But on the way to pick up Lindsay, he did manage to forget.
He forgot all about the fact that his mother didn't care one bit for him. Because if she had, she would have been happy for him, asking him all sorts of questions about
Lindsay, and perhaps giving him a hard time just like his Uncle Hank would have. He forgot all about his dad killing Uncle Hank, and that he'd never see his monster of a
father ever again. All he could think about when he slowed his car to a stop in front of the brick rambler with the station wagon and the SUV in the driveway was that
he couldn't wait to see Lindsay.
She was hardly his girlfriend, but the idea that someone like her, or anyone for that matter, had a crush on him made him feel like he could fly. He turned off the engine
and eagerly pushed the car door open, unable to slow his steadily beating heart. God, why was he so nervous?
Balancing his crutches, he pushed himself to a standing position and closed the door. As he walked slowly toward the front door, he wondered if he should have
brought her a corsage or a bouquet of flowers. This wasn't the senior prom; just a normal high school dance. But isn't that what guys in the movies always did, bring
their dates flowers?
Damn… why did Uncle Hank have to be dead? Why couldn't-
The door opened, startling him when he saw the annoyed looking man with greying temples and stubble on his face standing before him. "You've been standing here
for over five minutes. If you're trying to sell something we're not interest-."
Lindsay appeared before him, pushing her way past the man. "Dad, leave him alone. He's not a door to door salesman! This is Flynn, the guy who's taking me to the
dance."
Flynn was all-too aware of Lindsay's dad's eyes moving up and down his body. It was a common scenario and Flynn knew exactly what the man was thinking. The guy
was probably wondering what his daughter could possibly see in a crippled kid, and even more so, how a crippled kid could possibly score a date. Was it sympathy?
Lindsay didn't give her dad a chance to say anything. She kissed her dad's cheek and smiled at Flynn. "Dad, don't worry. I'll be fine. Flynn's in my math class and we've
been friends for a while now." And then she giggled. "Oh, Dad this is Flynn White. Flynn, this is my dad."
The man's eyebrows rose. "White? You wouldn't be the son of Walter White, would you?"
Flynn's eyes met Lindsay's and he panicked. His dad's death and all the bad things that he'd done… making meth with that jerk Jessie Pinkman (who didn't seem to be
that much older than Flynn), kidnapping an innocent baby, his own daughter, and kissing his Uncle Hank… Flynn was sure that at least one of his father's evil acts had
been plastered on the local news and in the newspapers for everyone to see. But he refused to take the blame for that monster's actions.
He was no longer Walt Jr. He was Flynn White and he was his own person. And so his only reply was a nod and an extension of his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you
sir. Thank you for allowing Lindsay to accompany me to the dance."
It was a lame response, to be sure, worthy of a fifties television show, but it was the best he could do. And surprisingly it seemed to diffuse the potential bomb that
was about to go off. The man extended his hand. "Likewise, um… Flynn was it?"
"Dad, we've got to go." Lindsay interrupted. "I'll be back later and I promise I won't be late. Goodbye Dad."
To Flynn's surprise, she grabbed his hand and led him away from the house. When they reached Flynn's car, she let out a breath and smiled. "Look, I'm sorry about
that. My dad can be such a pain but he's okay. He's just overprotective. My mom is way cooler, but -." She stopped talking and her eyebrows rose. "Why are you
looking at me like that?"
Flynn blinked and looked away, embarrassed. "Oh, I just-."
She smoothed her pink sweater and skirt that was adorned with pink and blue flowers. "I hope I look all right. I wasn't sure what to wear. I've never been to a dance
before."
"Are you kidding?" He wanted to say. "You look amazing!" But even that thought was a complete understatement. She was even prettier than he'd ever imagined.
"Y-you look…"
She blushed and smiled. "I know it's probably lame to wear a dress, but it's a dance, right?"
He looked at his black jeans and charcoal grey long sleeve dress shirt, wishing had worn a tie. Even if the only ones he had belonged to his dad, he could have handled
it for one night. Damn… Uncle Hank would have-
He stilled when he felt Lindsay gently take his hand. "Hey… are you all right?"
He didn't want to tell her that he was ashamed of the way he looked, but when her eyes moved up and down his body, he knew… he knew that she knew….
"Look, Flynn if you're worried about what you're wearing, don't, okay? You look really nice. Well, more like handsome."
His cheeks began to flush. No girl except his mom and Aunt Marie (and they were women, not girls) had ever called him handsome before. Why hadn't he told Lindsay
that she was pretty? He was certain that his Uncle Hank was looking down on him from Heaven, shaking his head in disappointment. He just hoped that the rest of the
night went as well as he'd hoped.
"Say something, Junior!"His dad's voice rang in his ears.
"Um… Thanks." He stammered.
There was an awkward silence before mercifully she spoke again. "Well, shall we go?"
"Um... Yeah, that's a good idea."
She moved toward his car and he hurried as fast as he could on his crutches, moving in front of her. His hand trembled as he fumbled with the door handle, finally
managing to pop it open. She smiled at him, obviously impressed with his manners. His Uncle Hank may have been tough but Flynn had watched him enough with his
Aunt Marie to know that Uncle Hank had much better manners than his father.
"Thank you." Lindsay said, sliding onto the seat. Making sure that she was safely inside, Flynn closed the door but stared in amazement when she leaned across the
cheap leather seat to unlock his door for him.
This was his first date ever, and Lindsay was doing things that he should have been doing. He was, after all, a man now, as his Uncle Hank would say.
He climbed into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition, smiling when he noticed that she already had her seatbelt on. He followed suit, his heart
warming when she noticed he was having trouble inserting the buckle and her hand brushed against his as the belt clicked into place.
He took a deep breath and started the engine. He was so nervous that he didn't talk much, but Lindsay kept the conversation going by talking about school, music,
sports (who knew a girl liked football?), and anything else she could think of.
Before long he was carefully pulling into a parking space in front of the school. When he climbed out of the car, his unease returned. Lindsay had done an amazing job
of keeping his mind off of his anxieties, like facing the kids at school, but now that he was staring at the building, his courage was slowly fading to non-existent. He
could only imagine the hell that awaited him inside.
It took him longer than normal to adjust his braces and by this point most people would have either taken off without him or rolled their eyes, making him feel stupid
and guilty.
But not Lindsay.
She stood there, waiting patiently, pressing the tiny screen on her phone. His first thought was that she was texting her friends, telling them how lame he was and
that she wished she hadn't come. But he shoved the thought from his mind. She liked him didn't she? He highly doubted that she would have said the words, much less
been ready to go when he arrived for their date if she wasn't at least a little sincere. He was certain that she wasn't the type to lie about her feelings. She wasn't like
Missy Sherwood.
Once again he was so deep in thought that he barely heard her calling his name. "Flynn… Flynn! Are you coming?"
Embarrassed he, was grateful for her cheerful laugh that told him she wasn't angry, but more so for the darkness that hid the flush of his cheeks. "Oh… yeah. I'm sorry.
I was just thinking."
She moved closer, her hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? We don't have to do this."
"No." he said firmly. "I'm fine. Come on, let's go."