Why Hello Mr. Nerd (HOLD)

Rare Smiles and Lengthy Conditions

Chapter 7

...Rare Smiles and Lengthy Conditons...

"You're... Good at math?" Ryder asks, his fortieth question since I had dragged him to the car... quite literally, his face was smashed down the backseat of Donovan's rusty Jeep Wrangler and his eyes were still bloodshot. The large red mark on his face, from when I had slapped the shit out of him because he tried groping me, was still visible as well and we had been in the truck for at least ten minutes.

Ten minutes of nonstop idiocy.

Donovan nods in the rearview mirror as an answer to the question, how he wasn't irritated was beyond me.

Ryder seemed to think for a moment."Alright what's 2+2?" He asked as if disbelieving Donovan and he was challenging him.

"4."

It was silent.

For the first time since we had piled in the car for the twenty minute ride, it was completely silent. I tried to embrace the calmness of the surrounding area and laid my head back on the headrest, closing my eyes until I was disrupted by the most absurd thing ever.

"Wrong it's fish!" Ryder screamed scaring me shitless.

The car jerked forward, Donovan startled whilst he tried to keep his breathing under control. It was then that my hand swung back and made contact with Ryder's face yet again.

"Why are you so violent today?!" He cried out in pain and buried his head further into the seat.

"Oh, I don't fucking know. Maybe it's because you're a dumbass." I seethed at him.

And then what surprised me...

One of Donovan's rare chuckles.

The kind that made me kinda want to smile.

"What're you laughing at nerdy?" Ryder asks moodily.

And I wanted to swing back and hit him again because Donovan's chuckling had stopped abruptly and was replaced with his famous blush.

Sure it was cute but for some reason I wanted him to... I don't know be happier.

Why do you care if he laughs?

I shouldn't and I know that.

His laughter should have no effect on me whatsoever. But as I sat in the truck on that Tuesday afternoon with a stoned kid drooling on the backseat and a blushing nerd driving me to Maurice, I couldn't help but feel unsure.

"Audennnn!" Ryder whined, his voice slightly muffled but his complaining annoying nonetheless. "Why did i do this again?" He asked referring to his current state, "Nerdy is a meanie."

"Why do I tolerate you and your bullshit? These are questions that can't be answered."

"Haha... Bullshit. Bullshit. That's a funny word too... Like fuck. Fack, fuck, fuckity, bullfuck!" He said giggling like a blonde who inhaled a bit too much bleach. "Don't you think so nerdy?" He asked Donovan who just looked plain uncomfortable.

Remind me to apologize about this later.

As stated before... Yes, I know what manners are.

You shouldn't care. I reminded myself. You're Auden-fucking-Clark. You don't give a shit.

"A-Auden?" Donovan asks cutting off my internal debate. "We-we're here." He whispered, pulling up to a familiar apartment building. The bricks laid on the pavement scattered around leaving a rough vibe and the cracked windows really helped in setting the mood. The brokenness of this place was, after all, way homelier than my actual house, which reminds me more of a prison cell.