lovely // analogical ✔

☆ 4 - acquaintance...? ☆

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

Logan's head was reeling.

Great!

He just got the chance to have a conversation with the most loved person in the entire school and he blew it.

He ran to the bathroom and locked himself in a stall, clutching his bulky binder to his chest.

Tears that he would never let anyone see began to stream down his cheeks in shame.

He silently cried but he didn't realize how long he spent in the stall.

"Hey, you've been in that stall for a very long time," someone said. Logan knew it was Virgil immediately. "You're either doing drugs or very constipated from doing drugs!"

Logan collected himself. "I don't do those things."

"You've been in there for like, ten minutes. The bell rang, you know. You're late to your class."

"Aren't you late to your class too?"

"...yeah. But like, are you alright, dude?"

"I'm fine."

"I've heard it all before. You're not fine. Come out of the stall. It's okay."

"Nothing ever goes wrong for you. I don't believe you can help someone like me."

"I... Just come out."

"No."

"Please?"

Reluctantly, Logan unlocked the stall and exited. When he got out, he completely avoided eye contact with Virgil.

"Oh, it's you."

"You sound disappointed."

"No, I just... You are missing class? Logan... Last-name-unknown is missing class?"

"Logan Decker. And yes..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't feel like telling you."

"Do you want to talk until you feel better?"

"...I guess."

"Let's take turns telling each other things we haven't told anyone else."

"Why?"

"I want to make you feel comfortable. You seem lonely. I mean, no offense! I just think if you want to feel better, you could use a friend who might be just as fucked up as you."

"...thank you?"

"Okay. Should I start?"

Logan nodded.

"Okay. I'm gay. But everyone probably knows that already," Virgil said.

Logan thought about what to say. "My favorite color is navy blue."

"You seriously never told anybody that? What's wrong with saying that?"

"There's nothing wrong with it... It's just I never had anyone to tell it to. And it's not like my family actually cares what my favorite color is, you know?"

"Oh... Um, I've never gotten drunk even though everyone says I have."

"I used to skateboard to school."

Virgil looked at him, shocked. "Really? Why did you stop?"

"A jock broke my skateboard sophomore year."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright."

Virgil pondered. "Hm... My favorite things to learn about are music, art..."

Expected, Logan thought.

"And astronomy," Virgil said.

And Logan almost collapsed. This boy had everything.

"You like astronomy?" Logan gaped at him.

"I mean, yeah! It's really interesting!"

They sat in silence for a minute or two.

"May I ask you a question?" Logan asked all of a sudden.

"Sure, what's up?"

"This... sounds so stupid now that I think about it. I remember you looking at me for a second... When we made eye contact, you instantly looked away. I was just wondering if I was doing something wrong?"

Virgil looked down at the floor, his face turning red. "Um, no. You didn't do anything wrong. Eye contact just makes me kinda super totally nervous. Sorry..."

How can VIRGIL GREYSON be nervous?!

"You are..." Logan said slowly, "not at all like how you act around other people."

"What can I say? I'm pretty goddamn fucked up, Lo."

The nickname made Logan's heart sing.

Virgil sighed. "You doing a little better?"

"...a little. It feels kind of nice to talk to someone who isn't a teacher, parent, or bully."

"What am I to you?"

"Uh, a good acquaintance...?"

Virgil smiled. "That sounds pretty chill. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They sat in silence for a little longer.

"Right... I never really do this, but how'd you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?" Virgil asked.

Logan's eyes widened. "What?"

"Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Yes, I want to, but you do not have to do that for me. Everybody would notice."

"So? You'll get some new friends once you sit with me."

"I feel like Remy hates me."

"Remy hates everybody."

"...that is true."

"Plus, I like you better than my friends. Remy's kinda freaking annoying and Roman's super stuck up. I don't hate either of them, but I want someone more... Real. Like you. You're pretty cool."

"I'm... cool?" Am I dreaming?

"Yeah."

"Um, well, alright then. I'll sit with you."

"Sick. Can I have your number too?"

"Sure."

Virgil pulled out his phone from a hidden pocket in his binder and handed it to Logan with the contacts app open. Logan typed in his phone number and added himself in as "Logan Decker".

Virgil looked at the contact name. "Boring. I'm gonna change it a little."

Logan was confused, so he looked over Virgil's shoulder. Virgil had changed it to "Lo 👓🌈".

Logan didn't understand why using symbols and shortening his name was any better than what he had originally typed in, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't going to push away his only possible friend.