Chapter Text
"Finch?"
"What do you want?"
"I'm at your front door. Let me in."
"What the fu-"
"Just let me in."
"Okay, geez."
Albert hung up the phone and waited not-so-patiently for Finch to open the door. When he did, he followed him back into his room, and while Finch plopped back onto his bed, Albert began pacing on the hardwood.
"Dude, at least take your shoes off. My mom, like, just vacuumed that floor."
Albert ignored him.
Finch sighed. "Okay. What happened?"
"You'll never believe what I did today."
"Did you finally ask him out?" Finch asked in a bored voice, picking at his nails.
"Yes."
Finch's eyes widened, and he sat straight up, smacking his head on the bunk bed. "What?"
Albert stopped walking. "You've been telling me to do this for months!"
"Yeah, but I never thought you would actually do it. When did this happen?!?" Finch winced, rubbing his head.
"During geometry with Ms. Larkin."
"You asked out your longtime rival and somewhat recent crush during first period math?!?"
"No! Well, yes! I don't know, it just slipped out," Albert groaned, sitting down in Finch's beanbag chair and covering his face with his hands.
"Well, now you've done it. So what'd he say?" Finch asked, launching a throw pillow at Albert.
Albert grabbed the pillow and threw it back at Finch, hitting him square in the chest. "Stop it."
"What did he say?"
Albert hesitated.
"Albert."
"I, uh- I might have left? Before he could say anything?" The words came out like a question.
Finch simply stared at him for a moment before getting up, walking out the bedroom door, and closing it behind him. Albert cringed as Finch let out an aggressive scream of frustration before returning to the room.
"Okay," Finch said, very calmly. "So now what?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, are you gonna ask him again? Get a real answer?"
"It's more complicated than that."
"Then explain it to me!!"
"Basically," Albert hesitated, "it's a bet."
"A bet."
"Yeah. So if I beat him on the next math test, we go out. On a date."
"Albert…"
"I know, but it was the only thing I could think of! And I've been doing pretty well this unit. I think I stand a chance."
Finch simply looked at him.
"Finch?"
"Well, I guess there's only one thing we can do now," Finch said, raising an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
"You need to study."