Start with "Hi"

As she walks by your seat, you just give her a nod and say, "Hi Tracey." You do your best to sound casual, even though your pulse is racing. She turns towards you at the sound of your voice. She looks a little confused, probably because you've never said a word to her before. But she nods back, with a faint smile. "Hey... Dave." She says, recalling your name after a short hesitation. Then she continues on to her seat two rows away.

You breathe again. That certainly could have gone worse. Tracey didn't sneer, point and laugh, or shriek and run for cover. You said hello like a normal human, and she returned the greeting. Maybe Abbie was right, you should think less about everything that could go wrong. Feeling a little encouraged, you start thinking about whether and how you'll actually ask her out, since that was the requirement for Abbie's deal.

As class goes on, you don't really pay much attention to the teacher Ms. Fellows, or the group discussion about the reading, but at one point Tracey raises her hand to answer a question. She makes what Ms. Fellows seems to think is a pretty good point about the book. That gives you an idea.

After class, while Tracey is packing up her things, you step over to her desk. "Hey, sounds like you've got a handle on The Crucible." You clear your throat nervously. "I was wondering if you'd be up for getting together sometime to study. The big test for this quarter is coming up next Wednesday. Are you doing anything this Friday?"

Tracey looks at you with surprise again, and this time a little curiosity, you think. She smiles a bit more confidently than last time. "I'm busy Friday, but maybe we could go over some of the material at lunch one day this week," she tells you.

You feel a little disappointed not to have gotten a yes to meeting up on Friday, but even hanging out with her during lunch in the cafeteria is a huge step for you. You grin from ear to ear. "That would be great." You say. Not wanting to push it by asking her which day exactly, you step back to your desk, shove your stuff into your backpack and head towards the classroom door.

As you're about to get out, Ms. Fellows says "Dave, do you have a minute? I'd like to talk to you about your level of work in this class."