Color

Fifty Five

Mitch shoved his shoulder. "Come on, Scott. I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"You know just as well as I do that they're not coming over here to compliment the car."

"What are you so worried about, Mitchell? You think I'm gonna flirt with people? You don't trust me enough to know that I'll tell them I have a fiancé?"

"Well I--"

The blonde girl had finally reached them, her brunette friend not far behind, as she gently grabbed Scott's bicep to get his attention. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice--"

"Told you so." Mitch interrupted, before rolling his eyes and leaning his back on the car.

She paused to glance at him, and then tried again. "Anyways... So, my name is Bella. And this is my friend, Angela."

"Scott. Nice to meet you." Scott responded, giving Angela a nod. "Both of you."

Bella flipped her hair before speaking again, causing Mitch to roll his eyes before she'd even opened her mouth. "I was just wondering what you're doing later. A bunch of my friends are throwing a party and you're exactly the type of person we're looking to invite."

"I don't really--"

"And you can bring your friends if you want. Are you two from the college down the street..?"

Scott gestured toward Mitch. "He is. That's not really my thing though. But as I was saying--"

"Regardless, you can both come if you want. Bring guests too, I don't mind." She leaned toward Scott with a wink. "Just as long as you're there."

Mitch had been glaring at her for so long that he hadn't noticed the brunette friend sneak up on him, as she suddenly reached a hand out toward him. "And your name was Mitch?"

Mitch shook her hand politely. "Yeah."

She grinned at him, and let her hand fall back to her side. "I'm enrolled too. So hopefully I'll see you in school and we can become better friends."

Mitch didn't respond, as he was too busy glaring at the blonde with her hands all over Scott.

Just as he was about to intervene and remind Scott what sleeping on the couch feels like, Angela leaned toward him to speak softly. "I know what it's like to be in love with your straight best friend... I know that it's difficult. But if you ever needed someone to talk to--"

Mitch finally had to create some space, taking a step away from her and closer to Scott. "Woah, that's not--"

"No, no, I know. I won't tell anybody or say anything. Just..." She glanced toward her blonde friend. "I know how it is."

Mitch glanced over slowly, and although he felt a little bit like he'd been backed into a corner, he genuinely felt bad for the woman standing in front of him. 

But Scott was a little busy pushing the girl's hand off of him. "Well I've got some bad news. I actually have a fia--"

"We'd love to go." Mitch interrupted loudly. "Your party? We'll be there."

Scott's head turned quickly. "Mitchell, aren't you forgetting about that thing we have to do later?"

"I was gonna cancel it anyway." Mitch responded, thus eliminating Scott's escape plan. "Give her your phone so she can put her number in, and we can get the address later."

Scott obeyed him, because he knew better than to question anything Mitch did. 

Bella excitedly typed her number into his phone, before handing it back with an over-eager smile. "Alright, so... See you later, Scottie." She lightly pulled on his tank top. "Wear this tonight for me... Okay?"

Scott didn't answer as she backed away, because he had no idea how. 

He immediately turned to Mitch when the two girls were far enough away. "Okay, so what the fuck? Mitch, what the Hell are you doing? I was in the middle of telling her about my handsome, beautiful fiancé when you interrupted me to accept their invitation?"

"Yep."

"Babe, we don't even know those girls. What the Hell did you just get us into? I thought you were supposed to be the rational one?"

"Sorry, Hoying. You wanted to play games with me, wearing all your sexy clothes out in public and grinding on me when you get the chance." Mitch smiled at him. "All I did was make the game more interesting."

*

"Mitchie, please... I really don't wanna do this. If... If you wanna go so bad, maybe you should just take Alex. He's like... The more handsome, more muscular version of me."

"That's debatable. But not the point." Mitch turned around to face him, wearing only black jeans as he tried to select a shirt for the party. "I want you to come with me, because number one we can prove that you're gonna be the one to beg for sex first. And number two, I need to help two best friends fall in love."

Scott couldn't help but smile a little, stepping forward to hold Mitch's hands gently. "But... We are in love."

"I know we are, Sweetheart. But this one isn't about us."

"I still don't understand why you want to go so badly. You watched the Barbie doll hit on me. I don't really wanna be in that environment, and I don't want you to get hurt somehow."

"I'm not gonna get hurt."

"But Mitchie, she's gonna be all over me unless you let me tell her that I'm engaged."

"Nope. Put the ring on your other hand."

Scott pouted like a child. "Mitchie, why? Why are we doing this?"

"Because I said so, alright? I'm trying to help someone."

"And I have to be involved in it, because..?"

"Because we're a team, dumbass. And I don't want to be alone at a sketchy party without my big, blonde, bodyguard."

Scott sighed loudly. "This is irrational, Mitch. We both know it."

"Yep." Mitch turned back to their closet, and grabbed a different pair of ripped jeans for Scott to wear, before tossing them at Scott's chest. "Put these on instead."

Scott looked at them in confusion. "But you told me these are my slutty jeans."

"They are. They're way too tight and show off your ass way too well and the rips in them show off way too much of your legs."

"So why on Earth--?"

"Just trust me."

Scott whined loudly-- childishly, he knows-- but he truly didn't know how else to express how confused he was. "Mitch, what the fuck? I am so fucking confused I have no idea why you're doing this to me. All this is gonna do is make Blonde Hair flirt with me, piss you off, and then get you and I into another argument."

"False. It's gonna make her hit on you, so that I can swoop in and crush all her dreams so she looks for comfort in her best friend thus allowing them the gay relationship that I will have insinuated."

Scott blinked slowly at him. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" 

Mitch just shrugged. "Oh, and don't wear underwear. Got it?"

**