Poor Little Orphan Boy

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

            “Pew,” I blew out air, while fiddling my thumbs, while bouncing my legs, while staring at the ceiling, all the while trying not to stare at Maxwell. He was only four feet away, and being in such close proximity to him fucked up my nerves. I really wanted to talk to him, but after my attempt to talk to him at lunch, I’m not sure I wanted to risk him running away again. But then again, maybe we could work this out…“Fuck it,” I whispered, opening my bedside door. After rummaging around, I found my pack of cigarettes. I grabbed my lighter, and started burning the stick. Sweet, sweet nicotine. Inhaling deeply, I was able to forget about Maxwell for a millisecond.

            Unfortunately, milliseconds aren’t that long.

            “W-would you mi-mind p-putting that o-out?” I looked sharply at Maxwell. He had never minded me smoking before. “I-I just w-want some fre-fresh air…” Maxwell chewed on his lips, hiding his eyes from me. I raised an eyebrow, assessing the situation.

            “I will…if you agree to talk to me for five minutes.” Maxwell looked at me, his blue eyes wide. The corner of my mouth pulled up in a smirk. “Deal?” I extended my hand, my arrogance level skyrocketing.

            “D-deal,” Maxwell replied, clutching his hands to his body. Okay, so that dented my ego. I pressed my lips into a flat line, contemplating what to say.

            “Why did you ask me if I’m gay? What gave you the idea?”

            “I, uh, um…uhm…uh..I…a.” Very articulate, Maxwell.

            “That doesn’t count as talking.” I snapped.

            “I-I heard something…about some-so-something that ha-happened at a p-p-party you went to.” I raised an eyebrow. Cocking my head, I asked,

            “What thing?”

            “I-I heard,” Maxwell stared at the wall. It pissed me off that all I could see was a shiny, black mop of hair. “I heard you ki-kissed a b-boy.”

            “Who said that?!” I demanded. Maxwell flinched. 

            “Just some g-girl in the ha-hall.” I blew out an angry breath, not sure this smoke/talk trade was worth it. I raked a hand through my hair.

            “So were you just curious or…?” I questioned. He turned back around to face me, his big blue eyes melting away some of my anger. Maxwell shrugged. I kept my eyes on him, waiting for an answer. It didn’t seem like any would come. Right when I opened my mouth to speak, Maxwell answered.

            “I th-thought you were cu-cute…I-I still d-do.” Maxwell’s face turned bright pink. I smiled, my face surprisingly matching his.

            “Uh, the five minutes are up.” I informed him. “Do you still want to talk?”

            “S-sure,” Maxwell replied. “D-do you have any homework?” I raised an eyebrow at Maxwell. I had a shit ton of homework, but it was Monday night, and Maxwell told me he thought I was cute. There was no way I was going to spend hours stressing over an English paper. Even though Maxwell was extremely cute when he attempted to do his math work. I chuckled.

            “No way,” I retorted. “We are playing a video game. Have you ever done that before, shrimp?”

            “S-shrimp?” His hand was slightly slanted towards the side, a confused expression on his face. I gave him a cocky grin.

            “Short boy, short nickname. Now, come on.” I jerked my head towards the door. We walked down the halls and made our way to the Older Kids hang out living room. A couple of kids were in there, including Drake and Ashley. When Ashley spotted me, she ran out of there bug-eyed. Drake quickly followed (probably to try and rekindle their make-out session), muttering something under his breath. I chuckled and went over to a TV away from the few remaining orphans. After setting up the game, I plopped down on the couch next to Maxwell. He was sitting there, twirling his thumbs around. “Are you ready to loose?”

            “Donkey Kong?” Maxwell asked incredulously.

            “Hell yes Donkey Kong! Now let’s go!”

**

            “Haha! Yes!” I yelled throwing my controller down. “I beat you!” Maxwell grinned at me.

            “I see,” He glanced at the clock. “W-we should pro-probably get to bed,”

            “Ooh, you wanna go to bed with me?” I winked at him, causing him to turn crimson.

            “N-no,” he responded, flicking his hair in front of his eyes. “I-I ju-just meant we sh-should go to sl-l-eep,”

            “I thought you said I was cute. What, not cute enough to sleep with?” I bumped my shoulder with his, laughing. “I’m just kidding. Yeah, let’s go upstairs.” Maxwell smiled at me.

            “I had f-fun tonight.”

            “Yeah, me too.” I smiled back at him.

            “Um, A-Aiden? D-do you th-think wi-winner should g-get a pr-prize?” I perked an eyebrow.

            “What kind of prize?” Maxwell quickly reached over and gave me a hug. It was a bit awkward, considering we were sitting down, but Maxwell resting on my chest was worth it. I wrapped my arms around him, loving the moment. He pulled away, a smile on his red face. “Let’s get you to  bed now, shrimp.” I tossed him a wink with a smile and pulled him up.

            “Giraffe,” Maxwell whispered, probably not intending me to hear. I burst out laughing.

            “Wow, so nice.” I joked. “I don’t even have a long neck!”

            “Y-you st-started i-it,” I reached over and messed up Maxwell’s hair, still laughing.

            We entered the bedroom, changed and went to our beds. Turning off the lamp, I teased, “Night shrimp,”

            “G-goodnight giraffe,” Maxwell responded. After a minute of silence, Maxwell questioned, “Do g-giraffes even have vocal chords?”

            “I don’t know,” I chuckled, throwing a pillow at him. “Do shrimp?”

            “Huh…I don’t know.”

            “Go to sleep, maybe you’ll find the answer there.”

            “W-why would I f-find it there?”

            “I don’t know,” I laughed. “Just go to bed!” This time, he did.