The First Date

Today is going to be the most interesting day. I am going on a date, with "The World's Number One Champion", Sam Disian. I'm usually not even one for dates. He had asked on a whim just to make a girl mad. I wasn't expecting "The Number One Champion" of my school to ask me on a date. Even in our day-in-age superhuman powers, this doesn't even make sense. After the invisible explosion of radioactive energy within 300 miles in the center of our world hit all of the United States.

My friends have warned me about Sam before. Jeremy and Sally would tell me how he just wants clout that he's going on a date with someone with powers that weren't supposed to even come out of the radioactive blast. I can control the shadows of myself and other people. Which doesn't even make the slightest bit of sense. While Sally and I were dress shopping for the school's new prom idea, "Super Prom," she couldn't stop asking me about how this happened. We quickly found some and bought them before Gina came in with her friends. Thankfully we left before they noticed.

After we left and bought the prom dresses, we went to my house. My mom, Amanda, opened the door and smiled motherly at me. My mom's eyes were as blue as the sky. My eyes were only a few shades lower than hers. Our hair was shoulder length and black. She nicknames me her little "Shadow" because I almost look exactly like her. My mom asks me for her card and I hand it back, holding up my dress bag. "I wanna see them! Come on in and put them on." She exclaims and rushes us inside, excitedly closing the door.

We try on the dresses and we get into the gossip phase of the night before I realize I had to get ready for that date with Sam. "I need to get ready for that date," I sigh, looking at the time longingly.

Sally looks at me in the mirror with a worried gaze. It isn't hard to see her expressions in her green eyes. "Well, let us know what happens. Jeremy should be at work today too. Maybe it will go okay!" She reassures me, putting her long, blonde hair up in a ponytail.

My mom nods and goes to my closet. "I was thinking about that date all night. I have the perfect dress," She gushes, pushing through the hangers of my dresses. After a moment, she pulls out a beautiful, long, black rose dress. The roses started at the waist and spiraled out to the end of the skirt. My mouth dropped and Sally squealed with excitement and ran over to feel the material. "This dress was my prom dress believe it or not," My mom expressed to me, swiping down the dress quickly. The fabric was so smooth, it felt like smooth silk.

"This dress is insanely beautiful, Ms. Adams!" Sally professed, holding the dress up to my chest. I nod and quickly put it on to look at myself in the mirror. As I look in the mirror, I see my hair dangle in the front and the shoulder sleeves swaying on my arm. "Dude, I think all you need is eye makeup." She ponders, looking at my face. My mom comes up next to me and nods.

About thirty minutes later, Mom gave us a small cup of Merlot wine. Merlot was my father's favorite. "He told me before he passed, to give you a taste of this Merlot wine he made when you go on a date for the first time." My mom beamed, handing me the glass. "You are eighteen, you're not a little girl anymore." She adds.

A knock appears at the door and Sally goes to open it while I have a sip. The smell hit me and all I could think about was helping Dad squish grapes in the garden. "Hi Ms. Adams," Sam projects, coming inside wearing a black vest over a white dress shirt. My mom nods her head in greeting, as she usually does. "Hey Ashley- I mean Shadow," He stutters, slicking his dark brown hair back a little. His attitude seemed a little preppy today. I was having this deep, intense thought in the back of my mind about him. I'm hoping he doesn't abandon me there.

Sally stands next to my mom as they tell us to go have fun. "See ya later!" She calls out, closing the door behind us. As we walk, I can already feel regret falling down my spine, giving me chills as he rests his hand on my hip uncomfortably.

My dad's wine was still lingering on my taste buds. "So, how are you?" he asked, helping me into his nice car. I responded with I was doing great and complimented his car. "Thanks! It's my dad's Porsche. It fits my aesthetic." He crowed, driving us to the Italian restaurant. I rolled my eyes a little as we reach my friend Jeremy's dad's Italian restaurant. We park and look at the front door. "I've heard this place is pretty nice. Only been here once." He shrugs and walks me in after we get out.

Jeremy and his dad were in the back talking when we walked in. We were seated when Jeremy comes to our table. "Hey Shadow!" he excitedly calls out, coming over to us.

Before we could get to talking, Sam started getting irritable. "She's taken, sir." Sam hisses lightly, raising an eyebrow quickly.

Looking at Jeremy, I shrugged. "Sorry, he's just my childhood friend." I replied quietly, regretting going on this date.

"Whatever, lets get a Merlot for the table please." Sam demands, shooing Jeremy away and starts silently deciding.

"That was kind of rude." I comment, beginning to open the menu.

"I already know what you want." He huffed, closing the menu.

I think my eyes spoke more than my face did, because he looked at me and rolled his eyes. Jeremy came over with two glasses and a bottle of Merlot wine. The red was light, and very discolored. I shrugged and thanked him. "Have we decided what we would like?" Jeremy asked politely.

"Just two spaghetti bowls, please." Sam grumbles, before opening the bottle of Merlot. The two glasses he filled get to almost the brim.

He hands me one of the glasses before I kind of put it back on the table. "Why did you ask me on this date?" I ask, my tone sounding very upset.

He looks at me and sees my arms crossed. "Because not only did my dad tell me to, but you're the only one with the Shadow ability. Super Strength and Shadow ability can make super kids, if you know what I mean." He cackles, drinking the entire glass in one sitting. I just sit there and stare out the window. The food gets there and he just starts eating. I picked at my plate for at least five minutes before he just mumbled under his breath. "Jesus, you're lame," he growled, getting up and leaving me to be by myself.

"Dude, you're my ride home!" I shouted, throwing a rolled napkin at him. I watch him get in his car and not leaving. I started crying a little when I remember what he said. Am I really just for a money bait? Gina walked up and kissed his lips and got in the car. I felt someone taking my plate away and touching my arm.

When I looked over, I saw Jeremy wearing a nice tux and holding a bottle of my dad's Merlot, he gave a bottle to my friend's parents. I smiled when he offered to take me somewhere else. "Come on, let me show you what a REAL date is." He smirked, holding out his hand. I immediately got up and we got in his Chevy. We drove for a good twenty minutes, laughing and talking about how much the world has changed.

"The world is about to get interesting when people figure out how to use their power." I mentioned, watching the sun go down slowly. He nodded, and kept driving up the hill in front of us. "I mean, did you hear what Sam said? We would make great babies because of our powers. Gross." I scoffed, anxiously feeling my dresses roses. "I mean, yeah, I may have the more rare ability in the world known, but this is still just something that tragically happened. Soon enough, people will be using their abilities to cover up their personalities." I rant.

"Yeah, but what's fortunate is that there are still good people willing to use these for good.

Besides, who cares? All we need is our friends." He purposes, finally pulling into a secluded spot on the mountain. "Right now, let's worry about this moment." He purred, quickly getting out of the car to help me out.

We sit out there on a picnic blanket for a few hours. The sunset was absolutely beautiful. Jeremy and I shared a glass each of my dad's Merlot. We cracked jokes, talked about how his dad accidentally caught the oven on fire with his fire ability. "Yeah, I wonder sometimes what ability my dad would have gotten sometimes." I hesitated, drinking a little of it. The bottle caught my interest and I picked it up. The Merlot was a dark red. The wrapping on it looked hand made and the silk on the top seemed like it was hand sewn. "Did my dad ever say he made his bottles?" I ask, curious of the answer.

He nodded and we talked more about our childhood. "Speaking of our friendship," he stuttered, pulling out a small box. My mouth opened as he opens the box. The box contained a note and a beautiful Onyx ring. The note read, "Will You Go To Prom With Me, My Special Shadow?" and I nodded and hugged him tightly. "I know that you wanted to go on a date with a special guy, but I hope us having a special friendship makes up for it," He gushes, leaning in a little.

We leaned more closer and shared a kiss, just as the sun went down. The candles on the ground illuminated the area. Fireflies began to fly around, making the kiss even more special. After we stopped, we gazed into each others eyes. "I can't wait for our next date," I swooned, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Me Either." he responds.

As we drove home, we held a hand. I just felt so much happiness in that moment that I had realized that the taste of his wine lingered for longer than the first time. Even if I took more sips, I felt this connection to the bottle. I looked out the window and saw a shooting star. Peaceful energy swept over my head as I pondered if he's watching. I look at Jeremy and smile even more. He was right; that really was a real date. Even if it only lasted a few hours.

At last, after so long, bliss was finally obtainable.

Just by drinking Merlot Wine.