Collisions

Here's the next chapter guys. :o) Just a note: Oscar is pronounced in the Spanish way. Phonetically that is "Oh-scar". Again, any constructive criticism or love is appreciated. Thanks for reading! AvaAmour

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The rest of the week went by fairly quickly. Mellie had no more sexual dreams, she grew accustomed to her coursework and schedule, and she used her study hall as a time to simultaneously work ahead on homework while checking Bobby out as surreptitiously as possible.

On Friday night, Mellie went to Christine's house with Danielle and Jess. They watched movies, gossiped, and ate pizza. During one part of the conversation, the girls compared the attractive leading actor to the hottest guys at their school.

"I think his hair is better than any of the students at Bloomfeld," claimed Jess. "And that jaw line is beautiful!"

"You always go for the strong jaws," teased Danielle. "Maybe you should date a shark instead!" With that, she began to hum the Jaws theme song ominously while acting like she was swimming through the water.

"You're so silly," Jess countered. "Sit down so we can finish watching this hunk of awesome."

Danielle complied, and the girls sat quietly for a few scenes. Then the main villain came on the screen. He looked to be of Hispanic descent, and spoke with a Spanish accent. However, he still was quite attractive, which Mellie was quick to point out to the girls.

"You think he's hott?" asked Christine incredulously. "I think he looks like Oscar Gutierrez."

"He doesn't," insisted Mellie. "Plus, Oscar has blue eyes. Our hottie has brown eyes. Kind of like—"

"BOBBY BOEDON," the girls all said together, and then lapsed into giggles. They all found Bobby attractive, but also knew that Mellie had the biggest crush on him. Plus Jess had an on-again, off-again relationship with one of the juniors who participated in band with the girls, while Danielle jumped to a new crush each week.

Soon, the conversation flowed to Homecoming, which would be in two months. None of the girls had their dresses yet, but agreed to go shopping together during the few weeks before the dance. Being seniors, they also would get the opportunity to pick two of their classmates as King and Queen, though everyone knew Bobby would be the King, and one of the cheerleaders would doubtlessly be Queen.

By midnight, the girls had grown tired and somewhat quieter, so they said their goodbyes and left for their houses. Mellie was sad the night was over, but felt happy they had the chance to hang out and that they all got along so well. She loved her friends as she did her family, and enjoyed school because she almost always had class with at least one of them. She went to bed feeling pretty content with life.

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The next day was Sunday, and Mellie went to church with her family. Normally she paid strict attention to the pastor, sang along with all the hymns, and even followed along in the Bible when the pastor quoted verses in his sermons. Today, however, her mind was wondering much more than usual. She began to people watch, and was immensely surprised to see Oscar sitting in the back of the church. She had never noticed him there before, but it was entirely possible that he would be able to slip in after the service began and slip out soon before everyone was dismissed. She tucked the thought away and forced herself to pay attention to the rest of the service. By the end of it, Oscar was gone from both the church and her mind.

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The next few weeks passed without incident. Mellie thought minimally about Oscar and constantly about Bobby. Then one day she ran into Oscar yet again.

Mellie and Danielle had just gotten out of their Spanish class, and were walking down the hall toward the band room, still conversing in Spanish with one another. They had only travelled about twenty feet when a small freshman came barging up from behind them, pushing everyone out of his way. He walked between Mellie and Danielle, pushing Mellie toward the other side of the hallway, where everybody was walking the opposite way.

"Whoa there, chica bonita," came a male voice as Mellie tripped into him.

"Lo siento, amigo," she replied without looking up at him. She tried to walk back over to Danielle, but the guy grabbed her arm to get her attention. She stopped and looked back at him, realizing with a start that it was Oscar.

"Hola, chica. Watch where you're walking so I don't have to keep catching you. Comprende?" He then leaned forward and whispered in her ear in a husky voice, "You wanna learn espanol from a pro? Come talk to me sometime, gatita." With that he turned and walked away, leaving her speechless and rooted to the spot.

What just happened? Mellie thought to herself. I've seen Oscar more this school year than I have every other year combined. And he never talks to people, but he's spoken with me twice. Why in the world did he call me a kitten? She continued to ponder everything, confused, until she heard her name.

"Mellie! We have to hurry or we'll be late for band! Come ON." Danielle was waving frantically from further down the hall, and had apparently missed the entire interlude with Oscar. Mellie brought herself back to reality and rushed to band with her friend.

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The following week came with astonishing gossip spreading like wildfire around the school. Mellie arrived at her usual time and went to class with Danielle.

"Did you hear about Bobby and Sarah?" asked Danielle. "She totally just dumped him, which means he'll be free for the Homecoming Dance! Don't you just wish you could ask him? That would be so awesome, and you two would be beautiful together." Danielle continued gushing until the instructor began lecturing, but Mellie remained silent and tuned Danielle out. She wasn't sure if she even believed the gossip, but she knew she would be able to tell if it were true once she reached her study hall and observed Bobby.

Through the two classes preceding study hall, Mellie's head remained in the clouds. Although she did take copious notes in order to be able to look back on what the teachers had said, she remembered nothing of what she had written. Then the classes were over and she rushed to the cafeteria, where she grabbed her usual table and took out some homework. When Bobby came in, he sat by himself, looking glum. From this, she knew that the rumors were true. She kept looking at him, saddened by his obvious grief over the situation.

"He might get creeped out if he notices you staring at him like that, gatita."

"What are you doing here? Why do you keep calling me that?" The words came out more rudely than she intended, but he had startled her. She looked up at him with a challenging look written clearly on her face.

He laughed at her. "I call you that, gatita, because you remind me of an incredibly sexy kitten."

"Sexy? Do you need your eyes checked? You don't even know me." Mellie was fairly confused by the attention he paid to her, and also wary of being near him because of his reputation.

"Mujer, you don't know me either, but that don't mean that you ain't got opinions about me," he countered her words easily. "Anyway, Senorita Gatita, why don't you just ask Mr. Ken Doll over there to the dance? You obviously like him, you're obviously attractive, and he's very available. Wear that top you were wearing when you crashed into me last week and those jeans you wore when you crashed into me on the first day of school. Then if he says no, quit obsessing and know that he is muy estupido."

Speechless again, Mellie just looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, and wear your hair down for a change instead of pulled back." With that, he walked away easily, leaving her to her homework and her obsessions.

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Three days later, Mellie woke up early so she could blow dry and straighten her hair. She put on the outfit prescribed by Oscar, unable to believe she was taking his advice. Then she went to school as usual, hoping she could get up the nerve to even talk to Bobby, let alone ask him out. The first two hours passed by far too quickly, leaving her nervous and apprehensive about how Bobby would regard her.

She went to study hall and sat at her usual spot. After attendance was taken, she got up and moved over to Bobby's table. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought to herself. Breathe in. Breathe out. I'll be okay. She sat down across from him, took a breath, and began to speak.

"Um. Hi. I'm sure you don't know who I even am—"

"Mellie. You're Mellie. We both took Economics last year, but weren't in the same class. Anyway, during that Economic summit our teacher had all the classes participate in, you and your partner got second place. So I actually do know you." He smiled at her, looking her up and down slowly. "I don't remember you being so gorgeous then though."

"Um. Wow. I. Um." She paused for a moment, recovering. "Anyway, I was, um, wondering if maybe we could try hanging out sometime?" Her voice grew steadily more faint as she finished the question. Then she looked down at the ground, shy and terrified.

"Mellie." His voice was gentle. "Look at your blush. Yes. I would like to hang out with you sometime. Why don't we go out to eat tomorrow night? I'll take you to Fred Le Tray's at 6. We'll get to know one another a little better. Then maybe you won't make so many assumptions about me." He smiled at her again.

"That would be g-great," Mellie stammered. She was simply stunned that he had even recognized her, let alone agreed to go on a date—A Date!—with her. She walked back to her table, sitting down without even realizing that Oscar was sitting there already.

"Obviously, he said something nice, gatita. I told you it would go well. Aren't you glad you listened to my advice? Ain't gonna doubt me now, are you?" He was smug, but felt strange, like he'd lost a bet, not like he'd been right. He asked himself why he felt so weird, but honestly couldn't figure it out. Did he like this girl? No way. She was too good, too pure, for the likes of him. I can't have a crush on her, he told himself. I don't even like white chicks, and this chica is as white as they come. He walked off, back to his table.

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Mellie woke early the next morning, determined to look amazing for her date. She had filled in all her friends yesterday after the band rehearsal, and they had been completely amazed at both her bravery and the payoff. Mellie too was still in shock, incapable of grasping why he would have said yes. As the four girls had left the band room, Mellie had caught sight of Oscar leaving as well. Wow, he looks really upset, she thought to herself. I wonder what's wrong. She pushed Oscar from her mind then, focusing on how amazing her next day would be.

After waking up, Mellie gave herself a manicure and matching pedicure while trying to keep herself relaxed. Then she curled up with a book in her room until after lunch. She showered, blow dried her hair, then spiral curled it, putting half of it into an intricate updo that could pass for either casual or fancy depending on what she decided to wear. After her hair was finished, she went over to her closet, searching for the perfect outfit for the date.

She knew that Fred Le Tray's was fairly fancy, but did not want to look too dressed up for the occasion. Picking out a deep purple silk blouse, she waded through her clothes, eventually finding a black knee-length skirt to wear with the blouse. She had shaved her legs in the shower, so she went without panty hose. She finished up the ensemble with black high heels that she hoped would show her legs and butt off nicely.

After throwing on some make-up, she got her mother's approval on the outfit. "Oh honey," her mom gushed. "You look so beautiful. So grown up. I can't believe it." Her mom's eyes began to tear up, and she pointedly left the living room for her office in order to leave Mellie alone. "Try to be back before eleven dear!"

Within five minutes, Mellie heard a car drive up to the house. This is it, she thought to herself. I can do this. If dinner goes well, I'll have a date to the homecoming dance and I could even have a hunky boyfriend. She sighed, sending up a silent prayer that her date would go wonderfully.

Tap tap tap. There it was, a knock on the front door. Mellie counted to fifteen, then walked over to answer it. When she opened the door, there stood Bobby, wearing tailored dress slacks, a black collared dress shirt, and a deep purple tie.

She pointed to the tie, stifling a giggle. "Looks like we match, Mr. Boedon."

"That it does, Mellie. Apparently we both picked the perfect outfit today. At least, you did. You look...stunningly beautiful." He offered her his arm. "When does your mom want you back? I thought maybe after dinner we could keep hanging out."

"She said to be back by eleven," said Mellie. "I would love to hang out after dinner."

Bobby opened the car door for Mellie, waited for her to get in completely, then shut the door gently. After getting in the driver's side, he reached for her hand. Mellie allowed him to grab it and hold it, barely containing her pure joy. This was only the dream of her entire high school career, and Bobby was even better in person than he was in her fantasies.

They arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes before their reservation time, so Bobby parked the car and asked if she wanted to just sit tight for a few minutes. Mellie agreed, looking shyly down at their intertwined fingers. With his other hand, Bobby reached over and gently raised her face to look at him.

"Don't be shy, magnificent Mellie. You look beautiful. That's all I can think about you. I can't believe that I never noticed before. You must have always had a boyfriend before now, right? I mean, how could guys stay away?"

"No. I've um, never even been on a real date before," Mellie admitted cautiously. Why was he suddenly noticing her looks? Why didn't he ever talk to her before this if he was so nice?

"That cannot be true," Bobby looked astonished. "How have you gone all through high school without breaking the hearts of every man and boy around?"

"I don't know." Mellie felt really awkward. She wished Bobby would drop the subject. Maybe they had nothing in common they could talk about. She fervently hoped this date would be a success, but she didn't know. She looked down again.

"Mellie, look at me." It was a demand rather than a request. Bobby moved her face up again, but this time he leaned forward and kissed her. And oh, what a kiss it was. Mellie had never had any other guys kiss her, so she had nothing to compare with this, but if she had, Bobby's kiss would have won hands down. He gently pressed against her lips for a few moments before sliding his tongue across her bottom lip slowly, like a caress. She opened her mouth, surprised he had done that, and he let his tongue slip in to mingle with hers. Suddenly, she felt herself responding heavily to him. She moaned into his mouth, mimicking his tongue's movements with her own. They continued making out for a moment before Bobby pulled away, gasping.

"Wow. Are you sure you haven't gotten a lot of practice at this? You are...I can't even begin to describe how amazing that was." He looked at her in astonishment, then leaned in again. As soon as their lips locked, Mellie could feel her heart rate accelerate. Again, Bobby started out gently, then moved on to slip his tongue into her mouth again. Mellie moaned, "Mmm..." which caused Bobby to moan back in response to her. Bobby's hand moved around to cradle the back of her head while simultaneously pulling her toward him. His other hand moved to the small of her back, to the strip of skin showing between her skirt and her blouse.

"God, you are amazingly soft," he said to her. After a few more minutes, they separated, then got out of the car to go into the restaurant. Mellie's thoughts were racing at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. She couldn't believe she had just made out with Bobby Boedon. The Bobby Boedon. Blissfully, she walked toward the restaurant, almost falling when she didn't step high enough over the curb. Luckily she caught herself, because Bobby didn't seem to notice her stumble at all.

Thank goodness, she thought to herself. I couldn't bear it if he thought I was a clumsy oaf. She watched her steps more carefully until they were seated. The waitress brought over the menus and asked for their drink orders. Mellie ordered a water in order to avoid getting hyper from sugar, while Bobby ordered a drink from the bar. The waitress asked to see his driver's license, which he brought out for her to inspect. Then she walked away with their order.

"Did you just order alcohol?" Mellie hissed. "I thought you were nineteen!"

"I am. But I have a fake I.D. that says I'm twenty-two."

Mellie looked at him disapprovingly, feeling upset that he would blatantly break the law in front of her.

"Oh calm down, Mellie. I need a stiff drink anyway, or I'll have something else stiff to deal with after that heated make out session in the car. You can't begrudge me for wanting to calm myself, can you?"

"Of course not. I was just surprised I suppose."

They began to make small talk, but Mellie had lost a bit of respect for Bobby after his stunt. She was startled, however, to discover they had similar taste in some things, particularly in books. They shared many favorites, and Bobby brought up about half of them. Mellie was astounded. She had never met anyone who liked even a fifth of her favorite books, and here Bobby liked almost all of them. This allowed them to converse until the waitress came back and took their order.

Bobby ordered for both of them, which bothered Mellie a little bit. He got her a chicken salad while he ordered an expensive cut of steak. Of course, she thought to herself, he doesn't really know me yet. Maybe we'll share the steak. This proved false, as Bobby ate the entire thing and looked at her critically for finishing her entire salad.

Maybe he thinks I'm similar to his past cheerleader girlfriends, she wondered. She decided to drop the matter so she could enjoy their date. Bobby talked about his younger sisters, who he spend a lot of time with, and how he loved to watch movies with his friends on Friday nights.

"My friends and I do the same thing!" exclaimed Mellie. They compared their movie taste and found it to be similar once again. They had so much in common that they were able to talk through the entire meal and even while walking back to the car. Bobby then drove her to Bloomfeld lake, where she could see the sun beginning to set. He pulled out a couple blankets from his backseat, a basket he wouldn't let her peek into, and his iPod Touch, then led her over to the dock jutting out of the sandy beach.

He laid the blanket gently on the dock, then turned on the iPod to Mellie's favorite band. Again, she was shocked at their similarities. Once they were seated, he placed his arm around her and opened the basket. Inside were chocolates, as well as strawberries, whipped cream, and shortcake. He pulled out some champagne glasses and filled them from a bottle chilling in the bottom of the basket, then raised his in a toast.

"To eating dessert while watching the sun set," he toasted. Mellie clinked glasses with him and took a sip from her glass. This was real champagne! She didn't know whether to be excited or horrified, but she sipped at it anyway, not wanted to spoil the romantic moment Bobby had created. They sat quietly, eating dessert while the sun dipped below the horizon. Then the stars began to come out. Mellie snuggled up into Bobby's side as the temperature began to drop. He placed his arm around her, then brought his face toward hers.