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All righty, I'm going to attempt to make an all-inclusive post to everything going on.

First off, good job on procuring a date. That's half the battle. Dinner dates are typically pretty good, so long as you have the ability to hold your own in conversation.

Second, fast food = awful place to go on a date. I've never taken my GF to fast food, mainly because I'd consider it well... tacky. I'd suggest a restaurant where, at bare minimum you have a waiter. Even if it's like a hole in a wall, make sure you have a server. Mid quality restaurants that serve this need well are like Coco's, Red Lobster, Sizzler, Chilies, etc. Upper-mid would include, Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden. Also some exclusive restaurants to your city tend to be nice too. Expect to pay about $40. Also, suggest the restaurant and see if it's okay with her. As it shows you're able to make a decision though be considerate of her as well. I'd also suggest having a backup if she shoots down your initial idea.

Asking her out to the formal as early as possible would be for the best, truthfully. As my Girlfriend explained to me, women buy dresses for almost every occasion, and the act of buying a dress entails buying new shoes as well. And unless she's a weird gothy/punk chick she'll probably care. (Though I'd never suggest dating anyone who does their shopping @ Hot Topic anyway, but that's just me.) Therefore giving her the maximum amount of time to do so would be strong. I also suggest though that you ask her at the end of, or during your first date with her, as doing so over the phone would seem less masculine.

After the date, if it went well, I'd suggest taking her for a walk, or a movie or something. Though you should make sure you already have showtimes in mind, for various movies. That way you can time dinner/lunch/whatever properly. (Sadly though, there really aren't any good movies showing. This weekend my GF and I were looking over the current movies playing and found nothing that we'd like to see.) A cold evening would be suggestible, as you'll have the opportunity to raise your standing in her eyes by offering your jacket to her.

Speaking of jackets, I'd suggest you dress halfway well. This includes some slacks and a polo shirt, I'd say. As it's not formal you won't be expected to wear a sport coat or anything (though they tend to look pretty decent when thrown over polo shirts.[They also tend to be extremely warm, though they don't look it.]) As an individual and in my own life, I tend to overdress as a rule. (I wear business suits to school, and am never far from my sport coats.) But this isn't required. One of my rules of thumb is that you should stand out, but not stick out.

Ah yes, the hot college professor. Too bad most of them were at least 35 and usually unattractive. Though there was the occasional hottie.

There's a good chance she wasn't confident at all, but just as nervous as you. You said you weren't all that anxious when you asked her, so you must have sounded pretty confident yourself. Don't assume anything, is what I think. If she's interested in making any kind of impression on you at all, she's a bit antsy, too.

Mreow, I never cared much for Yellowcard. I am usually to busy with tests though. Wish reminds me, I have a math exam today. *sigh* Gonna be a long day.

A mindblowing 3/4 of one of the 8th grade classes failed my last math test. Now, this is surprising, as the other class did relatively fine. The same material was taught, and things seemed pretty equal. The only difference is that the second class is more apathetic than the first class. Good times.