Just One of the Boys

“This was nice, Henry,” Maria informed me as I walked her back to the Dean’s house. “Maybe we should do this again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, not really paying any attention to what was going on. I picked at my nails before remembering that was a girly thing to do, and I quickly moved my hands to my sides, fiddling with the pockets. She started to lean in, puckering her lips slightly for a kiss, and I quickly took a few steps back. “I gotta….bye!” I stuttered out, stumbling away from her.

“Henry--!” she called, but I was practically sprinting back to my dorm. By the time I was in front of my dorm, I was out of breath and panting.

“Dude, what happened to you?” Alex questioned from behind me. I jumped, startled, my hand covering my frantically beating heart.

“Ran—from—Dean’s—house…” I gasped, leaning against the door frame. “Need”--sharp intake of breath—“oxygen--!”

“Relax, bro, just breathe,” Alex laughed, patting my back before opening the door and stepping inside. I glared at him from under the fringe of bangs cut on the wig, following him and dropping to my bed. I hadn’t forgotten the “Three F’s”, and was in no way going to let it slide, ever. Except if he, you know, kept taking his shirt off, like he was doing right now. My breathing got, if possible, even shallower.

Alex was, in all honesty, one of the hottest guys my age I have ever met. (I mean, Orlando’s gorgeous and all, but he’s older, and I’m still a minor, so it totally defeats the purpose of dating him) Although he was a little pasty and not as fit as others, he was pretty amazing. Before I jumped him, however, my phone rang.

“Girls just wanna have fun, oh girls just wanna have fun!” my phone sings, as Alex burst into laugher as I turned the phone off and threw it into the pillow case, tossing the pillow into the closet.

“Dude, I’m not going to even ask,” he snickered, raising his hands in protest, before snatching a shirt off the floor and (after a quick sniff to the pits) tugged it over his head.

“Going out again?” I asked, bending over the bed to grab my copy of Twelfth Night.

“Yup. I never found that girl from the day before,” he smirked. “Can’t give up with that fine specimen is still out there, now can I?” With a mild thump, I fell to the ground before bouncing back up, furious and blushing, but he’s already out the door, whistling a happy tune.

When I was positive that Alex wasn’t coming back, I crawled off the bed and headed into the closet, picking up the pillow case and digging around for my orange Sidekick. One voicemail, MOM, the screen read.

Taking a deep breath, I dialed the number for voicemail, typed in my pass code, and listened to the familiar voice. “Hi, Holly-Bolly, it’s your mother calling you!” she giggled slightly before clearing her throat. “I just wanted to tell you how proud I am that you’ve taken a job, and I hope it’s going well. I miss you so much, honey. I really wish we could’ve spent the summer together, like last year, but I’m glad you’re doing something so much more ethical.” Shame bit at my heart, but I pushed it away, continuing to listen to her monolog. “Listen, I know you probably want to spend the whole summer with Claudia and you don’t want me barging in on your alone time with her, but the filming’s over on August 10th, so if you want to come home early, just say the words and I’ll have your flight booked faster than you can say ‘Home Sweet Home’.” I could hear someone yelling in the background, and my mother’s voice became more urgent and rushed. “I have to go. I love you, sweetie .Call me back when you can, okay, honey? I’ll see you in August! Alright, Ryan, I’m coming, keep your socks on! I was talking to--” The phone beeped as the automatic voice asked me whether I wanted to save or delete the message. After some careful thinking, I saved it and shoved the appliance back into my pocket.

+

It was midnight, and the dorms were lit up from a full moon. The milky light made the tapestries, paintings, and walls seem to sparkle with a silvery veil, the sky swirling with clouds and peppered with stars. Outside the dew on the grass glittered, helping to illuminate the sky, if possible, more. As I tiptoed passed one of the floor length mirrors on the way to the bathrooms, I could see Lake Hamilton’s placid water reflecting the serene moon.

I slowly slipped into the bathroom, my pupils adjusting to the harsh light. Zack was sitting on the counter, a thick book in his lap. When he noticed I had come in, he jumped down, placing the book atop a pile of things seated on the floor.

“Hey,” he whispered. “So, you ready?”

“For what? Hot, lustful sex in the bathroom stall?” I whispered back, smirking as his face flushed. “No, I’m just playing with you. But honestly, what are we going to be doing?”

“I’m perfecting your act, telling you the rules, and making a deal,” he informed me. “C’mere.” I hopped up onto the counter, swinging my legs back and forth. Zack bent over, rummaging through the pile before producing a bottle of shaving cream and a razor.

“Dude, the only razor I’m going to use is one for my legs and armpits,” I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not shaving my face.”

“You don’t have to! Look, I totally thought this out! So, I took all the blades out and replaced them with plastic! It won’t cut your face, but it’ll take all the shaving cream offa your face! It’s brilliant!” Zack gloated, his face alighted with excitement at his brilliant idea. I might have been slightly horrified at the thought of someone who spends as much times as he does with Jack being able to figure something like that out. He passed me the new creation and the bottle of shaving cream, and when doing so, flashed me the battle wounds from the surgery on the razor.

“Ooh, Zack, you hands!” I moaned, snatching the razor and can from his hands and placing them on the counter, stealing his hands into mine. “Did you clean these?”

“Huh, what?” he questioned, looking down. “Oh those! Naw, they’re fine.” I kept inspecting them, checking over the slashes in his callused skin.

“Are you sure? I should really put some Neosporin on them, just in case,” I mused, flickering my eyes up to his. He gave me a half grin, tugging his hands out of my grasp.

“Holly, I’m fine. Now, next order of business, showering. It has to be at night, and I need to be in the bathroom, or else people’ll get suspicious, okay?” Zack informed me as I rolled my eyes. He continued on lecturing me with the rules and guidelines I’d have to live by in order to stay as inconspicuous as possible. “And, after a long time of thinking what I wanted in exchange for keeping this secret--”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I snapped, holding out my hand in the universal sign for stop. “There is no way in hell I’m giving you anything, Zachary! Dream on!”

“Holly,” Zack warned. “One thing, and one thing only. I want a date with your redheaded friend.”