Crooked Destinies | An ONC2021 Entry

••blaise••

I look at myself in the mirror.

Normally, on first dates, at least from what I knew from books and movies, a mother or best friend gets a girl ready for her first date. I didn't have either one of those. 

"I don't need one," I say to myself. 

My hair was in messy curls and I had paired a black long-sleeve turtleneck with a pair of skinny ripped jeans. 

Opening my jewelry drawer, I pull out a pair of thin gold hoops with a matching bracelet. 

The doorbell rang and I instinctively look up at my alarm clock which sat on the white table, next to my full bed. The lighting in my room was warm, blending into my peach bed-covers and decor. My full-length mirror sat on the side of the room, next to a white dresser. I smile as I look around my room. It was surprisingly clean, a contrast to the usual mess. 

The doorbell rang again and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. Walking to the door, a natural smile on my face, I open it. 

Storm had cleaned up too. 

He hands me a bouquet of gorgeous daises and I smile widely. They were my favorite flowers. 

I'm going to let myself be normal tonight. Just a teenage girl on a date. No Heroes, no Villains, no missions. 

"Hi," he says, softly. 

"Hi," I say, back. "Thanks for the flowers. They're lovely."

There's a silence.

"Do you want to— "

"Should we— "

Storm smile. "We should get going," he said. 

I nod and smile. "Where are we going?"

Storm looks at me. "Bowling."

YES! I grin. "Okay but I should warn you, if you're a sore loser you shouldn't play with me." I make a show of flexing my muscles. "I've never lost."

"Well then we better make sure you do this time," he says. 

All of a sudden, the awkward silence evaporates. We were just two kids going bowling to get to know each other. 

I punch him in the shoulder. "Sure. Sure. I guess we'll just have to see," I say, joking. 

He looks sideways at me, with a grin that gives me butterflies. "I guess we will," he says.