It All Works Out in the End (ch.3)

~Winter Wonderland Dance~1

I went to the dance and joined up with Hanna and Kayleen. We went inside and Greg came up and was talking to us.2

“Greg, did you tell Steve I liked Keith?”3

“Umm….are you going to be mad at me?”4

“No, because he said Keith would probably go out with me and he’s going to set us up!”5

“Ok, then I did sort of hint at it.”6

Keith was walking around all by himself not really talking to many people but looking around like a lost dog, I wanted to cry. I couldn’t stand to see him like that. Everyone told me to ask him out, Greg went to talk to him.7

When he came back he told me that he told Keith he looked lonely and he asked if he wanted anyone to dance with because he could hook him up. Keith wasn’t paying much attention to Greg and kept pointing out all the short people.8

Finally, I got enough courage and I let Hanna and Kathryn go ask him out for me. I pretended not to notice they were gone and kept talking to Greg.9

Suddenly, Hanna was right next to me pointing at me and she screamed, “she’s right here, dipshit!” I went red and looked away. Keith wasn’t looking, thank god! 10

Apparently, when Hanna asked him out he said, “who?” and put his hands up and was all confused and kept asking who I was and where I was. Hanna pointed me out a couple of times but had a hard time keeping Keith’s attention. She'd say, "Amber is over there," and point to me but he wouldn't look at where she was pointing, he'd turn away and look somewhere else or look about 20 feet from where I was but never bothered to really look and figure out it was me.11

Greg went over there to talk to Keith and I didn’t trust him so I had Christina go and see what he was saying. She came running back and was like, “oh my god! He’d begging Keith to go out with you! He’s BEGGING him!”12

We ran over and I grabbed Greg by his shirt and dragged him away, ripping the shoulder and a button off.13

“You were begging him, Greg?” I shouted.14

“No!”15

We fought for a while and Greg ended up saying Keith was stupid because I was “pretty pretty” which made us laugh. Keith would circle around and get really close to me and stuff but he never did talk to me. The night was horrible! Even Hanna’s crush wouldn’t dance with her because they were friends and stuff.16

Monday ~After the Dance~17

~In the hallway, on our way to lockers before homeroom~18

“So, Christina, Greg was really begging Keith?”19

“Not really,” she said.20

“What?!?!?” I almost flipped, she told me he was begging and I went and ripped his only nice shirt, “you said he was begging!”21

“Well, Greg kept saying, ‘go out with her,’ and Keith kept saying, ‘where is she?’ and Greg would just say, ‘just say yes!’ so he was sort of begging.”22

Ahhhh, so Keith was interested in knowing where I was, if only Greg would have POINTED!!!!23

At our lockers ~The Plan~24

“Steve, how could you?” I asked irritated that he gave me false hope that Keith would say yes.25

“What are you talking about?” he asked confused, so Keith hadn’t told him.26

“The dance! Keith! You know! I asked him and he didn’t even know who I was!”27

“Why don’t you try talking to him? It might help…so that he knows you exist.”28

Good plan!29

This doesn’t really have a specific place so I’ll just put it here. I did talk to Keith, two times that day and then about 4 times the next. He was noticing me and talking to me, mostly I asked about things that he was doing, like in art class, what was he making? Why? And stuff about him being mostly Indian…Mohegan, and Cherokee but he’s also French and Irish. When we’d talk we’d both get really red. 30

~February 11, 2003~ ~The Day~31

Keith and I had been talking a lot and Steve and everyone else thought that Keith liked me too and that he’d defiantly say yes. It was defiantly time to ask…again. I wrote a note to him it said:32

Keith,33

Will you go out with me? Let me know in art class ok?34

Amber35

I folded it up and told Steve about it. I went to art class, Steve and Keith were looking at something at Mrs. Reid, our art teacher, drew. I was so nervous and shaking. All I could think was oh my god! Oh my god! I can’t believe I’m going to do this! 36

I got up to him and tapped him on the back a few times he turned around and I tried to hand him the note, he seemed to look at it too long before taking it. I walked away and I was trembling, I couldn’t believe I got up the courage.37

“Hey, I got it! I got the note, Amber!” Steve said trying to run from Keith. Keith kept trying to get it from Steve and finally Steve gave it to him. 38

The tables were different that day so Kayleen, Ashley, and I sat at a different one. Keith and Steve came and sat down opposite us! The whole time I was so nervous! I couldn’t believe it! We were talking about cats and Steve said, “I like the Chinese-Keith-say-yes-to-Amber-cats!”39

I was like, “You mean the ones without fur?” He said it so fast I was confused, I’d heard what he said but I thought that he was substituting part of the name for the Keith-say-yes-to-Amber thing.40

“No, I mean the Chinese-Keith-say-yes-to-Amber-cats!”41

“Oh you mean a Siamese cat right?” I asked.42

“Noooo! I mean the Chinese-Keith-say-yes-to-Amber-cats!” he said exaggerating it so I’d get it this time.43

I was laughing my head off, so were Kayleen and Ashley, even Keith was laughing. 44

The whole time Steve kept dropping in things to Keith like, “say yes, Keith!”45

He never did.46

~End of Day at Our Lockers~47

“Keith might not say anything for a while,” Steve said.48

“Why?” I asked.49

“He hates Valentine’s Day…he doesn’t know what to get the girl,” Steve was totally serious, not at all like his usual self.50

“I don’t want anything! He wouldn’t have to get me anything.”51

“He’s not ‘cause you’re not going out,” he joked.52

“You know what I mean, Steve.”53

I closed my locker and left.54