Pretty Boy

Chapter 3

Steve hadn't stopped smiling since he parted ways with RJ. He walked with a new spark in his step all the way through the mall. A few girls gave him flirty glances that he didn't even notice. All he could think about was how he would get to see RJ again tomorrow. Everything he lost with her seemed to be a possibility again.

He swaggered into the backroom of Scoops Ahoy to find Robin and Dustin already there. Robin was pacing back and forth, mumbling Russian nonsense under her breath. Dustin was sitting with a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream, replaying the message over and over.

When Steve burst in, they both stopped and looked at him.

"Where the hell have you been? We have been here for an hour deciphering this shit," Dustin spouted like an angry father.

"Jeez, sorry dad. I was having uh...car troubles, so I had to get a ride," Steve smiled slyly.

Dustin and Robin looked at him with puzzled expressions. Steve waited patiently for them to understand his vague statement. After a moment, he gave in.

"RJ, RJ gave me a ride. My stupid plan worked!" Steve announced.

"No way man!" Dustin shot up from his chair and gave Steve a high five, "Wait, so what did she say?"

Steve eagerly filled Dustin in on the whole situation. From the events at the Corner Store to the fact that she was giving him a ride again tomorrow. Dustin was even more enthused than Steve about his success. Robin walked over and took the radio from Dustin to continue her decoding. She was clearly unamused by the whole ordeal.

"So what, you just waited at the Corner Store hoping she would stop by?" Robin chimed in.

"No, Robin, I did not just wait for her to show up. I was gonna try to finesse a ride home today," Steve replied.

He began to act out the situation he had previously planned as he described it.

"I was gonna walk into the bookstore and ask one of her coworkers and ask-"

Dustin got up and stood beside Steve, acting as the coworker in question.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a copy of The Shining. The worker would then say..."

Steve motioned to Dustin to reply. Robin was watching this whole skit unfold. She was slightly amused at their stupidity, but more so she was anxious to continue decoding the Russian message.

"Yes sir, right this way," Dustin said as he motioned to the right.

Steve sauntered past Dustin, "And I would say thank you kindly. Then I would carefully analyze the store to find her, and when I did, I'd 'bump into her' and give her my spiel about car troubles and hope for a ride home."

Dustin began clapping at the performance of Steve's master plan. Steve took a comically large bow. Robin was over it.

"But if you got a ride back today, would you just drive your car here this morning and then...leave it here?" Robin asked.

Steve clicked his tongue in annoyance, "You know what, it may not have been a perfect plan, but everything worked out in the end. Didn't it?"

He turned to Dustin for approval. Dustin nodded as he sat back down and grabbed the Russian dictionary.

"So you think she may still have feelings for you?" Dustin asked.

Steve hesitated, "Well I...I honestly don't know."

The boys' celebration soon turned more somber. Steve sat down on the other chair as Dustin leaned in.

"She really hurt you dude. Do you think you can go through that again?" Dustin asked, concerned.

Steve thought for a moment. He thought about RJ. He thought about her intoxicating laugh, her ability to lighten any situation, her passion for music, and how he loved everything about her.

After everything with Nancy, RJ felt like a fresh start. He felt like he could really see a future with her, but she broke his heart the same way Nancy did. Only it was much worse. He began to wonder if it really was worth it. He was putting his heart on the line to get broken again; he honestly didn't know if he could survive one more heartbreak.

Steve sighed, "I have to try. I dunno what it is but...something in me tells me I have to try."

Robin chimed into the conversation, "Ok if you two are gonna continue your little debrief on yet another one of Steve's desperate attempts to get a girl, please continue elsewhere or hold your conversation until later. We've got bigger problems."

It came out more aggressive than Robin intended, but it got the job done. Steve and Dustin sat, shocked at Robin's snappy response. Dustin slowly opened the Russian dictionary to the page he left off on, fearing the wrath of Robin. She sighed and grabbed Steve's hat off of a hook.

"You were late you take first shift," She held out his hat.

He looked at the hat disdainfully.