The Date

“Damn, I hate this stuff!”

Bridget almost dropped the tube of lipstick she was applying when her older sister groaned from the other end of the hall.

“Well, maybe if you paid attention during class, Lauren…”

“I can’t pay attention when I’m asleep.”

Instead of pointing out that her sister wouldn’t fall asleep during her Honors Chemistry class if she didn’t stay up half the night talking to her boyfriend, Bridget continued applying her make-up. Not usually one to wear make-up, she went about everything very hesitantly, walking down to Lauren’s room when she’d done her lipstick, blush, and eye make-up, and straightened her blouse and miniskirt. Lauren’s eyes bulged when she saw her younger sister.

“Looking good, Bridge. You did that all by yourself?”

“Yup!”

“So who’s the lucky boy?”

Bridget pretended to consider her response before coyly telling her “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“It’s Mr. Baker! How else would you be getting better grades than me in a class intended for my grade level?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Bridget smirked, rolling her eyes. “I’m sleeping with our teacher and you’re the one who’s grounded.”

“Which I shouldn’t even be!” Lauren whined. “It’s not like I really failed that test; it was almost a D.”

“Suuure,” Bridget purred. “And Orlando Bloom isn’t the sexiest thing on two legs.”

“Yeah, I KNOW, you’re going to see the new Pirates movie and I can’t. Lemme go to the kitchen and get you some more salt to rub in my wounds.”

The chime of the doorbell below them cut Bridget off before she could respond.

“Sounds charming, but my friends are here and I gotta run.”

Bridget was almost breathless when she opened the door and saw Josh standing on the other side.

“You look so good,” she sighed at the tall, athletic brown-haired boy.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” he told her, curling his arm around her waist and leading her to the passenger door of his sleek silver car.

They made idle chatter on the way to the restaurant, Bridget’s comments usually hesitant or pensive, and she did more staring at Josh than talking. When they were seated at the restaurant and had gotten their dinners, she finally said,

“I wish I had more to talk to you about.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I can’t really offer anything when you talk about sports or the stuff you and your friends do … I haven’t been to a party in my life! And all I have to talk about is school stuff or books I’m reading.”

“Wow, I’m turning out to sound like a real moron,” he commented, affably.

“No, that’s not--”

“I know, Bridget, it’s alright. You know that’s not all I’m about and I’m sure there’s a lot more to you than … Bio club and the chemical society. The longer we’re together, the most we’ll find out about each other. So there’ll be a lot for me to find out. Though if you wind up being anything like that sister of yours…”

“Not a chance,” Bridget laughed. “People usually refuse to believe Lauren and I are one-hundred percent related.”

“And that’s not entirely a bad thing,” Josh told her, smiling and curling his hand around hers.

The movie theater was packed but Josh and Bridget managed to find two empty seats in the back. She squirmed inwardly when Josh put his hand on her knee, wondering what that had initiated with other girls he’d gone out, and if he expected her to do the same. A few seconds later, he moved his hand, though, laying it across hers on the armrest and lacing his fingers through hers.

“If anything’s happening too fast, just tell me,” he whispered to her, making her feel both relaxed and more nervous that he’d been able to tell what she was thinking. But when a loud blast from a rain of gunshots on the screen caught her off-guard and she jumped, Bridget was surprised to find herself clutching Josh’s arm tightly in her own.

It was dark out by the time Josh got Bridget back home. He stopped his car out front of her house and made no move to stop her from getting out when he parked. It was Bridget who, after a few seconds of consideration, started kissing him. When they separated, she was blushing.

“Could you tell that was my first kiss?” she asked in a small voice.

“I hadn’t a clue.”

“Thanks for taking me out for such a good time, Josh.”

“Thanks for making it such a great time.”

As Bridget was getting out of the car, Josh asked,

"Lauren's grounded, right?"

"Yup. No computer, no phone, no anything."

"Good," Josh muttered. "Then maybe I won't be up until three talking to her."