First Date...At Last

The next day after school, GuiGui slammed her locker shut and checked down the crowded, noisy corridor for Hebe. It took her a while to spot her friend. A stray dog, a large German sheperd frantically waving its tail, had wandered into the school. A crowd had gathered around it, blocking the hallway. The dog was barking loudly, the sound echoing off the walls.

What's the big deal about a dog? GuiGui wondered. Everyone's acting as if it's the most exciting thing that ever happened!

A couple of kids were leading it to the principal's office, not an easy task since the dog had no collar. A crowd of kids followed behind it.

Finally GuiGui spotted Hebe standing at her locker, her coat in her hands, staring back at her.

"Hey--- Hebe!" GuiGui made her way through. She had decided to ask her friend's advice about YaLun and WangZi.

Mainly she wanted to ask, How can I get out of them to ask me out?

But to her surprise, Hebe's expression was sad. Her eyes were red as if she's been crying the whole day. "Hey--- what's wrong?" GuiGui asked.

"It's that stupid Chun," Hebe said angrily. She slammed her locker door shut, pushing it so hard that it bounce back open.

"What's with Chun?" GuiGui asked.

"I saw him at lunch," Hebe replied unhappily. "talking with Ella Chen."

"I don't know her," GuiGui said. "But what's wrong with him talking to someone?"

"It's the way he was talking!" Nina said slamming her locker door again.

GuiGui started to say something, but the dog came flying by then, its paws sliding across the hard tile floor.

"Let it go! Open the door and let it go!" someone was yelling.

At the end of the hall someone pushed open the double doors, and still slipping and sliding, the grateful dog bounced outside and disappeared.

The school bell rang. After a few more minutes of laughter and excitement, kids pulled out their coats, picked up their books and started to leave.

"I want to tell you about this boy who came into the restaurant a couple of times," GuiGui said.

Hebe turned the combination lock on her locker, making sure it was locked, then she remembered the book she needed. She started turning the combination again.

"He's sort of tough looking," GuiGui continued. "His name is Aaron Yan, but he says everyone calls him YaLun. He seems moody. I mean, sort of angry. But maybe he's just shy or something. The first time he came into the restaurant, he asked me out. But I didn't say anything. I mean, we were interrupted. By my dad. So then---"

"I just don't believed Chun," Hebe interrupted. Her face was hidden behind the open locker door. She was squatting down on her knees, searching for the book on the floor of the locker. "I mean, Ella Chen is such a tramp."

"Anyway, I think he's kind of interesting," GuiGui continued. But then she stopped. She realized she was wasting her breath. "You haven't heard a word I said." she accused Hebe.

Hebe climbed to her feet and closed the locker door. "Huh?" she wrinkled her forehead. "Sorry, GuiGui. I was thinking about something else." And then her eyes grew wide. "Hey, there he is. Hey--- Chun!" she called. "Chun, wait up!"

She hurried down the hall to catch up with her boyfriend.

Feeling let down and disappointed, GuiGui stood staring at Hebe for a while. Then she closed Hebe's locker for her, made sure it was locked, and walk toward the front door of the high school.

Hebe's a good friend--- when Chun isn't around, she thought unhappily. But when he's around, I'm invisible.

She was a few steps from the door when a hand touched he shoulder. Puzzled, she stopped and twisted back.

It was Wang Zi.

His cheeks were bright pink, and he was smiling shyly. His brown hair was under a cute baseball cap. He was carrying a large binder and one textbook under his arm.

"Hi," he said his smile growing wider.

"Oh. Hi" GuiGui replied. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "Okay."

"That's not our school jacket," GuiGui said pointing.

What a dumb comment, she thought. Of course it's not their school jacket. Nothing like saying the obvious.

"It's--- uh--- from my old school."

"Where was that?" she asked.

"Down South," Wang Zi said staring past her. "You doing anything?" he continued to avoid her eyes.

"I was just going home,"GuiGui said. "I have to go to work in a couple of hours.

"Oh." his face filled with disappointment. "Then I guess you don't have time to go for a walk."

"Oh. Sure. Sure, I do." GuiGui said excitedly. "A walk would be nice. It' a pretty day."

Clouds had covered the sun. The sky was overcast and gray. "I guess it was a nice day." she said giggling.

"Oh. You don't want to go?" he asked.

He's worse than I am, she thought.

That thought cheered her.

"Let's go," she said. "Taipei Park is behind the school. Have you been there?"

He shook his head, then followed her toward the back of the building.

It was colder outside, GuiGui thought. The wind made it feel more of a winter than autumn. She stopped to zip her jacket up. Then they walk side by side passing by the teachers parking lot, past the baseball and soccer field, and into the park stretching behind the school.

GuiGui took a deep breath. "The air smells so good," she said.

"Especially after breathing the air from school," he agreed. "I think it's recycled from 1920 or something."

She laughed. Hey, he has a sense of humor, she thought.

He laughed too, a dry, nearly silent laugh from deep in his throat.

He's really good looking, she thought.

She raised her eyes to the trees. "You know, the woods beyond the park stretch all the way to the river," sh said.

"I'd like to see the river," he said. "Is there a path through the woods?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I guess. I'm pretty new here myself, you know. We moved to Taipei at the end of September."

"You moved a lot?" he asked, his expression serious.

"No. Not really," she told him. "My dad had a chance to buy a restaurant here, so we came."

"You're rich?" he asked and then blushed. "I mean---"

She laughed, more at his embarrassment than at the question. "It's just a tiny coffee shop in the Old Village. And my dad had to take out a big loan to buy it. But it's something he always wanted."

They walked in silence for a while.

"You moved a lot?" GuiGui asked, trying hard to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah." he said with some bitterness. She waited for him to say more. But he got a far away look in his eyes.

"It's almost cold enough to snow," GuiGui said.

Oh, no. Stop it, she scolded herself. Don't ask about the weather.

"I like snow," he said, turning to grin at her. "It's so pure."

"He stopped in front of a tree and tossed his book and binder down at the foot of trunk. "Let's leave our stuff here," he suggested. "That looks so heavy."

"Good idea," she pulled off her backpack and dropped it beside his stuff. "I feel a thousand pounds lighter."

"We'll come back this way," he said.

"Hey--- I think I can see the river!" GuiGui exclaimed, pointing. "Look!"

She waited for him to catch up. He came up close behind her, smiling, his breath steaming in front of him. She decided she loved the way his dark eyes glowed everytime he smiled.

I'm walking with a boy in the woods, she thought happily.

For most girls, that's probably no big deal.

But I've never walked alone with a boy in the woods before.

She smiled at Wang Zi for no reason in particular. He returned the smile, then quickly turned his eyes back to the path.

They walked a little farther. The air grew colder as they neared the riverbank.

"This walk was a good idea," she said brightly. "Hey---"

She realized he had fallen behind. Turning back, she saw that he had something in his hands. It was a length of gray cord. He had doubled over and was pulling, then loosening it as he walked.

He held it up when he saw her staring at it. "I just found this," he said, pointing down at a low shrub. "On the ground over there." he shrugged and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

It started to snow, an early snow, the first snow of the year. GuiGui stucked out her tongue, hoping to catch a snowflake.

"Does it usually snow this early in October?" he asked.

"I don't know," She replied. "Probably." She glanced at her watch. "Oh. I'd better get home. I can't be late for work."

"Sorry," he said, his cheeks reddening. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble or anything.

"No," she protested. "The walk was great. I enjoyed it." she smiled at him.

He didn't return the smile. His expression was troubled. When they reached their belongings, he stopped suddenly and turned to face her. His dark eyes glowed.

He hesitated. Then he asked. "Want to go to a movie or something Saturday night?"

"Yeah. Great!" GuiGui exclaimed. And then blurted out, "My first date!"

She immediately squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.

Why she blurt that out?

Why did she always have to be so uncool?

I want to die, she thought. I just want to sink into the ground here and never be seen again.

To her surprise, he was smiling at her warmly.

"Can you keep a secret, GuiGui?" he asked, coming close. "It's my first date too."

"I'm glad," she said awkwardly.

"Let's make it a secret date," he suggested quietly, standing very close, staring into her eyes. "Don't tell anyone. Let's make it our private, secret date. Just for us."

That's so romantic, she thought.

A really good looking boy had asked her out on a first date.

He was so nice.

And so--- honest.

He was shy like she was. And he liked her.

"Okay," she said, he voice almost a whisper. "It'll be our secret, Wang Zi. Our secret first date."