Mortal Enemies

by agentpizza

Things don't get any easier for April Preston, especially when moving to a new neighborhood means meeting Rodrick Heffley, a self-proclaimed awesome bad boy who is extremely annoying and stubborn. These two people are mortal enemies. But some things change right? (RodrickxOC)

35. Little Things

CHAPTER 35: Little Things

I was alone at home since my parents had already left for work. After taking a bath and getting dressed, I noticed the scarf that still lay on the edge of my bed.

I sighed, reminded of Rodrick's sudden confession the night before. It kept me up all night. Good thing school hadn't started yet, or else I'd probably end up half-awake in all my classes.

I should return this soon, I thought. Maybe tomorrow would do. It wasn't that I couldn't talk to Rodrick so soon or anything. I just didn't feel like going for a walk that day. That's what I told myself, at least.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I rushed downstairs to open the door.

It turned out I didn't have to worry about giving back the scarf some other day, because its owner was standing right outside my house.

"Rodrick! W-What are you doing here?" I stuttered as I opened the door.

He looked up when he heard my voice. His face lit up. "I brought you something." He raised the eco-bag he was holding. I looked at it, wondering what was inside. He must have noticed my facial expression. "You don't have to worry about lunch today," he said.

"Wow. You didn't have to. I mean, I can cook my own lunch or have something delivered—"

"Ouch." He clutched his chest, showing off his lame acting skills. "Don't tell me you're rejecting it."

I sighed and gave a smile. "Well, thank you." I took it from his hands and was about to close the door.

He blocked it with his hand. "Woah, can I come in too?"

I gulped. "What?" I thought he was just there to give me food. What, is he gonna feed me now too?

"The food's for two. I was hoping I could eat with you. If that's alright." He scratched the back of his head, quite shyly.

I took a peek inside the eco-bag. "Oh." I felt it would have been cruel to say no. He brought me food and asked politely. There was no reason to say no. "Heh, sorry. My bad. Yeah, sure." I stepped aside so he can come in.

He took the bag from my hands and went ahead inside to place it on the dining table. On the other hand, I took a deep breath after closing the door. Okay, you can do this, I told myself.

"So, what did you buy?" I walked closer, trying my best to sound like I wasn't nervous at all.

He opened the two boxes one by one. "Those new combo meals at the pizza resto at the mall."

"That pizza resto?" I asked. I did my best not to sound too excited.

He probably noticed though, because nodded with a content smile. "Yeah, that one." That's my favorite pizza place. He really does remember those little things, huh?

We started eating, not chatting too much. The food included a huge slice of pizza, spaghetti, and some chicken.

"Is it good?" Rodrick asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's good. And a lot, especially for a combo meal."

When I looked at him, his mouth was curved into a smile. He immediately went back to eating after that, but he still couldn't hide the fact that he was pleased.

"So... are you okay?" he asked, after taking a few bites.

I glanced at him, then paid attention to the pasta I was trying to get on my fork. "Yeah. Why won't I be okay?" I said. Part of it was a lie though.

He nodded. "Have you thought about... you know..." he pointed at me and then at himself. The words came out of his mouth slowly, like he was being careful with what he was going to say.

I was afraid he was going to ask that. I gulped and put down my fork for a second, taking a deep breath. "Rodrick—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" he held both of his hands up, with his arms extended. "If you're gonna reject me, just do it later after we eat!"

I contained a laugh. "What?"

"You sound like you're ending things already." He shyly started eating his pasta again.

"I was going to say, I just need more time." I clarified.

Rodrick exhaled. "Whew. Okay. I can wait." He nodded, sounding like he was saying it more to himself than to me. "But we can still hang out, right?"

The best thing to do would probably be to take some time away from him, I thought. I needed to clear my head. I needed some time alone to think about it. But before I could stop myself—

"Y-Yeah, sure," I replied. I don't even know why I gave that answer.

He pressed his lips together, trying to hide a smile. "Cool. 'Cause you still owe me a movie."

"What?" I looked up, in the middle of chewing.

"It's your turn to suggest a movie. Remember? We watched White Chicks last time."

"Oh right. I'll think." I went back to eating. After that week-long vacation, wherein so many things happened, I was surprised he still remembered it.

He dropped his fork on his food, on purpose. "You mean you still haven't thought about it yet?! It's been, what, more than a week?"

I shook my head and shrugged. "I forgot. I'm sorry." It was silent for a few seconds. I looked up and saw Rodrick scowling. "What! We were out for an entire week," I reasoned.

"Okay then. That means we should watch it today," he said casually.

"T-Today?" It's not like I didn't want to. It's just… you know.

"Yeah," he nodded while chewing his food, "so you won't forget about it again." He caught me rolling my eyes. "You brought this upon yourself. And you don't have anything else more important to do, right?"

I wished I had, but alas I was on vacation mode, just like him. I took a deep breath and shook my head. I could almost see the smile on his face knowing he could stay longer in my house.

After eating, we helped each other clean up the table. Rodrick kept bugging me about that movie we were supposed to watch.

"What are we watching?" he asked for the nth time. "Are we watching in your room?"

"What—No!" I said almost too loud that he got a bit startled. I didn't want him to invade my room again, no way. "No," I repeated, more calmly, "let's just watch here. There's a lot of space anyway."

He shrugged and chose his spot on the couch. "Sure, no problem."

After bringing the laptop downstairs, I set it up and picked The Parent Trap. "Wait, I'll just get some chips." I got up and went to the kitchen.

"Parent Trap?" he asked. "Is this good?"

"Yeah," I replied as I walked back to the couch. "It's just a light, feel-good movie." I gave Rodrick the chips once I got back. I then took a seat, keeping my distance from him, and then played the movie.

Throughout the movie, Rodrick had several side comments as always. One of them was, "That little girl looks familiar," right before he took a whole bunch of chips and shoved it in his mouth.

"That's Lindsay Lohan," I said.

"Lindsay Lohan has a twin?!" he blurted out, and some of the chips fell from his mouth.

"Ew, Rodrick. Don't make a mess!" I brushed off some of the crumbs that fell on my lap and on the couch.

"Oops. Sorry, sorry." He helped me scoop up the remaining fallen chips on the couch and the floor. He even took the ones from my hand. Then he got up and threw them into the trash can, on the other side of the living room.

While he made his way back to the couch, I rolled my eyes at him. "How many times did I tell you not to talk with your mouth full?"

"My bad. Sorry." He sat down again and looked at me. I focused on the movie with my arms crossed. Then suddenly, I felt his hand brush my shoulder. I looked at him. "There are still a few crumbs," he said, trying to remove the tiny particles.

He really didn't have to do that. I could perfectly do that myself. So I did. I put my hand on my shoulder so I could remove the crumbs on my own. But then I ended up touching his hand.

That single touch. It sent a tingling feeling throughout my body, and I froze. I stared at my hand on top of his for a second, then glanced at him. He was looking at me, frozen as well. A second passed and I pulled my hand back, clasping it with the other as I directed my attention back to the movie. Rodrick took his hand off my shoulder as well, and leaned back, now looking at the laptop screen. It was quiet after that happened. Only the characters from the movie were speaking.

"I didn't know Lindsay Lohan had a twin," Rodrick mumbled, breaking the silence.

After keeping a serious face for a while, I couldn't help but let out the laugh I was trying to suppress. He looked at me, frowning. "What? What's so funny?"

I made extra effort to stop smiling. I failed, by the way. "Lindsay doesn't have a twin, silly. That's both her."

He leaned forward towards the screen and gave it a closer look. "But how do you explain—oh I get it. Special effects and shit."

"Yeah, exactly."

He leaned back, nodding. "But why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"Uh, didn't you spit chips all over and we had to clean it?"

"But still!" He groaned. "It must be entertaining for you, huh?" He crossed his arms.

"What is?"

"My stupidity," he said quietly. I almost didn't catch it. And it almost sounded like he was saying it to himself.

"What?" I glanced at him. He only slouched further, focused on the screen in front of us. I sighed and looked straight ahead again. "You annoying and funny, Rodrick. But I don't think you're stupid," I said.

He didn't reply. But when I looked at him again, he was smiling. That was enough to make me smile too.

Two hours passed fast, and before we knew it, the film was already finished.

"Aw, that was nice," He said, still staring at the rolling credits while hugging a pillow.

Cute.

He glanced and noticed I was staring at him, obviously amused at what I was seeing. He immediately cleared his throat and put the pillow back on the couch. "I mean, it was okay."

"Glad you liked it," I said as I turned off my laptop. "There, you got your movie. Happy now?"

"You bet." He stretched his arms and let them hang on the backrest of the couch. "So what do we do next?"

I looked at him, confused. "Do you really plan to hang around here all day?"

"Why not?"

"Uh, 'cause this is my house? Don't you have other things to do?"

"Ugh, fine. I'll leave then." He stood up.

"Oh wait!" I got up too.

I caught a tiny smirk tugging at his lips. "What, I thought you wanted me to leave."

"Wait here," I told him. I took my laptop and rushed up the stairs, while he just watched me with his hands in his pockets.

When I got to my room, I put my laptop on my desk and took the scarf on my bed. Good thing I remembered it. If not, then I would have to go to his house or wait for us to meet again so I could give it back to him.

I was about to go back, but when I opened my bedroom door, Rodrick was standing right outside.

I yelped in surprise. "Rodrick!" Meanwhile, he snorted a laugh. "I told you to wait downstairs!" I told him.

He peered over me, looking at my room. "Oh, I missed your room, Prescott!" He even took one step forward as if he wanted to go inside.

"Not today, Heffley." I pushed his face back with my hand and closed the door behind me. Then, I pulled his hand and dragged him down the stairs.

"What's the big deal? It's not as if I've never been in your room," he said when we got back to the living room.

"You can't go in there whenever you feel like it."

"Fine, whatever."

I gave him one last glare and then walked towards the front door, pulling him along with me. Before I opened it, I let go of his hand and gave him the scarf. "There. I just wanted to give it back. Thanks for letting me borrow it," I said coldly. I was still annoyed at him.

He looked at it, and then smiled, as if he remembered something.

I opened the door for him. "You can go now."

He took a couple of steps, still staring fondly at the scarf. Then he stopped and looked at me again. It was that gaze again. I raised my eyebrows in an attempt to hide the warm, melting feeling inside of me. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing. See ya tomorrow then."

Tomorrow? I meant to ask, but he had already turned around and started making his way back to his house.

Little did I know, that was just the start.

It all seemed normal. He kept sending me messages until past midnight. I replied, of course, and kept our random conversations going, just like how it was in the past weeks. I didn't bother stopping that because I enjoyed talking to him. He also went to my house just to eat and hang out. It all seemed normal because we've done these things before.

But, at the same time, it wasn't.

I realized that some things have changed. First off, he started putting more effort into little things. If we were just as we were months ago, Rodrick would just text me if he wanted to talk to me. But now, he'd visit my house every single day and bring me food. One time, he brought me some hot chocolate again. The day after that, he brought a slice of this cake that his mom bought the night before. When I mentioned about craving some Japanese food in one of our conversations, he came over the next day with a box of sushi and tempura. On another day, along with lunch, he brought something else—a flower.

"A flower?" I asked after he handed me that single stem. I tried to ignore the pounding in my chest. I hoped my face didn't turn all red in front of him.

"Yeah." He scratched his head and looked down with a shy smile. "I thought it might look good in your room or something," he said. Then he went inside and opened the lunch he brought that day.

Even though he still annoyed and teased me a lot of times with his ridiculous jokes, I noticed that he had become sweeter, more thoughtful, and more caring. One time, I was cleaning up in my room and sorting my papers. It was quite plenty. Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. I had expected it after getting used to someone coming by every day. I didn't want to make him wait long, make him ring the doorbell twice or thrice. I panicked while the stack of paper was still on my hands, and accidentally got a paper cut on my index finger. "Oh shoot." I blew it, trying to minimize the pain. But soon, a bit of blood was trickling out.

The doorbell rang again. Ah screw it, I thought, and then went downstairs to open the door, thinking I could just deal with the paper cut later on.

"Hey." Rodrick was standing out there, carrying some lunch.

"Hi." I waved at him.

Then his expression changed. "What happened to your finger?" Before I could answer, he stepped forward, took it with is empty hand, and gave it a closer look. The blood was more noticeable than I thought it would be.

"Heh. It's just a paper cut. Nothing to worry about."

But he was worried, and he sounded annoyed at what I said. "What the hell? What do you mean there's nothing to worry about? Can't you see it's bleeding already?" He closed the door, and quickly put the lunch on the dining table. Then he went back to me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me to the bathroom. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Once he'd found the first aid kit, he stood so close to me and started treating the wound carefully. After that, he slowly put a band-aid over it, and then brushed it softly with his thumb. "Next time, be more careful. Okay? Please?" His tone was really serious as gave my hand a tender squeeze.

I nodded, at loss for words. He stayed a second longer, a hint of concern still evident in his eyes. Then he let go and went out of the bathroom. My heart was beating too fast again. I looked at myself in the mirror and almost my entire face was red. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

We also shared playlists as we messaged each other at night. At first, I thought I'd hate the type of music he listens to—those hardcore and noisy songs, just like what his band usually played—but there was a side of him that wasn't as chaotic as that. And some of the playlists he shared showed just that. I liked it. Sometimes I'd just play it in the background while we chatted about the most random things until it was way past our bedtime.

We kept our deal to suggest movies alternately and then watch all of them. While I always gave a different genre when it was my turn, it was a laugh-fest whenever we watched one that Rodrick recommended. He loved comedies. No wonder his mind was always ready to crack a joke. He laughed even when the scene wasn't even that funny. I stole glances at him and was delighted at how happy he was. Laughter is contagious, so 9 out of 10 times, I'd end up laughing with him.

One time, after we finished watching, he got up and took his coat, ready to leave the house. We both walked to the door, but before I got to open it, he faced me and asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"

I paused to think. The next day was Saturday. "Um, yeah, I guess?"

"I was thinking, maybe we can go watch a movie?" He sounded more nervous than usual.

"Here? Uh, but my parents are gonna be home tomorrow, so—"

"No, I mean… let's go watch in an actual cinema."

I didn't think too much of it. "Yeah, sure," I said, already used to spending time with Rodrick almost every single day.

"Cool. No backing out, okay?" He pointed at me with a smile, and I just nodded. Then cleared his throat, and said, "I'll pick you up at 7."

I was speechless for a second as it sunk in. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. I gulped. "Wait. Is this, like, a date or something?"

He looked down at his shoes for a second and tried to hide a smile. Then he glanced at me again. "No backing out. See ya." He turned around and walked away.

"Cool," I muttered under my breath when I closed the door, asking myself if I made the right decision of saying yes without thinking it out.

Then came Saturday. It was around 7:15pm when I got a message from Rodrick that he was outside my house. I was the one who told him to just text me instead of ringing the doorbell because I didn't tell my parents who I was watching a movie with. Good thing they didn't ask me any more questions.

I got out of the house, wearing the nth outfit I had tried on that night—a navy blue coat over a beige sweater and dark skinny jeans, paired up with my white sneakers. Perhaps I thought too hard on what I should wear. I brought my handy messenger bag, and I didn't forget to wear that necklace he gave me. I put on a little makeup too. Just a little. Whether it was a date or not, I should at least look presentable, right?

Rodrick was waiting outside, and his face immediately lit up when he saw me. For a moment, he just stood there, looking at me and smiling.

"What?" I said, hoping I didn't blush.

He shook his head. "Nothing. You ready?"

I nodded with a smile. We both got in his van, and he drove to the mall.

"What are we gonna watch?" I asked him after he finished parking.

He shrugged. "Whichever you like. I'm not sure what movies are playing."

We got to the theater and checked out the movies that were currently showing. Unfortunately, we weren't familiar with any of those. We stood there in front of the lady at the cashier for like 5 whole minutes, watching the trailers on the screen above her and trying to decide.

It was going to take us forever. Eventually, I whispered to him, "You know what, we've watched several movies the past few days."

He nodded in agreement. "So… Change of plans?" he asked in a lower tone.

I smiled. I'm glad he instantly got it. "Yeah."

"Are you gonna buy tickets or not?" the lady from the counter asked impatiently. "You're holding up the line."

We both looked behind us, and, true enough, more people were waiting.

"Nah we're good thanks," Rodrick said without a pause. Then quickly took my hand as we turned around and swiftly walked out of the cinema, silently laughing at ourselves for standing there for a while and then finally deciding to just leave.

"So what now?" I asked while we continued strolling.

"I've got an idea." He looked at me with excitement, and then led the way.

Soon, we found ourselves at the entrance of a huge arcade area.

"This?" I asked, not quite sure if it was the perfect spot to spend time together.

"Yeah, why not? Unless you're a noob at all of these," he teased.

He wasn't completely wrong though. I haven't played at the arcade for a while, but I wasn't gonna admit that of course. "Psh. No, I'm not. Come on, where do we start?" I stepped forward, looked around for the token counter.

"Wait," Rodrick stopped me. "Let's make things a little more exciting."

He knew how to get my competitive side pumped up. "A bet, huh? Sure, let's hear it."

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Okay, so we'll be playing a lot, if not all, of these games, right? Person who wins more games is the ultimate winner."

"All of these games?" My eyes widened at his idea. Even though I was feeling a little competitive, I thought it was a bit too much to pay every single game.

He nodded as if there wasn't anything wrong with it. "Why, are you afraid of losing?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that. We might end up finishing at dawn if we play every single game here."

He tilted his head, considering the suggestion. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

"Hmm. Ah! First to win 5 games is the ultimate winner," I announced, pointing a finger at him.

"Got it, let's play." He scanned the room, probably looking for the counter so he could buy some tokens. He was about to walk towards it, but I stopped him.

"Wait." I took his arm before he moved. "What are we playing for?"

He didn't reply immediately. I glanced at him and his eyes were on my hand that was on his arm. He looked a little flustered. Realizing that, I instinctively took my hand off of him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, what?"

"What are we playing for, Heffley?"

He stroked his chin, thinking of an answer. "Aha! Winner gets to make a wish. Loser has to fulfill that."

"Sure. Let's do this," I said.

"One wish only," he added.

I nodded. "And make it happen within a week."

"Deal." And we shook hands.

First was air hockey. I took the first turn. The puck slid straight towards the goal, but Rodrick was able to block it. Swiftly, the puck glided across the table. I stretched out my arm to block it. But then, it hit the side and went straight into the hole.

"Goal!" Rodrick yelled. "1-0, Heffley!"

I rolled my eyes. "It's just one goal."

He smirked and shook his head. "I'm an expert at this."

"If you say so." I put the puck back on the table and hit it hard.

It zoomed across the table. Rodrick was able to strike it back. Faster, the puck went, hitting the side again just like it did earlier. But this time I was able to block and hit it. It moved back to the other side and dropped straight into the goal before Rodrick was even able to move his arms.

"1-1," I said.

"Psh. Don't get too comfortable," he replied.

The next round was going to determine the winner of our first game. It went faster and more intense. Barely a second passed each time we had to move our arm and defend the goal. The puck went back and forth, back and forth. Until, finally, I hit it and...

"Goal!" I screamed with my arms raised.

Rodrick just watched me as he was leaning over the table, his hands resting on both corners for support, one of which was still holding the striker.

"One point for me, Heffley," I bragged.

He shook his head. "It's just the first game. Don't get too excited." He placed the striker back on the table heavily as if he was stamping something. "Next game, let's go. Chop chop."

I laughed and followed him. It was funny to see him annoyed like that.

The next game was basketball. "Let's start at the same time. The one who gets more shots wins," Rodrick said, a tiny smirk appearing on his face. He knew I wasn't good at this one.

The game started and we both started shooting. Rodrick did it flawlessly like how people should actually throw basketballs. Me, on the other hand, well, let's just say I was throwing the balls but most of them barely even reached the ring. If it did, it would just bounce off. I had a few shots, though.

Sooner than I thought it would, the buzzer rang.

"64-8!" Rodrick cackled. "Looks like I've got a point too, Preston."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Whatever. You're not ahead of me. It's still a tie."

He smiled, obviously amused at this whole thing. "Okay so what do we play next?" he said, looking around. "Oh, let's race." He pointed at the arcade game with the steering wheel.

Both of us just had to do well in each game. During the driving game, I won but only by a few seconds. We also played this shooting game, which got really intense to the point that I was shouting at the screen. I thought Rodrick was going to win that round because I was getting shot consecutively by those stupid villains, but when I glanced at him, he was just standing there watching me play because he had already lost.

By then, I was already feeling confident because I was ahead by two points. Two more and I win.

"Let's play a classic one," he said, walking over to one of the older arcade games.

"Pac-man?" I smirked. "Piece of cake."

We played. The one who would get to the farthest round would be the winner between the two of us. Easy peasy, I thought. And true enough, I was totally ace-ing the game, but, out of the blue, this stupid ghost appeared and ate my Pac-man. I lost. Beside me, Rodrick was still playing.

"I guess you win this one," I told him.

"Gah! You made me lose!" He groaned. "Anyway, the point is still for me."

I didn't get much luck in the games after that. We played the one with the hammer and we were supposed to hit this toy animal that kept popping out of the holes. Maybe my reflexes weren't so fast after all, as it only took a few seconds for me to lose. We're tie right now, I thought. No worries, I can still win in the next games.

The next thing we played was the jackpot game, wherein a ball falls from the top and whichever hole it goes into would be the number of tickets we'd get. We agreed that the one who'd get more tickets would win the game. I played first. I stared at the rotating wheel at the bottom, waiting for the right time to hit the button so that the ball would land on 50 tickets. Just a little bit more, I thought.

"BLAH!" Rodrick shouted behind me.

I got startled and accidentally pressed the button. The ball landed on 10 tickets.

"Rodrick, that's not fair!" I said, playfully hitting his arm. He just cackled like a mischievous idiot.

Good thing there were two more tries. On my second one, the ball landed on thirty. On the third, it landed on 25.

"Sixty-five tickets," I said after counting them. "Not easy to beat, Heffley."

"We'll see." He smirked.

He leaned closer to the transparent barrier, his eyes narrowing to estimate the right time to press that button. On his first try, he already got 35 tickets. "Yes!" he whispered in victory. He focused again on the second round, and then he hit the button. The ball landed on 25! By then he was already doing his victory dance. If he got higher than 5 in the next round, he'll win this game. I had to do something.

His hand lingered above the button, waiting for the right time to hit it. I, too, paid attention walking from his left side to the other, arriving at the other side just in time so that the ball would land on zero. Then I pretended to get off-balanced while pacing and bumped his shoulder.

"Hey!" He glared at me when he accidentally pressed the button. "What the hell!"

"Sorry, accident!" I lied, trying to hide a laugh.

Then, the machine made all these loud noises. A load of tickets came out of it. Rodrick looked and raised both of his hands in triumph. "Oh hell yeah! Fifty!"

What? I looked at the machine with my mouth agape. Fifty was right beside zero. And the ball landed right there. Damn it.

"Thanks, Preston. Now, I don't think I need to do the math." He collected the tickets. "Another point for me!" One more point and he'd win the bet.

The next game was the claw crane. Whoever got a stuffed toy first would win. This was never an easy game for me. But I did manage to win a few times back then, so I wasn't too discouraged. In fact, I was even more motivated to get this right so I could stand a chance to win.

Well, it took us longer to finish that one. By the third minute, both of us were already frustrated.

"This one's rigged," said Rodrick. He then transferred to the one on my left side. Again and again, he tried but failed. "It just keeps slipping!" He kicked the machine.

"Not. giving. up." I was too focused on getting that one Pikachu stuffed toy lying on top of the others to even notice Rodrick's whining beside me.

"Let's just play another game," he insisted.

"No, wait! Almost there."

"Come on." He was about to reach for my hand when the claw caught Pikachu!

"Yes!" I jumped once. "Told you I'd get one."

"How the heck…"

I took it and gave it to him. "One point for me, and this one's for you. Next game!"

He rolled his eyes but we both started wandering around and trying to decide the last game. "This is the tie-breaker. So it has to be fair for both of us."

"I agree," I said.

We walked around for a few minutes, really being careful about which to choose. And then we passed by this Guitar Hero game.

"What about that one?" Rodrick pointed at it.

I considered it for a second, but then dismissed the idea. "Nah, you have the upper hand with that." I turned and was about to walk away, but he held my hand to stop me.

He shook his head. "No, not really. It's been forever since I played the guitar. And you. You play the guitar, right?"

"Right."

"So? Let's get this thing over with!"

"Fine."

We went over and held our guitars to start playing the game (Rodrick placed Pikachu on the floor for a moment). It wasn't like a normal guitar. We just had to press the buttons, so being professional or not didn't even matter. He picked the song, which was neither hard nor easy. It was slow at first, then got more challenging in the middle towards the end. It wasn't really that much of a struggle for any of us to keep up with the rhythm, since this was basically a kids' game. The suspense was low-key killing me though, because I didn't have any idea who got more points until we actually finished the game.

When the song was over, we stood there beside each other, waiting for the machine to reveal who got more points. The numbers rolled in front of us and then…

"Yeah baby!" Rodrick exclaimed, holding the guitar over his head. He won by 4 points.

I sighed, but then ended up smiled anyway as I watched him do another one of his lame victory dances. I returned the guitar. "Congrats!"

"I won! I won!" he chanted.

I stared at him with my arms crossed. "Do you want to continue your dance by playing Dance Revolution, or should we go now?"

He immediately stopped, but the grin never disappeared from his face. He put the guitar back and got the Pikachu toy. "Okay, let's go, loser."

I shook my head, turned around, and started walking, trying to hide my smile.

We walked out of the arcade. "So what's your wish?" I asked him.

A playful smile tugged on the corner of his lips. "Hmmm. I'll tell you later."

"Ugh, what's with the suspense?"

"I'm just hungry. Let's go eat." He looked at me. "What do you want?"

I shrugged. "You decide. I'm not that hungry and I don't have any particular cravings."

He was nodding, trying to think of where to go. Then his face lit up, like a bright idea had just popped in his mind. Suddenly, he took my hand and we walked faster. Moments later, we were already standing in front of this Japanese ramen place. "Is this okay with you?" he asked, only letting go of my hand then.

"Yeah, sure." I liked that he asked me again before actually going in.

He smiled, then asked the waitress by the door for a table for two. She nodded and led us to an empty table near the glass window.

"So, have you thought of this stupid wish thing?" I asked him once we already got settled and finished ordering.

He tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes narrowing. "Hmm…"

"Well, if you can't think of one, we can just call it off—"

"Woah, slow down." He raised his hand up signaling a stop. "A deal's a deal. Besides, I have one in mind already." He raised his eyebrows once while drinking water.

I rolled my eyes, masking the fact that I was a little nervous about what he would wish for. It couldn't be that hard, could it?

He put down the glass of water and said, "Do you have any plans next week?"

"Why? Are you gonna bum around in my house again?" I replied jokingly.

He put his hand over his chest. "Ouch, you really don't want me there, do you?" He acted like he was hurt.

I hid a smile. "You are quite noisy when you're at my house. Oh, not just there. You're just noisy, in general." I took my glass and started drinking water.

The thing was, somehow a part of me kind of wanted him to be there every day, even though he was noisy and annoying. A part of me insisted that the rest of my vacation wouldn't be complete if I didn't feel his presence. But that was probably just a tiny voice in the back of my mind. Maybe.

He shook his head with a smile. "Oh really? Fine, I won't go there. You know, I'm just worried you'll miss me."

I almost choked. I immediately put the glass back on the table and cleared my throat. "Really, Heffley? That's so cheesy." Why on earth would he say things like that while I was drinking my water? Things that sounded like an actual response to what the tiny voice in my mind was saying all along.

He laughed. "I'm kidding! Take a joke sometimes, will you?"

"I knew that." I forced a smile.

"Anyway, my band and I have to practice next week."

"Practice? You guys have a gig or something?"

"Yeah. Next Friday. We're opening at this new resto-bar's launch party," he said casually, although I noticed that there was a hint of excitement in his face.

"Wow, that's great news! It's good exposure for your band!" I knew Rodrick loved music a lot and dedicated so much to his band. Hearing this was just amazing, and seeing that he was truly excited about it made me genuinely happy for him.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled a little. "You should go too, if you have time."

I smiled. How thoughtful of him to invite me. "I'll see."

Just then, our food arrived. We prepared our chopsticks and then started eating.

"What's the resto-bar you're playing at like?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. I haven't been there."

"Well, maybe you guys should check it out so you know what kind of music to play."

"What do you mean? We'll just play our three best songs."

"That depends on the vibe of the resto-bar," I said, taking a pause from eating. "If it's a little cozier and more chill, well, your music's a little bit loud for that, honestly. Maybe you can play something else if that's the case."

He looked at me as if what I said was absurd. "But our music's for everyone. Why do we have to change our songs or cover other songs?"

I shook my head. "If I may be honest, no, your music's not for everyone." He just rolled his eyes upon hearing that. I continued, "Listen. Some people like those metal songs. Others don't. Some like pop, some like jazz, and some like those mellow, acoustic ones. Others don't. If the customers of that resto-bar prefer the latter ones, they might not enjoy your songs."

"But we were invited to play. And that probably means they've invited other bands with the same music as ours."

I shrugged. "It's just a suggestion." Was I too blunt? I wondered. I hoped I didn't discourage him or make him angry. After all, I didn't know much about music as much as he did. Sure, I played the guitar back then, but that was it. He probably knew better. But, we were friends, and I just thought my opinion would help somehow.

He just nodded, chewing his food. "Fine. If we have time, maybe we can check it out."

I was relieved he didn't dwell much on that, and it didn't seem like he was angry at me either. We continued eating, talking a bit about some random stuff—our favorite cuisine, our go-to game whenever we had the chance to play at an arcade, the best Japanese food, and other things.

There were silent moments too, when we only heard each other's slurping of noodles—Rodrick's was louder, by the way. Once in a while, he would glance at me and smile, though I tried my best to act like I didn't notice it.

"The serving is pretty big," I said. I had only finished half when Rodrick was almost done with his.

"Nah, it's just right. You just don't eat a lot." He then slurped some noodles after saying that.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Or maybe it's because you eat a lot."

He paused and stared at me, trying to act all serious. "Food is life," he said, stressing every word. Then he went back to finishing the rest of his ramen.

That made me smile for some reason. "Help me finish this then. I'm sort of full now."

"Are you serious?"

I nodded."I really can't finish it."

He peeked at my bowl to see how much was left. "But that's still a lot. Why, are you on a diet or something? You might get hungry when you get back home," he said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'm not on a diet or anything. It's just heavy and I'm full." I placed my hands over my stomach.

He shook his head. "Tsk. Tsk. Didn't your parents teach you to finish the food on your plate?"

I couldn't help but smile again. Why was he being such a mom? "Yeah, that's why I'm asking you to help me."

"Fine, if you insist," he said, although I knew he really wanted to eat it. "I'll take half then you finish the rest."

"Finally. Thanks."

After we finished eating, we just took a brief stroll and then made our way back to his van.

"Woo! Some heat, finally. It's so cold outside." I said, embracing myself and rubbing my arms as soon as we both got inside.

"Did you have fun though?" Rodrick asked.

"Of course!" I answered without a doubt.

We both put our seat belts on, and Rodrick reached out to start the engine. But then he stopped and just sat there, placing both hands on the steering wheel.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

He was just staring ahead. "I wish you—we—could give this a chance." Then he faced me, a hopeful smile painted on his face.

"What?" That was the first word that came out of my mouth. Why the sudden shift in the mood? Why is he suddenly acting like that?

"That's my wish," he said.

I didn't get it immediately. "What do you mean by 'this'?"

"This." He pointed at me and then at himself. "Us."

I leaned back, and took a deep breath. "You're not joking? That's really your wish?"

He didn't respond.

I heaved a sigh and crossed my arms. For some reason, what he said just really put me off. "Are you giving me a deadline?"

"What?"

"We agreed to have whatever wish granted within a week. One week. Huh. That's a pretty tight deadline." I felt pressured, maybe a little bit annoyed. I thought he'd wait.

"A deadline? What—no," he said, removing his seatbelt so he could turn and face me. He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"Wow, I don't feel any pressure at all," I muttered, sarcasm evident through every word I said.

He sighed. "April, I'm just expressing what I hope would happen. I'm willing to wait. But at some point, I have to know. Right?"

I frowned and shot a glare. "Were you even serious about everything you told me?" I didn't think before spewing out those words, didn't think that they might hurt.

"I am serious," he said, while I just looked away from him. Then he continued, voice rising a little. "If you don't want to believe me, fine. Heck, even if there's no chance for us at all, fine, I'll respect that and back off. But that doesn't mean I can just turn off a freaking switch and stop liking you."

He was being so expressive lately. I wasn't used to it. I felt so flustered. I just stared out the window and didn't reply.

A moment later, realizing he couldn't get another word out from me, Rodrick sighed and started driving us back home.

We didn't talk throughout the entire ride. He turned the radio on, so maybe the music could lighten up the mood. But it was still tense. I stared out the window the entire time, taking very few, short glances at him while I was thinking of what happened and everything he said. Is it wrong that I got angry at him? It's not, right? Why did he have to make that kind of wish out of a stupid arcade bet? It did feel like he's giving me a deadline... He's got a point, though. I can't make him wait forever, especially if I am—might be—feeling something too. Maybe he really was just hoping, saying those thoughts out loud. And he does seem serious about it. But I don't know if I'm ready… What if things are going too fast? What if everything gets messed up between us? Ugh, what's wrong with me? Overthinking again. I couldn't help it, especially with things that bothered me.

Before I knew it, the van stopped and we were already in front of my house.

We both kept silent there on our seats for a while. Rodrick was tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. I was rubbing my arm. It didn't feel right to just leave.

"I'm sorry," both of us said at the same time. We looked at each other, tiny smiles once again appearing on our faces. Both of which grew bigger, as if we both just accepted our apologies. We just understood. No explanations needed.

His face said it all. He did mean it. I just knew he meant everything. The longer I stared at his face, his smile, under the moonlight, the more I considered taking a leap of faith and not worry about what might happen when I fall. Is it still even possible for me to see him as just a friend and nothing more?

He gulped. "Well, good night, I guess."

Just go tell him, April.

I took a deep breath, thinking of the right words to say. But all I ended up saying was, "Good night. Thanks for today."

"No, thank you," he replied.

I got out and started walking to the door. Just then, my phone started ringing. I checked it out, and it was Rodrick calling. I turned around and the van was still there. Through the window, I could see him looking at me, phone over his ear.

I shook my head with a smile and answered his call. "Hello?"

"Go to our gig this Friday. That's my wish for winning the bet," he said.

"What about the other one?" I asked.

"I don't think I should ask for that as some kind of reward for winning arcade games. But I still mean that. I'm still hoping." He looked at me the entire time through the window of his van, and I watched him too.

"Okay. I'll go to your gig," I said.

I can almost see the big grin on his face. "Alright. Sweet dreams then."

"You too." We hung up. The van started to make a u-turn as I stared at it for a second longer. Then I turned around and went inside my house.

"I'm home!" I announced.

"Did you have dinner already?" mom asked from the living room.

I went there to greet them. "Yeah, I ate already."

"You seem to be in a good mood," mom muttered.

I guess I was still smiling like an idiot. "I'm going up."

. . . . . . . . . .

True enough, in the following week, Rodrick didn't hang out at my house as often as he did. In fact, he only went there twice, just to eat lunch with me. My friends had plans with their other friends who weren't our classmates, so I couldn't hang out with them either. It was alright. School was starting in a week anyway, and I just convinced myself that I needed some me-time too.

Rodrick and I texted each other often, though. Probably more often than the past weeks. Out of the blue, he'd ask me if I was awake already, or he'd remind me to eat lunch, or he'd tell me about his band practice. Stuff like that. On the other hand, I'd wish him luck with practice, or tell him about the book I was reading, or ask him about this song he told me to listen to the night before, or remind him to eat breakfast, or brunch at least, because he always woke up late.

The resto-bar's pretty great, read the text I got from him on Tuesday that week.

Me: You guys visited?
Rodrick: yeah. it's cozy. but also edgy in a way
Me: Oh. What music will you play then?
Rodrick: we're still deciding on it. we talked to the owner and he said he didn't want super loud and hardcore ones
Me: Maybe you can do some cover songs.
Rodrick: idk, we have some ballads

The following day, he asked me if I wanted to go to his house and watch their band practice. Honestly, I wasn't really a big fan of their music because it was so loud. But I didn't have anything else to do anyway, and I didn't want Rodrick to feel bad, so I agreed to go.

I guess I got there a little bit early. I didn't hear anyone playing music or whatever when I rang their doorbell.

It was Greg who answered the door.

"Hey, Greg! Long time no see!" I said.

"Hi, April," he replied, eyeing me suspiciously. Of course, it was probably pretty weird for him to see me visiting their house out of the blue. To add to that, I was even carrying two boxes of pizza. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer the question directly. "Um, is Rodrick there?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs." He still looked confused.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." He opened the door wider, and I walked inside.

After closing the door, Greg went straight to the living room. I followed. Apparently, his friend, Rowley was there too. It seemed like the two were playing video games.

"Oh hi, April!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hi," I replied. "Oh, I have pizzas for you guys." I placed the two boxes on the living room table.

"Cool!" Rowley immediately tried to reach for a box.

Greg only watched his friend open one of the boxes. "This is really for us?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. It's for everyone here."

"Awesome!" He took a slice as well and started eating.

"What are you doing here, by the way?" Rowley asked.

"She's here for Rodrick," Greg said to him before I was able to answer.

"Oohhh." It was just that at first. Then probably something popped in his mind, so he asked a follow-up question. "Are they..." He realized I was there so he whispered the rest of his question to Greg.

Greg only shrugged. "No idea. I wanted to ask them that too."

Then Rowley turned to ask me, "Are you and Rodrick—"

"Oh you're here already," we heard from down the hall. Rodrick just came down from the stairs, holding two drumsticks in his right hand.

"Hey," I said, raising a hand, as he walked towards me.

"You're early."

I nodded. "I brought pizza." I gestured towards the living room.

Rodrick looked and saw the two boys munching on a slice each. "Wow, you didn't have to, but thanks." He walked towards them, tucked his drumsticks behind him, and got himself one slice.

"Yeah, thanks April," Rowley said.

"Yeah, this is so nice of you. Are we celebrating something?" Greg asked.

I tucked my hands in my pockets. "No, not really. I was just visiting your house, so I thought, why not bring you guys something to eat?" That, and maybe this my little way of paying back Rodrick for bringing food to my house in the past week.

"Rodrick, how come you never order us pizza?" Greg said, partly teasing his older brother.

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up, loser." He hit his arm—more playfully than taunting.

"I won't, buttbrain," the younger one mumbled, a slight smirk on his face.

I've seen them bicker a number of times before, but this was probably the mildest one. No, they weren't even fighting. They were just teasing each other.

"Wanna head upstairs first?" Rodrick asked, grabbing two slices of pizza.

"Okay then."

I followed him up to his room. It's actually been a little while since I went there. When he opened the door, I had the urge to take a look around as if I haven't been there before.

Rodrick was already eating his second slice of pizza as he went straight to his bed. "Just chill. The guys are on the way," he said.

His room was, well, still messy, but not as disgusting and smelly as it was before. "You already threw away the rotten food from under your bed, huh?" I joked as I walked around.

"What?" He looked up, a bit confused.

"You're room isn't as stinky as it was before."

"Oh, yeah. The sandwich there was like a year old!"

I cringed. "Ugh. Okay, I don't even want to imagine how it looked like."

I was looking at the objects on his desk when I noticed something familiar. "Oh!" I pointed at it.

"What? What is it?" He got up. Perhaps I startled him.

"Aww, you really kept this one, huh?" I picked up the teddy bear with the pierced eye and a tiny hole on its head, and raised it for him to see. It's the prize I won from the carnival game. It was cute that he just kept it right there, beside the Pikachu stuffed toy I won for him the other night.

He rolled his eyes. "Ah, that. Right, I was supposed to give it back to you. You can get it now."

I smirked. "You should have brought it to my house if you really had plans to give it back to me." We saw each other almost every day, and he never brought it with him.

"I, uh… I just keep forgetting it." He finished the last bite of his pizza.

I held back a laugh. "Oh really now? Okay, if you say so."

Noticing that I was low-key teasing him, he got up from his bed, walked towards me, and started sounding all defensive. "What! It's true. It's not like I was actually gonna keep it for myself."

I looked at the teddy bear and squeezed it for a second. "Like I said before, I'm not a big fan of stuffed toys."

"So am I," he said as he grabbed it from me and carefully put it back where it was earlier.

Right then I just couldn't help but smile. "Why don't you just throw it if you don't like it?"

His phone suddenly rang. "I can do that later." He went to his bed to answer the call.

I just glanced at the teddy bear as the smile on my face grew bigger.

It was one of his bandmates who called, saying they were already there in front of the Heffleys' house.

Rodrick and I went downstairs. He went straight to the garage to let his friends in because that was where they usually practiced. I waited in the living room for a while.

"They have band practice?" Greg asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Uh-oh, it's gonna be loud." Greg then turned to Rowley. "Finish that and let's go upstairs."

"Got it!" He hurriedly finished the last piece of pizza in the open box. Then the two middle-schoolers gathered their stuff and made their way to the stairs.

"There's still another box of pizza here, guys!" I told them just before they climbed up.

"We're full! You guys have it!" Greg said, then both of them disappeared as they went up to Greg's room. They must have intense band practice, I thought.

Rodrick suddenly entered the living room. "The guys are just setting up. Then we're good to go."

"Maybe you guys should grab a bite first before you start practicing." I took the unopened box of pizza and handed it to Rodrick.

"Nah, it's okay. I think they already—"

"Hey, Rodrick? Do you have some food in there?!" a voice from the garage cut him off. Rodrick rolled his eyes with his mouth still half open. I suppressed a smile. "We're kinda hungry."

"Fine, Ben!" Rodrick answered. "Sorry about that," he whispered to me.

"No, not at all. It's alright, I brought this for all of us."

"Ugh, they're always hungry." He turned and made his way to the garage entry door.

I couldn't help but give a silent laugh as I followed behind him. "You sound like a mom." He took a quick glance at me, showing a frown. "You're their mom, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not," he replied defensively.

"Momma Rodrick!" I laughed.

"Oh, shut up."

We got to the garage. "Here's some pizza." Rodrick gave the box to the guys and made his way to his drum set.

"Wow, you even ordered pizza this time?" Ben said excitedly as he opened the box.

"No, not me. April ordered it," he said casually, pointing at me while he tried to fix the stool height.

Chris and Ben slowly looked up, and only noticed me then, standing in front of the door. It seemed that they didn't expect to see me at all.

"Uh, hello?" I said, giving an awkward wave.

"Hi," Ben greeted, suspiciously narrowing his eyes at me, and then at Rodrick, then back at me. "Didn't know we're having an audience today." Rodrick rolled his eyes at that.

"Yeah…" Chris said slowly while taking a slice of pizza.

"Uh, well..." I didn't know what to say. I probably didn't even have to say anything. But I got this maybe-I-shouldn't-be-here vibe.

"Guys she's just here to hang out." Rodrick started walking back to where I was. "Stop being so weird."

"Well, I can go if me being here makes you uncomfortable." I took a step back.

"Hey, no. April, come on." Rodrick was about to reach his arm out.

"No, it's okay. Stay here, all cool," Chris said, sensing Rodrick's disappointment.

"We just didn't know someone else was gonna be here." Ben took another bite from his pizza. "Feel free to watch us play. No problem with that," he said while chewing.

Rodrick raised his eyebrows and nodded at me, the look on his eyes asking me to just stay. I got the message that it's totally fine with all of them if I did stay and watch.

"Okay then." I smiled.

When Greg said they were loud, they were really loud. Considering that I wasn't the type of person who liked turning up the volume as I listened to music through my earphones, I thought my eardrums would explode while watching and listening to them play.

I did my best to keep a straight face, though.

"So, what do you think?" Rodrick asked me after they finished playing their song called Exploded Diper.

I sat there with my eyes wide open, thinking carefully of what to say. I felt like my ears were still ringing because of how 'explosive' the song was. "Ummm… It's…" I cleared my throat. "It's okay."

"Really? You think the crowd at the resto-bar will go crazy?" Ben sounded excited to hear that.

"Ummm… Well, I think…" I scratched the back of my head. I looked at them one by one as they anxiously waited for me to elaborate on what I just said. I gulped. They might not like what I was going to say, but I had to be honest. "Isn't it a little too loud?"

"Too loud?" Chris looked offended.

"Maybe the amplifier is too loud?" Ben fiddled with the knobs.

"No, you were shouting." Chris pointed at the mic. "That's why she thought it was too loud."

"No, no, no," I stopped them because it seemed like they misunderstood what I said. "What I mean is, didn't the owner of the resto-bar say he didn't want loud and hardcore songs?"

Rodrick nodded in agreement. "That's what I've been telling—"

"Ah, right. We can just sing that song without shouting. Easy." Ben waved his hand like he was swatting a fly. Chris agreed with him. Rodrick sighed, looking down at his shoes. From his stories, he and his friends got along well, but the way Ben cut him off—that was pretty annoying. I remembered what he said back then about his band telling him to just stick to the drums. Either the two other guys just talk a lot, or they really don't listen to what Rodrick has to say.

"No, that's not the point," I said sternly, getting up from my seat. They all looked at me, surprised at the tone I used. "Okay, honestly, I don't like it. It's loud, not just because of the fact that it literally hurts my eardrums because of the yelling, but also because it's not pleasing to hear. Do you think people would go there to hear a band yell 'exploded diper' for like 80 times?—"

"It's actually just 15 times—" Ben tried to interrupt but I ignored him.

"It's different, fine, but it doesn't exactly give this cozy vibe, so I'm not sure if the owner of the resto-bar would like it too. I mean, I get that you want to stick to your art or your sound, but maybe consider what the owner wants, or what the audience could be like." I crossed my arms. Ben's mouth was left open, Chris gulped, and Rodrick's eyes were wide. They all just stared at me like that, probably not expecting that lengthy comment. "And at least give each member of your band a chance to speak up," I added.

Then Rodrick loosened up and had this tiny smirk on his face. After a moment, Ben whispered something to his ear. Then Rodrick turned to him and said something. Chris joined in the conversation too. I just watched them mumble stuff to each other for an entire minute.

Rodrick stepped aside and walked towards me. "Uh, is it okay if you…"

"What?" I let my arms down. I didn't immediately get what he was saying. He pointed to the door heading back to the house. "Oh." I made my way there, with Rodrick following right behind me. I glanced behind me before going back inside. I noticed Ben and Chris eyeing me for a second, and then they went back to talking to each other with a serious look on their faces.

Rodrick closed the door behind us. "Sorry if I asked you to step out. We decided to have a band meeting, so—"

"Are they mad at me?" I turned to him, and just realized what I had done. "They look like they hate me already. Oh no, are they mad at you now because you invited me to watch, and then I said all those things? Was I too harsh? Maybe I should have kept quiet. I'm not even in the right position to talk to them like that. Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I was just trying to—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Rodrick said reassuringly as he put his hands on my shoulders and rubbed them gently. "Calm down, okay? They're not mad at you."

"They're not? Okay. But how about you? Are they mad at you?"

He gave a laugh. "No, they're not mad at me. They're not mad at anyone, so don't worry."

"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded as he let his hands down, knowing I've already calmed down a bit. Then he held my hand and led me to the kitchen. "Okay. I was worried they got mad because of the stuff I said."

Rodrick smiled, glancing back at me and shaking his head. "Nah. If anything, they got a bit scared." He then took a pitcher from the fridge and poured me a glass of water once we got there.

"Scared?"

He laughed again. "Yeah. 'Is she angry?', 'I'm scared. Did we piss her off or something?' That's what they said."

I drank from the glass. I was trying not to sound pissed, but I guess it came out the opposite of what I intended. "Oh. I'm not angry-angry. I was trying not to be, at least. They're just…annoying. Like how can they not get it? And when they cut you off while you were trying to say something?! Do they always treat you like that? Ugh, I couldn't help it, sorry. I just had to say something."

Rodrick just watched and listened to me, leaning over the counter with his hand under his chin, his tender smile getting bigger every time I said another word.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, wondering if he was amused or something.

He shook his head, his smile not fading at all. "Nothing." He put the pitcher back where it was. After closing the fridge, he waited as I drank more water.

"Thanks, by the way," he said, "for backing me up there."

I finished what was left in the glass. "Well, I was just—"

"Just... Thanks. I appreciate it." He smiled again.

I nodded shyly, both hands on the glass. I didn't want to make it seem like I said all those things just because they ignored Rodrick. Well, that triggered it, but it wasn't all about that. Anyway, I hoped they get to sort out the entire thing without fighting or anything.

I decided to leave soon after that. I didn't go back to watching them practice anymore. Aside from protecting my ears, they still had to decide on some things among themselves. I didn't want to interfere anymore. I would just have to wait for their actual gig.

Then came Friday.

I got a message from Rodrick earlier that day. He asked me if I wanted to ride with them going to the resto-bar. Unfortunately, I had to decline his offer because my parents left me with some errands to do—they asked me to buy some things at the mall, which they'd be needing for this dinner party they're attending on the weekend.

I'll just follow, I replied.

Rodrick: dont be late!
Me: Of course I won't! You know me. See you there!

Little did I know I'd end up rushing to get to the resto-bar on time.

What happened was it took me a while to find this particular gift and bottle of wine that my parents asked me to buy. I sent them a message and tried to call them but they didn't answer immediately, so I went around the mall a bunch of times before there was an actual clarification of what they wanted me to buy.

The launch party was starting at 8pm. I finished my errands at around 5:30 and got home at around 6. By that time I was already panicking because I wanted to take another bath, and I still had to find something to wear, fix myself, and all that stuff.

Luckily, I finished around 7:40. I swear, I probably looked like a part of a fast-forwarded scene in a movie.

In my turtleneck long sleeves, jeans, boots, and coat, I waited outside, praying for a cab to pass by as soon as possible. I figured it would be the fastest way to get there, especially because I wasn't sure where exactly it was, so commuting would be a hassle. I would drive, if there was anything to drive. But the car was with my parents. Besides, they rarely allowed me to take the wheel, probably because of what happened to my brother.

Good thing one passed by after a while. I was on the road by 7:50.

I was probably shaking throughout the entire ride, checking my watch every now and then. They were performing only two or three songs, and I didn't want to miss any of those. I didn't want to break my promise to Rodrick.

After getting a little lost—the place was new so it was a bit difficult to find—I finally arrived at the resto-bar at 8:25.

It was indeed cozy and edgy. There were a lot of people, but it wasn't necessarily packed. The bar was at the far end. Adjacent to it was the stage.

I was right on time. Ben was just introducing the band to everyone. The program probably started a bit late. "Good evening everyone..."

As he spoke, I made my way through and found a spot in the middle. I just stood there since there were no more vacant seats.

"I'm Ben. This is Chris, and Rodrick. And we are Löded Diper," he said calmly although he did sound a bit nervous. I wondered if it was because the atmosphere and the audience were a little different from what they usually had.

Some people started muttering among themselves after hearing the name of the band. Perhaps the guys noticed it because they glanced nervously at each other after Ben's intro. Chris then paid attention to his bass. Ben cleared his throat, then started to say something about what they're going to sing. Meanwhile, Rodrick was scanning the crowd.

He seemed a little discouraged or worried or something. Maybe he was just nervous too. Then he spotted me. We locked eyes. A smile instantly appeared on his face, like he was relieved.

I smiled back at him as I gave a little hello wave. Blow them away, I thought.

Their first song was This Love, by Maroon 5. Honestly, I was also nervous for them, even though I wasn't performing. The vibe of the place was different from what they were as a band. But they didn't deny the offer because it was good exposure for them. Surprisingly though, they weren't so bad. A lot of people nodded their heads, satisfied with the performance. Some didn't have their eyes on the band, but still bopped to the music. One of the factors was probably because people were familiar with the song. The singing wasn't so bad too. They really practiced well.

After they played their first song, there was a round of applause from the audience.

"Thank you, thank you," Ben said, and then he started introducing the next song.

While he did, Rodrick took another glance at me. I gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled as they started the song.

Their second song was an original—Spirit Diper, if I'm not mistaken (do all their songs have the word 'diper' in it?). I haven't heard it before, but it was like an alternative rock ballad. It was different from their other songs, especially because there wasn't much shouting. It wasn't a perfect song, honestly, but it could be one of those songs you'd include in your playlist and listen to from time to time. I enjoyed it somehow, and I guess other people did too. In fact, I was curious about what the song meant, if it indeed meant something deeper.

Their third and last song was another cover song. It started off slowly and more mellow, unlike the other two. Then I realized it was Passenger Seat, by Stephen Speaks. I didn't expect them to perform something like that. Aside from Ben's singing, Chris and Rodrick also harmonized with him more in this number. What seemed like a typical cover of the song took a turn after the familiar first verse and chorus.

"Let's turn this up!" Ben exclaimed.

Suddenly, the song became more upbeat and more alt-rock. Ben continued to sing, a bit faster and more hyped up. Now this was closer to Löded Diper's sound, plus it wasn't the usual cover you'd hear. Surprisingly, it sounded good. It wasn't noisy to the ears—just right. More people were bopping their heads to the music, enjoying it, and some were even almost dancing.

At one point during the chorus, Rodrick glanced at me and gave another smile. I smiled back. This song was pretty memorable, honestly, for both of us. I don't think that smile of ours disappeared until they finished.

The song ended, and there was an applause. All three of them had the broadest smiles as they thanked everyone for listening to them. I clapped my hands and cheered. Their performance wasn't perfect, but it went so well, and I was proud of them, really.

They went down the stage as another band started setting up. I hurriedly went to meet them near the bar.

"Hey!" I waved as I walked towards them. "You guys did great!"

Chris was the first one to see me. "April, hi! Thanks!"

"You really think so?" Ben asked.

"Hmm, it wasn't perfect. But, there was a huge improvement. And people like it, so it's a win!" I replied.

"Heeeyyy, you're here!" Rodrick suddenly passed between his bandmates, walking towards me. Then he suddenly hugged me.

"Oh, heh. Hi, Rodrick." I felt a little shy, especially because he was hugging me like that in public and in front of his bandmates, which he never really did before. But also, he was so heavy and he stayed like that longer than I expected. I had to tap and push him a little harder so he'd let go. When he did, I noticed he stepped back and was swaying a little. He had to hold on to the table so he could regain balance. "Are you okay?" I asked, first directed to him, and when he didn't answer, I asked his friends, "Is he okay?"

Ben answered, "Well, the thing is, he drank a little before we started…"

"Are you guys allowed to drink here?" I whispered.

"Well, technically, no," Chris replied, "But the owner is actually a friend of my cousin's, so he allowed us to have some drinks, as a thank you and as part of our compensation for tonight. So it's all good."

I glanced at Rodrick, who had already sat down on the chair that was beside him. "Is he drunk already?" I asked Chris.

"No, I'm just a little tipsy, that's all," Rodrick replied, shaking his head. "I have a high tolerance, you know."

"Right," I agreed, remembering that party in his house and how I got all drunk and he had to look after me.

"Hey, they said they'll give us food right?" Ben asked Chris all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I'll ask." Chris then left for a while to look for the owner. Ben went with him.

"So… What do you think?" Rodrick asked me.

"You guys were amazing!" I said, sitting down on the chair next to his.

"Really?" He let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. Honestly, I guess there could be some minor improvements, but overall you were good. I mean, people were engaged! That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"I guess. That's good to know then. Thanks." He gave a shy smile. It seemed like he was really nervous about this performance. Normally he sounded boastful about their band no matter what the outcome was. I guess this was indeed a big deal for them.

He then ordered a beer for himself. He asked me if I wanted to drink something. I declined and just asked for water, to which Rodrick gave a nod. He knew I couldn't handle too much alcohol and should therefore avoid it.

"By the way, I like how you guys still somehow found a way to stick to your sound," I said.

"Oh, yeah. We talked about it after you left the other day. We all agreed it would suck if we sang songs that were too mellow or chill, because that's not us. And like you said, this isn't the venue to sing our loud pieces. So we had to find the middle ground to that," he explained.

"So This Love, and, uh… something Diper… What's that again?"

"Spirit Diper."

"Do all your songs have the word Diper in it?"

"Of course not!" He paused to think, and then started counting with his fingers. "Just, maybe 80% of our songs."

I shook my head. "What's that song actually about anyway?"

"Spirit Diper? Nothing too deep, you know. Just about our friendship and how we should work together, that there's no I in team, and that nothing can bring us down. Stuff like that. The true spirit of Löded Diper." He took a sip from his drink.

"Wow…"

He looked at me in disbelief. With a smirk, he said, "Okay I don't know if that's a good wow or a sarcastic wow."

I smiled. "A good one. I'm just a little surprised that you guys have a song like that."

"Well, yeah. It's one of our first songs, actually." He took a sip from his drink.

"What! Really?" I didn't expect that.

He nodded. "Yeah. We just don't play it often, because we often go for the hard rock-metal ones, right?"

"I see."

Chris and Ben came back not long after, bearing good news.

"First, our food's coming soon," Ben told us.

"And for the big good news… The owner liked our performance!" Chris said. I heard a 'Yes!' from Rodrick. I congratulated the three of them, but Chris said he wasn't done yet. "He said, he wants us to perform here at least twice a month!" he exclaimed.

Rodrick got up from his seat like he couldn't believe what he just heard. "What?! Are you serious?!"

"Yeah, dude, he's serious!" Ben almost shouted with his ear-to-ear smile.

Ecstatic and joyful, the three of them cheered and hugged. It was great to see them like that. Even though it wasn't like, a major award or a super huge weekly gig, it was still incredible progress for the band. And Rodrick, he looked a bit teary-eyed. He was really happy. This was probably the happiest Rodrick I've witnessed.

"Congrats you guys!" I said once they were done hugging each other. And they thanked me as they got back to their seats.

Rodrick's grin had not yet disappeared when he looked at me and whispered, "This is thanks to you, too. You helped make this happen."

Why was he giving me credit? I knew I gave some comments to them, but that was it. "No, it was all you guys. Your hard work paid off."

He shook his head. "You helped us a lot. I swear."

"But—"

He raised a hand to stop me. "Just… Thank you," he said.

Soon, the food came—pizza, pasta, fish & chips, and beef fingers. They invited me to eat along with them too. I was actually hesitant at first because it was supposed to be for the band members only, but then they said the owner wouldn't mind anyway, and there was a lot of food too. And so I ate. I'm glad I did because, one, I haven't had dinner yet, two, this was free of charge, and three, the food was so delicious. It was heaven.

The guys ordered drinks and chatted a little while they ate, talking about what other songs they could sing, how great it was that they were actually given a chance to perform every month, and some other stuff. At some point, it was only Chris and Ben were talking to each other because Rodrick was talking to me. He kept trying to include me in their conversation at first, but after a while, their topic became something I didn't know about. So I was relieved that Rodrick and I were having a conversation.

"By the way, that cover of Passenger Seat, wow, I didn't expect it to be like that," I said.

"You liked it?" He raised his brows as if he didn't expect me to comment on that.

"Yeah! It turned out great. You guys somehow made it into your own. Who knew it can be sung that way? I didn't see it until now, but you guys have potential."

He had this smile on his face while I was talking. "Glad you liked it. It took us forever to practice that. Longer than our original song."

"Really?"

He continued talking about it while eating "Yeah. We actually almost changed songs. But I liked that song and they both agreed that it would be dope to play it differently."

"It's worth it then."

He looked at me. "Yeah, I guess." Then he looked at his food again, a tiny smile forming on the corner of his lips.

When they were finished eating, Chris and Ben decided to hang around in other spots within the resto. Rodrick and I stayed by the bar, watching the bands perform and also talking about how our day went, and how bummed we were about school starting too soon. While all that happened, he kept ordering drinks for himself. I knew he said he had a high tolerance, but I was still a little worried.

"Do you wanna stay there?" I pointed to the other side of the resto, where there was a booth. I was trying to get him to stop ordering more alcohol.

"Nah, I'm good here," he said.

A little while later, he talked less and just kept nodding to whatever I said, sometimes chuckling even though there wasn't anything funny. So then we just watched the performers on stage. Rodrick bopped his head, danced with his hands and arms, and laughed at what he was doing. After that band's last song, he suddenly raised his arm and shouted "Yeaahh!"

Oh no, I thought. I counted how many empty bottles were on the table. Eight. His 'high tolerance' had reached its limit.

He was still doing this little dance on his seat even though the next performer hadn't started yet. "One more beer, Mr. Barista Man!"

I stopped the barista. "Sir, he's okay. He's not ordering any more."

"Whaaaaat? No, I'm ordering one more. Gimme gimme," he said. And the barista gave it to him anyway.

"Rodrick, stop it now. I think you're drunk already," I told him.

"Drunk?!" He almost spat the word. "I don't get drunk!" He shook his head and drank from the bottle.

"Gosh, I thought you can control yourself when you drink. You're not even legal to drink yet," I muttered.

"Pssshhh." He held a finger in front of his mouth, shushing me. "In this place, it's legal and safe and totally awesome. Right, Mr. Barista Man?" He pointed at him and waited for an answer. The barista nodded. He probably didn't care whatever we did that night. Meanwhile, Rodrick sounded more and more drowsy as he continued, placing a hand over his chest. "Besides I, Rodrick Heffley, can control myself. So just let me drink as much as I want. Just this once," he slurred, and then laughed. His eyes looked heavy as if he was about to pass out any moment.

Is he intentionally trying to get drunk tonight?

The next band had already started playing, and Rodrick started grooving along. "Music is life!" he yelled and started standing up.

I stopped him, pulling him down to his seat. "Stay low-key, will you? You're not supposed to let the whole world know that you're drinking."

"Oh is it a secret?" he whispered. "Sshhh." Again, he drank from the bottle.

I scanned the resto, looking for Chris and Ben. They were somewhere in the middle, but they were busy talking to someone. I sighed. "I know you're celebrating, but maybe you shouldn't drink this much."

He smirked. "People don't just drink coz they're celebrating." He took a sip. I wondered where he was getting at. "People drink... coz they wanna drink." Then he leaned closer as if he was telling me a secret. "Or or maybe they're happy or sad or angry or they be goin' through some shit or they just wanna drink because they want to. Do you get it? They do this all the time in movies, do you like movies?"

I nodded, but my mind was somewhere else. Come to think of it, he had already started drinking before their performance. "Are you okay, Rodrick?" I asked.

"Yeah!" He sat up straight. "How many times will I tell you that I'm not drunk?!"

"I wasn't asking about that—"

"Oh! This song is nice." He started getting up from his seat. "Let's dance!"

"Rodrick, nobody dances in here—" I tried to stop him, but he already got up and then stumbled forward. I immediately left my seat to help him so he wouldn't fall to the ground. I reached out for his hand just in time, and his other hand held onto the chair for support.

"Oh! You wanna daaaance." He pointed at me with a cringey smile on his face. His other hand was still holding mine.

"No, I just wanna sit down!" I tried to keep my voice low so people wouldn't look at us.

"Just one dance. One dance only please?" He raised a finger. I rolled my eyes. He noticed that, and then said, "Fine I'll just dance alone. I might end up like that anyway so why not get used to it?"

Something's wrong. I sighed. "Fine, just one. And let's just stay here."

"Yesss!" He took my other hand and then literally just swayed where we were standing. We looked like idiots.

People might have been staring at us, and the thought made me feel embarrassed and conscious. But at the same time, I found it a tiny bit amusing to see Rodrick drunk. I've never witnessed that before.

He was humming to the music, then he suddenly stopped to say something. "Oh, this reminds me of this school dance. You know those stupid school dances right?"

"Yeah?" I said, waiting for him to continue.

"Wait okay I'm done dancing." He let go of my hands and went back to his seat to drink from the bottle again.

I sat down again too. I didn't want to press any further, but I was curious at what he was supposed to be getting at. "You were saying?"

"Right. What was I saying?" he asked. Oh gosh talking to someone drunk was harder than I thought.

"Um, school dances."

"Oh, yeah yeah. So you know how in school we have some dances like prom, spring dance, winter dance or whatever season dance, right?" he asked again. It was getting so repetitive, so I just nodded. "I don't like those stuff." He swept his hand in the air and shook his head. "But this last one—they called it the Winter... Snow... Winter dance or the Christmas dance or whatever—it was, it was kinda different coz, well, I wasn't supposed to go but then I went. So yeah." He was dragging almost every word. I was surprised he was still able to form coherent sentences.

"Ah. Congrats, I guess." I drank some water.

"Oh and it was also different because there was this girl I kinda wanted to ask to be my date to that dance," he added.

I almost choked. I placed the glass back on the table. "What? Who?" I asked, curiosity taking over. I spent a lot of time with Rodrick last semester and I didn't see him hang out with other girls that much. So who on earth could he be talking about?

"Well, I spent a lot of time with her to study for the exams that week. Pfft I don't normally study like that."

I'd be lying if I say my heart didn't skip a beat.

"So I had all the chance that week to ask her, but I didn't."

I gulped. "Why?"

He shrugged and yawned. "Don't know. Guess I was scared, or unsure, or just dumb. She probably would have said no anyway."

"You don't know that."

He shook his head. "Ah, whatever. I saw her there anyway, and wow did she look gorgeous. We got to dance and go for a drive so it's all good. Amazing night." He drank some beer again. Meanwhile, I hid a smile. "Oh. Halfway there I see," he said, staring at the bottle and talking to it after he took a sip. "I'm getting another after this," he mumbled.

"No more. That's your last one. You've had too much," I said. Maybe I tried to sound strict.

"Mom? Is that you?" He squinted at me. Then he chuckled. "You're not my mother!"

I sighed. "Can you give me a glass with ice?" I asked the barista.

He immediately handed one to me. I then snatched the bottle from Rodrick and poured half of what was left to my glass.

"Hey!" he complained. "That's miiine!"

"Here. I'm just helping you." I gave back the bottle and drank a little beer from the glass. I winced a little. Beer never tasted great.

"Why don't you get your own bottle, beer stealer?" Rodrick drank again after saying that.

"Why is he drinking so much?" I muttered, not really expecting an answer.

"Before the show," he suddenly said, staring at the beer bottle as if he was inspecting the label. "Before the show, I was nervous. I don't get nervous a lot but this time I just didn't want us to screw up." He was quite talkative when he was drunk, even though he sounded and looked sleepy already.

I nodded. "This gig must be a big deal for you."

He kind of ignored me. "Not to mention there's this person I invited, and I thought she wouldn't come." He leaned closer for a second as if he was sharing another secret. "It's that same girl I was talking about earlier," he whispered, then went back to his normal sitting position. "I thought, okay I have to loosen up, so I drank a bit."

Wow. Does it really mean that much to him? I thought. He drank again. I took another sip and then listened, not knowing what to say.

He sat in silence for a few moments, just holding the bottle in front of him and staring at it. Then he heaved a sigh and glanced at me for a second with a faint smile. "Her name's April, by the way… Wait, you actually remind me of her. No, you actually look like her." He leaned towards me, frowning as he took a closer look. I didn't say anything.

"Are you two related or something?" He gasped. "Are you her long-lost twin? Are you like… the other Lindsay Lohan in that Lindsay Lohan film where she was still a kid and had a twin? I didn't know she had a twin."

I laughed. "Lindsay Lohan doesn't have a twin, you idiot. I don't have a twin, too."

"So you've seen that movie?" He asked me, pointing the bottle at me. I just nodded. "That was a good one." He moved away again and took another sip. "I watched that with her." He sighed, staring at the bottle again. "If only I can keep watching movies with her… You know that feeling? Like you always want to spend time with that person? You always want to know how she's doing? You always want to talk to her?"

I drank again, and then just looked at him. I know that feeling, too.

He took a deep breath, then ruffled his hair. He chuckled. "I sound so cliche and cheesy. This is so stupid." He put both of his hands on his face. "She doesn't even like me." He lowered his hands and clasped them together, and now his chin was resting on top of them. "Nah, she hates me. Yeah, I'm probably gonna be alone for the rest of my life."

That didn't sound like Rodrick at all. There was sadness in his words. There was pain. I was surprised to be hearing them from him. "Hey, don't say those things!" I told him.

He shook his head. "Nah, nah, I'm sure of it."

"You're not—"

"I kissed her on New Year. And you know what she did? She said… She said 'Happy New Year' and went back to her cabin. I get it I get it, why the hell did I do that? What a dumb, stupid, stupid move!" As he talked, his head was already swaying and it seemed as if he was trying so hard to stay awake. I wanted to say something but he continued. "And then this one time, this one time, I won our bet and I got a wish. I told her, hey I hope we can give this thing a chance. And she got mad—I knew she got mad because she asked me if I was giving her a deadline. I wasn't. I wasn't, but the thing is she never told me anything. How she felt or whatever. So anyway, that's strike two for me." He held up a number two with his fingers, sighed, and then drank again.

"Just because she acted that way, it doesn't mean she hates you," I told him, trying to calm him down.

"Like, what the heck is wrong with me? The heck do I lack?" he whined to himself.

"Rodrick, nothing's—"

"Ah! I think I get it." He shook his head and chuckled. "She is too good for me. She's responsible and organized. I'm a whole freakin' mess. She's smart, and I'm... a butt-brain. She's pretty, and I'm, well, okay we're a tie on that one. I look great too, I know that. But then we also fight a lot. About, I dunno, some petty crap." He drank again, and then just stared lazily at the bottle. He was being too hard on himself. Was drunk Rodrick always like this?

He then looked at me, giving a bittersweet smile as he said, "Tell me. How do you unlike someone?" I just stared back, not knowing how to answer. He then continued, now facing front and seemingly talking to the air, "Coz, I really, really, really like this girl... So bad. But, ha, my chances are low. I should probably just give up, don't you think?"

"Don't," I said too quickly. He just glanced at me and then drank from the bottle, finishing what was left inside. "What if she likes you back?"

He stopped, considering the thought. Again, he smirked. Then he laughed, shaking his head again. "No, no, no. You weren't listening. She hates me."

"You don't know that. What if she doesn't?"

"Ugh. This whole… situation is hopeless." He pushed the bottle further from him but didn't take his hand off of it. He was just slowly rotating it. He heaved a sigh, the sound of his breath trembled a little. He looked up at the ceiling and breathed heavily again.

I couldn't believe this. His eyes were reddish. He was already getting teary-eyed but at the same time trying to stop a tear from actually falling. The alcohol—it was making him so emotional. I low-key panicked, getting more worried about his current state. I moved my chair closer and gently patted his back, hoping it would give a little comfort. "Hey, hey… Don't cry. Nothing's wrong with you. It's all okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

He gulped and then shook his head. He sat up a bit, and I removed my hand from his back. "Cry? No, I'm not crying. It's just eye sweat. You haven't heard of eye sweat?" he said, forcing a laugh. He really looked devastated, so different from the Rodrick I knew.

I took a deep breath. "Don't feel so bad, Rodrick. Don't even say that she hates you, because she doesn't."

"How do you know that?" he asked, leaning over the counter with his chin resting on the table.

"I just do," I said. He looked at me, with eyes that said I wasn't convincing enough. Then he looked straight ahead again. I drank from my glass and then started to elaborate. "I mean, what if she likes you too? But she's just, I don't know, scared? Scared to lose what you two have. Scared to lose you. Scared to screw up… Scared to fall, and end up falling endlessly with no one to catch her because she failed. Maybe that's why she hasn't expressed how she actually feels, even though, deep down, she may already know how she feels." I realized I was getting teary-eyed too. I shook my head and let out a laugh. "Does that even make sense?"

I was just thinking out loud, so I didn't expect to hear a response from him, nor a sudden thud on the table.

It was none other than Rodrick, of course, the very person I was talking to. His head just hit the table, and there he was, fast asleep.

I finished the beer left in my glass and then just looked at him for a moment. Then I bent over the counter like he did, propping an arm up for support and leaning my head there. I just stared at him. His face, which was fortunately not covered by his messy hair, was washed red from all the drinking. He smelled like beer all over. He looked like he was exhausted from partying or jamming to music. He didn't seem like that person a while ago who was holding back his tears. I didn't know he could get so emotional and sensitive.

"She's sorry." My voice trembled, and I gulped as I sat up again, staring at the glass I was holding. "She's sorry for being scared. For not figuring it all out sooner. For not telling you right away…" A tear started to fall on my cheek but I wiped it away immediately. I took another deep breath, just to calm myself down. "For not telling you right away that she likes you," I whispered to him, even though he couldn't hear me or probably remember any part of our conversation. "I like you too."

. . . . . . . . . .

It was Saturday. My parents and I had just finished eating lunch when the doorbell rang.

Mom was doing the dishes. I heard her voice from the living room. "April, could you get that please?"

"Yeah, sure." I got up and headed to the door.

I was almost there when it rang again. The person outside seemed pretty impatient. "Hold on! I'm coming."

When I finally opened it, standing outside was Rodrick, panting as if he did a brisk-walk to my house (even though it seemed like he drove on his way here because I could see his van parked on the side of the street). His other hand was on the wall next to the doorbell as he was leaning a bit for support. He had this serious look on his face.

I stepped out and closed the door behind me. "Rodrick! What are you doing here? Are you okay already?" I asked, remembering how drunk he got the night before.

He stood up straight. "We..." He gulped. "We have to talk."

"Now?" I put my arms in front of me, half-embracing myself because it was cold. "Can this wait 'til later, though? My parents are he—"

"No." I was a little surprised by his straightforward answer, and his overall mood. "This can't wait."

"Why? What is it?" I asked.

He looked away, frustrated. Then looked at me again. "You know what it is."

I just looked at him, a little confused.

"I remember what happened last night," he said.

I gulped. "Everything?"

He nodded. "Everything." Then he scratched his head. "Well, most of it, I guess."

I gave a laugh, trying to hide my nervousness. "Psh, you're kidding me. You were so drunk last night. How could you remember a thing?"

He wasn't there to beat around the bush.

"You said you like me too. Right?"