"Look at Earnest"

"Is he reading that dirty magazine again? Gross..."

Oh sure, like he didn't hear that. It was a normal thing and he gets criticized for it. Boobs are fun... to look at... maybe even touch. Ok, he had a problem.

"Earnest, let me borrow a magazine", teased Trent. "I know you got them-"

"It was in the library!", he snapped.

"Yeah right and Johnny Vincent doesn't go to nudie clubs", scoffed Beatrice. "Nudie? Clubs?", he muttered. "We have those in bullworth?"

The boys laughed seeing as he was slowly getting the idea of a sick plan. "You're all sick!", shouted Beatrice.

"Aw B... Don't be mad, I mean your boobs are cool, right Earnest?", Trent nudged him. Beatrice went red and through a book when he looked his way. "I'm not Lola!"

Earnest was walking to his next class when his eyes caught a poster on the wall. FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE hosted by Ted and Johnny. That was an odd duo, he thought.

He was smacked with something as he was examining the poster. "Hey buddy!", said a rather enthusiastic tone. "Why don't you come to the dance with us! Bring a girl, or get one..."

"He probably needs one...", whispered Johnny. How dare THE Johnny Marcello (random) Vincent has the nerve to think he could talk. He couldn't even keep his. "Maybe I'll take Lola", he smirked.

Johnny glared. "Ted... hold my ring", he eased the school ring off his finger and shoved it in the hands of the jock while he was ready to pound him one.

"Wait, I'm sorry!", he begged.

"I don't do very well with apologies...", said Johnny.

The bell rung and Earnest gently slid down the wall, letting his heart catch up with his brain. "Damn... I don't wanna be late... again"

"Ms. Phillips!", Ted sung.

Earnest rolled his eyes, such dorks... Ms. Phillips was way to old and these seniors thought they could grab a teacher? A joke.

"Hi Ernest", he looked up from the ground. "Hi Beatrice", he grinned weakly.

She wasn't showing much concern for him and got her books from her locker. "Oh! Beatrice...", he said as a plan came to mind. "I was wondering-"

"I will not go to the G&G club with you and Bucky"

You'd go with Hopkins

"In fact, I'm going with Jimmy to the dance this Friday"

Fuuucccck!

"Oh... I mean... what if he ditches? Goes with another girl... like Mandy?"

"He won't", she said. "He could... I wouldn't care..."

Really? He was starting to think she only wanted to hurt him. Beatrice was a pretty girl, puberty kicked in and most of the boys didn't know how to act, her hips got wider and Casey had to double check himself one day of cause she had no glasses. Eyes were just the prettiest thing.

"Or I might go with Cornelius, maybe Melvin, maybe Algernon"

The wound in my chest cannot take this much pain. "You need someone to dance with though"

"I can dance"

Plan B

"You need... um... uh..."

"Earnest are you trying to ask me out?", she read him like a book, if he could stop blushing. "What?", he grinned nervously.

"I'm sure you'd rather take your girls in the paper? Ms. December? Ray is going with Eunice"

So Ray could get a date but not him? Damn shame, curse you Ted Thompson and Johnny Vincent.

"Jimmy!"

"Lord...", the freckled face boy frowned. "Who's that?", asked Zoe.

"Earnest... king nerd"

"Jimmy, I need your help"

"Are your underwear embedded in your ass again?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No..."

"Then what?"

"How do you ask a girl out?"

"..."

"..."

He didn't have a method, he kinda just... what did he do. "I have no idea", he said.

"HOPKINS"

"I don't know how to ask a chick out, Zoe, how did i-"

"You told me you loved me and shit happened"

"Yep... that worked didn't it..."

Earnest had came to the wrong person. "Who are you trying to go with?", he asked.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Beatrice..."

"Give that bitch a science book"

"Huh?"

"Science!"

He thought about what he said and he made the conclusion that Jimmy Hopkins... didn't know a damn thing about asking a girl out. "Hey... you can ask a greaser or- who else is romantic?"

"Juri? Chad? Trent? Norton?"

"Norton?", the two said confused.

"He writes great poems", she said.

"I GOT IT! I'll have Norton write a poem and give it to Beatrice!"

And so the plan was to get a poem written by Norton Williams and pray for his life that he didn't have a hammer near him, cause he swings mighty hard.

Norton looked roughed, dark skin, smooth , pretty eyes. A light brown shade and he was sensitive, he read things, he sat through a romance once at the movies. Norton was awesome. "Or Vance... he's a charmer"

"Alright!"

"Wait a minute... ", Jimmy paused. "You talk to Vance?" He looked at Zoe for a minute until she got up from the couch. "Zoe!"

"Alright... you wanna ask a chick out", said Vance.

"Yes"

"Who do you want", he said in an almost mysterious tone.

"Beatrice..."

"What...?"

There was this long silence in the autoshop and the boys just looked at him. "Well.. she is pretty", he said. "Nice... body..."

"Eyes look good", added Peanut. "She's just... um..."

"What's wrong?", he questioned.

"She's average, put it like this, she is like a well oiled up vintage car, but no one wants it cause it's Vintage! Except for Ricky..."

"Excuse you, big nose...", Ricky muttered. "Give her a science book"

"I can't give her a book!"

"No...", Ricky grabbed a library book that was sitting on its lonesome on a table and proceeded to knife the middle of the pages. "You can't do that", said Earnest.

Ricky shoved the book towards his chest. "Give her. A book.", he said very firmly. "Also... a flower..."

"That's it?"

"That's literally it, it doesn't take five hundred dollars. What are you a prep?"

"Oh... oh!"

It was Thursday, it was raining, Beatrice was in the library by herself listening to the rain hit the building. She had a book open and was writing notes for chemistry when the lights turned down.

She got spooked but didn't think anything of it until music played. She looked around the library, very concerned, it was slow music playing. It doesn't take 500 dollars

"Beatrice!" A disguised voice rolled through the room. "I've come for an answer... to a question..."

"Earnest?"

"WILL YOU PLEASE, GO OUT WITH ME", there was a pause. "To the dance this Friday"

"Really?"

The record had skipped, making that dramatic tension. "Three days... to ask me a simple question?"

He was behind a book shelf on the top floor. He knew this was stupid from the start. Damn that Ted Thompson!

"Earnest"

He eased his way to her with his head down. He had on a suit and tie, black, sleek, handsome. A rose in the jacket. "Earnest...?"

"I'm sorry... this is stupid right?"

"Yes... I'm just wondering should I be concerned?"

"Yeah...", he pulled his hands from behind his back. "Well for this book..."

He revealed the science book. How ridiculous he didn't actually get it, he couldn't believe Ricky got it. He fails at chemistry...

Her eyes lit up with joy. "That's... chemistry..."

"The new edition", he opened the book and a flower popped out with a little note the read GO OUT WITH ME. "Earnest Johnson. You are the biggest nerd ever..."

Three days... he took three days.