Brandon Hall, a typical highschool sophmore, was stunned. His girlfriend of four months, Lisa Green, had just dumped him. Honestly, he wasn't surprised; they had started having problems a few weeks ago, when Sharon Brooks had transferred to their school, and been assigned to him as a lab partner. Brandon wasn't the smartest guy in school, but he knew jealousy when he saw it, and Lisa practically had a green tint to her skin every time Sharon was near.
And now it had exploded into a catastrophe. Now he was without a girlfriend, and that was going to send his social life into a downward spiral; the star of the soccer team could not be single! He contemplated running after Lisa, trying to convince her to come back to him, but he dismissed it. Brandon Hall did not beg.
Then, a thought struck him: why not date Sharon? He could see it now! Sharon was a beautiful, mysterious girl; no one knew that much about her, except that she came from a fancy private school (like his own) with a prosperous, military family. Dating her would have enormous benefits: he would be admired for befriending someone new (especially since that someone was a ravishing, raven-haired girl), Sharon's reputation would skyrocket, and Lisa might possibly dissolve into a puddle of envy right on the spot! Brandon was grinning just thinking about it.
"That settles it," he said to himself, newly optimistic, "Sharon will be the next lucky girl to date Brandon Hall!" He stood from his seat at the drive-thru speaker, had Bobby take over the rest of his shift (he owed him one), and dashed out to his car. He knew where Sharon lived, because they were often there, working on assignments for science.
On the way there, he let his mind drift over to Lisa's earlier accusations. They were all true of course, but he felt that he needed to deny them, to preserve his dignity. But he had told the truth too! He really had tripped (a rare thing) and fallen in behind Sharon. It was just a coincidence that they found themselves in a heated make-out. It was purely innocent! He was the victim! First, he was screamed at by a shocked Lisa, then rejected (albeit politely) by Sharon, who believed that she "could not possibly come between such a popular couple." Now, all he had to do was affectively "woo" Sharon, and everything would be fine.
He pulled up to the curb of a charming house with a white, picket fence, and a neatly sculpted privacy hedge. He took out his cell phone, and quickly dialed the popular radio station, putting in a request that was to be immediately attended to (he had connections up there), and waited. While most people knew little about Sharon, she had honored him with the priviledged information that she regularly listened to the radio (her family had no T.V.) and that her favorite song was a sadly romantic ballad called "Still True" by an indie singer, Feist. He had asked that the song be dedicated to "the most beautiful girl in the world." To, Sharon Brooks; from, Brandon Hall. That should do it, he thought, satisfied. Now he was leaning casually against the hood of his red, 1965 Chevrolette Corvette coupe.
A moment later Sharon's bedroom window opened, and the object of his affections poked her head out into the dusky evening, her sophisticated, black bob ruffled slightly by the breeze. She looked down onto the street, spotted Brandon, and graced him with one of her special "soft looks" that made most blush, but not Brandon; he was too smooth for that.
Sharon held up a finger, instructing him to wait a minute. She disappeared into her room, and in less than two minutes had opened the front door, and glided up to him. Now that she was closer, Brandon could see the flecks of silver in her green eyes, the childish dimple in her cheek when she smiled, and the perfect curve of her chin. She was dressed in a navy tank top and grey sweatpants, and she still managed to look like she had just stepped out of a magazine.
"Hey," Brandon said in his signature, husky voice. He remained statue-still, never taking his eyes off of hers. (Well, maybe he glanced at her soft, bow lips once!)
"Hello, Brandon Hall," she said with that quaint habit of using everyone's full name. Her own voice was nothing to ignore; it was the perfect balance between the airy feminine and the soothingly deep with a certain maturity hidden in it that called for respect and attention. "Did you do that?" she asked, gesturing at her window without looking.
"Do what?" he asked, playing along in the inevitable banter; he felt his heart beat a little faster as their game continued. The thrill of the verbal chase was almost more exilerating than that of the physical.
"I was reading in my room, when suddenly I heard my favorite song come on the radio, dedicated to me by the only person who knows what my favorite song is."
"Imagine that."
"And I wondered to myself, 'Now, why would Brandon Hall do that, when he already has a girlfriend?'" She was still smiling, but her eyes were searching, firm, and curious.
"Not anymore," he said, allowing his smile to drop into a somber frown. "Lisa and I just broke up."
"Oh!" she said, with just the right amount of surprise and concern. "I'm so sorry! What happened?"
"She thought that I had feelings for you."
"Oh, dear. Did you tell her that she was mistaken?"
"No, I didn't."
"Why-" she started, obviously upset.
"I didn't tell her, because I couldn't lie to her," he interrupted. "No more than I could lie to myself." He gently took her hand in his, leaning just an inch closer. "Sharon, I do have feelings for you, and I just couldn't lead Lisa on anymore. I can't be with her while thinking about you. It's not fair to her."
She was falling for it; he could see it in the way her mouth popped open a little. Time to wrap it up.
"Sharon, I couldn't give Lisa my whole heart, but, if you were to go out with me, I can promise you that you will have it. So, what d'you say, Sharon? Will you take a chance with me?" That's gold! he thought smugly. I should really try being an actor.
Sharon pursed her lips, thinking. Finally, she said, with modest hesitance, "Well, perhaps just one date wouldn't hurt."
Brandon smiled, mentally pumping a fist in the air. Instead, he whispered, "It's a date then." He leaned in closer, and, after she followed him, their lips met in a warm, glowing kiss. It was brief, but it was enough; when Brandon pulled away, he saw that Sharon had a faint blush dappling her cheeks.
They said their goodbyes, and soon, Brandon was driving home, grinning the entire way.
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