Chapter 2

 

It was already a half an hour since Liz left to go to the bathroom. Matt was no longer at the table in the restaurant. Instead, he was sitting in a cab on his way home.

“I’ve had it with these dumb blind dates. Who believes in that whole boyfriend/girlfriend things anyway?” Matt muttered to himself.

It wasn’t long before the cab pulled up into the Ballinger’s driveway.

“$2.50, sir,” the cab driver stated politely. Matt handed him $3.00 and let him keep the change.

He ran up the doorway and rang the doorbell. His preppy older brother, David opened the door.

“Chika boom boom!” David barked, jamming to his compact disc player.

Matt sure felt good to be home- away from girls. He managed to escape from his brother and ran up to his bedroom. He lied down sloppily on his bed and looked up to see a huge poster of Britney Spears. Matt looked around his room with comfort. He had a light blue soft carpet and light blue wallpaper. He had only one enlarged poster of Britney Spears hanging above his queen-size bed. He had two black and blue body pillows and two more for his head. In front of his bed was a big-screen TV with cable. Beside his bed was a stand that held all 10 of his light blue visors. Near his window was a microphone standing up. That was where he usually wrote songs for his group, Dream Street. His bedroom resembled him in every way.

Matt pressed the answering machine button on his phone.

“I’m sorry Matt. There just wasn’t any chemistry. I think we both know that. Anyways, see you later maybe. Bye!” a squeaky voice resembling Liz’s said on the machine.

Matt wasn’t surprised at all. Frankly, he didn’t mind. He was almost more than positive that he’d never ever want to go on another blind date again. Especially if Greg set it up. Just then, the phone rang. Matt leaned over to check his caller ID and it read, “Raposo”. He decided he’d better not get it. If he did, Greg would probably bribe him into going on another blind date. Who knows? Maybe this time Greg would set him up with a deaf person he couldn’t talk to.

“Heey! It’s the one and only Ballinger man! I’m not here, probably having some porridge with three bears. You know the drill. (singsà) Beeeep! Oh, yesa!” screamed Matt’s answering machine.

“Yo Matt! Wassup? I know you’re there, so pick up,” Greg demanded on the machine, “I’m waiting, Matt! Pick up the phone! I know you’re there!” Greg gabbled on and on over the answering machine while Matt stared blankly at his Britney Spears poster. The answering machine finally made a beep sound that stopped Greg from talking any more. Matt felt relived. Why could Greg possibly want to talk to him so bad?

In less than a minute, Matt’s phone started to scream terribly again. Sure enough, it was Greg. Matt ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He let his answering machine get it.

“Hmmm…I just know you’re there. Pick up, Matt! That’s right! Get your lazy ass off your bed and answer the phone. That’s all you gotta do! Pick up the-”

“What!” Matt grabbed his phone before he could stop himself. Greg was getting more annoying by the second. “This better be good!”

“I found her,” Greg said with slyness in his voice.

“That is very good for you. Now bye,” Matt yawned. He was about ready to hang up his phone when Greg screamed through it.

“No! I found her! The girl…for you!”

“Not interested,” Matt stated blankly.

“But this time I really found her,” Greg defended himself. “Give her a chance, please.”

“No,” Matt affirmed, “What about the first blind date you set me up with?”

“It wasn’t my fault you brought her to a karaoke diner,” Greg answered uneasily. Luckily, Matt couldn’t see him because he was starting to blush.

“What about the second one?” Matt continued.

“How was I supposed to know that she was allergic to everything besides bread?”

“Yeah, right. Do you know what I did all night?” Matt protested. “I sat at a table in a restaurant with old people staring at me while Liz so-called ‘went to the bathroom’. But you know what really happened? She didn’t come back.”

“So? This girl is different. And guess what? She plays lacrosse!” Greg neglected Matt.

“What’s her name?”

Greg sat still for a moment. What was that girl’s name? “Mac or Mickey or something weird like that,” Greg hesitated.

“You don’t even know her name?” Matt cried. “No, the answer is no! I’m NOT going on another blind date. N-O!”

“But she-“

“Hmm?” Matt cut Greg off his sentence.

“Fine. But you don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Greg warned him.

Matt didn’t think twice before hanging up the phone. He grabbed his sweater from his closet and fit one of his blue visors on his head. He needed some fresh air, far away from his bedroom phone. He dashed down his stairs and almost made it to the door.

“Matt? Is that you?” His mother called out from the dining room. Her voice had a serious tone to it.

“Yeah, Mom. I’m going out.”

“No, Matt. Come here for a sec,” Mrs. Ballinger ordered. Matt’s stomach did a flip-flop. He paced over to where his mother was sitting. She was holding a yellow paper in her hands.

“Why do you have a D in Math? It’s your best subject,” Mrs. Ballinger looked straight at her son.

“Mom, I-” Matt tried to explain.

“-And you have a C in History. What’s going on?” she raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll do better. I’m just a bit…tired,” Matt attempted to explain again. He could’ve smacked his head. Ever since Greg started making him go on a million blind dates, Matt’s been lazy with his homework.

“You better be doing your homework tomorrow when I get home from work,” Mrs. Ballinger warned Matt.

“Yeah, Mom!” Matt called out as he walked away.

He finally opened the front door and let himself out. He took a deep breath, sucking in all the fresh air he could. Matt could see his breath in the cold air. He quickly began to run down the street. Matt planned to run all the way to his secret hide out, an old shack placed near the woods. Matt began to run even faster, seeing only the blurs of cars passing by. Without notice, he knocked into a girl on the sidewalk.

“Whoops! I’m such a klutz,” the girl had an angelic voice as she brushed her curly red hair out of her face.

Matt gripped her pale hand and pulled her up while laughing. “Sorry. My bad,” Matt quickly explained and began to run off again.

The girl suddenly began to run off after him. “Wait!” the girl dashed. She caught up to Matt very easily.

Matt blinked his eyes. Did this girl just catch up to him? No one ever catches up t him, especially when he runs. He was the fastest runner on his lacrosse team in school. “Huh?” Matt questioned, confused.

“You dropped your visor,” the girl smiled while handing him his baby blue visor.

“Oh. I was running so fast I guess I forgot,” Matt said, still shocked that the girl caught up to him. He clutched onto his visor.

“Speaking of running, why were you running so fast?” the girl asked out of curiosity.

Matt hesitated. What was he supposed to say? Oh, umm…my lunatic friend has been setting be up on seven blind dates and I’m getting C’s and D’s in school? Instead, he just said he was stressed out.

“What could possibly stress you out that much?” the girl became nosy.

“Girl problems,” Matt said without an explanation. Why shouldn’t he tell her? It wasn’t like he would have seen her again anyway. “What about you?”

“What about me?” the girl pointed to herself.

“Yeah. It’s 11:00 at night and you’re wandering around. There’s gotta be a reason.”

The girl suddenly raised her eyebrow. “What’s your name?”

“Matt. Matt Ballinger.” Could this girl possibly not know who he was? It was an odd moment for him.

“Oh. McKenzie Larson,” she said lightly, “I have guy problems and I’m just thinking about them. That’s all.” She had a more thorough answer than Matt. “My friend wants to hook me up on a blind date with a stranger she doesn’t even know.”

“You’re kidding. So is my friend. He’s been setting me up on seven blind dates, and that’s as far as he’s gunna make me go,” Matt began to laugh.

“Yeah, I know what you’re talking about! Who believes in blind dates anyway?” McKenzie asked.

“Exactly,” Matt sounded surprised that he just met someone who knew exactly how he felt. “I don’t even know why I’m stressed out because of this.”

“Me neither,” McKenzie shook her head. She turned to the ground and started shuffling around a gray rock. After a while of kicking rocks, McKenzie spoke up. “You know, why don’t we just go on the blind dates? It’s not like we’re actually going to like the people. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Matt started to think it over. “True,” he shrugged his shoulders, “But this will be the last blind date I’ll ever go on.”

“This will be my first and last! So I promise to go on the blind date if you do,” McKenzie offered her hand.

“Deal,” Matt smiled and shook McKenzie’s hand. She was probably right anyway. It’s not like he would actually like the girl he was going on a blind date with. Besides, it would only make Greg happier.

 

 

McKenzie decided to call Jill right away before she changed her mind and broke her promise with Matt. Why did Matt need seven blind dates anyhow? He seemed pretty cute and was nice to talk to. McKenzie didn’t see what a girl could find wrong about him.

“Hey Jill!” McKenzie screamed through the phone.

“Hey! Did you make up your mind yet?” Jill seemed excited, as always.

“Yes,” McKenzie said confidently.

“Yes, you did make up your mind, or yes is your answer to the blind date?”

“Both?” McKenzie giggled, “I figured that Dean wouldn’t mind. He’s probably going out with his guy friends that night anyway.” Dean was McKenzie’s un-loyal boyfriend.

“YESS! Now I get to see Greg again!” Jill screamed.

“Who?”

“Greg…the hottie with the body! Didn’t I tell you? He’s from Dream Street and so is your blind date,” Jill squealed again.

“Noo…you forgot that little detail! Isn’t Dream a girl group?” McKenzie demanded.

“No! They are from Dream Street, not Dream! D-R-E-A-M S-T-R-E-E-T. They are boys, not girls!”

“Oh. What’s my guy’s name?”

“That is a very good question,” Jill complemented. “I forgot. But you won’t be sorry! Greg said he was totally cool.”

“Jill! You are boy crazy. I gotta go anyhow. I have to run some errands for Dean early tomorrow morning. Bye,” McKenzie hung up the phone.

She sighed and looked around her room. It was always messy. There was a tall full-length mirror by her door. On the door were purple and blue beads hanging down. There was on big dresser on the opposite site that was painted purple. On top of her dresser were at least 10 trophies and ribbons. Half were for singing and half were for lacrosse. Lacrosse was the only sport McKenzie liked. But she didn’t just like lacrosse. She loved it. Ever since she was for, her dad would take her into her backyard and practice lacrosse. After a while, McKenzie just kind of stuck to the sport.

“McKenzie! Where are my new hoop earrings?” Viki, McKenzie’s older sister, screamed as she stomped into her bedroom. Viki also had red hair, but it was straighter than McKenzie’s. She was popular and extremely tall in her high school. Everyone thought she was Miss Perfect, including her own parents. She was a cheerleader and also got good grades. McKenzie hated how her friends, even Jill always admired Viki.

“I don’t know,” McKenzie said without looking up.

“How can you stand this messy room? You can’t find anything here!” Viki exploded. Viki stormed out of the room, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Viki wasn’t the only sibling McKenzie had, however. She had a little rascal brother named Joey. Every time she saw him, he was either eating or holding a football. Joey was a bit chubby for his age and absolutely loved football, though he was only five and wasn’t old enough to join the football team in his school. McKenzie however, adored Joey. Maybe it was because he didn’t brother her or the fact that he was the cutest little brother she could ever ask for.