Adopting Pride | Rhett & Link

Surprise

I woke the next morning, reluctantly. I didn't want to leave the comfort of my bed, but school was calling. 

The interview was today.  Rhett was wearing a nice outfit, casual enough for a theater, but classy enough to get the job.

I could tell he was nervous, by the way he fidgeted with his hair. No matter how great it looked, he always found something wrong with it, even after I reassured him that it was "perfectly fine."

"No, it's flat," he'd say. "Well, now it looks too big." "Is that toothpaste in my hair?"

"How would you have gotten toothpaste in your hair," I'd ask then, "that doesn't even make sense!"

He shrugged, turning towards me, "Do I look okay?"

I smiled, patting Rhett on the shoulder, "You look great, really. Please stop worrying about it. You're making me anxious!"

He sighed, letting his shoulders relax, "I'm sorry. I'm fine. I'm good."

Two minutes later, we were out the door and on our way to the school.

"You don't look like you got much sleep," he said, pulling out onto the main road. 

I shrugged, "I feel fine."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you forgot to tie your shoes?" he said motioning to my feet.

He was right. I had forgotten. "That happens to everyone."

He chuckled, pulling up to the curb of the school, "Just promise me you won't let that boy break your heart."

I looked at Rhett then, noticing his dad like features. He was afraid that I was getting too close. He was afraid I was going to have my heart broken. He was afraid of me getting hurt.

"Rhett, don't worry about me, okay?"

He leaned back into his seat, "Fine. But if that boy hurts you, I swear to -"

"Dad," I spoke loud and clear, "I'll be fine."

He smiled wide at me, "Okay. I believe you."

And with a wave and a smile, I was on my way into the school.

---

Lunch was thirty minutes away but I couldn't hold in the excitement I felt. Texting Des was one thing, but talking to him in person was another. I could really see his expressions and I could kind of read his feelings when I talked to him in person. 

He was all I could think about during class and he was all I could think about in the halls. 

His bright blue eyes and that golden strawberry blonde hair was enough to make any girl swoon. I anticipated seeing him so much, that when the bell rang for lunch, I practically ran out of the classroom and to the cafeteria. 

They were serving chicken sandwiches today. One of my favorites. After getting my tray, I sat at our table, where Gordon had already been sitting.

"Hey Gordon," I smiled towards him. 

"Pride," he said loudly, "how are you doing today?"

I laughed on the inside. Although Gordon was kind of creepy, he seemed to honestly, genuinely care about how I was doing.

"I'm wonderful," I said, squirting a mayonnaise packet onto my sandwich. "And you seem to be in a good mood." He was reading a comic, and had already eaten half of his lunch. 

"I'm fine," he said, closing his comic book. "Kind of bummed."

I stopped momentarily, looking at him with big eyes, "Oh, how come?"