Chapter 8

The next morning, I woke up right away when my alarm rang. My morning routine went by faster than it usually did because of my excitement. When I went to eat breakfast and ran into Umma, I gave her a tender kiss on the cheek and practically frolicked into the kitchen. Eating breakfast at the table, both her and Appa were confused as to why I was radiating toxic joy.

To make up for the couple of hours I'll be spending with Eli, I told my parents I was going over to Oscar's to play video games. They barely know him, but knew enough to know he wasn't a bad influence. (Oscar, be a bad influence? Pfft. If anything, I'm the bad influence.) If I told them that I was dating again, Umma would probably brag about it on Facebook. Wesley might come across it because he's malevolent like that, and shit will get out of hand. My parents won't know until it's safe to know.

I stayed radiating this toxic joy, even when I got to school. As soon as I made it to Yani, she stared at me, baffled. "Jesus, you're super happy this morning," she remarked as I sat down next to her.

"Is it that noticeable?"

"A blind man could probably notice how ecstatic you are," she joked.

"Gah, I'm sorry," I blabbered, "I'm just kinda, I don't know, excited."

"About what?"

I was about to tell her that I was going to hang out with Eli today, but then stopped myself. I'm sure Eli would want to keep us a secret since Wesley has his ways of finding things out. The only way we could stay a secret is if we're the only ones who know. I trust Yani, and she's like a sister to me, but I can't be honest about this.

"My dad said that he'd take me to the mall today to check out some video games," I lied with a big smile, "He said he might get me that one game I've been dying to have!"

She chuckled and asked, "What's the occasion? Did you do something cool?"

"Well, I passed all of my exams in my classes," I replied. (I wasn't lying about that. But I barely made it in Algebra 2 and English 3.)

"That's pretty cool," she said. "Hope you have fun."

I stared at her and asked, "Am I making you upset?"

"No, you're not," she assured me. "It's totally fine."

"When you mix the words 'totally' and 'fine', you're kind of upset."

"Yah, stop talking about it..!"

"See?"

"Calvin," she groaned.

I laughed and changed the subject. The first bell rang a few minutes later and we went to our classes.

•••

Graphic design came around, and Oscar and I finished our project. I apologized to him for being a downer yesterday. He said he understood and offered that he'd be up to listen to my problems, if I needed it. I thanked him for his kindness, but in my mind I knew I couldn't talk about anything sensitive with him for a while.

Going to PE, I didn't feel nervous anymore. Appa bought me a new combination lock when I asked him for a new one yesterday. Once the new lock is on, I'm not gonna have another incident like I had last Monday. I'm not even gonna give the coach my new combination code. Good luck to the asshole who tries to figure it out.

I put the old lock in my bag, then grabbed my gym clothes to go change. As I walked to the restroom stalls, I glanced over at Eli, who stood by his locker. He took off his shirt and turned slightly as he folded it up. He must've noticed me out of the corner of his eye, because he flashed me a side-ways glance. It was barely noticeable, but he smirked at me, and it was all I could see in that moment. Then, he put his gym shirt on, purposefully showing off his chest to me, and I bit my lip. Before anyone could see me staring at him, I hurried to the stalls and changed.

We did stretches, then went to run outside again (change up the routine, geez). It was a little uncomfortable to run since both of my knees still had bandages on them. Despite my coach's stance on walking the laps, I did it anyway. As I was walking and enjoying the breeze that got cooler by the day, Eli stopped running a few feet apart from me. His hair was pushed back out of his face, making him look even more handsome.

Without turning to look at me, he asked in a placid tone of voice, "Where did you want to go today?"

Not looking back at him either, I replied, "There's this really cool arcade place that I like to go to sometimes. They serve food there, too. Everything's pretty affordable."

"What's it called?"

"Um," I said as I thought, "I think...something like, Johnny's Arcade...place thingy."

"You like going to this place but you don't even remember what it's called?," Eli asked, teasing me.

I stifled a chuckle and replied, "I never thought to pay attention to the name. I know what it looks like, though, so it shouldn't be hard to find."

"Alright." Eli lifted up his shirt a little so he could wipe his face with his collar.

Growing antsy, I confessed, "You have no idea how badly I'm looking forward to this. I hope I don't seem like a child. I feel kind of stupid for admitting this, but that's all I can tell you right now. I'm just...super giddy as hell."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile. "You don't look stupid," he assured me, "I always thought you were cute when you get excited about something."

Curious and very flattered, I asked him, "How long have been you eyeing me?"

"You'll have to wait for that answer until after school," he said, and I whined.

"Such a tease," I grumbled.

He chuckled at me and added, "I'll see you later, Calvin." With that, he continued running ahead of me and I stayed at a walking pace.

After P.E., U.S. history was nothing but pent up anticipation. I could barely take notes, but for a better reason this time.

I was one of the first ones out of the class as soon as the final bell rang. When I walked to the front, I didn't see Yani, and assumed she took off out of the school already. I was a little bummed to not have her around anymore, but if she had been here, I'd have to leave her right away. She knows that when my dad comes to pick me up, it takes almost another hour, so she would've been suspicious.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket. Eli sent me a text telling me to meet him where he dragged me to yesterday. Instead of leaving out the front, I went towards the gym where there was a side exit. Once outside, I hurried towards the back of the school. It wasn't hard to find Eli, as he was waiting for me in his car. In the daylight, it looked so much more cooler.

I suddenly felt nervous. It's been so long since I've been on a date. This was especially nerve-wrecking since I'll be with Eli. I don't want to make myself look like an idiot.

I opened the passenger side door and hopped inside. When I closed the door, he asked me, "Ready?"

I nodded as I buckled up. Eli put the car out of park and reversed so he could drive around the school. As he made his way there, he told me, "You might want to lean down."

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone to see you with me," he stated, "It's just in case. I'll tell you when to sit up again."

"Umm, okay, sure," I mumbled, and leaned over under the window. Eli chuckled at me and I blushed.

After a few minutes, Eli finally told me to sit up and I could see we were already a block away from the school. I sighed and leaned back into the chair.

"Alright," Eli started, "so where to?"

"Oh, right," I said, and explained to him where to go. Eli caught on quick and was already driving in a direction I was familiar with.

"I was meaning to ask you," I started after a while, "but what kind of car is this?"

"It's a sixty-nine Camaro," Eli answered causally.

"That's so cool," I marveled. "Aren't cars like these hard to get nowadays?"

"It was a hand-me-down from my dad," he said. "I've had it for over two years now."

"Your dad seems like a cool guy," I assumed.

"You could say that... Is this the place?"

I looked out the window to see the arcade I was talking about (it was actually called JohnJohn's Wicked Arcade. God, I always like the places with cringy names...).

Eli parked the car and shut the engine off. Before I exited the car, the dark haired delinquent grabbed my hand and gave it a kiss. A fuzzy feeling filled my chest and I felt like I was smiling like a dork. "C'mon," he said as he opened the driver's side door.

We walked towards the entrance of the arcade. As soon as Eli opened the door for me, the sounds of video game noises, kids shouting, and music came pouring out. It wasn't hard to ask for a table and an employee showed us to ours for the afternoon.

"So," Eli started, "do you want to play games first or eat?"

"We should eat first," I answered, "I don't want you to be hungry, and stuff."

He flashed me a soft smile and added, "Well, I haven't been here, so what do you recommend?"

"Everything," I answered blatantly.

"Everything?"

"Everything. The pizza is probably the best, though."

He shook his head at me. "I'll take your word for it, then."

We sat down at our table while we waited for orders of our drinks and food. As we sat together, we started with some small talk.

"So, how'd you first figure out you were gay?," Eli asked me, chewing on his straw.

I rubbed my chin as I thought. "I think I first had, like, an inkling when I was in seventh grade. I noticed that I wasn't that interested in girls, and the thought of dating one didn't seem exciting."

"That's all?"

Embarrassed, I added, "Well, my best friend Yani helped me finally figure out I was gay."

"How?," he asked, before taking a sip of his drink.

"She showed me porn," I stated flat out. Eli choked a bit and I laughed.

"Why?," he wheezed.

"She wanted me to see who I stared at the most: the guy or the girl. When I picked the guy, she showed me gay porn and...well. The rest is pretty much history."

"Wow," he murmured. "What did your parents think? They do know, right?"

I nodded. "They were pretty supportive. Well, my mom was, wholeheartedly. My dad was kinda iffy at first and even asked me 'are you sure?'. My mom wouldn't let him forget how inconsiderate he was being for a month. He eventually warmed up to my sexuality."

"Did you ever have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!," I said a little too quickly. Eli cocked an eyebrow and smirked a little. I cleared my throat and continued, "Yeah, I had a boyfriend for a while. His name was Hal."

"Hal?" I could hear the judgement in his tone. I rolled my eyes and continued. "Anyway! He and I had dated for about two years. I met him not too long after I figured out I was gay, then dated him later. He was an artistic kind of guy, ya know?"

"Of course, he would be artistic," Eli taunted me and I flicked a fry at him. He caught it and ate it. "Go on," he insisted, looking amused.

"Freshman year, he had gone to another high school, and I guess that was okay. Then, he moved to Arkansas during the second half of the school year. The both of us had kinda agreed that a long distance relationship just wouldn't work out, so we broke up. I haven't dated anyone since then."

Eli stole another fry from my plate and asked, "Do you still talk to him?" I shook my head without question.

"That part of my life is sort of over now," I answered, "The both of us have moved on." I plucked a fry that he was trying to steal out of his fingers and asked, "What about you? What's your dating experience been like?" Before I could eat the fry, Eli leaned over and nabbed it from me with his teeth. I stared at him, defeated.

After he finished chewing the fry, he leaned against his chair and replied, "Well, I've had three relationships over the years since seventh grade. All of them with girls."

"How the hell did you end up interested in me?"

He shrugged, then continued his story. "The first girl I was with was nice. A little too nice. She was a goody-two-shoes and I was slowly becoming a jerk to people. We sort of fell out of 'love' by eighth grade. My second relationship was in freshman year when I secretly dated this senior. Unfortunately, I was that guy that girls use to cheat on their already existing boyfriends. The guy was a freshman in college and threatened to kill me if I ever came near his girlfriend again. I think they broke up a few weeks after her and I did."

"Jesus...," I murmured.

"My third relationship was during sophomore year. She was kinda like me so we hooked up pretty quickly. Sadly, what do you know, she ends up cheating on me...with a girl from another high school."

"Oh..!"

"Yeah... When I found out, she pretended like we were never a thing. I dumped her ass the very next day. I think I had potentially made her a lesbian...or not. I don't know. She's a cheating bitch, regardless.

"I'm sorry," I told him. He scoffed and responded, "Don't be. The only things I got out of those relationships was learning how to kiss, losing my virginity, and remembering to never date people who have tramp stamps before the age of eighteen."

"Ew.."

"Yeah. It wasn't even a good tattoo design..."

I laughed at his remark and he smiled. I drank some of my chocolate shake and asked him, "So, continuing from my question earlier, in PE, how long have you been interested in me?"

"Right, I was supposed to finally tell you." He leaned his elbow on the table, holding his head in his hand, as he retorted, "To be honest, my interest was off and on. I remember it started during sophomore year. I knew you were always around, but you caught my attention when I saw you lick some bald guy's head at a party."

"Ugh, god, please don't bring that up," I groaned.

"Was it tasty?"

"No, stop. It wasn't. Of course, it wasn't."

"Who was he, anyway?"

"I don't know--please change the subject."

Eli chuckled and went on. "At first, I thought you were some weirdo, but then I started noticing you more often. For a while, I was annoyed by how shameless you could be...and then I started seeing how nice you were to people. Then, I noticed your looks. After that, I'd find myself admiring you every once and a while. At the time, I had been thinking maybe girls weren't my thing anymore. Nothing worked out with them."

"How come you never, ya know, tried talking to me?"

He shook his head and replied, "I couldn't. I was the guy that scared everyone away. Still do that now. Plus, I wasn't looking forward to dating, despite that I wanted to figure things out. I had also started working that year, so I only wanted to focus on that and school. So, what about you? How long have you been eyeing me?"

Scratching the back of my neck and biting my lip, I looked away, flustered, and responded, "I've been attracted to you since, I think, the very beginning of sophomore year."

"Really?"

I nodded and he looked a bit surprised. "That's a long time," he commented.

"I guess it is. Yani kept encouraging me to start dating again, but I couldn't."

"Because you still loved Hal?"

"Because all of the good guys were taken and everyone else sucked," I stated straightforward.

Eli shook his head at me and commented, "I'm not any better."

"You're still good...," I murmured, looking off to the side as I drank some of my shake. I suddenly remembered a part of what he said yesterday, when he had called himself many bad things but a liar. A delinquent, lowlife, jerk, and an utter failure. And, he sounded so sure about those titles. How long has he believed he was all of those things and worse?

I looked back up at him to see he was staring at me. He asked me, "What's wrong?"

I managed a smile and said, "I-It's nothing. A random thought just crossed my mind and I lost my train of thought."

Eli furrowed his brow a bit, then leaned over the table to kiss me. It was quick, but it didn't fail to make my head go soaring. When he pulled away, I told him, "We're in public. Aren't you afraid of someone seeing?"

"That doesn't matter right now," he said, taking my hand, "We're on a date. Don't worry about other people's opinions. Forget about Wesley, and the drama he's made, and everything that ticks you off. If you don't, I'll make sure you do. I'll make sure there's nothing at all for you to worry about." He then proceeded to tenderly kiss my hand and I nearly squealed.

"Mmm, you're making me feel like some Cinderella...," I muttered.

He stopped and asked, "Isn't that what everyone wants?"

"I mean, yeah..."

"I told you, the cringe starts today, and I'm giving you all of it."

I laughed behind my hand, face flushing from my ditziness. When I looked back into his dark, brown eyes, they felt warm and inviting. I'm not sure if he ever looks at anyone this way. I certainly never see it at school. I hope his expression is only soft like this with me.

Leaning over, I returned a kiss, and this time I made sure it lasted longer. I loved the way his lips felt. How soft and sweet they were. Just being able to do this with him was amazing. I don't want to let this go. It makes me nervous just thinking about not having him with me. He promised to make being without him feel like hell. Judging by my thoughts, he's doing a damn good job.

When we stopped, I asked him, "So, you're willing to date a guy?"

He nodded.

"You really are bold," I remarked.

He smirked. "You're willing to date a guy like me?"

I nodded.

"You're crazy," he told me with a smile, and I laughed.

The both of us leaned away. I continued drinking my chocolate shake, while Eli went and muttered, "Artistic..."

"Shut up, it was my first relationship," I whined, but still laughed.

"What was he? A musician? An artist? Or a photographer?"

I blushed and scratched the back of my head. "He was two of those things..."

Eli snickered.

"Stop it," I complained. I stood up from my seat, put my hands down onto the table, and proclaimed, "You know what? You're not gonna be the only one being laughed at! C'mon, let's go play games so I can kick your ass!"

"You're on," he said, smiling with a determined look in his eyes, brow furrowed. He looked handsome that way, too.

I grinned and bounded off without him, towards arcade machines and more. When I looked back at him, he was following a few feet behind, smiling at me. I couldn't help but cheer to myself.

This is one of the best days I've had in a long time.

•••

I was overjoyed. Eli and I played a bunch of arcade games.

We raced each other at a Fast and Furious arcade game. I won.

We played a Time Crisis shooting game. I never once had to press continue.

We played some classic Mortal Kombat. I kicked his ass.

We tried playing Dance Dance Revolution, but he refused to play.

"C'mon, don't be like that," I tried persuading him. He just shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Show me your moves, Eli."

"I could show you different moves," he remarked with a smirk. I blushed.

"No sexual innuendos! You wanna talk a big game, you've gotta play the game. Dance with me!"

"No."

"Okay...," I murmured, looking down at the floor sadly. "I guess I'll just play by myself. All alone. And on our first date, too. Oh, sweet sorrow fills my soul! How it weeps!"

"Move over, drama king," Eli said as he stepped onto the dancing pad. I smiled.

We played Dance Dance Revolution. We both got Cs.

Eli paid for everything, and I felt bad that he did. I mean, I wouldn't have been able to pay for anything because I don't have any money on me, but still. Eli was fine with it, though. Said it was his idea in the first place, so he should pay.

He drove me back home, all the while letting me blast music from his radio during the entire drive. I sang out loud like an idiot, and Eli smiled at me almost the entire time. Sometimes, when he'd see that I was getting into the song, he would mute the volume on the radio and see how badly my singing was. I threw him nasty looks every time while he snickered to himself.

When Eli parked in front of my house, my excitement watered down. I didn't want to leave. This must have shown on my face since Eli grabbed my hand and said, "We can do this again soon. Just tell me whenever you need me."

"Right now," I blurted.

He chuckled and said, "Clever. Have a good night. You can call me whenever. I'm practically always free."

"If I call you in a few minutes, will I look desperate?," I asked nervously.

"Yes," he answered bluntly and I frowned. Then, he grabbed my chin and pulled me towards him for a kiss. He bit at my lip and I groaned with satisfaction. God, I loved his lips. So soft. And they knew just how to move.

When he pulled away, Eli whispered huskily, "That's okay, though. I want you to be desperate."

A shiver ran up my back and I smiled. "O-Okay...!," I stammered, feeling like a dink.

Eli smiled and kissed me again, before letting me go. "Tell me if anything happens with Wesley, alright?"

"Yeah." I opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "I'll see you later," I told him and waved.

"See you, Calvin." He waved back.

Smiling, I closed the door and made my way to my front door. I grabbed my keys from my jacket pocket and unlocked the door. When I looked back, Eli was still there. When I went inside, I heard his car move and I grinned. He waited for me to go inside...

Umma was in the kitchen making dinner. Appa was working on his laptop.

"How was the hang out with Oscar?," my dad asked me.

"It was great," I answered, before giving Umma a kiss on the cheek.

"Ajig mou moug oun-ni?," (did you eat yet?) she asked me. I nodded and she smiled.

"Good to know that Oscar boy takes care of you," Appa remarked, eyes still glued to his laptop screen.

I offered to wash the remaining dishes that Umma left in the sink so she wouldn't have to worry about them. When dinner was done, I served her and Appa and gave them drinks. They both thanked me for my help and smiled.

"I'm heading to my room," I stated, before walking down the hall. Once I closed the door behind me, I tossed my backpack to the side, slipped out of my shoes, then fell across my bed. My phone poked my side and I took it out of my jacket pocket. Staring at the black screen, I thought about calling Eli. I was only half kidding when I asked him about it. I wonder if he's expecting it now. Maybe I should wait a while, just in case if he's still driving. Maybe I should send him a text to ask if he can talk. He said he's available most of the time, but everyone says that to be nice.

Just as I was about to press my Contacts icon after staring at it for five minutes, I received an incoming call. The ID: Eli. I grinned and picked up.

"Hey there, desperate,"
I teased.

I heard him chuckle and he responded, "What a nice way to be greeted over the phone."

"Did you make it home?"

"No."

My smile faltered and I asked, "Why? Did something happen?"

"No, I just don't like hanging out at home."

"How come?"

A brief pause of silence. "It gets boring there."

I pursed my lips. "Where are you right now?"

"Just in my car, parked near a field. It's pretty quiet here, so entertain me."

"How do you want me to do that?," I inquired, laying down on my bed.

"Just talk. About anything. You can give me an entire rant about the dumbest thing and I'll listen. I like hearing you."

Blushing, I chuckled and replied, "Okay, then. I'll talk."

•••

The weather was still chilly even after February passed. It wasn't enough to make you wear a coat, but standing outside long enough would make you start to shiver.

I stood outside on my doorstep, staring down at a pair of hands that held mine. They were soft, and warm. I always loved holding them, even if it wasn't cold, even if they weren't soft on some days.

Looking up, a pair of grey eyes met mine. Long lashes. His eyes looked so feminine, but they were easy to look at. It's rare to see them shining with anything more than calmness and joy.

"You really should've put some shoes on, Calvin," Hal told me. I hadn't wanted to waste my time putting shoes on. As soon as Hal texted me to tell me he was at my door, I bolted out of bed straight to him. It's a Saturday. He usually comes over on Saturdays. But this time, it was for a different reason.

"Ya know," I started, "I had been hoping this entire time that this was all some elaborate dream. That I'll wake up and you'll be sprawled across my bed in your stupid pajamas, snoring like a dork. But, this is pretty real."

"I'm sorry," he replied, "I'm sorry for all of this."

"Don't apologize," I told him, "It isn't your fault. It's no one's. Well, maybe except the guy who hired your dad over there."

Hal chuckled and shook his head. His hands squeezed around mine as he asked me quietly, "Hey, promise me something, will you?"

"Yeah, anything."

He pursed his lips and said, "Promise me that you'll find a better boyfriend."

I smiled and replied, "You make it sound like you were a terrible partner."

"Aren't I? I mean, I'm leaving you behind. I'm not even doing anything to stop this, not trying to stay. I could. On my own. I could live here by myself."

"No, you couldn't. You don't have any power over this, even though you don't want to admit it. Your dad's leaving for work. For money. To provide for you and your mom. It sucks, but that's what it is."

"I wish it wasn't because of money," Hal grumbled, tossing his gaze to the side. His nearly white, blonde locks of hair swung in his face. I remember when I helped him dye it.

"This is an opportunity to share your hippie morals with the other teens of Arkansas," I joked. He managed a smile and rolled his eyes.

Hal looked back at me and said, "I'm gonna miss you.." In this moment, I've never seen his eyes this saddened before.

"Me, too," I murmured, squeezing his hands back.

We stood there, staring at each other, memorizing each inch of the other's face. Hal lifted a hand to my fave and caressed my cheek. "I really want to kiss you," he said, "but, I think, that'll make this harder to bear."

I wanted him to kiss me. Even if it was a peck. I needed that last feeling. But, I respected Hal's wishes, because in a way he was right, and I always support him when he's right.

Instead of kissing me, he pulled me to him in a tight, yet gentle embrace. I pushed my face into his chest, trying not to cry. He leaned his head on top of mine, and I heard him sniffle. That was enough for me to tear up.

"Hey," I murmured, "promise me something, too."

"Anything."

I pulled away from him, grabbed the sides of his face, and stared into his eyes as I told him, "Promise me that you'll stay true to the good person you are, even without me there to help you. Promise me that, and you'll get by."

Hal smiled sadly and nodded. "It's a promise."

I smiled and hugged onto him again. We spent a good two minutes that way. I really didn't want to let go. When he pulled away from me, he raised a hand to my face and brushed a thumb over my bottom lip. I could tell he desperately wanted to kiss me.

A car horn interrupted us. Hal and I looked at his parents' car waiting for him by the curb. Hal sighed and looked back at me. "I'll have to go now," he murmured.

"Okay. Please have a safe trip," I told him. I grabbed the back of his head and made him lean down so our foreheads touched. "Don't look back at me. No matter how much you want to, don't."

The muscles in his jaw tightened, and I knew he didn't want to listen to me. But all he's ever done is listen to me, and has always improved from what I say. He always listens. Now he can't help but do that, even for this.

He nodded, even when a tear rolled down his cheek, he nodded and said, "I won't."

He let go of me, and his eyes screamed heartbreak. I can't do anything to help him though. I wasn't the one taking him away from his first love.

"Goodbye, Calvin," he said. He had always said "see you later" instead.

"Bye, Hal." I couldn't bring myself to add in the "good".

He started turning away, and so did I. I didn't want to watch him leave, the same as I told him not to look back. I opened my front door to head back inside the house. Within one minute, Hal should be in his parents' car, riding in back. Within five minutes, the car should be driving down the road, and should be out of sight.

Yet, despite that I knew he would be gone, when I went back outside to see an empty street, the heartbreak was instant. I crumpled down to my knees and finally let the tears fall. Hal never liked it when I cried, especially if it was because of him. Now, that's all I did while I stared at the spot he had been standing in almost moments before. I clutched at my hair, sobbed, and begged him to come back. The chilly air didn't matter to me. My freezing feet didn't matter either. I just wanted to have Hal back. I just wanted a little more time with him. He left too soon. This wasn't right. I expected something more to his goodbye, to the sad look in his eyes, to the sadness that I felt. I thought it would've looked something like those TV dramas Umma watches all the time, but it wasn't. This is worse. Because in TV dramas, even the sad times are complete. This isn't complete.

After a few minutes of being outside, I heard the door open behind me. A blanket was placed over me, and Appa sat himself down next to me. I tried to control my tears now that he was here, but they wouldn't stop. Appa placed a hand on my back and rubbed.

"I know I shouldn't cry..," I murmured.

Appa shook his head. "Don't think that way. It's okay to cry for something like this. No one can judge you for it. If your mother had to move away, I would cry, too."

I looked up at him. He had a darker skin tone than my mother and I, but I practically looked like him. Crow's feet were starting to form at the corners of his eyes, but other than that, he looked fairly young for his age.

"I overheard what he told you to promise him," he started. He looked at me and added, "I hope you do, too."

More tears welled in my eyes and I leaned against Appa's shoulder. He rubbed my head as I sobbed against his shirt. He stayed outside with me for as long as I needed, until Umma told us to come back inside. When I did, she hugged me and said she would make my favorite meal for me. I was thankful for that. I was thankful for the food she made; the warm tea she brewed, the warm blankets she gave me.

If only Hal were still here, he would've been thankful, too.

...

"I think you should try dating again," Yani told me while we were at lunch. She kept messing with her blonde tipped hair.

I tossed a chicken nugget from her lunch tray into my mouth and said past my chewing, "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

She shrugged. "I just think it'd be good for you, ya know?"

"If you're trying to live vicariously through me, maybe you should get a boyfriend," I suggested with a snarky grin.

She laughed and replied, "Gringo, you know I'm practically married to my family. I'm only suggesting it. Hal did tell you to get a boyfriend."

"Not so soon after he's left."

She gave me a look. "Calvin, it's been almost seven months since he left. You've had an entire summer break to get over it. It's time you start looking."

"Yani, you know the drill. All the good guys are taken, all the others suck ass, and the rest are girls," I deadpanned.

"Don't be so negative," she scolded lightly. "Just consider the idea. It's a new school year, new people might come in, there's new classes to have to meet more people. There are opportunities, Calvin. You've just gotta be open-minded."

I sighed and nodded. She's right.

"Go get lunch," she said, and waved me away. I got up from our table and went to one of the lunch lines to get my own food.

With a lunch tray in my hand, I had to get a drink too. I tried reaching over to get a water bottle from the bottom of a crate, but I was too short and it was too far.

A hand reached down for the water bottle I was trying to get, and for a moment I thought someone was taking it. Then, I looked up and found none other than Eli Gateman holding it. My annoyance disappeared knowing he was the one taking it.

"Here," he said, and handed it to me. I was surprised. As I grabbed the water bottle and put it on my lunch tray, I glanced up at his face. He's not scowling. Wow.

"Th-Thanks," I mumbled, and continued out of the line. I maneuvered my way back to Yani, feeling a little nervous for some reason.

As I walked, I thought about Eli's face. I'm barely realizing now how nice he looked. Eli Gateman, not scowling and helping me get a bottle of water? I guess he's not a complete jerk. Then again, maybe he just helped me because I was holding up the line. Either way, I'm surprised.

Even as I sat down with Yani again, my thoughts were filled with nothing but Eli, and his nice, calm face. I tried pushing these thoughts out of my mind to eat and talk with Yani.

...

It's after school. I'm already back home.

I'm still thinking about Eli.