I was not expecting it but I am nervous... I guess I just want to make a good first impression on everyone and especially on Tyler (I blush even thinking about it). I have a huge problem deciding what to wear though. I never dress well, everyone is thinking of me in torn jeans and casual t-shirts or loose sweaters. But this is not what I'm wearing tonight. No, I promised to myself that I will look good. So I practically took everything out of my closet and now I have narrowed it down to a dark-purple dress, a short red dress, and a sweater Lily got me for my birthday. I rule out the red dress as well. It's short and well, it's red. It's more for a date than meeting your friend's friends. However I do want Ty to see me as a girl so I rule out the sweater too. Purple dress it is! I took a quick shower, brushed my hair and shaped it into a braid. I am ready at 8.50 and I go downstairs.

Jackson is watching a football game and drinking beers. Lily is cooking. "You going on a date again?" she asks after she scanned me with a quick look. "Not exactly but kind of" it is the best way I can describe it. "I just don't know when I'll be back" I say and I notice that she frowns. Could she be worried? "Who are you going out with?" "Don't worry, Michael will be there too. I just want to meet some of his friends." She nods in agreement, she trusts Michael a lot, she seems to understand what he means to me. Someone is knocking on the door. I open and Michael smiles at me.

"Wow! It's been a long time since you showed me how pretty you are!" I laugh "Well I'm not showing you" I say making fun of him. "Right you've got lover boy now" he says. "I don't have him and don't call him that" he laughs "The others are just by the corner. We'll hang out in the neighborhood today we won't go to the city" "Okay let's go then". We find the others waiting for us. Some of them whistle when they see me. I don't mind, they're kidding anyway. We start walking towards the main street of our neighborhood. There are bars, a cinema, shopping centers... While we're walking, I stay behind everyone else. I don't feel very comfortable yet.

Every time I hold back, Tyler leaves the others and walks next to me. We are talking and it feels really great. We sit at an old playground. Tyler leaves for a while to buy beers for everyone. Joe comes to me "Hey, you okay?" he asks "Yeah, I'm fine" "I remember you from the institute. I heard your foster family ain't one of the best. Sorry" "Yeah, well what can you do". Surprisingly, talking about this doesn't upset me at all. It may be that I'm talking to someone with the same problems or perhaps I'm starting to get over it. "Well mine is not a prize either. But you always have your friends you know" I smile. I really like him and the way he talks... "Now let's go have some fun, uh?" he says and pulls me to the others.

They are talking about their school but soon they change the subject and try to decide what to do tonight. "I say we go to the bar and then we go watch a movie" says Nash. "No we'll watch the movie first and then go to the bar" "But it's too early for a movie..." This goes on for a while, but they finally agree to go to the cinema first. They decide to watch a thriller which certainly wouldn't be my first choice, but I don't mind. When we enter the cinema I sit next to Michael. Soon someone gets the seat next to me.

"So, do you like the movie?" Tyler whispers to me.