"So let me get this straight… YOU… Clara Lovesteen, have a DATE!?" Emily screeched through the phone, her voice hitting a pitch that made Clara wince. "I thought this day would never come! Is he hot!? Details! I need the details!
Clara thought she might give Emily an aneurysm if she excited her any further.
"It's no big deal, Em. Chill out," Clara said, stretching lazily across her bed. "Actually, the guy is kind of a jerk. He's not even into me. He acts like I annoy him. Honestly, I don't even get why he asked me out to begin with… Maybe he's a masochist." She rolled her eyes and flopped onto her back dramatically.
Emily didn't hear any of that. "Okay, but you didn't answer the question—"
She gasped. "Oooo! Then he MUST be extremely hot if you won't say it!" Emily's squeal was so loud Clara had to pull the phone away from her ear.
"Okay, that's it, I'm hanging up on you!" Clara threatened, though her lips curled into a grin.
Emily groaned dramatically on the other side. "Wait, wait, wait, don't hang up!" Emily whined.
"—You're just embarrassed because you LIKE him! You always get defensive when you like someone. Come on, tell me the truth. He's cute, isn't he?"
"No," Clara replied flatly, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest.
Emily giggled knowingly. "Uh-huh, suuure. That's exactly the kind of 'no' people say when they're lying through their teeth. What's his name again? I need to Google him."
Clara groaned. "You are not Googling him, Em. And I'm not lying! He's just… complicated."
"Ohhhh, complicated," Emily repeated in a singsong tone. "That's code for 'drop-dead gorgeous but makes terrible life choices.' Classic bad boy vibes."
"Not even close!" Clara protested, burying her face into the pillow. Her voice came out muffled. "He's infuriating. He acts like he's doing me a favor even talking to me."
Emily gasped dramatically. "Ugh, that's hot. You've got an enemies-to-lovers thing going on! Clara, this is like… fate! He's going to show up on a motorcycle and brood mysteriously at you."
Clara burst out laughing, shaking her head. "You've seriously watched too many K-dramas. This isn't fate. This is me being stupid enough to say yes to a dare."
Emily's voice dropped into a mock-serious tone. "Clara Lovesteen, how dare you insult fate like that. Fate brought you into this world to be fabulous. Fate made us best friends. And fate is clearly shoving this mystery hottie right into your lap. You're welcome."
"Wow. Fate must be bored," Clara muttered dryly.
"Clara!" Emily scolded. "Dates are supposed to be fun! Even if it's awkward or weird, it's an experience. You've gotta start saying yes to things more. This is your year!"
"My year for what? Bad decisions?"
"Yes!" Emily said without hesitation. "Bad decisions, good stories, cute boys, all of it! You've been holed up in your little study bubble for too long. You're gorgeous, Clara! If you don't take risks now, when will you?"
Clara sighed, staring at the shadows on her ceiling. Emily's enthusiasm always made her feel lighter, like everything could be a little magical if she just leaned into it. But her relentless energy could also be exhausting. Either way, Clara admired the way Emily saw the world. To Emily, soulmates were a fact of life and fate was inevitable. She believed every person had one perfect match that they were destined to be with by some magical force.
Clara, on the other hand, wasn't so easily convinced.
"Maybe I'm just too much in my own head," Clara muttered, tracing the patterns of shadow and light on her ceiling. Outside her window, a thin tree swayed, branches painting long fingers across her walls.
She wanted to believe in magic, in fairytales, in destiny. But real life was messy and full of disappointment.
"This is crazy," Clara whispered to the phone but mostly to herself. "—But I'll do it."
"Yay!" Emily celebrated. "Clara, you deserve to feel excited about life. About yourself. About someone. It doesn't have to be forever, but I think you've been scared of letting anyone in for so long that you've forgotten how to have fun."
The words settled over Clara like a warm blanket. She blinked at the ceiling, caught off guard by the sincerity in Emily's voice.
"You're really dramatic, you know."
"I'm really right!" Emily clapped back, voice teasing again. "Tell me, what are you planning on wearing."
Clara glanced at her closet and snorted.
"I don't know, I'll find something."
Emily gasped. "WHAT? You're going to leave it to the last minute aren't you?! I'm coming over."
"No, you're not," Clara said quickly, sitting up. "I'm fine, Em. I'll figure it out."
"You're taking the fun out of this! Fine. At least promise me you'll send me pictures before you leave. And text me during the date if he turns out to be a serial killer. I'll bring pepper spray and dramatic background music."
Clara burst into giggles, tears pricking her eyes from laughing so hard. "You're insane."
"You love me," Emily shot back, smuggly.
"Unfortunately," Clara teased, her smile soft.
Emily sighed happily. "This is so exciting. I feel like a proud mom watching her child go off to her first day of school."
"I'm hanging up now," Clara said dryly.
"Fine! Go on, abandon me."
"Good niiiiight," Clara echoed in mock-dramatic tone.
"GOOD NIGHT, LOVE YOU!" Emily shouted, and then the call finally ended.
Clara shook her head, still smiling as she plugged her phone into the charger. "That girl is nuts."
- - - - -
Friday came, and Clara pushed all thoughts of the date to the back of her mind. Friday meant a full day of classes without Emily.
Emily had designated Fridays as her "Self-Care Focus Day," which Clara had no idea what that actually entailed but it seemed to consist of vlogging, sipping overpriced matcha, and posing for yoga shots at every photogenic spot in town.
Clara didn't mind. She actually enjoyed the solitude. It was a mental health break of her own when she could walk the halls quietly and enjoy her own company for a bit.
On her way to her first class she was so deep in her in thought, she drifted across campus without looking. She collided with a broad chest in front of her with a hard thud.
"Oops! I'm sorry, I wasn't looki—" She froze. Cyra.
He glanced down at her, amused, the corner of his mouth tugging upward in a smirk.
"Really? Are you like, stalking me now or something?" She accused, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Um, I attend this school as well, remember, princess?" he teased, a half smile painted on his lips.
She glared, arms crossing tightly over her chest. "Don't call me that."
"I'll see you on Sunday," he teased, his smirk widening as he gave her an exaggerated, mocking bow.
Clara huffed and stormed off, her shoes clacking against the pavement. Behind her, Cyra's laugh followed like a taunt.
"I really despise him," she muttered under her breath.
He watched her storm away, amused. She reminded him of a furious kitten.
- - - - -
Sunday arrived faster than Clara expected. She started her day with her usual jog. The steady rhythm of her feet against pavement always calmed her nerves, and she needed all the grounding she could get for whatever Cyra had planned.
After a shower and an unavoidable call from Emily, Clara found herself staring at the mirror and frowning. She usually loved her plaid red dress and how it hugged her curves and complimented her complexion. The heart shaped front of the halter made her breasts look like the gods themselves were holding them up. She also liked that it paired perfectly with a denim jacket and her favorite strappy nude heels.
Only she had no clue what Cyra's mysterious date entailed.
She twisted to look at herself from behind, lifting her long blonde hair to get a better look. She sighed, defeated. She let go of her hair and it cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall.
"He'll probably want to do something stupid like walk a million miles to a dumb hipster bar across town" she shuddered.
Her reflection offered no comfort.
"No. Stop it," she said firmly, squaring her shoulders. "I'm not going to let some dumb boy ruin my day. This is my first real outing in forever and I'm going to enjoy it."
With that, she slipped out of her heels and laced up her sleek black combat boots. She rotated her ankle back and forth in front of the mirror.
"Stylish. Functional. And perfect for kicking a hipster's ass if I need to," she decided.
She added a mist of her favorite perfume, grabbed her denim jacket, and tucked her red lipstick into the pocket.
"It's now or never, Clara," she whispered to her reflection.
"—What's the worst that could happen?"