k a r r i s

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A sleepover was very much needed. My first official date with Calum was tomorrow and my brain was all over the place. So I called Berkley to get her butt over to my house, and lucky for me Sophie was in town visiting her parents. The two boy-experienced girls were sprawled across my bed devouring boxes of pizza and washing it down with copious amounts of soda, as they coached this coach.

"I think the biggest piece of advice I can give you," Berkley began, taking another huge bite out of the pizza in her hand, "is not to lose your shit."

"What?" I cocked my head to the side, reaching over to grab another cookie.

"You do have a tendency to freak out," Sophie added with a playful smirk. "Whenever something remotely kilig happens, your brain fires up like you've been challenged to a really difficult math problem." 

(translation: super excited; feeling giddy)

"I do not!" I crossed my arms in a huff.

"Uh, yea you do," Berkely insisted, smiling incredulously. "Remember when we watched The Fault in Our Stars and you couldn't stop freaking the freak out when Hazel and Gus went on their date during the Amsterdam scenes?"

I didn't have a rebuttal, because alas, my best friend and my sister from another mister were indeed correct. I couldn't help being like this: a hopeless romantic who was plagued with such incredibly strong emotion whenever something remotely cute happened. Granted, those cute moments were never directed towards me, and instead I vicariously lived through the love life of nonfictional characters.

"Fine," I grumbled, snatching another Oreo from the tray and taking a bite, "you're right. I just gotta learn how to breathe and not over-think things."

"Karebear," Sophie sighed, sending me an assuring smile, "I think you'll be fine. From what you've told me about Calum, he seems sweet."

"I'm so awkward. A blender would probably be a more suitable date for Cal," I groaned, falling back onto the carpet.

Awkward wouldn't even be the perfect start to describe myself when it comes to my not-so-smooth interaction with cute boys. If it weren't for the determination to beat Brampcrest in hockey, I would've already melted into a pool of extreme awkwardness and hormones after any eye contact with the boys on the Willowridge hockey team.

"Just be you," Berkley advised.

Her statement was so simple, and should be easy to follow, but for a girl like me it wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"Don't give me that look," Berkley continued, raising a brow and that Latina fire was igniting all over again. "I get it, okay? Being yourself can be hard at school, especially when Tegan prances around the halls look fine as fuck. But what makes her so hot, is because she's confident. And that's something you need to work on."

"Berkley is right," Sophie agreed, "you shine in academics-- that's when you're the most confident. But when it comes to things outside of math, science, and hockey, you cower in the shadows."

"Have you seen me?" I mumbled, dropping my chin to my chest. I took a big exhale, "it's hard being confident at Willowridge when looks and wealth dominate."

"I hope you're not saying you're ugly," Berkley sassed.

"Well, I don't look like you," I declared, before pointing a finger at Sophie, "or you."

"But you look like you, and you are one of the most beautiful wonders of the world," Sophie's words were seamless as they flowed from her mouth.

No hesitation, no thought to it. It was as if her statement was fact; as if it were a topic she studied. If at any point in her declaration did she falter, I would've automatically assumed she spoke highly of me only because she was my friend; because she was obliged to. But her eloquence was credible, and that was the reason why I believed her.

The rest of the evening with Sophie and Berkley consisted of continual coaching. They brought up several situations and talked me through them. And because this was Sophie and Berkley, they of course already picked out my outfit. But in between all the advising, we did leave plenty of room in the night to sing and dance around like we were creating our own music video. It was simple moments like these did I really cherish. Despite switching schools, having a rough time adjusting, and missing Gabe everyday, I was still very much thankful to have friends like Berkley and Sophie to be the backbone I didn't know I needed.

"Hey,"

I heard a whisper as a draught of warm air fanned against the side of my face and tickling the skin. Grumbling, I rubbed the area and kept my eyes shut. I knew exactly who was trying to disturb my slumber. It wasn't because I recognized her voice, nor was it because her signature perfume wafted into my nostrils. I knew for a fact that this was the evil workings of my best friend Berkley.

Ever since we were children, Berkley was always the one to wake up before me at sleep overs. Sometimes during slumber parties with our classmates, she'd wake me up before sunrise, begging me to sneak outside and watch the sunrise with me while our other friends peacefully slept inside. Berkley was a wildfire, a strike of lightning, and while being a night owl seemed like it'd be her thing, my best friend thrived for the early morning hours.

"Wake up dude," the whisper grew louder, and I tried my best to ignore it. I just wanted to peacefully sleep.

"There are waffles downstairs," the voice was almost sing-song, teasing almost.

"Fine," I groaned, sitting up in my bed and squinting my eyes open. When my fuzzy vision came into full focus, I was met with Berkley who sat cross legged on my bed with a huge smile on my face.

"I knew I'd get you up at the mention of waffles," Berkley giggled.

"What time is it?" I groggily asked.

"8:30 and didn't Calum say he was going to pick you up at 10:30?"

My eyes widened in realization. How the heck could I forget when I spent the entire night talking about him? How could I let slip my mind that I would be spending the day with Calum a.k.a. the day I will probably die due to my extreme awkwardness?

"Aw nuckin' futs!" I jolted out of bed, tripping over my blankets in the process, and almost slamming face first onto the floor. But almost cracking my skull open didn't faze me. What did send me close to the edge however, was the idea of Calum.

I held onto my head, pacing around my room in attempt to ebb the anxiety that was rapidly creeping up on me. Was I actually prepared to spend time with Calum?

One on one.

Not in hockey gear.

Alone.

Just us.

"Nuckin' futs! Nuckin' futs!" I crumbled onto the floor into a fetus position, hoping the world would close in on me. It was a dramatic thought, I know. But what was once excitement, had now morphed into absolute terror.

"Dude!" Berkley grabbed ahold of my body, hovering over me with a quizzical expression painted on her face. "Calm down! You'll be fine! Calum isn't a total asshole like some of the other guys at Willowridge. He already likes you as the weirdo you are, which is why you're going out with him in the first place. So put on your big girl pants, eat some breakfast, get ready, and have the best Saturday you've had in a long time."

I laid there looking up at my best friend with a continuous pout on my face. It wasn't until she sent me a reassuring and supportive smile did I sigh and my pout turned into a small grin. Berkley, once again, was right-- and was able to bring confidence in me better than anyone could ever do.

"Are they blueberry waffles?" I questioned.

Berkley chuckled, "with white chocolate chips, your favorite."

I held out my hand for my best friend to take. She grasped ahold of it and helped me off of the ground. Together, we descended the stairs and into the kitchen where Sophie was working her magic. With my mother's apron around her waist, Sophie danced around the kitchen with a spatula in her hand as she sang classic Disney songs.

The rest of the morning was smooth. I had the best breakfast ever, with some of my best friends ever. When my mom came by for her morning coffee, she was pleased to see me in absolute bliss as oppose to desolation. After breakfast, I let Sophie and Berkley help me get ready because if it were up to me, I'd wear jeans, a sweater, and call it a day.

Buzz. Buzz.

"Karris," Sophie's voice was sing-song, as her million dollar smile brightened her face with excitement. She held up my phone, waving it in the air. "It's your future boyfriend."

My eyes widened and I lunged for my phone. In my hands, I opened up my text messages to see a new one from Calum. It was simple, no more than five words, but it was a message that had my stomach tying into knots.

From: Number 13 - 10:19 AM
See you in 10 :)

I sent back a thumbs up emoji before slipping my phone into my purse. I turned around to gaze at my friends, nerves prickling my skin as the seconds flew by. My mind went back to last night, trying to remember everything I learned about boys, how to act, what to say. It was all so confusing to me, and I wasn't sure I retained all the information. Give me a mathematical word problem and I'll have that figured out in no time, but boys, there was no formula.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Berkley grabbed my hand and pulled me towards my full-length mirror. She stood behind me with her hands on my shoulder, "look at yourself."

I followed her orders, gazing at the reflection before me. I still looked the same; there was no Cinderella moment. Yes, behind my glasses I had a little more eye makeup than usual, and the white peasant top that adorned my body did show some shoulder, but other than that, all I saw was me-- Karris Villanueva.

Nerd.

Awkward.

Not Calum's type.

"I know what you're thinking," Sophie stepped in, resting her chin on my bare shoulder, "but you shouldn't let your mind be consumed in something that isn't true. You're Karris Villanueva and you're more than just a nerd."

"You're kind, you're generous, you're intelligent, and most importantly you're you," Berkley stated with confidence, "and that is the best part about my best friend."

I turned my body away from the mirror to give Berkley and Sophie a group hug. I wished they could come with me on this date with Calum, coaching me as the day went on, but if I were to ever get better at talking to cute boys, I had to learn how to walk without my friends holding my hand.

As we separated from our friendly embrace, the girly giggles that escaped our mouths were soon interrupted by the doorbell. It rang loud and proud in our ears, echoing through out the house like it were on surround sound.

I gasped, my eyes wide as they darted to the window, "he's here."

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This chapter has seriously been long awaited and I am so sorry about the long wait! Thank you so much for being patient with me.

Life is so weird and so unpredictable at times. I really am sorry for making you guys wait so long for this chapter. I am hoping to have more time in the future to write. I love writing and I love that you all enjoy my stories as much as I love creating them. Thank you all so much! Love you to pieces!! I'll continually go through this chapter to do some minor editing-- grammatical and spelling also adding some photos/gifs in each chapter.

Please do continue to like, comment, and share with all your friends! Thank you guys again!!