DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi. No kidding.
Author's note: this fanfic contains references to cross-dressing and SLASH! Read at your own risk!
WHAT A DRAG!
Marco Del Rossi checked his watch nervously. He was sitting in the living room at his house, pretending to watch TV. But he was really waiting for his parents to leave.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mr. and Mrs. Del Rossi called out their goodbyes to their son. "We'll be home by midnight!" they called before shutting the door behind them.
Marco ran to the front hall and peaked out of the curtain on the window. The Del Rossi's car pulled out of the driveway...he was in the clear.
He only had until midnight. It was now eight o'clock. Marco rushed upstairs and grabbed his duffle bag, which he kept hidden in the back of his closet. He threw it over his shoulder and ran out the front door. Friday night had begun.
Marco arrived at the club fifteen minutes later. A long line of people were waiting to get in. All sorts: men in dresses, men in shiny button-down shirts, men in suits. But they were all men. And they were all over 21.
But Marco didn't get into line with them. He ran around to the back of the building. A man in a shimmery dress and pink wig was smoking a long, skinny cigarette by the back door. He looked up when he saw Marco. "Darling!" he purred. "You're late."
"Sorry, Daniel."
"Ah ah ah," the man scolded, wagging a finger at him. He wore long, pink dress gloves.
"I mean, sorry Queen Danielle."
"That's better, darling." Queen Danielle kissed his cheeks in a French style and opened the door. "Right this way, Sweetheart."
Marco stepped through the door, into the familiar hall. It was crowded with the usual entertainment, all walking around, adjusting their wigs and makeup. Some greeted him, with a casual, "Hey, Marco" or purred, "Hellooooo Cocoa!" Marco made his way to the community dressing room. He had to hurry.
"Baby Cocoa, you're up in five!" Princess Danielle called from the door. Marco was sitting in front of the faded vanity mirror, hurriedly applying his makeup. He was already wearing his short, strapeless, sparkling red dress and long, black and red curly-haired wig. He wiped away a smudge of lipstick and went to the door.
"How do I look?" he asked Princess Danielle.
"Fantastic, Darling!" he cried. He nudged Marco carefully in the back. "Break a leg, Sweetheart!"
**************
Spinner had never been to Club Sparkles before. You had to be 21 to get in. But his boyfriend, a 22-year-old man, had gotten him a fake ID that said he was a 21-year-old from Yellow Knife. Whatever works, Spinner thought as he put on his large, pink sunglasses that Bert had bought him.
He hadn't been dating Bert very long. He'd just met him a few weeks ago at his father's office party. Bert was a secretary, and he'd seemed to take an instant liking to "Young Gavin". It had taken Spinner a couple of weeks to confront his feelings about Bert...and men in general. And he realized the truth, which he'd been hiding from himself for a long time: he was gay.
Bert was a tall, skinny man, who admired his young boyfriend's physic. He liked to show him off to his friends. But this was the first time he'd taken him to Club Sparkle, the popular gay club. "You'll love it," Bert promised as they drove there. "They've got great music, lights...drag queens." Spinner had never seen a drag queen before, and he wasn't sure if it would be a pretty sight.
As he handed the man at the door his fake ID, Spinner was sure he would get bounced. But the man gave it a quick glance, handed it back to him, and waved him in with a "have fun". Spinner was followed by Bert. "Easy, isn't it!" Bert declared.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Hurry!" Bert called over the noise of the disco music, grabbing his arm. "We have to get a seat, Baby Cocoa is almost up!"
"Whose Baby Cocoa?" But his question wasn't answered with words as Bert pulled him to a small table by a stage on the other side of the club. A large crowd of eager-looking men was forming. However this Baby Cocoa was, he (or should I say "she"? Spinner wondered) was popular.
"Presenting...BABY COCOA!"
The whole crowd cheered as a drag queen in a bright red dress came onto the stage. He had a microphone in hand, and music began to play. "Some wheeeeeeeere over the rainbooooooooow, waaaaaaaaay uuuuuuuuuuup hiiiiiiiiiiigh!" he sang.
Spinner examined the drag queen. There was something familiar about him/her. The drag queen had heavily-painted eyemakeup, some bright blush on his/her cheeks, bright red lipstick...but he/she seemed somehow familiar.
Suddenly, he realized: IT WAS MARCO!
**************
Even though he'd been doing this for awhile now, Marco always got nervous when he was on stage. Queen Danielle had told him that he was easily the most popular performer on Friday night. He tried to get him to perform every night, but Marco could only do Fridays. That was enough for him.
The crowd around him was dark, but Marco could spot sparkles shining off the people's clothing. He also spotted a large pair of rose-colored sunglasses. Behind them was a very handsome face. Suddenly, Marco nearly choked.
It was Spinner.
But he had to finish his song. "If happy little bluebirds fly beyound the rainbow...why, oh, why can't IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII?" he sang. The music stopped, and the audience clapped heartily. All of them, except Spinner.
Marco fled the stage, ingoring the yells of, "Cocoa, I love you!" and "Cocoa, let me buy you a drink!" He had to get out of these clothes, before he met up with Spinner again. He had to get home.
But when Marco was on his way down the hall, he met up with Queen Danielle. "That was fantastic, darling, just super!"
"Thanks."
Queen Danielle raised one of his perfectly plucked eyebrows. "What's the matter, darling? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"Oh, no, I'm fine."
"Then why did you run off the stage so fast?" Queen Danielle demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "You're not going to leave YET, are you?"
"I gotta go-"
"Cocoa, those horny men want to see you!" Queen Danielle exclaimed. "I'll pay you double to stay out there for an extra hour."
"Fine," Marco said, defeatedly. Extra cash was extra cash. "Just let me change-"
Queen Danielle laughed. "No way, Sweetcheeks. You're going out there like that."
"But-"
"Skat!" Queen Danielle waved him out. Marco knew that he had no choice...he had to face Spinner in his drag outfit.
When Marco came out to the club, he quickly spotted Spinner. Their eyes met, and he started to come over...
***************
"Come on, let's dance!" Bert exclaimed.
"Um...you go ahead," Spinner said quickly. "I'm going to, um, go to the bathroom."
"Well, hurry up, you prima donna!" Bert called, following some of his friends onto the dance floor. Spinner headed over to the stage door to wait for Marco. If he came back out.
When he did, Spinner met his eye and went over to him. He was still in his drag. "That's a good look for you," he joked.
"What're you doing here?" Marco asked nervously.
"My boyfriend brought me," Spinner said casually.
"Your boyfriend...you mean you're GAY?" Marco looked as shocked as Spinner had expected him to look.
Spinner shrugged. "Yeah, that's old news."
Marco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
"So..." Spinner carefully pulled a strand of Marco's wig-hair. "How long have you been "Baby Cocoa"?"
"A few months now," Marco admitted. "My parents have been having some money problems, so I needed to get a job to help out at home. They think I bag groceries at the store," he added with a chuckle.
"How exactly did you get this job?"
"Well..." Marco sighed. "I was at the mall with my mom one day, and Queen Danielle...I mean, Daniel, he came up to us and said that I would be good at modeling, and gave me his card. I called a few days later, after my parents told me to get a job, and...it turns out he owns Club Sparkle. And here I am."
"Wow." Spinner wasn't sure what to say now. "That's...weird." He swallowed nervously. "You're pretty good."
"Thanks," Marco said, suddenly embarresssed again. "But I'm thinking about quitting, maybe."
"What's the pay?"
"$300 every week, for one song and a couple of hours of "entertaining"?" Spinner gave him a confused look, so he explained: "Dancing with the club patrons."
"What, like, a strip-tease?"
Marco gave him a dignified look. "I'm a drag queen, NOT a stripper."
"Oh." Spinner grinned. "My bad."
"So..." Marco looked a bit nervous. "Wanna dance?"
Some Bee Gees had begun playing, and Spinner agreed. He took Marco's hand and led him to the dance floor. Marco was a good dancer, and all the men were staring at him, but...Spinner couldn't dance to save his life! Marco spent half the time just laughing at him, but the poor guy was damn determined to get it down. Marco thought he looked adorable.
Wait, Marco thought. Do I have feelings for Spinner? He was pretty sure he did: he'd had a crush on him ever since he started going to Degrassi. And now that Spinner was (sort of) out of the closet...
"Gavin!" Marco watched in horror as a skinny, older man put his arms around Spinner's waist. Spinner looked a bit uncomfortable. "There you are!" He spotted Marco. "You've been dancing with Baby Cocoa! Lucky boy!"
"Hi, Bert," Spinner said. "Um, I actually know Marco from school..."
"Seriously?" Bert laughed. "Small world, eh?"
"I guess."
"Ready to shake it, then?" Bert waggled his eyebrows at Spinner suggestively.
"Um..." Spinner looked at Marco. He saw the anxious look on his face. "I think I'll pass..."
"Wait, what?"
"Bert." Spinner looked his boyfriend in the eye. "I don't think we're going to work out."
Marco felt his heart begin to beat with excitement.
Bert gave Spinner a surprised look. "What're you talking about, Gavin?"
"I mean...I don't think we should see each other anymore." The sight of Marco made this easier.
"What?!" Bert was in an outrage. He snatched the pink glasses off of Spinner's face. "Fine, bitch! Find your own ride home, then!"
"Okay, later." Bert seemed surprised by Spinner's indifference. Spinner took Marco's hand and stomped away from the dance floor. Marco was amazed. They stopped outside the stage door. "You wanna get out of here?"
"Um...yeah." Marco led him out of the club and back into the dressing room. As he changed into his normal clothes, Queen Danielle came in.
"Cocoa, what are you doing?" He spotted Spinner. "And who is THIS?"
"I'm leaving," Marco said.
"Oh, are you know?" Queen Danielle's voice was dripping with sarcasem. "And what makes you think that you can go now? You still have a job to do, Missy."
"No, I don't." Marco threw the duffle bag full of his drag queen clothes and makeup at Queen Danielle. "I quit."
"Marco! You can't!"
"Come on," Marco said. He and Spinner rushed out to the hall, then out the back door. They could hear Queen Danielle screaming at them as they ran down the alley and into the street.
They walked in silence for a little while. Marco's heart was still pounding from all the excitement. Spinner was gay. He'd just broken up with his boyfriend. Marco quit his job. And now, they were walking down the street together...
Marco checked his watch. "Shit! It's eleven fifteen!"
"Um...so what?"
"My parents are gonna be home in fourty-five minutes."
"Whoa, relax, Cinderella," Spinner said with a laugh. "I'll get you home by midnight, don't worry."
They got to Marco's house a few minutes later, and sat on the front porch. Spinner suddenly looked at Marco, who was staring up at the sky. "What're you thinking about?" he asked.
Marco smiled at Spinner. "How surreal this all is. I mean...I've had a crush on you since I first met you."
"Really?" Spinner looked flattered. "I think I had a crush on you, too...of course, I kept denying it..." Spinner gulped. "I'm sorry for making fun of you about...you know."
"It's okay."
"I was just trying to cover up."
Marco smiled. "That's what I hoped." Spinner looked into Marco's eyes: they were wide, and light brown. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed him. But before they could get into it, Spinner pulled away.
"Um...I have to go," Spinner muttered, jumping to his feet.
"Wait!" Marco jumped up, too. "My parents will still be gone for a half-hour, are you sure you don't want to-"
"Sorry, Marco," Spinner said quickly. "I really like you and all, but...this is just too much for me. I'll see you Monday."
"Wait, Spin!" But Spinner had taken off down the street and out of sight. Marco sighed and sat down on the porch. Just when he thought everything was perfect...
********************
Spinner thought about the way he'd treated Marco all weekend. He felt horrible: running off after admitting his feelings for him. That was wrong, Spinner knew that. But it just felt so...weird.
He dreaded seeing Marco on Monday. He'd been trying to call him all weekend, but Spinner pretended to not feel good. It was the same excuse he used when Paige was stalking him. Marco gave up by Sunday afternoon, and Spinner still felt horrible.
On Monday, Spinner walked to school with Jimmy, as usual. They saw Craig and Sean at the front of the school...with Marco. "Hey, guys," Spinner said, trying to sound casual. He avoided Marco's eyes.
"Whoa, don't get too happy there," Craig joked. Spinner faked a smile, and they all headed into school.
All that day during classes, Marco tried to catch Spinner's eye. He even wrote him a note in English: "I'm sorry about Friday. Want to talk?" Spinner had caught Marco's eye and shook is head. Marco had stopped trying to look at him then.
It wasn't until the next day, Tuesday, that Marco got Spinner alone. He cornered him by the lockers after school. "Look, I don't really appreciate you ignoring me," Marco said, not bothering to keep his voice down.
"Shhhhhh!" Spinner hissed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about it now."
"You're the one who started it!" Marco said, as loudly as before. "You're the one who kissed me!"
A sudden silence filled the air. Everyone around them turned to stare at the boys. What had Marco Del Rossi just said? That Spinner Mason kissed him? Spinner could feel the accusing eyes looking at him, but only one set of eyes mattered: Marco's. And he looked really hurt.
"I'm...I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right." Marco turned and stalked away.
"Marco!" Spinner ran up in front of him. Ignoring everyone around them, he kissed Marco as passionatly as he could. Marco's tense body relaxed, and he put his arms around Spinner's neck and returned his kiss. People around them were gasping and whispering. But for once, Spinner didn't care.
All that mattered now was Marco, his Baby Cocoa.
Author's note: this fanfic contains references to cross-dressing and SLASH! Read at your own risk!
WHAT A DRAG!
Marco Del Rossi checked his watch nervously. He was sitting in the living room at his house, pretending to watch TV. But he was really waiting for his parents to leave.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mr. and Mrs. Del Rossi called out their goodbyes to their son. "We'll be home by midnight!" they called before shutting the door behind them.
Marco ran to the front hall and peaked out of the curtain on the window. The Del Rossi's car pulled out of the driveway...he was in the clear.
He only had until midnight. It was now eight o'clock. Marco rushed upstairs and grabbed his duffle bag, which he kept hidden in the back of his closet. He threw it over his shoulder and ran out the front door. Friday night had begun.
Marco arrived at the club fifteen minutes later. A long line of people were waiting to get in. All sorts: men in dresses, men in shiny button-down shirts, men in suits. But they were all men. And they were all over 21.
But Marco didn't get into line with them. He ran around to the back of the building. A man in a shimmery dress and pink wig was smoking a long, skinny cigarette by the back door. He looked up when he saw Marco. "Darling!" he purred. "You're late."
"Sorry, Daniel."
"Ah ah ah," the man scolded, wagging a finger at him. He wore long, pink dress gloves.
"I mean, sorry Queen Danielle."
"That's better, darling." Queen Danielle kissed his cheeks in a French style and opened the door. "Right this way, Sweetheart."
Marco stepped through the door, into the familiar hall. It was crowded with the usual entertainment, all walking around, adjusting their wigs and makeup. Some greeted him, with a casual, "Hey, Marco" or purred, "Hellooooo Cocoa!" Marco made his way to the community dressing room. He had to hurry.
"Baby Cocoa, you're up in five!" Princess Danielle called from the door. Marco was sitting in front of the faded vanity mirror, hurriedly applying his makeup. He was already wearing his short, strapeless, sparkling red dress and long, black and red curly-haired wig. He wiped away a smudge of lipstick and went to the door.
"How do I look?" he asked Princess Danielle.
"Fantastic, Darling!" he cried. He nudged Marco carefully in the back. "Break a leg, Sweetheart!"
**************
Spinner had never been to Club Sparkles before. You had to be 21 to get in. But his boyfriend, a 22-year-old man, had gotten him a fake ID that said he was a 21-year-old from Yellow Knife. Whatever works, Spinner thought as he put on his large, pink sunglasses that Bert had bought him.
He hadn't been dating Bert very long. He'd just met him a few weeks ago at his father's office party. Bert was a secretary, and he'd seemed to take an instant liking to "Young Gavin". It had taken Spinner a couple of weeks to confront his feelings about Bert...and men in general. And he realized the truth, which he'd been hiding from himself for a long time: he was gay.
Bert was a tall, skinny man, who admired his young boyfriend's physic. He liked to show him off to his friends. But this was the first time he'd taken him to Club Sparkle, the popular gay club. "You'll love it," Bert promised as they drove there. "They've got great music, lights...drag queens." Spinner had never seen a drag queen before, and he wasn't sure if it would be a pretty sight.
As he handed the man at the door his fake ID, Spinner was sure he would get bounced. But the man gave it a quick glance, handed it back to him, and waved him in with a "have fun". Spinner was followed by Bert. "Easy, isn't it!" Bert declared.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Hurry!" Bert called over the noise of the disco music, grabbing his arm. "We have to get a seat, Baby Cocoa is almost up!"
"Whose Baby Cocoa?" But his question wasn't answered with words as Bert pulled him to a small table by a stage on the other side of the club. A large crowd of eager-looking men was forming. However this Baby Cocoa was, he (or should I say "she"? Spinner wondered) was popular.
"Presenting...BABY COCOA!"
The whole crowd cheered as a drag queen in a bright red dress came onto the stage. He had a microphone in hand, and music began to play. "Some wheeeeeeeere over the rainbooooooooow, waaaaaaaaay uuuuuuuuuuup hiiiiiiiiiiigh!" he sang.
Spinner examined the drag queen. There was something familiar about him/her. The drag queen had heavily-painted eyemakeup, some bright blush on his/her cheeks, bright red lipstick...but he/she seemed somehow familiar.
Suddenly, he realized: IT WAS MARCO!
**************
Even though he'd been doing this for awhile now, Marco always got nervous when he was on stage. Queen Danielle had told him that he was easily the most popular performer on Friday night. He tried to get him to perform every night, but Marco could only do Fridays. That was enough for him.
The crowd around him was dark, but Marco could spot sparkles shining off the people's clothing. He also spotted a large pair of rose-colored sunglasses. Behind them was a very handsome face. Suddenly, Marco nearly choked.
It was Spinner.
But he had to finish his song. "If happy little bluebirds fly beyound the rainbow...why, oh, why can't IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII?" he sang. The music stopped, and the audience clapped heartily. All of them, except Spinner.
Marco fled the stage, ingoring the yells of, "Cocoa, I love you!" and "Cocoa, let me buy you a drink!" He had to get out of these clothes, before he met up with Spinner again. He had to get home.
But when Marco was on his way down the hall, he met up with Queen Danielle. "That was fantastic, darling, just super!"
"Thanks."
Queen Danielle raised one of his perfectly plucked eyebrows. "What's the matter, darling? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"Oh, no, I'm fine."
"Then why did you run off the stage so fast?" Queen Danielle demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "You're not going to leave YET, are you?"
"I gotta go-"
"Cocoa, those horny men want to see you!" Queen Danielle exclaimed. "I'll pay you double to stay out there for an extra hour."
"Fine," Marco said, defeatedly. Extra cash was extra cash. "Just let me change-"
Queen Danielle laughed. "No way, Sweetcheeks. You're going out there like that."
"But-"
"Skat!" Queen Danielle waved him out. Marco knew that he had no choice...he had to face Spinner in his drag outfit.
When Marco came out to the club, he quickly spotted Spinner. Their eyes met, and he started to come over...
***************
"Come on, let's dance!" Bert exclaimed.
"Um...you go ahead," Spinner said quickly. "I'm going to, um, go to the bathroom."
"Well, hurry up, you prima donna!" Bert called, following some of his friends onto the dance floor. Spinner headed over to the stage door to wait for Marco. If he came back out.
When he did, Spinner met his eye and went over to him. He was still in his drag. "That's a good look for you," he joked.
"What're you doing here?" Marco asked nervously.
"My boyfriend brought me," Spinner said casually.
"Your boyfriend...you mean you're GAY?" Marco looked as shocked as Spinner had expected him to look.
Spinner shrugged. "Yeah, that's old news."
Marco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
"So..." Spinner carefully pulled a strand of Marco's wig-hair. "How long have you been "Baby Cocoa"?"
"A few months now," Marco admitted. "My parents have been having some money problems, so I needed to get a job to help out at home. They think I bag groceries at the store," he added with a chuckle.
"How exactly did you get this job?"
"Well..." Marco sighed. "I was at the mall with my mom one day, and Queen Danielle...I mean, Daniel, he came up to us and said that I would be good at modeling, and gave me his card. I called a few days later, after my parents told me to get a job, and...it turns out he owns Club Sparkle. And here I am."
"Wow." Spinner wasn't sure what to say now. "That's...weird." He swallowed nervously. "You're pretty good."
"Thanks," Marco said, suddenly embarresssed again. "But I'm thinking about quitting, maybe."
"What's the pay?"
"$300 every week, for one song and a couple of hours of "entertaining"?" Spinner gave him a confused look, so he explained: "Dancing with the club patrons."
"What, like, a strip-tease?"
Marco gave him a dignified look. "I'm a drag queen, NOT a stripper."
"Oh." Spinner grinned. "My bad."
"So..." Marco looked a bit nervous. "Wanna dance?"
Some Bee Gees had begun playing, and Spinner agreed. He took Marco's hand and led him to the dance floor. Marco was a good dancer, and all the men were staring at him, but...Spinner couldn't dance to save his life! Marco spent half the time just laughing at him, but the poor guy was damn determined to get it down. Marco thought he looked adorable.
Wait, Marco thought. Do I have feelings for Spinner? He was pretty sure he did: he'd had a crush on him ever since he started going to Degrassi. And now that Spinner was (sort of) out of the closet...
"Gavin!" Marco watched in horror as a skinny, older man put his arms around Spinner's waist. Spinner looked a bit uncomfortable. "There you are!" He spotted Marco. "You've been dancing with Baby Cocoa! Lucky boy!"
"Hi, Bert," Spinner said. "Um, I actually know Marco from school..."
"Seriously?" Bert laughed. "Small world, eh?"
"I guess."
"Ready to shake it, then?" Bert waggled his eyebrows at Spinner suggestively.
"Um..." Spinner looked at Marco. He saw the anxious look on his face. "I think I'll pass..."
"Wait, what?"
"Bert." Spinner looked his boyfriend in the eye. "I don't think we're going to work out."
Marco felt his heart begin to beat with excitement.
Bert gave Spinner a surprised look. "What're you talking about, Gavin?"
"I mean...I don't think we should see each other anymore." The sight of Marco made this easier.
"What?!" Bert was in an outrage. He snatched the pink glasses off of Spinner's face. "Fine, bitch! Find your own ride home, then!"
"Okay, later." Bert seemed surprised by Spinner's indifference. Spinner took Marco's hand and stomped away from the dance floor. Marco was amazed. They stopped outside the stage door. "You wanna get out of here?"
"Um...yeah." Marco led him out of the club and back into the dressing room. As he changed into his normal clothes, Queen Danielle came in.
"Cocoa, what are you doing?" He spotted Spinner. "And who is THIS?"
"I'm leaving," Marco said.
"Oh, are you know?" Queen Danielle's voice was dripping with sarcasem. "And what makes you think that you can go now? You still have a job to do, Missy."
"No, I don't." Marco threw the duffle bag full of his drag queen clothes and makeup at Queen Danielle. "I quit."
"Marco! You can't!"
"Come on," Marco said. He and Spinner rushed out to the hall, then out the back door. They could hear Queen Danielle screaming at them as they ran down the alley and into the street.
They walked in silence for a little while. Marco's heart was still pounding from all the excitement. Spinner was gay. He'd just broken up with his boyfriend. Marco quit his job. And now, they were walking down the street together...
Marco checked his watch. "Shit! It's eleven fifteen!"
"Um...so what?"
"My parents are gonna be home in fourty-five minutes."
"Whoa, relax, Cinderella," Spinner said with a laugh. "I'll get you home by midnight, don't worry."
They got to Marco's house a few minutes later, and sat on the front porch. Spinner suddenly looked at Marco, who was staring up at the sky. "What're you thinking about?" he asked.
Marco smiled at Spinner. "How surreal this all is. I mean...I've had a crush on you since I first met you."
"Really?" Spinner looked flattered. "I think I had a crush on you, too...of course, I kept denying it..." Spinner gulped. "I'm sorry for making fun of you about...you know."
"It's okay."
"I was just trying to cover up."
Marco smiled. "That's what I hoped." Spinner looked into Marco's eyes: they were wide, and light brown. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed him. But before they could get into it, Spinner pulled away.
"Um...I have to go," Spinner muttered, jumping to his feet.
"Wait!" Marco jumped up, too. "My parents will still be gone for a half-hour, are you sure you don't want to-"
"Sorry, Marco," Spinner said quickly. "I really like you and all, but...this is just too much for me. I'll see you Monday."
"Wait, Spin!" But Spinner had taken off down the street and out of sight. Marco sighed and sat down on the porch. Just when he thought everything was perfect...
********************
Spinner thought about the way he'd treated Marco all weekend. He felt horrible: running off after admitting his feelings for him. That was wrong, Spinner knew that. But it just felt so...weird.
He dreaded seeing Marco on Monday. He'd been trying to call him all weekend, but Spinner pretended to not feel good. It was the same excuse he used when Paige was stalking him. Marco gave up by Sunday afternoon, and Spinner still felt horrible.
On Monday, Spinner walked to school with Jimmy, as usual. They saw Craig and Sean at the front of the school...with Marco. "Hey, guys," Spinner said, trying to sound casual. He avoided Marco's eyes.
"Whoa, don't get too happy there," Craig joked. Spinner faked a smile, and they all headed into school.
All that day during classes, Marco tried to catch Spinner's eye. He even wrote him a note in English: "I'm sorry about Friday. Want to talk?" Spinner had caught Marco's eye and shook is head. Marco had stopped trying to look at him then.
It wasn't until the next day, Tuesday, that Marco got Spinner alone. He cornered him by the lockers after school. "Look, I don't really appreciate you ignoring me," Marco said, not bothering to keep his voice down.
"Shhhhhh!" Spinner hissed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about it now."
"You're the one who started it!" Marco said, as loudly as before. "You're the one who kissed me!"
A sudden silence filled the air. Everyone around them turned to stare at the boys. What had Marco Del Rossi just said? That Spinner Mason kissed him? Spinner could feel the accusing eyes looking at him, but only one set of eyes mattered: Marco's. And he looked really hurt.
"I'm...I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right." Marco turned and stalked away.
"Marco!" Spinner ran up in front of him. Ignoring everyone around them, he kissed Marco as passionatly as he could. Marco's tense body relaxed, and he put his arms around Spinner's neck and returned his kiss. People around them were gasping and whispering. But for once, Spinner didn't care.
All that mattered now was Marco, his Baby Cocoa.