16
by Mickey M.
© January 2004

for kifty

"Hey, Dorough! Wait up a sec." The voice that was haunting him. Stalking him. Howie sighed and nodded to Jenna.

"Go on, I'll catch up with you after class." Then he pasted on a smile and turned to face guy jogging up to him. "Chris."

"Hey, dude. Man, you're a hard one to catch up with."

Howie raised an eyebrow. "Well, y'know. School, homework, work-"

"I know, I know. I got it all too." Chris frowned and shifted his backpack around to dig in it. "I got-"

"Chris. Man, I got class like, now." He didn't want to be rude, but he didn't want to miss class, either. Jenna took good notes, but it wasn't the same as being there. And being with Chris...being around him, especially one-on-one, made him nervous. Uncomfortable. Not a bad uncomfortable, exactly...more in that oh-my-god-what-if-I-say-something-really-stupid kind of way.

"No, I know. Me too. Aha!" He yanked a crumpled piece of paper out of the depths of his book bag, and handed it over to Howie who took it with a frown.

"A flyer for voice lessons?"

"No, man, the other side. It's, a, um. There's a party. Friday night." Chris hesitated, and Howie glanced over at him, sure he was imagining the flush on Chris' face. "And I kinda suck a really lot at this. I didn't know if, um. If you'd want to go?"

"Um." He smoothed the paper out and darted a quick look at Chris again. "Are you-um." Wow. "Are you asking me out?" He practically hissed the last two words, his voice was so soft.

"That depends." Howie wanted to look up again so bad; instead he considered Chris' shadow in front of him, and decided he didn't care if he ever made it to class.

"On what?"

Chris was a little closer; not crowding his personal space, but close enough Howie could smell the crisp scent of aftershave. He breathed in, and smiled, and Chris stuttered whatever he was trying to say before stopping and starting again. "On, um. Whatever's not gonna get me punched in the face. If, uh. Asking you out's gonna get me punched, then nope, just tellin' you about a party." This time Howie did look, and he couldn't help give Chris a little grin, and felt a warm glow when it was returned.

"No punching, man. And yeah. I'd...yeah. I'd like to go. With you."

Chris' grin grew visibly, and he bounced in place, Howie would've sworn on it. "Yeah? Cool! I'll, um. I can pick you up?"

Howie nodded. "Yeah. Lemme-here." He pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled his phone number and address on the flyer before shoving it back at Chris. "Call me. Before then."

"Tonight?" Chris was all grin now, and Howie knew he matched it. He nodded.

"Tonight. Yeah."

"Awesome, man!" And Chris was gone like a flash, leaving Howie shaking his head in bemusement.

He had to run to make it to class on time, but the memory of Chris' grin kept him from caring - and grinning himself, for the rest of the day.