no fun and there's still a lot of work to do =(
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"Wallet?"
"Check"
"Room key?"
"Check"
"Altoids?"
"Dude! I brushed my teeth this morning! And my breath is not that bad" Noah waved off Troy's comment. It was almost noon, and the group had just finished up their morning activity of visiting the Tampa Aquarium. Being an hour out from Noah's date time, he, Jake and Troy were making sure he was all ready to go, while Gia and Emma packed up for a few hours at the beach, where they would meet up with Troy and Jake.
"Always want to be sure" Jake shrugged. Noah sighed, and slipped out a tin of Altoids from his pocket. Seeing the satisfied look of Jake's face, he dropped the tin back in his pocket.
"Guys, I'm all set" Noah confirmed. "I'm just...nervous."
"Dude, she likes you back. You'd have to do something very big or very wrong for her to suddenly dispise you" Jake chuckled.
"Not helping" Noah muttered. Jake sighed, and pulled Noah aside around the corner of the block.
"Dude, you're overthinking this. Like, way more than I overthink things. I know Anneka. We were lab partners Sophomore and Junior years. She seems complicated on the outside, but when you get to know her, she's one of the easiest people to get along with. She loves so many different things, she has so many hobbies, and she'll talk about anything."
"What does this have to do with my date with her?" Noah asked skeptically.
"Because she let it slip that she likes you." Noah stood wide-eyed and looked at Jake.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"It was first period on a Monday. I'm half asleep then. Plus I had a huge game after school. Doesn't bode well for short term memory." Jake admitted.
"Yeah, you do have a pretty full plate" Noah agreed.
"True. But seriously dude, just go. The more you worry about it, the worse it'll be. Just breathe. You'll be fine." Noah took a breath, and calmed himself down. Smiling, he looked up at Jake.
"I'm ready." Jake smiled, and gave him a pat on his shoulder.
"You always were." Jake and noah walked back around the corner.
"You guys take way too long to chat" Troy stated.
"No we don't" Jake shot back.
"Yes you do"
"No we don't"
"You do"
"We don't"
"Do"
"Don't"
"Do"
"Don't"
"Okay!!" Noah said loudly, getting in between Jake and Troy. "Let's not get into a heated dispute over something so minor." Troy nodded.
"You're right. We have more pressing matters."
"You're date, for instance" Jake added. Noah smiled, and nodded, agreeing with his friends. Noah looked over to Jake.
"You sure you and Gia are up for the task?" he asked. Jake groaned.
"Dude! Don't play the pronoun game here! I don't know what the task is!" Jake cried out.
"Dude. You and Gia told Anneka you would cover her shift at the surf shop over our date, remember? Granted, she doesn't actually work today, but she wants to keep the shop open as much as possible." Noah stated.
"Gotcha." Jake confirmed. "Don't worry. Gia and i are more than capable."
"We'll see" Noah smirked. Suddenly, both his eyes were covered from behind. He had no idea what to expect, but when he heard his friends snickering, he knew he wasn't about to be kidnapped.
"Guess who" a new voice asked from behind him. Noah smiled.
"Well, I thought it would be Anneka…" he trailed off. The hands were removed, and he spun around, embracing Anneka in a friendly hug.
"I like this." Anneka admitted. When they pulled away, Anneka tossed Jake the keys to the surf shop.
"Open in half hour, close at four. Short day for today, so you can enjoy the beach some" she told Jake.
"Open in half hour, close at four. Got it" Jake confirmed. Anneka smiled, slipped her hand into Noah's, and led him away to begin their date.
"Well, they seem pretty hands-on" Jake commented, twirling the shop's keys around his finger.
"Totally" Troy agreed.
