Even though Lily had told me specifically to wear the outfit she had laid out for me the night before, which consisted of a pair of really short, shorts and a pink sparkly top she had left at my house a while back ago. I decided to wear something well.... Something I'd actually wear that was practical enough to wear.

In the end I wore dark blue jeans, my combat boots (of course), and a black and white striped top. I didn't wear any makeup, I rarely did anymore. Besides if I wore makeup it would actually feel like a date, for trying, and this was in no way a date.

I kiss my two fingertips and bring it down to the picture on my table next to the door and then exit my room. I went downstairs in a hurry calling out to my dad that I would be home later, just in time to make dinner and left the house without bothering to wait for a response I knew I would never receive.

__

I was now currently outside of Starbucks taking a deep breath as an attempt to make my nerves go away. I mean I was just a bundle of nerves and I really don't need whoever his name is in my life. But I was already here and why go when I've already walked all the way here? I wait till my phone hits two o' clock before I decided to actually go in.

Opening the door, I am immediatly greeted by a familiar voice. Okay you can do this Annabeth. No backing out now. You know what you have to do. I turn to my left and stare down no name. All I need to do is to just ignore how he sort of looks cute as he leans against the wall with his dark blue jeans and plaid shirt. Or how his hair is slightly messy like he just woke up without a care in the world. Or the fact he looks even more slightly tanner from when I saw him yesterday. That's easy enough to ignore.

Taking a deep breath I walk over to him as he smiles brightly at me. "You're here early," I exclaim.

He shrugs one shoulder before glancing down at his phone. "And you're prompt." Obviously. "So do you want to order?" I nod. As soon as we get this done and over with, the sooner I get to leave.

We head over to the cashier and both ordered a mocha frappechino and a chocolate croissant. It was really annoying when we did. No really it was. He had decided to comment about it saying 'great minds think alike now don't they? That's so weird how we wanted the same thing. It's cute, it's like we're already a couple, but hey let's not wear the same outfits yet alright? I find it cute but very annoying.'

I couldn't help it. I rolled my eyes, almost wanting to kick him down there. Like, seriously? Was this kid actually being serious? Does he have a filter?

We went over to an unoccupied table near the window and sat across from each other. After a minute of silence he finally decides to be the first to break the silence, "So how are you?" I look up at him.

"Really how am I? That's the best you've got to start a conversation?"

"Well yeah."

"Okay well in that case I'm good seeing that I am alive and all." My heart constricts. Although I shouldn't be. The voice in the back of my head whispers, though its echoing and bouncing along my head over and over. It gets fucking annoying. I clear my throat, "What about you?"

"I'm great! Why wouldn't I be if I am alive as well and sitting here with a very beautiful girl if I do say so myself." He gives me a cheeky smile that I just want to smack out of his face.

Our order gets called and when I made a move to stand up he holds out his hands in front of him. "No stay here, I got it." He hurriedly went over to grab our stuff before returning. He put a frappe and croissant in front of me before sitting down and taking a sip of his own drink.

However he didn't notice how he ended up splattering some of the frappe on me when he plopped it down in front of me. Some of it got on my shirt and if I didn't wipe it off it would stain even more. I look around and see the table next to us has some napkins.

There was people sitting in that table but I didn't mind so I reached out and grabbed a napkin. The people in that table turned around with scowls on their faces probably mad that someone was rude enough to do so but as soon as they saw it was me the expressions on their faces disappear in an instant.

The lady closest to me even goes as far as trying to hand me all of their napkins but I give one shake of my head letting her know I don't want them. So I watch as she retreats her hand and lays the napkins back on the table pretending like this encounter never even happened.

I sigh, it was always too easy. I turn back around, looking at the stain on my shirt. "Well at least this is cold instead of hot." I mutter under my breath as I wiped my shirt. He didn't say anything about why I just rudely grabbed someone else's napkins. He just simply laughed, although I did catch a glimpse of his curiosity beforehand.

"I really am sorry I didn't mean to bump into you like that." After a second thought he adds. "And for that stain too... All we need now is to check off room temperature tea or coffee." He laughs.

I ignore the last part. "Its okay it's not like you did it on purpose... or so you say." I raise my brow, sipping some of my drink.

"I really didn't do it on purpose... Anyways I heard your birthday is coming up." I keep my face neutral not letting him know if I was surprised or not.

To be quite frank I shouldn't be surprised, all things considered. "It is."

"Cool! My 18th birthday passed not so long ago actually!"

"Oh really wow that's funny you see I don't remember asking..." I exhale a short laugh, flipping a few strands of hairs away from my face. "But what I like to know is who's the one giving you this information about me?"

"Well you know Mark and the guys right?" I nod my head, tempted to roll my eyes at his stupid question but resisted. "Okay well I kind of asked them to tell me all about you. They didn't think you were gonna show up today once I told them."

"Oh so what am I like some sort of bet? Is that why we're here?" I pester him getting ready to get the hell out of here if he said yes.

"No-" he shakes his head, "not at all it's just that they say you've got this reputation of turning guys down. So when I said I had the coffee date with you they sort of freaked and didn't believe it." I slowly nod my head before looking out the window.

I don't know why I even asked. Hell either way if they didn't tell him about me someone else would have eventually. I really don't know why I was so bothered in how he knew all this stuff about me. Honestly I am so stupid.

Suddenly I remember the fact he said this was a date and I stare at him with a measured gaze. Date my ass how could he possibly think that this was a date when it sure as hell was not...But this could be a little fun if Mark and his little friends think it was and why not let them think it?

"So they don't believe you, you say?" I swirl my drink around with my straw, feeling very devious and happy for this newly founded evidence.

"No they don't." He says cautiously like if I'm some ticking time bomb. Honestly I'm not THAT bad. But if I honestly think about it I probably am.

"Okay then how about you give me you're phone then." He looks at me confused but nonetheless does as I ask. Slowly sliding his phone across the table like he was scared of what I was going to do with it. I roll my eyes, he swears like I'm gonna do something bad. If it was a regular day I would have thrown it across the room or "accidentally" dropped it, screen first of course, before picking it up and whacking him in the side of his head with it. But today I decided to have a little fun.

Snatching his phone I unlock it, wasn't that hard since he didn't even have a password... well I've never met anyone who doesn't have a password, that's a first. I stand up and walk over to him. He looks up at me with a bewildered look on his face. "Well scoot down a chair, I'm not going to be standing here all day." He once again does as I say, shocker. Sitting down on his chair now I go to the FaceTime app and look through his contacts before finding Mark's name.

Before clicking on Mark's name to call, I look at him, squinting. "Well what are you waiting for? An invitation? Scoot closer." He slowly scoots his chair next to me, just a bit. I didn't mind at all but if we were going to make this believable he had to get closer but whatever.

Suddenly I get an idea. Instead of facing the camera at myself I hold it in front of him, that way it would be more satisfying when Mark sees that I actually showed up today.

In two rings Mark answers the call. "Hey Nate! What's up man?" So that's his name! Nate. Well, he does kind of look like a Nate now that I think about it. "I told you she was gonna stand you up. If she won't go on a date with me I honestly could hardly believe she would go on a date with you." Just then I flip the camera my way. He was such a dick to Nate, why would he continue to be his friend?

Mark immediately stops when he finally gets a good look of me. "Oh shit." He sits up from his bed, ruffling the camera as he does so. I give him a toothless smile as I wave to him.

"Mark! Hey! Natey-poo just told me you thought I wasn't going to come on our first date! Is that true?" He looked absolutely dumbfounded.

Yeah Mark, I'm on a fake date with this guy name Nate. A guy that I hardly knew instead of going out on a date with you, who has been trying to get on a real date with me for as long as I could remember. Funny thing is he wouldn't be lucky enough to even get a fake date.

"Um well.." I raise a brow at him as he looks over at Nate who's barely fitting through the screen.

"Natey-poo scoot over more!" I playfully slap his arm. "Poor Mark here can barely see you through the screen!" Nate looks over at me with curiosity itched all over his face. Honestly, boys. So damn clueless. I roll my eyes as I scoot my chair closer to his.

"It's not like I bite... much." I smirk at him causing his eyes to widen in response. Oh don't get any ideas this is all for the sole purpose to cause a dangerously deep dent in Mark's ego.

"Sorry Mark but we gotta go. It has been a huge waste of time talking to you so bye." I quickly end the FaceTime and start laughing not caring that I may seem crazy. After all, everyone already thinks so. "Holy crap I can't breath!" I clench my stomach. "Did you see his face when I called you natey-poo!?"

I look over at Nate, his mouth lifting up from both corners of his mouth his eyes filled with amusement and something else I couldn't seem to place at this moment.

"Yeah not to mention when you said you didn't bite much." I instantly stop laughing and stare at him blandly. That must have been the most embarrasing thing I had ever said but hey it was all a part of the show. But then Nate starts to laughing and before I know it I'm laughing with him too.

After a while we both calm ourselves down. Glancing around I see a few people courageous enough to look over at us, I glare at each one of them and they quickly go back to doing whatever it was they were doing.

Drawing my attention back to Nate I see him staring at me awestruck, smiling. Apparently he was oblivious to my glaring or he just didn't care. "Why'd you do that? I didn't care if they believed me or not... and natey-poo, seriously?"

"Well like I said I didn't really know you're name so when he called you Nate I just went with it. Also at the moment I would have said anything to damage Mark's 'personal ego'. Sometimes you gotta do stuff for the greater common of the good."

"Nathan." He says. "My name is Nathan not Nate. They just call me that... well everybody does."

"Nathan's better... Nate is just overrated." I take a sip of my drink before setting it back down at the table.

I look over at Nathan again who was grinning ear to ear, "Yeah it is."

"Oh and just so you know I will never, ever... In a million years call you natey-poo again."

"Very much appreciated." I think back to what he had said about this being a date. Also when Lily said it was a date. Maybe if I just say this wasn't a date it would be better. I certainly can't go out with him, I mean date him. No. I'll just simply state that this isn't a date and hopefully he will be okay with it and understand without any questions after what I just did.

"Oh and by the way, this isn't a date." I say as I casually grab my frappe and take a tentative sip from it as I peek up at him. He's looking back at me. Studying me. Searching my eyes and face in question. Then as if he answered his own question he also takes a sip of his own drink then sets it back down to only lean back in his chair crossing his arms in the back of his head as he stares at me. Very cocky if I say so myself. I didn't like this at all.

"Oh no, this is a date and you know it. I'll just have to wait till you finally admit to yourself that this is one."

__

We spent hours talking there just sitting at the corner. We talked about everything yet nothing at all. When he tried to ask me personal questions or things about myself I would steer away the conversation as best as I could and he didn't seem to notice or at least mind. Thank god.

I finally decided it was enough and needed to go home, after all the sun was already about to set. He agreed but as long as he walked me home, when I said hell to the no he followed me anyways.

"You know I've never met anyone as persistent as you." I looked over at him. We were already halfway to my house, passing a little park. "Actually I take that back. I have but you aren't as half as annoying as the other guys."

"Oh gee thanks I'm touched." He says pressing his hand over his heart. "No girl has ever told me that I was only half as annoying as the other guys before." He smiles widely when I laugh.

"Take a left in the street coming up," I say.

"Okay, so if you were to go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?"

I raise my eyebrow at him, confused at the sudden change of conversation. "Uh I don't know-"

"Oh come on you have to know!" I shake my head.

"Unbelievably persistent," he scoffs.

"I would rather call it curiosity than persistency."

"Nope, just damn persistent." Again he refuses his persistence by pestering me. He was totally making a terrible case for himself.

When I pointed this out to him he stuck his tongue out at me. Apparently everyone is doing this to me now. By everyone I mean Lily, and just right now, Nathan. His action of child was however, caused me to push him which consequently made him almost fall into a rose bush. I snort. Not really attractive, I know.

"Oh watch the flower bush would you?" I wink at him teasingly as he glares back at me. "Anyways you didn't let me finish, I was gonna say I don't know. To tell you the truth I'd rather be any where else than this town."

"Why?" I look over at him to see if he was actually serious, he was. I let my gaze fall back to the sidewalk in front of me then look out at the sunset.

"This town isn't exactly small but it's not big either. News still travels by here pretty fast, faster than I would really want it to actually. So sometimes I just want to pack my stuff up and leave. Just leave with no destination what so ever... I don't even think I'd take anything with me either." Well that's not exactly true. I can think of two things on my table back at home that I would take with me. Also one destination I would head to first...

"I mean there's so much to see. You know?" I look over at him squinting a little from the sun.

"I don't know." He shoves his hands in his front pockets. "I've always moved around to different places, I make sure I don't get to attached to people so when I do move it wouldn't be such a big deal. I guess I would rather stay at one place and stay there for the rest of my life then have to visit any other place." I stop right outside my house, Nathan stopping with me as well. Glancing at my house in front of us.

"Then how come you hang out with Mark? It kind of looks like you guys are pretty close. Aren't you guys best friends?"

"We are! Best friends, I mean. Even in the short time I've been here I always thought of him as one."

"No offense but you're best friend is a dick." He tilts his head back and laughs. "Actually I do mean it offensively. You're best friend is a fucking dick and I will say it to his face everyday if I had to but I would rather never see him again in my entire life." I say, smiling. A life without Mark. That sounds amazing.

"Yet another thing you're right about. But he has his moments." I nod my head, agreeing. Then quickly shake my head.

"So do you think you're going to stay here for a while?" I ask.

Sure I was being nosy and a total hypocrite but hey it was only natural. Besides if he's making friends now when he just stated he does otherwise then doesn't that mean he's going to stay at least for awhile? I am not asking because I want him here! I'm just curious! And yeah I know how suspicious that sounds.

"I don't know but I hope so. I mean I just met this amazing girl and I don't want to lose her already. I'm just hoping she wants me to stay here too."

"Well you should tell this 'amazing girl' then." He gives me an are you stupid look.

"You're kidding right?" I sigh. Well I can lie to him and say he could leave and fuck off or I can tell him the truth. I went for the latter.

"Well I do. Hope that you stay here that is... for Mark's sake of course. He's going to want to live through you after this date." I watch as he smiles at me.

"Sure. For Mark's sake," he nods his head. Rolling my eyes I turn to my house and walk up the walkway to my house.

"By the way you can't lose me if you don't have me! I'm not someones property!" I yell back to him. A second later a hand grabs my shoulder turning me around before I could reach the door. The sun was gone now but it didn't hide the fact that I felt Nathan's big brown teddy bear eyes bore into mine as his hand touches my shoulder.

"Sorry." He removes his hand from my shoulder before putting his hand in his front pocket of his jeans.

"So can we like hang out again sometime? Maybe I mean if you want too, I sure as hell know I do. I'm really glad you showed up today I thought you weren't going to because of what the guys were saying and how they were basically talking me down. But I had fun I'm not sure if you did but like yeah can we hang out again or something? Well not hang out exactly I mean go on a date. I'll pick you up here you know since I know where you live.... I'm not a stalker or anything cause um I offered to walk you home even though you told me not to..." he trails off, thinking about something.

"Isn't that funny the first day we met which was the day before yesterday... and you totally know that I don't know why I just had to say that. I mean obviously you know you were there. God I'm stupid. Could we like forget that last part? Or all of it? I don't know what I'm talking about anymore. I'm sorry pretty girls get me nervous and I start to blabber and..." I hold my hand up.

He stops talking in command. I sigh. Do I really want to go out on a date with him? I mean he was sweet, hardly knew a thing about me, had a sense of humor which was good...

Plus it helps that he's sort of cute and the fact that he does move a lot so he could leave at anytime works wonderfully for me. This could be simple. An out of boy town and me. Free food. Free movie. Good conversations. Cute boy. Scratch that, cute nervous boy. Screw it. What's the worst that could happen?

"If you quit blabbering I can tell you that my answer is yes and yeah you're kind of a stalker but I'm surprisingly okay with that. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Okay! Does tomorrow at six sound good to you? We'll have dinner and go watch a movie? Maybe if you want-"

"Okay please quit the blabbering I already said yes and I know pretty girls make you nervous or whatever but we're going to have to work on that. Okay?" Before he starts to blabber again I turn and leave, not bothering on waiting for a response back from him.

"Okay! Goodnight! I'll see you tomorrow!" Nathan calls after me. I wave goodbye while still walking to my front door. As I'm opening the door I hear Nathan yell, "Guess that means you admit that this was a date!" I turn around to look at Nathan who still is in the same spot looking at me cheerfully.

"I admit no such thing and it doesn't mean that tomorrow is one either!" I yell back smiling despite myself.

"Oh we'll see about that!" He smiles widely, as if accepting the challenge. I roll my eyes and walk inside my house. Closing my door slowly watching his retreating figure walk away.

Oh Annabeth what the hell did you just agree to?

________________________________End of Chapter 3

Took me a while to update but I had to re-read this chapter and make sure it was at least kind of worthy of an update.

Anyways hope you all enjoy. Until next time!