Chapter 1: Run-in with Fate
Patrick’s POV:
I leaned up against my locker, holding my backpack so close to my chest, I could feel my heart beat through the thick textbooks in my clutch. Passing period.
Lisa was rummaging through her own locker, in search of her History homework to no avail. I should have been stressing about the chapter test waiting for us in third period, but more pressing matters clouded my mind.
“He didn’t even look at me when we passed in the hall… I know he doesn’t want to spread rumors, but I can’t help but think… maybe he’s ashamed? Could it be that he’s embarrassed of me?”
“Or is he just a little too busy with school to notice?” Lisa replied.
“Pff… He doesn’t pay much attention to school… He’s just…” I sighed heavily. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. All I want is some sort of acknowledgement that Saturday really happened, and I’m not crazy!”
Lisa gave me that look as she knelt down to search the bottom of her locker. The look that says “I know how you feel, I’ve gone through it, so I’ll be empathetic, but not sympathetic.” She can be such a bitch sometimes…
“Well, you haven’t even tried to talk to him since your date. I mean, you are calling it a date, right?” This was when I gave her one of my famous WHAT THE FUCK?? faces. “Ok, so you are. And don’t look at me like that… You look retarded when you make that face.”
“Yes, Lisa, I’m calling it a date. I mean, what else would you call it when two people go out to see a movie? And I mean, how could it not have been if he… god that kiss…” Closing my eyes, the memory flashing through my mind, I tilted my head back, hitting hard against the cold, metal door. “OW…”
Lisa looked up at me, snorting into locker. “Good job, Patrick.”
I rubbed the back of my head, my fingers lingering at the tiny patch of bald scalp. Grimacing, I let my hand fall down to my side, and I looked down at Lisa. “Thanks. You know, you shouldn’t spend too much time down there on your knees. People might start thinking that you’re used to it.” A triumphant smirk.
“AHA!” A bunch of papers in a clenched fist flew out of the locker, followed by the rest of Lisa, a broad smile gleaming. “I knew they were in here!” She stuffed the wad into her bag, and stood up with a bounce, slamming her locker shut.
“Congratulations. Now can we please get to class?” Did she not sense I was antsy to vacate the locker area before he showed up??
“Yes, impatient. We can go.” We started off towards Building-C, when Lisa suddenly whipped her bag around, digging through furiously. What more could I do but raise an eyebrow in curiosity?
“What are you—“
My question cut short by another obnoxious “AHA!” and a second later, a small black mass was being waved in front of my face.
“I got you a little something to cover up your bald spot!”
As I focused on whatever it was that Lisa was dangling in front of me, I suddenly became rather disoriented, probably due to an unexpected collision.
Stumbling back slightly, managing to bark out “Watch out!” my gaze snapped to the obstruction standing before me. FUCK!!!!!!!!
And there was Joe.
Joe’s POV:
I prefer to take things slow, and let life happen as it happens. I’ve never rushed anything in my life, especially at school, so my friends found it surprising that I all of a sudden had to rush to my locker after class. What can I say? I had places to be… people to see.
Looking at the clock on the wall, tapping my desk quietly, I pushed my chair back abruptly, the small group around me jumping slightly.
“Hey, Pete, I’ll be right back. I gotta run to my locker really quick…” I grabbed my backpack, swinging it over my shoulder as I dashed out the classroom door. I could barely hear Pete’s response: “Umm, okay? You’re gonna be late for class then… What’s up with—“
I didn’t bother listening to the rest of what he was saying to Travis. I didn’t have a lot of time to spare if I wanted to—
Fate is really a funny concept, but I think it may have been at work this particular day. Texting while rushing across the quad probably wasn’t the smartest thing I could have been doing at the time, but it hardly seemed to matter as I slammed into another fast-moving body, cell phone flying out of my hand onto a patch of grass.
When I looked up, I swear I felt my heart drop into my stomach and jump into my throat at the same time.
“Watch out!”
Every fiber of my being screamed at me to wipe away the smile that had spread across my face, and I wasn’t sure if he had noticed it, but I hid it quickly, regaining my cool composure.
“Hey, Patrick. What’s up?”
Patrick’s POV:
I couldn’t help but go completely stupid for the two seconds it took for Lisa to nudge me. When she did, I snapped back into reality, and realized that I much rather wanted to go back to my daze. At least in that state I wouldn’t have minded what came out of my mouth right then…
“Hey… Joe. I, uh… Hey. Just class now. You?”
I could have sworn I saw a smile. The same smile he’d given me on our date. The date I’d sworn had been a dream. My knees turned into Jell-o.
Joe’s POV:
His answer was interesting, to say the least. I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind right then, but I have to admit- I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying, so much as the lips that were saying them. Realizing I hadn’t given a response, I shook myself slightly, and gave an awkward smile.
“Just… going to my locker for something. You?”
Patrick’s friend Lisa snorted into her shoulder, stepping away. I was confused, until I realized what I’d just said.
“I’m… class…” He pointed off towards the building across campus, biting his lip. I silently prayed that he’d stop, even though I knew it wasn’t what I was really hoping for. Nodding slowly, I tongued my lip ring absently, pulling my backpack up further on my shoulder, the strap cutting into my neck slightly.
“Right… right. Well, uh…” I cleared my throat loudly, chastising myself silently for such a stupid remark. “I’m gonna get moving… Don’t wanna be late for class, right?”
Patrick’s POV:
I WAS DYING. Something inside of me wanted to laugh, something else wanted to just attack him. I wondered if Joe had thought about the kiss as much as I had…
“Right, Joe! So I guess we’ll see you later!” Lisa started pulling my arm slightly, bidding farewell against my deepest wishes. My brain was screaming in ESP to Lisa, in the hopes that she’d get the message. There was no such luck; I had no choice.
“Yeah, so… maybe we could… I dunno, hang out this weekend or something?”
I was startled by the words that had just come out of my mouth. A large knot formed in the pit of my gut, and along with the overwhelming need to swallow the hard lump in my throat, the tingly feeling I got every time he looked at me shot through my limbs.
He stood there for a second or two, apparently shocked at the fact that I’d just come out and asked him to… wait, I had just asked him to ‘hang out…’ FUCK!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK!!! With my luck, he probably took that as a sign that I wasn’t interested in him that way, which couldn’t possibly be farther from the truth! I scuffed my shoe across the concrete slowly, my hands burrowing in my pockets as far as they would reach.
Finally, he had an answer.
Joe’s POV:
Completely dumbfounded, I tried frantically to search for the words that could make or break the situation. I don’t know why it took so long, or why it was so difficult… perhaps it was just the slight shock of the fact that Patrick had just asked me out… He had just asked me out, right?
“Hang out” was the term he’d used… for all I knew, he wasn’t interested, and I’d scared him off with the kiss from Saturday. There was only one way I was going to find out.
“Well, there’s gonna be a live bands playing at that café in downtown… I mean, if you wanted to go check it out on Friday, that might be cool…” I waited patiently but anxiously for his answer, but when I saw the way his blue-green eyes lit up, and the tiny smile sneak out at the corners of his lips, I knew what his answer was. Grinning, I stepped to his side, touching his arm lightly. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
5 days ago