Falling In Love With The Duck

Ruffling the Feathers

        I jump and squeak at the sudden knock, even though I know it’s him. I’m glad no one is in the hall with us. I hear him laugh as he walks around me and my locker so the door isn’t in his face. He leans against the metal wall of lockers and crosses his arms.

“Didn’t mean to frighten you, miss,” he says in his best British accent. 

I shuffle my textbooks around and close my locker. I get ready to explain that Terry needs to stop trying to play match maker, but his smile only allows me to mumble, “Hi.”

Duckie wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear. “Thank you, for the tux.”

I hug him back slowly. “No problem. She’ll love it.”

He pulls away. “You really think so? I mean, I look dapper in anything, but I know she’ll be wearing pink. Does blue clash with pink?”

        I swallow the lump in my throat and shift my backpack on my shoulders. How can I just let you torture yourself? I close my eyes and lick my lips. I need to be honest with you, right now. I open my eyes and see my reflection in his blue sunglasses. My blonde hair is perfectly in place, tucked under my headband. My black choker is fine. I look good for someone who was just crying and running.

“Blue totally clashes,” I smile. “But like you said. You look good in anything, but you also look,” I search my mind for a synonym for cute, “great next to anyone.”

        We start to walk towards my algebra class in silence. I begin to wonder what Terry said while I ran off or if she even said anything. I glance at Duckie and can tell he’s trying to think of something to say. I bite my lip and start jogging my mind for a good topic. All I can think about is Andie, me confessing my love to Duck, and the fact that my exam is going to kill me.

“Who did you confess your love to?” He suddenly pops the question like he’s asking about the weather.

I laugh because I can tell he’s actually curious, but he’s playing it cool. “No one.”

He stops walking. “Caroline,” he takes his glasses off. “Who do you love?”

I stop as well and smile dumbly. “Duckie, drop it.”

He puts his glasses in his brown coat pocket. “Tell me, or else.”

“Or else what, Duckie? You’ll complain about Andie some more?”

He smiles at me, realizing that I’m just teasing. “Or else…I’ll take this!”

        He snatches my headband off my head. My hair falls into my face and I try to blow it away. When that doesn’t work, I move my bangs aside with my hands. I shrug at Duckie pretending I don’t care. He throws it down the hallway like a Frisbee and smiles at me again waiting for me to run after it. I cross my arms. There’s no way that I’m acting like a dog.

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

“Oh really,” he laughs.

“I don’t have time for this, Duck.”

        I put my bag down in front of my next class and start to walk to my headband. Suddenly, brown dress shoes slap across the floor towards my black headband. We laugh as we both race towards it, pushing each other until I reach down and grab it. Problem is he grabs it with me. I put my hand on his chest in attempt to push him away, but no use.

        He tickles my side and I instinctively pull my arm down to hit his hand. My head lands on his shoulder, but doesn’t stay there because he tries ripping the hair accessory out of my hand again. An idea bubbles up in my mind and I smile big at him. He raises an eyebrow at me as I reach into his pocket. I take out his sunglasses and drop my headband.

“Caroline,” he says gripping my black band. “Don’t be childish.”

I put his glasses on myself and suddenly everything is a shade of blue. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you over all the blue.”

“That’s how you want to play?”

“How do you see in these?” I say walking back towards the classroom.

        I squeal as I feel his hands around my waist. He pushes me against a wall smiling at me. His body crushes against mine. My face turns bright red as I realize how close we are. In all my years being friends, this is the closest we have ever been. One of his hands lifts in front of my face and dangles the plastic band. I grab it slowly and place my hand on his shoulder, still holding the headband. He takes his still free hand and removes his glasses from my face and puts them on himself.

“I see perfectly in these,” he whispers.

“Uh huh…” I mutter breathlessly.

He leans his forehead on mine and shows his goofy-cute grin. “What’s wrong, Doll Face?”

        My other hand makes its way to his other shoulder as his hand goes back to my waist. I close my eyes and feel his breath on my lips. I have waited years for this moment, so why am I so nervous? Can he hear how loudly my heart is pounding?