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"So, I'll see you at my house at 4, right?" Ren said, shifting her weight impatiently. The sooner I get this over with, the better, she scowled to herself.
"Uhm, sure, okay, yeah," Twitty stammered as he looked up at Ren.
"See you later Ruby," Tawny smiled as Ren started to walk back down the school hallway.
"Saturday 9am sharp in the Home-Ec kitchen," Ruby waved, then turned and ran to catch up with Ren.
Twitty slumped backwards, taking a deep breath. "That was CLOSE."
"No kidding," Tawny said. "If she had shown up 10 seconds earlier, she would have heard." Tawny squinted in thought. "Wait a minute. Why WOULD it so be bad?" She leaned across the table, grabbing her bookbag. "At least then she would know how you feel, and more importantly, you would know how SHE feels."
"Please," Twitty said, shouldering his backpack as Tawny got up from the table. "That is SO like the last thing I need right now."
"What do you need right now?" Tawny and Twitty both jumped as Louis seemed to materialize out of thin air. "So," he said, grinning widely, "what have you guys been talking about?"
"Uhm..a..surprise party..for you!" Tawny recovered as Twitty heaved a huge sigh of relief. ".A surprise. 'you're our favorite friend' party!" she finished happily.
"But, I uhm, guess we can't have it now because, you know, you just ruined the surprise," Twitty stammered as the three friends started to walk towards the park gate and head to Louis's house. Tawny and Twitty looked at each other nervously. Louis was the king of junior high con artists. He was SO not going to fall for this!
Louis darted in between Tawny and Twitty, slinging his arm around both their shoulders. "Aw come on guys," Louis said. "I can pretend I didn't hear anything about it. Wait, what were we talking about again? I don't remember," he grinned good-naturedly.
Tawny winked at Twitty, "We weren't talking about anything, Louis."
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As Louis and Tawny escaped to the garage to work out the drum and keyboard solos to one of the band's new songs, Twitty slowly ascended the stairs and peered around the corner to Ren's room. He blinked - the song that had been playing the other day in her room - the sad-sounding one - was on again. He walked closer to the door, and paused outside of it.
"Is that the new all-UK band station?" Twitty asked, smiling as Ren looked up from her desk.
"Yes, it.it is," Ren said, turning down the radio a little. "I thought these guys were U2 when I first heard them. Well," she said, "it was more like the 8th time I had heard it before the DJ said the name of the band, and it was SO not U2." Ren looked up at Twitty's gentle expression, suddenly becoming flustered. What was wrong with her?
"I didn't know you liked U2," Twitty said as he sat down next to her, dropping his bag on the ground.
"I didn't either until a week ago," she said candidly. "I accidentally turned this on and I really liked the songs, and they helped you know, after, well," she said uneasily.
"After Bobby broke up with you?" he asked, looking down at the floor.
Ren's eyes widened. "You knew about that?" Louis wouldn't remember to take his head to school were it not attached to his body, and as far as Ren knew, Louis had no clue about what had happened between her and Bobby last week. So why - I mean how? - would Louis's best friend notice - or care?
Twitty swiftly changed the subject, fiddling with the volume control on the radio and turning the song back up. "Man, I love this song."
"Me too," Ren smiled. "even though I still haven't figured out what it means, exactly. I mean, I don't know, I think it's maybe about a person who really loves this other person, but there are all these negative things that are in between them and it's just too much for the other person for them to get through, maybe. Like an impossible dream, or something." Ren felt her face getting red. She was at a loss as to why she suddenly seemed to be babbling.
Twitty narrowed his eyes in thought. "I don't know - I always thought it was about this guy who really loves this girl, but he has to wait and go through a lot of difficult things because she IS worth it. She's worth - you know - everything to him," Twitty said. He looked at Ren's curious gaze and gulped. It was as if she was looking right through him.
Ren sat back in stunned silence. Alan Twitty was turning out to be NOTHING like she expected.
"So, uhm, anyway," Twitty stammered, fumbling through his book bag. "This is the assignment I need help with." He placed the paper down in front of Ren.
Ren read the assignment and looked up at him, smiling. "Twi-Alan, you did this assignment."
Twitty looked at Ren, confused. "No, actually I didn't. That's why there's a note there from Mr. Nichols saying he's going to give me an 'F' if I don't get it done by tomorrow."
Ren blinked. "No Alan, I mean you did the assignment just now. You know, what you were saying a minute ago?"
Twitty picked up the paper. "I don't know what you're talking about Ren. It says here I have to write a personal analysis of a piece of current popular media."
"You mean," Ren said, "write about what a song that was just on the radio means to you?"
Twitty smiled. "Why didn't he just SAY it that way in the first place?" He impulsively leaned over and hugged Ren. "Thanks Ren."
He suddenly realized what he was doing, and pulled away from her, horrified. What was wrong with him?
But Ren wasn't angry. She looked - well, kind of confused. It wasn't something he was used to seeing from her, and it made him even more uncomfortable.
"So, uhm," he said, jumping to his feet and hastily grabbing his assignment. "I'd better go write down all that stuff I said, so bye." Twitty scowled as he raced down the stairs. He would be lucky if Ren didn't think he was a prime candidate for a mental institution, much less anything else after THAT display of weirdness.
But in her room, Ren was still sitting quietly, tilting her head in thought. Why did Twitty hug me? And more importantly -- why am I kinda happy that he did?
"So, I'll see you at my house at 4, right?" Ren said, shifting her weight impatiently. The sooner I get this over with, the better, she scowled to herself.
"Uhm, sure, okay, yeah," Twitty stammered as he looked up at Ren.
"See you later Ruby," Tawny smiled as Ren started to walk back down the school hallway.
"Saturday 9am sharp in the Home-Ec kitchen," Ruby waved, then turned and ran to catch up with Ren.
Twitty slumped backwards, taking a deep breath. "That was CLOSE."
"No kidding," Tawny said. "If she had shown up 10 seconds earlier, she would have heard." Tawny squinted in thought. "Wait a minute. Why WOULD it so be bad?" She leaned across the table, grabbing her bookbag. "At least then she would know how you feel, and more importantly, you would know how SHE feels."
"Please," Twitty said, shouldering his backpack as Tawny got up from the table. "That is SO like the last thing I need right now."
"What do you need right now?" Tawny and Twitty both jumped as Louis seemed to materialize out of thin air. "So," he said, grinning widely, "what have you guys been talking about?"
"Uhm..a..surprise party..for you!" Tawny recovered as Twitty heaved a huge sigh of relief. ".A surprise. 'you're our favorite friend' party!" she finished happily.
"But, I uhm, guess we can't have it now because, you know, you just ruined the surprise," Twitty stammered as the three friends started to walk towards the park gate and head to Louis's house. Tawny and Twitty looked at each other nervously. Louis was the king of junior high con artists. He was SO not going to fall for this!
Louis darted in between Tawny and Twitty, slinging his arm around both their shoulders. "Aw come on guys," Louis said. "I can pretend I didn't hear anything about it. Wait, what were we talking about again? I don't remember," he grinned good-naturedly.
Tawny winked at Twitty, "We weren't talking about anything, Louis."
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As Louis and Tawny escaped to the garage to work out the drum and keyboard solos to one of the band's new songs, Twitty slowly ascended the stairs and peered around the corner to Ren's room. He blinked - the song that had been playing the other day in her room - the sad-sounding one - was on again. He walked closer to the door, and paused outside of it.
"Is that the new all-UK band station?" Twitty asked, smiling as Ren looked up from her desk.
"Yes, it.it is," Ren said, turning down the radio a little. "I thought these guys were U2 when I first heard them. Well," she said, "it was more like the 8th time I had heard it before the DJ said the name of the band, and it was SO not U2." Ren looked up at Twitty's gentle expression, suddenly becoming flustered. What was wrong with her?
"I didn't know you liked U2," Twitty said as he sat down next to her, dropping his bag on the ground.
"I didn't either until a week ago," she said candidly. "I accidentally turned this on and I really liked the songs, and they helped you know, after, well," she said uneasily.
"After Bobby broke up with you?" he asked, looking down at the floor.
Ren's eyes widened. "You knew about that?" Louis wouldn't remember to take his head to school were it not attached to his body, and as far as Ren knew, Louis had no clue about what had happened between her and Bobby last week. So why - I mean how? - would Louis's best friend notice - or care?
Twitty swiftly changed the subject, fiddling with the volume control on the radio and turning the song back up. "Man, I love this song."
"Me too," Ren smiled. "even though I still haven't figured out what it means, exactly. I mean, I don't know, I think it's maybe about a person who really loves this other person, but there are all these negative things that are in between them and it's just too much for the other person for them to get through, maybe. Like an impossible dream, or something." Ren felt her face getting red. She was at a loss as to why she suddenly seemed to be babbling.
Twitty narrowed his eyes in thought. "I don't know - I always thought it was about this guy who really loves this girl, but he has to wait and go through a lot of difficult things because she IS worth it. She's worth - you know - everything to him," Twitty said. He looked at Ren's curious gaze and gulped. It was as if she was looking right through him.
Ren sat back in stunned silence. Alan Twitty was turning out to be NOTHING like she expected.
"So, uhm, anyway," Twitty stammered, fumbling through his book bag. "This is the assignment I need help with." He placed the paper down in front of Ren.
Ren read the assignment and looked up at him, smiling. "Twi-Alan, you did this assignment."
Twitty looked at Ren, confused. "No, actually I didn't. That's why there's a note there from Mr. Nichols saying he's going to give me an 'F' if I don't get it done by tomorrow."
Ren blinked. "No Alan, I mean you did the assignment just now. You know, what you were saying a minute ago?"
Twitty picked up the paper. "I don't know what you're talking about Ren. It says here I have to write a personal analysis of a piece of current popular media."
"You mean," Ren said, "write about what a song that was just on the radio means to you?"
Twitty smiled. "Why didn't he just SAY it that way in the first place?" He impulsively leaned over and hugged Ren. "Thanks Ren."
He suddenly realized what he was doing, and pulled away from her, horrified. What was wrong with him?
But Ren wasn't angry. She looked - well, kind of confused. It wasn't something he was used to seeing from her, and it made him even more uncomfortable.
"So, uhm," he said, jumping to his feet and hastily grabbing his assignment. "I'd better go write down all that stuff I said, so bye." Twitty scowled as he raced down the stairs. He would be lucky if Ren didn't think he was a prime candidate for a mental institution, much less anything else after THAT display of weirdness.
But in her room, Ren was still sitting quietly, tilting her head in thought. Why did Twitty hug me? And more importantly -- why am I kinda happy that he did?