Match Your Weakness With A Name

There's No Way We're All The Way To Nine.

A week passes.

The next Friday, I am playing Legend of Zelda in the living room when someone knocks at the door.

I move to answer it, but Rebecca beats me. "I'll get it."

She opens the door, and Awsten and his small friend whose name I have forgotten yet again are there. "Hey," says Awsten. "Does Geoff live here?"

Rebecca nods and jerks her thumb at me. I pause the game and get up, and Awsten blushes. His small friend stands next to him, being small.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" I ask. "More importantly, how'd you get my address, and how'd you know I had the day off?"

"That's not important," he says, his normal smile making its first appearance. "But I wanted to surprise you."

"Aww," says Rebecca, and I glare at her.

"Well, you surprised me," I say.

"Come on!" he says, and gestures to the road. "I have a plan."

"Uh, okay," I say. "Just let me find my housekeys."

I dash upstairs and grab my keys and wallet, and walk back down to Awsten. "You ready?" he asks.

"Yeah," I say, and step outside. He bounds in front of me, and his small friend trails slightly behind him.

"You've taken me out twice," he explains, "and I feel like I owe you one. But I can't drive, so Otto has to take us."

So that's his name. "You didn't have to do this," I say.

"He figured you'd like to meet the small friend," says Otto, and I face-palm.

"You actually told him that."

"Well, I did say I would," says Awsten, "and I don't lie."

"Yeah, you do," says Otto.

"Shut up and drive us places," says Awsten, and Otto makes his way to the drivers' side entrance of a modest black car. Awsten gets in the back and I climb in next to him.

"Uh, so, where are we going?" I ask as Otto starts the car.

"It's a secret," says Awsten.

"We're going to Nadalrad Park," says Otto. Awsten sighs and bites his lip.

"Nadalrad Park?" I say. "That place is cute."

"You've been there?" Awsten asks.

"Hell yeah, dude," I say.

"I went there all the time last winter," he says. "It was like my second home."

"Last summer, I'd chill there for hours on end," I say. "It was the only place with lots of space, sunshine, and WiFi."

"Priorities," he says, smiling.

Otto turns a corner and the conversation dies.

"Hey, Otto, put on some music," says Awsten in an attempt to break the silence.

"Okay, sure," says Otto, and he clumsily shoves a CD into the player. When the first song begins, I recognize it as Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.

"Otto loves My Chemical Romance," says Awsten. "He worships them as gods. I'm pretty sure he has a secret shrine to them in his bedroom."

"Shut up," says Otto.

"I've seen the shrine," says Awsten. "You and I both know it's true."

"You're not any better!" says Otto. "I've seen you jacking off to a picture of Brendon Urie."

I laugh, but at the same time feel a little sick at the thought.