Destiny Date by Melody James Read Free Book Online Page A

you.’ I slam the door shut, surprised at the fury churning in my stomach.
    I sit heavily in a seat and flick on a PC. I can feel my heart racing. What is everyone’s obsession with dating? I feel like the last dodo waiting beside the ark while the other animals
march two by two up the gangplank. Noah’s got a clipboard and he’s ticking it with Cindy-like briskness.
    ‘Why can’t I go on-board?’ my dodo self asks him.
    ‘You’re not in a pair.’
    ‘But I’m the last dodo alive.’
    ‘Tough.’ Noah shunts me aside with a nudge of his sandalled foot.
    I zap back to reality, my fingers tingling as an idea buzzes in my head.
    I’m not waiting for a killer idea. I’m going to write a piece now. About how it feels to be the dodo. It might not be what everyone wants to read. But it’s my truth.
    I start typing, hitting the keys hard.
     
    Make the Most of Being Single
    Do you want a date for the prom? Of course you do. You’re a teenager. Your hormones are raging; a new spot erupts every day; you obsess about how everyone sees you.
    How great would it be to have one person in the world to tell you that you’re fabulous? A date for the prom would be the final, absolute, total and complete proof that you are OK.
    At least that’s what you believe.
    You’re surrounded by couples; you can’t cross the dining hall without hearing the sound of teens sucking face. They’re groping in the hallways and swapping knowing smiles
    during lessons. You must feel like you’ve stumbled onto Noah’s ark.
    But is dating really that great?
    Dating is when you discover that the person you’ve been crushing on for the last year isn’t the person you’d imagined. Love flies out of the window when reality sets
    in.
    Picture poor, dumb Cinderella. She thought that her prince was handsome, charming, loyal and kind. She saw his mop of blond hair and swooned with passion. His blue-blue eyes made her weak
    at the knees. And their first dance made her heart beat so fast she thought she would die.
    But, when the ball was over, her carriage wasn’t the only thing to turn back into a pumpkin. Prince Charming turned out to be just an ordinary boy. A lame, immature, heartless boy.
    And, thanks to her glass slipper, Cinderella was stuck with him.
    Is that what you want?
    Don’t get stuck with a date! Go to the prom single. Some of your classmates might stare at you like you’re a bog brush on the dinner table, but if they’re single,
    they’re a bog brush too; and if they have a date then you’re going to have a lot more fun that they will.
    While couples are dancing with the same person all night, you can dance with anyone you choose. You’re free to flirt or just have fun with your friends.
    Stop worrying about love. Love is for old people and fairy tales.
    Don’t tie yourself down with a date for the prom. It’ll be the best party you go to this year. Don’t be dumb like Cinderella; stay single and enjoy the night.

 

    Rain’s battering my bedroom window. Treacle’s sitting on the floor beside me and we’re surrounded by textbooks. I’m flipping through
Of Mice and
Men
, looking for quotes for the essay we’re working on.
    Treacle’s chewing on her pencil and staring into space. ‘I tried my prom dress on again last night,’ she announces. ‘I’ve never had a dress that makes me feel like
a Disney princess before.’
    ‘Uh-huh.’ I spot a quote.
A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.
I scribble it into my notebook.
    Treacle sighs noisily. ‘Did you ever imagine
I’d
have a Disney dress?’
    ‘No.’ I run my finger down the page, scanning the text.
    Treacle’s been a tomboy ever since I’ve known her. At least she used to be until she fell in love with Jeff. Now she switches between football strip and babe-wear, like a chameleon
switching from branch colour to leaf colour.
    I find a fresh line I can stick in my essay.
Nobody never gets to heaven. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time