the future is coming on

You should dress up too. You… have someone to impress also, right?

I don’t know what to dress up as, though and um... what?

“Then, it is one,” Jamie declared with an even bigger grin. The butterflies and speed of her heartbeat rose at the fact it was officially a date. She nodded as she heard she hadn’t been on dates with anyone else. “I understand. I’m just surprised, is all, cause, y’know, you’re…” She blushed. “You’re beautiful. And funny. And smart. And really sweet. I bet lots of people asked you out before.” It didn’t appear possible to Jamie that Cecile couldn’t have had admirers. “I hope we do. Oh my gosh, I’d love to see you play ring toss,” she giggled. “I’ll be a super supportive girlfriend if you do suck at it, though, and try not to tease you too badly.” She hadn’t even realized she had dropped the ‘g’ word. 

“Cool,” Cecile responded with, really happy it was one. She kind of inched away from Jamie’s compliments, not used to hearing something like that, but she still smiled, even if she could feel her cheeks heating up. “I don’t know about all of that, but I mean guys usually just left me alone or we were friends so nothing really happened. And I never really had that many friends that are girls.” Not out of choice, but she just always had guy friends, most of the girls that started off as her friend, stopped because they grew up liking girly things, which Cecile didn’t. “Girlfriend?” Cecile was unable to say that without a grin and couldn’t help but feel giddy at the word. “Well as a good girlfriend I’d really try to win at ring toss for you.”

Yeah? Do you think I’d look cool? I just thought I might like to uh… impress someone.

Yeah! I think it’d look really cool. I hope it does impress them!

“Well, at BC, I’m known as a bitchy party girl, and that gets me certain benefits.”

“Seriously? Huh, I guess it can’t be that bad if you get benefits out of it.”

Dude, I hate those costumes. You don’t have to worry about that. 

“The faster you answer my questions, the faster I go away, then,” Blake offered up as a positive to giving them answers. “So, do you consider yourself affiliated with any group around town?” 

“Or... or, I could just get up and leave.” Cecile said, standing up.

I haven’t decided what to dress up as yet. All I have right now are the stripper costumes at work, but I sure as hell ain’t gonna wear one of those to a party unless I’m getting paid for it. 

If we do go trick or treating please don’t wear your stripper costumes I don’t think people will like having their children exposed to that.

Well it’s not going to be me. Are you gonna go?

i don’t know, I don’t wanna die. Maybe, though. I don’t have a halloween costume yet, but if I do I guess I should.

“I said socially acceptable. Gotta maintain my reputation.”

“What reputation is that?”

Jamie couldn’t resist returning the small grin back at Cecile; she always got so giddy around her. She was relying on the fact most people didn’t glance twice at girls holding hands in school because it was assumed it was just a platonic thing. It didn’t appear that many people were even noticing them. Cecile’s question had her face heat further. “I think so. If you want it to be, of course. Cause…I want it to be. You’re the first person I’ve had dates with, so. Have you had any before?” She moved a bit closer after speaking, tilting her head towards the other as she spoke about what kind of dates she liked. Her face lit up at the idea. “That sounds really fun. We totally have to go to one together. I could win you one of those stuffed animals at the games.” 

“I want it to be,” Cecile confirmed with a nod and a continued grin. At the question of whether Cecile had dates, she had to hesitate before answering. Jamie’s inexperience was understandable, she was young, but Cecile was already in her twenties. Shouldn’t she have already dated someone by now? “Um, I haven’t,” she muttered, dropping her head, wondering if Jamie thought it was weird. “I never really, I don’t know, looked for dates, you know?” She looked back to Jamie, hoping she understand. “Hopefully we have a carnival soon then. That’d be awesome. Although, I would try to win you something too. I think I’m okay at ring toss.”

So where are the Halloween parties at this year?

I think I heard one is going to be at this abandoned warehouse which just reeks of trouble. You know someone’s going to die there just like ever horror movie.

“What’s the most socially acceptable way to tell a fuckboy that I know how to use a gun and will shoot him if he breathes on me again?”

“I think you should just tell him like that. Doubt he’d bother you again.”

“I never said I was normal,” Blake threw back with a quirk of their eyebrow at the older one’s smile at them. 

“I’d rather relax by not being asked a bunch of questions.” Cecile couldn’t understand why someone like her was so curious as although she was a kid, Cecile couldn’t trust her, didn’t trust her enough to tell her much of anything outside of her name.

Jamie giggled nervously at Cecile’s own nervousness. “Didn’t mean to throw you off,” she spoke apologetically. “I’m glad to be h-here.” It was her turn to stutter as their fingers were twined together. “It is. Especially with the moon reflecting off the water.” Her thumb ran across the other’s pulse. “Kinda romantic. I always loved those cliché beach dates, especially in movies.” She leaned a bit closer to Cecile. “Do you have any favorite date ideas? Or date fantasies?” 

“You didn’t,” Cecile urged with a small grin, shifting in her seat, not wanting Jamie to feel bad for anything. “It is pretty romantic.” Cecile couldn’t help but feel her chest tighten. There was a rush of being so close to each other in pubic, holding hands. Someone might see them and yet it just... didn’t matter at the moment. Who would notice two girls sitting off to the side? “So... are we on a date then?” It took all her bravery to say something like that and even then her voice wasn’t as firm as it could have been. “I don’t know, I like carnival ones. Getting on rides and playing games, that kind of stuff.”

Jamie found herself blushing as well because of being with Cecile. “I just heard about it yesterday. My parents were out for the night, so I figured it’d be nice to be around people,” she explained. “I’m seeing now it was more than worth it to come.” Glancing around at the darkened area except for the bonfire, she hesitantly placed her hand over the other’s. 

“C-cool,” Cecile stuttered over her word, her voice raising a pitch at having Jamie unexpectedly put a hand over hers. “I’m glad you managed to come, Jamie.” She moved her hand out from under hers to link their fingers together. “The beach is always nicer at night anyway. At least I think so.”

“Oh, don’t look so disappointed to see me…” She flipped through her notebook, attempting to find her name. “Cecile.” 

“That’s just weird,” Cecile responded honestly, but still a smile graced her lips at how strange the younger girl was.

“Technically. Mostly here for the people who attend these things.” 

Cecile let out a sigh. “Of course you are.”