Disclaimer #1: The characters in this story are 18 yrs of age

Disclaimer #2: Although the protagonists get covered in mud, getting covered in mud is not the focus of the story.

Disclaimer #3: I published the story here because I wanted to see how the UMD community reacts to a story that's different.

The Date

I was in "The Bistro", which is the swankiest restaurant in town, sipping my wine. The trouble was that I was sitting across the table from Cal Salmon, who was the nerdiest, most strait-laced boy in school. To his credit, he had gotten us into the swankiest restaurant and had managed to get me wine; the drinking age is 21 and we were only 18. He was also dressed in nice light blue suit. Nevertheless, I wanted this date to be over quickly, so I spent the night talking about the most boring things I could think of.
The reason that I on the date was due to a game of truth or dare. My friend Melissa had dared me to go on a date with the next boy who came through the door. To my consternation, in walked Cal Salmon. However, a dare is a dare, so I walked over and asked him for a date.
Again, to his credit, he listened politely and attentively. I really didn't know how he could do that, but he managed it. It really was the most banal drivel I was spouting. Even though he was attentive, I could tell that he was also paying close attention to what going on in and around the restaurant. I could also see the wheels turning. I wasn't worried about it, though. He was only slightly larger than I was, so I knew that I could handle him if I needed to.
We finished the meal, and he paid the bill. He suggested that we take a stroll down the pier, The tide was out, so the pier stretched across a long expanse of tidal mud before reaching the water. I continued to ramble about nothing, although it was actually getting hard to continue to do so.
About half way down the pier, Cal tried to kiss me. I was so shocked and angry that I shoved him into the mud. He then infuriated me more by hurling mud at me, hitting and dirtying my dress. I leapt into the knee-deep mud, grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head, and started dunking his head into the mud.
As I started to dunk his head for the third time, he grabbed my arm and said, "Enough. You are being set up." I was surprised that he had the strength to stop me from thrusting his face into the mud, but he did.
I let go of his arm but nevertheless angrily said, "You've gotten me drunk and I am knee-deep in mud. Of course I've been set up."
"No, you are being set up. I'm not part of their plan. As for being drunk, I came by yesterday to give the restaurant de-alcoholized wine and tipped the sommelier and the waiter to serve us that. You are not drunk. What you are experiencing is the placebo effect: you felt drunk because you thought that you should feel drunk." I suddenly didn't feel tipsy.
"As for your dress, yes, it is a pretty light blue dress. However, it is a dress that you hate because it isn't your style. You only wore that dress because you wanted to please your Aunt Daisy by being able to say that you had worn the dress that she had given you for Christmas."
I very weakly interrupted, "Aunt Betty."
Cal gave me a well-deserved snide look. "Aunt Betty, then. In any case, you are probably secretly glad that the dress is muddy as it gives you an excuse not to ever have to wear it again."
I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I closed it again and allowed myself to settle into a more comfortable position in the mud. I looked up at Cal and gave him a small smile of concession. Then I had a thought, "Why did you try to kiss me?"
"To make you mad. I figured that that was the only way I could get talk to you rather than the ridiculous fade you'd been shoving down my throat all night. I gambled that, by being next to the mud, you would choose to take out your anger the way you did rather than simply slapping me and storming off in a huff."
I felt ashamed. Cal hadn't deserved how I had treated him. "I'm sorry."
He chuckled a bit, "Don't worry about it. I was expecting that you'd do something like that."
I looked up and smiled at Cal. Then I looked down as a wave of fear as it was time to face the "elephant in the mud". "What did you mean by 'their plan'? Who are 'they'?"
"Melissa and your ex-boyfriend Jock."
Panic set in. "My ex-boyfriend?!?!? Jock and I haven't broken up."
"Not yet, but I'm sure that Melissa has convinced Jock to break up with you and to do so in the most humiliating way possible."
"How do you know this?"
"First, I have a cousin that graduated from the high school that Melissa used to attend. When I mentioned that Melissa had come to our school, he warned me about her.
"Second, I have observed that, whenever you and your clique aren't facing her, Melissa glares at you with hatred. I presume that this is because she wanted Jock and you, as his girlfriend, were in the way.
"Third, about a month ago I saw Melissa surreptitiously give Jock a note. As you know, Jock loves to bully me, so I am always trying to see him before he sees me. I was thus in position to see Melissa pass Jock the note.
"Fourth, I was manipulated into this date as much as you were. On the day that you asked me for the date, Jock and his friends managed to find me, lead me to the doorway, and give me a choice. I could walk through the doorway or get beat up. I think that this was Jock's idea, as I saw doubt on Melissa's face when she saw me."
"Lastly, I knew that Jock and you often had dates at "The Bistro". I therefore intentionally chose that restaurant for our date. Furthermore, thinking that Jock would be bringing Melissa to "The Bistro", I tipped the Maitre'D on the day before such that he would reserve a table for us such that they, if they showed up there, could clearly see us and where, by using a nearby reflective surface, could watch them without them knowing that I was doing so. I've had a lot of practice looking for Jock in a reflective surface. Sure enough, they showed up. When Melissa saw us, she had Jock cancel the reservation. Then they left."
I was madder now than I have ever been. "How dare Jock two-time me. How dare Melissa stab me in the back. When I see them tomor"
"No."
"What do you mean, 'No'?"
"It would be playing into their hands. Their plan is to, in some way, humiliate you with a very public scene. If you go storming off to confront them, you will be making a public and humiliating scene. It wouldn't be the scene that they were expecting, but they would probably be satisfied with it. Furthermore, despite the despicable and hurtful way they have chosen to become a couple, it is their lives and their choice. It seems to me that you have two choices: share Jock, should you and he both wish that, which is about as likely as water freezing in the sun, or to end the relationship."
I was still angry, although less so. "How do I break up with Jock with making a scene?"
"By getting them together and saying the following as calmly, as maturely, and as honestly as you can: 'It has come to my attention that you, Jock, and you, Melissa are now seeing each other. Jock, I am therefore ending our relationship. I wish you, Jock, and you, Melissa the best of luck, and I hope that the two of you find the happiness being together that apparently Jock and I could not find.'"
My anger turned to trepidation. "That's going to be very, very hard."
"I know."
I was starting to cry. "Will you please be there?"
"Of course."
"I've always treated you shabbily. How can you be so nice to me?"
"I could tell that Melissa and Jock were planning to hurt you in a way that no person deserves, and I simply couldn't allow that to happen. Besides, every man is my brother; every woman is my sister; should I not treat them, and you, as such?"
That opened the floodgates. I cried harder than I ever cried before. As I cried, I reached out and gave Cal the biggest, sweetest, most loving, most innocent hug that I have ever given anyone; my tears were mixing with the mud on his shoulder. He sweetly hugged me back. As the tears stopped coming and we pulled apart, Cal asked me, "By the way, how did Melissa manipulate you into asking me for a date?"
"A group of us were playing 'Truth or Dare'. When it was my turn, I asked for a dare. Melissa then dared me to go on a date with the next person to come through the door to our school hideaway, and to keep doing so until I actually had a date."
Cal's face became analytical. "Can you remember why you chose 'dare?"
I thought about it, and then I remembered. "Immediately before by turn, Melissa chose 'truth' and was asked about what she would do if she became pregnant. I remember that I didn't want to answer that question, so I chose 'dare'."
A horrified look came across Cal's face. "I think I know what they were planning; please forgive me, but I would like to ask you some rude questions, if I may?" I nodded my consent. "How many of your birth control pills have you taken during this cycle?"
"7 or 8."
"When was the last time you were intimate with Jock?
"A week ago Saturday."
"Good; that's about 10 days ago. I'm fairly sure the answer is 'no', but I have to ask--have you been intimate with anyone else in the meanwhile?"
"No." Cal visibly relaxed. "You don't think that I'm pregnant, do you?"
"No, but I think that you might have been had their plan worked. My guess is that Melissa has substituted placebos for your birth control bills and given Jock a faulty condom. Had you and Jock been intimate later this week . Then, when Jock would have staged the breakup scene, he would have accused you of cheating on him, suggested that you were pregnant, and pointed out that he used a condom.
I was flabbergasted to say the least. "That's positively evil. Are you sure?"
"No, which is why I am going to ask you for one of your pills. My mom is an analytical chemist and tell me whether or not it's a placebo. By the way, I think that it's more important than ever that you remain calm and mature tomorrow."
I nodded my head. "Can we go home now?"
"Certainly."
The next day I broke up with Jock in the manner Cal suggested. It took all of my strength to do so, but when I was done, I felt a sense of peace. Jock was both angry and chagrined. Melissa was positively livid, although it was with Cal she was angry; they were coldly staring at each other. Jock was about to bellow at me when Melissa stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder. At this time, Cal said, "Melissa, we need to talk in private." Jock turned towards Cal, but Melissa stopped Jock by squeezing harder on his shoulder. Melissa then said, "This way." I never found out what Cal and Melissa said to each other, but I do know that afterwards, Cal didn't need to hide from Jock and that I was never bothered by Jock or Melissa