He's a Fanboy?!

His Eye Twitches

"Okay," Luke holds up a drumstick to a chalkboard because he couldn't find a better stick. "here's the plan."

After my last class, Luke had been waiting right outside my door so he could pull me into an empty classroom with no other explanation than, and i quote: "I've got a plan involving the progress of brayelle."

"Wait, wait, wait," I cross my legs in my seat. "why do you carry drumsticks around?"

"They're not mine. I'm in a band, remember? The drummer makes me hold 'em sometimes because he always forgets to bring some to practice. I swear, I actually do have a life apart from you. I promise."

"It's okay, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. Continue on then."

"Alright." Luke points to a stick figure with a crown on the board. "This is golden Brayden. The Brayden everyone else knows and loves." He then points to another stick figure with stereotypical nerd glasses holding a book. "And this is your Brayden. The real one. The one you know and love."

"Well I'm not sure about love--" I try to say, but Luke talks over me.

"At lunch I heard that this Brayden," he points to the stick figure with the crown. "will be going to the mall today with the rest of his golden little squad."

Luke pauses for dramatic effect. I motion for him to just continue. He crosses his arms. "So we will be following them."

"We're going to stalk them? Are you joking? What if we get caught?" My eyebrows crease together and I give him a slightly horrified look.

"Caught doing what? Going to the mall just like any other teenager?"

I groan. "But what's the point in this? How will this help in any way?"

Luke grabs a seat, pushing it in front of me and spins it around so he's straddling it. "Because, my dear Anniebelle, we need to find out what is so great about being the golden boy and hanging out with a golden squad so we can fight back with what is great about being a fanboy and hanging out with a fangirl."

I must still look like I'm on the fence about this because Luke adds, "And I want you to see how unhappy he is with those people because I do not want you giving up on brayelle."

I roll my eyes, let out a breath and give Luke a reluctant smile. "Fine, okay, let's do it."

Luke beams and jumps up. "I'll be outside your dorm's hall at three."

_____________________

In contrast to Brayden, Luke is spot on when it comes to punctuation. He pulls up in a grey truck, waving me in.

"Hurry up, get in. Brayden's car left already."

I have to jump to get in, then secure my seatbelt. "Who's he with?"

"Deven, Nicki and Syndi are in the back--"

"Is it true that she changed her name from c-i-n-d-y to s-y-n-d-i?"

Luke scoffs. "Yeah, she thought Cindy with a 'C' was too basic. Anyway, Callie's in the passenger seat."

"Of course she is," I mutter. I'd thought Brayden hated her, but I guess he's changed his mind.

Nicki and Syndi are pretty easy to explain in three words: voluptuous, cocky and uninteresting. To be fair, they don't pretend to be interested in relationships like Callie is. They usually just brag about who they've slept with to get to the top of the social ladder. Callie, on the other hand, will date whoever she has to until she gets tired of them.

And Deven--well, to be honest, I don't know much about him other than the fact that he and Callie used to be a thing and that he is really really hot.