Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

David felt an irresistible urge to talk to her, to compliment her, to get to know her better. So he waited until the end of class, while everyone was getting ready to go to lunch, looked at her shyly, but with a courage he never felt, and said:

"Hi... I... I'm David..." He held out his hand.

She looked at him with a gentle smile and said:

"Hi, David. I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you." She said, squeezing his hand.

David felt a shiver run through his body. Her hand was soft and warm. He looked into her eyes and lost himself in that deep blue.

"The... the pleasure is mine..." He said, clumsily.

"You're pretty good at math, aren't you?" She asked, letting go of his hand and looking at his notebook, which had several notes in it.

"I... I like math..." He said, lowering his gaze.

"I like it too. It's my favorite subject." She said, smiling.

"Really?" Surprised, he inquired.

His sense of amazement was not only that he had found another person who liked math, but also that she didn't mock him when he said he liked it, and also that she was continuing the conversation.

"Seriously. I love solving equations and problems. It's like a game to me." She said, excitedly.

"For me too!" He said, feeling more at ease and looking her in the eye.

An awkward silence followed for the next two seconds as the two looked each other in the eye, and then the two turned their faces, a little shyly. After a few more seconds, the room was already completely empty, and it was Amanda who broke the silence.

"Um... Do you want to go karaoke with me?" she asked suddenly.

David was speechless. He hadn't expected that invitation. He had never been to karaoke in his life. He couldn't even sing. He had only heard that there was a karaoke club on campus because Klaus had told him.

"The... the karaoke?" he repeated, confused.

"É. There's a place nearby that's really cool. They say they have several songs and a fun atmosphere. I promised my roommates I'd find some nice people to go with, but I've only had the displeasure of meeting the jerks from the Athletic Department so far. If you have friends or roommates, and you want to invite them to go with us..."

"I can't sing." He said, hesitantly.

"That's okay. None of us can sing really well, I don't think. The important thing is to have fun and let loose. Come on, it'll be fun."

David didn't have time to refuse or to think of an excuse. He was carried away by her excitement, not knowing what to expect from that adventure. So they exchanged phone numbers and arranged a time to meet.

"Ah! If she's really as beautiful as you said, there's reason for you to be nervous like that, David," Klaus said, teasing him.

While David and Nathan were anxious about the girls' arrival, Andrew and Klaus were more relaxed, because they were more experienced. They had been to karaoke several times before and knew how to have fun and relate to people.

"Relax, guys. There's no big deal about it if you have one or two pretty girls. It's just a casual meeting, to meet new people and sing a few songs. No need to get nervous," Andrew said, trying to calm his friends down.

"Yeah, that's right. The important thing is to have fun. It doesn't matter if you sing well or badly, what matters is the attitude." Agreed Klaus, giving a smile.

"But...but...what if they don't like us? What if they're boring or stuck-up? what if they ignore us or tease us?" asked Nathan, full of doubt.

"Don't worry about that. You are cool, intelligent and nice. They will like you, I'm sure of it. And if they don't, tough. There are plenty of other girls out there," Andrew said confidently.

"That's right. You have to have self-esteem and confidence. Girls like that. Don't be insecure or needy. Be yourself, but a little more bold and charming," Klaus said, giving them a wink.

David and Nathan tried to follow their friends' advice, but they were still anxious. They looked at their watches every minute, hoping that the girls would arrive soon. Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, they heard knocking on the door of the rented karaoke room.

"They're here!" David jumped up from the couch.

"Easy, easy. No need to get that excited. Let me get the door," Andrew said, calmly getting up.

Andrew opened the door and saw four girls standing in the hallway. They were beautifully dressed and had their makeup on.

"Hi, come on in," said Andrew, smiling.

"Hi! And you must be one of David's roommates," said Amanda, smiling as well.

"Yes, but come in, come in! Make yourselves at home!" said Andrew, inviting them in.

The girls entered the room and looked around. They saw the couch with the microphones and the karaoke machine on the wall, and the other three boys, who moved to stand two on each couch, after all it would do no good for the boys and girls to be divided on different couches.

"That's so cool! You guys rented a big room!" said another of them, in amazement.

"No way! It was a pleasure! We love karaoke!" Nathan said, approaching the girls.

"We love it too! It's so much fun singing along with friends!

However, when everyone had sat down and settled down, Klaus looked forward and to his surprise one of the girls he already knew, because this girl was Ashley Cox. They both stared at each other not knowing how to react, not knowing what to say, because this was a great surprise from fate.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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