the boy and his acorn

russian novels and some coffee with your sugar

~Connor's POV~

I looked over at Evan, who had happily settled back into staring distractedly into space, and suppressed a smile. I'd shown him a movie I loved, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, and since he'd been on me to watch an episode of Criminal Minds. 

I don't care what people say, if someone goes to the trouble of showing you something they love, something they keep for themselves, even if it's not really your thing, you don't shoot them down, because somewhere in what it is they show you, is a million tiny pieces of themselves that've gotten lost in it. 

We pull up to school, and Zoe hops out before I even turned the car off, but I'm not surprised. She hates me. Not that I blame her. I hate me too. Actually, the only person who doesn't seem to hate me is Evan. 

I fight the impulse to skip class because today we're picking groups today in English, and I wanna be with Hansen. Mostly because he's the only one who can stand me. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. 

I coast through my first four periods, flying under the radar, and head out to the track during lunch, alone. 

Or alone until someone grabs onto my arm and walks beside me. 

Hansen. 

"Hey," Evan runs a hand through his hair, "d'you, uh, mind if I, y'know, join you? imeanifyoudontwantmetoicangobutifitsokaycanihavelunchoutherewithyou?"

"Take a breath, Tree Boy, of course, I don't mind." I way more than don't mind. Evan Hansen if this were another place, another time, I'd kiss you right now, in the middle of the football field, like we were in one of those romantic movies I- Zoe loves so much. 

He smiles, "Cool." 

I tilt my head to look at him, his eyes are flitting everywhere, dashing around. I need to stop fixating on him. He's straight, you're supposed to be straight. You need to stop, Connor.

And then I realise his hand is still gripping my sleeve. 

The corner of my mouth pulls into a smile, and we just walk. 

We don't actually talk this time, but it's easy. It's just me, Evan, and the trees outside the school. 

After lunch, we head to English, and for the first time in my three years at this school, I raise my hand. 

Ms Wiggins called on me and wrote my name down next to Evan's on the board. Partners. 

I bit my lip, trying not to smile. 

I coast through my last two classes and wait by the car for Evan and Zoe. 

Evan comes out first, almost sprinting towards me, a huge grin on his face.

"Conn- cast- tomorrow- saw- healed- me." He manages a few words between breaths.

"Hey now, deep breaths, Tree Boy. Come again?"

"Tomorrow I, uh, I have an appointment, a-at my, you know, doctor, to uh, get my cast sawn, um, off."

"That's great! That's great, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it, um, it is."

"Alright, well go ahead and get in the car and now we just have to wait for Zoe, so I can drop her off before we head to your place."

"Oh, um, Zoe told me to, um, tell you that she's, um, s-she's riding the um, the bus, cause she's, um, going to a friend's, I, I think."

"Oh, okay. Well then, let's blouse."

We pass most of the car ride playing random songs and seeing if the other knows it, mostly because Evan recently found a new artist with whom he's obsessed and it was the one way to get me to listen. (Actually, I would've done it if he asked but he didn't and Zoe told him I don't really like branching out.)