"I just can't work up the bravery to ask her out."
Carlos and Jay were strolling to the cafeteria after Tourneypractice, which was at its usual. Chad being a brat, Carlos failing miserably to score a single goal, Jay scoring every one he sent to the goalie.
"Well, it's easy, dude," Jay said before he was cut off.
"Yes? What is it?Do you want to play?!" Dude, Carlo's loyal mutt asked.
"Sorry, Dude, not you," Carlos said with a small smile. Dude trotted off, still in high spirits.
"Anyway, like I was saying," Jay explained. "All you have to do is look like me."
Carlos rolled his eyes in exasperation as Jay sped up to talk with Ben about the newest play. He just didn't get it. Who else could he ask, though? He entered the meal hall, deep in thought, and was very surprised by Jane popping up in front of him.
"Hey!" She said brightly. "How was practice?"
"I-It was good. How was…," Carlos tried to think of what Jane didfor fun through the haze of his nervousness. "Your fitting with Evie?"
Jane looked at him, surprised. He had remembered that she had a fitting today! "It was good. She says my dress will be done in a couple days."
"Hey, Jane," he stopped her as she was going to walk away. How was he going to say this? Uh… "A-about the Valentine's Day dance… are you looking forward to it?"
Jane shrugged. "Eh… It's not like I haven't been to one before. I never do anything, so not really." She walked away oblivious to Carlos mentally kicking himself for sounding so dumb around her. Then he got the best idea he'd had all day. He would ask Evie and Mal how they would want a boy to ask them to the dance. He walked over to the table, failing to remember to get a lunch tray and food.
"Hey Mal, Evie. How are you?" Carlos asked them, plopping down next to Evie.
"Busy," Evie curtly replied, her food untouched and cold as she went through lists and calculations on her school portable computer. When they had first gotten them, Carlos went to work, updating them with the latest tech he could find. When he was done, Mal had spray-painted them with their crests and favorite colors. Their computers were the envy of both students and staff. Carlos thought that Mal could make money by spray painting devices, like Evie did with clothing.
"Carlos, aren't you forgetting something?" Mal asked with a smirk. Carlos thought for a moment. Then he looked down at the table. At his absence of a tray. At Mal, who raised an eyebrow as he smacked himself inwardly and got up to get lunch.
"So," Carlos started, when they were all seated with their lunches. "Mal, would you want a boy to ask you out?" Evie's face immediately lit up, and he knew he had made a mistake.
"I would want a bunch of drama, like how Ben asked Mal out to Cotillion," Evie said, staring off dreamily, oblivious to Mal's wince. "And I would want the whole school to know!"
Carlos inwardly winced as well, knowing that's not what Jane would like. He turned to Mal, who tended to be less of a drama queen. "Mal?"
Mal furrowed her brow as she thought. "Well, I would want it to be quiet, like somewhere where we could be mostly alone, and not a bunch of fluff, just straight to the point. If you want advice on how to ask a girl out, don't beat around it. If she wants to be with you for you, she'll say yes, no sugar-coating needed."
Carlos nodded thoughtfully. This gave him a whole new perspective. "Thanks, Mal," he said, hopping up from his seat and walking over to Jane's table. "Hey, Jane? " Can I talk to you outside for a second?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah, sure," Jane said, following him out to the courtyard.
Carlos turned around to face her. "Alright, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this but… Jane, will you be my date to the dance? And then maybe we could keep that going and become girlfriend and boyfriend? It's okay to say no."
Jane was so happy! She had been hoping that Carlos would ask her out for a while now, and she wasn't sure he felt the same way. "Yes, Carlos, I would love to be your girlfriend."