Evan stood at the orchard gate nervously. What if he doesn't show up? He wouldn't stand me up, would he? Damnit, Evan. This isn't a date. Just two friends hanging out. "Hey, dork." He sighed in relief as his friend literally sauntered up the path. He immediately felt his face flush. "Hey."
"How late am I?"
"Only a half hour."
"Sorry, man. I had...stuff."
Evan grinned. "Very specific." He said, referencing the old joke. Jared chuckled softly. They walked through the trees together, side by side. Evan dragged his hand along the bark of each tree. Jared snuck a small glance at him., "You okay?" He asked. Evan looked up. "Oh. Yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
Evan shrugged. "School. Family. You." He replied. Jared stared at him. "What? Me?" Evan's face turned crimson. "I...you know, school, family, friends. The whole shebang."
Jared smiled weakly. "Friends." He whispered.
"Yeah. Friends. Is that...bad?" Evan's eyes filled up with tears. Was this whole thing just...fake? Was he really doing this out of sympathy? God, Evan, you're such an idiot. Jared instantly regretted his choice of words. "N-no! It's fine! We've just...I don't know...I've never had a real friend before. I've always been known as 'That Kid'."
The two laid down next to each other in the flower-filled field. "'That Kid'?" Evan asked quietly. The other boy nodded. "You know, the one kid who no one likes."
"I like you."
"I like you too. No homo." Jared grinned. Evan rolled his eyes. "You have to ruin the moment, don't you?"
Jared laughed. "See, this is why people don't like me!" Evan turned his head so they were looking each other in the eyes. He repeated his earlier statement. "I like you."
"I like you too." Jared intertwined their fingers. "Yes, homo." And as they learned in, Evan closed his eyes. But when he opened them, he was in his bed.
"You have got to be kidding me."
