Part 10: First Date
"I like you, Jack." The words echoed over and over inside Jack's head.
"Oh." Jack sat back down on the coffee table, staring blankly ahead, then at Joshua's head. "But I thought you and Jen..."
"Why, because of the whole party thing?" Jack nodded. "That means nothing Jack, it was always you I was interested in."
All Jack could say was "oh" again, and he felt stupid because of it.
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything. It was a stupid idea; I mean I only just met you."
"No, Joshua, no. I'm just... surprised is all. But don't get me wrong, it's a nice surprise! I had no idea you were even gay let alone that you liked me!" Jack smiled at the other boy.
Joshua smiled back nervously. Then he asked: "So... where do we go from here?"
"I'm not sure. I mean you basically know my entire back-story and I know yours. But maybe we should spend time getting to know each other better."
Jack reached out his hand and took Joshua's. "After all it is nearly midnight, it wouldn't be fair for you to go all the way home now. Especially on a school night." Joshua smiled back at Jack as he was led by the hand upstairs to the bedroom. The door was shut softly behind them.
The next morning the group all met up before school again. The other five were all surprised to see Jack arrive with Joshua.
"Hello?!" Jen said as the two boys walked up to the porch of the B&B, "What do we have here then."
The two boys were both just about to try and explain when Joey walked out of the screen door.
"Jack aren't those your clothes?" she said, looking at Joshua.
Joshua tried to explain: "I got soaked as soon as I walked out of Jen's last night. Jack saw me and offered me the change of clothes and a place to sleep, seeing as how it was already late and the storm didn't look like it was gonna finish quickly."
"Okay then, shall we get moving?" Andie put in.
When they got to school they all went their separate ways but Jen took Joshua away to a quiet corner.
"Joshua, I'm sure you'll know by now that I'm not exactly backward in coming forwards so I'm just gonna say this: This Friday would you consider maybe going to see a movie with me?"
"Is this you asking me on a date?"
Jen smiled coyly as she nodded.
"Well, in that case... no."
"Okay the-" Then she realised what he's actually said. "No?"
"I'm sorry but, no."
"Can I ask why?"
"Let's just say that you're not my type!"
"And what exactly would be your type?"
"Jack."
"Oh."
"I seem to be having that effect on everyone at the moment!" He responded to Jen's blank look by explaining, "He said the same thing last night when I told him!"
"Really? So that's what you guys were up to last night!" She winked at him trying to seem completely unfazed by the rejection.
Joshua went wide-eyed with shock. "No! We just talked!"
"Oh I'm sure!" Jen said sarcastically. She did actually feel a lot happier about the rejection now - she was happy for Jack and still had Joshua as a friend.
"Good!" Joshua grinned at Jen, "We're going out tonight in fact!" He said, grin getting even bigger.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"The ice rink."
"Ooh, bad memories."
"That was Jack's reasoning for going there. 'Cos he knew there was no chance of you 'accidentally' bumping into us!" He smiled at her. "And I use sarcastic speech marks!"
"Fine then, just wait till I get my hands on that boy! First he doesn't tell me anything and then goes out of his way to make spying on him harder!"
Joshua couldn't help but laugh.
"Your sister is really pro-active when it comes to school work isn't she?"
"You noticed that, huh?"
"Kinda yeah," Joshua stood up wobbling slightly on his ice skates as they made their way to the ice rink.
"She always has been. She just likes to be on top of things."
"I'm much more of a procrastinator," Joshua explained, making Jack laugh.
They reached the nearly completely empty rink and Jack watched for a moment as Joshua smoothly stepped onto the ice and gracefully skated to the centre where he turned the blades to one side to stop. From there he turned to face Jack and gestured for him to follow. Jack gingerly stepped on the ice and almost went straight over onto his face.
Joshua came over to Jacks side; "you haven't really done much ice skating before, huh?"
"No, none."
"It's easy, I'll teach you."
"Easy for you perhaps, but for the coordinationally impaired among us it presents somewhat of a challenge!"
Joshua smiled at him and took his hand. "Come on. Just turn out your back foot slightly and use the blade to push you along."
They took it slowly at first, but soon the two boys were flying round the rink, gloved hand in gloved hand. But then Jack saw something that made him double take and he lost control and he slipped over, landing on his butt. As Joshua helped him up he asked, "what happened?"
"You know those freaky dreams I told you about?" Jack asked, scanning the area.
"The one's on the bridge? Yeah, why?"
"I just saw the guy from them, behind the glass, over there!" Jack pointed.
"There's no one there, Jack, and besides you're talking about a character from a dream that you don't even know what he looks like!"
"I suppose your right," Jack said, pushing the idea to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy himself.
They carried on skating for a good hour. Joshua showed off, spinning and jumping. Jack just grinned, feeling the happiest he had in ages.
When the time came to give back the skates, the boys went over to the walls of lockers to find that Jacks was slightly ajar. Jack started to panic and pulled it all the way open, but he calmed down when he looked inside.
"I must just have forgotten to shut it; nothing's been taken."
Then they handed back the skates in exchange for their own shoes and left for Joshua's house.
To Be Continued...
"I like you, Jack." The words echoed over and over inside Jack's head.
"Oh." Jack sat back down on the coffee table, staring blankly ahead, then at Joshua's head. "But I thought you and Jen..."
"Why, because of the whole party thing?" Jack nodded. "That means nothing Jack, it was always you I was interested in."
All Jack could say was "oh" again, and he felt stupid because of it.
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything. It was a stupid idea; I mean I only just met you."
"No, Joshua, no. I'm just... surprised is all. But don't get me wrong, it's a nice surprise! I had no idea you were even gay let alone that you liked me!" Jack smiled at the other boy.
Joshua smiled back nervously. Then he asked: "So... where do we go from here?"
"I'm not sure. I mean you basically know my entire back-story and I know yours. But maybe we should spend time getting to know each other better."
Jack reached out his hand and took Joshua's. "After all it is nearly midnight, it wouldn't be fair for you to go all the way home now. Especially on a school night." Joshua smiled back at Jack as he was led by the hand upstairs to the bedroom. The door was shut softly behind them.
The next morning the group all met up before school again. The other five were all surprised to see Jack arrive with Joshua.
"Hello?!" Jen said as the two boys walked up to the porch of the B&B, "What do we have here then."
The two boys were both just about to try and explain when Joey walked out of the screen door.
"Jack aren't those your clothes?" she said, looking at Joshua.
Joshua tried to explain: "I got soaked as soon as I walked out of Jen's last night. Jack saw me and offered me the change of clothes and a place to sleep, seeing as how it was already late and the storm didn't look like it was gonna finish quickly."
"Okay then, shall we get moving?" Andie put in.
When they got to school they all went their separate ways but Jen took Joshua away to a quiet corner.
"Joshua, I'm sure you'll know by now that I'm not exactly backward in coming forwards so I'm just gonna say this: This Friday would you consider maybe going to see a movie with me?"
"Is this you asking me on a date?"
Jen smiled coyly as she nodded.
"Well, in that case... no."
"Okay the-" Then she realised what he's actually said. "No?"
"I'm sorry but, no."
"Can I ask why?"
"Let's just say that you're not my type!"
"And what exactly would be your type?"
"Jack."
"Oh."
"I seem to be having that effect on everyone at the moment!" He responded to Jen's blank look by explaining, "He said the same thing last night when I told him!"
"Really? So that's what you guys were up to last night!" She winked at him trying to seem completely unfazed by the rejection.
Joshua went wide-eyed with shock. "No! We just talked!"
"Oh I'm sure!" Jen said sarcastically. She did actually feel a lot happier about the rejection now - she was happy for Jack and still had Joshua as a friend.
"Good!" Joshua grinned at Jen, "We're going out tonight in fact!" He said, grin getting even bigger.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"The ice rink."
"Ooh, bad memories."
"That was Jack's reasoning for going there. 'Cos he knew there was no chance of you 'accidentally' bumping into us!" He smiled at her. "And I use sarcastic speech marks!"
"Fine then, just wait till I get my hands on that boy! First he doesn't tell me anything and then goes out of his way to make spying on him harder!"
Joshua couldn't help but laugh.
"Your sister is really pro-active when it comes to school work isn't she?"
"You noticed that, huh?"
"Kinda yeah," Joshua stood up wobbling slightly on his ice skates as they made their way to the ice rink.
"She always has been. She just likes to be on top of things."
"I'm much more of a procrastinator," Joshua explained, making Jack laugh.
They reached the nearly completely empty rink and Jack watched for a moment as Joshua smoothly stepped onto the ice and gracefully skated to the centre where he turned the blades to one side to stop. From there he turned to face Jack and gestured for him to follow. Jack gingerly stepped on the ice and almost went straight over onto his face.
Joshua came over to Jacks side; "you haven't really done much ice skating before, huh?"
"No, none."
"It's easy, I'll teach you."
"Easy for you perhaps, but for the coordinationally impaired among us it presents somewhat of a challenge!"
Joshua smiled at him and took his hand. "Come on. Just turn out your back foot slightly and use the blade to push you along."
They took it slowly at first, but soon the two boys were flying round the rink, gloved hand in gloved hand. But then Jack saw something that made him double take and he lost control and he slipped over, landing on his butt. As Joshua helped him up he asked, "what happened?"
"You know those freaky dreams I told you about?" Jack asked, scanning the area.
"The one's on the bridge? Yeah, why?"
"I just saw the guy from them, behind the glass, over there!" Jack pointed.
"There's no one there, Jack, and besides you're talking about a character from a dream that you don't even know what he looks like!"
"I suppose your right," Jack said, pushing the idea to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy himself.
They carried on skating for a good hour. Joshua showed off, spinning and jumping. Jack just grinned, feeling the happiest he had in ages.
When the time came to give back the skates, the boys went over to the walls of lockers to find that Jacks was slightly ajar. Jack started to panic and pulled it all the way open, but he calmed down when he looked inside.
"I must just have forgotten to shut it; nothing's been taken."
Then they handed back the skates in exchange for their own shoes and left for Joshua's house.
To Be Continued...