Wildton's Pub is a half-restaurant half-bar down in the heart of town. The food is decent, the drinks are good, and there's a neat section in the back that has tabletop games, darts, and televisions. I've been to it a few times with Ari, Brent, and Leah.
Honestly, it's not a bad location to choose for a first date.
I pull up to the pub a few minutes early. It's a bad habit of mine inherited from my father's mentality of "better to be an hour early than a minute late."
Thankfully, I have my phone, which has Internet access. I pass the time browsing Pinterest, looking at delicious home cooked meals to try to get my appetite up. Even Asian food - my favorite - can't relieve the nauseous, uncomfortable feeling I have right now as I wait for Brent's friend to show up.
I still can't believe I agreed to this. I'm here, willingly going out on a date with a guy. I'm not even attracted to guys.
What am I thinking?
"You must be Ashlynn," I finally hear a voice say. I look up and see a very tall young man with short, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes looking down at me. I don't recognize him from my year, so he must be a grade higher than me. He's tan, fit, and basically looks like a Hollister model. I can see why Brent suggested him. His looks alone would be enough to temp most girls.
I glance down at my phone. He's right on time.
"You must be Kyle," I say back. He flashes me a grin. His teeth are pure white, perfectly straight, and he has deep dimples on his cheeks. The more I see of him, the more stereotypically handsome I realize he is. Even his voice is resonant and comforting. He motions for me to stand up and opens the door for me.
"Why were you waiting out there? You could have gone ahead and gotten a table. I would have recognized you since Brent told me to look for the prettiest girl in the building," he flirts. I nod uncomfortably. This is probably the part where I flirt back and tell him he's the most handsome man in the building.
He probably is, but handsomeness isn't really to my taste, so I just walk toward the table with him. He pulls out my chair for me and - while I appreciate the gesture - it feels a little too chivalrous. I would much rather he let me open my own doors and sit in a chair myself.
When the waitress - a cute, short girl maybe a year or two younger than me - comes up to us, Kyle orders us two lemonades. I don't really have the heart to tell him I don't like lemonade all that much.
"What do you want to do after high sch-?" I ask him, trying to avert my eyes away from our waitresses adorable freckled face and dimpled smile. He answers before I even finish my question.
"Become a doctor. That's what my parents did, so it just makes sense for me to do it, too. Plus I can get a pretty good scholarship through sports," he explains.
Silence sits between us. I feel relieved when the waitress brings the drinks to the table. She asks for our food orders and, even though I want a bacon cheeseburger, Kyle orders me a chicken Caesar salad.
So, tell me ab-" I start, eager to talk about anything to break the silence, but I notice Kyle is looking at two people a few tables away from us. They're two boys, just a little younger than we are, cuddling together in a booth. "Are you okay?" I ask.

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Seven Dates
Teen FictionWhen Ash comes out to her friends as lesbian, they suggest she goes on seven dates to confirm her lesbianism before she comes out to her parents. ***** Ash is a teenage girl with a weakness for Asian food, good music, Japanese culture, art history...