Fenella’s POVI opened a teenage magazine and saw one of the articles I had read before. It was from three months ago, but I thought it was still relevant to me. The article's page discussed several tips for a successful first date."Wearing appropriate attire for the date location while staying comfortable." I read the first tip for myself.But I didn't know where Lloyd would take me. He didn't say. I thought about just wearing something comfortable. I opened my wardrobe and started choosing clothes for tomorrow. From one top to another and various pants from long to short.A dress? I glanced at the dress but immediately shook my head. I still vividly remember the last time I wore a dress for a boy, and it didn't end well. Laird said I looked ugly, like a clown.Fortunately, now I'm quite good at dressing up after following tips from magazines and YouTube videos. At least better than a birthday clown.My heart raced as I stared at myself in the mirror. I never thought Lloyd would ask
Fenella’s POVInitially, I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't. Lloyd challenged me in every arcade game. We even bet our tickets every time we win a game. Starting from the dancing machine game—even though I was the only one playing this game—skee ball, basketball, pinball, fighting games, and various other games.We also played bowling, even though we weren't very good at it. No one managed to make a strike. Especially me, who ended up putting more balls into the gutter than knocking down pins.Almost two full hours passed as we played games, then Lloyd took me out for lunch. He said the food there was bad, so he took me to another restaurant within walking distance.We shared a burger for two because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish one portion alone. I ordered a S'mores shake, while Lloyd ordered a chocolate milkshake.After I thought we were stuffed with all the delicious food, Lloyd dragged me to an ice cream shop right next to the burger restaurant. We both agreed that
Fenella’s POVI still can't forget about Laird this afternoon. It could be said that I was head over heels for him. If this is all just a dream, I don't want it to end quickly. If this turns out to be true, I want to confirm it again and again until I am truly convinced that this afternoon was not a dream.Laird and I, kissing?! It was my first kiss!I bury my face in the pillow, feeling hot. My hysterical scream might have reached my mother's ears.“Fenella? What's wrong?”My mother entered the room and opened the door. Her eyes widen in confusion as she sees my messy hair and flushed face. I could see my own embarrassing appearance in the mirror!“Oh, nothing, mom. I just can't wait to see the latest music video.”I quickly opened a rock band's online video streaming page on my laptop screen. My mother let out a long sigh as she slowly walked to my room's window. From the second floor, my mother could see something on the street in front of the house.“You should be studying.” My mo
Fenella’s POV"Laird!"I exclaimed, playfully squeezing his thigh. This time, he burst into laughter. Oh, how relieved I felt to see him laugh again. I joined in the laughter. My fingers then tickled him, and we both giggled on the quite crowded bus.Shortly after, the bus arrived at my school's bus stop. I squeezed his hand and gathered the courage to kiss Laird's cheek. He immediately blushed."I'll go first." I waved my hand at him, and he waved back at me with a shy smile.I got off at the still-deserted school bus stop. I couldn't believe that I managed to wake up earlier just to catch the same bus as Laird. He attended a higher-ranked private school that was farther away from mine. As I reconsidered everything, I realized that I was walking to my school alone.I wondered how I could get through the days that felt empty without Laird. Our situation was vastly different from our elementary school days. Everything seemed lighthearted at first, but now I feel a heavy cloud above my
Fenella’s POVToday, Laird had a friendly match. Of course, I watched to support him. I brought the cheerleading pom-poms that I usually use for school pep squad practice. Although everyone was watching me, I didn't care.I was guiding the supporters to prevent them from getting tired quickly. That's indeed the pep squad's duty. Wearing a red shirt and white skirt, I cheered every time Laird's team hit the ball, even though his team still lost in the end.After the match ended, I approached him, who had finished showering. His hair was still wet, and he sat alone in the front row of the players' changing room. I sat down next to him, but we remained silent."Did you come?" he asked."Of course. Didn't you see me jumping around with these pompoms?" I lifted both the red, blue, and white pompoms that were distinctive to his team."Oh. That's nice," he replied, rubbing the pompoms briefly.We sat silently again in the quiet hallway. I didn't know what he was waiting for, and he didn't sa
Fenella’s POVThat night, I cried uncontrollably. I rewatched the tragic teen romance movie with a sad ending that was launched on cable TV last week. The movie made me cry continuously, and I allowed my tears to flow as camouflage. My mother thought I was really crying because of the movie, not because of Laird."Fenella, it's 10 p.m. When will you go to sleep? Still watching the movie?" My mother came to my room."Yes, just a moment."I hugged my knees and kept staring at the TV screen in my room with red eyes. My mother didn't leave immediately. She tidied up my scattered magazines on the bedroom floor to put them on the bookshelf."Mom, do you know about Mrs. Evans?" I asked amid my sobs.
Fenella’s POV"So, Fenella, what was your relationship with Laird? Were you guys dating?" The girl asked me bluntly. Without any hesitation, without any shame, she felt entitled to ask."A secret," I replied to avoid answering Amy's question."Hey, there shouldn't be any secrets between us," Amy said, backed up by the others.They then resumed polishing their nails. I followed suit, buffing my nails until they gleamed, and then they pressed me again."Just childhood friends. We were neighbors in Boston," I said softly."Cool!" they exclaimed."You still had a chance, Amy!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly."Of course. All the girls at school were after Laird, but they would lose to me. I would become the cheerleading captain and date him," Amy said confidently, flicking her hair back.There was a pang in my chest hearing that, but I didn't show it to them. I just closed my mouth and laughed silently. Ha! Let them hope for whatever they want, but Laird won't just switch his heart to Amy that
Fenella’s POV"Amy, let me introduce you. His name is Clark Thomson; just call him Clark. He was always the number one in chemistry class and some of our other classes. Clark, this is Amy," I said besides Clark."Oh no, not always. There were still Jason and Matt, who were more accomplished than me." Clark blushed and offered his hand. "Hi, Amy," he said."Amy." She only waved her hand, reluctant to shake his hand.Amy observed Clark from head to toe. Clark's curly hair was reddish-brown. He wore small, round-shaped glasses that looked smaller than his large, round face. His skin was pinkish-white and sweaty. He was chubby and tall, and his posture was almost always slouched, as if Clark was too aware of his size."What extracurricular activities do you do?" Amy asked."I'm on the Lab Rat team," Clark said excitedly. "We're going to compete in a science competition next month.""Okay, that's enough." Amy raised her hand to cut off Clark's speech."Alright, see you later, Clark. I'll c