Ignite Your Bones

Eric Halvorsen stared blankly at his best friend. Was he serious? Had he seriously just asked him that? No way could he be serious. John O’Callaghan looked at his best friend hopefully. “Halvo, you have to do this, please,”

Shaking his head, Eric focused his attention back to the television screen in front of the two. “I’m not going on a double date with you and Andrea, and some girl I don’t even know,” The fact that he didn’t know who the girl was wasn’t the reason Halvo refused to go. A lot had happened to him within the past two years, he had been stepped on and hurt, he didn’t want to go through that again.

John sighed and tried to convince his friend again. “If you don’t go, then Andrea won’t go,” John had been dating this girl Andrea for about four months now. Halvo liked her; she was nice and friendly, and she obviously cared about John a lot. More importantly, she would understand if Halvo didn’t go. There was a reason John was so determined for Eric to go, and he knew the real reason the second the question slipped from his lips. He wanted him to start dating again, which wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“I’m not going,” Halvo said, his eyes still glued to the television. “Andrea will understand, John.” Eric could see John roll his eyes in the corner of his eye. Although Halvo did feel bad about saying no, he knew he was doing it for his own good.

John could tell ever since everything happened, Halvo wasn’t as happy as before. He just wanted his friend to be happy again.

“Well,” John said, “Since obviously the date is off, what else should we do on Friday?”

After thinking for a while, Halvo suggested an idea. “How about we invite everyone over to your house and just have some beers?” It was something they did with all their friends often; it was one of the only things Halvo even liked to do: drink.

Shrugging his shoulders, John started to nod his head. “Yeah, that sounds good, I guess,” It was obvious John was upset that Halvo was refusing to go with him on the double date, but Halvo knew it was what was best.

At least he thought.

--

“Drea, I don’t think I can go,”

Andrea Gomez looked up from her plate to look at her friend. “That’s a funny joke, Court,” She said, and she went back to picking at the food on her plate. “You have nothing else planned; you just don’t want to go.”

Courtney Williams rolled her eyes at the brunette. “I don’t even know who John is bringing; I just know it’ll be an awkward night,” She picked at the spaghetti that was on her plate as she tried to figure out another way to get out of the date.

At the moment, the two were discussing the double date that was planned that Friday night with Andrea and John, her boyfriend, and John’s friend, who Courtney didn’t even know.

“Well you won’t know unless you go,” She replied, “You’re going, and that’s final.”

Once again Courtney rolled her eyes. “Okay, mom,” After a moment the two began to laugh. They were best friends, and deep down Courtney knew that Andrea wouldn’t be making her go if she wouldn’t have a good time. “I’ll go, okay?”

Andrea smiled and the two finished the plates in front of them. “Good, I knew I would convince you,” They both got up and put the plates in the sink.

“How were you so sure?”

Turning to face her friend, Andrea smirked. “Court, I know you,” Andrea sat down on the couch, Courtney following her. “You would’ve felt guilty if you said no.”

It was true, Courtney would have felt guilty. She felt guilty a lot, like she always had to do whatever it took to make someone happy.

She was the kind of person Eric Halvorsen needed, but thought he didn’t want. She was there to make people happy, and there Eric was, a person who was in definite need of happiness.