[Justin's Diary at 17th y.o]
Over and over again I caught Mandy's glance next to me while writing in a notebook. As soon as I turned to look at her, she averted her gaze, clearing her throat softly and reading a book in front of her. I shook my head seeing her awkward behavior next to me doing her practicum in the laboratory. Incidentally, Mrs. Powell asked us to be partners in the Biology practicum today.
Her hands moved swiftly to write Mrs. Powell's lesson in her notebook while I fiddled with the microscope in front of me. Since being involved in English debate activities in the Junior grade last year, I started to get to know this girl a little bit. Someone that I think is quite strange for a girl her age. She is often reckless, misbehaving, a troublemaker, crowd-maker, loner, and silly. Her behavior often makes me laugh out loud.
"Mandy," I called out to her briefly, making her attention shift from the notebook to me. Her eyeballs widened when her almond-colored eyes met mine. "I don't know whom to invite. Hmm…" I needed to think of the right words to give him, worried he might be a little offended or misunderstood. "But as far as I know, you like theatrical performances. Will you accompany me to the Jordan High School theater club show tonight? I have two free tickets."
Mandy was taken aback for a moment when she heard my invitation. She blinked a few times, then continued with a faint shake of her head. She swallowed hard. She was a little surprised at my invitation. I didn't want her to misrepresent my invitation, I hastily added by saying,
"As a friend."
And she grinned. "As a friend." She nodded several times. "I like to watch theatrical performances. I want to."
Good. Luckily I found a suitable friend to go with according to my preferences. I wanted to give that one ticket to someone, but she was already busy with her school cheerleading friends. Rather than having no friend to watch and these tickets going wasted, I'd better invite someone willing to watch. As Candice said, Mandy loved theater as much as I did.
Mandy slid her lips in a straight line, staring back at her notebook as I took several deep breaths. At least, Mandy is not like the girls around me who are very obsessed with me, following me everywhere, forcing me to be a Valentine or prom partner, and other things that make me sick. I like girls the way they are. Like the girl, I was supposed to go with two tickets to this theater show.
*
I saw Mandy walking with Candice to the parking lot after school. Before I lost her track, I ran up to her and called her name, making her stop. Candice glanced at Mandy meaningfully while Mandy tucked her hair behind her ear, glaring at her blonde friend.
"I need your phone number. So, I can call you later."
Mandy's mouth opened, surprised at my words. But she hastily pressed her lips together, then reached into her bag to get something in there with such a hasty movement, she dropped the books in her arms. I shook my head, bending over to help her pick up her fallen books.
"Ah, sorry, I'm a little dizzy from too much homework. School sucks." She laughed softly, grabbed the books I held out to her, and grinned.
I gave a brief smile and took my phone out of my pocket. "It's okay." Then held it out to Mandy. "Put your number in there."
Mandy bit her lower lip. Her hands didn't stop moving, shaking slightly as she grabbed my phone and put her number. As soon as she handed me my phone and I accepted it nicely, she waved her hand in the air, holding his breath for a few seconds.
"Are you okay?" I asked to be sure. "If you're sick, I won't force you to come with me tonight—"
"I'm fine!" she interrupted in a high pitch, spreading her arms out in front of me, touching mine. "I'm fine and you can pick me up home. Or… do you want me to go alone? Sorry, I have no self-awareness asking to be picked up." She chuckled.
I grinned. Her laugh was really funny. Rarely had I come across this kind of girl during my existence. "I will pick you up. I'll call you later and you can give me your address. How?"
Again, her lips opened wide. "You're going to pick me up? Pick me up home?"
I raised an eyebrow. Geez, was she from another planet? "Of course? I can't possibly let a girl I'm taking out leave alone."
Candice cleared her throat quietly next to Mandy, which made me turn my attention to her when I realized she was there.
"You can join in with Trevor, Candice. I think he has tickets to the theater show. Didn't he invite you too?"
Candice shrugged her shoulders. "No, we both hate theatrical performances. What's the point of watching ridiculous things with such rigid dialogue?"
My eyeballs rolled upwards. Did she say ridiculous? If she wasn't Mandy's best friend or Trevor's boyfriend, I would have turned her words around with a more annoying sentence.
But, no, I wasn't that mean to Candice. After all, she was my best friend's boyfriend, though I wondered how Trevor could land his net on Candice who was a hundred and eighty degrees the opposite of his taste.
And somehow, I remembered what he said about his relationship with Candice, "She's different from most of the girls I've dated. And I love the difference."
"Okay, I'll call you when I get home, Mandy." I gave a small smile, before finally leaving the two of them towards the parking lot to get my car.