“Where are we going?” I complain as Hilary leads me somewhere, covering my eyes so I can’t see.

We didn’t drive that far, but then when we got to this park she made me get out and walk. The last ten minutes of the walk she made me close my eyes. I have been trying hard not to fall on my face since.

“Almost there,” Hilary giggled.

I stumble down some steps and feel the air change around me, getting colder. It gets darker, the sun blocked out. My steps scrape against concrete and break twigs.

“Okay,” she moves her hands.

“Whoa…” I look around the abandoned underground skate park.

Every surface covered in spray-painted art and tags. There is a corner where Christmas lights light up a blanket, an ice chest, and a picnic basket. We walk over to it and sit down, giving me a great view of everything.

“Ta-da.” She says.

“Hilary, this is amazing. So cool.” I say in awe.

She giggled.

As I admired all the works, looking at all the empty spaces left, I imagined what I would do if I had paint to leave my mark. Hillary unloaded the basket. The sound of a shaking spray paint can make me turn to look at her.

“I figured after we eat, we could mark that spot over there.” She pointed.

I followed her finger to a bowl ramp where one side was still mostly blank. I smiled,

“Yeah, that would be awesome,” I said.

“So what do you think? Did I do good?” she asks.

“This is perfect, how did you find this place?” I ask.

“I know people.” She smiled.

God, she’s so cute.

“I made everything from scratch, hope you like.” She said.

I turned to inspect the food and was greeted with fruit punch and chicken salad sandwiches with cheese and crackers with small grapes for the side item. For dessert she made cheesecake.

She grabbed a paper plate and loaded it up for me before pouring me something to drink. Then she served herself and waited for me to try everything. I took a bite and then drank some juice. I should have known, she’s a great cook too. It’s so good.

“Well?” she asked.

“Why are you so good at everything?” I ask seriously.

She laughs.

I smile and peck her on the cheek. She beams at me, her cheeks flushing. I grab a grape and pop it into her mouth.

“Emm,” she hums in delight.

“I’m going to find one thing you’re bad at, I swear it.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” she flirts.

I roll my eyes and continue eating. She stops me and grabs my food for me and feeds it to me.

“Somehow it tastes even better when you feed it to me,” I flirt.

“It’s my magic touch.”

We both giggle.

“Well since this is technically our first, official date, I guess I should ask you first date questions,” I say.

“Did you google them before this?”

“No!” I feel my cheeks warm up.

She laughs.

“Maybe,” I mutter.

“I knew it.” She says.

“I just, I’ve never been on a date before. I wanted to do it right.”

“So, what advice did the internet give you?”

“According to the google gods, I should ask questions and get to know you. Never make it about me. Stay away from my phone and make lots of eye contact.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay, so question one, what is your favorite color?”

“I don’t know, that’s tough. I like all colors, like an artist I see the potential for all colors to be beautiful if used in the right way.”

“So you don’t have a favorite?”

“My favorite is rainbow, does that count?”

“Sure,” I shrug. “Now you ask me something.”

We pause to take bites of our food, giving Hilary time to think of something to ask.

“Okay,” She takes a sip of her juice. “What made you want to get a job?”

“It was this whole thing actually. You see last summer Zoey and I really wanted to go to this concert, I didn’t know the band, but Zoey did. Her sister showed her. But Zoey couldn’t get money to go so I got a job so I could buy our tickets.”

“Awe, that’s sweet, you’re a good friend.”

“There’s more.” I take a bite of my sandwich. “After I got paid when I went to buy the tickets, it was sold out. So, I asked Zoey if she wanted to do anything else, it was for her birthday. She said she wanted to go to an amusement park, which I did not have enough money for. So I kept the job, worked more hours until I did have money. I bought our tickets, her sister dropped us off, and we had a great time. I always planned to quit my job after the summer, but Zoey was always riding her bike in the rain, and so was I, so I decided to keep working there until I have saved up for a car so I could take us both to school.”

“You and Zoey were so close,” she comments.

“Were,” I echo.

“I’m sure she’ll get over whatever she’s mad about soon. You’re a good friend. She’ll see that.”

I sigh.

“Don’t stress about it,” she grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers.

“Yeah, I know, I just… really messed up with her. I was stupid and let my emotions cloud my judgment. I don’t even care that she doesn’t want to date me or anything, I just want my friend back.”

“She’ll come around.” She assures me.

“Okay, my turn to ask you something,” I change the subject.

“Ask away.”

“Out of all your hobbies, which one is your favorite?”

“ooh, tough one. Hmm, I’d have to say it’s a tie. Between art and writing. I just like pretty things, especially If they sound and look pretty. I really like poetry and writing music. But art also holds a special place in my heart.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s how I met you.” She pokes me in the nose.

I giggle. 

“My turn, what’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?” she asks.

“Okay, don’t laugh, when I was little my mom bought me this spiderman costume for my birthday. I felt so freaking cool. I swear I wore that thing until it ripped and fell to pieces. She has pictures of me playing in it. I swear I thought I was a real-life superhero.”

She laughs.

“I said don’t laugh,” I giggle.

“You’re so freaking pure,” she pushes me down to the ground and gets on top of me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I smile up at her.

“It means, you’re perfect.” She leans down and kisses me.

I kiss her back.

“Are you implying you’re not pure?” I ask between kisses.

“No way, you don’t even know the half” she teases.

“I find that extremely hard to believe.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of girl do you think I am?”

“A goody-two-shoes. You do whatever people tell you. Excel at everything. A people pleaser.”

“Half right, but every good girl has a bad side. Doing what people tell me to do all the time gets old. Sometimes I like to have fun.”

“What kind of fun?”

“Ever smoked pot before?”

“No,” I laugh.

“I have.”

“How?”

“I know people.”

“You and your people.”

“I know lots of people. I’ve seen lots of things, done some things. And when I want to do something, I do it.”

I gulp.

She giggles before kissing me again.

I grab her by her hips and slowly slide my hands up her side. She hums in delight before running her hands up my shirt. I take a shaky breath before pushing her back,

“Maybe we should finish eating before our food goes bad.”

“No,” she pouts.

“It’s your fault, if you didn’t make that food so I good, I wouldn’t want to finish it so bad. You worked hard on it, we should at least enjoy it.”

“You’re so sweet, trying to make me happy.”

“That’s what a good first date is all about, according to the google gods.”

She giggles.

“As long as you’re happy, then that’s all that counts. It tells me I didn’t screw this up somehow.”

“You’re too hard on yourself.”

“Maybe, but I’m still new at this and I just don’t want to mess it up. I like you… a lot.” I admit.

“I like you too.”

I smile.

She pecks me on the lips but before she can say or do anything else I hear,

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I flinch and sit up, locking eyes with Zoey.

What is she even doing here!?

Hilary pulls away from me with a sigh, she and Zoey lock eyes and suddenly I have a bad feeling in my guts.

Something’s not right here, and it’s not just the fact that Zoey hates my guts still for stealing the girl she liked.

The way Hilary looks annoyed at Zoey, like how she looked at Hailey.

Something about this situation doesn’t sit right with me.

How did Zoey know about this place?