The Art of Being a Gentleman

CHAPTER SIX

"No, no... I get the talking in your sleep thing. What I don't understand is the princess warrior dream and why I was in it."

"David," Mack tried to explain, getting more and more desperate the more his friend's face looked creeped out. "It wasn't weird. In all honesty it could be made into a movie one day. In fact, now that I'm thinking of it, that's genius." He looked around suddenly, "Can somebody get me on the phone with Steven Spielberg, I have the next Oscar winner right here," he tapped his finger against the side of his head.

"Just stop. And never talk about this out loud ever again."

"Okay, I hear you...but what about—"

"Hello, guys, arguing about something arbitrary as usual?"

David rolled his eyes but didn't bother to turn his head towards the voice. He sort of hated that he could pick Ricky's voice out of a crowd already. He barely knew the guy but he already felt like Ricky was his own personal termite; burrowing into his personal life and slowly but surely destroying everything he's ever known and loved.

Maybe he sounded a tad overdramatic, but for the past week, Ricky would appear out of nowhere to butt his head into David's life and tell him what to do.

"You look a little tense today, David. Have you tried taking some deep breaths?"

"Hey sorry to interrupt, but I just had to tell you that your tie doesn't go with that shirt. I have an extra you can borrow if you want to stop by my locker."

"Alyssa looks really nice today, have you offered her a compliment?"

He was like a nagging mother, except worse because at least your mother gave birth to you and fed you and stuff. Ricky was just straight up annoying.

David adjusted the sleeve of his shirt, "Using big words isn't going to make people think you're smarter, you know."

Ricky just chuckled. "Will you be joining us today, Mr. Mackey?"

"Oh absolutely," he nodded, taking a swig out of his plastic water bottle. "Not a chance I'm missing out on Dave looking like a total idiot."

That earned him a punch in the arm.

"David," Ricky tutted, but motioned for them to follow him. They made their way through the school grounds to the parking lot, right to a shiny BMW that didn't belong amongst the other dingy student vehicles.

Of course, this was his car.

"Sweet whip, man," Mack crowed, happily jumping into the passenger seat.

"Thank you. Now hop in, we've got places to be."

David had to stop another eye roll as he slid into the cushy backseat. The car itself had to be at least five years old but it still had a new car smell; because it was Ricky, so of course it was the best-taken-care-of car in the history of motor transportation.

He sat in the back with his arms crossed while they pulled out onto the main road and Mack fiddled with the radio station, flipping between songs and static. The sounds flickered in and out as often as David questioned whether or not dating Alyssa was worth everything he was doing.

"Where are we going?"

"We have things to work on." Ricky glanced at him through the rear-view mirror, "Your way with words is concerning to me."

"Your way with words is concerning to me," he mimicked in a stupid voice.             

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Ricky nodded easily, bringing the car to a stop at an intersection. As he waited for the light to change, he peeked over his shoulder, "Sweet talk will get you many things, David. And it will also get you out of many things."