Chapter 2 — “Want a Drink?”
—Huh?
Was she talking to me? There was no way. This had to be some sort of trick or joke. She was definitely taking advantage of the fact that no girl would be caught dead asking me out.
“Are you asking Jack out?”
Because that was the only explanation I could accept as logical. After all, he was definitely not as sore a sight as me. And after years of her picking on me, I had every right to be cautious.
“Why are you throwing me under the bus?!”
“Why would she be asking me out?”
It might be rude to ignore her, but I had no inclination to play into her prank. Jack glanced at me with an equally baffled expression.
“Heyyy, stop ignoring meee!”
There we go, acting cute again. It was so obviously fake. So much so that the words made me visibly flinch at her tone. That feeling in my stomach returned as her face contorted into a fake pout.
“Who? Me or Jack?”
I pointed at myself before turning my finger toward my friend.
“You, duh! Who else?”
“I mean, I’m pretty glad. But I’m also kind of offended.”
“Jack, that’s not helping.”
How could he be joking at a time like this? Couldn’t he see she was trying to pull one over on me?
“Come onnn, are you really gonna leave me hanging like this?”
She let out a clearly fake sigh, her head drooping downwards.
“You really need to work on your acting…”
I expected her eyes to flicker in irritation once I saw through her act. But her gaze never left mine—if anything, it seemed to bore into me more intently than before. There was a distinct glow in her eyes, one that felt like it was reaching into me.
“Seriously, can you stop acting all cute and just tell me what you really want?”
“Ugh, I already told you...! I wanna go out with you!”
Why did her words feel sincere? Why wouldn’t she just tell me what she wanted?
But then the thought entered my mind that maybe if I entertained her idea, she would leave me alone. Or maybe… there really was some veracity to her words? She was so incessant about the idea that I couldn’t rule it out completely.
Either way, I chose to play along.
“If I said yes, where would we go? What would we even do?”
Once the surprise faded away, I was hit in the face with the reality of the situation. My cheeks burned up at the thought of actually going out with a girl. Even if said girl was as stuck-up as her.
“Mmm, well, let’s see…”
Elaine proceeded to grasp my hand, pulling me towards her.
“First, we’ll meet up at Haywood Mall and grab some Burg-fil-O! Maybe some milkshakes? Oooh, milkshakes sound nice!”
I had never seen her so energetic in my life. It was almost cartoonish how suddenly her demeanor had flipped.
“And then, after we’ve filled up at Burg-fil-O, we’ll watch a movie! You get to pick!”
“Sounds like a good time, bro.”
Jack looked at me, a wide grin splitting his lips. He elbowed me in the hip, not making his pride subtle whatsoever. Why did he look like he had completed a charity project or something? Did he have that little faith in me?
To Jack’s comment, I could only manage a “whatever” before focusing my attention back on Elaine.
“Alright, fine then. What day did you want to go out?”
I couldn’t believe I was agreeing to this. But I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. I mean, if a girl was throwing herself at you, what guy would be stupid enough to refuse? Plus, she was really pretty.
“Sunday, obviously! I mean, Burg-fil-O is only open on Sunday!”
“Oh, um, yeah.”
I looked down at my feet in embarrassment before collecting myself with a sigh.
“Okay. Fine. We can go out on Sunday if you’re really serious.”
“Wait, really?!”
She began tugging on my arm, practically bouncing in place as the smile on her face somehow continued to grow wider.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”
“Ah—jeez, you’re welcome…?”
I scratched the back of my head as I chuckled nervously, not knowing how else to react. She was laying it on thick. Could it really be that she liked me all along and never knew how to express it? That could explain why she suddenly asked me out.
At that moment, I had the realization that my high school romantic comedy might finally be starting.
× × ×
We said our goodbyes as it had been getting quite late, though Elaine had been hesitant to leave my side. It was safe to say my composure wasn’t as firm when a pretty girl was all up on me. Not that it ever really was in the first place.
“Okay, you gotta tell me what that was all about. I thought Elaine hated you. What kinda smooth talk did you hit her with to pull that off?”
Jack’s mood had lifted a bit upon seeing me score a date with one of the prettiest girls in school.
Though I’m sure he would’ve been happy seeing me with any girl.
“I didn’t do anything. She was being rude to me just this morning, and now she’s suddenly asking me out on a date. I was a bit skeptical, but she seemed to mean it.”
At that, his gaze turned contemplative as his feet slowed down.
“You think she secretly liked you?”
“I don’t know, maybe? It never really felt like the ‘I like you, but I show it through bullying you’ trope, but I’m not complaining. Either way, it makes for a good romcom.”
“Are you seriously comparing this situation to a manga? Man, even though you’re going out with a girl, you’re still hopeless.”
I grumbled something unkind under my breath, shoving my hands into my pockets. I mean, I understood what he was saying. But I’d been so enthralled by those stories I couldn’t help but compare them to what was happening now.
I wondered whether this “story” would have a very long title like those romance manga do. I’ve seen titles so long they could be considered paragraphs.
Now I was just rambling, wasn’t I?
We eventually made it to his house after passing through the gate. I wanted to say it was modest, but the living room alone was nearly as big as my entire house. And despite it being constructed fifty years ago, it somehow managed to look brand new.
“No matter how many times I see it, I can’t help but call you rich…”
“Nah, I’m not rich. I’m really just upper middle-class.”
“Bro, your house has a gate. And your dad has a Porsche.”
“He just worked hard for a couple of years.”
“Yeah, right…”
Despite him practically brushing off my words, I still wasn’t convinced at all. He wasn’t saying this pretentiously at all. If anything, he was more humble than you’d ever expect from a rich kid.
“Well, what are we playing on? We playing in your living room or—”
“Oh, hey, Jason!”
In that moment, a figure barged through the front door before we could reach it.
“Why does he get a greeting and not me?!”
Jack shouted back at the figure, who was now clearly lit up by the porch light. His sister, Ezra, was waving at the two of us—no, she was specifically waving at me.
“Ugh, I see you every day. Jason, why don’t you come by more?”
“Um, I mean, I come here at least like three times a week, so…”
Jack blinked at the exchange, looking between us, slowly stepping toward the house.
“Well, come on in, Jason.”
“S-Sure.”
Even though Ezra stepped to the side, her coffee-colored eyes trailed me as I followed Jack inside. The door shut behind us with more force than necessary, making me jolt with surprise.
“Want a drink, Jason?”
“What about me?”
“You can get it yourself. You live here, idiot.”
Without giving either of us an opportunity to reply, Ezra strode over to the kitchen with a pep in her step. Jack finally turned to me, muttering.
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Jason?”
“H-Huh? If you’re talking about her, I seriously have no idea what’s up…”
“Then why is she acting so weird?”
“Are you really asking me? Wait, are you insinuating what I think you are…?”
“Well, should I be?”
Jack’s demeanor stiffened as he asked the question, which made me panic internally, even if it wasn’t my fault. I was just as lost as he was.
Ezra’s footsteps grew as she returned from the kitchen, a glass of water in hand.
Her smile held a saccharine curve I had never seen from her. It looked unnatural on her face. And her eyes burned into me with such intensity that I shuddered. That same sickeningly sweet feeling returned, and I couldn’t help but wince at the growing sensation.
“Hm? Something up?”
In that moment, a thought entered my mind—
—Something’s seriously wrong.
