Headphones // Merome

Chapter 6: Imagination

|Jerome's POV|

I'd almost hit 'send' without reading what I typed. Luckily, I was able to change the message from "Call me, I wanna hear your voice." To "Call me, we can discuss a time. I hate making plans over text." Which wasn't true, I actually did just want to hear his voice.

Truth be told, since my first year at Rodgers High, my sophomore year, I'd kept an eye on Mitch. My friends, Preston, Rob, Vikk, Lachlan, Mat and Brandon, told me about the torment he went through, and why. None of us ever helped, and it killed me.

Junior year, I let it slip. It was only to Preston, Brandon, Lachlan, sure, but still. I was gay. (A/N: I hate calling people gay or hearing the word "fag," it actually pisses me off) Then I told them I liked Mitch.

Wherever I went, I noticed him. In the sea of students between periods, his spiked hair and sparkling brown eyes always stood out. After school, he snuck into the woods behind the practice fields where my team was and climbed a tree. He's the only thing I see during English. He's one of the only things I wanted to see.

My phone rang, shaking me from my thirty-second trance. "Hello?" I answered. "H-Hi, Jerome." Mitch said. "Okay, so I have practice tomorrow afternoon, but I should be done by three thirty. If you wanna come around five, you can probably stay for dinner?" I suggested, cutting straight to the point. "S-Sure. That sounds great." He said. Then, another voice started whisper-yelling at Mitch. "Stop stuttering! He's gonna be able to tell!" It scolded. I figured it was Emma, the only other person is ever seen Mitch with. His best friend. "Alright, Mitch. See you tomorrow?" I asked, trying not to make it obvious that I'd heard Emma. "Okay." Was all he said. "Bye Mitch!" "Bye Jerome!" He tried to match my enthusiasm on the goodbye. He sounded scared, I just tried to cheer him up. I doubt it worked.

<Next afternoon, around four>

I was almost scared to have Mitch come over. I'd been fine all day, but with him coming in an hour I was a nervous wreck. I decided to text Preston, maybe he'd help me.
J- Preston I need help i dunno what's wrong with me
P- I could name a few things
J- Shut up I'm serious
P -What's wrong dood?
J- Mitch is coming over in an hour

I didn't get a response for a couple minutes. But it wasn't the response I was expecting. I heard knocking on my door, and when I opened it, Preston was there. I wasn't surprised, he only lived a few houses down from me. "How much time?" He asked, pushing by me into the house. "He'll be here in... Like forty five minutes." I said, checking my phone. "Dood! How did you get him to come over?" Preston asked. "I called him?" I said, more like a question. "How'd you get his number?" He asked. "We have to work on an English project together." I answered. "Are you gonna work on an English project or work on an English project?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "What?" I asked, giving him a confused look. "Like, is he actually coming here for an English project?" Preston asked. "Yes, I just said that." I nodded. Preston shook his head. "I thought maybe you were smart, Jerome. Just maybe." He sighed. "What are you talking about?" He'd totally lost me. "Jerome. This. Is. Your. Chance. You have to ask him out, like, tonight!" Preston yelled, almost too loud. "Shut up! I don't think, after only formally meeting a guy for the first time today, that I should ask him out." I answered. "Dood, you've gotta go for it! When else are you gonna get the chance to talk to him like now!" Preston kept getting louder. "If I say I'll try, will you stop yelling?" I said, a lot more quiet then he was. "Yes!" Preston screeched. "Okay! I'll try, I'll try!" I held my hands up to keep him from screaming again. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to go, leave you to yourself. Good luck, and I better hear that the two of you have a date by tomorrow." He said, walking straight out the door he came in. "You weren't much help!" I called after him, laughing. "Oh, that's why I was there?" He laughed, and started walking back towards his house. I closed my door and sighed, then walked into my living room, flopping down on my couch. I flipped on the music channel on my TV, and just laid there, eyes closed.

Oh there you go again, every morning it's the same, you walk on by my house, I wanna call out your name

I wanna tell you how beautiful you are from where I'm standing, you got me thinking what we could be cause

I keep craving, craving you, don't know it buts it's true. Cant get my mouth to say the words they wanna say to you

In my dreams, you're with me, and we'll be everything I want us to be. And from there, who knows, maybe this will be the night that we kiss for the first time, or is that just me and my imagination.

*~A/N~*
Jerome's POV for a change, eh? I hope you all enjoyed, Imagination, by Shawn Mendes is another one of my favorites right now. Love you doods lots, and until next chapter, ~Rosie