"Eva just said, 'No, we don't know who it is.' Then Izzy said that they did, actually, but they're not telling us who it is. Then Eva elbowed her to get her to shut up, and said that whoever it is will probably confess when they're ready." Gwen fiddled with her pencil, tapping it incessantly against her science textbook. "So, it's totally Noah."
Cody nodded dumbly. Just like that, he knew he'd lost any hope of being able to focus on the lesson. Noah was getting ready to consume his thoughts again.
He'd never felt so terrified in all his life.
Closing his workbook, he stared at the piece of paper under it. Staring back at him were the lyrics of his unfinished love ballad.
He still didn't know what else to put. No matter what he thought of, they didn't seem to fit, either.
Actually, the more he thought about it, there were no lyrics on earth that fit what he wanted to say. He had no idea how to properly articulate his feelings.
Gwen nudged him. "You should ask him out."
Cody's entire body froze. He felt pretty cold, too. "Are you serious?" he whispered.
"Yes, I'm serious," Gwen whispered again.
"But what if he says no?"
Gwen thought about it for a moment. "Well…you don't have to ask him out ask him out. You could just like…invite him over to play video games or read comic books, or something."
Cody chewed on his lip. As nervous as he was about it, it wasn't actually a bad idea at all.
"You should really spend more time with him," Gwen continued. "It might make it easier for you to confess."
Yeah, Gwen had a point there.
Cody fiddled with his pencil as he thought hard about it. It would be a great opportunity to come out of his shell a little. Plus, with his parents always at work, it meant that there would be no one around to disturb them. They could just…hang out.
It didn't have to be romantic. Yet.
It could just be the two of them together. Alone. Playing video games, sitting next to each other on the couch. Just hanging out.
As friends. No pressure.
"I can totally ask him to hang out," Cody said, sitting up straighter. He breathed in deeply, feeling the confidence swell in his chest.
"That's the spirit, Cody!" Gwen high-fived him. She grinned devilishly. "I dare you to ask him out at lunch!"
Cody gulped, his chest deflating slightly. "At lunch? That soon?"
"Why not?" She shrugged. "Might as well get it over with, right?"
"Yeah…okay…that makes sense." Cody looked at the clock. Twenty minutes until lunchtime. Twenty minutes to prepare himself.
"I can do it," he told himself. "I can do it, I can do it!"
All he had to do was ask if Noah wanted to hang out. That's it. Simple.
He just had to do it.