Freddie sat in his bedroom holding the slip of paper that Griffin had given him and stared at the phone lying in front of him on the bed. He'd been trying gather up the courage to pick up the phone for almost a week. The episode with Spencer's sculpture had finally made the decision for him. He had almost gotten over the handsome artist but his physically undeniable reaction to the anatomically correct mannequin had posed a serious threat to his personal well being. Despite his resolution to call Griffin and get that part over with he had been staring at the phone for an hour and a half. With a sigh Freddie finally picked up the phone and punched the number in. He listened to it ring for a while before Griffin's voice came on the line.
"This is Griffin. I'm either asleep or away from the phone, please leave a message and I'll get back to you when I wake up." The older boy's voice was warm and husky and Freddie couldn't help but grin at the sound of it.
"Hey this is Freddie Benton from downstairs, I was just giving you a call, talk to you later." Freddie hung up the phone and groaned miserably gently smacking the phone against his forehead. He was pretty sure he had sounded like a complete doofus and his voice actually cracked halfway through the message. His voice hadn't cracked in months and it suddenly decided to splinter all to pieces while he was on the phone with one of the cutest guys he knew. Still it was good to know that the ball was in Griffin's court now, he had made his call and left his message, it was up to the older boy what happened now.
He got out of the bed and wondered over to his dresser and began to fidget with the things scattered across the top of it. It was a habit he'd developed from his mother. Whenever he was nervous he neatened compulsively whether things needed it or not. He had rearranged the top of the dresser five times when his phone rang. He turned and headed for the bed so quickly that his feet tangled and he ended up falling onto the bed on top of his cell phone. It rang again and vibrated against his stomach; he dug beneath him and pulled out the phone flipping it open.
"Hello?"
"Fredward, Carli wants to know if you want to go to the Groovy Smoothie." Sam barked. Freddie moved the phone away from his ear by an inch and sighed.
"I'm kind of waiting for a phone call." Freddie said weakly.
"What's the matter with your cell phone?" Sam asked.
"Nothing, I'm talking on it right now." Freddie said sheepishly.
"Then get your butt out here before I come in after you." Sam bellowed into the phone. Freddie jumped and almost dropped his cell.
"Alright, alright, I'm on my way out." He said quickly climbing from the bed and heading for the door. He had no doubt that Sam would come in after him, especially with his mom out of town at another parenting conference. When he opened his door he found Carli standing outside in the hall grinning while Sam paced back and forth impatiently.
"Hey," he said as he walked over to stand beside Carli.
"Let's go." Sam said breaking her pacing to start towards the elevator.
"Who are you waiting to call?" Carli asked as they followed along behind Sam.
"Griffin, I called and got his voicemail." Freddie said as he watched Sam tap violently on the elevator button, it was a pretty safe bet that it had been a couple hours since the blonde girl had eaten, she was acting a little squirrely.
"Oh, you wanted to be home in case he wanted to do something tonight?" Carli asked glancing over at him as the elevator opened.
"Yeah, I wanted to be able to shower and put on the outfit we picked up." Freddie replied as the doors slid open and Sam darted onto the elevator.
"Well, Groovy Smoothie isn't too far away, you'll probably have time to run back and get ready." Carli said as they stepped onto the elevator. Sam had already began to pace within the tight confines of the small box, Freddie and Carly positioned themselves in the front corners to leave her enough room to move. Sam could be a bit unpredictable when she was hungry and penned up.
"Yeah I guess so, I'm just kind of nervous, first date and all." Freddie said giving sight of relief as the doors swung open and Sam brushed past them into the lobby.
"You've been on dates before." Carly said as they followed the blonde girl across the lobby and out into the street.
"Yeah, but never with a guy, I'm thinking it's going to be a little bit different." Freddie said as they crossed the street and walked down to the smoothie place. By the time they go inside Sam was already seated at a table gnawing on a bagel.
"What are you two talking about?" She asked as she gestured for another. With food in her stomach her demeanor had improved greatly and she was ready to participate in the conversation.
"Freddie called Griffin today but got his voicemail, now he's spazzing about the first date." Carli explained as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Well it's kind of spazzworthy," Sam said smirking. "I mean do you even have any protection?"
"Who needs protection on the first date?" Carli asked giving Sam a incredulous look.
"Well, not everybody, but you know how fast guys like to move, imagine what it'd be like if there wasn't a girl there to slow it down."
"I'm not going to do anything on the first date!" Freddie insisted. "Let's completely ignore the fact that my mom would kill me if she found out, I'm not ready for a step that big, I haven't even got my stitches out." He said laying his wrist on the table.
. "Now look what you've done." Carli said shooting the blonde girl a dirty look. "No one expects you do anything on the first date, Freddy."
"Griffin might." Sam said grinning wolfishly as the waiter finally came back with another bagel and her smoothie.
"Sam!" Carly said glaring at the other girl. "Listen, Freddie, when Griffin and I were dating he was fine, all we ever did was kiss. The only reason I saw him with his shirt off was because he got hurt."
"He might act different with guys, though. He actually wants shiz to happen with them." Sam said philosophically. Carli reached across the table and grabbed the bagel from Sam's hands and through it across the room. Sam looked at the dark haired girl with her mouth hanging open before she jumped up to chase after her food.
"Ignore her, you know she always sees things in black and…black." Carli said soothingly.
"I know, but what if she's right, I mean I've hear that gay guys do like to move fast, what if Griffin is like that?" Freddie asked resting his face against the table.
"Well if he's like that then you get up and walk out. It's not like Griffin is the only other gay guy in the city." Carli said reaching over to ruffle his hair.
"No, but he's the only guy that gave me his phone number." He said sitting back up.
"Freddie, he's the only person outside of us that knows you're gay, just because he's the first guy who gave you his number doesn't mean he's going to be the last." Carli said.
"You whinged my bagel!" Sam said accusingly as she returned to the table.
"You were torturing Freddie." Carli said without an ounce of guilt.
"I was just telling the truth." Sam said shrugging as she took another bite of her bagel.
"The truth doesn't have to be so scary, Sam." Freddie said rolling his eyes at her.
"The world's a scary place." Sam said without taking her attention off her food. Carli made another reach for the bagel but Sam jerked it away and snapped at her fingers. Carli jerked her hand back and gave the blond girl a disgruntled look.
"I know," Freddie said sighing. "But I didn't try to terrify you before your first date did I?"
"No," Sam said looking up at him for a moment. "I'm sorry, have a good time with Griffin; do you want to borrow my sock full of nickels?" Sam asked grinning at him. Before Freddie or Carli could respond his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it the colour draining from his face.
"Answer it!" Carli said excitedly nudging him.
"Hello?" Freddie said as he flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear. He winced as his voice cracked mid word and Sam fell out of her chair laughing.
"Hey Freddie, its Griffin, what's up?" Freddie did his best to ignore Sam as she rolled back and forth on the floor cackling while Carli did her best to quiet her.
"Not a lot, I thought I'd just give you a call." He said shaking his head as Carli grabbed one of Sam's arms and drug her away from the table still laughing.
"Wow, where are you, it sounds king of noisy." Griffin said laughing lightly. Freddie couldn't help but smile.
"I'm at the Groovy Smoothie." He replied trying to keep his voice light and comfortable.
"I didn't realize it got that rowdy down there."
"Not normally." Freddie said grinning.
"So you want to hang out later, go get a bite to eat or something?"
"Um…sure, when?" Freddie asked instantly feeling stupid.
"How about later tonight, what do you say about seven thirty, meet you in the lobby?" Griffin asked.
"That'd be great, I'll see you then." Freddie said bouncing lightly in his seat.
"Later."
"Later. The minute he hung up the phone Carli rushed back over to the table and sat down. Sam had stopped laughing but she was still lying in the floor where Carli had drug her.
"What? No return trip?" She asked climing to her feet and brushing off her clothes before coming to sit back down.
"So what did he say?" Carli asked staring intently at Freddie.
"We're going to hang out later tonight." Freddie said trying to look nonchalant by shrugging his shoulders.
"When? Where?" Carli asked bouncing in her chair.
"Seven thirty in the lobby." Freddie said grinning.
"Oh my god we've got to get back to the apartment." Carli said jumping to her feet.
"Carli, it's only a quarter 'til six." Freddie said staring up at her with his eyes wide.
"I know, that only leaves you and hour and forty five minutes to get ready." Carli said tapping her foot impatiently.
"Carli, he's a boy, all he has to do is shower and put on clothes, both of which are really optional." Sam said looking at the dark hair girl with a tired look. "It's not like he's got to shave or put on makeup or do his hair."
"You're not going to do your hair?" Carly said looking at him accusingly.
"Yeah, but it only take a few minutes." Freddie said throwing his hands up. Carli reached over and rubbed the back of her hand over his cheek.
"She's right, you don't need to shave, still come on I want to help you get ready." She said tugging at his shirt.
"Carly, I'm going to shower and put on clothes. Neither of those are things I need help with." He said slowly.
"Let me do your hair." Carli said emphatically.
"Fine," Freddie said getting up from the table. "When I finish getting dressed I'll come over to your place and you can fix my hair."
"Yay," Carli said heading towards the door.
"And she said I was being scary." Sam whispered as she got up to follow Carli.
"I know right?"
Freddie went and took a shower and pulled on the clothes that they had picked out. The jeans were slightly tighter than he remembered and he was really hoping he didn't look funny as he grabbed his gell and comb and walked across the hall to Carli's. He was especially glad that his mom was away, she never would have let him leave the house wearing a hoodie with nothing under it. He opened the door at Carli's and considered turning to run when he saw the kitchen counter where the computer sat heaped with hair care products.
"Hurry before you hair dries." Carly said urgently. He walked over to the counter and looked down at it apprehensively, there was stuff layed that he couldn't even mind. Carli patted the stool at the end of the counter and he sat down with a sigh. Sam was sitting at the kitchen table watching it all with a sadistic interest. As soon as he sat down Carli began working on his hair and his apprehension grew as she added more products. He thought about running again when she brushed his bangs down over one of his eyes. The whole time Carli worked Freddie watched Sam whose grin grew wider and wider. By the time Carli was done he was afraid to look in the mirror. When she pulled a mirror from behind the computer and plopped it down in front of him Freddie was surprised. He really didn't look like himself but he didn't look bad.
"This is alright." He said looking into the mirror.
"You look like Pete Wentz." Sam said grinning.
"So," Carli said barely glancing at the other girl.
"Pete Wentz is a hose bag." Sam said smiling viciously. "But you look alright Freddo." She got up and walked over to the counter. She reached over and grabbed hold of the hoodie's zipper and pulled it halfway down his chest.
"Perfect." She said walking away. "Don't touch it!" She shouted as Freddie moved to zip it back up a little, she hadn't even turned around. Freddie glanced at the time on the computer and started, it was already seven fifteen, Carli had spent almost an hour doing his hair.
"I better head downstairs." He said sliding from the stool. Carli wished him luck but Sam didn't say a word. Instead she followed him out into the hall and closed the door behind them.
"Here Freddie." She said pushing a strip of plastic towards him. He took it before realizing what it was.
"Sam, I don't need condoms, I told you I wasn't going to do anything." He said pushing them back towards her.
"I know, they're just in case, they'll be good for a while. Just take them, okay." She said, her face showed genuine concern so he folded them up and slipped them into the front pocket of his jeans.
"Thanks."
"No problem." She said grinning before she turned to go back into the apartment. Freddie took a deep breath and made it to the elevator. He was so nervous on the ride down that he kept jumping up and down in place until finally the elevator door slid open. He walked out into the lobby and stopped dead. Griffin was standing in the middle of the lobby holding hands with another boy. Freddie almost turned back into the elevator but it closed behind him just as Griffin looked up.
"Hey Freddie." He said smiling.
"Oh, hey." Freddie said walking across the lobby trying to look natural. He sincerely wished a hole would open up beneath him and swallow him. He couldn't believe that he had though Griffin wanted to go out on a date.
"This is my boyfriend, Stefan." Griffin said nodding towards the tall light haired boy beside him.
"Hey," Freddie said having trouble meeting either of the boy's eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Freddie." Stefan said reaching his hand out. Freddie shook his hand but drew his away as fast as he possibly could.
"Where do you guys want to go?" He asked looking out the door.
"We were thinking about hitting a Chinese place a few blocks over, if that's alright with you." Stefan said smiling warmly. Before Freddie could answer his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his hoodie pocket and glanced at the number and almost dropped the phone. It was Shane, the boy Carli and Sam had both tried to date until he ended up falling down an elevator shaft. He had been in a coma for the past couple of months.
"I need to take this." He said walking away from the other two boys.
"Shane?" He asked as he answered the phone.
"Hey, Freddie." The other boy's voice sounded hoarse.
"I can't believe it, how are you doing." He asked excitedly.
"Well, I'm kind of broken but I'm awake and the doctors don't think there's any permanent damage." His friend said laughing before groaning.
"I'm coming over." Freddie said.
"Can't wait to see you, I'm bored." Shane said Freddie could almost picture him rolling his eyes.
"I'll be there in a few." Freddie said hanging up the phone.
"Sorry guys, but I got to go see a friend of mine in the hospital." Freddie said walking back over to Griffin and Stefan.
"Oh wow, are they okay?" Griffin asked his eyebrows going up.
"Yeah, he just got out of a coma." Freddie said heading towards the door. "I'll talk to you later."