#Chapter 20: Both Accepted and Rejected

I was annoyed. And yet something was different. This time there was something in his smile that was daring me, something more childish, as if he was issuing a fun challenge rather than the aggressive, domineering commands I'd seen in the past few days. I thought back to high school. He wasn't the only person to be wrong judging outward appearances during that time. I'd obviously been wrong too. He'd thought I was a doormat and I thought he was perfect. Turns out neither of us had been correct. This version of him, however, was a little less horrible, a little more like someone I could deal with. That, combined with the way he was smiling at me with his blue eyes, made me smile back. "You're on. If Sally rejects my idea, I'll have dinner with you for the month." "At 8:30." "Yes, yes, fine. At 8:30. Why so specific?" He shrugged. "I have a schedule, and a guy gets hungry." * The orphanage's front was an imposing facade of brick and windows. It was stark and