Chapter Five
Crush
For the first half of the walk, Tod and Alex were silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Tod turned to face his friend, pausing and causing Alex to do the same. "So, Alex, I've been meaning to ask you, what do you think about Clear?" The question was blunt but Tod had long since learned that was often the best way to approach things.
For a second, Alex was sure that he was blushing but managed to shrug, trying to pull off the nonchalant act and knowing that it wasn't working since Tod knew him almost as well as he knew himself. "She's okay, a little strange, but okay. Why?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, interested in where his friend was going. Secretly, he thought that Clear was more then "okay", though she was a little strange, he thought she was pretty and had developed a crush on her the first them he had seen her.
Tod nodded slowly, a smile creasing across his face as he did so, which caused Alex to realize that his friend was reading him like a book. "So, you like her then." Tod pointed out, trying to make it sound like a question, though he was clearly stating a fact.
"Well...you know, she's okay." Alex repeated, casting his glance away from his friend to the sidewalk, trying to think of something more convincing to say. He wasn't sure he wanted his best friend to know that he truly liked Clear, since the last time he had admitted to a crush, Tod had promptly gone about telling the entire school, including Carter Horton who had teased him for months. And, if he was being truly truthful with himself, then he would have to admit that he wasn't completely over his last crush, Adrienne Grant, who was blonde, beautiful, their age and not "strange" like Clear. However, when Carter had gone about teasing him last year, he had also told Adrienne about his little "crush" and she hadn't really spoken to him since.
Tod clicked his tongue, shaking his head with a smile. "Right, 'okay' as in 'madly in love?'" He questioned, raising his eyebrow once again. "You need to move past the Adrienne Grant thing and realize that other girls actually like you." Once again, Tod knew he had hit his friend's thoughts right on the head, judging by the way Alex blushed slightly.
Alex was about to retort when he paused, glancing up at his friend. "I'm sure Clear doesn't really like me..." He trailed off, knowing that it wasn't true as soon as he had spoken. After all, Clear had been eager to talk to him and just as eager to follow him around all day, which sounded like normal behavior for girls who liked the opposite sex.
"Oh yes, my friend, she likes you just as much as you like her." Tod retorted with a smile, still shaking his head. When Alex didn't say anything by way of a denial Tod continued, "Well, it's settled then; tomorrow you will ask her out and when you get married make sure to toast me, as your best man, for setting you up in the first place."
Alex shook his head, glaring at his friend with mock anger and pursing his lips. "I won't go that far, it's just a crush...maybe." He added quickly, pushing away the images of him getting married without too much difficulty.
Tod didn't say anything, just shrugged and started walking once again. Alex followed after him, toying with the idea of asking Clear out and decided that he almost liked the idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another short chapter, I know, I'm sorry. But this should tie my wonderful readers over until I write the next chapter. Thanks again for reading and please review!
Crush
For the first half of the walk, Tod and Alex were silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Tod turned to face his friend, pausing and causing Alex to do the same. "So, Alex, I've been meaning to ask you, what do you think about Clear?" The question was blunt but Tod had long since learned that was often the best way to approach things.
For a second, Alex was sure that he was blushing but managed to shrug, trying to pull off the nonchalant act and knowing that it wasn't working since Tod knew him almost as well as he knew himself. "She's okay, a little strange, but okay. Why?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, interested in where his friend was going. Secretly, he thought that Clear was more then "okay", though she was a little strange, he thought she was pretty and had developed a crush on her the first them he had seen her.
Tod nodded slowly, a smile creasing across his face as he did so, which caused Alex to realize that his friend was reading him like a book. "So, you like her then." Tod pointed out, trying to make it sound like a question, though he was clearly stating a fact.
"Well...you know, she's okay." Alex repeated, casting his glance away from his friend to the sidewalk, trying to think of something more convincing to say. He wasn't sure he wanted his best friend to know that he truly liked Clear, since the last time he had admitted to a crush, Tod had promptly gone about telling the entire school, including Carter Horton who had teased him for months. And, if he was being truly truthful with himself, then he would have to admit that he wasn't completely over his last crush, Adrienne Grant, who was blonde, beautiful, their age and not "strange" like Clear. However, when Carter had gone about teasing him last year, he had also told Adrienne about his little "crush" and she hadn't really spoken to him since.
Tod clicked his tongue, shaking his head with a smile. "Right, 'okay' as in 'madly in love?'" He questioned, raising his eyebrow once again. "You need to move past the Adrienne Grant thing and realize that other girls actually like you." Once again, Tod knew he had hit his friend's thoughts right on the head, judging by the way Alex blushed slightly.
Alex was about to retort when he paused, glancing up at his friend. "I'm sure Clear doesn't really like me..." He trailed off, knowing that it wasn't true as soon as he had spoken. After all, Clear had been eager to talk to him and just as eager to follow him around all day, which sounded like normal behavior for girls who liked the opposite sex.
"Oh yes, my friend, she likes you just as much as you like her." Tod retorted with a smile, still shaking his head. When Alex didn't say anything by way of a denial Tod continued, "Well, it's settled then; tomorrow you will ask her out and when you get married make sure to toast me, as your best man, for setting you up in the first place."
Alex shook his head, glaring at his friend with mock anger and pursing his lips. "I won't go that far, it's just a crush...maybe." He added quickly, pushing away the images of him getting married without too much difficulty.
Tod didn't say anything, just shrugged and started walking once again. Alex followed after him, toying with the idea of asking Clear out and decided that he almost liked the idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another short chapter, I know, I'm sorry. But this should tie my wonderful readers over until I write the next chapter. Thanks again for reading and please review!
