She didn't know how it happened, but it did.
By the end of the lunch period, Shelly had somehow managed to get a date with Kevin McCormick.
Well, it wasn't really a date, but she liked to imagine it in her mind that it was.
Upon leaving the cafeteria, her memory on the events that had just occurred were foggy - she was venting to him about something - probably her deadbeat douchebag of a father - when, somewhere in the middle of it all, she mustered up the courage to ask him to come to her house after school. She didn't know what exactly the two were going to do at her house, but it just felt like the right thing to say in the situation.
Luckily, he had said yes. Shelly's heart was running a fucking marathon right then and there. She had never felt that way about anyone before, ever.
Nobody, not even Shelly herself could have predicted that her first ever real crush was going to be on the poor, unwashed, bummy kid who never talked to anyone. But she wasn't complaining - it only took her a day - not even that - to realize he was the one.
Shelly thought her heart couldn't run any faster than what it was when she first invited him over. Boy, was she proved wrong when she heard that familiar doorbell sound at around seven o'clock. Admittedly, an earlier time would have been better, but she wasn't about to dog on him for that. His house was a long ways away, and his father was also apparently an asshole - something he had told her during their lengthy conversation at lunch earlier in the day.
When she opened the door to see the boy standing face-to-face with her, it was as if she had been tagged in the ass by Cupid himself. He was so cute. He clearly tried to make himself look somewhat presentable for her, having made a noticeable, though unsuccessful attempt at washing some of the dirt and grime from his face. He had also combed his hair, something she was more than thrilled about. She really liked his hair.
It kind of made Shelly feel stupid, since she had done absolutely nothing to make the same impression on him.
God, he probably thinks I'm so fucking ugly.
"Hi, Kevin," she said.
"Hi, Shelly," he responded.
There was an awkward second or two of silence between the duo, but to them, it felt like forever. Both of them so desperately wanted to say something to one another, but simply couldn't think of anything.
Kevin's eyes lit up when he noticed Shelly's mouth start to open, as if about to say something, but the moment was short-lived when Shelly's mom Sharon appeared from behind.
"Shelly, have you taken out th-"
"Oh!" she proclaimed, seeing the boy at the door across from her.
Thinking exactly what any mother would upon seeing such a sight, she said "I'll take out the trash today, hun." "I didn't know you had a boyfriend coming over today," she added teasingly.
Shelly and Kevin's faces both immediately switched to vibrant shades of red, as if turning on an over-the-top display of Christmas lights for the whole neighborhood to see.
"Shut up, mom! Oh my god!" she shouted, quickly rushing Kevin into the house whilst hiding from both him and her mother her totally inconspicuous blushing.
"Forget my mom, she's such a turd," she huffed as she led Kevin upstairs towards her room.
Kevin tried to do as he was told, but he couldn't help but imagine him and her being boyfriend and girlfriend - it was a dream he knew would never come true. This was most likely as close as he was going to get. He would say something stupid, and Shelly would kick his ass out the door, never to interact with him ever again.
Even thinking of such a scenario made his heart sink into his stomach, but it would quickly shoot right back up whenever he looked at Shelly's face.
Boy, was she pretty.
As they entered her room, Kevin glanced around at her room. Of course, it wasn't quite his style, but he was still impressed. At least she had her own room. A luxury Kevin knew nothing about.
Shelly sat on her bed, patting a spot on the bed next to her as if motioning for him to sit there.
"Really? You'd let me sit there?" he asked, quite surprised at the request.
"Uh, of course? Why the hell wouldn't I, turd?" she responded, confused at his question. She then remembered that he didn't have many friends and has probably never been in a friend's house like this before. Shelly didn't have any either, but she has had some in the past, which allowed for her to have at least some social awareness with these sorts of things.
Kevin hesitantly sat down in the requested spot, his butt sinking into the bed's soft and cushiony mattress as if sitting on a cloud. Just imagining sleeping on a bed like this had his mouth watering - the bed he had now, and the same one he's had for years, was as hard as a fucking rock. He would sleep on his floor if it wasn't so disgusting, as it was certainly more comfortable than whatever the hell that 'bed' of his supposedly was.
"Your room is really nice, Shelly," he said.
"No it's not, it's lame," she responded.
"Nuh-uh."
"Yeah-huh. You don't have to say stuff you don't really believe. I don't like liars anyway."
"Well, not that I like you to begin with, turd," she added. "It's just that if you were a liar, I would like you even less."
Kevin's head lowered after hearing that. Shelly noticed it. She wanted to apologize and say that she wasn't telling the truth (which she really wasn't, she DEFINITELY liked him), but she just couldn't get the words out. What the hell was her problem?
"Don't worry. I ain't no liar," he assured her.
Shelly smiled at that. She didn't have to think twice about whether or not he was being honest when he talked. A trait she wished everyone else in her life had.
She just wished he had talked more in general. The boy was noticeably quiet during lunch time earlier, and even moreso now. Shelly couldn't help but think he was hiding things from her. Now, yes, obviously, the two just met, but there was no reason to be this closeted about certain things. The most she had gotten out of him prior was that his dad was also a prick, like hers. She found solace in that, knowing that she was not alone in having a terrible father.
"Kevin, why don't you talk much?" she asked him, hoping she wasn't venturing into a touchy subject for him.
"'Cause I sound stupid. I already am stupid enough, my dumbass accent doesn't help that. I ain't even know why I sound like this, it's not like I'm from the South or anything."
Shelly was taken aback by the statement. Now, yes, his accent was definitely a bit silly, but she liked it like that. She thought it was cute and unique, and it was one of the many things that made Kevin stand out from other boys in her eyes.
Now, she wanted to tell him that. She really did. But she didn't. She just wasn't used to handing out compliments like that, even if they were true. Therefore the only thing she could mumble out in response was a soft "oh." "God damnit! What is my problem?!" she asked herself. She was making it sound like she didn't care, or, even worse, that she agreed with him, and both of which were definitely not true.
"You didn't have to invite me over, Shelly. I know you're just trying to be nice to me, probably because your mom told you to or sum'thin', but I don't want you or anybody's pity. I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to leave," he said, before getting up and walking towards the door.
Now, quick to act about the situation, Shelly shot up from her bed, grabbed his shirt sleeve, and shouted "No! Wait!" protesting his exit.
Kevin turned around and met her eyes.
Her eyes were so beautiful.
Looking into them was like hopping into a rocket ship and going on a distant travel to unknown, spatial lands, full of beautiful, bedazzling stars, each one of them waiting to be discovered - the foreignness of the trip, though still strongly evident, bringing a sort of calmness to the air which made the journey all the more wondrous. In a way, looking into her eyes brought him back to the same feel he got upon sitting on her comfy bed. Sitting atop clouds, high in the air, without any sense of reason or intent, just taking in the feeling of it all and absorbing it.
In other words, it made him happy.
So, so fucking happy.
"N-nevermind," Shelly retorted, flustered by the moment of silence they had with locked eyes. She was blushing, again. Though she had turned her head away, she could still see out of the corner of her eye that Kevin was as well.
Did this really mean what she thought it did? Could he have really liked her back? There's no way, right?
"I'm the ugliest girl in school, there's no way the sweetest boy in school fell for me. It's just wishful thinking."
As all these thoughts played out in her head, the door closed and Kevin was gone. She listened to every step she heard him take down the stairs on his way out. He had just left a second ago and she already missed him.
She sat there for a good minute or two in front of her door, grinning like a Cheshire cat just thinking about the boy.
She knew already that tomorrow was going to be a good day. She would sit next to him at lunch again.
She just hoped that next time, he would open up to her some more. She really liked to hear his voice.
As much as she would like to tell you otherwise, she was head over heels for that Kevin McCormick. No doubt about it.
For the first time in a while, Shelly Marsh went to bed that night happy. Overjoyed, even.
She could not wait for tomorrow.