Young Writers Society

Jamie Jameson

Ah. People and ribbons. I came late. My motorcycle decided to be a jack-ass and break down on the highway. Maybe this event was going on for a while longer. I headed toward a table which had only a few ribbons left. I picked up one of each.

"What do I do with this?" I asked a lady that was sitting on the stage.

She looked up, her face reminded me of my mother's, old and very kind. A smile grew on her face.

"You came late," she said. "Each ribbon represents something. You give each ribbon to someone..." I looked down at the ribbons in my hand. "The red for the most attractive, the blue for the smartest, the green for the kindest, the purple for yourself, and the yellow for the most unlucky."

Well, okay.

"I don't even know these people." I protested.

"That's the point, it's what you think," she had a sharp voice.

I nodded, turning toward the people. So, get rid of the Red one first. Best to give someone the whole, 'oh, I'm pretty!' thought. I scanned the room and caught sight of a beautiful girl with big green eyes. I walked over to her.

"Hey, here's a red. I'm Jamie." I handed her the ribbon.

Her hands looked soft, she looked soft and delicate overall. It as intriguing. She had this soft smile and a blush growing on her face. Oh, damn, a shy one.

"I'm Mani... it's funny that you came up to me..." she said, "We were paired up,"

"What?" I blurted out bewildered.

I guess she was caught aback by my sudden surprise. "I wasn't here, I came late. They paired people?"

"Uh, yeah..."

Shaking my head, I placed my hand to my forehead and smiled. They would pair people up, that was the whole point for this. I am so stupid for even coming here. I let my hand hit my side and I looked at Mani. She was pretty, and looked real nice... I'll give it a shot.

"Well, great seeing you then. I gotta hand these out." I shook the ribbons in my hand.

"Oh, wait." she said. "Here," and she handed me a yellow one. "That's the only one I had left..."

How fucking ironic.

"Right," I smiled, taking it in my hand. My first one, and it had to be yellow.

I turned away form her and started handing the ribbons out. A blue one to this dude in glasses named Chris. A green one to this mouse girl named Jude. A Blue one to Evie, and a yellow one to Jonathon. Simple and rid of.

The ones I got were just a range of each color. One blue, two reds, one green and one yellow. Thanks for the yellow, Mani.

When the lady called out about the birthdays, I felt flustered. How are you supposed to talk to each person about hobbies, birthdays and such? Give it a try? The first person that came up to me was Jude. She seemed to just be nice, maybe thought to keep me company since I was standing alone.

"So, I was born in November." she smiled.

"July," I replied.

She took in a short breath the played with her hair a bit, she had nice hair. It looked all soft.

"You like to read?" she asked.

I nodded and we wrote down on our notepads that we have something in common, then she left and asked around some more. All I could do was huff under my breath and keep going.

Jude Danny Eugene

Ew, another activity requiring to talk to someone. The last time I spoke with someone, I bickered and felt hot all over. Chris really intrigued me from his great looks to his asshole attitude. UGH. So, I spoke to this Jamie kid, he's alright, I gave him a blue ribbon. He looked smart, like a hidden smart. Chris looked smart cause of his glasses, that's just a cheat.

I stood at the edge of the room again, looking at my notepad. Jamie - Reads. Evie - Doctor Who. Alex - left handed like me. I needed more. Looking up into the crowd, I felt my stomach drop.

People and I, were are a bad mix. I was literally getting sick. Bathroom. I needed a bathroom. Where was there one. I looked over the auditorium and found absolutely no bathroom. Hallway, I needed to walk out.

I had my hand on my mouth as I ran out of the place, in search of a bathroom. Once I got out, I scanned the hall. Ah, there it is. Just a few... oh no. I pushed myself to run all the way down the hall, through the door and SINK. This hot liquid escaped my throat and hit the sink, leaving a green mass inside and relief in my body.

Leaning my hands against the sink, I balanced myself. I was dizzy and felt extremely ill. My anxiety really needed to go away. Looking up, I caught myself in the mirror. Ugh, my face was not appealing at all. It was pale and the make-up looked horrible. I turned on the faucet and washed my hands and face, cleaning off the make-up with a paper towel. I rinsed my mouth to the point it felt raw. My purse was back in the auditorium, I had no make-up on me. Guess I needed to go out all natural, ew. Especially after throwing up it isn't pretty.

Once I thought I was ready, I stepped back into the hallway and got back into the auditorium. People were still walking around, talking to each other, and writing things on notepads.

"Hey, you're Jude, right?" a guy said to me.

Looking over to my right, I saw a handsome guy with amazing black hair and hazel eyes. Swallowing down my cowardice, I smiled.

"Yeah, that happens to be me."

"I'm Shia, we were paired."

WHAT I WAS PAIRED WITH THAT. WAIT, WE WERE PAIRED. My mind was spinning. A hot guy like that with little me.

"Well, that's, um, very... I'm bad at talking..." I felt barf rise up in my throat again. No. Not good at all.

"It's cool, why don't you tell me what your favorite hobby is?"

Changing topic, smart move, Shia.

"Probably reading, or watching TV. Or, um, playing my guitar." I replied, my stomach settling.

He smiled, jotting something down on his notepad. "I enjoy reading."

Another avid reader. Wasn't that similar to everyone. I wrote him down too, Shia - Reader - YES AGAIN ANOTHER ONE. Looking back up, I saw he disappeared from me. Wow, I bored a hot guy.

I looked around a decided to walk back into the crowd. Just, hope to not throw up. People spoke back and forth with each other, writing down things. Man, I wish I was more out there. Shia will not enjoy me.

Anna Black

Anna flips her bed upwards and latches it to the wall. She lives in a small house, referred to as a 'tiny home'. As the name says, it is very small.The roof is just a meter above her head. The kitchen can fold out of the back of the couch, the bathroom can fold out of the floor, and the wardrobe is on the bottom of the flip-up bed. Everything in the house is light enough that the people who built it said, "Hey! Let's give it wheels," and so that's what they did.

Anna chooses her outfit carefully. She may be a little bit below average height, but don't judge her fashion sense based on her size. A white dress with lace ruffles on the chest area, a cinched wait, a rounded neckline. To perfect the outfit. she chooses a pair of nude-colored platform heels. She has not only picked this outfit in the sake of style, but she also formed it to compliment her size. She ties her hair in a ponytail and then opens the door to the driving area. It's a bit like an RV if you think about it.

She focuses her eyes towards the road, settling her hands on the steering wheel. She turns the key, and then drives her house to the building where she was told that they would all be meeting. It sounds a bit funny when you say it, but that's what she did. She walks out of the house, locks the door, and walks to the doors. She pushes them open, entering.

She sits in the chair near the corner. As others start to arrive, the chairs begin filling up. A black-haired fellow comes to sit in the corner, but he misses his chair by about a foot. On instinct, Anna stands up, but another girl is already there, offering him her hand. Anna can't help but listen in on what they say to eachother. Not jealous or anything.

"Thanks," he says. as she helps him stand up. "I'm Lukas."

To be continued in next post, I have to go to bed >.<

Evelyn 'Evie' Garcia

I hated Middle School.

This is like a whole terrible flashback. This is a bunch of adults (or nearly, so, I suppose) playing Middle School at the whimsy of a chubby coordinator. I sort of like the fun interactions, as I haven't had much company lately, but the presentation causes me to grind my teeth.

And, that Australian girl? Such a prat.

I talk to Jude for awhile. We write each other down for Doctor Who. At least someone has decent taste in television, even if she's filed easily under Wreck, Nervous.

I meet another Young Guy who seems like an intelligent human being, also born in September. More proof that intelligent people are usually born in September, I suppose.

I see my date, yellow ribbons stuffed in a pocket on the wheelchair. I watch, slightly amused, as one of them falls out. He runs straight over it. He's alone, so I approach him with my final question hanging off the piece of paper.

I've only ever had one real boyfriend. I've gone on dates in college, but all the boys were either pompous and looked down on be for being female or budding alcoholics. My High School boyfriend was everything I ever thought I wanted in a man; and that's precisely why he had to go as soon as I started college. Perfection holds science back. It also induces loneliness when it's gone.

I'm surprised at my nervousness, worried I'm going to mess things up before they even start. I try to remind myself about the new 'what the hell?' motto that was on my list to adopt.

"Hey. I'm Evelyn, but call me Evie if you'd like."

"Alexander, but you should call me Alex."

It's weird, standing so much taller than this obviously built man. I observe him like an experiment, dissecting him with my eyes, so effortlessly I'm reminded that it has the possibility of being a tad unhealthy. He's got heterochromia, which is probably one of my favorite conditions the human body produces.

I've finished dissecting him when I realize he's looking at me weird.

"Favorite Color?" I ask, covering my path with a wide, hurried sweep.

He mutters something under his breath about so effing dumb and what is this, Grade School? "I don't have one."

His thoughts mirror my own, but I realize that I would be lying if didn't say I had a favorite color. I have one, it s just alarmingly specific. In my usual clever way, I spout back;

"You prefer rays outside of the color spectrum?"

We both look at each other. I begin to laugh a little, and I think he smiles.

"Damn. We even suck at trying to ward other people off."

I run my hand through my hair. It's really in the way, but everyone says it's so pretty down, but I usually can't afford to sacrifice function for pretty.

"If you were a science major, you would be all over me right now." I pause. "Seriously, though, if you're in anywhere in the shade of blue, that would be great."

"Sure. Whatever. Blue's better than something like tan or pink."

I write him down on my note card, and he writes me down on his.

My card is full, and I feel a weird sense of accomplishment, like I should hang it up on the fridge and brag that almost made some friends today.

Almost being rather operative, as what happens next is yet to be defined.

Alex:

Oh God... I swear on all that is good and holy I will KILL Dr. Shafer when I get the chance... What the hell was he thinking signing me up for this stupid asinine class?! What the everliving f***?

I run a hand through my hair, this wasn't what I wanted... this went from being mildly annoying to a full blown- “Lets make the disabled guys feel less then human” party- and I hated them all for it.

It wasn't so bad people starred, but then yellow to single out the unlucky ones? What the hell had this Leader woman been thinking? Clearly the fact that all of us are turning to a singles dating group shows none of us have what can be called good people skills or even good self esteem. I'm sure the blind kid knows he's blind- and I certainly know I have no legs, I don't need people ramming the fact I'm a cripple down my throat.

I shove the ribbons into the pocket on my chair and head for a corner- I wanted to leave but I knew one of my family was probably outside and would snitch to my therapist if I left early.

Oh Gawd... the end of this f****** hour can NOT come quick enough.....

"Hey. I'm Evelyn, but call me Evie if you'd like." some says behind me, I do a quick about face and my eyes are level with some girls chest- properly focused they move up to her face. I nod slightly and offer a smile, or at least I faked a smile.

“Alexander, but you should call me alex- that's what everyone else does.” she smiles back at me and doesn't say a word.... not a damn word- just keeps staring at me.

Needless to say I was finding this freaking creepy... because she wasn't staring in the normal way people stare at me. Evie kept watching me with her big brown eyes, like she was.... Curious? I stared back blankly.

Whats wrong with this chick?

Her eyes go over me more the once with the intensity of someone trying to read a strange language, or a really hard math problem. Suddenly I guess she realized she was freaking me out, because she started- gave her dark head a shake and met my eyes.

“Favorite color?”

What the hell?

I muttered, I stammered, God- did I not really have a favorite? I thought about this.

"You prefer rays outside of the color spectrum?" she says Brightly, her smile more of a snide smirk.

You think I like color without color?

She just kept going- this Girl never stopped talking did she? Grant it she had a nice sounding voice- the kind that let you know she'd kick your ass if you tried anything. I like that.

"If you were a science major, you would be all over me right now., but seriously, though, if you're in anywhere in the shade of blue, that would be great." She ended, this time clearly expecting an answer.

“Sure, whatever- Blues better then Like Pink.” I replied absently- what she said first seemingly more important

if I were a science major...?

By this time she was walking away, I watched her go, chewing on my lip.


She was interesting to say the least, clearly sexy as all get out and it seemed she had a brain too... Maybe this speed dating thing wouldn't be so bad....

I wheeled over behind her and stopped- she was talking to another one of the girls, I tapped her elbow- as high up as I could reach.

“ I was a science major.” I said looking up at her, she seemed genuinely surprised. “Well... Medical School. I was a third year Intern up at Dartmouth Hitchcock.”

“....Seriously?” I noded and back up slightly,

“Yeah, I joined the navy after that- a buddy of mine was in the Marines and said they needed medics.” I was looking at her feet at this point- spilling my guts wasn't normal for me and it made me nervous. “So I joined... Pretty much everyone in my family was in one branch of the military or another, kinda seemed right for me to join too- besides, if I did they'd pay off my school loans. Didn't think anything would happen.” I chuckled bitterly, “Two days from coming home and my AV gets blown up... karma's a-”
I stopped short because the woman on the stage started speaking again in her nasally voice....

Jude Danny Eugene

I got a bunch of people down my my card. So, interaction wasn't as scary as I thought it was, just had to push myself. I'm kinda proud.

Everyone sat back down on the seats, talking to each other. Oops, I was wrong. Social conversation wasn't great on my end. Thankfully my phone started to ring, I answered it, strolling off in front of everyone into the hallway. I had my phone against my ear as I leaned against the brick wall in the quiet.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Jude, how is everything?" my mother.

I let out a small breath. "Ahh, it isn't easy... you know I'm bad with social stuff." I said, feeling my heart race.

"It'll be okay, baby. Have you met anyone interesting?" she was being nice.

"Yeah, there was this one girl, Evie. Um.. another guy, Jonathon. He's blind, mom. It must be hard for him, like some people are scared of that. And we've been paired here, the guy I got paired up with... I scared him off." I rambled.

She let out a small laugh, making me feel all queer. "Oh honey, that's okay. These things don't really know how to pair people up. They just look at what people have in common, not actually what would bring them together. It's not real life, Jude. In real life, it's different than a dating website."

"It's a dating meet-up-thing..." I sighed.

I switched my phone to my other ear and looked to my left, seeing the inside of the auditorium. It looks like I'm not missing anything, people are just talking to each other and the lady on the stage was just sitting there. Maybe she'd make her announcement when she's ready.

"Yeah... when can you just meet someone like normally? I don't like this idea... but it sounds fun. Have fun, Jude. Show that guy what he's missing." she said.

"Right, right... I feel like a coward doing this, so I'll go and be awkward inside."

She laughed again and said, "Love you, bye."

"Love you too," I clicked the hang up button and slipped the phone into my pocket.

Running my hands over my face, I let out a big breath. I felt strained as it was. Taking in a few deep breaths, I walked back inside the auditorium. With my head hanging low, I walked back to my seat at the very end of the second row. Slumping down into it, I got comfortable and looked at the stage for a moment. I wonder if you could switch partners with someone. No, that's stupid. I'll survive.

My hands fidgeted in my lap, jeez, I was nervous. I looked over to my right and saw Shia sitting next to me, playing Flappy Bird on his phone. He was so concentrated, it scared me for a second.

"Shia?" I said.

His eyes shifted on mine for a moment and a small smile shaped his face. I felt a fire burning at the pit of my stomach as I looked into his amazing hazel eyes.

"Hey June, how are you?" what.

"Um, it's Jude." I corrected him.

"What's Jude?" he was honestly confused.

"My, my name... my name is Jude, not June." I gave off a small laugh.

This is such a great start to our amazing relationship. I sighed, rubbing my hand softly. Seriously, they should have chosen way better. I wasn't appealing to him, it was obvious, and he just pissed me off, it would never work.

"Ah, Jude. That's way better than June, I feel like June would be such a cliche name, you know?" he asked, his voice deep. I love his voice, his hair, his eyes, his face, and his body. I just hate his personality.

"Right..." I sighed.

There was a short pause between us as we said nothing. Than, he suddenly placed his arm over my shoulders, making me stiff and uncomfortable. I felt my body freeze underneath his touch. He got his mouth close to my ear, making it tingle as his breath touched it.

"We should really try this, you know? You seem like a good girl, and I don't see why we wouldn't work..." he whispered, his voice making my heart race.

I see why we can't work, we have no spark. We have no connection. No chemistry.
But something about him made me think, 'Why Not?!', he's hot. And pretty smart worded, which intimidated me.

I looked away from Shia and got sight of Chris. My stomach started to churn as my cheeks got incredibly hot. He was talking to the pretty girl with red hair, Stella, I believe. Somehow, that made me want to punch her even though I liked her, she seemed nice. It's just, she won't be happy talking to him.

"Jude?" Shia asked at his normal tone.

Turning my head, his face was so close, I caught my breath in my throat. Giving him a small smile, I suddenly felt this strong urge of confidence. I guess this place would do good for me.

"Yeah, let's try this." I said, still thinking of the way Stella was looking at Chris, actually, gazing.

"Good... good." he looked back up at the stage, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders.

And the lady started to talk, her voice making my ears ache.

Jamie Jameson

The rest of the activity, I would call it, was alright. I got peoples names jotted down on my card and got to meet a few cool dudes. So, as were told, I sat down next to Mani. She had her eyes focused on her iPhone, I could see she was scrolling through her Facebook Newsfeed. Sigh.

"Hey, Mani." I smiled, leaning back in my chair.

Her eyes looked up to my face, she had on a blank expression. Then, a smile pinched at her cheeks, revealing small dimples.

"Hey Jamie," her voice was soft. I liked that. "Can I see your card?"

I handed her the card with no problem, she shoved hers in my hand. Looking at it, I see that she's gotten practically everyone, making me feel stupid for having a lot less than her. Wow. Literally everyone but me. So, I took my pen out and jotted something down.

We both have a Facebook. - Jamie Jameson

Giving it back to her, she took it but didn't give mine back yet. She was reading the notes I had written.

"Jamie, you are adventurous. I didn't know!" she gave me a quick look than read the card to herself again. "You've been to Europe! Asia! And you're a singer! Why didn't you tell me?" she was literally glowing with happiness.

I swallowed hard, feeling a pang in my head. This was the only reason anyone wanted me, I'm a dancer. I'm European. And I'm not hard to look at. But this was a chance for me to try something new and meet new people, and maybe even find someone.

"We didn't really talk..." I sighed, looking straight ahead at the stage. The lady that I spoke to was preparing something, like packets or something. Great, a welcome kit? That would be lame.

"Let's talk now!" she said.

Looking over at her, I took the card from her and smiled. She showed off a great smile and got comfortable in her seat, sitting criss-cross.

"Where are you from?" she asked, her eyes so focused on mine.

There was something wrong with her eyes, they seemed fake. Like the green wasn't a real green. It made me uneasy.

"Uh, I'm from France. Born in Nice, but raised here." I said.

"Oh, wow. Do you speak French?"

"Oui," I smirked.

Her smile got so much wider, and she gazed. So, looks like she head over heels already. How did that happen? Is it possible to get someone so interested so quickly? By the look of her false eyes, I could tell she was into it. While I was just getting there.

The lady on the stage suddenly stood up form her chair and got to the microphone. Wonder what's going to happen now.

Olivia Spencer

What? More activities? I go to the table and grab a card. After what seems like ages of hunting and pestering I find one guy who's birthday is also in April and a couple of people who also like the colour silver, so I just have to find a few people a with a common interest. Not hard right? Nu-uh. I hear the Jude girl telling someone she likes writing. I like writing too, about court case scenarios or 3000 word essays on how the constitution can be amended. Nah, I think I'll keep that too myself. I hear people talk about t.v shows. I like t.v too, I love Law and Order, Judge Judy, Suits, The Good Wife but maybe that's too nerdy? I dunno this is doing my head in.

I see the long fringed kid just standing there and rush over to him.
“Hi!” I chirp. “You like animals right?”
He smiles and nods at me.
“Great!” I say and right his name down.
“What's your favourite?” he asks.
Without even hesitating I reply, “The kola bear! They're so cuddly.”
Just as I said that, Evelyn walks past us, she pauses for a second before joining us.
“You know that koalas aren't actually bears right?” she says, “they're marsupials.”
I groan inwardly, well duh, it's just a term of affection. As usual though intelligent me decides to bail and I just give her a confused grin instead. She shakes her head and is about to walk off when the cute guy Chris joins us.
“Hey guys, any of you play an instrument?” he asks.
“I play the piano!” I say happily. Everyone looks at me and my nerve breaks. “On the ipad of course!” I giggle. “I love pressing the keys and hearing the sounds they make.”
Chris looks horrified, Lukas looks confused and Evelyn has a mixture of amusement and disgust on her face. Believe me when I say that it's as amusing for me as it is for them.
“Though I did play the triangle in primary,” I continue with a lost expression. I decide that it's high time that I wander off so I do.

I look around for someone I haven't spoken to yet and I see the wheel chair guy.
“Hey, I'm Olivia,” I say.
He looks up at me, “Alex,” he says cautiously. I know what he's thinking: here comes a blonde bimbo.
“My brother was in the military too,” gosh I don't know why I said that. Remembering Jack is just painful.
“Really?” he replies disinterestedly.
“Yeah, he made sure I learnt some sort of self defence,”
He seems slightly curious now, “What type?” he asks.
“Kick boxing.”
“Yeah I know that too... well before.. you know..” he trials off.
“Yeah I get you.” I reply. We jot it down on our cards before I see something puzzling.
“What's that?” I ask.
“What?”
“On your wheelchair, I think it's a- a barbie sticker?” I look at him surprised. “Wow, I didn't think you were that kind of guy.”
“Wha- No! My niece she-”
“Look it's ok I'm not gonna judge you or anything.” I let him protest for a couple of seconds. “I'm just teasing.” I say with a smile. “It was nice meeting you.”

I start to walk off and the lady on the stage begins to speak again.

Jonathan Vanderbelt

Jonathan was surprised to be handed a ribbon by the guy who turned up late - he could have stuck to giving out the 'nice' ones. He didn't have to dwell on it too long though, he had three tasks to complete.

He was getting tired so he lurked a bit and overheard a conversation between a couple of people who liked reading. That wasn't his thing. It wasn't that he couldn't read, but it was a lot of effort for him and took ages to get through even the shortest books. He preferred things more instantaneous like music or laying in the sun. He heard Jude say she liked playing her guitar though so he wrote 'musical instrument' and her name. His writing was cramped and almost impossible to read, even to someone who wasn't blind. It would do.

The birthday challenge was easy, again he decided to eavesdrop. John was feeling a bit like a fly on the wall for the moment... maybe it was the yellow ribbons which had got him down.

"What's your favourite co-lour." The girl's voice faltered as she realised what she was asking. "I'm sorry, I'll-"

"Ask someone else?" John leaned against the wall and tipped his head to one side. "I've got a favourite colour you know."

"You do."

John nodded and didn't say anything for a while.

"Well, what is it?" the girl demanded.

John smiled. "When I was a kid, someone asked me the same thing, and I didn't know what to say. I told my mum that night that I didn't have a favourite colour and she told me that I did. I just didn't know it yet. She asked me what I liked in the world and I said I liked the sound of the dog next door. She told me he was brown. Then she asked me what I liked more than anything and I thought of the grass tickling my neck and how comfortable it was when you laid on your back and you spread your arms out. I told her I liked the grass better than anything else and she told me I knew my favourite colour afterall."

"Green," the girl said. John wondered if she liked his story - he couldn't tell. He nodded though and repeated, "green."

John didn't find out what her favourite colour was because the host was calling them together again.

"Alright, I hope you've all had a chance to get to know each other a bit!" She clapped her hands together and John imagined her looking out across at them in anticipation. He wondered if she was single herself, or married. Divorced? Why did a person decide to host a meet like this? "I want you all to spend some time mingling now and be sure to exchange numbers with your assigned date, then see if you can come to an agreement with someone else. It's going to be a whole week before we meet again so I want you to try really hard to open up to someone. Even if you're not sure, you never know how it will go!"

Evelyn 'Evie' Garcia

Medical school? He went through damn Medical School? My level of impress just shot through the roof. I hate being wrong, hate having passed him off as just another basic solider, but I like the impression that he might use his brain. My feelings mix around, play themselves into a question mark. My curiosity is my livelihood, and he just peaked it.

I hope he's happy. I don't know what exactly he was trying to prove, but the sense that he cared enough to come rolling after me to prove himself warmed my metaphorical heart. Medicine's not exactly my science, but some of my best friends in College were into it; and they are some of the most intelligent, kind people I've ever met.

Oh, and intelligence equals attractiveness. I have never met a dumb hot person who didn't stop looking beautiful after the first minute.

The lady is talking, and I do the scientific look-down on her to avoid my own thoughts. She's wearing a ring, but it is too shiny, and looks more like an engagement ring. She's sort of chubby, and her brown hair is curled. Her words mean little, but I am forced to listen to them anyway.

"Alright, I hope you've all had a chance to get to know each other a bit! I want you all to spend some time mingling now and be sure to exchange numbers with your assigned date, then see if you can come to an agreement with someone else." Oh, what? I'd forgotten that we have to make two dates. I'm overwhelmed enough trying to figure out one. "It's going to be a whole week before we meet again so I want you to try really hard to open up to someone. Even if you're not sure, you never know how it will go!"

The quiet room erupts with sound again, and Alex and I look at each other.

I take a notebook out of my purse, semi-aware that normal people usually don't carry one around with them, but whatever. Normal people are fickle creatures, obsessed with themselves rather than the great span of the universe.

I have very strong feelings about these things.

I tear the paper in half, hand a slice to him. On my piece, I write my cell number. He writes his down his. We exchange. I tuck his number in my purse.

I clear my throat, brain racing at light speed. "Thanks for telling me. I think knowing that my 'date' might understand what I'm going off about might make things more fun." I'm tempted to give him the 'just tell me when to shut up' power, but that's real authority over me, and I don't know him well enough to simply hand it over. "I have some good Medical School friends, so its nice to know."

He won't really meet my eyes anymore. "Yeah. I just figured you should know."

And back he goes into the swirling pit of short sentences.

I seriously don't know if I'm looking forward to this date or not. Things could go one of two ways. I'm not sure if he's a solider or a medic.... gruff or kind. I'm interested to find out, I suppose.

"Right. 'Course." My hair falls in my face, so I do a quick sweep and pull it back. Out of the corners of my eyes, I see other people leaving their assigned dates to wander around and find others. I'm not ready to leave yet, not with so much equation left unsolved. "Do you have any date ideas?"

"Not really. Isn't that something to figure out over phone."

"Yeah, but I like to have things like day figured out early, to avoid things getting messed around later."

He looks at me a little weird, and I don't think he understands what I'm trying to do. I hate leaving things to chaos. Plans are friends.

"Does Wednesday work? Evening?"

Okay, that was fast. Mother's grief physiatrist who I hate is on Tuesday. "Yeah. That works for me. I guess we'll work out where later?"

"Sure."

"It's been nice to met you, Alex."

There is a lot of equation left unsolved, and I watch to see what happens from a vantage point far too close.

Jude Danny Eugene

"Alright, I hope you've all had a chance to get to know each other a bit! I want you all to spend some time mingling now and be sure to exchange numbers with your assigned date, then see if you can come to an agreement with someone else... It's going to be a whole week before we meet again so I want you to try really hard to open up to someone. Even if you're not sure, you never know how it will go!"

Oh no no no no. I totally zoned out at the introduction and didn't bother to listen in that we have to make two dates. Two dates. I could barely make one. Gosh. How am I going to do this? Who would be interested in suffering for an hour with moi?

"Give me your phone," Shia told me.

Without really realizing, I pulled my cellphone out of my jean pocket and handed it to him. He typed in his number and then handed it back. I looked at the screen for a while, reading his name over and over again. Shia. This is a start.

I slid it back into my pocket and took the notepad that I was sitting on from under my butt. It was time to stand up and be a man, well, get another date that I wasn't forced into.

People seemed to be extremely comfortable with the idea, they just talked to each other and got dates. All these smiles on peoples faces sort of terrified me, but I got off my chair and started to jot down some notes. I was the type of person that lied to write down everything about someone or something, it's like speculation and a pro-cons list. It made it easier for me to concentrate on getting a date cause it felt as if I were working, not dating.

"Hey, um, have you seen Mani?" a guy that I recognize walks up to me. Hmm, I can't put a name on his face.

"You mean green-contacts-girl?" I asked back.

A small smile came up on his face when I said that. He had a very nice smile, didn't show his teeth though, but it looked completely genuine.

"Yeah, I sorta lost her and we didn't plan a date yet..." he scratched the back of his neck. "So, yeah..."

Oh! He was Jamie! "Jamie, do you have her number?" I used the knowledge of his name to my advantage.

"Now, if I did, I probably would have called, right?" he smirked.

I nodded. "Right, um, I didn't see her, sorry."

"Well, thanks anyway... Jude?"

Nodding again, I gave him a soft smile. Then, he spun on his heel and walked back into the crowd of single people. I could've asked him, he's the only one that really notices me. But then again, no. I don't think I'd like being with him as in dating wise, friends, sure.

I wrote down a few things about him in my notepad.



Okay. That was done. Now, onto the next person. I already had Shia jotted down, but he didn't have as much. He wasn't very interesting. I just met him and he doesn't seem to have a personality, other than flirting. And I wasn't into much of that.

I walked toward the chairs again and sat down in my seat. Shia was long gone and so was everyone else, they were in the center of the auditorium. Letting out a deep breath, I looked in front of me and saw the lady take her things and walk off the stage, getting the hell out of here. She was an older woman, I would say in her fifties. You could see the wrinkles eating at the corners of her eyes.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting here alone?"

Jamie Jameson

My name is very ironic. I mean, my first name is in my last name. That makes no sense. My family was very weird when it came to naming me. Like, did they even think about it? That it could ruin my life as a kid? No. They didn't. God, why am I even thinking about this?

This girl must be really boring me. She has the weirdest hair, it was orange. Who has orange hair? Explain this to me. And not only that, she has the prettiest eyes, they were a shade of green that sparkled and the orange of her hair makes her look really stupid with the green eyes. Like, blonde hair would work? I'm a dude and I know this. My sister would be so proud, she is a hairstylist.

Another thing, she talks a lot. Like, there is no stopping her. So I'm just standing here, pretending to listen.

"Jamie! Do you understand what that feels like? I can't even imagine!" her voice was more annoying than the lady at the stage. And that was saying something.

"Right, yeah. I can't." I shook my head, pretending to be bewildered. And I forgot her name... shit.

"Oh, it's terrible. Anyway..." a small smile was growing on her face. Oh no, don't ask me. I barely know your name. I can remotely believe that it started with an N. "Wanna go out sometime this week?"

Kill
Me
Now

I smiled, stuffing my hands into my jean pockets. She watched me do so and then something glistened in her eyes which made me extremely uncomfortable. So, I slipped them back out and folded my arms over my chest, feeling my heart race.

"Listen..." I started and then she butted in. "Great, I'll text you."

"But you don't even have my number!" I protested a little to obviously and it made her eyebrows raise.

She was a little to confident in herself and that intimidated me.

"We exchanged right when we started talking, you don't remember?"

Obviously not.

"Right... so, yeah, text me."

Is anyone gonna write?

Stella Matthews

"Alright, I hope you've all had a chance to get to know each other a bit! I want you all to spend some time mingling now and be sure to exchange numbers with your assigned date, then see if you can come to an agreement with someone else... It's going to be a whole week before we meet again so I want you to try really hard to open up to someone. Even if you're not sure, you never know how it will go!" The lady on the stage exclaimed. She must hate her job.

Sighing, I turned to the crowd, and studied the people. How in the world was I going to find my date?

"You look lost." Somebody said from behind me. A guy. Oh, goodie.

The way he talked...I liked it. Which was weird.

I turned to the speaker. A guy with blonde hair stood there, gleaming down at me.

A blush rose on my cheeks, and my lips curved into a smile. "I-I'm just looking for my date. I didn't really hear the name.."

"What's your name? Maybe I can tell you." He seemed so...friendly.

"Stella Matthews." I shifted my weight to the other foot.

His eyes widened, and his smile brightened. "I'm your guy!"

I sighed in relief. At least he was good looking.

"Chris Schoggins." He held out his hand politely, and I took it.

"..so I guess you need my number?" I asked quietly.

"Well, if you'd like to go on a date with me, then yes. I do need your number."

After exchanging digits, I clasped my hands together, and stared up at him. He was pretty tall, to me.

"So, I'll call you later, and we can discuss where to go, what time, etc." He told me, as he adjusted his glasses.

"Alright! I'll see you later."

Chris nodded, and smiled before walking away.

Now I had to make another date with someone...great.

I walked around, looking for John. Maybe he'd go on a date with me.

He was standing over by a wall, his finger rubbing across the outline of his cane.

"Hey, John." I leaned against the wall he was by.

"Stella?" John turned towards me.

"Mhm. I was wondering...would you like to maybe-"

"Go on a date with you?"

My face warmed up, and I cleared my throat. "Yeah."

"Of course I would like to go on a date with you." He smiled.

Man, he was so admirable.

"My number is..." He started.

Jonathan Vanderbelt

It was almost a relief to realise there wasn't long left to the session and that they were down to the logistics of things now. John decided not to seek Olivia and instead waited against the wall, but he put a smile on his face to make himself approachable. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps coming near.

"Hey, John." That wasn't the voice he'd been waiting for, though it certainly wasn't unwelcome.

"Stella?" John turned to face her and felt a slight increase in his heart-beat. They were making second dates now so he could only assume she was interesting in going on one with him.

"Mhm. I was wondering...would you like to maybe-"

"Go on a date with you?" John would rather misread her intentions and face the disappointment now than possibly miss out.

"Yeah."

John smiled and stroked the top of his cane. "Of course I would like to go on a date with you. My number is 07983368264."

"Okay, mine is 07856233138."

John liked that she told him her number instead of offering to put it in the phone for him and he quickly typed it in on the keyboard. He hit the save and he put it under number three for speed dial. That was how he made using his phone possible. Later he'd go home and write down on his Braille pad that number three was Stella, but for now he got to look cool and capable.

"What kind of things do you do in your free time, Stella?" John was sure Olivia would interrupt them when she wanted to get his number, but he liked having Stella to talk to.

"Well I like video games, that's always fun, and sometimes I play baseball with my brothers."

John nodded slowly and was about to talk about his love of music and being outside, when he heard the footsteps approaching them and turned to include the new speaker. Perhaps before Stella had noticed since they were coming from behind her.

"Mind if I steal my date for a minute?" Olivia asked.

"Oh-uh. Sure."

John and Olivia exchanged numbers and then the lady at the front called a five minute warning. "It's almost time to go home, everyone! Close it up and if you haven't found a second date, step over toward me and you can see who else is still available!"