The Modern Way to Ask a Girl Out

There she was.

She walked by his locker every day, yet she never seemed to acknowledged him.

It was Duck, one of the most popular girls in school.

And Fakir, the school loner.

Fakir never was one to speak to others. He hadn’t ever since his parents died when he was eight. However, he remembered when he first moved to Gold Crown Town, Duck was the first person to greet him when he started middle school.

“Hey!” a gleeful redhead called out to a boy with dark green hair. Fakir looked up and glared at her for invading his personal space. “What?” he said sharply. The girl was unaffected by his angry nature. She stuck out her hand. “My name’s Duck. You’re new here, aren’t you?” Fakir looked at her hand, then at the girl. This was the first time that anyone had gotten close to him since he arrived that morning. “Yeah. I’m new.” Duck grinned. “That’s great! So, what’s your name?”

Ever since, Fakir had had a crush on Duck. It was hard to tell if Duck had ever considered him as a friend, since they just spent all of middle school arguing.

But as soon as the two started high school, Fakir kept himself distant from Duck, and eventually she became popular, destroying any chances of him even being able to talk to her again. No popular kid was caught dead with any “minority.”

“She’s so hot, isn’t she?” asked the one exception to the popularity rule: Mytho, the most popular guy in school that hung out with just about anyone.

Fakir knew automatically that his white-haired friend was talking about Rue, who was walking with Duck. It was no secret that Mytho liked her. “I guess,” Fakir said with a shrug. Mytho turned to Fakir. “Of course you’d say that. You like Du-AH!” Mytho was cut off as Fakir slapped his hand over Mytho’s mouth. “Don’t say it out loud, you idiot!” he said in a loud whisper.

Mytho moved Fakir’s hand away. “You know, you’ll never get her to like you if you don’t say something,” he said. Fakir glared at Mytho. “And you confessed to Rue when, exactly?” Just because the whole school knew didn’t mean it was by choice.

Mytho tapped his chin, as if he didn’t hear Fakir at all. “Tell you what. If I ask Rue out, and she says yes, you have to ask Duck out. Deal?” Mytho stuck out his hand. Fakir looked at it with confidence. There was no way that Mytho would be able to confess, much less have Rue say yes. He shook Mytho’s hand. “Deal.” With a deal like this, Fakir wouldn’t have to worry about confessing to Duck any time soon.
***
“Son of a…” Fakir would have to confess to Duck sometime soon. He watched as Mytho walked hand in hand with Rue. It wasn’t shocking that Rue had said yes, since Mytho was one of the popular kids, but still! He was actually able to confess!?

Mytho spotted Fakir as he jumped into his car with Rue, giving him a look of “I told you so.” Fakir knew that he was as good as dead.

He took a deep breath. C’mon, Fakir. You just have to avoid Duck from now on. As long as you don’t run into her, you don’t have to con-- “It’s nice how Mytho was able to confess to Rue, isn’t it?” Damn.

Fakir turned to Duck, who watched as the convertible drove off. He turned bright red. Should he do it now? What was he supposed to do? Don’t most guys walk up with confidence and sing or something? There was no way in hell he was doing that!

“I’ve always wondered what it was like…to go out with someone,” Duck said absentmindedly. Fakir jumped. “Wait…you haven’t gone out on a date before?” Duck shook her head. “As far as I know, no guy even likes me.”

Fakir was stunned. Duck—one of the most popular, lovable girls in school—had never gone out on a date? Fakir looked at the ground. “Well…” he started.

“Hn?” Duck turned to the tall boy, he suddenly looked uncomfortable. He said, “Maybe…you and I…could go out on a date.” Duck’s eyes widened. “Fakir…are you asking me out?” Fakir’s tan skin turned dark red. “Y-yeah…”

Duck threw herself at Fakir to hug him, causing the two of them to fall onto the sidewalk. Fakir was shocked, but Duck was unfazed. “Ooh! You won’t believe how happy you just made me, Fakir! I was hoping that you’d ask me out someday!”

How the heck was she able to be so cheery after crashing to the sidewalk? Sure, Fakir took most of the blow but—wait, what? “You were hoping I’d ask you out?” Fakir asked. Duck got off of Fakir, and he stood up. “W-well, yeah. I’ve been too shy to ask you myself, and I’ve liked you since middle school, so…” Duck tugged at her braid nervously. Fakir smiled. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I like you too.”

Fakir took Duck’s hand and they walked to Fakir’s car, both agreeing to see that new movie that had just come out. Maybe Fakir hadn’t done the best or most modern way to ask a girl out, but as long as she said yes, who cares?