Mr.Really Not-So-Smooth

Kenny stared back at Ellie who nervous chewed on her lower lip, I did it...I asked him. Ellie tried to find some strength in that but every second that passed by and Kenny did nothing but stare was making her spiral. "Wha -- I..." Kenny finally uttered out with a few rapid blinks and a shake of his head, "You want to -- Like where?" He finally asked and Ellie recoiled, a look of genuine confusion on her face now.

"N-No, Kenny, I meant, go out. Like you and I go out together, as a couple?" Ellie said once more and again a blank, dim look rested on Kenny's face,

"Yeah, no, I was just surprised you asked. W-Where do you want to go?" Kenny repeated as well and this time the blonde in front of him frowned,

"That's not funny, Kenny!" Ellie turned her head and crossed her arms, "If you don't like me you could just say it instead of being so rude and making fun of me..." She added on, her voice hurt and dejected.

Like lightening, Kenny's brain finally accepted what it had been trying to deny the entire time, "No, wait, wait, I wasn't making fun of you!" Kenny exclaimed as he held up his hands, "I was genuinely confused, I thought you were asking -- I'm sorry, Elle, I wasn't screwing with you, I swear."

Ellie relaxed and looked back, her body relaxing and a bit of hope returning to her eyes, "Oh, okay, I -- It's a lot to take in, sure. I can see why you didn't think..." Ellie let out a sheepish breathy laugh, "A-Anyway, so, now that you know, what do you think? Do you want to start dating?"

Kenny lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I mean...that sounds like a terrible idea," Ellie's eyes widened, "After everything that's happened, us dating would be awful and --" Kenny cut himself off, looking horrified, "W-Wait! No, no, that didn't come out right, Ellie I --"

- Smack! -

Kenny reeled back, holding his stinging cheek as Ellie glared back him. Her eyes were wet but face filling with red anger, "You rude, reprehensible, piece of shit." The blonde hissed as Kenny continued to rub the stinging red mark, "I'm out of here."

Kenny cleared his head and quickly reached out, grabbing Ellie by the wrist, "Wait! Elle, please let me just explain!"

Ellie ripped her arm free and looked back with a near disgusted scowl, "Do not fucking touch me." Kenny nodded, defensively raising his hands, "And no, I've heard enough out of you. This was always just some fucking game to you, wasn't it? What, because no one fucked you in high school you figured it gave you the right to fuck with people's heads, to use their bodies without having to commit to them? Who cares if they got hurt, right?"

"No, it's nothing like that at all! Just give me a chance to explain what I was trying to say!" Kenny pleaded with the blonde who only blew out a scoffing breath,

"Do you think I'm stupid, Kenny? Do you think that just because I was nice to you all this time you can make me think or do whatever you want me to?" Ellie retorted as she took a step away, "Nothing you're going to say is going to make you the good guy here. Nothing you say will make me feel like less of a fucking idiot than falling for all your shit." Ellie spun around and headed down the drive way, "Have a nice life, let's never see each other again."

Ellie got into her car and turned it on, slamming on the gas pedal in an instant and getting away from the Clark house with haste. "How did I let this fucking happen? I threw everything I had away, and for what? For that, prick?! Ugh!" Ellie slowed to a halt at a stop sign at the end of the street, giving her eyes a wipe from any forming tears, "Whatever! This is for the best anyway, I don't have to worry about making Juliet upset now either. I can focus on myself and my friends. This is for the best." Ellie's passenger door suddenly opened.

The blonde let out a scream and grabbed her chest as Kenny suddenly peeked his head inside the car, huffing hard with a few beads of sweat running down his forehead, "Barely caught you, shit...I thought I was going to have to run all the way to your house." The teen sighed while climbing into Ellie's car.

"Kenny, what the fuck are you doing?!" Ellie put her hazard lights on and pulled the car to the side of the road, "Get out of my car."

"I will, I promise I will, but before I do that, please hear me out." Ellie crossed her arms and diverted her gaze, silently accepting but it was clearly begrudgingly. "Thank you. Now, first, I am a fucking idiot, okay? You caught me off guard and my stupid, stupid, brain started freaking out and I just started saying shit. Yes I was rude, and hell yeah, I would have smacked me too. Even if I was rejecting you, I'd owe you a hell of a lot more of a respectful response than that."

Ellie immediately looked over, "If?" She asked and Kenny gave a half grin,

"Let me explain." Kenny turned in the seat so he was fully facing Ellie, "I like you Elle, of course I do, but what we've been doing...we can hardly call that normal." The blonde tightened her lips and her brow twitched, "I'm just saying! If we're being honest, we've messed around, exercised together, and that's really it and when we did that stuff we were hiding it from the world."

"So what you're trying to say is; "Ellie, you don't actually like me." Is that it? I'm just confused and lost?" Ellie snapped back,

"Not at all," Kenny easily replied, "What I'm saying, in full honesty, is I don't really know you. We've never really hung out without using the Gym as a ploy. How can I really think about being with you if I don't feel like I know you?" Ellie's anger seemed to flow away and othing but defeated, depressed look remanied, "Hang on, hang on. Before you start thinking something else, just listen. I want you to give me one more chance...you know, one last one to be stupid again with you." He chuckled,

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ellie looked the teen up and down,

"Let me take you out on a date. Let's do something real together for once, and after that...let me think about us again. And then I can give you a real answer, one way or the other. Is that fair? Is that...okay?" Kenny asked with a hopeful tone, "You mean a lot to me Elle, I don't want to end things like this because I was being an idiot back there."

Ellie was silent for a few long moments, taking everything in, "So, all of that, and what you were really trying to tell me is you wanted to take me on a date first?" Kenny meekly smiled and gave a small nod, "Man, you really fucking suck at talking to girls," Kenny slowly rolled his eyes but continued to nod, unable to deny that fact. "I...I don't know," Ellie finally sighed, "That was all a lot back there, Ken."

"I know, I really do, but one more chance?" Kenny asked once more, "Tomorrow night?" Ellie lowered her head, resting it against the steering wheel while she let out a very long exhale. _Fuck, I think I want to say yes, but is it even worth it? What if we go on this date and he says no anyway? _Ellie flicked over to the corner of her eye, glaring at Kenny. Maybe I should just say yes and then reject his ass instead. Why should he hold all the cards anyway? Ellie felt her surge of resentment settle. Or just say yes and have a good time with him and...see what happens?