=John's POV
The weekend passed by in a blur. Besides daily pestering with my online friends and browsing through my favorite sites on the computer, it was overall uneventful. Most of my time during these days is spent staying up into the early hours of the morning and crashing from a sugary high of Mountain Dew until the afternoon. By the way, I just want to point out that Mountain Dew is the nectar of the gods. It may not taste the best, but its sweet, sweet caffeine shocks you into sugary jitteriness for hours on end. There's no other feeling like it. Heck, its better than doing drugs like the delinquents at school that get high in the bathroom. I'd rather suffer from lack of sleep than gradually lose every intelligent molecule in my brain.
Dad's only day off from the bakery is on Sunday, so we watched a few movies together and ordered pizza. Although my dad and I do not hang out with each other a lot or see eye to eye on a bunch of things, he is practically my best friend. Many teenagers would probably disagree with me, but your parents can be your best friends. I know mine is. He's the only person in the whole entire world that has ever cared about me, except for my mother.
I guess I should explain about her... she passed away a month after my birth. On her way to work, another car blind sided her and the impact killed her instantly. My dad was home when he got the phone call later that day, with me sound asleep in his arms. Of course, terrible things like that happen to the best of people. Unfortunately, I do not have any memories of her. I wouldn't even know what she looked like if dad never showed me photos. He still talks about her with such longing in his voice that it nearly brings tears to my eyes. There's never a doubt in my mind that dad loved her.
When I finally retired upstairs to my bed after hours of movies, I allowed myself to think about Dave. For those few minutes at the lunch table it had actually felt like he sorta cared about me too. Maybe that's just wishful thinking though; we were only together for five minutes at most. He probably doesn't even want to talk to me anymore since I was a dick to him. I mean, I would feel that way if I was in his position. I have no idea why he even felt so compelled to sit with me. He definitely seems like a cool guy that you'd expect to see around the popular clique, but certainly not with the dorky, socially awkward kid that just happens to be me.
I sigh and bury my head further into the pillows.
Regardless of his intentions, I really hope he sits with me tomorrow.
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=Dave's POV
Before we get started, I should admit that I am a flaming hot homosexual. I have never denied it and when I first realized I was gay it wasn't much of a revelation. I didn't come out of the closet to a bunch of angels dressed in tie-dye hippie clothes descending to take me over the rainbow. No, fuck that. It was more like "oh that guys hot no wait what". And since you'll be sticking with me over the next few months, I just wanna get the formalities out of the way so you won't be confused when I gawk at a dude's ass and whatnot.
Anyway, my first weekend living in this godforsaken town was pretty busy. Between daily strifes with my older brother and unpacking a seemingly endless amount of boxes, I kept myself occupied. When Bro finally went out to take a quick detour around town I stopped unpacking long enough to grab some apple juice from the fridge. I forgo a glass and chug down a huge gulp of the bitter liquid from the container. I survey the apartment, noticing how trashed it already looks with mine and Bro's combined interests spread out everywhere. The place isn't very big or fancy, and the rent is cheap enough for us to barely get by on Bro's job at the local night club. It would have to do until our current situation cools down and we can finally try to live a life without our parents.
I struggle through a plethora of cardboard strewn about on the floor until I reach the window. The apartment complex is not very tall, considering this is a small town, but the view is sort of awesome nonetheless. You can basically see half the town from here, including Derse High. My thoughts somehow stray to last Friday, the first day at my new school. It had been a mundane day until I met that one shy kid at lunch. I was tired of being hounded with questions from nosy students and I didn't really feel up to socializing with any of them. When I spotted the boy sitting alone at his table, it suddenly dawned on me that I should sit with him. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. I didn't think it would mean anything, and the boy only seemed distressed whenever I tried to strike up a conversation with him.
He wouldn't have crossed my mind in the first place if I could stop thinking about his eyes. Oh my god, his blue eyes were fucking captivating. When those uncertain, sad orbs had locked with my own, I swear my heart skipped a beat. I know that sounds a little melodramatic, and feeling this way about a complete stranger isn't something a Strider would normally do, but fuck. Let me make it clear that I don't believe in love at first sight and shit. I simply cannot comprehend why the kid has made such a lasting impression on me already. Seriously, I haven't been able to think about anything else. I don't even know his name, yet he has invaded my mind like a virus. Is this a normal thing that people have to deal with? Do other teenagers just go "holy shit" at the first piece of fine ass they see and grab it by the cheeks with their grubby little hands?
Wait a second, that sounds really bad. Let me start over:
Previously mentioned boy that I shared a table with on Friday has been imprinted on my memory without consent. Said guy most likely thinks I'm a dick since I thought he was ignoring me when I had no idea he's just super duper shy. And somehow this twisted formula leaves me thinking about him the entire weekend whilst unknowingly kindling the desire to see him again on Monday. Man, this is pretty fucked up so far.
I shake my head in disdain. There's only a couple weeks of school left, but I already got a feeling they're gonna be pretty crazy with my one track mind.
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=John's POV
I fucking hate Monday's.
Me and Dave have been avoiding each other all day. During first period, we didn't make eye contact. He never spoke to me and I was too nervous to say anything to him. I guess he already gave up on me, and I was surprised to feel disappointed about all of this. When the lunch bell finally rang, I trudged through the hall to the cafeteria slower than usual. I have never really felt particularly excited about going to lunch, but today seemed especially cruel so far. It had been ridiculous to think that cool guy Dave Strider would want to talk to me anyway.
However, when I began walking to my normal table, I stopped in stunned silence to see Dave already sitting there. He stopped picking at his fries when he spotted me, and for a moment we stared at each other until I blinked and moved forward. His aviators never left me, which made me increasingly more nervous than I was two seconds ago. I slid into the seat beside him. Not a single word was passed between us for a solid minute.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Dave asked. It was a silly question, since he's already right next to me, but it also helped break the tension surrounding us.
My lip's upturned into a small smile. "No." I said, still gazing straight ahead at the table.
Dave spoke with a mouthful of fries. "What's your name?"
"J-John... John Egbert." I mentally chastise myself for stuttering.
He manages to swallow all the fries he'd stuffed in his mouth. "Egderp?" Dave asks innocently.
"Egbert." I say defensively, smiling at how goofy that sounded. I turn to face him and feel relieved to notice that his lips are upturned as well. He turns to me and our knees are almost knocked together, but I don't mind. There are freckles splayed across his face that I failed to see yesterday. It feels weird to be so close to another person. I fight against the uncomfortable feelings and decide to be the one to start talking this time.
"And you're Dave Strider."
"The one and only, although most people just call me an insufferable prick."
"I think I'm the one that was a prick yesterday." I admit. I force the rising guilt I feel back down.
Dave only waves his hand dismissively. "Nah, man. I didn't mean to come onto you or anything."
I stare at his face, wondering what kind of eyes are hidden behind those black aviators. We were both silent again.
"What?" He says, breaking me from my reverie.
I laugh nervously. "Sorry! I-I'm just not used to... ya know, talking to people."
"Its totally cool, dude. Not many people can resist this hot Strider body." He puts his hand against his chin and his elbow on the table. Dave's tray of food is forgotten as he continues to survey me. I imagine his gaze to be quite calculating at this point, despite his smug expression.
"No, no, I don't mean-" I stop rambling to collect myself.
Dave's grin widens. "I knew it from the first time I laid my eyes on you. You can't resist me."
A blush heats my cheeks. "What? No, listen, I just, uh..." I stumble over my words in exasperation. He sounds so into himself that it irritates me.
"Wow, John, its okay. I know I'm sexy and all that. Don't blow a gasket on me." he's still smiling, and its hard to stay stoic when I can see all thirty two of his perfect teeth. What? That was a really weird thought. I let this embarrassing little giggle slip out and promptly slap my hand to my mouth. Dave quirks an eye brow at me in confusion, and I can feel my face reddening again.
"This is clearly the start of a beautiful friendship." Dave said, sounding satisfied with himself.
I felt a little more than frustrated by this. "With a jerkface like you? No way." I didn't mean for it to sound so mean, but sometimes I just say things without thinking them through. He seems a bit taken aback by the comment. I instantly feel awful for what I said, but the unfamiliar emotions he's been making me feel have thrown me into a whirlwind of anxiety. I see him shift his weight, and I'm suddenly worried that he's deciding whether to move tables or not. Dread clenches my empty stomach. I quickly come to the realization that I appreciate his presence, and honestly, I'd do anything to stop him from leaving me.
"Listen, John-"
"Look, can we just start over?" I glance around the cafeteria and am grateful that nobody else has been watching us. Right now, in this moment, it is just me and him.
Dave nods hesitantly. "Sure."
His hand is suspended in mid air between us now. "Hi, I'm Dave. Will you be my friend?"
For a while I just stare stupidly at his hand, completely dumbfounded. The gesture is so kind and thoughtful that it takes me a minute to finally clasp his hand with my own. His palm is very soft; I've never held another guy's hand before until today. He lifts our combined hands up and down in a gentle handshake.
"I'd love to be your friend." I finally say, my heart fluttering in excitement.
And just like that we're both smiling at each other again.