As soon as the clock hit 10:30, Hailey bolted. She didn’t even wait for the next day’s assignment—she’d just get it later.
Hailey caught sight of her roommate just as she passed under the Pre-Med gate.
“Giselle!” She waved and ran to catch up.
“What do you want?”
Hailey needed a second to catch her breath. “You remember…” she panted as the two headed to Trinity, “David from…ParaComm…?”
Giselle didn’t respond.
“Well, he just told me he wants to ask you to Seven Trumpets, but he’s really nervous…”
Giselle tilted her head away from Hailey, but she detected a slight pull on her cheek—the banshee was smiling!
“Anyway,” Hailey said nonchalantly, “thought you should know…just in case he tries to talk to you…”
They walked in silence until they reached Trinity’s doors. Giselle hesitated there. “What if he steps on my dress or something?” the banshee said in a weird, almost feigned grouch.
Hailey shrugged as they walked into class.
“Well…uh…wail at him,” she said quickly.
“That’s funny, Hailey,” Giselle told her, once again trying to hide her smile.
The day the banshee appeared in class looking almost happy will go down in history at Bear Towne, because as she continued smiling, Giselle transformed. Most of her wrinkles vanished, and her wiry gray hair took on a golden sheen. David decided he couldn’t wait until lunch and just as Professor Mum opened her mouth to begin class, he abruptly stood up and faced Giselle.
Watching David approach her was the whole of their ParaComm class, all shock-faced, frozen in various pre-class poses, and waiting with wide eyes to witness a dumb human try to strike up a conversation with the campus banshee.
David cleared his throat and looked like he was about to lose his nerve when he got close, so Hailey intervened.
“Hi David,” she called, smiling kindly, and she jabbed her roommate with her elbow.
“Oh. Hi,” said Giselle uncertainly.
“Er…Giselle…” said David with a shaky voice. “…hi.” He dropped his head and turned his back on them.
Hailey lunged to grab his arm before he could walk away.
“David, I was just telling Giselle how great it would be if we all sat together at Seven Trumpets,” she prodded.
He swallowed loudly. Actually, he looked terrified, and Hailey had to act fast or else he might pass out before he asked Giselle to go.
“…and Giselle really liked the idea…” Hailey gave David her most encouraging smile.
“Giselle,” he said going pale, “could…would you…”
Now he was hyperventilating and spoke his next words so fast they ran together. “Woul-ja-g-go-to Strumpets-with…me…?”
Giselle’s face softened. “Yeah sure, I guess,” she mumbled.
He smiled widely, but then he passed out at her feet.
Hailey turned to Giselle. “Look,” she said pointing at him. “You’re a knock-out.”
Chapter thirty-six
A Proper Date
