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Ellena yawned and stretched underneath the comforter of her bed. She smiled before opening her eyes. A contented sigh escaped her lips and she snuggled further under the covers with her thoughts of the night before. The butterflies in her stomach had made it very difficult for her to fall asleep the night before and they were still present in the morning sun. As much as she wanted to stay in bed and think about Kevin’s kisses, she knew that she had to get up. She flung the covers back and sat up. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. “Oh hell!” She exclaimed on learning the late hour of the morning. With a slight groan, she jumped from the bed and threw on her robe while rushing down the hall to the living room. “Cherry! Cherry! Wake up! You gotta be in class in thirty minutes!”
The dark haired girl on the couch groaned and sat up. “Ellena, you really know how to scare the shit out of someone first thing in the morning!”
“I’m sorry, I overslept.” Ellena sprinted down the hallway to the hall closet and started pulling out fresh towels. Returning to the living room, she threw them at the sleepy woman still on the sofa. “Here, go get in the shower and you can borrow any clothes of mine you want. Just don’t be late for class. Your mother will never let you baby sit for me again.”
Cherry remained seated and began to laugh at Ellena.
“What is so funny?” Ellena stopped pacing the room and stared at her.
“Is there any special reason you overslept Ell? Maybe you should go close the door to your bedroom so Lacey won’t see that you brought home company.” Cherry’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Ellena glared at Cherry. “Oh please Cherry! Gimme a break. I slept alone last night.”
“Sleeping isn’t exactly what I meant.”
Ellena raised an eyebrow at Cherry and grinned. “Cherry, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were implying that I might have….” Ellena trailed off and felt the colour rise in her cheeks.
“Done the dirty? The horizontal hokey pokey? “
“Cherry! Go get in the shower – you’re going to be late.”
“Okay but I’m coming over after school and you have to give me details. I want to know what he looks like, where you met him, everything. This guy better be good to my best friend or I’ll break his legs. When do I get to meet him?”
“Cherry, I don’t even know if there’s going to be a second date much less tell you when you’ll meet him.”
“Was it a good date?”
“Yes, it was…it was…really nice.” Ellena involuntarily smiled.
Cherry grinned. “Oh yes. There will be a second date. The look on your face tells me.”
Ellena threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes. “Cherry! Go get ready for school!” She pointed towards the bathroom. “You know way too much for your age.”
Cherry gathered the towels and scampered down the hall to the bathroom. “Quit acting like an old woman Ell. You’re not that much older than me.”
“Then how come I feel so old?” Ellena yelled down the hall.
“Cuz you haven’t been on a date for three years and you’re afraid you’ve forgotten everything.” Cherry yelled back before closing the door.
Ellena sat down on the couch and thought about what Cherry had just said. Maybe she was right. It had been a long time since she had even been friends with someone of the male persuasion, much less had romantic thoughts about someone. Since Lacey had come into her life, she had had no time to pursue anything like that. In the past three years, any of the men she had come in contact with had been less than desirable, to say the least. Past experiences with men at her work and in her family had left her completely untrusting of all men in general. Up until this point it hadn’t bothered her. She had Lacey and a few girlfriends that were her family. She had spent three years convincing herself that was enough. Why, then, did the introduction of Kevin in to her life make her want to change her mind?
The sound of tiny bare feet padding down the hall brought Ellena’s attention back to the present. “Good morning sweetheart. How are you this morning?” Lacey rubbed her eyes and climbed onto Ellena’s lap. “Did you and Cherry have a good time last night?”
Lacey sleepily nodded and then yawned. “We watched Aladdin.”
Ellena groaned. “Aladdin! How many times have you seen that movie? I’m going to have to get you something new. Cherry’s going to have that thing memorized soon.”
Lacey giggled and started to sing Never Had friend Like Me from the movie. Ellena stood up with Lacey in her arms and walked around into the kitchen. She set Lacey down into a chair at the counter and started to get cereal and milk out for Lacey’s breakfast.
Cherry appeared in the doorway a few minutes later. “I stole some clothes from your closet. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No of course not.” Ellena set a glass of juice in front of Lacey. “I’m sorry I was so late last night that you couldn’t go home. I guess I owe you one.”
“No problem Ell. And yes, you owe me all the juicy details from your date last night. I’ll be here around three.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“See ya later munchkin!” Cherry ruffled Lacey’s hair before grabbing an apple off the counter and running out the door to school.

*************************

“So did he call you today?” Cherry asked. They were sitting in a corner booth of the Burger King and drinking cokes. Lacey was busy in the kiddie gym and Cherry was grilling Ellena for every detail of her date with Kevin.
“No.” Ellena said, obviously disappointed. “But it’s only been fourteen hours since I saw him last. He probably has a busy day.”
“What does he do? Does he have a job or does he go to the university?” Cherry leaned across the table in interest.
“He has a job. He’s in the…the entertainment industry.” Ellena answered carefully.
Cherry let out a gasp. “You’re not dating a male stripper are you?”
Ellena laughed. “No! Cherry, that’ s not really my style.” She took another sip of her coke and leaned back in her chair. “I met him at the mall on Tuesday – you already knew that. His name is Kevin. He has a job and he’s not a stripper. He’s..he’s…really nice.”
“Oh please!” Cherry exclaimed. “Don’t tell me this ‘he’s-he’s-he’s really nice’ crap. Details girl. Is he hot? Is he a good kisser?”
Ellena rolled her eyes and tried to hide the blush creeping up her face. “Yes.”
Cherry let out a holler. “Woohoo! You go girl!”
“Cherry! Keep it down! We’re in a public place here!”
Cherry took a minute to let her giggling subside and then asked Ellena. “So why do you think he hasn’t called you yet?”
Ellena chewed her bottom lip and replied. “We just went out last night. I don’t expect him to call for at least a day or two. A kiss is just a kiss. It’s not like we’re betrothed or anything. He didn’t say if he would call or not either. Besides he doesn’t even….Oooh!” Ellena stopped suddenly and splayed her arms out on the table in front of her. She dropped her head between her arms and knocked against the hard surface a few times.
“What Ell? What wrong?”
“He doesn’t even have my phone number. Damn Damn Damn!” She muttered, knocking her head against the table again.
“You okay Lala?” Lacey returned just then to the table and asked Ellena.
Cherry helped Lacey up on the chair beside her and tied her shoes for her. “She’s fine sweetie. She’s just realizing that men sometimes need a little more of a hint than she’d used to giving.”
Ellena playfully slapped Cherry on the arm and turned to Lacey. “I’m fine honey. Are you done playing?”
Lacey nodded. “Yep, I’m done. Can we go home and watch Aladdin?”
“Yes, we’re going home but I have to work tonight. You’ll have to ask Mrs. Craig to watch a movie with you.”
The three girls stood and gathered their things to leave. Cherry gave Lacey a hug and then hugged Ellena too. “I’ll see you on Monday at practice. I’ll call you on Sunday to tell you about my date on Saturday. Have a good weekend Ell and don’t work too hard.”
“Thanks Cherry. Be good this weekend.” Ellena grinned.
Cherry mocked innocence. “I always am!”