Tate ransacked her closet for something "cute" to wear to the hangout. No matter how long she stared at her clothes, nothing seemed presentable enough. In the end, she settled for baggy jeans and a slightly fitted shirt—an outfit she never felt completely confident in.
When morning came, Tate woke up earlier than usual, even though she wasn't meeting Martha until 11 AM. She wanted to be ready as soon as possible. By 10:30, she was already out the door, walking towards the shuttle bus stop.
Am I going too early? she wondered. She didn't even know where they were going or what they would be doing.
When she reached the bus stop, she spotted Martha standing there, scrolling through her phone. Tate was surprised—she hadn't expected Martha to be early too.
The moment Martha saw her, her face lit up. "Hi, Tate!" she greeted enthusiastically.
Tate smiled. "Hi, Martha."
She was about to say something else when Martha cut in. "Are you excited? I know I didn't tell you where we were going, but I was thinking we could go to the arcade. If you're not down for that, we can change the plan."
Tate quickly shook her head. "No, the arcade sounds fun. Let's go."
She was trying to play it cool, but between the two of them, Martha was definitely the more excited one. Tate thought to herself, Today is going to be fun.
When they arrived at the arcade, Tate was overwhelmed. She had never been to one before and had never really cared for it. But she was here today because of Martha—just like with the library.
They wasted no time getting started. First up was Donkey Kong, and Martha completely destroyed Tate. But when they moved on to Guitar Hero, Tate, to her surprise, actually won. It was her first time playing, yet she barely had to try before beating Martha. The same thing happened with Whack-a-Mole. Tate started to wonder if Martha was just having an off day, because she couldn't believe she was actually winning.
After a few hours of playing, they decided to grab lunch at a fast food restaurant near the arcade. As they waited for their order, Martha turned to Tate with a curious look.
"Tell me about yourself, Tate."
Tate blinked. "Me?" she stuttered.
Martha laughed. "Yes, you. You seem cool, and that's why I wanted to hang out today—to get to know you. But I don't actually know much about you. I barely noticed you around school until this term."
Tate thought to herself, That's because I've always been invisible.
She shrugged. "I'm really not that interesting."
Martha raised a brow. "Are you sure? You give off mysterious vibes," she said, sipping her drink.
Tate chuckled. "I think you're the only one who thinks so. My life is pretty boring."
Martha grinned. "Well, I think you're pretty cool. When you came to me for tutoring, I was surprised and flattered. I wanted to know more about you."
Tate wondered if Martha realized just how effortlessly she attracted people. Everyone in their grade saw her as the popular one, but now Martha was making it seem like Tate was the special one.
Tate hesitated before replying, "Thanks."
Martha smiled. "Why are you thanking me? We're friends, right?"
Tate's heart skipped a beat. Friends? She hadn't expected to hear those words today. Could this day get any better? It felt like a dream—the most popular girl in their grade not only calling her a friend but actually wanting to get to know her.
Martha's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "So… what's up with you and Damien?"
Tate blinked. She and Damien? Why would she and that jerk even be in the same sentence?
"I don't get what you mean," she said carefully.
Martha tilted her head. "I'm asking because I heard him telling some classmates that you've been cold to him ever since he arrived."
Tate's hands clenched under the table. That jerk! How dare he go around saying that when he was the one who treated her like the plague the first time they met?
She kept her expression neutral and shrugged. "We haven't really talked or interacted much, except for sitting next to each other."
She didn't want Martha to know she wasn't exactly a fan of Damien. The last thing she wanted was to sound bitter in front of her new friend.
Martha nodded. "Oh, maybe he just misunderstood you, then."
Tate forced a small smile. "Yeah… misunderstood."
She had no idea what Damien was trying to do or why he was going around talking about her. But she refused to let him ruin this moment.
He's not worth your time, Tate, she told herself.
She was finally getting a chance to have a real friend. The last thing she wanted was to waste energy thinking about him
After their conversation, they decided to play one last game before calling it a day.
Tate and Martha ended up with the same score—no clear winner—but the arcade still gave them a small stuffed teddy as a reward. Martha handed it to Tate.
"You keep it," she said with a smile.
Tate didn't hesitate. "Thanks." She took it willingly, holding onto it like a souvenir of the best day she'd had in a long time.
When she got home that evening, she couldn't stop smiling. The memory of the day played in her head like a highlight reel, making her giddy all over again.
Her dad noticed and raised a brow. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
Tate just shrugged, still grinning. "Life, Dad. Life makes me smile."
He gave her a confused look but didn't question it further. Teenagers are something else, he thought to himself.
The weekend flew by faster than she expected, and before she knew it, Monday had arrived.