School is like a six hour hostage situation.

It's been a long day full of many situations that further my worries that our species might die off much, much sooner than expected. So by the time I walk into my eighth period class, I am in a mood that can only be described as hazardous. Luckily it's Friday.

Being one of the only classes in which I am really forced to interact with any of the dimwits that are in this hostage situation with me, Chemistry tends to be the least enjoyable class of my day. My lab partner, Danny, is….well….he's not exactly notorious for using words that might send someone to a dictionary. In fact, his vocabulary mainly consists of the word "dude." I do most of the work in our labs and he is very attentive to what I am doing, but I'm pretty sure he is only waiting for it to either explode or turn a pretty color.

The ringing of the bell has never sounded so glorious to my ears. I throw my book bag over my shoulder and proceed out to the hallway where I shove through all the idiots that still haven't figured out that choosing to stand in the middle of the hallway--which is meant for walking, not standing--is impolite. I get out to the parking lot and find a surprise leaning nonchalantly against my car.

"You know, you have the Stalker of the Year Award in the bag," I say as I approach him. He smiles.

"Can't wait to see the trophy," he replies. I smile and open my car door, eager to get home. With a deft movement Patrick catches my door as I'm about to close it, "I have a question."

"Do I look like a search engine?" I ask, though I am perfectly okay with listening to his question.

"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

For a moment I'm almost too stunned to react, "I guess that depends on whether you want to have dinner with me badly enough that you'd be willing ask my father for permission to date me."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Just call it my way of being sure that you want to date me and not just get laid," I close the door, this time with no blockage, throw the car into reverse and pull away, leaving Patrick with only a smile.

************

On Saturday I decide to make it a day of traveling book store to book store in search of reading material that will keep my interest. As of lately nothing has been able to do so, but then again, my mind has been elsewhere most of the time.

Upon my return back home I find an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Curiosity is still buzzing in me when I walk in the door and run into Patrick.

"Hi…" I say awkwardly, shock having taken over my body and temporarily paralyzed the part of my brain that conjures worthwhile thoughts. With a sly smile he slips past me and out the door. I follow him back out the door I have just come through, waiting for him explain.

"I'll see you at seven tomorrow night. Dress casual," he says with a wink. My mind is still all over the place, but I manage to put the pieces together and realize that he had actually gotten permission from my uptight, suspicious father to take me on a date. I smile, excitement growing.

"Where's the bike?"

"Turns out that motorcycles are perceived as dangerous, especially by dads that are insanely overprotective of their daughters….so I took my car today instead of the bike to show that I have a proper mode of transportation for you."

"How bad was it?" I ask, almost afraid to hear what I put him through. I think of the shelf full of tapes about pregnancy and the cheesy CPR training videos.

"I'm scarred for life," he says as he slides into the car and closes the door. He rolls the window down and smiles, "Don't let the guilt eat you too much."

I smirk, "Don't worry, I won't."

"Seven," he reminds me as he backs out of my driveway and drives off.