Chapter 31: A Little From Column A, A Little From Column B

"What should I do for the prom?" I asked as I reeled back with my controller on the couch, desperately trying to get this super leech off me.

"You should get a fog machine, lasers, & Burning Hair to play on a big stage," Chris said as he sliced & diced the leech as it fell from my knight's body.

"It's a high school budget, Chris," Jacob said as he sat on the edge of his seat, ready to summon more leeches to suck our experience points dry. "Not the Treasury."

"Well how much money do you guys have?"

"I'm not sure. I'm only supposed to come up with designs & themes & then report to—THAT'S ME, YOU IDIOT!—...& then report to the student council which handles the budget."

"That's messed up," Jacob said.

"I know right?" I waved at the screen. "If Chris hadn't slashed it while it was attacking me..."

"Not that...the fact that you might come up with an idea, only to be turned down when you find out if you can't afford it. You should be able to see the budget beforehand."

"Yeah well, I'm gonna ask Jordan Nolan just that the next time I see him. I asked him a couple days ago & he didn't seem to like the idea of giving it to me," I said as I conceded & put my controller down to get up for a snack.

"Who?" Chris asked as he set the game to two-player.

"The president of student council," Jacob said.

"Oh."

"Jacob, you want a sandwich?"

"Um, sure. I'll just have a PB&J."

"Me too," Chris chimed in.

"You know, to be honest, I was excited to get this little gig thing but I have no idea how to design an event. Ugh. Why can't I be that kind of gay who knows how to design shit?"

"It'll be fine. Do you have anything in mind about where it's gonna be, what kind of food it'll have like a buffet style or waiter-served, what kind of music it'll have like a band or DJ...?" Jacob said.

"Uhh..." I looked up at the ceiling. "I like classic rock for music. What about that?"

"Yeah so does my dad. And you know when his prom was? 1978."

"Well I don't like today's stuff."

"Well too bad, because you're gonna have to pick out music that our grade likes to dance to, not tolerate on the family trip to see grandma & grandpa."

"I don't know who people listen to."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to go find out on your own."

"Oh right, & how do you expect me to do that? Get magically invited to some big event & jot down what music is playing?"

They both shrugged as I finished the last pieces of our sandwiches. Just then, the telephone rang. Looking at the caller ID, I saw it was Travis calling from his home. I answered as I took the plates over to the living room.

"Hello?"

"Hey cutie, what's up?" he asked.

"Just hanging out with Jacob & Chris."

"Sounds fun. Hey guess what?"

"What?"

"I heard that there's gonna be a school-sponsored carnival next week & I want you to be my date," he chirped.

"What carnival?" I asked as I handed Jacob & Chris their sandwiches.

"Well I guess student council is starting to put together things that'll raise money for the prom. Everyone's gonna be there, you should go with me."

"Traviiiiiiis..." I whined.

"What? C'mon, it'll be fun."

"What are you whining about?" Chris asked.

"Travis is asking me to go to the school carnival next week."

"Oh no," Jacob put a hand to his mouth. "Are you gonna be all right?"

I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon, why not?" I heard Travis ask.

"Because I don't like big crowds & I should get some early work done for thinking of ideas for prom."

"Prom is a long way away from now though. Besides, there's gonna be a DJ. Maybe he could be the same DJ we have at prom."

"If we go with a DJ & not a live band," I said, starting to become slightly irked.

"Well, whatever you guys pick, just come to the carnival with me. It'd make me the happiest boy alive," he raised his pitch at the end.

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...fine. But as long as you don't—hold on, I have another call," I said, switching over to the other line. "Hello?"

It was a girl's voice on the other end. "Hi, is Chris there?"

"Who's calling?" I asked, looking over at my brother whose eyes were back on the tv screen.

"It's Val." Val...hmm...I remembered Chris having a girl in his room a little while back on his bed next to him named Val. A wicked grin spread across my lips.

"Hi Val," I said, causing Chris to snap his head back to me right away, ears & eyes alert like a dog spotting a chipmunk outside. "Chris is taking a little nap right now." I pursed my lips as I saw my brother's eyes burst out of his skull in humiliation & anger. He shot out of his seat & bolted toward me like a bat out of hell. I jumped around to the other side of the room & made my way to the other side of the furniture set.

"Can I take a message?" I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, just tell him I called."

"You got it. Take care."

"All right, thanks. Bye."

"What'd ya do THAT for?!" Chris shouted at me as I hung up the phone.

I shrugged with a laugh. "I dunno, 'cause I felt like it."

"You jerk!" he huffed. "I asked Val out on a date & she wasn't sure at the time so she said she would call me today to answer. Now that she thinks I nap like a six year old, she won't wanna go out with me."

"And exactly how do six year olds date today?" I turned my head. He lunged at me but before he could maul me like a linebacker, I held the phone out to him. "Go call her back." As he took the phone & went off to his room, I couldn't help but call to him, "Happy Meals are nice & cheap, remember that!" I heard him slam his door as I snickered.

As I walked back to my chair, I noticed Jacob shaking his head at me.

"Hahaha, what?"

"You ARE a jerk, you know that, right?" he grinned.

I shrugged. "Some say jerk, I say concerned sibling."

"Didn't you tell me that you & Travis went to McDonald's for Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah but that was different."

"Yeah, you're right. You were older than Chris & therefore even MORE obligated to be in a place where a real hamburger costs more than what you can shake out of a couch."

"Oh hush."

"Speaking of Travis, you hung up on him," Jacob said through a mouthful of bread, peanut butter & grape jelly.

"Oh," I suddenly realized. "Eh, whatever," I picked up a controller.

"You're not gonna call him back?"

"Nah," I shook my head.

"Bad brother, bad boyfriend...what should I expect as the best friend?"

I leaned over & grabbed the second half of his sandwich, chomping down into it, claiming as my own. I looked over at him & gave a cheeky grin.

"Labor compensation, that's what," I said with my mouth stuffed.

**********

Later that night as I was putting off homework by roaming all over the internet, I got a text message from J, the boy Travis & I had quickly met that day we were in Boston & watched the gay pride rally. While our initial meeting was brief, we ran into him, quickly, again later on & exchanged numbers. Even though I wasn't really friends with him in real life, I had kept in touch with him here & there but not too often.

"hey Connor, whats up?"

"hey. nm, just...doin hw. sorta. not really lol. u?"

"just watching the storm outside. its really pouring up here."

"well we had some rain the other day but nothin too bad lol."

"lucky. hows travis?"

"hes good," I said, hoping to maybe ask him about what I was feeling like lately regarding my lack of feelings for Travis. "we're going to a carnival next week i guess."

"sounds like fun "

"yeah i guess. hey listen, can i ask u something?"

"sure."

"lately, i feel like, maybe im...falling out of love with travis. i cant figure out if its something hes subtly doing or if its just me or what but im losing those sparks, u know? i mean i still love him but i think im just not IN love with him as much anymore. i dunno what to do though..."

"hmm. so u have no feelings for him at all anymore?"

"well, i mean i do but just not anywhere as much. and i feel like i fall less and less out of love with him each day."

"damn. i dunno if im the best person to go to for relationship advice though haha. i just recently got back together with my ex so im not exactly a guru lol."

"oh. well, then i guess we're both kinda needing to start at new points then haha."

"yeah lol. well, i guess i would say that if u think u still love him, but that love is sorta buried underneath, then ur best bet would be to do something to light that spark again, u know? do something exciting. have sex in a public place lol."

"is that coming from personal experience? haha."

"yeeah lol. we've messed around in some pretty no-no places lol. but even if its not sex, do SOMETHING on a regular basis thats exciting. i mean, ask him for ideas too obvs."

"the thing is...he doesnt know..."

"u havent told him that ur feeling this way??"

"no :/"

"Connor, u gotta do that!"

"i know but i dunno how"

"well ur gonna have to figure out a way how soon. trust me, when things get held back, things get UGLY afterwards."

"i guess ur right. maybe i can try to tell him at the carnival. thanks."

"i didnt really do much lol. but hey, maybe the carnival will help with some of those sparks. try gettin' naughty in the house of mirros if theres one xD."

"i'll keep that in mind lol."

"good. well, i g2g, ttyl "

"k, c ya." With that, I put my phone away & picked up my pencil to start my homework.

Telling Travis was easier said than done. But maybe J was right about the "sparks." Maybe it was just as simple as re-igniting them somehow. Whatever the way, I had to figure out what exactly was causing me to not have the same passion for him as I once did & if I actually wanted to get things rolling again...or if my heart was telling me it was time to really move on.

I also had to figure out how to go about designing a prom. I was thankful that not the ENTIRE thing was up to me, considering we had a real prom committee, but still. I wasn't sure what to do for initial designs or ideas. Jacob was right though. I had to somehow get in touch with what people liked for things like music. And speaking of in touch, I had to get in touch with Jordan Nolan about the budget. I didn't expect to have a prom at the Ritz, but him holding back the budget from me rubbed me the wrong way.

But most importantly...

...I had to figure out how to do this homework sheet.