A Wild Thing - Troy Otto

twenty-three

"So, I got you something," Troy said almost giddily when they pulled up to Evelyn's house. "I'll show you when we get up to your room."

"Okay..." Evelyn responded, stomach turning in nervousness. She loved surprises, but not when they came from Troy. She didn't trust him like that yet.

"Turn around," Troy grinned as he shut her bedroom door. Evelyn complied. Usually she would question him, but she was interested now. She felt him come up behind her and gently push her hair to the side. Her breath almost got caught in her throat. She heard him fumble with something for a second before his hands came over her head. She saw the gold chain dangle in front of her eyes for a second, and her stomach twisted further. Troy clasped the necklace and returned her dark hair back to it's previous spot.

Evelyn looked down at the small piece of jewelry. "T as in Troy?" she stared at the letter.

"No, T as in trombone," Troy quipped sarcastically. "Yes, T as in Troy!"

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Troy."

"Yes?"

She turned around to face him. "This is something couples do, you know that right?" Evelyn spoke slowly, not knowing what to think of the situation. She grew more and more nauseous by the second.

Troy shrugged, "I honestly don't care. It can be a best friend thing if we make it a best friend thing."

"I never see you giving that Max boy things like this," Evelyn squinted her eyes.

"It's Mike," Troy corrected, "and him and I aren't friends the way we are. Don't tell him but, I think I like you better."

"Troy... where did you even get this? This must've cost a lot," Evelyn avoided eye contact with the boy standing before her. She could not wrap her head around the situation she was currently stuck in, and she wished it'd be over already.

"Don't worry about it, I'd spend all the money in the world for you," Troy's lip quirked. "I noticed you wear a lot of gold jewelry so I got you a gold one. Mike said it'd be nice."

"And you're telling your friends about me?!"

"Evelyn," Troy groaned, placing his hands onto her shoulders, "you're overthinking it. Appreciate the gift."

"Thank you, I guess," she shook her head in confusion.

"You guess?"

"Yeah!" she brought her hands up to cover her reddened cheeks. "This is something that boyfriends and girlfriends do. We aren't boyfriend and girlfriend."

"But we could be."

Evelyn froze. "What?!"

"I'm kidding," Troy laughed. Evelyn let out a huge sigh of relief. She'd just started trying to get used to him. If she found out that he liked her, her heart would probably give out from all the stress.

Evelyn watched as he laughed a little too hard. She tilted her head and moved her hands down to her hips. "Shy is that so funny to you?"

Troy's laughter quickly ceased. "Evelyn."

"Hm?" she hummed.

"What is it that you want from me?"

Troy's eyes practically burned into her face as she calmly shrugged. Evelyn was thinking about how to respond, her mind going a million miles an hour. Was she supposed to say 'just a friendship'? was she supposed to say 'nothing'? "Friends," she blurted.