Annie waved back, finally closing the door when she could no longer see him. She clutched her package to her chest and practically ran up the stairs to her room, crossing to her window when she closed her door. From her room, she could see the side of Steve's house, a couple of the windows illuminated against the night. She bit her lip when she saw him cross in front of one of them. Tomorrow she would be going out with him. On a date/non-date. She flopped down on her bed in frustration. Why had her father had to barge in right then? She never got a straight answer from the man. [i]Well,[/i] she thought, [i]whatever it is, it'll be better than being here.[/i] With that final thought, she felt overwhelmed with tiredness. Her eyes drooped closed and she drifted into sleep.

The next morning, she woke to daylight streaming through her open window. She looked around, groggy, and realized that she had fallen asleep with her clothes on. All of a sudden, the events of the previous night came rushing back to her, and she remembered her outing with Steve. She jumped up and took a quick shower, taking extra care to put on nice makeup and do her hair, and went to her closet, half of her clothes still in boxes. She sighed as she picked through what was on her hangers before finally deciding on a soft v-neck sweater, her favorite pair of dark skinny jeans, and a pair of knee-high boots. With a final satisfied look in the mirror, she emerged from her room, happy to find both of her parents gone for work. She grabbed a granola bar and ate it quickly before stepping out of her front door and into the chilly morning air. 

She crossed her yard and stepped up onto Steve's porch, suddenly aware that it might be too early. She hadn't checked the time before leaving, but now as she looked at her phone, she realized that it was only nine. [i]Oh well,[/i] she though, taking a deep breath and ringing the doorbell.