The Dating Game

TWENTY-EIGHT

Saturday, January 20th

I can't say I'm glad to be going on a date with Chase, but I'm certainly optimistic about switching gears on the mood of our relationship. Recently, things have been so tense and odd that Chase hasn't really been feeling like Chase. I think a date is what I need to start seeing him the same way again—a man that I can almost tolerate.

I wake up in the early afternoon, shocked by how much sleep I'd gotten. Usually, I was passed out before midnight and woke up by seven or eight in the morning, even on weekends. But I guess I've been so drained lately that my body's been regaining energy by oversleeping. I'm not exactly complaining—it's impossible to hate sleep—I'm just concerned that my body will adjust to this new sleeping schedule.

"Hey, babe," my mother says to me with Naomi in her arms. "I'm about to head out, will you be okay alone today?"

Alone? Mom doesn't usually work on weekends; is everything okay?

"Yeah," I tell her, "I'll be okay. Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna start picking up some more shifts at the office now that—" She cuts herself off as if she was about to tell me a secret she wasn't supposed to share.

"Now that what?" I push.

She just shakes her head. "Nothing; that's a conversation for later."

"But—"

"I'm dropping Naomi off at Aunt Monique's for the day; could you pick her up tonight?"

She is acting so out of character right now. "I mean, sure, but—"

"Thanks, Michelle. Aunt Monique said you can stop by whenever; she'll be awake."

With that, she just walks out without another word. Her steps get quieter and quieter until I hear the front door open and shut and I'm left sitting on my bed in confusion. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Dad around since... that night. Has Mom actually taken a stand against him and kicked him out? It would make the picking up extra shifts part make a lot more sense.

Ding!

I glance over at my phone, which lights up with a notification. It's a message from Chase, letting me know plans changed and he'll be here at four instead of five. When I respond and ask him what happened, he just tells me he'll explain when he sees me. So now I have approximately three hours to get ready, and I haven't even fully woken up yet.

With a new fire under my ass, I jump up and hop in the shower. Usually, I would opt for straight hair for a date—or for anything really; I just prefer my hair straight—but since it's Chase, I can't bring myself to care all that much. Plus, after the days I've had, a long, warm shower seems like the best remedy right now.

I finish up after performing my whole shower routine, including washing my hair and body, shaving and exfoliating, and even putting on a hair mask. And while that sits, I brush my teeth quickly and apply some cleansers and such to my face. Before I moisturize, I rinse the mask out of my hair, which marks the end of my bathroom trip, and I can finally return to my room to pick out an outfit.

I have to keep in mind that it's still cold outside; at least for another few weeks. So while the sleek black skirt is catching my eye, I know I need to pair it with some tights or something so that I don't freeze my ass off. But other than that, the beige sweater and black boots seem like a good addition to the outfit. That just leaves my makeup, and the look will be complete.

So, after about fifteen minutes of my daily makeup routine, I take a second glance at my hair. It's cute—cuter than it usually came out—but I want to do something different with it. I always play it so safe out of pure laziness. Today, I'm taking a step; I'm pulling it back into a low ponytail.