Chapter 20

*Dawn's Point of View*

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We left out the store and I was still kind of shocked Jake bought me all those clothes I wanted and he seemed so calm about it and somewhat secretive and I just couldn't let it go...

'Jake bought me all these clothes in which he didn't have to do, like...at all, but he did anyway so...why did he do it?' I glanced at him from the corner of my eye as we continued to walk throughout the mall and after I looked at him for awhile, I turned back to look in front of me. 'Maybe he was just being nice...' I thought about what I just said. 'No...Jake being nice to me will NEVER happen...unless if he was drunk or wanted something from me....' I looked at the ground. 'And Jake isn't drunk....' I looked at him. 'And I know he doesn't want ANYTHING from a girl like ME.' And with that, I had to ask-

"Uh...Jake...?" I got his attention slowly.

"Yess?" he dragged as if he knew what question I was about to ask. He probably did.

"Why did you...why did you buy me....these clothes again?" He shrugged with squinted eyes.

"Just because. We're friends right?" he asked. I nodded with wide eyes.

"Yeah just friends but-" I emphasized. He talked over me.

"And friends do things for each other, like buy clothes. So... I bought you clothes. Nothing wrong with that right?" he asked. I bit my bottom lip thinking about it, feeling iffy about it all. He chuckled probably by my second thoughts. "Haha, it's okay Kit-Kat. It's free clothes. Did you think of it THAT way?" he asked me. I couldn't help, but smile by that comment.

"Noooo," I dragged looking at him as he looked down at me. "But I guess it's pretty cool." He laughed.

"Haha! That's what I thought." Jake and I stared at each other a bit and when I turned my focus back to the front of me, a classic Starbucks was approaching and I had to let my inner girlishness intervene.

"Oooo, Starbucks! We gotta get some," I tugged Jake's hand toward the little shop.

"Seriously? What is with girls and their coffee these days?" Jake asked me as if he really wanted to know. "Do y'all even like it?"

"It's good. Half the time, I forget that it really is coffee," I admitted as I pulled us up to the line. He sighed chuckling shaking his head while I put on a smile and began to order.

"Hello. What would you like?" the guy asked me behind the counter. He was actually pretty cute...like...really cute. I mean he was a barista and a major plus was that he honestly looked our age. He might've went to a different school or something, but I couldn't let my guard down in front of Jake.

"Um...uh....can I get a tall Cinnamon Dolce Frappe?" I asked. "With extra whip cream?" I added.

"No problem, anything else?" he asked.

"No that's it," I added getting out my wallet from my purse.

"Alright that would be $4.65." As I was struggling to get my wallet out my cross body, everything fell, causing all my different cards and cash fall onto to floor and I groan not wanting to pick it up.

"Omg..." I sighed getting down on the floor picking everything up. I noticed Jake was moving back and forth on the ball of his feet with his hands behind his back and he asked me,

"Need some help Kit-Kat?" I rolled my eyes still picking up everything.

"No Jake. I don't need your help," I scold. He shrugged standing up straight again and when I finally picked up all my things and got up...I noticed my recipe was already out and I was so confused and the guy told me with a smile,

"Your drink will be out soon." I still stood there confused and I slowly walked down to the end of the bar while I watched the boy make my frappe.

"That....was weird," I said more to myself while looking at the receipt.

"What was?" Jake asked as if he didn't know.

"That boy! He obviously gave me my drink for free when I dropped everything out my wallet!" I whispered-yelled at him.

"You think so?" Jake asked me with a grin.

"I know so! Besides you saw it! Didn't he??" Jake didn't answer at first and he shrugged.

"Maybe he likes you," he jumped over the question. "Go talk to him."

"What!!?" I whispered yelled once again. "I can't talk to him! He's a barista! He probably doesn't think anything of me except my extra whipped cream," I looked back at him. He was making my drink very precise I noticed and he did add the extra cream as stated and even added cinnamon sprinkles on top for a more instagramic look. "He is kinda cute though...." I told Jake getting lost in thought.

"Then go for it," Jake told me with a smile. "Or at least get his number. Come on, Kit-Kat, what can you NOT do?" Jake asked me. "Stop being so scary." I looked at Jake as he did look confident in me and I kind of couldn't resist against his milk chocolate brown eyes...? Shaking out of that thought, I finally sighed, kind of slouching into it.

"I cannot...believe...I'm doing this..." I rolled my eyes going over to the bar.

"Tall cinnamon frappe?" the guy called for me.

"Thanks," I smiled at him sweetly taking my drink.

"No problem, and hey, don't worry. I didn't forget the extra cream," he grinned at me from the side.

"Hehe, thanks," I chuckled sweetly.

"Hey...um...do you come here...often?" the guy asked me as he cleaned off a few things. 'Omg, a question opener!' I had to think.

"Occasionally. You might recognize me with a friend. She's about my height and she has short curly blonde hair. Deep blue eyes," I tried to describe Charlotte. He brighten.

"Oh yeah! I remember you guys! She told me one day y'all go to Cumberland High across the street, right?" He tapped his chin with squinted eyes. I smiled looking down and back him.

"Yup, that's us," I assured him.

"Nice! I go to All Saints. That private school in the woods," he brushed it off. I laughed.

"Haaha! I honestly thought you were older than high school," I told him with a smile.

"Nah, I'm only a senior. What about you?"

"I'm a junior," I told him. "Still an upperclassman though," I reminded him all preppy like.

"Haha, true," he belly laughed. I chuckled looking at him and he kind of stared at me with chilled eyes. I noticed he had people coming to him in a line and I brighten not even thinking about it.

"Hey uh...I think you have a line now..." I pointed awkwardly to the group of people. He looked over and jumped surprised.

"Oh! Hang on, I'll be right there," he told the brunette girls.

"Alright," they looked at the menu.

"Here, can I give you my number?" the boy asked getting a napkin and a pen out his apron. I gasped happily.

Bet won.

"Oh yeah...uh...sure!"

The boy started to right his number down and I turned back at Jake with a thumbs up and he laughed with his arms crossed with a shrug that looked as if he said, 'You beat me fair and square.' and I turned back around and he finished handing it to me.

"The name's Christopher by the way. But my friends call me Chris." I nodded smiling looking at his phone number and I looked at him with a chilled smile.

"My name is Dawn, but my friends call me Dee," I said just the same. "I'll see you around," I wiggled my fingers at him.

Wait...did I just do something Celeste would do?

"I hope so," he winked at me. Almost dying by that, I went over to Jake with my Starbucks staring down at my drink totally embarrassed, pretending like that didn't happen.

"What did I tell ya Kit-Kat?" Jake asked me with his arms still crossed.

"What?" I still didn't look at him.

"You got a guys number!" He whispered yelled. "What made you think you couldn't do it?" he asked me seriously.

"I don't know!" We started walking to the open lounge tables in the middle of the mall, and as I was sipping on my drink, that was honestly the best frappe I ever had, I looked over Jake.

"You didn't get anything?" I asked him as we were making our way to a small table for two.

"Nah...Coach suggested we lay of the coffee as if you ever see a football player drink coffee," Jake shrugged.

"Well..." I thought about what I was about to say next...but...I had to anyway. "You have to try this," I told him. "It's really good." He looked at me as if I was sick.

"Nah Kit-Kat. I'm not a big coffee fan anyways," he protested with his head back.

"Come on Jake, you'll like it," I pressured. "It taste like....it taste like-" I couldn't relate it to coffee. "It taste like a cinnamon roll!" I related.

"A cinnamon roll?" he must didn't believe me, but with his left dimple showing...I didn't know what to think.

"Yes! Come on, please, try it," I begged. He laughed as we sat down in the lounge area of the mall and finally agreed.

"Fine Kit-Kat," he sighed.

"Yesss," I said through my teeth. He tried it with my straw, and I'm not big on germs as Lotte and I share drinks and food alllll the time, so this was nothing to me.

As Jake tried the drink he looked at me and I smiled at him optimistically as he let it wonder around in his mouth as if he was looking for something bad to say about it.

"Wellll," I leaned toward him. He sat there and crossed his arms, and I leaned EVEN closer to him...a smile creeping across his face. "Well!" I said again in a high-pitch voice. He laughed, unable to hold it in.

"Hahaha! Fine Kit-Kat, it's good...." I laughed as he took my cup and took another sip, but I pulled it away from him.

"Oh no, no, no," I told him hiding a smile. "If you want more, you gotta go buy you're own or get you're own straw," I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me with a smile and he stood up, got a straw, and placed it in my cup.

"There," he slammed it into the cup. "How about now?" I nodded once smiling.

"There we go," I chuckled. He chuckled too and he was kind of staring at me so I looked down, pretending to look at my phone as it was only 6:43pm, and to get his eyes off of me, I asked a question.

"Well, now that we're both here, is there anything else I need to know for this date at the movies Friday?" I asked him. Jake looked as if he shook out his little trance and he nodded.

"Oh yeah. Alright, now that we got outfit out the way, now it's time for the scenarios for when you ACTUALLY get there," Jake nodded. I nodded too and asked me, "Got a pen?" I dug in my purse and responded,

"Always." Jake took that blue ink pen and a white napkin and he wrote Movie Date 101, and I gasped offended. "Really? Movie Date 101?" I asked him. He shrugged as if he didn't know what he did wrong.

"What? That's what were learning today," he replied.

"But 101?" I asked him again. He smiled.

"Yes. That is very necessary. Now, continuing-" he kept going before I could say something else. I sloughed in the chair as he smiled looking down at me with his neck high. "Alright, for a successful movie date, guys ALWAYS pay for the ticket," he told me.

"But this is technically our first date," I told Jake seriously. "He shouldn't pay."

"Nooo, this IS the SECOND date," he corrected me. "Therefore there should be no problem on who pays. The guy always pays. It's only logic," he wrote in on the napkin at the same time drinking my drink. He must've really liked it.

"But what if he doesn't?" I had to think. "What if he just pays for himself?" Jake held up a finger as if he knew I was about to ask that question.

"See, see, see. There's two ways you can prevent or solve that problem," he grinned at me looking down at the napkin already writing on it. "Two ways."

"Well what's one of them?" I asked first, placing my arms on the table, my fingers conjoined as if I was prompted.

"First scenario," he gave me. "To see if he DOES pay, just casually beat him to the line so that you will meet the cashier first. If he intervenes before you pay, that means he's going to pay," he informed me with a nod. I nodded slowly, thinking this through.

"Okay...what's number two?" I asked.

"Scenario number two, is that if you honestly have no clue if he's going to pay, let him get in front of you. When he just ask for one ticket and he pays, sorry Kit-Kat, but you're paying for yourself on this one," he told me.

"Well...all that seems like great advice, but....why can't I just ask him if-"

"Noooo," Jake cut me off. "Rule #2 to a successful movie date, actually, ANY date that involves money, 'NEVER ask whose paying. For anything!' That leads to awkward moments and unrecognizable stares." I just busted out laughing.

"Unrecognizable stares?" I questioned. "What does that even mean?" Jake looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Kit-Kat, unrecognizable stares are stares that 'couples' or 'people who are talking but not official yet', like you and Asher, give and you don't know why they're looking at you that way. Like, say if YOU DID ask Asher was he paying for the movie tickets and he looks at you without saying a thing. He could give the-" suddenly Jake started making funny, weird, facial expression to match each stare and I was almost crying laughing by the end. "-Why the hell did this girl just ask me this question when she knows I took two extra days off from work this week-" I was uncontrollably laughing, and Jake was smiling down at me, but he kept going.

"Or the- "I only brought enough money for myself! If I pay, I won't be able to get any food....and I gotta have my food man-" stare. I laid my head down on the table trying to breath from laughing so hard, and he finished,

"Or the- "I don't even have enough for ME. I thought SHE was paying........" and those are what I like to call, the unrecognizable stares of couples OR 'people-who-are-talking-but-aren't-official-yet," he added quickly. "Like you and Asher."

I kept laughing looking up at him and he smiled at me as if he was...enlighten by something, and I finally calmed down.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I won't ask. JUST so that I can avoid the 'unrecognizable stare' situations," I agreed. Jake chuckled at me and I smiled down at the list as he drunk some of the drink as I noticed from the corner of my eye and I said mostly to myself,

"Outfit down, ticket payments down.... What else to I need to know for a successful movie date Mr. Lander?" I looked up at him. He put the drink down and I got some as well looking at him.

"Alright, the next thing on the agenda is movie displacement," he told me. I titled my head.

"Like, where to sit?" I asked. He nodded once proudly.

"Hmmhuh. See..." he drew on the back of the napkin. "Pretend like this square is the screen where the movie is showing," he pointed to a long box with somewhat straight lines. I held in a chuckled, covering my fist over my mouth.

"Uh, Jake...I think that's a rectangle," I corrected him. He looked down at it and sighed and he labeled it 'RECTANGLE' and I busted out laughing.

"There, anyway-" he chuckled unable to hold it in either. We both glanced at each other and back down at the napkin, leaning into each other. "This is the screen, and these are the seats," he made rows for the seats. "Now, where you sit is critical, but if you get there kind of early, it won't be so bad." I nodded looking at the seats.

"Soo, is it better to sit high or low?" I asked him.

"It's always better, Kit-Kat, to sit high, and let me tell you why..." I chuckled a little as he turned the napkin to face me to where he was looking at it upside down. "Okay, let's say you sit right here," Jake placed an 'X' on two seats toward the bottom. "This is bad because it's too low," he told me. I thought about it.

"I get it."

"Yeah, and by the time the movie's over, your neck would hurt and you can't lay on his shoulder 'cause you have to look up so much," Jake informed.

"And we don't want that," I told him.

"You don't," he confirmed with a cocked eyebrow. I giggled a little and looked back down at the napkin.

"Well....what if we're forced to sit here?" I pointed to the middle of the seat selection. "Like, what if it's crowded or something and these are the only two seats available?" I wanted an answer. Jake grinned and leaned in a little.

"Now Kit-Kat, just know, the higher you go the better." I looked at him with squinted eyebrows as I wanted a thorough answer. He continued. "So sitting here, will forever be better than way down there," he pointed at the seats closer to the screen. "But..." he held up his finger looking at me. I looked up at him. "Let me tell you why these seats aren't the best choice." I smiled a little and leaned in, taking a sip of my frappe.

"Continue," I cocked an eyebrow at him. He smiled assumed by my playfulness.

"Well, sitting here you get a pretty good look at the movie. No throbbing neck, you're able to lean on his shoulder...it's seems like a win-win Kit-Kat." I stared at Jake as he sipped some of the frappe as well, but I was still confused.

"And what makes it not?" Jake smiled as if he was wanting for the question to be asked.

"I'm glad you asked," he snapped his finger at me. "Now let me tell ya..." Jake looked down at the napkin, and so did I giggling. "Sitting here you risk having the people behind you placing their feet on your seat, which you'll be thinking about that more than the movie itself and maybe even Asher," Jake started. I gasped. "You also risk loosing some privacy," Jake nodded taking another sip of the frappe. I widen my eyes totally confused.

"Privacy??" I semi-shouted thinking the wrong. Jake was suddenly defensive swallowing his sip. "What do you mean privacy?" Jake smiled, his hands shaking in front me.

"Whoa, whoa, not that kind of privacy Kit-Kat. You're thinking way ahead of the game here. I'm talking about if y'all end up kissing," Jake looked at me with a smile. I widen my eyes, really thinking ahead and a little heat did come to face...somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh..." I looked away hiding a smile.

"But hey, do what you want-" I quickly went over and slapped Jake's arm with a smack and he busted out laughing and I had to too.

"Shut up!" I told him seriously yet in a playful manner. We kept laughing.

"Okay, okay...hahaaha! But really, those seats will interfere if y'all do kiss there," Jake continued. I tilted my head staring at the paper towel, thinking about it.

"How will it interfere? It's just a seat," I said with my with my left elbow on the table, my hand out. Jake leaned back in the chair with a raised eyebrow.

"Ahhh, but some would say this is just a date," he made a point. I narrowed my gaze at him, and he licked his pastel pink lips at me...that honestly looked kissable, but I had to stay focus.

"Touche, but how so?" He leaned back forward looking at the paper towel. I joined.

"Look, let's say you two do sit here. If Asher wants to sneak a peck on the cheek, that's cool, but if he goes in for a lip locker, you risk the people above you all in your business, either watching, pissed some youngsters are PDA-ing in public, or simply watching you, which trust me Kit-Kat, is very awkward," Jake hid his lips in his mouth not looking at me. I squinted my eyes a little.

"So, if we sit up top, we can kiss without risking anything?" I asked. He nodded coolly, blinking slowly.

"Exactly, and let me tell why else these seats are what you REALLY want," Jake came in closer to me. I stayed where I was, looking at his deep brown eyes.

"I'm waiting."

"These are the highest you can go, which means perfect movie view, and of course, you can lay on his shoulder totally relaxed." I nodded down at the napkin still listening to him. "And actually, you can put your legs up on him IF his feet is on the chair in front of him. I only know that from Celeste, and Kit-Kat," he got my attention. "Boys like that leg wrap." I rolled my eyes smiling at him.

"Go on," I didn't want him to get side tracked on Celeste. He chuckled.

"Haha, sorry, oh and of course, no one is behind you to place their feet on the back of your chair," he place a circle around the two X's that represented Asher and I on the paper towel. "And that, Kit-Kat..." Jake leaned back a final time crossing his arms. "Is where you should sit in the movie theater for a successful movie date..." 

I glanced at Jake and picked up the napkin with all his notes he gave me and I kind of chuckled at him, as I noticed he was still looking at me with the cool bad boy type of smile on his face while drinking my frappe again. I looked up at him totally, and we stared at each other as I lifted the right side of my lip.

"Well....with notes like these it should go great," I shrugged finally. "Is that all Jake?" Jake pretended to think about it.

"Pretty much, the other stuff is your choice. Just go with the flow Kit-Kat. You'll be fine," he sat the frappe down. I then picked it up still looking at him, drinking from it. "You're a pretty girl and Asher should be lucky to be going on this date with you-" he seemed serious. I stared at him drink the frappe, but thinking about what he was saying. "-and I'm sure he'll see that tomorrow." Not knowing what to say as Jake seemed so relaxed and serious, something I'm not use to, I quickly slid the drink to him, stood up, picking up some of shopping bags looking at him as if none of that just happened.

"Cool, now let's go home. We've been here hours," I told him strictly. He laughed drinking the rest of the drink, going over to throw it away and back.

"Haha, Kit-Kat you're acting like I WAS the one in the dressing room," he smirked at me. I had to deny it.

"Shut up and let's go," I turned around and started to leave him. I heard him laughing behind me saying,

"Hahaha! Yes ma'am..."

~