Chapter 10

Friday rolled in quickly. Today, I wouldn't have to visit Eli at the back of the school again since he works today. (I wonder where he goes. I should really ask him next time.) Yani left with her brother, Carlos, again before I could even see her at the front. This left me to find Oscar instead.

We hitched a ride with his older sister, Riley, who looked completely opposite from him. She looked more punk, with a piercing on her ear, her dark tone clothing, blue highlights, and a tattoo running down her right arm. She blasted rock music in the car as we drove to the mall. Oscar has mentioned her a few times before and this is the first time I've ever really meet her. It's still hard to believe she's a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. That's fuckin' cool.

Like usual, it took a while to find a parking space and Riley was kinda pissed to have gotten a space at the back of an aisle. Regardless, we were relieved to finally get out of the car.

"You ready for a rad time, my dude?," I told Oscar as we walked towards the mall.

He chuckled and replied, "With that kind of talk, I know it'll be a rad time."

"Hey, make sure you don't get yourselves into any trouble," Riley called out to us as she walked ahead. "Last thing I need is for mom to get on my ass about you."

"I'll be fine, Ri," Oscar assured her with a groan.

"Make sure he stays fine, glasses," she said, referring to me.

"I will--."

She suddenly turned around and held out her hand towards me. Oscar groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. What was wrong?

Thinking I should take her hand, I did, and was immediately pulled in and bumped against her shoulder. She held my back and kept me still as she said, "Oscar says you're a good kid. I'm gonna take his word for it, and expect you to behave. This is a little gesture my team and I do before we head off to the border. We basically promise each other to not get our asses kicked out there. You're gonna do the same."

I nodded and murmured, "Yes, ma'am."

"What?"

"Yes, ma'am," I spoke up louder. She smirked and let me go.

"C'mon, nerds," she said as she continued on towards the mall. I looked at Oscar with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry about that, Tae," he said, chuckling nervously. "She's tends to get aggressive. Y-You're not hurt, are you?"

"Dude, I'm fantastic," I chimed, "Your sister fuckin' rocks." I started walking forward, and Oscar followed suit.

The mall was packed again but still maneuverable. Riley pulled Oscar and I aside and said, "You two stick together. I'm gonna go shop around. If you two want lunch, meet up at the food court in thirty minutes. You two aren't getting anything if you're late. Got that?"

Oscar and I nodded.

"Alright. Later, nerds," she said, before swiftly turning to walk away.

"Well, then," I started, "now that we're alone, let's go talk to some people, yeah?"

Oscar followed me around to different stores where we would have an easy time finding people to talk to. We checked out a nearby Hot Topic to see if we'd have luck there. As Oscar and I walked around, pretending to shop, I scouted for someone who he could chat with. A female employee stood folding T-shirts by the nearest display table.

"Try talking to her," I said, pointing to the employee with the red highlights.

"Umm, okay, I guess," he murmured. "What should I say to her?"

"Say hello. Ask her about sales here. Maybe offer to help her fold shirts," I answered.

Oscar cleared his throat and stepped forward towards the employee. I stood by a rack of Studio Ghibli merchandise, watching him out of the corner of my eye. I overheard some of the conversation.

Oscar: "H-Hello. Um, are there any sales going on?"

Employee: "Yeah. There's a buy one T-shirt, get another for fifty percent off."

Oscar: "That sounds great. Uh, would you like me to help you fold shirts?"

Employee: "No, thanks."

Oscar: "Okay. Uh...your highlights look pretty cool."

Employee: "I have a boyfriend."

Oscar: ".....that's cool! H-Hope you two are doing great together. Uh. Bye."

He came rushing back to me and immediately dragged me away from a cute Totoro plush.

"That was a god damn failure," he whined as we walked.

"I think the conversation could've gone better without her dropping the 'boyfriend' bomb," I muttered.

"Did I come off as flirting?"

"Not that I saw, no."

"I don't even know...," he mumbled. I glanced over at Oscar and saw that look of shame on his face.

"Aw, c'mon," I said, "You didn't do bad. That was just for starters. I'm sure not everyone will be so closed off."

"Calvin, I already don't want to do this anymore..."

"Relax, okay?" I clapped his shoulder as we walked. "Deep breaths, buddy. It's not the end of the world. It's just a matter of trial and error! Let's go check out other stores." Reluctantly, Oscar followed along side me.

We visited Journey's (the same one that Wesley tried stealing from), and there I had Oscar try talking to this one guy. Before he went, I grabbed his shoulders and told him, "You've got this!"

"I've got this.."

"Louder!"

"I've got this..!"

"Go get 'em!," I said. He nodded and walked towards the 'target'. Standing near the entrance, I watched him, trying to overhear the conversation.

Oscar: "H-Hi! Uh, do you come to this store often?"

Guy: "Sometimes. Why?"

Oscar: "Just wanted to know if, uh, the products are any good?"

Guy: "Yeah, they're fine. It's not like a produce shop, ya know?"

Oscar: "Heh, y-yeah. So, um, your shoes are cool."

The conversation went pretty decently after that. Until...

Guy: "You're not trying to pick me up are you?"

Oscar: "Wh-what? N-No, I'm just trying to talk to people is all. I-It's not like that..! Um."

Oscar ended up pointing over at me for some reason and the guy nodded.

Guy: "That's your boyfriend?"

Oscar: "N-No! It's not like that!"

Guy: "Relax! It's totally cool. I'm gay, too."

Oscar: "Th-that's cool, but you're misunderstanding--."

Guy: "Actually, you're pretty cute. My B-F and I have been wanting to try something new for a while, but Craigslist just doesn't cut it. How old are you?"

Oscar: "Too young! Have a lovely day! I'm sorry! Bye!"

The chestnut-brown haired teen came rushing towards me and dragged me out of the store again.

"Oh my fucking god, that was worse!," Oscar exclaimed.

"Hey, at least he was nice."

"Not helping!"

I chuckled. "Sorry."

"Did I come off as gay? Was I flirting again?"

"I mean, not really."

He gave me a look. "What do you mean 'not really'?"

"Don't worry about it, alright? Let's just move on," I said as I led him to more stores.

We tried a Banana Republic, but a younger girl (probably like 14 years old) thought Oscar was a rapey creep. After that, an elderly man at JC Penny's thought he was high as balls and refused to talk to him. After that, a woman at Victoria's Secret decided to ask him for his opinion on bras and underwear, so he freaked out from all of the questions and bailed.

"Look, why don't we try Game Stop? That place is okay for you, right?"

"Tae, I'm done. No more."

I looked at him, puzzled. "You haven't been doing terribly, man. People just suck. Let's just try--."

"I'm done trying," Oscar said, exasperated, "I'm done trying to talk to people that I don't know. This isn't working! Let's just go find Riley, eat, and get outta here."

"Oscar--."

"No, Calvin, I'm done! I don't want to be here anymore! I'm done!"

I stopped to pull Oscar aside into a hall where the bathrooms were. Parents sat resting on benches next to baby strollers, and a few teens sat on the floor charging their phones by an outlet. I pulled him aside, as far from people as possible, and asked him, "What's wrong? Is your social anxiety that bad?"

"It's not just social anxiety...," he murmured, looking away from me. I waited for him to continue. Nervously, he gulped and added, "I have Asperger's Syndrome, Calvin."

I stared at him for a few moments before saying, "What?"

Still not looking at me, he sighed and explained, "I didn't want to tell you because I thought you'd think I'm weird. I-It's harder for me to talk to people with this syndrome. Harder for me to express certain emotions. That's why I'm afraid of talking to Yani. I know I'm gonna fuck up... I'm sorry, Calvin."

I shook my head and responded, "Oscar, you don't have to apologize. And, I don't think you're weird for this at all. Like you said the other day, I don't give a shit about things. I don't care that you have Asperger's. You're still my nerdy, dink friend. You should've told me this sooner, though."

"I know, but I didn't know what to do," he murmured, "I never know what to tell people when this subject comes up. It's weird, talking about it. Even doctors make it weird. It's a strange social difference. They talk like I'm never gonna get better, either. I'm not as bad as some other people, but it's still hard. At this point, I'm also starting to think I won't get better."

"Don't say that," I said firmly. "Doctors' facts may be correct, but not their opinions. First of all, they shouldn't treat your syndrome like that. Second, if you think like that, then of course you'll never get better. It's gonna take time, but I know you'll get there eventually. And, if you need help, don't be afraid to ask."

Oscar finally looked up at me, and his eyes looked glassy. I gave him a smile and said, "If you're worried about me treating you differently after this, I won't. You're still a fuckin' dweeb to me."

He laughed and rubbed at his eyes. "Thanks, Calvin. That means a lot."

I chuckled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, shaking him a little. "We're done for today. Let's go find your sister."

"Actually," he started, "I wanna try talking to someone again."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure? You don't have to."

"N-No, it's fine...! Just one more time."

I smiled and nodded. I checked the time on my phone and said, "We've only got a few more minutes left, so let's make this one quick." Oscar started pushing forward into the crowd of shoppers walking around. I followed after him and went wherever he did.

We stopped at the Game Stop I mentioned earlier and Oscar randomly pointed at a couple of guys in the corner. Without a moment's hesitation, he walked towards them and I waited by the entrance. I could see the boost of confidence in his step and I felt happy for him. Looking over at the guys, I hoped they wouldn't give him a hard time.

That's when a realization came to me and my smile dropped.

One of the guys had familiar blonde hair.

Before I could say anything, Oscar had also found out that it was Wesley all too late.

"Oscar," I heard Wesley, "fancy seeing you here! Then again, I'm sure you live and breathe off of this store. What are you doing here alone?" Oscar didn't respond.

Wesley was about to speak again, when he spotted me. I felt a sense of dread crawl up my spine as he flashed me a narrow-eyed, mischievous look.

"Why don't we get a bite to eat, Oscar? Lunch is on me," the blonde haired douchebag drawled as he grabbed onto the poor guy's arm. Oscar was too nervous to protest. Before I could interrupt, a hand grabbed onto my arm too, and I turned my head to see one of Wesley's buddies (the guy who tried shoplifting for him the last time, actually). He shot me a glare before dragging me away with the other three guys.

Oscar and I walked side by side, while Wesley strolled behind us, and his two buddies on either side of us. He was leading us towards the food court, but I knew he wasn't going to be buying us any food at all.

As we walked, I pulled out my phone, opened up a notes app, and tried typing something while not making it obvious. Once I thought what I typed down was okay, I quickly tapped Oscar so he could look down at my phone.

"What the hell is a 'rube'?," he asked. I nearly face-palmed, grabbed his wrist and said, "Run, you dingus..!"

The both of us bolted away from Wesley and his friends and zigzagged into the crowd of shoppers. People cried out in annoyance behind us as the other three boys shoved past them. Still hanging onto Oscar, I dragged him through the food court and down another section of the mall. Weaving our way through people and kiosks, we ran into a Spencer's and charged all the way to the back of the store.

Oscar and I waited in a corner, panting terribly (a few people stared at us). Hopefully, Wesley and his friends didn't see us dive in here.

"Oh shit," Oscar whined, pointing towards the front of the store. Just past the display window, Wesley stood searching around with his buddies. Crap, I thought too soon...!

Looking over at an item, I joked nervously, "Do you think we can pull a Scooby-Doo with this?" I pointed to a pair of penis glasses.

"Calvin, now's not the time!"

"Sorry."

"Shit, Wesley came in," Oscar hissed, backing into the corner even more. I peeked past a rack of items to see Wesley searching through the store. I was sweating more out of stress than our running earlier. Still, I had to figure something out.

"I've got an idea! But you're not gonna like it," I whispered to Oscar.

"Tae, I'll take anything at this point."

I smiled and grabbed the penis glasses. Oscar groaned and hung his head.

A few moments later, Oscar was standing out in the open, in front of Wesley, wearing the penis glasses (what I wouldn't give to take a picture of him).

Oscar announced shamelessly, "Hey! Check me out! I've got a dick for a nose!"

Wesley only stared at him with a weirded out expression and grimaced. (It was actually kinda funny.) After the initial shock passed, Wesley frowned and started toward Oscar.

From the shadows of a nearby rack, I jumped up and put a gorilla mask on Wesley's head, backwards. This distracted him, letting Oscar ditch the stupid glasses and run past him. As Wesley struggled to take off the mask without bumping into things, I shouted, "Long live Harambe!", then ran out of the entrance with Oscar. He and I laughed as we ran for a nearby exit.

"Harambe would be proud," he exclaimed excitedly.

"The penis glasses god would also be proud of you," I remarked back.

"Please don't mention that to anyone."

"I'm so mentioning it to someone."

"Ugh, god," Oscar groaned as he opened up an exit door and I burst into laughter.

My laughter was soon cut short when someone grabbed my arm again. This time, it was the other guy that Wesley was with in Game Stop. Oscar stopped in his tracks, letting the other guy grab him easily. Wesley came out of the exit not too long after and had a cunning smile on his face. "I'll give you two props for that stunt back there," he said, "but you won't be doing anything like that anymore now." He bumped one of his friends on the shoulder with his hand and ordered, "Bring them around to the back."

As Oscar and I walked side by side again, I kept thinking of a way we could run from them again. Honestly, though, I was exhausted and so was poor Oscar. It can't be hard to call out for security, right? But Wesley's buddy is walking so close to me that I'm sure he'd shove a fist into my mouth before I could say a word. I didn't want to risk anything this time, yet I knew we'd be screwed if I didn't.

I thought for too long.

Wesley took us around the side of the mall to a restaurant nearby. There, he had his buddies shove Oscar and I against the wall, the putrid scent of the dumpster next to us making me gag even more. Oscar had his eyes closed, his hands shaking terribly. I only clenched my fists and glared over at the blonde haired douchebag.

Wesley grinned at the two of us as he said, "It must suck to only have Rhodes here be your only 'saving grace'. Poor guy doesn't deserve this, ya know? You should just leave him out of your business, Creep."

"You came to us," I growled.

"No, he came to us," he replied, pointing a finger at Oscar. "We just wanted to extend the visit."

"You're gonna beat us up?," I asked with a snarl. Oscar immediately shot his head up, face full of panic.

Wesley rubbed his chin as he thought for a second. "Hmm, that would be nice, but too much work. Plus, you're not scared of me, right? What's the fun in hurting someone who isn't scared of you? Now, Oscar, on the other hand..."

One of Wesley's friends grabbed Oscar by the collar and dragged him forward. I yelled in protest, but the other guy held me up against the wall, stopping me from interfering.

"I'm thinking of giving a few whacks on Oscar while making you watch," Wesley said, placing a hand on the trembling teen's head. "Sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"Don't touch him!," I growled, trying to shove past the guy next to me, but to no avail.

Wesley smirked, then proceeded to tug on Oscar's hair, making him cry out in pain. The blonde haired douchebag kept his eyes on me the entire time. I snarled and clenched my fists even tighter, feeling the pain against my palm.

Wesley made Oscar lift his head up as he told him, "You can thank good ol' Calvin Tae for putting you through this." Then, he raised a hand to punch Oscar across the face and I cried out.

Suddenly, before he could move, Wesley went falling over smack onto the ground as a figure drop kicked him. I watched as this figure kicked at the guy holding Oscar, hitting the side of his leg and making him buckle. Once Oscar slipped away from danger, the figure kicked the guy in the chest and sent him falling over.

Riley Rhodes swiftly turned towards the guy who held me and he instantly let me go. I walked past him to get to Oscar.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, lady?," Wesley groaned as he started getting up.

"I should ask the same to you," she growled. "From the looks of it, it seems you were about to assault a young man, who also happens to be my little brother."

Wesley laughed and said, "Wow, and do you always come to save his stupid-ass?"

"Sometimes, yes," she answered flatly.

Wesley stood up and growled, "Well, I don't think you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"I don't think you do either," she said, before pulling out a wallet from her pocket and showing it off to Wesley. "I am U.S. Border Patrol Agent Riley C. Rhodes, and I suggest you and your boys leave now before you make this situation a lot more serious than it has to be. If you three do not comply, I will be forced to make you do so under the jurisdiction that you were attempting to commit physical assault on two innocents."

I've never seen Wesley's eyes grow wider. I could see the muscles in his throat move as he stared at Riley. After a few moments of silent tension, he huffed and ordered his companions to leave with him. Without even looking back at us, Wesley and his buddies walked back towards the mall parking lot.

Riley sighed, and put away her wallet (her badge, I assume) in her pocket as she turned. Immediately, she frowned at me and said, "You promised me you would keep Oscar out of trouble."

Blushing from shame, I hung my head and said, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I know I should've done more to help."

"D-Don't blame him, Ri," Oscar stammered, "It's not his fault those guys decided to pick a fight."

When I looked back up, she was still glaring at me. Her eyes were like Oscar's, but they bore into me like his eyes never have.

"Please, don't hate him, Ri," Oscar pleaded with her.

After a few moments of getting the stare down from her, she sighed and eased her gaze. "I guess you're off the hook, glasses."

"Thank you," I said, releasing tension that I wasn't aware of holding.

Riley grabbed onto Oscar and said, "When we get home, I'm convincing mom to get you into judo lessons."

"Ugh, Riley, please don't," he groaned.

"Oh, I'm gonna," she responded, then pointed to me, "Maybe I'll convince your parents, too."

"Cool!," I chimed.

"Not cool," Oscar grumbled.

"It's totally cool," I whispered to Riley and she rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, nerds, let's get you two home," she ordered and led us to the mall parking lot.

"We didn't get to eat," I commented.

"Oh, then I'll pick up some food on the way."

"Really?"

"No," she deadpanned. I still think she's cool.

The three of us made it to the car and got inside. With a quick turn of the engine, Riley backed out of the parking space and drove away towards an exit.

•••

"So, judo lessons, huh?," Appa said as he closed the front door. He had just finished talking with Riley.

"I wouldn't mind!," I said, smiling wide.

He shook his head and replied, "You don't need that. Especially since your mother used to train in it."

"She did?! That's badass!!"

Appa sighed and ordered, "Get some dinner and go to your room. Your mother and I will talk about today's events." I nodded and did as he said.

When my stomach felt full and I felt tired, I went to my room to rest on my desk chair. Pulling out my phone, I saw that I got a text from Oscar.

Oscar: Thanks for your help today. Maybe we didn't get a lot done, but I'm still happy. I'll see you next week, Tae.

I smiled and slumped in my chair, feeling relieved. Suddenly, my phone started buzzing continuously in my hands and I looked down at the screen. Eli.

I picked up and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, the daddy-kink prick told me about what happened. Are you alright?"

I laughed out loud and replied, "Y-Yes, I'm okay. Oscar's sister saved our asses."

"I heard about that, too," he said, "I'm glad she was there."

"Me, too. Hey, what would you think if I learned judo?"

"Uhhh... I'd say that's cool?"

"Would you let me practice on you?"

He scoffed. "Fuck, no."

I chuckled. "How was your day today?"

He sighed. "It was alright. Work was work. When I'm doing nothing, I'm thinking about you."

Blushing, I spun around in my chair and murmured, "Oh, really? How cute of you. I feel like maybe you should say more cute things to make up for barely seeing me today."

He chuckled on the line and the sound sent sweet tingles up my back. "What would you want me to say?"

I hummed aloud as I took a minute to think. "Anything that comes to mind."

"I already miss holding you in my arms," he said not a second later and my heart raced. He kept going. "I can't wait to see that cute face of yours; can't wait to hold you, and kiss you, and hopefully make you smile, because it's a great smile." My heart was soaring, and for a moment I nearly squealed.

"That was very cute," I commented quietly.

"Anything you have to say to me?"

I paused. "Your face is nice."

"You ass," he groaned, and I laughed.

"I'm kidding," I continued, "I can't wait to hold you again, too. I miss hearing your voice in person. And, I love looking at your eyes. They're nice, and warm, and make me feel cozy when I stare at 'em."

He stifled a wry chuckle. "No one has told me that before."

"Well, now someone has," I retorted as I plopped onto my bed.

"You're really something else, you know that? But, I'm loving it."

I smiled and hugged onto one of my pillows.

"Hey," I started, "about work, I wanted to ask you, what is it that you do?"

"Hmmm... I don't think I can tell you."

"Whaaat?," I drawled as I sat up, "C'mon...! Is it top secret? Are you secretly an assassin? Or, do you sell drugs? Oh, are you a pimp? No, are you actually a gigolo?! Because if you are, then some things will have to be arranged."

Eli chuckled and said, "No, I don't do any of those things. Maybe I can tell you about work on Monday. In fact, maybe I can show you."

"Cool," I chimed, "I'm glad you're not a gigolo, by the way. You can only be my gigolo."

"Am I even gigolo material?"

"Are you fucking kidding me," I said slowly. "Have you not looked at yourself in the mirror? I'd pay thousands to make you mine. Well, ya know, if I had that money. But still!"

"You're cute, Calvin," Eli's voice almost whispered.

"Ah, eh...you, too," I murmured and he chuckled in my ear.

"I'm tired," Eli stated, and it wasn't until now that I could hear it in his voice, "Sorry that I can't talk for long. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And, I wanted to hear your voice before I knock out."

Grinning cheekily, a thought came to mind and I said, "Okay. Have a restful sleep, and dream of me..! I'll be dreaming of you, too."

Eli scoffed and said, "So cringy."

I laughed. Before I could say anything else, he added, "I'll be seeing you in my dreams, then. Don't keep me waiting."

Blushing, I smiled and said, "I won't. Goodnight, Eli."

"Goodnight, Calvin," he murmured, and I swooned from the way his voice sounded. After a few seconds of silence, he hung up.

With a sigh, I set my phone aside to charge and laid in bed for a while. It wasn't that late, but today's events exhausted me. I changed into some shorts and a T-shirt so I could be comfortable in bed, then removed my glasses. Thinking of Eli, I pressed my face into my pillow and closed my eyes to rest.