Bi the Way

Chapter 14: I

The school hallways buzzed with excitement as students handed over crumpled bills and envelopes filled with checks, all destined for the Camps of Kids charity. Rodney stood in front of a large cardboard box, watching as it slowly filled with generous donations. Derek leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, an impressed smile on his face.

"Looks like our little note did the trick," he said, nodding towards the growing pile of money.

"Definitely," Rodney agreed, nervously. "But now we've got a different problem on our hands. We need more help to gather and count all these donations."

Jordan overheard the conversation and chimed in. "I know someone who'd be perfect for this. I'll go ask Steven if he wants to help out."

Rodney watched as Jordan walked confidently down the hallway, their unique sense of style drawing the attention of a group of girls walking by. They approached Steven, who stood by his locker, fiddling with the combination lock. As Jordan spoke to him, Rodney could have sworn he saw Steven blushing, and he nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Welcome to the team, Steven," Rodney said as Jordan led him back to the group.

"Thanks, guys," Steven replied, his voice wavering slightly. He glanced at Jordan, trying his best to look cool and collected. "I'm really excited to help out."

"This going to be great," Jordan explained, "Steven is like a math genius, he will able to count it faster than all of us combine." Derek nodded in agreement.

"I mean I am ok with numbers." Steven tried to downplay it, not wanting to embarrass himself if he messed up.

"Great," Rodney said, giving Steven a reassuring smile. "You and Jordan can start collecting donations from the homerooms. We'll regroup here in a couple of hours."

As Jordan and Steven set off down the hallway side by side, Jordan stole glances at Steven, admiring the way his hair seemed to catch the light just right. They cleared their throat nervously, gathering the courage to bring up the kiss that had been playing on a loop in their mind.

"Hey, Steven," they began hesitantly, "I've been meaning to ask you... Why did you kiss me on the cheek after the winter carnival?"

Steven paused for a moment, his eyes twinkling as they recalled the night. "Well, we had a lot of fun together selling beaver tails, didn't we? And I thought you were pretty cute, so I just went for it." He offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line or anything."

"No, no," Jordan stammered, feeling the heat rise to their cheeks. "I actually, um, liked it. A lot. And I was wondering if maybe... you'd like to go out sometime?"

"Really?" Steven's face broke into a wide grin. "I mean I have never really been on a date before, like a real date."

"Neither have I" Jordan Laughed, "But I would like to stumble through on with you."

Steven's face turned beet red, "I would like that a lot." he said with a smile

With newfound confidence, Steven and Jordan continued their mission to collect donations, an excitement building in them as they anticipated their future date.

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Rodney stood in the hallway, absentmindedly fidgeting with his backpack strap as he and Derek collected the envelopes from homerooms.

"Man, we really need more hands on deck," Derek commented, scratching the back of his head. "Why don't you try asking Ally for help again?"

"Ally?" Rodney hesitated, remembering how she had completely ignored the text the first time around and had been acting like she never actually got it. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Maybe we should ask Parker again? They say the third time is the charm."