These Things I'll Never Say, a boy meets world fanfic

TITLE: Things I'll Never Say
AUTHOR: Jack Meets Eric
RATING: PG (just to be safe...)
SUMMARY: Awkward situations from different point of views... Songfic of Avril Lavigne's 'Things I'll Never Say'.

"Hey Jack! Wait up man!" Eric shouted from across the street. He took a sprint to the other side of the street as Jack turned around to see who was calling him.

"Hey, where d'you come from?" Jack seemed semi-surprised.

Eric shrugged as he picked up the pace, slightly panting. "Earth, and you?" Jack rolled his eyes and poked Eric's side. Eric lifted his bag. "Decided to go to college today after all. TV wasn't any fun, and you weren't around either, so I figured I could also go actually do something useful."

"Guess there's a first for everything," Jack mumbled under his breath and grinned at his friend. "No, just kidding. So, what are you up to next?"

"Don't know. Don't have much reading to do for tomorrow, so I guess I can go back to uselessness again… Or…" Eric pondered. Suddenly, he stood still and slapped Jack on the shoulder. "Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's check out this new place a few streets ahead… You know?"

Jack's face was one big question mark. "Ehm… I… don't know?"

"Really? The whole campus is talking 'bout it! It's called 'Sparrow' - it's restaurant by day and a club by night. Seems like a cool place to me! So, what do you say?" Eric jumped up and down next to Jack like a little boy begging to go to the zoo. "Pleaeaeaease?"

Jack rolled his eyes again and sighed. "Actually I planned on dropping by at Rachel's place…" Eric almost went down on his knees. "But… okay." He added quickly. Eric clapped his hands and hugged his friend.

"Wow-wow, hold it there buddy," Jack tempered him, releasing himself from the tight embrace Eric held him in. He stepped back and looked around awkwardly. "Someone could think that we're…" He gestured something unclear.

"Could think we're… what?" Eric imitated the gesture, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you know…" Jack gestured something else. "Two guys, holding each other… You know!" Eric shook his head. Jack took a step closer.

"Gay…" he grunted between his teeth, looking embarrassed. Eric paused.

"And since when would that be a problem for you? Man, I hug you all the time – no sweat! What's the big deal all of the sudden?" Eric exclaimed. Jack tried to hush him, as people started to look over their shoulder as the passed by.

"Nothing," Jack groaned. "It's just that… I'm into girls, and a lot of people in my classes live around here, you know. I just don't want them to see me standing here and think… weird things of us."

Eric raised a brow again, but said nothing. "Eh… Sure man, whatever. So, do you wanna go or not?"

"Sure. Show me just how fantastic this 'Sparrow' place is," Jack replied with a hint of sarcasm.

I'm tugging at my hair
I'm pulling at my clothes
I'm trying to keep my cool
I know it shows

"Hey Jack! Wait up man!" he shouted from across the street. He was really out of breath, but still took a sprint to the other side of the street. He hoped it looked like he was in shape. Jack turned around to see who was calling him.

"Hey, where d'you come from?" Jack seemed surprised to see him.

Eric shrugged casually as he tried to pick up the pace. "Earth, and you?"

Damn, that was a stupid remark.

Luckily, Jack rolled his eyes and poked his side. The touch left an invisible tingling imprint on his skin. Eric lifted his bag. "Decided to go to college today after all. TV wasn't any fun, and you weren't around either, so I figured I could also go actually do something useful."

And Eric Matthews goes through to round number two of What's You Stupidest Remark?…

"Guess there's a first for everything," Jack mumbled under his breath and grinned at his friend. Eric felt like dying right then and there. He managed to squeeze out a small smile.

"No, just kidding. So, what are you up to next?" Jack asked him as they walked on.

"Don't know. Don't have much reading to do for tomorrow, so I guess I can go back to uselessness again…" Eric answered, trying to be sarcastic about Jack's remark. "Or…" Eric pretended to think when in fact, he already knew exactly what he was going to say.

Suddenly, he held still and slapped Jack on the shoulder. "Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's check out this new place a few streets ahead… You know?"

Jack's face was one big question mark, just as Eric had hoped. "Ehm… I… don't know?"

Now he could amaze Jack with some news. "Really? The whole campus is talking 'bout it! It's called 'Sparrow' - it's restaurant by day and a club by night. Seems like a cool place to me! So, what do you say?" Eric jumped up and down next to Jack, really hoping he would say yes. He need him to go with him.

"Pleaeaeaease?"

Jack rolled his eyes again and sighed. Eric's heart dropped, and his excitement disappeared. "Actually I planned on dropping by at Rachel's place…" Eric started to get down on his knees. He really needed him to come! Maybe, if he was being all dramatic about it…

"But… okay." He added, a little too hasty for Eric. But who cared? He was coming! Eric clapped his hands, hesitated for a split second, then he quickly hugged Jack.

"Wow-wow, hold it there buddy," Jack tempered him, releasing himself from the tight embrace Eric held him in. Eric let go reluctantly. Jack stepped back and looked around awkwardly. "Someone could think that we're…" He gestured something unclear.

I'm staring at my feet
My cheeks are turning red
I'm searching for the words inside my head

Eric felt like he turned ten shades of red. Not knowing what to say, and to save himself from being caught, he quickly tried to imitate the gesture and raised an eyebrow. "Could think we're… what?"

"Well, you know…" Jack gestured something else. "Two guys, holding each other… You know!" Eric shook his head in apparent disbelief. Jack took a step closer, and Eric's heart involuntarily began to race.

Please, don't let him hear it, Eric begged silently. He swallowed and looked Jack briefly in the eyes.

"Gay…" Jack grunted between his teeth, looking embarrassed.

Relief and disappointment washed over him at the same time. The high word was out. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Cause I'm feeling nervous
Trying to be so perfect
Cause I know you're worth it

"And since when would that be a problem for you? Man, I hug you all the time – no sweat! What's the big deal all of the sudden?" Eric exclaimed, trying to act like Jack would expect him to. Jack tried to hush him, as people started to look over their shoulder as the passed by.

"Nothing," Jack groaned. "It's just that… I'm into girls, and a lot of people in my classes live around here, you know. I just don't want them to see me standing here and think… weird things of us."

It don't do me any good
It's just a waste of time
What use is it to you, what's on my mind?

Eric raised a brow again, but decided to say nothing. Actually, he wasn't sure what to say anymore. "Eh… Sure man, whatever. So, do you wanna go or not?"

Last chance to change your mind, Jack.

"Sure. Show me just how fantastic this 'Sparrow' place is," Jack replied. Eric noticed that he said it with a hint of sarcasm.

Here goes nothing…

"Hey Jack! Wait up man!" someone shouted from across the street. Jack turned around to see who was calling him, although he recognized the voice immediately. It was Eric, taking a sprint to Jack's side of the street. Man, he looked good in that shirt…

Bad thought. Be superficial. Jack straightened his jacket.

I'm tugging at my hair
I'm pulling at my clothes
I'm trying to keep my cool
I know it shows

"Hey, where d'you come from?" Jack tried to act surprised. He had heard Eric taking off to college this morning.

Eric shrugged as he picked up the pace, slightly panting. "Earth, and you?" Jack held in a giggle and managed to only roll his eyes. He shyly poked Eric in the side.

Eric lifted his bag. "Decided to go to college today after all. TV wasn't any fun, and you weren't around either, so I figured I could also go actually do something useful."

"Guess there's a first for everything," Jack mumbled under his breath.

Way to go, Jack! That'll put him off for sure. He kicked himself in his mental ass and grinned hastily at his friend. He caught a last glimpse of hurt in Eric's eyes.

Damn. Asshole. "No, just kidding. So, what are you up to next?" He quickly tried to change subjects.

"Don't know. Don't have much reading to do for tomorrow, so I guess I can go back to uselessness again…" So he had heard. Jack made a mental note to STOP MAKING STUPID REMARKS.

"Or…" Eric pondered deeply. Suddenly, he stood still and slapped Jack on the shoulder. It felt like an electrical shock to Jack, making him all jumpy.

"Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's check out this new place a few streets ahead… You know?" A bright brilliant smile lit up Eric's face.

Sparrows? How could Eric possibly know about Sparrows? Okay, try to act neutral. He probably doesn't know what it is.

Jack put on his most convincing game face. "Ehm… I… don't know?"

"Really? The whole campus is talking 'bout it! It's called 'Sparrow' - it's restaurant by day and a club by night. Seems like a cool place to me! So, what do you say?"

The whole campus? Sure. Jack only found out through the usual paths… Actually, usual wasn't the right word for it. More like very unusual. Top-secret-unusual.

In the mean time, Eric was jumping up and down next to Jack. He looked like the cutest little boy, begging to go to the zoo with his friends. "Pleaeaeaease?"

Jack rolled his eyes again and sighed, buying him some time to make up an excuse. He didn't want Erc to go there. "Actually I planned on dropping by at Rachel's place…"

If I could say what I want to see
I want to see you go down on one knee
Marry me today!

To his surprise, Eric almost went down on his knees. His heart started racing and his face felt warm and blushy.

I'm staring at my feet
My cheeks are turning red
I'm searching for the words inside my head

"But… okay." He added quickly, just to get Eric up and NOT noticing his face. Eric clapped his hands and hugged his friend.

What did he get himself into?

"Wow-wow, hold it there buddy," Jack tempered him, releasing himself from the tight embrace Eric held him in. He felt like his heart could be jumping out of his chest any second now. Did Eric notice? He stepped back, looked around uncomfortably. "Someone could think that we're…" He gestured something unclear.

"Could think we're… what?" Eric imitated the gesture, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you know…" Jack gestured something else. Why couldn't he just say it? He used it almost every day. "Two guys, holding each other… You know!" Eric shook his head.

Yep. He really had no idea what Sparrows was.

Jack took a step closer. "Gay…" he grunted between his teeth, trying to look while saying the word. Eric paused dramatically long.

Please, not now. He didn't want to have this conversation now.

"Nothing," Jack groaned. "It's just that…" His mind was racing for an excuse. "I'm into girls, and a lot of people in my classes live around here, you know." Since when? He was the worst liar EVER!

"I just don't want them to see me standing here and think… weird things of us." He had to go through with it now.

Eric raised a brow again, but luckily kept his mouth shut. "Eh… Sure man, whatever. So, do you wanna go or not?"

"Sure. Show me just how fantastic this 'Sparrow' place is," Jack replied with a hint of sarcasm. Eric would be… surprised.