Amber lookedaway from the rusted blue sedan to find her bus. She did not noticethat the owner of the sedan was trotting up behind her, trying tocatch up to her lengthy, quick stride. As her bus came into view,Amber sighed and made her way towards the open maw of the yellowmonstrosity.
“Amber,wait up,” came a shout from behind her.
She turned tosee Greg bounding up to her. His shaggy dark hair was half-hiddenunder a backwards blue cap and his blue windbreaker was still opendespite the snow blowing around him. She paused with a sense ofrelief. Maybe he would offer to drive her home so Russell would nottry to stalk her again. He still had not taken the obvious hintsthat she was not interested and still bombarded her with giftsevery Valentine’s Day since the rose-incident in grade nine.
“Wherehave you been all day?” Amber asked in an accusing tone.
“I’msorry, but I was nervous,” Greg admitted.
He tucked hishands into his pockets and stared down at his shuffling feet. Thepose looked awkward on his tall frame and Amber could not help butsmile. Then his words hit her and she wondered what he would haveto be nervous about.
“Nervous?” Amber questioned her thoughts.
“Yeah,”Greg affirmed.
Amber refrainedfrom rolling her eyes at the comment that did nothing to answer heractual question. Greg swallowed hard and she saw that he wasshifting his weight from foot to foot as his shoulders ducked downa bit. Nervous was an understatement, he seemed out-rightpetrified.
“What areyou nervous about?” Amber enquired with a curious tilt to herhead.
“Well,you, actually,” Greg confessed with a blush.
“Me?”Amber questioned in awe.
“Yeah, Iwanted to talk to you all day but every time I tried to I would getall sweaty and my stomach started to flip flop. Then I decided toheck with it and yeah,” Greg explained as he smiledlightly.
“Okay,”Amber tried with a confused blink.
“Do youwant to go out to dinner tonight?” Greg finally burstout.
Amber notedthat he looked relieved. She smiled at him and wondered why hewould be so nervous about asking her out to dinner. They had dinnerat each other’s houses all the time and just because it wasValentine’s Day did not make their friendly dinners anydifferent.
“Ofcourse, but we have dinner all the time together. There’s no needto be nervous. Is your mom making pork chops tonight?” Amberallowed herself a small giggle at his foolish behavior.
He stared ather for a long moment as if he just spotted a rare and new kind ofanimal that should be watched with caution. Amber blinked andfrowned lightly.
“Um, Iwas thinking more of just the two of us. At a restaurant. Alone. OnValentine’s Day,” Greg managed to get out in stutteringsentences.
It finallyclicked to Amber on why he was so nervous. He was asking her out ona date, not to dinner at his house with his family. She suddenlyfelt the fluttery feeling in her stomach that he must have beenfeeling all day.
“Oh,”Amber merely muttered in wonder.
“So, isthat a yes or a no?” Greg tried to joke as he cleared histhroat.
Amber felt herheart leap into her throat then start pattering uncontrollably. Herpalms began to sweat and she hoped the books and notes she heldagainst her chest would not be ruined because of the excessmoisture. Heat rose to her cheeks and she burst into a sunnygrin.
“That’s ayes,” Amber tittered and nodded.
“Good,I’ll pick you up at 6, okay?” Greg breathed out lookingexceptionally happy.
“It’s adate,” Amber happily laughed and gave him a quick hug beforeboarding the bus.
Neither noticedRussell watching from his perch on the raised seats of the bus.When Amber virtually skipped inside he hunched down into his seatand watched her pass and sit with one of the girls she normallytalked to. Happy squealing came next and Russell scowled. He glaredat Greg as the other teen high-fived one of his friends and joggedtowards his car with an elated grin on his face.
“Oh Godwhat am I going to do about this mess?” Amber wailed to herself asshe looked at her face in the mirror.
Her make-up waslight: only mascara and a bit of lip gloss. The knee-length reddress had been saved from its wrinkles with quick ironing skills.Even her shoes seemed to be sparkling along with the simple heartshaped earrings and heart shaped pendant on its silver chain. Theproblem was her misbehaving hair.
“Mom,help!” Amber shouted miserably from the bathroom.
She heardshuffling in the hall and turned in time to see her mother pop herhead into the bathroom door. The older blond burst into a happygrin and her blue eyes lit in mirth.
“Oh honeyyou look lovely,” mother exclaimed and wrapped her into ahug.
“Myhair’s a mess,” Amber bemoaned again and pulled at a strand ofmischievous locks.
Mother pulledback from the hug and stared at Amber with consideration. Shefrowned slightly then gestured for Amber to sit on the closed lidof the toilet. Amber felt the brush run through her hair a coupleof times then mother set to work with the unruly blond locks withher hands.
“Younever should have chopped it all off in one go,” mother sighedout.
“I know,I know, I’ll never listen to my friends again,” Amber moaned infrustration.
“Thishappened to me too, I chopped it all off at once and it curled justlike yours did,” mother explained as she worked a bit of stylingfoam into the curls in front of her.
“Youcould have warned me,” Amber muttered with a scowl.
“Well Ididn’t expect you to come back with two feet of hair missing. I wasthinking a few inches,” mother sighed out as the curls began totame under her hands.
“I know,I know, but this is a date with Greg, I can’t look allwild-nature-chick on him,” Amber groused.
Mother laughedat the thought and finally smoothed down the rest of the lengthycurls under her hands. They heard the baritones of two malestalking downstairs and Amber gasped as mother released
