The Nerd and The Frog

You Look Good

The rest of the evening went by as routine. Alan had enough time to sit and stew in anger at what Thomas had done, figuring out that Thomas had manipulated him into admitting that Daniel Lang was gay, without actually saying a word. That was the one thing that drove him insane about Thomas; he was able to out smart him in the simplest of ways. He wasn't too sure how he was going to be able to keep Thomas' mouth shut, but he would deal with that tomorrow in-between class.

Eventually, Nicolette came over and joined his family for dinner, helping to distract him from what transpired on the phone earlier. Of course, they questioned her about the knowledge of a boy that Alan may have been dating, and even she was surprised by this, not helping but to ask him and tease him along with his family.

Later that night, they watched the premiere of American Horror Story in his bedroom, enjoying the episode and chatting amongst themselves afterwards. Once done, Nicolette retreated to their guest bedroom while Alan lay alone in his bed, trying to rest and get some sleep. He knew it was going to be a rather long and eventful day tomorrow.

-

"So, what's this about some boy, Alan? You hiding stuff from me?" Nicolette asked as they sat on the bus next to each other.

"There is no boy... " Alan spoke as he rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses back onto his face.

"Then where did this come from? Why is your family asking about it?" Nicolette pressed, curious.

"All I did was mention that I wanted to wear contacts and they just automatically assumed there was a guy." Alan admitted with an annoyed grunt.

"...Yeah, I agree with them. There must be a guy." Nicolette replied with a smile.

"Why can't I not wear glasses?" Alan asked as he poked her in the side.

"You look... different. I don't know. I'm just not used to seeing you without them. Even when you take them off to clean them or something... it just looks weird. It's like I'm talking to a completely different person." Nicolette admitted.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Alan asked. "Do I not look attractive or something?"

"I mean, I'm just used to seeing you with glasses. You've had them forever. You were like... 6 years old the last time you didn't have to wear glasses. The only reason you got them was because when we played hide and seek outside, you ran right into a tree, claiming you didn't see it."

"I don't need to be reminded of why I need glasses, Nicolette." Alan stated with a sigh. "I really want to know... do I look bad without them?" he repeated, before removing his glasses entirely.

Nicolette stared at him carefully, before poking him in the forehead. "You actually look... good. You don't look bad."

"Really?" Alan questioned, surprised. "Then why does everyone say I look strange..."

"Because you're almost too good looking. Like, you shouldn't be talking to me. You should be with the preppy kids or something..." Nicolette quietly admitted as she watched him put his glasses back on.

"Is that why you always told me I look different? Because it would probably get me noticed?" Alan asked, curious.

"Maybe... that's probably selfish, right?" Nicolette replied with a guilty look.

"In a way, it is... but I kinda understand why you did it." Alan admitted with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" Nicolette questioned, surprised.

"Let's be honest, there is no damn way I would fit in with that crowd, and they're all a bunch of fake assholes anyway. They would only be interested in me because of my face. What good would that be for me?" Alan stated bluntly.