4 First Date

Richie passes me a note on the last day of school. "Does joo want to go to the movies wif me dis Friday?" "Sure," I reply, "What time?" I draw a little kitten next to it doing the victory sign. "6?" He drew a stick ninja decapitating my kitty. "Sound good to me. I'll see ya den!" I draw an assassin stick figure shooting his stick ninja for killing my kitty. Again, my heart pounds. We've been dating for almost two months now but we've never done anything lovey dovey at all. Is this how it's supposed to be?

People go out all the time but I don't have a lot of friends and the ones that I have that date don't really tell me anything about their dating lives. I don't even see them holding hands or anything... then again, our school was really strict about PDA (public displays of affection). Maybe they do it more out of school. I've never hung out with any of my friends outside of classes though so I wouldn't know. I'm too scared to bring them home, and my parents don't allow me to hang out with any of them outside of school.

I'm really nervous when I get home but I try to act normal. I help mom make dinner like usual, read my books I borrowed from the public library until I fall asleep like usual, but, unlike usual, I look forward to Friday.

******

Finally the big day arrives. I beg and beg mom to let me go. I have to see Richie. This is the first time I get to meet anyone outside of school. I don't tell her who I'm meeting though.

"Man-ah, you know how your dad is! I can't let you go out! He would be so angry with you! Please don't go out okay?" Mom looks at me pleadingly. I pout and yell at her,

"I don't care! I want to go! Why don't you guys ever let me do anything?! Is this place even a home?! Why do other kids get to go outside and hang out with their friends but I can't?!"

"Man," she tries to reason with me, "We are not white. They let their children roam wherever they want, but we can't. What if something happens to you ah? Do you want mommy to cry? I just want to protect you!"

"Mom! It's just a movie! I won't be the only one there! Besides that, it's in town! I go to school with these people! They wont do anything to me!" She just looks at me nervously with pleading eyes whilst I stare back stubbornly. Finally, she sighs.

"Okay. If you go, then the boys, your sister, and I have to go too. No arguments."

"Fine! But we have to be there before 6pm," I say happily.

We all get ready together and leave by 5:30 and get there just in time to buy tickets to see Prince Caspian. I wait until almost 6 and still Richie did not show. I go in to the room where they were showing the movie and ask mom to borrow her cell phone. I call his house phone multiple times but no one answered. I get frustrated and start walking back to the movie when I feel someone grabbing my arm.