Robin, Boy Virgin: Original Series

You know that song Almost Like Being in Love? You know, like, "what a daaay it has been. What a raaaare mood I'm in. Why it's, almost like being in love"? Frank Sinatra sang it and Nat King Cole sang it. I like Nat's version the best but I'm not actually a fan of the song. Anyway, the point is that song seems happy right? It's got an upbeat tempo and a happy, major key going on. But what's the deal with the clarification of "almost"? All this time, I've gone along not really thinking about that song. (Why would I right?) but now... I'm picking up some subtexts to that song that I never noticed before.

Me and Cora: it's almost like being in love.

Don't get me wrong, I too am now farting rainbows along with Glenn: Cora told me she loved me.

Cora fucking loves, loves me. I can't even believe that. Like, I can't rationalize it my brain. I just feel it: I feel like bursting. I'm so damn happy and all over the map... it feels crazy. But good crazy. Anyway, the thing is, while that makes me exceptionally happy and I am absolutely one hundred and fifty percent in love with Cora... we still aren't in a relationship.

And... ARGH. It bothers me. It confuses me. I just... I don't understand. I want to understand, so badly, why Cora feels the way she does. But there's so much confusion and I'm not sure what to feel or what I should worry about. Ugh it's all a big mess-

So, let's clear things up and make a list. Cora confuses me because:

1.) She doesn't want to be in a relationship. Even though she doesn't actually have anything against them.

2.) She loves me and yet doesn't want to be in a relationship with me. Ok, how can one person reconcile those two battling forces in their mind?? It must make her absolutely bananas. It makes me crazy, that's for sure.

3.) Why? And what? What has caused her to not want relationships? What has caused her to feel like she can't do them? Because, if you think about it, Cora has been quite faithful to me as a friend and has committed her friendship to me. And I know that that is kind of difficult. I mean, I'm not exactly easy to be friends with... since most of the school treats me like I am a contagious, deadly disease. I recognize that. So, actually, Cora possesses the skills to be committed to someone. She can do it, she's great at it (she's great at everything, fack)((except singing! There is a smidgen of justice in this world)).

So. I'm deliriously happy and thoroughly confused. It's amazing I can dress myself in the morning without, like, putting my socks on my hands or forgetting to wear jeans.

On Saturday morning, I got dressed and then came jogging downstairs, whistling. Yeah whistling. If I wasn't so happy, I'd hate myself. Glenn and Linda were in the kitchen. Linda was making pancakes and I took a quick breath to brace myself. Don't let the pancakes and plates thing bug you, Robin. It's cool, it's fine.

Cora loves you. Ok, yeah, I'm great.

"Mornin'," I said to them both.

"Morning Robin," Linda said, pouring some pancake batter into a pan.

"Morning- kiddo, you're not wearing pants," Glenn told me gently. I abruptly looked down at myself.

"Shit!" I actually exclaimed in front of my father and ran back up the stairs. I felt embarrassment burn up my neck. I could hear Linda's husky, woman giggle downstairs. At least my dad's girlfriend- whoop, fiancé- hadn't seen me in my underwear. Damn it, Cora. It's somehow your fault that I did this.

I yanked on a pair of jeans and then went back downstairs. My face was bright pink I'm sure. Glenn grinned at me and gave me a thumbs up to let me know I was presentable. I rolled my eyes up the ceiling.

"Do you want some pancakes, Robin?" Linda asked, tactfully moving forward past the situation.

"Yes please," I sighed. Cora loves me. I smiled. Linda handed me a plate of pancakes.

"Gracias," I said. I sat down and wolfed down my breakfast. Kudos to Linda: she makes a decent pancake.

"So how was your date last night?" Glen asked me, trying to be casual and epically failing. What is it with parents and trying to nonchalant? They totally suck at it.

"Not bad. We scored some heroine at the movie theater and I got lucky in the back row of said movie theater," I said and then crammed a huge chuck of pancake in my mouth, looking at Glenn. He didn't even bat an eyelash at my sarcasm.

"So it went good huh?" He smiled. He knows me better than I give him credit for. If I'd had a shit date, I would have shrugged and mumbled "went ok". My sarcasm does equal happiness.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"Is Cora going to be your special friend?" Glenn asked me, giving Linda a smile as she sat down next to us.

"... she kind of already is. But she's kind of not," I said, purposefully not giving him an answer.

"What does that mean?" Linda giggled, cutting out a triangle of pancake.

"It means he's seventeen and doesn't know what to do," Glenn said. He's so witty, wow, it must be genetic.

"Bingo," I said darkly. Linda kept giggling at us.

After breakfast, I sprawled out on the couch and turned on the TV. I heard Glenn and Linda puttering around the house. I think they were getting ready to have Linda move in. I felt fine about that. Well actually, I didn't feel anything about it: I was too filled up with love and confusion with Cora. Anyway, as long as they let me sit on my ass while they do stuff, I'm cool with it. Besides, there was a retro-cartoon marathon on Cartoon Network, so I wasn't going on anywhere.

I text messaged Cora and Harold. Cora didn't reply, which is a little strange, but not unheard of for her. Harold did reply immediately. I started bugging him, happily, about Minnie. He admitted that he and Minnie had "mutually decided to be a couple" and I texted him stuff about them sitting in a tree and marriage and a baby carriage.

The day kinda oozed by. I was growing roots into the couch. I had watched Scooby Doo, The Jetsons, Justice League, Spider-man, and The Flintstones. I was a happy, slugged out camper. Well, actually, my back was starting to hurt from slouching around on the couch, you know? It's the side effect of watching, like, six hours of TV.

"Robin? Linda and I are going to a movie," Glenn said, coming into the room.

"K," I said, zoned out on the TV.

"Maybe you should get up off your butt and get some exercise," Glenn half teased/half suggested, fixing his jacket wrist cuff. I snorted.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "Batman," I said simply and pointed at the TV.

"Yes, that's good, Robin-bird. That's Batman," Glenn cooed jokingly at me, grinning. Oh, man, I felt my heart kinda soften a bit. I can remember when I was really little and my dad would sometimes call me Robin-bird. Just in private of course, when I skinned my knee or showed him a good thing I did in school.

I half smiled, thinking about my mushy old man.

"K, I'll see ya later. I'm not sure when we're gonna be back..." He said awkwardly.

"Nice. Ge' some," I grunted like I was a gangsta. Glenn laughed.

"Bye kiddo," He chuckled and left. I sighed and stretched out on the couch. Even though I've been watching TV by myself all day, without anyone actually in the house now, I felt lonely. That's fucked.

About twenty minutes into another Batman episode, my cell phone started buzzing. The caller ID said Cora. I immediately answered it.

"Hello?" I said, sounding eager and like a total dork.

"Hey Robin," Cora said, kinda quietly.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately, my brow furrowing together with concern.

"... could you come over? For a bit...please?" Cora asked me, sounding uncomfortable and vulnerable.

"Sure. I'll be there in, like, ten minutes," I said, getting to my feet and darting to the front hall.

"K... thanks. I'll see you soon," Cora said. I could hear her start to smile over the phone.

"No problem," I assured her, cramming my feet into my shoes. We hung up the phone and I sprinted up the stairs and grabbed my jacket, cell phone, and keys. I ran back downstairs and out the door, locking it behind me. I don't care if it looks whipped: Cora calling me and my immediately running to her. I love her and she needs me. What... is wrong with that, really?