The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter 39 : What's the big deal anyway? : Enoch

Enoch meant every word of what he had said about Valentine's Day being the stupidest idea for a day. He might have someone he did actually love and who, more unbelievably, loved him, but damn it all if he was going to even think twice about it just because things were different this year. It shouldn't make a difference anyway, he sure wasn't going to act any different and wouldn't even have made the connection with this weekend if Olive hadn't pointed it out.

He had very nearly shot her down with a firm 'no way', and to be honest, even right now he still wanted to, but Olive had looked so happy, and was trying so hard to persuade him with assurances it would be any other date anyway that something had possessed him to let her convince him. Then of course Hugh had bugged him by talking aloud to Millard with Enoch right behind them about what he should do for Fiona, so much so that the moment he'd even implied Enoch would do anything, Enoch had rolled his eyes and stomped off. He didn't have a romantic bone in his body and that was likely to stay that way. Besides, he and Olive had barely been close and not even quite dating for only four months. They were hardly in a serious relationship by whatever conventional standards might be.

But Enoch was not conventional, and neither was Olive really. Together they probably made no sense at all to everyone, well...most people, give or take a few weird and apparently avid supporters of their relationship. No, conventional was not the word to describe their relationship. Before Olive came along Enoch hadn't even shown so much as an interest in anyone beyond acknowledging a girl was good looking. So yes he was serious, because he never joked. Sarcasm was his forte, yes, but he never joked. Besides, people didn't bring out those three words lightly, least of all Enoch.

That was all beside the point anyway and despite the red and pink heart displays in shop windows and gaggles of gossiping girls comparing notes on chocolate and flowers, cliché to say the least, refused to even think about the whole concept. Olive knew how he felt, he'd told her once and that ought to be quite enough for a time. She certainly couldn't expect him to want to make any sort of deal about it. Instead he ignored the whole idea of the day when Friday came around, pretending not even to hear whenever someone mentioned it in passing conversation. Despite half of his school day spent in the company of Olive, and at the point of several snide jokes from friend, or rather ally, and foe alike, he didn't so much as even say 'Happy Valentine's Day', whether she hoped he might or not.

But he had agreed to see her regardless of his poor attitude. Enoch quietly enjoyed her company more and more with each slightly more lingering kiss and particular smile that was his and only his to see. There was no denying that. The only trouble had been agreeing on something to do.

With the weather as 'drowned ratish' as it was, nobody wanted to stay out anywhere, so the idea of stealing away from everyone by themselves in some park where they might at least have been more alone, was completely out of the question. The challenge was persuading at least one set of parents to trust leaving two teenagers at home together. Enoch had, unsurprisingly, never bothered to mention that Olive had been over when his parents had gone away and very nearly been late home to her own parents, who incidentally had not known they were home alone either.

Between the lack of privacy and an overbearing father, Enoch would have given anything to move out.

"Absolutely not."

"Oh come on, two freakin' hours."

"If I 'ave ta talk ta you again 'bout your language, Enoch...you'll regret it."

Enoch rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers impatiently on his arm where he stopped with his arms crossed in the cold, sterile back room of the mortuary, watching his father massaging the rigor mortis limbs of a corpse so they could be moved again.