My Partner In Crime

Chapter 3

(I've died. Plan my funeral. I just learned two things: Mike Faist (Dodge) is going to play Riff in the upcoming West Side Story movie and he is going to sing and/or dance in Panic.)

"Have you heard anything about the next challenge?" Dodge asked as he made us each a fancy apple juice. I planned on paying this time, though I "accidentally" left a five dollar bill in his car. He hasn't said anything. Again, there wasn't anyone else in the diner.

"Actually, yeah." I said. He turned around, a brow raised. "There was something going on at the theater." I began to describe what it said and we made plans to go where it said. We were going to drive there in the morning to see what was up, if there were any hints. I changed the subject to something lighter. "Is that your real name?"

"Is what my real name?" He asked, turning around with our drinks. He had pulled up a stool on his side of the counter. He had the tiniest smile on his face, like he was an actor trying not to break character in a funny scene. Though I've known him for a little bit over a day, I decided that he seemed like a very stony person.

"Dodge." I said.

"What's up?" He glanced up with a wonky smile, fully breaking character if he was an actor.

"I hate you." I laughed.

"Shut it, I'm your only friend." Dodge said with a shrug.

"How do you know?"

"Because you could be watching a movie with your friends right now," he shrugged. "I'm your friends, so you're chilling with me now."

"You figured that out after like three days?" I gaped.

"You're an open book." He smiled. "But no, Dodge is my middle name."

"What's your first?" I asked.

"Andrew." 

"Can I call you Andy?"

"No."

"Can I call you Drew?"

"I would rather die."

"Why don't you go by Andrew?"

"You don't like Dodge?"

"Andrew has so much potential." I said in exasperation. "Dodge is so scary."

"You think I'm scary?" He grinned.

"Not, you!" I said, looking him over. "Well, kind of you."

"Oh my gosh." (you can go ahead and imagine whatever slang you want, I'm Christian though, so I'm not gonna go too far in foul language.) Dodge said with a laugh in his voice. "Dodge sounds cooler than Andrew, so that's what I went with."

"Valid point." I said, nodding. 

"Do you have nicknames that I can debunk?" He asked jokingly. I leaned close to him, mere inches from his face.

"Did you know that Clem is my nickname?" I asked in the quietest tone.

"Is your name Clementine?" He asked in an equally hushed voice.

"My name is Clement," I whispered.

"But Clement has so much potential." He breathed. I shoved him away, laughing. We couldn't carry on the conversation because I received a call from my dad. Dodge went quiet so I could talk to Dad.

"Hey, kid, where are you?" He asked.

"The diner on Main." I said.

"Okay, you good to come home soon?" He asked. My dad is not much of a helicopter parent. I looked up at Dodge, who nodded.

"Yeah, on my way." I said, standing up. Dodge stood up as well and poured my drink into a to-go cup. My dad hung up.

"Want me to drive you?" Dodge asked, handing me my cup.

"Thanks." I said. "No, I'll just walk. I don't live too far."

"I'll walk with you." He decided.

"Sure," I nodded, and we set on our way. It was dark outside, so I could see why he would want to accompany me.

"So, why don't you have any friends?" Dodge asked after a second of walking.

"I had one crappy friend, so she was a starter domino to the rest of my friends." I shrugged. "All my other friends were great, but she was incredibly petty and turned out to be really persuasive."

"Did you do anything that would make her upset?" Dodge asked.

"That's the best part." I grinned. "She wouldn't tell me what I did."

"She sounds like a bum." Dodge sighed.

"She's not. She's self-involved, is all." I shook my head.

"I had a friend like that when I was in like eighth-grade." Dodge said. "He didn't like when I became friends with other people and completely lost it."

"He sounds like he was crazy." I smiled.

"Oh, absolutely insane." He agreed. 

"Yeah, man, please don't turn crazy on me." I joked.

"But I have so much pent up crazy," he said with a smile in his voice, though not on his face.

"Sucks to suck, bro." I said, a smile spread across my face. 

We got to my house in around ten minutes. 

"Who're you?" Dad asked Dodge, opening the door.

"Dodge Mason." He replied, shaking my dad's  hand.

"Boyfriend?" Dad glanced at me.

"Space in the middle." Dodge shook his head.

"Got it." Dad nodded. "You're not a garbage person, right?"

"I gave her an apple juice instead of whiskey." He told my dad. I held up the to-go cup for proof.

"You ordered a whiskey?" Dad looked at me in exasperation.

"I ordered a virgin whiskey." I shrugged.

"Your name is Dodge?" Dad looked back at him.

"My name is Andrew, but I go by my middle name."

"Why?"

"I was on the baseball team at my school and they called me Dodge, so it stuck." (I don't know. That's made-up. I can't watch Panic without my family because it's our thing now, but I'm leaving for Georgia in a week WITHOUT my family and I'm not allowed to watch it while I'm gone.)

"They called me Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick." Dad said. His name is Jackson. I knew that Dodge had won him over with baseball.