[5/28: post-prom making amends]

[puckandpie]

While I'd felt bad backing out on Caron's prom invitation at the last minute, I don't really regret the decision. Jack hadn't ever outright said I shouldn't go, but he's pretty easy to read once you know all the tells and I could see that he was uncomfortable with the whole thing. Maybe even a little hurt. Plus, given everything that had already happened that week with the words scrawled across his back, it seemed sort of thoughtless and mean to just abandon him, even if for only one night.

I hadn't ended up even spending much of the evening with him, but I felt better knowing he could call on me any time if he did need me and I promised myself I'd find a way to make it up to Carson later.

Until, that is, I get the birthday notification.

I'm a day late to noticing it, a single little pop-up when I log into Darrow's bizarre excuse for Facebook and at first it feels like a joke. Or a mistake. I mean, Carson would've told me his birthday was yesterday, wouldn't he?

Except I definitely already know the answer to that.

The guilt is immediate, almost crushing, as I immediately set about baking the best lemon blueberry pie I can possibly manage, as well as a lemon crumble and a good old fashioned batch of chocolate chip cookies just in case.

A few hours later, I'm knocking at Carson's door, pie carrier, Tupperware container, and a carefully wrapped gift box in hand. I have to carefully balance everything to press the doorbell and I suck in a breath and just pray he'll even be home.

Comments

[puckandpie]

It takes a minute for me to realize what it is he's saying and a moment more for me to get over my surprise. The rest of what he says barely registers at all as I ask him, "Wait, are you saying you have a date?"

Honestly, it shouldn't be unfathomable by any means. And it's not, really. Carson's a good-looking guy and he's definitely smart and driven and confident. It's not difficult to imagine anyone finding that desirable. No, the shocking thing is that it seems like something he wants when, up until now, I sorta got the impression he was into minimal human contact. I've often wondered, even, if I'm his only friend and really only that by matter of default. And, until about two minutes ago, even that much was up for debate.

Part of me wonders if he's pulling my leg now, too.

[boywhoflew]

Carson's expression sunk into something shrewd and calculating at Eric's blatant surprise.

"It's not like, a date date." He corrected, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow in challenge. "She was just-- she was interesting. Like comic book interesting. Some sort of chosen one from an apocalyptic future. And she told me she crashed because she'd never done any of the typical teenage stuff, the kinda shit that gets taken for granted. So I thought I'd go out of my way and suggest she get to embrace the mundane stereotype and see just what she wasn't missing." There was a beat of silence and something itched at the back of his mind. His own words sunk in, and he remembered the way heat had crept up the back of his neck when she had taken his hands into her own small ones, and his eyes flared open in realization.

"Oh shit." He muttered, glancing from the intriguing array of tupperware on the counter to Eric himself. "Oh shit. I have a date." His arms uncrossed and fell to his side. "And I have a fucking black eye."

[puckandpie]

I feel my eyebrows shoot up at the way Carson describes this girl as interesting if only because I can't honestly remember if I've ever heard him call anyone in this entire city interesting in the entire time I've known him. If that doesn't say something, I don't know what does.

But he keeps going and, the longer he speaks, the more apparent it is that this really is something.

And he's clearly getting that, too.

It's hard not to let my lips twitch into a smile when his eyes go wide and his arms drop to his sides and he looks honestly so surprised.

"Youuuu have a date," I confirm in a sing-song voice. "But don't worry about the eye, she'll probably think it's all tough and rugged or something. Did you really ask her on a date to prove a stereotype? Goodness, what sort of alien are you, Philly?"

[boywhoflew]

Despite his growing panic over the realization that he had a goddamn date, reflex alone was enough to make his eyes immediately narrow at Eric's amused tone. His eyebrow twitched in irritation and he scowled at the other boy, somehow unsurprised but still frustrated that the older boy was getting amusement out of his situation, the traitor.

"It's not funny," he insisted flatly. "If it wasn't already obvious, I've never been on a date. Let alone taken a girl to the mall for a movie." His own impulsive stupidity was staggering, and he briefly had to wonder if the girl was some sort of magic trickery of the city to have so easily made him lose his sense when he was talking to her.

Somehow he doubted it. And that was even more shameful.

"I'm an idiot." He spat with a sigh, grabbing at one of the tupperware containers and inspecting the baked good inside. "This place is making me reckless. And now I have to take this girl out and it's going to be a disaster."