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Chapter Forty-Nine: Maggie

This is it. This is the day we've all been waiting for, Evan and I are finally going on our first, real date.

We were hours away from date night and Evan texted me a while ago saying he was going to pick me up at exactly 6:00 PM, and it was currently 4:00 PM now.

Yet for some reason, I still have nothing to wear.

I was frantically digging through my closet like a madman with my friends in the room, doing their best to try and assist me with my dilemma.

"Just slap on a pair of jeans and a cute top and you'll be good to go," Jess nonchalantly suggested as she sat on the edge of my bed while Beth rolled her eyes at the redhead.

"Who invited you over? Seriously?" Beth asked in an agitated tone as she helped me scavenge through my clothes, all the while as Jess shot her a teasing smirk in response.

"Well, a dress isn't optionable considering you'll be going to the amusement park after all," Ashley advised as she folded up the discarded clothes on the ground.

Jess nodded her head in acknowledgment "Exactly, you're going to an amusement park, for crying out loud. It's not like you're attending a candlelit dinner."

"He was supposed to take me out on one though," I mumbled dismissively as Beth stopped her rummaging to simply gush at my words.

"Aw, really? Why hadn't you just settled for that then? I honestly prefer candlelit dinners over amusement parks any day!" she raved as Jess rolled her eyes.

"Because you're too much of a basic white girl like that, that's why." Jess teased as Beth scowled at her.

"You don't have to overdo it, though." Emily butted in, squatting over to inspect the pile of clothes in front of her as she placed a hand on my shoulder "As simple as Jess's suggestion was, why not go for that? You'll be getting your hands dirty plus it's not like anyone's gonna be judging what you're wearing at the amusement park."

"As I was saying!" Jess exclaimed "Elizabeth, you really need to listen to your best friend more."

Beth just ignored her before she diverted her attention back to me "How about you just lay out the clothes you would typically wear when going out, hm?"

I sighed at that "I mean, I barely go out as it is and if I did it's only when I had to attend family gatherings or dinner dates with Levi, so I'm mostly stocked up on dresses."

We eyed the bundles of dresses tucked into one corner of the room as I groaned "Well, we don't need those anyway." Beth reassured in a more composed manner "Again, it is an amusement park so I guess going for something simple is optional-"

"Such as jeans-" Jess insisted once more.

"But not too simple," Beth said, deadpanned.

"You can just balance it out, how about a simple attire but you can curl your hair, put on a good amount of makeup and some basic accessories?" Ashley suggested.

Emily nodded, fond of her idea "Yeah, to balance out your look!" she looked around the room for a quick second before something caught her eye "Oh! How about this!"

We all turned to her as she pulled out my white Princess Polly top that Beth gave me a year ago that I never got to wear, patterned with small flowers and a cute little ribbon knot on the front, giving it a dainty look as Emily holds it up in front of me "This would look great!"

"It actually would," Beth hummed as she started digging into the pile of clothes once more, pulling out a pair of high-waist, light blue denim jeans "Along with these."

"And white sneakers! I saw a pair at the back of your closet that would look great in those!" Ashley chirped as I smiled appreciatively at all of them.

"Thank you so much for this, you guys. It's just been a while since I've last gone out on dates. I feel like I'm new to this all over again." I tried to explain as they all waved me off.

"Oh come on now, it's nothing really." Beth chuckled as she put an arm around my shoulder and coddled me "You know we're always happy to help you, Maggs."

"Yeah, what are friends for, after all?" Jess noted, looking at Beth who just brushed her off, but the ghost of a smile on her face wasn't hard to notice.

Ashley enthusiastically rubbed her hands together, a wide grin plastered on her face "Now that we got your outfit set, let's get you ready for your date!"

* * *

The ticklish sensation of the makeup brush gliding over my face as Ashley carefully applied a good amount of blush on my cheeks caused my eyes to droop shut, all the while as I felt Beth unroll a section of my hair off the curling iron before letting it bounce back into place.

"You're gonna look so pretty," Emily voiced out from where she sat on my bed, making me smile softly as I opened one eye to look at her.

"Thanks, Em. It's all thanks to you, guys." The girls hummed in recognition as I let them resume back to their respective duties.

"So your first date with Evan, huh? How does that feel?" Jess asked, curious.

I huffed out a breath "Honestly? Kind of nerve-wracking, it wasn't that long ago when all Evan and I ever did was bicker back and forth, and here we are now having our first date. Typically, I wouldn't even need this much help, but considering this all seems very new to me..."

"I could only guess Evan probably feels the same," Jess said, "I overheard from Colin he was really stoked about finally asking you out, so it's safe to say the feeling's mutual."

"We hadn't really predicted that our paths would have led to this, as we've only ever been used to being at each other's throats. Now we're over here acting like a bunch of stupid teenagers going out on their first proper date, that's one heck of a transition, to be honest." I confessed.

"I guess that's just how life is really, you can never really know what happens next or who'll end up falling for." Ashley implied as I heard someone snort through my close-lids.

"That's so cliche, Ash." said snorter who was obviously Jess, retorted.

"Oh get off my back, will you? You gotta admit it's romantic."

"Like a romance novel turned reality," Emily chimed in.

I chuckled lowly at their commentary "It's not as magical as it seems, we went through so much before having reached this point. There were a lot of fights, tears shed, and other parties that had gotten involved."

I could hear Beth let out a snigger as I grinned at the sound "I could confirm that," she chided.

"It wasn't easy, what we went through was far from romantic, if anything, it was exhausting."

"But it was worth it, right? Now that you two are here and finally recognized your feelings for each other?" Ashley asked, her voice keen.

I thought about it for a while. "In a way, we went through so much together, but I learned a lot from this whole experience I've had with him, and I can only guess he feels the same."

"Oh, he does, all right," Beth noted.

"He's grown a lot ever since, and so have you," Emily said, her voice laced with adoration.

"Yeah? You think so?" I asked, flattered.

"We all think so," Beth affirmed as she lets another section of my curled hair bounce "You've been taking risks recently and you aren't afraid to stand up for yourself."

"Plus Evan's learned to be more considerate,"

"You've learned not to take too much of anybody else's bullshit as well," Beth added, her hands on my shoulder which may indicate she's already done curling my hair.

"So it's nice really, how you've overcome your rivalry, set boundaries, and basically matured as people. You've stepped into this new chapter in your life so maybe that's the reason why all of this feels surreal and new to you." Emily concluded.

"Because in a way, it's almost as if you're meeting Evan all over again."

The feeling of Ashley's gentle touch leaving my face coaxed me into finally opening my eyes as I was met by the sight of the girls all collectively smiling at me.

Beth turned me around so I was facing my vanity mirror, and my jaw instantly slackened with what I'm shown "He's gonna drop to his fucking knees," Jess said, referring to Evan as we all laughed.

"It looks amazing." I gushed, staring at all of them "Thank you."

Beth smiled, giving me a wink "Don't mention it."

I couldn't help the fluttering sensation that blossomed inside my chest as I took my time to process the way my life has turned out. With new friends and my old ones getting along, leaving the toxicity of what my life had been so that I could step into this new phase of my life that feels all too great and whimsical.

I was so heavily overwhelmed with emotions that I hadn't even noticed the doorbell rang from downstairs "Guess lover boy is here," Jess announced.

Beth helped me up from my chair "Go and have the best time, okay?" she told me, reaching over to my vanity as she pulled out a pair of small, gold earrings and clasped them onto my ears before doing her finishing touches on my hair.

I gazed at her for a while, observing the way she was intently focused on fixing the slightest details of my appearance, completely unaware of my burning stare.

"... Thank you,"

She paused at what she was doing before she looked up at me "For what?"

My smile widened as I couldn't help but find her lack of awareness of how amazing she was so damn endearing "For being the greatest best friend anyone can ask for."

She dropped her arms to her sides as her eyes sparkled at my compliment "Maggs..." she cooed.

I pulled her into my arms as she hugged me back "Have the best time, okay? You deserve it." she whispered as I nodded.

She stepped away before motioning at the door "So go, have fun."

I nodded before I turned to the other girls and shot them an appreciative glance.

"Have the greatest time, sweetie." Ashley beamed.

"Have fun on your first date," Emily added in.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Jess insinuated as the girls all gave her a look.

I chuckled in amusement, shaking my head as I reached for the door "Thanks, you guys. Don't wait up."

With that, I excitedly rushed out of my bedroom, about to head down but not before I came face to face with my mom as she was exiting her own bedroom along with me.

"Hi honey," she greeted before giving me a once-over "Are you going somewhere?"

I smiled sheepishly as I nodded "Yup, it's hard to explain but-"

The doorbell rang once more and I couldn't help but jump in my spot as I shot her a jittery grin, causing her to arch an eyebrow "Can't talk! I'll tell you everything later!"

Afterward, I practically raced downstairs as I felt my heart thrumming inside my chest, the sight of the front door already causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach as I finally reached the last step, nervously wiping my palms against my shorts as I felt my hands go clammy.

This is it. We're really doing this. Here goes nothing.

I carefully reached out and opened the door, being met with the sight of Evan anxiously bouncing on his feet before turning around to face me "H-hi," he stuttered.

I let my eyes wander up and down his form to inspect his attire. Dark black jeans paired with a slim-fitted dark blue, Armani long-sleeve shirt that complimented his lean built, along with a brown leather watch that was clasped around his right wrist, and it seemed to be a Patek Philippe watch, one I can recognize considering my father used to wear them a lot.

I couldn't help but ogle considering this was so far different from what he'd usually wear, as he resorted mostly to plain jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. But this was different.

He looked neat, mature, and sophisticated.

I didn't even notice he was looking me up and down the same way, not until a soft but audible wow slipped past his lips, making me look up as he shot me a fond smile in return.

"You look great," he said, his eyes twinkling under the pale moonlight "You look different, but in a good way though."

I chewed on my lower lip "Different how?"

He scratched the back of his head "You'd usually have your hair pulled back and you'd wear more formal clothes but this, this is different but in a good way. Casual and beautiful."

I couldn't help the rising heat that rushed to my neck and ears as he said that "The same goes for you, you cleaned up well."

He smirked, "I guess we're just swapping styles for the day, huh?"

"I guess so," I chuckled. "It's safe to say you had quite the influence on me."

He laughed softly because of that "Likewise. So shall we?"

He reached his hand out and I stared at it before flickering my eyes up to meet his once more, my lips curling up into an excited grin before I placed my palm on top of his.

"Hey! Williams!"

Turning around, I was met with the sight of the girls all piled up in the staircase as they watched us with mischievous looks in their eyes, making me groan, embarrassed.

"Be sure to take her back home on time," Beth warned.

"Be a proper gentleman!"

"Have loads of fun!"

"Again, don't do anything I wouldn't do-"

"Jess!"

"Okay guys, that's really sweet but I have to go now, so bye!" with that I slammed the door shut in haste, my cheeks flaring up as I shut my eyes "I'm sorry about that."

Evan didn't say much at first, as he could only shake his head in amusement at the act of display just shown "It's fine, it was sweet really, how they were worried about you."

"Well, this is my first date after so long," I said, stepping down from the front porch as we made our way to his car parked at the driveway. "I haven't been on one since Levi."

He nodded in understanding "Well, they don't have to worry because I'll take good care of you."

"Oh yeah? Are you gonna give me the time of my life?"

He opened the passenger side door for me as I got in. "If you wanna put it that way, sure." Before he closed the door, he leaned forward while his arm was draped over the top of the door.

A suggestive smirk etched on his face and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. "In other words, the roller coaster rides aren't gonna be the only ones making you scream."

My face automatically contorted into a look of disgust as I shoved his chest "It was going so well until you had to ruin the moment." I said as he burst out laughing.

"I meant the other rides too! Like bumper cars and all that good stuff,"

I rolled my eyes at him as I crossed my arms over my chest, slumping back against my seat "To think you'd dial down a bit at the cool guy sexual innuendos for the night." I said in feigned deception.

Eliciting a snicker from him as he went around his car and got inside the driver's seat "I may have cleaned up well for the night, but the dirty jokes are still there."

"Color me shocked."

He laughed as he started the engine, backing up from the driveway as I looked over at him while he was too busy putting the car onto the main road.

"There are just certain things I'm never gonna grow out of, I guess," he mumbled as a small smile made its way up my face.

But you don't have to, I thought to myself silently:

Because no matter how much you changed for the better, there are still those old parts of you that make you perfect the way you are... and I'll forever love those parts you decided to keep.

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