Friendly Dating 2 - Ethan

Chapter 2 - No Subtlety

"Dude, you're being too subtle," Barn tells me, and the guys all laugh, even Burlap.

What the hell?!

Actually, giving it some thought, I have to laugh too. I'm often told that "subtle", and I am not acquainted at all. I've been called every single possible antonym of subtle that exists in the dictionary, including, but not limited to, crude, vulgar, primitive, basic, obnoxious, offensive, and nasty.

Being told that I'm being too subtle is a whole new experience.

"I'm serious," Barn says, digging into the bag of cheese balls lying on my bed... actually, I think there are more of the flaky balls and other snacks on my duvet than there's left in the bag. "Tell her how you feel, straight up and honestly."

School has been out for hours. We all had detention today; Kira and I served our time in the math class, while Jet and Lurch served theirs in the English class. Burlap and Barn suffered the most as they served their time at rugby practice.

Yes, rugby practice is a form of detention when it's this hot outside.

Afterwards, we all decided to celebrate our freedom in my bedroom, so here we are, messing up the place as usual.

"I have! Many times. You heard me tell her like an hour ago," I grunt, take a swig of my soda and squirt it through my teeth at the waste paper basket balancing precariously on the tower of books we built on my study chair set up against the closet door. It's a perfect hit, not a drop falling on the floor or splattering the walls.

"Wow!" Jet yells when I leap from my desktop, and he slaps me on the back hard enough to cause permanent lung damage. "Good shot!"

"Thanks, I'm so friggin' proud," I mutter without any enthusiasm and fall face down onto my bed, scattering snack packaging in my wake.

"Dude," Lurch says, climbing onto my desk to take the spot I vacated. "Going, 'love you, Kicks, you rock,' is not gonna work," he says, and I think he just tried to imitate me, making hang loose signs and stuff I know I never do... Well, not often... Maybe all the time... Whatever... "You do that with everybody."

"Yeah," Jet agrees. "Why would she take you seriously if she hears you say it all the time to everyone? By that standard, you're probably in love with Burlap; you say it to him at least 20 times a day."

We all stare at Jet. He seldom says wise things, and this was a pretty valid point... I wonder if he's high. He made Lurch miss the basket by miles. My closet door and sections of the wall got whatever soda is not currently dribbling down his chin.

"You should just date Burlap and get on with it," Jet says, yanking Lurch off the table so that he can have his turn. And just like that, the illusion of wisdom is shattered.

"Wanna date me?" I ask Burlap since I'm not one to argue with superior logic, even if it's coming from the guy standing on my desk, squirting orange soda at my waste paper basket.

"Not really," Burlap says in such a way that one might make the mistake of thinking that he gave it some serious consideration. "Your bumps and curves are all in the wrong places. You're not my type. Sorry," he grins.

"I think Ethe will be a pretty girl," Barn says, lying over the breadth of my bed, with his back propped against the wall and his feet dangling off the other side. The guy is way too big for a normal-sized double bed like mine. I give him a look, but he is too busy to notice while hunting for stray snacks in his area since all the bags are empty. "He's got those dimples and long lashes going for him," he clarifies... and that is not weird at all!

"I'm gonna pee in the basket from here," Jet announces, and I'm grateful for the topic change because I don't want to be Burlap's girlfriend, and I don't want Barn admiring my dimples and lashes. Besides, girlfriends are still a touchy subject for Burlap. He dated the same girl from ninth grade to the beginning of year 11 when she moved away, and then he still tried to make it work for a few months. She's the one who decided to move on. Burlap still hasn't.