Chapter 24

It was a sun-drenched afternoon…the kind where the shadows of the trees played with the light on the shone on the ground and wind brushed by the leaves, making the branches dance.

          Bridget sighed softly at the early Spring beauty, as she opened her bedroom window. The scented, warm breeze drifted slowly through the room, swirling her light curtains. Bridget smiled peacefully, the sunlight splashing her face.

 It was difficult to imagine, that in less than a month, she would be leaving to Greece…one of places she’d wanted to travel ever since she could remember. The history, the culture, the geography, the environment…it was all so beautiful.

And she couldn’t wait.

She combed her static-filled brown hair, trying to smooth it out before the ICGS meeting began in an hour or so. Usually, she walked to the school on unclouded, dry days; but the last time there was an official meeting, it was before the competition. All the others had been quick, after-school gatherings basically only to discuss details of the upcoming trip. But this one was scheduled to converse the itinerary, passports, plane tickets, chaperons, and many other important details that the club members had to be aware of.

Of course, Bridget had telephoned her parents, and faxed forms over to them regarding all of the facts of the trip to Greece, in which they completely agreed upon.

She looked in her mirror, sweeping her disobedient hair into a side braid. Usually, she would just toss it up into a bun, but she wanted to look better than normal. After all, she was going to see Dane at the meeting.

Dane. She thought to herself, as she slid a bobby pin into her hair.

Bridget still found it absolutely whacky that no one had even guessed about her and Dane yet. Coincidentally, Della and Charlotte had tempered down on the joking, even though Bridget was more into Dane than she had ever been before. Not even Henry had said anything…though; she hadn’t had a real conversation with him in a while, so she couldn’t be for sure.

The only person who really, truly knew was Sophie.

And that made Bridget nervous, but humored at the same time. Two months ago, when Dane had brought her home, she mistook Mrs. Hunt’s text in thinking that she took all of the “the kids” to the doctor. Apparently Mrs. Hunt left her at home, and Sophie saw everything.

Not like anything we did was bad. Bridget thought to herself. Just some…rather passionate snogging.

Bridget laughed at the memory of Sophie barging into her room, right after Dane left. Of course, Bridget had to explain every juicy detail, in order for Sophie not to start dropping hints to Mr. and Mrs. Hunt. If they did find out, Bridget expected them to be something slightly less than horrified.

It seemed as though, ever since she had to spill to Sophie, that the two of them were in some sort of sister-like cahoots. Usually they exchanged knowing glances, whenever Bridget went out with Dane, and Mrs. Hunt exclaimed that she was “so glad Bridget has such good friends!”

Friends. Bridget always thought. Is that what they were…? Even though they had spent a good amount of time together in the past two months…Bridget still wasn’t sure what they were supposed to be. Most times they were alone together, witty conversation took place, which inevitably lead to some sort of cuddling, then kissing, then back around again to the short, coquette exchange of words. Even so, it was enjoyable, but she still was unclear of what she and Dane “were”.

Pondering the thought, she collapsed onto her bed. Was it necessary to have a title? Did they have a title, and she just didn’t realize it? What was a title even for? Stability? Exclusiveness? Ugh.

Bridget clenched her eyes together, trying to clear the complicated train of thought that was barreling through her mind. She then slowly opened them, staring languidly at the ceiling.

Suddenly, Bridget’s door whooshed open. And in one, abrupt movement Sophie barged in.

That happened a lot lately.

“Hey,” Bridget said almost sleepily.

“Are you excited to see him?” Sophie gushed excitedly, closing the door.

Bridget tried not to roll her eyes. “Soph,” she said firmly, getting up from her bed. “You can’t wig out every time I’m going to see Dane. And this is just a meeting. Everyone’s going to be there.” Bridget said, moving toward her dresser. She picked up a tube of mascara, sliding it over her lashes.

Sophie snickered. “See. You’re even getting all pretty for him.” She said, plopping herself on the edge of Bridget’s bed.

Bridget laughed as she stuck the brush back into the tube of mascara. “You are very silly,” She said.

Sophie jumped up. “Am not! You get the googely eyes whenever he comes to pick you up. And why ELSE would you be putting make up on?” Sophie exclaimed convincingly. “Huh?” She prodded.

Bridget sighed, smiling. “Okay, you’re right. I’m madly in love and want to look just striking for one person.” Bridget replied jokingly, grabbing her bag from off the floor. She paused momentarily, unsure of how sarcastic that comment really was.

Sophie snorted. “Okay. If you say so…” She trailed off, going toward the door. “Have fu-un.”

Bridget smiled toward Sophie as she left the room.

Suddenly her phone vibrated from inside her pocket.

She opened it, reading the new message.

To her surprise, it was Henry, asking Bridget if she was going to the meeting that afternoon. She typed back, ‘yes, are you?’, and set it on her dresser.

Bridget smirked, pleasantly surprised that Henry had suddenly just texted her.

Within a few moments, it buzzed once again,

          Bridget opened it again, viewing Henry’s text.

          ‘Yup! Did you want to get ice cream before the meeting? I can pick you up if you don’t already have a ride.’

          Bridget studied the weaving pattern that her long, brown hair was placed in. She wanted to say yes, but…

Bridget pressed her lips together. Of course Dane wouldn’t mind…it’s not as if we’re…

Picking up the small phone, she grazed her thumb across the small keyboard. She typed ‘yes’ on the tiny, square buttons, but then quickly erased it.

“Just go.” Bridget said to herself quietly, keying out her response.

‘Ace! I’ll see you in a few minutes, right?’

She closed her phone yet again, lightly tossing it onto her bed.

Bridget couldn’t think of any reason why she couldn’t just hang out with Henry…as friends. She felt that Dane wouldn’t be upset…How could he be? Bridget thought. We’re just…

Her thought was interrupted by yet another resonant vibration.

Looking at her phone, she saw that Henry answered, ‘Great. See you in five.’

Bridget sighed and laced together her new converse; the color reminded her of a traffic light when it turned green. She then stood up, took one last glance in the mirror, and grabbed her bag.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Hunt passed by, with a phone to her ear.

She smiled at Bridget, and then began speaking.  “Just hold on for one moment.” Mrs. Hunt said to the person on the phone, pulling the phone away from her ear, and put it toward her shoulder. “Do you have everything together for your meeting, sweetheart?” She asked Bridget.

“Yes. My parents sent all of the paperwork through the fax on Thursday.” Bridget answered promptly.

Mrs. Hunt nodded. “Okay,” she said, “Do you need me to drive you there, hon?”

Bridget shook her head. “Actually, my friend Henry is going to pick me up in a few minutes.”

Mrs. Hunt mouthed the word, “okay” and nodded with approval, as she continued her conversation on the phone.

Bridget knew spending time with Henry would be nice…she felt as if they hadn’t talked at all lately. Well, she thought. That’s probably because we haven’t.

After about three more minutes, the doorbell rang. Automatically, Bridget walked briskly up to the door and opened it.

Henry stood on the small, concrete porch, his large, bulky SUV running in the background.

“Hey!” He greeted, his eyes crinkling in a friendly way.

“Hey,” Bridget responded, stepping out of the house. “Thanks for picking me up,” She closed the door. “Where are we going for ice cream?”

Henry grinned, as they walked to his car. “Well,” he said, opening the passenger seat door for Bridget, “I thought we might go to that stand by that one organic market, ‘Asbury’s’…” He trailed off as he shut her door, and climbed in on the driver’s side. “But we can go wherever you want.”

Bridget nodded accordingly. “Yeah, that place is fine! Wonder what it’s like…I always pass it on the way to school,” She replied.

Henry pulled out of the driveway, looking cautiously at the quiet neighborhood road for any by passers. “Yeah, those bright pink awnings are hard to miss, aren’t they?” He said, chuckling.

Bridget laughed. “Hopefully it’s decent.” She prosed.

Henry nodded lightly, turned out of the neighborhood. “Are you excited for the meeting?” He asked.

Bridget smiled broadly. “Yes! I cannot wait to see the circuit….Athens is going to be brilliant.” She beamed.  “But nine days seems like such a small amount of time...and two of those are travel days.”

Henry nodded thoughtfully. “Mrs. Streisand has it all planned out. She told me in World Studies that she wanted to plan our trip out so that we could see a lot of the well-known sites, but also have time to just do stuff on our own.” He made a turn into the parking lot of the dessert bar.

“That’s good, though, because…I really just want time to roam around on the beach…or something like that.” Bridget said, imagining it all. “It’s going to be amazing.” She said, leaning her head back, looking toward the ceiling of the car.

“It sure is,” Henry said, grinning, as he parked the car.

Bridget hopped out from the passenger side; Henry exited the car as well.

Henry scratched behind his ear. “So, other than ICGS…what have you been up to lately?” He asked, as they walked toward the stand.

Bridget pretended to think. Really all she did was hang out with Dane, study, and got together with Della and Charlotte. She stood in the short line of people, wondering what she should say. Being with Dane took up a large portion of her life…yet…she did not want to tell that to Henry.

Bridget laughed awkwardly. “I haven’t been doing much, actually. You know…just…school.” She paused. “And friends, of course.”

Henry nodded as they stepped closer to the ordering window. “With Della and Charlotte?” He asked.

          “Yes,” Bridget said quickly. She then realized what the train of thought was behind his question. “And, you know I’m really glad you texted me because,” She added a genuine smile, “I’ve really wanted to spend time with you, because we’re friends, too…” She said, whole-heartedly trying to recover her slight gaffe.

          Henry chuckled. “Same here.” He said, his expression brightening. “Hopefully it’ll happen more often--”

          A girl behind the counter with an exaggeratedly peppy expression cut him off. “Hi! Can I take your order?” She asked energetically.

          Henry gave Bridget a nod, signifying her to go ahead first.

          “The small dish of orange creamsicle.” She said politely.

          “And you?” The perky girl asked.

          “The pecan-swirl with a waffle cone, please,” Henry said swiftly, reaching for his wallet.

          The cashier grinned enthusiastically. “That will be $4. 75!”

          Bridget raised her eyebrows. “Oh, here, I can pay for m--”

          “I invited you here, Bridget, I’ll take care of it,” Henry said, grinning, handing the cashier a five dollar bill.

          “Thanks,” Bridget said, appreciating his gratuitous act.

          “No problem.” Henry said, taking his change back. “My treat,” he said, turning to Bridget.

          Bridget smiled appreciatively.

          The cheerful girl slid their ice cream onto the small counter.

“Have a nice weekend!” She called out to Bridget and Henry as they walked to a table.

           Bridget slid onto a red picnic bench, as Henry took the other side.

His gray eyes darted toward her anxiously.  But just as quickly, a wide smile emerged his face. “Do you miss England at all?” He asked, trying to initiate conversation.

Bridget tucked her spoon thoughtfully into her velvety dessert. “Sometimes,” She said lightly, looking up at the sky. “But I am definitely not ready to leave yet…” She pondered the thought. She basically only had two more months left until she went back to Oxford…Bridget furrowed her brow in slight sadness. But before Henry noticed, she brightened up her expression. “I guess I just never thought New Hampshire would ever feel like home.” She added.

Henry smiled, swallowing his ice cream. “It’s hard to believe that you’ve already been here for eight months. I still remember seeing you at the airport…for some reason it feels like that only happened a week ago.” He mused, biting into his cone.

Bridget grinned, taking a spoonful of her orange creamsicle. “Yeah,” she commented, although she completely disagreed…arriving in New Hampshire seemed like forever ago.

          “Do you like it?” Henry asked, indicating her frothy dessert.

          Bridget nodded. “It’s very good,” she said. “We’ll have to tell Della and Charlotte about this place…maybe we could all go together before Greece!” Bridget said eagerly.

          Henry laughed, shaking his head.

          “What?” Bridget asked curiously.

          He sighed lightly. “They’re talking about you a lot lately.”

Bridget raised her eyebrows. “When? …and about what?” She asked curiously.

“Anytime me and Charlotte lab together in AP Chem…” Henry paused. “And Della talks to me all the time in sixth period. They seem somewhat concerned about your, to quote Della,” Henry cleared his throat in a humorous manner. “‘Random disappearances during the weekend’ when you are suddenly ‘unable to hang out’ because you are ‘too busy’ doing ‘family fun activities’ with the Hunts.” He made air quotes, chuckling. “They both seem to think you’re hiding from them.”

Bridget felt a rush of blood spike through her. Do they think that? She deliberated.

Henry noticed the troubled look on her face. “Don’t worry. You seem fine to me…and you know Della…always looking for something to talk about,” He said comfortingly, as he grinned.

“Oh,” Bridget said, downcast. She wasn’t sure if she believed Henry’s statement. Sure, Della was always talking about something but Bridget knew Charlotte and Della thought something was up. But Henry didn’t. So she remained calm.

Henry’s amused expression faded. “Sorry if that upset you, I didn’t--”

 Bridget forced a smile. “Henry, no, it’s completely fine.” She said reassuringly. “I’ve just been…genuinely busy, that’s all.” Bridget took another bite of her ice cream.

“Yeah?” He asked. “So something other than studying and friends?” He queried.

Bridget instantly realized that she backed herself into a corner. Corking. She thought inwardly. How am I supposed to answer that?

She sighed. “Well…it’s true…the Hunts are really trying to fit in some ‘Americana’ experience in before I go in May…” Bridget said. It wasn’t a whole lie…the Hunts had taken her on a trip to a U.S. history museum in Boston two weekends before, but she knew that family-oriented activities weren’t the things keeping her away from Charlotte and Della.

Henry nodded. “I don’t know if they’ll believe you…” he said humorously, chewing the last bit of his cone.

Bridget threw her plastic dish away in a nearby trashcan. “They’re silly,” she said.

Henry got up from the bench. “You ready to go?” He asked, checking his watch.

Bridget looked around, delaying her response. They would be super early to the meeting. However, that would be a fit situation to avoid being asked why they arrived together from any of the club members. Mrs. Streisand probably wouldn’t be there yet, either.

“Sure,” Bridget replied.

          And with that, Henry and Bridget walked to the car, hopped in, and began making their way to the school.

          “Wow,” Henry said, stopping at a traffic light. “We’re going to be early,” he raised his eyebrows, looking at the clock.

          Bridget giggled. “We’re probably going to be the only ones there…hopefully the room’s unlocked and everything!”

          Henry nodded. “Mrs. Streisand is usually late to being early…so yeah, I think you’re right,” He smiled to her.

          Bridget hoped that would be the case. She didn’t need anyone, not even Mrs. Streisand, thinking that she and Henry had a ‘thing’. Even though ICGS wasn’t a gossipy group, but things spread just as fast in the little club as they would in some catty clique. 

          Within less than a minute, they arrived at the school. Only a few cars were in the large parking lot; the rest of it was unoccupied.

          The both of them got out of Henry’s car.

          “Yup, looks like we made it here first,” Henry observed, walking toward the front entrance.

          “Brilliant,” Bridget said, smiling, as she walked with him. She was glad no one else was there yet. The other cars undoubtedly belonged to the custodians, so there would be no unwanted gawks from fellow club members.

          Suddenly Bridget’s phone vibrated from inside her pocket. She quickly pulled it out, as she and Henry entered the building.

          The bright screen displayed that Della had texted her.

          Bridget read it promptly, but with every word she became uneasy. She read it on more time, slowly, making sure she read it correctly.

          Hey ya! Sooo me and my mom were getting lunch and I saw you with Henry at that ice cream place? What is up with THAT?  You and your BOYS, girl! Btw you’re lucky Char wasn’t with me J

          Henry cocked his head at Bridget, as they had gradually come to a halt in front of Mrs. Streisand’s door. “Is everything okay?” He asked.

          Bridget knew she could fix this…Della just exaggerated everything. Charlotte wouldn’t know…and plus, it was just a friendly visit. Nothing more. At all. 

          “Yes…um…” Bridget paused, “I’m fine. Just…yeah. I’m great.” She smiled, trying to look genuine.

          Henry looked unconvinced. “Okay.” He said simply, turning the concave handle on Mrs. Streisand’s classroom door.

          Bridget stepped in, hoping Della was basically joking. She didn’t need misconceptions from anyone. Especially Henry. Bridget thought to herself.

          Suddenly two distinctly different voices coming from the hallway interrupted Bridget’s train of thought.

          “Well, Gil, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a very nice group; small.” The female voice, certainly Mrs. Streisand’s, said to someone as her heels smacked against the floor.

          “I’m interested to see your students, Linda. I am sure they will enjoy Greece as much as I have.” A man replied to Mrs. Streisand. His voice had a slight European accent to it; it was velvety and resounding at the same time.

          Henry and Bridget exchanged a puzzled look. A few moments after, the two people walked in.

          Bridget saw Mrs. Streisand, and behind her a man with olive skin, and dark, graying hair. He had a sharp noise, and creased eyes that were dark in color, but had a warm look to them. His smile was friendly, and his skin had a worn look to it, but not too old. Bridget guessed this “Gil” was about Mrs. Streisand’s age, give or take a few years.

          “Oh!” Mrs. Streisand exclaimed, slightly startled. “I didn’t expect to see you both.” She looked to the man, “This is Henry Vongaurt, our ICGS club president…and, Bridget Cadwell, who is actually an exchange student from Oxford in the UK.” Mrs. Streisand said, introducing. “And this is my very good friend, Professor Gil Anthis, he teaches anthropology at the College of Neston in Manchester, and will be joining us as a chaperon on our venture to Greece!” Mrs. Streisand explained.

          “Nice to meet you, sir,” Henry said, shaking Professor Anthis’s hand.

          “And nice to meet you, Henry,” Professor Anthis greeted.

          Bridget smiled politely. “Pleasure to meet you, Professor Anthis,” She said, holding out her hand for a shake.

          “And it is a pleasure to meet you, Bridget,” he said, returning the shake. “And ‘Anthis’ is just fine.” He suggested.

          Henry and Bridget nodded, as Mrs. Streisand continued showing Anthis around the room.

          Bridget hopped up on a desk, sitting on it. She watched her legs swing off of it, in an alternating pattern. 

          “’Anthis’,” Henry thought. “That is definitely Greek, and ‘Gil’…short for ‘Giles’…” He thought out loud. “Yeah, he’s absolutely Greek.”

          Bridget smiled.

Henry sat up on the desk next to Bridget. “I bet he’s been there before…that is probably why he is going with us. This should be very helpful. Can’t wait to tell Charlotte. She’ll love this.” Henry prosed.

Bridget nodded, acknowledging. Yes, think about Charlotte. Think about her a lot. She hoped hopelessly inside her head. After a few seconds, two club members walked in.

“Hey guys,” Hugh said, as Ellen followed shortly behind.

 “Who is that?” Hugh asked, looking over at Mrs. Streisand and Anthis.

Henry answered first. “That is going to be our second chaperon for Greece; Professor Anthis. He teaches anthropology at Neston.” Henry said, basically repeating what Mrs. Streisand had said.

“And we think he is most likely Greek himself,” Bridget added.

“Cool,” Ellen said quietly, but genuinely, in her usual meek voice.

“Good.” Hugh said, relieved. “My mom was getting on me about finding out who the other chaperon would be.” Hugh shuddered, “She threatened to volunteer…”

They all laughed.

Henry looked over at Anthis. “He’ll probably help us out with telling where to go, where not to go. Even though Greece is a beautiful nation, there are probably places to steer clear of.”

The rest of them nodded accordingly.

Throughout the next ten minutes, Jamal, Mark, Jade, and Kara sporadically filed in, casually taking seats, talking amongst each other.

Bridget and Henry sat adjacent in two desks at the front of the room.

          Bridget wondered when Della and Charlotte would get there, but especially Dane. He usually sat near her, if not somewhere around Henry. Bridget laughed quietly to herself, still boggled that Della and Charlotte hadn’t at least guessed something was up between her and Dane.

          The standard black and white clock ticked forward another minute. The meeting would be starting in about ten minutes…Bridget figured she better start chit-chatting to Henry about something; she didn’t want him to think she was bored.

          But just as she took a breath in to begin her sentence, a slight, afternoon shadow slipped into the doorway. Her eyes followed it up to the purveyor.

          Even though it was a regular occurrence, Bridget still wasn’t used to the effects that bubbled throughout whenever she saw Dane enter a room.

          His eyes immediately caught hers, for a slight moment. A smile touched his lips, causing a silly, love-struck grin to involuntarily spread across Bridget’s face.

          Dane sat behind Henry, diagonally opposite from Bridget. He glanced once more at Bridget, before Henry turned around to greet him.

          “Hey Dane,” Henry said, not expecting a reply back.

          Dane nodded, pulling out his usual sketching supplies.

          Henry sighed, accepting the typical response.

          “Well,” Henry said, looking about the room.

          Bridget knew he was trying to initiate some sort of conversation.

          Henry looked directly at Bridget. “I had fun getting ice cream with you. We should do it again…” He said, almost as if he was trying to hint at something. “Not there, somewhere else, though.” He laughed, anticipating an answer.

          Bridget looked over at Dane. He was seemingly consumed in his sketchbook, but she knew he had heard what Henry had said. His expression wasn’t jealous, or puzzled, it was just…his characteristic solemnness.

          Bridget was slightly relieved. “Yeah,” She said quickly. “Definitely. Like I said, you know, we should tell Dell and Charlotte about it. I think they’d like-”

          Bridget was instantly cut off by her two just-spoken of friends barging into the room.

          “Hey!” Della said energetically, strutting in with Charlotte behind her.

          Charlotte sat in front of Henry, and Della in front of Bridget.

          “Hey, guys,” Henry responded.

          “Hi Henry,” Charlotte replied almost instantly. “Hey, Bridget,” She said, more calmly.

          Della smiled almost mischievously, darting her eyes between Henry and Bridget. She looked as though she was about to say something, but then squinted her eyes over in another direction.

          “Who’s that?” She asked abruptly.

Henry sighed, laughing. He knew exactly who she was talking about. “That’s--”

But he was interrupted by Mrs. Streisand, who was striding toward the front of the room with Anthis.

“Hello!” She said grandly, “I would like you all to meet Professor Gil Anthis, he teaches anthropology at the College of Neston, and will be joining us on our trip to Greece as a chaperon!” She said enthusiastically, as Anthis smiled warmly at the eleven of them.

Applause followed, popping sporadically around the room.

“Thank you,” his voice rumbled pleasantly like faint thunder, as he stepped to the front of the class. “I’m hoping to use my knowledge as a native Greek to help along your journey to Athens.”  Anthis said, his olive skin wrinkling into a smile. “Very beautiful city; I am thrilled to be returning,” He pondered modestly, folding his hands behind his back. “I believe it will be a quite a life-changing experience for all of you, there is a lot to see there,” His smile remained warm and genuine. “I believe Mrs. Streisand has an itinerary that should stir up a bit more excitement, however,” He laughed, as Mrs. Streisand passed the stapled packets of paper out to each club member.

“Seeing that all of you have gotten your passport,” Mrs. Streisand said, passing Kara and placing the last packet on her desk. “And that all of the paperwork has been turned in,” She said, heading back to the front of the room. “It’s all fun and games from here!” She exclaimed, her vibrant lipstick glinting in the light.

Bridget looked down at the multiple-page packet on her desk. She picked up the crisp paper, reading the small ink letters. Her heart began to race with excitement. The freshly-printed ink words dashed through her eyesight as she eagerly skimmed through them. Things like, “The National Archaeological Museum”, “Agora-Athens Central Market”, “The Parthenon”, and endless other eye-catching sites lit up the page. Bridget wanted to start rifling through the packet, researching all of the locations and imagining how amazing they all had to be. She exchanged extremely ecstatic looks with Della, Henry, and Charlotte. Rolling her eyes back to Dane, she saw a grin sneak onto his face. Bridget knew he was just as psyched as everyone else.

“As you know, there is a lot to look over.” Mrs. Streisand said, sitting casually atop her front desk. She cocked her head, leafing slowly through the packet. “Although, considering we have seven travel days, I’ve planned the agenda in a certain way so that all of us will have more than enough time to just…” Mrs. Streisand smiled broadly, taking a deep, but joyful sigh. “Roam around…have some fun…just enjoy the atmosphere.”

Della suddenly burst out in delight. “THIS IS SERIOUSLY AWESOME!” She said; her large eyes moving all over the room. “Guys, we’re staying in a hotel that overlooks the Acropolis. And we’re going to all these beaches…guys…oh my gosh…” Della was almost breathless as she looked at the itinerary paper.

          The room then started erupting with energized questions.

          “We’re just allowed to free range on the last evening?” Jade inquired, raising her eyebrows. “Just…go wherever we want?”

          Mrs. Streisand nodded. “We will split up into groups…two groups, and Mr. Anthis will take some into the city, and I could stay with the others on the beach…after the visit and tour of Plaka, of course. After dinner we’ll do so.” She answered.

          “What is the ‘Petrino’?” Hugh asked. “Is that where we’re eating on the last night?”

          Anthis nodded eagerly. “Ah, yes, it is the most stunning restaurant"the one in Glyfada is the best one, so we’re taking the extra thirty minute commute.”

          “It is beautiful.” Mrs. Streisand commented. “’The Garden of Eden’, people call it!” She exclaimed.

          Bridget couldn’t do anything but half-listen to people’s fired up inquiries. But she whole-heartedly looked through the schedule.

          They were to leave on the Thursday, March 21^st, Bridget read, and the flight would take off at around 7:30 am. That would be about six and a half hours to London, where they would arrive and eat dinner at 7:00 pm London time, then take the transition flight to Athens, in which they would arrive at around midnight, Athens time. She knew they would all get to their hotel very late, and of course be extremely jet-lagged.

          “OH my goodness!” Charlotte shouted rather loudly, even amongst the other excited chatter.

          Bridget’s eyes darted over to her. “What?” She asked, laughing, not expecting that kind of exclamation out of Charlotte.

          “Look, look, look, look!” Charlotte said very quickly, pushing her glasses toward her face. She then pointed to the itinerary.

          Della, Bridget, and Henry scooted in.

          “We’re going to the Parthenon on the first day. And the ancient Agora, the theatre of Dionysus, and Herod Atticus. And the Acropolis museum!” She looked almost out of breath. “This is seriously amazing!” Her cheekbones rose high up onto her face.

          Henry, Della, and Bridget wore similar expressions.

          “Don’t worry; I’ll give you all enough time to get over jet-lag. So we’ll start the tour a little after one in the afternoon.” Mrs. Streisand added in.

          “Good,” Mark said, as he and Jade looked closely over an itinerary. “My dad lives in Japan…when I visit him,” He sighed, smiling. “It’s the worst part. Jet lag sucks.”

          A few people laughed, continuing to look over the packet.

          Della, Charlotte, and Henry continued to collectively be surprised and anticipated over the increasingly exciting schedule.

          Bridget included herself lightly in the conversation, and stole glances over to Dane more frequently than she should have.

          But he looked at her just as often. His straight, dark hair swept over his eyebrows. He gave her the faintest of smiles, but it was complete with a kiss he would have given her if they were alone. Like every time, Bridget felt much like a boy-crazy teenager…which, she was. But she forced herself to look away, not wanting anyone to see them canoodling through knowing glances.

          Bridget directed her attention back to her three friends.

          “What is The Agora-Athens Central Market?” Della asked.

          Charlotte folded her hands and began speaking in a learned manner. “It has a lot of fresh foods…a lot of fish, too, a lot of vendors with really delicious cuisines though!”

          “Ooo I love fish!” Della replied. “And food…so, I think I’ll like it.” She said without shame.

          “And yet somehow you remain a size zero…” Charlotte said blithely

          “Oh, hush.” Della replied, knitting her eyebrows together. “Are you forgetting that I’m just over five feet tall?”

          “True.” Charlotte sighed. “But still…”

          Bridget decided to interject. “So, what day are we going there?” She asked, somewhat abruptly.

          “On…” Charlotte studied the paper. “Tuesday.” She replied. “But I think we might go there more than once.”

          “Good.” Henry said. “I’ve been trying some Greek recipes…and so far, I really like Greek food.” He smiled, “Maybe I should bring some in sometime.”

          They all nodded, discussing the Greek cuisine for a few minutes, but their attention was inevitably focused back onto the itinerary after that, for the rest of the meeting.

           Mrs. Streisand spoke up, after giving the club members time to look over the schedule. “Well, I am very glad to see you all so keyed-up over this. Professor Anthis would be the one to thank, however, for helping me out.” She smiled to him, as a spurt of applause took place. “Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend…we will have another meeting next week on Friday, and if anyone has questions, you know where to find me!” She added, indicating the classroom.

          Murmurs of goodbyes and miscellaneous topics grew as everyone gathered their things together, and proceeded to leave the building.

          Bridget packed up slowly, knowing that she could walk home. However, she wanted badly to be with Dane. Maybe I could"

          Her thought was cut off by a buzz emitted from her phone. She opened it; the screen displayed that it was from Dane. As she read it, Bridget disguised the glowing smile emerging on her face as best she could. He said he wanted to take her somewhere, right then.

          Bridget wondered where it would be. But more than that, she wondered how they would pull that off in front of Della, Charlotte, and Henry. Luckily, an idea popped into her head if they had suspicion. Which, she knew, they indefinitely would.

          Like always, Bridget, Dane, Charlotte, Della, and Henry were the last ones in the room. Henry was the first to step toward the door, asking his general question of “does anyone need a ride home?”

          Della piped up. “Actually, yeah, I’m glad you asked…my mom’s visiting her friends in Marlborough today, and I figured I could snag one with you…so…” Della smiled, fake-sheepishly. “Sure!”

          Henry smiled. “Alright,” he laughed. “Anyone else?”

          Charlotte shrugged. “Might as well. Save my mom a trip here with all of my siblings…”

          Bridget felt a prickle of nerves snap up her spine. She didn’t want anyone to even begin to think anything about her and Dane.

          “Bridget?” Henry asked, as Della and Charlotte stood by him at the door.

          Bridget thought fast. “Well, I have to get some things from my locker…and I thought I might stop by Main Street to look for a…birthday present for Sophie.” She said unsteadily, although relieved. “So, I guess I’m good!” Bridget added.

          Henry nodded, looking a little unsure of whether he believed her or not. “Okay.” He said, letting a long pause draw by. “And, Dane, you drove here?”

          He nodded.

          “Alright then.” Henry said. “Well, Bridget, Dane, see you guys on Monday!”

          “Bye Bridget!” Della said, smiling widely. “See you Dane!”

          “Bye guys!” Charlotte said.

          Bridget nodded, smiling. “Bye!”

          The moment they were out of sight, Bridget looked quickly back at Dane. He nodded knowingly.

          Bridget walked out of the room, going to her locker. She wanted to make sure everything appeared real, so she made her way down the many short halls.

          Eventually she reached her ever-so- frequented locker 92. She spun the dial a few times, popping it open after the first try. She stared down at it for a minute or so, allowing time to pass. Bridget hoped that Henry, Charlotte, and Della were at least exiting the parking lot by now.

          She looked at the old clock at the end of the hall. The second hand ticked methodically around the surface. At that particular moment, it was passing the “7”. Bridget decided she would let it make at least one more full circle before she returned back to Mrs. Streisand’s room.

          The echoing “tick-tock” sounded about twenty more times before she decided to look away. They’re probably gone by now. She thought earnestly, shutting her locker in assured confidence.

          She turned around, not expecting to see anyone behind her.

          “Ah!” She yelped.

          “Hey,” Dane said, arching an eyebrow.

          Bridget started laughing. “Honestly, I didn’t even hear you coming. How do you sneak up on people like that?”

          A coy smile spread on his face. “Practice.” He said playfully.

          “You’re mad creepy, I hope you know that.” Bridget said to him jokingly, as she started to walk down the hall with him.

          “Creepy.” He restated, his voice crackling like it usually did.

          “Absolutely.” Bridget replied quickly. “Creepiest bloke I’ve ever known.” She beamed up at him, as they reached one of the many exits in the school.

          “You’re awful,” He said, giving her a doting look.

          Dane opened the door for her. The two of them walked out, moving toward the parking lot.

          “So where are we going?” Bridget asked.

          Dane didn’t respond right away. “Just my creepy house.” He said jovially, unlocking the car with his key button.

          Bridget gasped pretending to be surprised. “You mean you have one of those?” She asked. “All this time I thought you were one of those homeless blokes that lived under a bridge in a cardboard box.” Bridget said, laughing at her own statement, as she slid in the passenger seat.

          Dane got in from the other side. “Something like that.” He said, turning the keys in the ignition, his eyes slipping to her face. But then he looked away, and pulled out of the parking lot.

          Bridget grinned, enjoying his presence. But the feeling that she had earlier began to slowly creep its way into her conscience. All in a moment, a million questions erupted in her mind. What exactly are we? Are we…together? Should I even be concerned about this? Against her better judgment, she thought of asking about it; let the curiosity get to her, but she bit her lip to hold the probing inquiry back.

          The slim car rolled down the main street. Dane took a sudden turn to a one-lane side road, bumpy in its paving. Bridget looked out the window, seeing that it was lined by beautiful, tall trees beginning to bud with brilliant green leaves. Sunlight shined through the branches, dappling itself on the uneven road.

          Bridget could barely contain herself any longer. In a short breath the beginning of a sentence slipped out.

          “Dane,” She said quietly, still unsure of herself. But she continued anyway. “This is probably really thick of me, but…” She took a deep breath. What am I really asking here? She thought. What do I want out of this? Reassurance? No, not that. What then? Bridget exhaled, knowing Dane was listening, even though he hadn’t said anything while he was waiting. So she decided to just let her unseasoned words spill out.

          “I don’t know if we’re--” Bridget started. But Dane cut her off.

          “Dating.” He finished her question.

          Bridget was caught off guard. She wasn’t expecting him to know what she was thinking. On the other hand, Dane was lot of things she never expected. So her surprise was short-lived.

          “Stupid question.” Bridget said, just in case he was possibly offended.

          “You don’t think that.” He said, like it was a fact rather than an opinion.

          Bridget would have smiled. She treasured his propensity to be so direct, and not give in to her own bent to be overly pre-emptive.

          I don’t. She thought to herself. Bridget closed her eyes, knowing that if they were ‘official’ or not wasn’t the issue. It was something else. Something she felt she knew, but was afraid to think about. As the thought entered her head, it just as quickly came out of her mouth.

 “I don’t know you.” Bridget said, opening her eyes.

She looked at Dane for a reaction. But his head remained fixed at the road.

Bridget tried to read his expression. Nothing. “I feel like, I’m the one always talking, and spewing information about me about you, and it’s always me. But I don’t know you, Dane. I don’t even know where you live, or…your family; I don’t know who you…are.” Bridget realized how dramatic she sounded, so she paused. “But,” She said, on a breath, “I want to.”

Dane finally looked to her, as he pulled into a rocky drive way snaked between copious amounts of trees. He stopped the car, turning the keys out of the ignition, causing silence to break the air.

“I know,” he said, his green eyes on hers. He let a pause slip by between them, as he smiled. “That’s why I brought you here.”

Reviews

[Short.Nerd]

FINALLY ANOTHER CCHCAPTER! lol. It was worth the wait and awesome.

I can't wait to see how Greece is and what their trip is like. I bet its awesome. I also can't wait to see where Dane took her. :D Keep up the aesome work!