Love sick series: the Mick Diaries

Chapter 4 The Hot date

I'm going on a date with Ohm!

Mick could barely conceal his glee. The senior had actually asked him out! Out! Somewhere! On a date!

Granted, he'd asked Mick to leave separately. And to not tell anybody about it. But still, it looked to be just the two of them, so that qualified as a date didn't it?

His mom hadn't been happy to learn he was going back late. "I've already made lunch, Mick," she told him over the phone.

"I'm sorry mom, but, uh, they asked me to stay back to help out. I won't be too late, okay?"

"Okay, call me when you're done," she said. "I'll come and pick you up."

Mick sighed. His mother still treated him like he was 12 and needed constant looking after, but he just agreed and hung up, otherwise he'd never hear the end of it.

Actually, Mick wished he had time to go home and change and maybe do something about his hair. He hadn't expected to be out all day so he was still in a baggy PE t-shirt and over sized, bright blue shorts. They reached way past his knees and his mom had optimistically insisted he'd "grow into it" but Mick doubted he ever would. His hair was naturally a lighter shade of brown that the other boys liked to tease about, saying he spent more time in the salon with the girls than out playing football in the sun. Well, he hated football, or basketball, or any kind of sports, anyway, so they were at least half-correct about that.

He waited impatiently at the Saphan Taksin BTS station for Om, until at last he spotted the tall figure of the senior walking towards him. He raised his hand to give a wave until he realized Om wasn't alone. Three other boys were with him and Mick recognized them as other 9th graders from the music club, though they all belonged to a different classroom from him.

"Aw, Mick, what are you doing here alone? On your way home?" One of the boys raised his hand in greeting, whom Mick recognized as Loy, a tall boy who played the clarinet.

Mick waved at them, but looked at Om, unsure of what to say.

"He's coming with me on an errand," Om said in a bored tone.

"Oh p'Om! Aren't you afraid of-"

"Shut your trap, Mum!" Om snapped at the chubby Chinese boy who spoke, the music club's flutist. "The same goes to all of you. If I even hear a word about this from Film I'll make sure all three of you get extra water duty for the rest of the year!"

The three of them started protesting loudly at Om while Mick shrank into himself even further, feeling more miserable than ever. Again, that thing with Film was making his life difficult.

Why had Om showed up with them? The way he'd asked Mick to go out with him, he'd been so sure it was only going to be the two of them. They walked towards the trains as a group, the trio still crying foul over Om's clear abuse of power, but without any real animosity. It was clear that Om liked to make a lot of these threats without any follow up.

"P'Om doesn't dare to be that mean to me," Mum declared proudly. "He's afraid of my grandma."

"Your grandma loves me like one of her own, idiot," Om hit Mum lightly at the back of his head. "Don't forget she always saves me her famous braised duck whenever she makes it."

"Yeah but if you punish me I'm gonna tell her and she'll yell at you when she sees you!" He turned to Mick. "P'Om is my neighbor, see?" Mick just nodded dumbly.

"Why you little tattletale. Don't forget I have far more dirt on you than you can ever imagine. Why don't I tell your friends about the time you wore your sister's -"