We Aren't Nerds! {{PETEKEY}}

{{5}}

Mikey hadn't really expected Ryan, Spencer and Jon to get along with Patrick, Joe and Andy, but he definitely couldn't complain about it. The four of them made their way to their next lesson, PE. While none of them really wanted to do it, they didn't quite have it in them to try and skip it, so they got changed and ready to do whatever sport it was that their teacher had planned for them.

"Badminton," Ryan sighed, "freaking badminton."

Everyone groaned. No one liked badminton, even the few people in the group who were good at it. However, since no one was willing to argue with the teachers, they all got changed into their P.E. kit and headed into the sports hall. Once they were in there, Ryan, Jon, Spencer and Mikey sat down together and started having a quiet conversation while they waited for the teachers.

"Are those older guys your friends, Michael?" Ryan asked, giving Mikey a strange look.
"Yep," Mikey smiled, he was trying to act positive so no one would think there was anything wrong.
"How did you start talking to them? I've never seen you talk to anyone other than us."

Mikey was glad that the teachers had chosen to make their entrance then. It wasn't like he couldn't tell Ryan he'd been at a party, but he didn't think that would help them become better friends. Mikey didn't think Ryan would be too happy with him if he found out that he wasn't really a complete loser. It wasn't that Mikey thought Ryan thought of him as a loser, just that it would be better if he didn't think Mikey had any real social skills. Mainly because he didn't, but also because he'd expect him to talk more if he did.

"Okay," said the PE teacher, "we're going to be doing badminton today. Please get yourselves into groups of four and grab two rackets per group."

Mikey, Ryan, Spencer and Jon instantly gave each other the well known 'be in my group' look. They gravitated towards each other and went to get their rackets. None of them were particularly interested in the sport, so they didn't try to hard to get the good rackets. They got the last ones that were left, walked over to one of the free courts and started playing.

By the end of the lesson, all four of them were sweating more than they'd intended to be. The teacher told them all to get changed and go for lunch, so they all went back into the changing rooms.

"That wasn't even a lesson," Jon complained, "it was just the teachers watching us struggle."
"That's what all PE is, Jon," Spencer sighed, "haven't you realised that yet?"
"It's like they make us do it for their own entertainment, though," Ryan said, "getting a qualification in PE doesn't make you more likely to be able to get a job in sport, the same way qualifications in music won't make a band more popular."

Mikey didn't say anything. He wasn't too bothered about being forced into doing sport in school, he didn't enjoy it, but that was just how it was. Once he was changed, he didn't bother waiting for Ryan, Jon and Spencer, he went straight back to where Pete, Patrick, Andy and Joe told him they'd be. He wanted to get straight there quickly to avoid having anyone follow him. It wasn't that Mikey didn't want his other friends to talk to him, he just wanted to spend some time with Pete by himself.

Mikey wondered if that really was what he wanted. He thought he wanted to be friends with Pete and his friends, but maybe that wasn't what he wanted at all. He pushed that thought out of his head as he saw them all coming towards him. They started walking slightly quicker when they saw him, which made Mikey feel a lot better about himself. It made him more sure that they didn't all hate him, which was always good.

"Hey, Mikey," smiled Pete, "are your other friends coming, or...?"
"I don't think so," Mikey said, feeling slightly discouraged, "they usually hang out somewhere else."
"Okay, cool! Are they really, really your friends because..."
"Because they're really lame? I know, I have every lesson with them, though. It makes sense to hang out with them."
Pete laughed, "Fair enough, do you wanna get some food with me?"

Mikey nodded. He usually wouldn't have eaten anything, but if Pete wanted to go with him then he didn't see any reason to not go.

"Could I go with you, too?" asked Patrick, "My mom forgot to make my lunch today--"
"Of course you can!" Pete exclaimed, "Why wouldn't you be able to come with us?"
"I just thought it would be nicer to check first..."

Pete and Patrick started walking towards the lunch hall, and Mikey let himself hang behind. He wanted to go with Pete, not Patrick, and definitely not Pete and Patrick. He definitely didn't have anything against Patrick, but he really wanted to talk to Pete by himself. Mikey really wasn't sure why he was so desperate to be by himself with Pete, but that was definitely what he wanted.

On the walk down to the lunch hall, Mikey listened to Pete and Patrick's conversation, hoping there'd be somewhere for him to jump in and feel included. There wasn't anything he could have said to involve himself in the conversation, so he quietly listened instead. He found himself starting to wish Patrick's mom wasn't so forgetful so he could've spent the time with Pete that he wanted to.

That was still confusing him, though. Mikey really wasn't sure why he wanted to spend time with Pete so badly. He tuned out of Pete and Patrick's conversation to think about it more. He couldn't think of anything that he desperately needed to tell him or anything that he wanted to ask him. There was only one thing he could really think of that would make him want to be with Pete, but he couldn't accept it.

"Mikey?" said Pete, "You okay?"
Mikey stuttered slightly, "Y-yeah... I'm fine, are you okay?"
"I'm great, but you're lying. Come on, what's wrong?"
"That depends... Are you asking because you care, or because you're curious?"
Pete sighed, "Patrick, do you want to just go ahead and eat? I think we're going to be a while here."
"Oh, yeah, yeah, okay," Patrick said, walking to the lunch hall by himself.

Pete exhaled and walked over to a bench. He sat down and got into a comfortable position before smiling at Mikey and asking him what was wrong again.

"Do you care," asked Mikey, "or do you just want to look like you do. I can't blame you for not really caring, I mean we don't even really know each other but--"
"I care, Mikey," Pete said, "please, what's wrong?"

Mikey didn't really think he'd have to answer that question, and he sure as hell didn't want to. He couldn't lie, though. Mikey really didn't want to explain himself because he didn't know what was wrong either, and the conclusion he had to come to wasn't easy to talk about. Pete just sat there, still smiling reassuringly, like he really did care and want to know. Mikey couldn't just not tell him, so he decided to be brave.

"I'm really not sure what's wrong with me..." Mikey said
"But?" Pete asked, seeing straight through Mikey's lie, "Come on, something's wrong and if I can see it, despite not knowing you too well, then you have to know."
"I don't, though... Even if I did, I probably couldn't tell you..."
"Why not? Come on, you can tell me stuff, you know. I know I don't know you that well, but I'm pretty good with other people's secrets and issues and--"
"It's not fair of me to tell you, Pete. You don't need all of my problems on top of your own... Especially not this one..."

Pete shook his head, he didn't want to push Mikey for an answer, but at the same time he was becoming incredibly curious. He supposed that was exactly what Mikey didn't want, though. He wanted Pete to wonder what was wrong because he cared about him, not because he was just curious. He hadn't understood what Mikey meant originally, but now he did.

"Sorry," he said, "I got curious for a second there..."
"You don't have to apologise," Mikey insisted, "everyone gets curious eventually."
"I'm not everyone, though, am I? I'd like to think I was pretty special, pretty unique, you know..."
"You are special and unique, in all the best ways--"

Mikey suddenly stopped talking and looked down at the ground in shame. Then, back up at Pete, who looked like he understood everything, even though he really didn't. Mikey found that reassuring, and he felt like he could explain himself.

"I-I..." he stuttered, "You."
"What?" Pete said, changing from very understanding to very confused in a matter of seconds.
"I don't know what it is. I want to spend time with you, and I want to be alone with you and it's really messing with my head..."
"What do you--"
"You know what I mean, please don't make this harder for me."
"Oh... Like that?"
"Like that."

Pete looked uncomfortable, like he didn't know what to say. Mikey couldn't blame him, he didn't know what to say either. Actually, that was a lie. He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't say it.