Good Guy

Part Twenty-seven

Sweeping up trash wasn't Scotch's idea of a good time. It wasn't even one of his top ten favorite things to do. However, in his current situation, it was a necessary evil that had to be finished ASAP.

If he wanted to surprise Cleo tonight, he needed to get to Mo's place as soon as he was done with community service.

Lucky for him, Cleo had swung by earlier and, even though he'd protested like a stubborn two-year-old, helped him clean up the back of the bandstand. She'd been better at it too, so he'd shut up at last and let her do her thing. Whether or not he admired the way her hips moved as she trotted around and picked up empty water bottles was his secret. In the end though, she had to leave him because she'd needed to prepare for the acquaintance party that night. He couldn't help but notice that all the freshmen were gung-ho about the occasion... except for her.

And he knew exactly why.

Finally, Scotch managed to rake the fallen leaves and empty food wrappers into a decent pile. He dumped them into a black trash bag at the speed of light and set said bag near the area's garbage bin. He then looked at his phone, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realized that he could still make it.

The ride to Mo's place didn't take too long, because the guy practically lived behind campus. Getting to his apartment was only a matter of turning left after exiting the school's back gate. In no time at all, Scotch was pounding on the heavy, white, single-panel door on the bottom left of Mo's two-story, gray-brick building. In his haste to be answered, he even almost knocked down the potted fern beside him. Lucky for Scotch, the thing was planted in a round, wide pot, the kind that could easily hold lots of soil to weigh it down.

"Hold your horses!" Mo answered from inside. "If you don't, I will. And it's not gonna feel pretty!"

"I only have one, and it ain't for you!" Scotch answered back, high on adrenaline in his rush to get to the party and surprise Cleo.

Mo answered the door with a cheeky grin on his face, and behind him, Art and Shayla stood at the ready. As per tradition, they wore a paired set of suit and dress, both pitch black with silver stitching to represent the starry night. They looked ready to hit the town.

"I should've known you two would be here," he groaned, cheeks going red at the thought of being caught doing something so... well... cheesy. "How'd you know I'd be here, anyway?"

Shayla was the one to speak first, the energy of her excitement making her bounce on her literally three-inch heels. "Mo may have accidentally spilled the tea when he asked us if we knew what Cleo was going to wear tonight."

"And we got curious, so we asked him why he wanted to know," Art continued flawlessly, almost as if he and Shayla were two halves of the same brain. "You went to his class to borrow a new set of clothes, right?"

Scotch scowled as he entered Mo's unit. It wasn't small, unlike his own, and he would have loved to crash on the humongous couch in the corner if only he wasn't in such a hurry. Case in point, he needed to figure out why these lovebirds weren't at the party already. "That doesn't answer why the two of you aren't at school."

"We're here to help," Shayla said, dangling her styling kit in front of his face. "I'm going to do your hair, and Art has a pair of shoes he thought you could borrow."

Scotch blinked as their offers to help him sank in. He'd been so busy with the thought of trying to make it to the party before it ended that he hadn't even realized he was missing a few things. He was lucky he had amazing, reliable friends who always had him covered. "I... you guys are—"

"That's just gross, Dude," Art cut in before things could get too sentimental. "Save that heart-to-heart stuff for Cleo, for Pete's sake! We need to get you to the party."