The rest of the week goes by pretty fast and I am adjusting to this new school. Luckily, I like all of my teachers, and Nina and I are becoming closer. She is the best friend I never had. 

There haven't been any more awkward run-ins during flag football the rest of the week either, thankfully. Math hasn't been too bad either as the teacher is good at breaking down the formulas and showing us how to solve some of the ridiculous questions in the curriculum, but I don't see how or when I would ever use any of that crap in my life. 

Friday is finally here, and it's triple date night. We all know what that means, spending hours trying to find a reasonable outfit that remotely looks good.  I asked Seth to drop me off at Nina's house after school, so we can get ready together.

"So, who is going to be driving?" I ask her as she is wrapping the curling iron around her hair.

"Well, I think Dean is driving with Phoebe, and then Caleb can drive us four in his car," she says as she uncurls the strands of her short hair from the curling wand. I admire the way Nina is always so comfortable with herself, with who she is.

After she finishes doing her makeup, she glances over at me and arches her brow.

"I have the dress that I am wearing tonight, hanging right over there. Next to it is a maxi skirt and a cute tube top that will look great on you." She points to her closet where a green dress is hanging in the front, along with a long black skirt and a white-colored top.

"Nina, I don't know about this. I was going to wear what I have on. It's comfortable." I gesture to the clothes I'm wearing as Nina swiftly looks up and down at my outfit, shaking her head with disapproval. 

"No way. You're not wearing that, especially on your first date." We both end up laughing, and I agree to wear the outfit. 

I slip on the skirt, noticing half of my leg is on show. Oh gosh, did I rip it? I don't feel comfortable showing my bare legs. The top is a snug fit, making my boobs feel squished in the tight material, then again, this is my first time wearing a top like this.

"Nina, I think I ripped your skirt," I say, apologetically while showing her my bare leg. Suddenly, she bursts out laughing, and I can't figure out why.

"First of all, Scarlett, it's called a slit, and secondly, it's supposed to show off your legs." She laughs in amusement. "And my top fits you good. Your boobs might be a bit bigger than mine, but you have a smaller waist, so I knew it would look great on you. Ryker is going to freak when he sees you." Nina winks, and I roll my eyes. I glance in the mirror, and I'm mildly surprised at how I look. The outfit is growing on me. 

I pray that I don't get anything on the top. I suck at wearing white clothing. I still have my infinity necklace on, and I haven't taken it off since Valerie gave it to me.

"Hmm," Nina says. "Can I do something with your hair and maybe your makeup too?"

 I turn around to face her. Usually, I'm always quick to tell Valerie no, but since this is my first date, I say, "Why not?"

After thirty minutes of Nina straightening my hair and applying a wine-colored lipstick, I hear a man's voice from down the hall. "Babe, we're here," he yells.

Nina looks up at me and smiles, finishing the winged eyeliner. "Perfect," she says, gesturing to the full-length mirror for me to have a look, while she goes to open her bedroom door. I look into the mirror, hardly recognizing myself. My makeup was basic and natural, the way I like it.

A man with light stubble and a genuine smile comes in and instantly kisses Nina. This must be Caleb.

I hear another male voice, but this one is familiar as the door swings open further, revealing Dean. "Guys, come on. We haven't even started this date yet."

My eyes widen as he spots me sitting on the bed. I stand up quickly. Too quickly, and almost lose my balance. I have never been this damn clumsy. Why do I always embarrass myself?

He grins with the side smile he does, and his eyes widen as he scans the length of my body. "Scar, you look uh-umm, great," he stammers as he rubs the back of his neck. Is that a compliment or does he think I look ridiculous?

"Thanks. I'm not used to wearing these types of clothes." I give a weak smile, gesturing to the slit down the skirt, showing my bare leg.

Caleb walks over to me and smiles. "Scarlett, right? I have heard a lot about you from Nina and Dean. I'm Caleb. It's nice to finally meet you." 

What did Dean say about me? I observe Dean glaring behind Caleb's back.

"Hey, Caleb. I've heard a lot about you too. All good things though, don't worry," I tell him.

"So, are you going on this date thing tonight too?" Dean says curiously. I nod.

"Who is your date?" His eyebrows furrow.

 "Ryker," I answer dryly as his gaze lingers on my outfit once more, nodding before leaving the room. What was that about? Does he not want me to go?

I follow him out of the bedroom and find Nina, while Dean and Caleb start talking.

"Hey, Dean didn't know I was coming. Does he not want me to come? He asked who my date was, and when I told him, he just nodded and walked out," I tell Nina.

She giggles and looks over at Dean, who is in deep conversation with Caleb. "Don't say I mentioned anything, but Dean is probably jealous. Apparently, he has been telling my brother Jake and Caleb that the new girl is breathtakingly beautiful. Caleb was telling me that Dean couldn't keep his eyes off of you. It seems like he digs your outfit."

I look over at Dean who is blankly staring at the wall and look back to Nina, shaking my head.

"There is no way. He could barely gather the words to say I look 'great'." I finger quote great. I look down at my outfit once more and shake my head again, contemplating if the outfit was the right choice. "I don't know, Nina. Maybe this is a bit much for dinner and bowling," I tell her.

She puts her hands on my shoulders. "Nonsense, Scarlett. I would tell you if you needed to change. I wouldn't let you go on your first date looking like you just rolled out of bed." 

I laugh from Nina's comment, glad she has my back in these situations.

"Besides, he probably couldn't gather his words because he was all tongue-tied. Hearing that your date is Ryker obviously made him jealous. He never gets like that with Phoebe." She assures me with satisfaction, and I shrug my shoulders. 

The doorbell rings as it echos around the room. "Ryker is here!" Jake calls out before he walks back to the couch and continues his game.

Ryker steps in and looks at everyone. "Hey, guys..." and stops midsentence when he sees me. "Holy shit. I mean crap. Uh, you look amazing. Those red lips sure do bring out your hazel eyes." He grins and blushes. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks too. I find it charming that he is complimenting me in front of everyone, but each set of eyes were on us, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I smile at Ryker, and from the corner of my eye, I see Dean nod to Ryker as he sits on the arm of the couch with both hands in his pockets. Calen and Nina both look at Dean and then back at each other. Caleb just shrugs his shoulders.

"Thanks, Ryker," I say quietly. Ryker walks over to me and puts his arm out, gesturing for our arms to link. He is smirking and arches his brows. "Well' shall we beautiful?" He says to me, flirtatiously. Caleb grabs his keys while Nina grabs her purse.

I link arms with Ryker, nodding. Dean seems quiet as he stands up and walks out. "I will meet you guys at the restaurant. I have to pick up Phoebe," he says.

Before Ryker and I get in the car with Caleb and Nina, Ryker yells back to Dean, "Okay, but don't take too long. We got dinner to get to, and we don't feel like waiting for you guys just so you two can bone out." Dean shakes his head, looking annoyed as he hops in his jeep.

We have been waiting at the restaurant for fifteen minutes and were about to order, when Dean and Phoebe walk in, holding hands. I can't stop thinking that while we were waiting for them to get here, he was probably hooking up with her. I feel sick.

"Hey, party people. Sorry, we're late. I had to finish doing my nails before we came," Phoebe says, showing us her freshly painted purple nails. 

I usually paint my nails a French tip because when I paint the full nail with color, it always chips too fast. I could feel Dean staring at me every time Ryker leaned in to whisper in my ear. He has been pretty sweet and funny so far. Each time he says I look sexy; I feel my cheeks flush. No one has told me I look sexy before.

The rest of the dinner went well and, much to my relief, I ate my entire cheeseburger without spilling anything on Nina's white top. When we finished eating, the guys paid for the bill, and we left the restaurant to head to the bowling alley.