Dating Games #1
Page 18
“One more thing.” Cassidy looked around the table. “I want to go on the record as saying that I think the most important thing about this club isn’t learning about dating and boys.”
“What are you saying?” Bryn asked.
“Well, I know some of you have hinted at this too,” Cassidy continued. “I think the most important part of the DG—and it’s the reason I want this club to continue—is our friendships. The DG has taught me more about being a good friend than it has about dating. Quite honestly, I don’t want to venture into the dating world without some trustworthy girlfriends backing me up. We need each other. I have a feeling it could be rough out there.”
“That’s for sure,” Devon said. “I can attest to that.”
“Now are we ready to put it to a vote?” Bryn asked. “All in favor of keeping the Dating Games club going for a while, raise your hand.” All the hands went up, and the girls burst into laughter. “I guess we’re stuck with each other,” Bryn said happily. “The truth is, I didn’t really want the club to end, but I just assumed everyone else would.”
“I need this club,” Devon told them in a serious tone. “I need you guys for my friends too. I’m sorry if I gave the wrong impression a while back. I know I can come across as snotty and arrogant sometimes—usually when I’m feeling insecure. I’ll try to do better.”
They talked a while longer, and it was obvious that everyone was hugely relieved that the DG had not been abolished. Perhaps none more so than Cassidy, which was ironic when she considered how opposed she’d been back in the beginning. However, it seemed quite clear that they all needed each other.
“So,” Cassidy said slowly as they were getting ready to leave. “I have a little news flash for everyone.”
“What is it?” Bryn asked.
“The reason I wasn’t in the cafeteria today at lunchtime was because I went to an Honor Society meeting.”
“Because you’re, like, the brainiac of the group?” Devon said teasingly but with a smile.
“No, that’s not why I told you that,” Cassidy clarified. “The topic of discussion at the meeting was our fall fund-raiser. Honor Society is going to host a masquerade ball on Halloween, and, well, I wondered if the DG would like to start planning for our next dates.”
“Yes!” Bryn said with enthusiasm.
“But do we have to have the same dates as last time?” Abby asked. “I mean, I like Kent and all, but I’m not sure I want to go out with him again. It’s not like we’re a couple.”
“I know I do not want to go out with Jason—ever again!” Devon declared.
“I’m open to going out with someone else,” Cassidy agreed. “Lane is nice, but I don’t want to get serious.”
“I have an idea,” Devon said suddenly. “How about blind dates?”
“Blind dates?” Bryn looked horrified.
Devon chuckled. “Yes, guys like Darrell Zuckerman, you know?”
Bryn looked even more worried. “Seriously?”
“Hey, it could be fun,” Cassidy told her. “We’d really have to trust each other, wouldn’t we?”
“And since it’s a masquerade thing, we’d be in costumes, so you wouldn’t even have to know who you were with,” Emma added.
“Are you guys in?” Devon asked with enthusiasm. “I mean, doesn’t it sound like fun?”
“Let’s vote,” Bryn suggested. After some more discussion, they put it to a vote—and it was unanimous.
“There we have it,” Cassidy declared as she wrote it in the notebook. “The next big date for the DG will be blind dates—for the masquerade ball on Halloween. Sounds like fun!”
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, including The Jerk Magnet, The Best Friend, The Prom Queen, A Simple Song, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody recently received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody, visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.
Books by Melody Carlson
* * *
Devotions for Real Life
Double Take
Just Another Girl
Anything but Normal
Never Been Kissed
Allison O’Brian on Her Own—Volume 1
Allison O’Brian on Her Own—Volume 2
A Simple Song
LIFE AT KINGSTON HIGH
The Jerk Magnet
The Best Friend
The Prom Queen
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