Chapter 3: Hidden feelings

Kuki walked up the stairs to Nigel's treehouse, where they had arranged to meet to finish their homework. They weren't too far away so it shouldn't take more than an hour. After that, they would both have plenty of time.

"I'm surprised you want to do your homework in the are you and what did you do with Nigel?"

"Well, believe it or not, sometimes I can get to take my study very seriously," he adjusted the collar of her shirt without looking at her.

"Let's pretend I believe you and get this over with," the girl who knew something was up with her friend said between laughs. The bad thing is that if her suspicions were true, then her other best friend would end up getting hurt.

They didn't have much left to finish, so in less than an hour they already had everything figured out.

"You will say this part and I will say this, but you will speak second to wake up the class with your conspiracies because my part is kind of boring."

"They're not silly conspiracies," he exclaimed, getting up from the table. "It's based on facts and well-founded scenarios."

"In the future... Did you hear that?" A noise outside the tree house piqued her interest. Someone was calling out to Nigel from the yard, which was weird since his friends always walked in unannounced. Who was the stranger?

"Oh no…"

Kuki was the first to come out and see what it was about. Chad Dickson was down in Nigel's yard calling him for who knows what.

"That's... Chad?" Kuki asks, looking at Nigel who was too tense. "Do you remember when he invited us to his birthday? What a good party, it's a shame he grew up so fast and stopped inviting us, he always gave out the best little baskets and his piñatas were huge, but what is he doing here?

"Heh heh, surely he's going to ask me for a favor or his father sent him to look for my father for something.2

"I don't think he came looking for your dad, oh look, here he comes."

Chad went up to the tree house and was transfixed when he saw Kuki greet him. He actually expected Nigel to be alone as he had told him, had he got the wrong time?

"Hi Chad, how long has it been?" she greeted him "I know we hardly talk anymore but I'm glad to see that you're still in contact with Nigel and…"

Kuki felt her brain snap. Chad smelled good, his hair was better than usual, and his clothes looked cleaner than ever. He turned to see Nigel who was wearing dressier clothing than he remembered and then he began tying up loose ends.

Chad...

All this time it was always about Chad...

"Poor Wally"

"I think I should go," Kuki said, trying to get past Chad but he blocked her way. "Hey!"

"Please wait…"

"Kuki, you see, um... I don't know how to tell you this but…"

"Calm down, silly" she speaks in the same smiling way as always W"I already understood what is happening here, but why are you hiding it? I mean, it's okay for me though... Well, it's okay, Nigel, seriously."

"It's not that simple girl," Chad interrupted her with a serious face. "I'm perhaps the most popular boy in school and I don't want to expose Nigel to unnecessary criticism or gossip."

"I understand that you want to protect him but it's absurd."

"Kuki! Look, I know what you're going to say" Nigel approached the girl and took her by the shoulders to make them look at each other face to face with her"For now I need you to keep the secret like the great friend you've always been."

"But…"

"Please," he whispered, "Chad and I have been dating for a while. Well I still don't know if he's my boyfriend, but I don't want to ruin this before it starts. It's very important to me.I know it's hard to understand now but…"

Kuki examined his friend, even through his dark glasses she could see Nigel's worried look. He was doing what his heart told and his heart belonged to popular goofball Chad Dickson. She sighed and nodded.

"I'll keep your secret if you promise to tell me everything later," she smiled at him.

"I'm dying to know how this all happened."

Nigel blushed and with a grunt he said yes. The girl said goodbye to both of them with her characteristic smile and left them alone. Then she released a heavy sigh. She never thought to be involved in such a complicated situation. But she couldn't fail either of her two friends. She just hoped things would clear up soon and Nigel would be able to tell the others about his relationship with a boy, even if it meant Wally knew the truth too.

Later at Wally's house, the boy was trying to fix the mess he had in his room since Patton was not long in arriving to finish the project. His parents were away and his little brother was downstairs doing whatever kids his age do. He's actually glad Joey was home all day doing his thing so he wouldn't have to be alone with the new guy. He just hoped that everything would end quickly and he would continue with his normal Saturday. However, he didn't notice when Patton arrived and his brother answered the door even though he wasn't supposed to.

Patton was surprised when he saw a little boy that looked a lot like Wally, for a moment he thought he had cringed but his common sense then told him it could be his little brother.

"Who are you? You don't look like Wally's rowdy friends," the boy tells him.

"It's because I'm not one of his friends, I just came to do a school project."

"How weird, Wally doesn't invite anyone who isn't his friends."

That was not expected. The boy stepped aside and let Patton pass before closing the door again. The house was cozy, and if it weren't for a riot of toys in the corner of the living room, it would be almost in perfect order. Joey led him into the dining room and told him he could sit down, to which the boy agreed. He noticed that the little boy was playing with some cards that were very familiar to him and he decided to start a conversation because he had nothing better to do.

"Kids still play with Yipper cards these days?"

"What are you talking about? Everyone in my class plays with these cards. If you don't have a good card combo, you're lost dude."

"I can see them?"

Joey showed him his cards and managed to chat with him for a while while explaining his special cards and his unbeatable combos. The noise reached Wally, who thought that his brother was talking to someone, which seemed strange to him since there were only the two of them. He then looked at his cell phone and saw several messages from Patton that he was already at his house. How did he not notice?

He hurried down the stairs of his house and when he got to the dining room he found Joey and Patton sitting casually playing cards, totally ignorant of the fact that Patton was supposed to be coming to his house for the purpose.

"Sorry for having to put up with my brother, I didn't realize the time."

"Wally is coming to ruin the fun," his brother complained as he began to collect his letters.

"What did you say?"

"Actually..." Patton interrupted them before they could start arguing, "It's okay, I actually liked those cards a lot when I was a kid. I still have my collection in a box in my room and I got to have special editions."

"Really? Now you have to bring them the next time you come here." Joey's eyes sparkled.

What the hell was going on? Joey only tolerated Kuki, the rest of his friends he seemed to have as enemies. He talked to a stranger for half an hour and he was already inviting him back. Was Patton really a bad person?

Joey left them alone to do their homework and headed into the living room to watch some television.

"So..." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "what do you say we get this over with so we can get on with our lives?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," the boy crossed his arms, but not before taking out the things they needed from his suitcase.

Wally was a little slow with his homework, there was no doubt about that. But with Patton's help, it seems he managed to focus and end up doing a decent job.

"If you memorize these in the correct order, I'm sure we'll both get a good grade," Patton told him, pointing to a diagram he'd made earlier.

"Of course…"

"Well, I think we're done with that." He looked at his cell phone and made a face. It was barely 6 pm and he didn't feel like going home yet, maybe he could go to the mall for a walk while it got darker.

"I thought it would never end," Wally said, exhausted.

"Well, if there's nothing pending…"

"Are you leaving yet?" Joey asks, walking into the dining room. "Brother, I'm hungry," he said in an exaggerated tone. "Order a pizza, mom left money where always."

"And why should I listen to you?"

"I'm definitely going." Patton got up to leave but then Joey got in his way.

"Aren't you going to eat pizza with us?"

"For heaven's sake, what an adorable boy."

"If you're not busy maybe... Could you stay?" My parents will come a little late today if it bothers you, you know, the matter of family greetings" for some strange reason, he blushed when he invited him.

"There's no way Wally is too. I need to get out of here."

"Well, if you don't mind."

Patton stayed to wait for the pizza that Wally had ordered over the phone, he actually liked pizza a lot, and since they invited him, he couldn't refuse. It felt strange, because he had never done this with anyone, he always messed up everything and his friends kept away from him. Maybe things with Wally could work out, he just had to stop looking at it with different eyes.

But he was costing him. How long does it take to obsess over someone you barely know?