Dirty Little Secret

I was lying on my bed later that evening, around seven o’clock. I had just come straight up here as soon as I finished eating dinner with my parents. I had been in here for a while now, debating whether I should call Zack or not. His words had been ringing through my mind all day and I was nervous about calling him. Why did he want to talk to me now, after almost a week of nothing?

Surely it wasn’t anything bad if he actually wanted to talk to me, right? Or maybe he wanted me to call him so he could tell me that the party really was a prank, and I had been being Punk’d the whole time. That the hook-up was for show and he’s not even really gay.

I shook my head, trying to get the bad thoughts out of my mind. No. Zack wouldn’t do that to me. Right? I toyed with my phone, flipping through my contacts and finally landing on Zack’s name at the very bottom. I stared at it for a few minutes, not having enough courage to dial his number yet.

Come on, Jack. You can do this. It’s just a little phone call. Nothing terrible...

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed the dial button, holding my breath as the phone started to ring in my ear. Maybe he won’t pick up-

Zack picked up in the middle of the second ring, greeting me with, “I thought you were going to chicken out.”

“No, I just wasn’t sure why you wanted me to call you...” I trailed off, letting out my breath.

“Uh huh. How long have you been sitting there looking at the phone?” Zack teased gently, and I relaxed slightly.

“Shut up. How long have you been sitting there waiting for me to call? You sure picked up fast,” I teased him back.

“Touché.”

“So why did you want me to call you?” I asked, rolling onto my back on the bed.

“Did you enjoy the other night?” Zack asked bluntly, and I knew he was talking about the party.

“Yeah. I told you I did,” I said, blushing. I heard Zack sigh on the other end, hesitating for a moment.

“Um, Jack... I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, go out on a date with me? Out to dinner or something?” he asked awkwardly.

I rolled onto my stomach quickly in surprise, ending up rolling off my bed and dropping the phone as I squeaked in pain. I could hear Zack laughing as I picked the phone back up.

“I heard that thump. You’re such a klutz,” he chuckled, still sounding kind of nervous. It was quiet for a moment. “So...?”

“I-I would love to go on a date with you, Zack,” I stammered, my heart beating fast. “But aren’t you worried about us being seen together?”

“I’ve already got that covered, don’t worry. Be ready for me to pick you up at six o’clock tomorrow night, okay?” Zack asked, more confident now that I had said yes.

“Um, okay. Where are we going?” I asked curiously.

“Nothing fancy. You’ll see. And don’t sound so nervous, alright? I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Zack assured me.

“Okay. Bye.” We both hung up, and I sat there for a few minutes on my floor, looking at the phone. Holy shit.

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The next day was Friday, so I still had to go to school, unfortunately. I wasn’t even paying attention at all throughout the whole day. My mind was focused on my date with Zack tonight. At lunch I was quiet, and it wasn’t until Alex spoke up that I realized it.

“Jack, you’re oddly quiet today. What’s up?” Alex asked, taking a bite of his shitty cafeteria spaghetti.

I shrugged, poking at my own spaghetti with the plastic fork, “Just tired. It’s been a long week.”

“Yeah, definitely. It seems like the last few weeks before winter break are the longest,” Grieco agreed. He and Evan were sitting across the table from each other, just as they had been the whole week. They were still awkward together after what happened at the party, though the rest of us were annoyed that they still wouldn’t admit that they like each other. Why ignore each other and make it worse?

“Well, do you guys all want to come over to my house and hang out tonight? We can play video games,” Rian said, looking around.

“Yeah!” Evan and Grieco spoke up at the same time, then scowled at each other.

Alex nodded, “Sounds good to me.”

“How about you, Jack? Or are you too tired?” Rian teased, and I rolled my eyes.

“I-” I began, stopping abruptly. I almost agreed to go, but then I remembered my date with Zack. “I can’t. I’m busy tonight.”

“Why can’t you come?” Alex asked, pouting.

“Um...” I shoved a mouthful of spaghetti into my mouth, trying to think of a lie quickly. I swallowed my food and said, “I have to go Christmas shopping.”

“Christmas shopping?” Alex asked doubtfully.

“Christmas is still almost three weeks away,” Rian pointed out.

I shrugged, “My parents like to do their shopping early.”

“So if we come by your house tonight, your parents will be gone?” Evan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course they will be gone. We’re going out late, probably after six,” I said. I was thankful that my parents both had to work late tonight.

“If you say so,” Alex shrugged.

“What, you guys think I’m lying? I’m hurt,” I said, dramatically putting a hand over my chest.

Rian rolled his eyes, “Shut up, Jack. You’re so dramatic.”

“I try.”