Chapter 1.
"I've always hated birthdays." Roger stated.
"Why? They're so fun! You get to have a party, and balloons, and cake, and everyone treats you like ROYALTY! It's fantastic!" Jack enthused.
"To me it's always just been another year you've survived in this shitstorm we call life." Roger mumbled, kicking a piece of trash down the hall.
'Well I like them and I'm going to make sure that you have a happy birthday this year grumpy-pants!"
"How are you gonna manage that?" Roger asked looking up quickly at Jack.
"Oh you'll see… you'll see dear Roger." Jack said before skipping away to class.
Roger shook his head at the ginger's constant attempts to make him enthusiastic about something. He opened his locker to grab his books for French class then took his seat next to the shyest boy in class, Simon, as per usual.
Madame rambled on about the proper grammatical usage of something-or-other and Roger watched Simon take detailed notes, as he always did. Something hit him in the back of the head and then bounced on the floor. Simon picked it up before handing it over to Roger with a slight blush. Roger smirked at this and opened the note under the table.
"My house. Friday afterschool. You in? –Jack" Roger turned to look at Jack who was smiling at him beneath strands of red hair, tapping his pencil against the desk.
Roger didn't know what this would entail. Knowing Jack, it could simply be them hanging out or he could be planning something outrageous that he knew Roger would disapprove of. He decided he'd talk to him over lunch next period.
Roger sat down next to the redhead after waiting a record 10 minutes in line for lunch before losing his patience and pushing through the throng of hungry students yet again.
"Sup man? You gonna answer my note?" Jack asked, taking a large bite of his ham sandwich.
"About that. What are you planning?"
"That, dear Roger, is a surprise." Jack teased.
"Err…Ok. Also why in the FUCK do you keep calling me dear Roger?"
"It's a term of endearment."
"Endearment my ass." Roger said as he took Jack's sandwich out of his hand and bit into it.
"So are you going to come over Friday or are you just gonna question me and then very rudely take my sandwiches?"
"I guess," Roger pondered his choices for a moment, "I'll go."
Jack clapped excitedly and gave a very uncomfortable hug to Roger.
"UNDER two conditions. One, please avoid hugging me without warning EVER again," Jack nodded at the first condition, "and two, I get to keep this sandwich. Who made this? It's fucking delicious." Roger took another bite into the sandwich, trying not to smile.