Saint Joseph School

Wednesday the 12th

She'd been distracted all through history class. Mr. Norris had even needed to grab her attention with a sharp "Miss Jacobs!" after she hadn't responded, leading to much flustered stammering while several classmates snickered.

If one student in particular had so much as chuckled along, that probably would have ended her plans on the spot, but he had given her a slightly concerned (and sympathetic?) look instead. That was how she found herself meekly forging her way after him when class ended. "Um, Diego?"

"Hm? Ah... si, Joni?"

"I um... I was..."

She stalled out. Of course. Even with both Alex and Aura trying to push her into this, she was going to chicken out.

It had been Joni's idea that she should try asking someone this year, but Alex had pointed to Diego of all people, noting he was Christian, friendly, and available. "Good-looking" and "charmingly accented" were left unvoiced; Joni felt totally out of her league.

"I was wo..."

Then Aura had actually pulled out those cards to see how it would work out, and drawn the Strength card. A woman with one hand on a lion (like the one on Diego's armor), totally unafraid. Aura had called it "fated" after that and insisted Joni had to ask. That had made no sense to Joni, because wasn't there some fated things between Diego and Aura already? (That was why Joni had asked Aura permission to, well, ask in the first place, even if she didn't seem to like Diego at all. And, okay, any excuse not to go through with asking Diego, but that had backfired nicely.)

And to top it all off, one of the two, probably Aura, had scribbled that "lion tamer" message on the mirror, and Joni thanked God that no one else was in the bathroom when she spotted it and squeaked.

She chewed on her lip. Diego was giving her a confused look; he probably thought she was a moron. "Es something wrong?"

"Was w-wondering..."

She took a couple frosty breaths. You're a lion tamer, she told herself. You're not meek little Joni, you're a strong lion tamer. A strong lion tamer. Just ask!

"Wouldyouliketogotothestrongliontamerwithme?"

...Joni wasn't the type to swear even in her head, which was a shame sometimes. This would have been an excellent time for it.

"Wouldyouliketogotothestrongliontamerwithme?"

Joni had winced almost instantly, before managing to squeeze out an additional "Erm..."

Diego, meanwhile, blinked in surprise and had been trying to process the rapid-fire English. She wanted him to go somewhere? Lion? Was she referencing... what did she mean by that? It seemed every time Diego thought he might have increased his fluency, something came along to show him how wrong he was.

As Joni stood there blushing blue, Diego hoped he hadn't embarrassed her by his lack of comprehension. "Eh... excuse, I no understand?"

Joni barely got out a weak "...meant sadie hawkins...?"

"Sadie... who es...." Hawkins? Was there a Hawkins in their history class? Wait, he knew that name. There were posters up all over the place. And she'd said she wanted him to go somewhere... Diego blinked again as understanding dawned on him. "You mean dance es coming up?"

"Um, only if you don't want to go with anyone else!" Joni seemed half-ready to duck into herself and vanish if she could.

Diego was shocked. Had a girl really just asked him for a date? Had Joni just asked him for a date? He couldn't decide which question seemed most mysterious. His previous entanglements had seemed perhaps a touch unreal. Too good to be true, an opinion which arguably had borne itself out. But this. This was... something that happened to normal kids. "I... no think es anyone going to ask. Ah, I no even think about..."

"...no one?" Joni's quiet voice managed to convey her surprise.

Diego got a wry expression at the thought she would be surprised at that. He was so used to being the foreign kid, whose accent the jerks in math class loved poking fun at, the creepy kid who walked around with a bizarre mask, that it always caused a disconnect whenever someone seemed to see him differently. "No one. Es no seem my forté."

Still, she seemed to think different. And she'd obviously had to fight her ever-present shyness just to ask him. He unconsciously cast an appraising look at her. Unbidden, a memory from last winter came. It had not been an unusual conversation. He had still been with Kelly at the time, but Alex had been talking about how Joni deserved more confidence. And he remembered thinking, in fact had even mentioned, that Joni really was pretty cute, especially how her long ears moved with her expressions....

Almost as if on cue, Joni absently rubbed one of her ears.

"I have to say, es more than little unexpect get invite from you, señorita." Dear Lord in Heaven... a cute girl, known for being shy no less, had actually just walked up and asked him to a dance! He couldn't help but smile at her.

She blushed in response. "Um... sorry... if, um..."

Diego shook his head, realizing he'd gotten so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't even answered her. "Ay, lo siento, I es let surprise make me rude. I accept you invite for escort to dance, Joni."