"Okay, that will be eighty dollars." Quatre said with a smile to the girl in front of him.
"Honey. . ." She whined, tugging on her boyfriend's arm. He shrugged and tossed a handful of dollars on the table.
"Here's your tickets, and in the bag you'll find your candles. You'll receive your memory book and picture frame at prom. Trowa will take your names for the guest list." he instructed as he placed the money in the metal box and placed a small bag on the table.
"Umm, which one's Trowa?" the boy grumbled, snatching the bag and tossing it to his girlfriend.
Quatre blinked and turned to look next to him. "The one who is NOT SITTING ON THE TABLE!!" he snapped playfully. "Jay, Nick, Barry--off!"
"We wanna help!" Jay moaned as Quatre pushed him off the edge.
"We're bored!"
"Need something to. . ." Nick murmured, stroking his chin. He paused, glancing over to Quatre. ". . .do."
He stared at the teen, which had returned to helping students. Looking at Jay, they shared a silent debate. "He is light enough." Jay whispered. The silent conspiracy spread around the basketball team members, their eyes widening with excitement. Trowa, who was taking names, paused to glare at the group.
"But it won't work unless. . ." Nick whispered. The team crowded around Trowa, each whispering their pleas for his assistance.
"Guys?" Quatre asked, walking over to the group. "What's going on?"
Trowa stood and walked behind Quatre, effortlessly scooping him in his arms. "Drop and you die." he warned.
"Trowa, what are you-" Quatre attempted to ask when Trowa tossed him over the table and into Jay's arms. Jay tossed him over to Nick, who promptly threw him to Barry. The basketball team formed a small circle and began to pass the smaller teen around, who was screaming wildly. After a moment of tossing, the screams were replaced with laughter, both from the tossers and their victim. People in the line began to cheer them on, counting each successful pass.
"What's all the commotion?" A loud voice boomed.
"Coach Parker!" Nick exclaimed, almost dropping the squirming body in his arms.
"Not human scrimmage again!" the coach groaned angrily.
"No coach, we're playing 'Catch-a-Quatre'!" Nick exclaimed, tossing Quatre to Jay in demonstration. "Don't worry, sir, we won't drop him."
"We love our lil' brother, don't we guys?" Jay shouted to the group.
"Yeah!" the boys cheered. They began to sing as they tossed him about, Quatre protesting the entire time. "We love you Quatre, oh yes we do! We love you Quatre, and this is true!"
"Put me down!"
"When you're not near us. . . we're blue!"
"Stop singing!"
"Oh, Quatre, we love you!"
"Game over." Trowa stated from the table, motioning to the line. Jay caught Quatre last and began to laugh like a madman. Spinning, he twirled towards the table and dropped Quatre into his seat.
"That was fun!" he gasped. Turning, he punched Trowa's arm. "In a strange, I-feel-like-I'm-about-to-die sort of way."
Two hours later, the last person in line had been attended to, the cash box full.
"So bro, are you going to join us at prom?" Jay asked, slinging an arm around Quatre's shoulder.
"Nope!" he chirped, turning to pick up an empty box.
"Why not?"
"I'm an underclassmen, remember? The only way I could go is if an upperclassmen asks me."
"I thought that Trowa would ask-" Jay said blankly with a look of surprise on his face.
"Dude!" Nick exclaimed, painfully grabbing Jay's arm and pulling him a good distance away from Quatre.
"Well, I thought he would!" he hissed loudly. Jerking his hand away he gripped Nick's arm and violently shoved him.
"Shh! You weren't supposed to tell, dumbass!" Nick whispered even louder, punching him in the shoulder. The two glared at each other angrily.
"I didn't say a thing about him being gay!" Jay snapped after a long period of silence.
"You just did!"
Jay stepped back and thought about it. "Did not!" he retorted confidently.
"Did too!"
"I wouldn't of had to if you had kept your mouth shut."
"Well at least you didn't mention that Trowa's his boyfriend." Nick said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You just did, ass wipe!"
"I did, oh shit!"
"Think we could cover our tracks?" Jay asked, looking around nervously.
"I think they heard us." Nick whispered as he looked at the small crowd around them, whispering and giggling. Quatre and Trowa stood side-by-side, at the rear end of the crowd. Trowa looked at them with a hint of amusement, a small gleam in his emerald eyes. Jay and Nick reluctantly looked over at Quatre, who was turning various shades of red.
"It's ok, Trowa told me weeks ago." Quatre called out before laughing at the pair. "Saved us the trouble about telling people, thanks!"
"Then, why aren't you going to prom?" Jay asked, looking a bit insulted.
"Like I said, no one has asked me yet."
"I think he's referring to you." Nick whispered across the crowd, making gun shapes with his fingers and pointing them at Trowa.
"Quatre, would you like to be my date for the prom?"
"I'd love to."
***********************************************************************
"Can I hit her?" Hilde asked irritably. "Please say I can hit her."
She was in the middle of warming up when she had looked at her captain.
Relena was walking lifelessly into the gymnasium, sitting at the first bleacher she walked by. Curling up into a ball, she stared at her squad before bursting into tears. Hilde couldn't take much more--Relena had done that exact same thing at every practice.
"Poor Relena." Suzie tsked. "Like, Heero hasn't said a word to her in weeks. What, like, happened between the two of them?"
"She did something real stupid." Hilde answered, jumping from her spot on the gym floor. She ran and executed a series of flips and jumps. Attempting the triple somersault that Trowa had shown her weeks ago, she nailed the second before crashing to the floor. Jumping up, she tried again, this time sticking the landing before losing her balance.
"I wonder if he's dating anyone yet?" She heard from one of the girls say. Rolling her eyes, she began to practice her round offs.
'I hate cheerleaders.' she thought to herself.
"Like, I'd ask him out and stuff. I wonder who he is going to prom with."
'The voices. They're coming closer. . .'
"Hey Hilde, how are things between Heero and Duo?"
"Oh!" she gasped as she fumbled with her last tumbling pass. Jumping up from the floor, she turned to the girls who had chased her down the gym. "They're still friends, I guess."
"I wonder if Duo's going to go after him now." Cindy mused.
"I doubt it. . ." Hilde said with a shrug.
'Heero beat him to the punch.' she thought as she prepared to run again. She raised her arms in the air, only for Suzie to grab one of her wrists.
"No way! Like Heero isn't gay! He's been dating Relena for almost like three years."
"That doesn't make a difference." She snapped, pulling her arm free. "I know."
"Oh yeah, didn't you. . ." Suzie started, but suddenly backed down. "I'm sorry, I like forgot."
"Don't worry about it, we have other things to worry about." she said, resigning herself to jogging in place.
"Yeah! We should do something for Relena." A girl said.
"Like bitch-slapping her around the gym for warm-ups?" Hilde suggested. "We 'did something' for her last week! And the week before that! She has to move on because we have to work on our next rout-"
"Yeah! Let's go cheer her up!"
"I think I'll join the dance team now."
***********************************************************************
Relena walked as fast as her feet could go without running down the crowded hallway. She dodged the chattering students and merely nodded to her crowd of friends. Remembering the report that Suzie gave her the night before, she had all the confidence she needed. Heero was still single!! He hadn't gone after Duo like she feared he would. He was probably mad at what she did to the prom committee. It was unforgivable at the time, but she thought that it was time for them to reconcile. She had been miserable since he had stopped talking to her, when they did talk at school; it had been awkward and cordial.
As she approached Heero's locker, she realized that her ex-boyfriend was not alone. Duo stood next to him, their book bags in his hand. Heero was rummaging in the small space, listening to Duo rant about the latest developments of the prom committee. He grabbed one of the bags and shoved it inside, pausing to toss his jacket to Duo.
"The biggest concern right now is the clean up committee. We have none!! No one wants to come back to the prom site and tear it down. Hell, I don't want to tear it down once we get it up! At least most of the stuff we ordered is reusable. Hey, remind me to stop by the U-hall place to pick up the extra cardboard boxes. So, I was thinking that since Hilde and I won't be doing the pre-prom thing that maybe-"
"If you don't mind." Relena said, interrupting Duo and pushing him aside.
"Actually I do." He snapped.
"Heero?"
"It's his locker too." Heero stated as he grabbed Duo's book bag and put it inside.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go to prom with me?" She said cheerfully. "I know we aren't dating anymore, but I thought it would be nice if we went together."
"You mean, better for your reps." Duo grumbled.
"Shut up, idiot, I'm not talking to you." She sang between her teeth.
"Don't call him names."
"I'm sorry, Heero." She apologized, latching onto his arm. "I really do miss you, and I don't want to go to prom alone."
Heero stared at her for a long moment. He looked at Duo, who was glaring at the blond girl. Shrugging his shoulders, Duo pointed to her and uttered, "Fine."
"I'll go with you." Heero said as he gently pried her hand off of his arm.
"That's great!" She exclaimed.
"Call me later tonight to make arrangements." He uttered as he shut the locker door and walked slowly down the hallway.
"Ok!" she called after him. Duo huffed and began to follow Heero, a sentiment flying across his lips.
"Bitch."
"Excuse me?" Relena screeched, gripping onto Duo's arm. He kept his back turned away from her.
"Well, Princess, since you deserve that title so much, I decided to keep my mouth shut about that little stunt you pulled. One kind word to your dear sister-in-law and your ass will be pulled out of the competition in a flash. That would be the least of your worries, I'd bet." he said in a low voice. "So if you think of pulling another stunt, or displease me in anyway-"
"Whatever." She huffed, letting go of Duo's hand. Duo finally turned to face her, his violet eyes narrowed.
"You won't get him back."
"That's what you think!" She shouted. Leaning against the locker bay, she stared at the pair walking down the hallway. What Duo had said unnerved her, and she hated that. He did not know Heero like she did, and somehow, someway. She would find a way to prove it.
She would get Heero back.
After all, he loved her.
Didn't he?
TBC