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"Jeremy..." Christine said ponderingly, twirling her straw in her bubble tea.
"W-what?" Jeremy replied, distractedly. Way to pull me right out of a train of thought... Jeez...
"Do you like anyone?"
Jeremy blanched and lurched to a screeching halt.
"What?!"
Christine blinked, then looked back and gave him her characteristic, genuinely innocent smile.
"I said, do you have a crush on anyone?"
"I—! I know what you s-said, I'm j-just—What!?!"
"C'mon, let's sit," she said, indicating the nearby mall food court.
"O-okay..."
They walked to a table for two—one of those small, elevated ones with tall chairs to match—and sat. Christine swung her feet and smiled, chewing on a boba.
"So, Loverboy, tell me all about your girl. Or boy...?"
"R-really, Chris? I m-mean, like—"
"You're a lot more obvious than you think, Jeremy," she said seriously, looking over her proverbial glasses at him as she sucked another boba through the straw.
"F-fine. L-let's say I do like s-someone. I'd n-never want to r-risk ruining any f-friendship b-by confessing, so what's th-the p-point even d-discussing it?"
"Oh, I don't know about that," she hummed, smiling. "Humor me, hmm? What's so great about them?"
Jeremy have her a sidelong glance—glare?—and made a reluctantly resigned noise.
"UGH! Okay, f-fine. I'll humor y-you." He looked up into empty space, picturing Michael's face, and immediately felt an involuntary smile beginning to tug at his mouth. "Hmm... Well... Say there's this person you pass in the hall every day... You've known him twelve years today. You're used to thinking about him in a certain way, from the persona that he displayed."
A troubled frown clouded his features.
"And then something changes... And he changes... From a guy that you'd never be into, into a guy that you'd kinda be into... From a guy that I'd never be into, into a guy that I'd kinda be into... Is he worth it, Christine? Is he...?"
Christine smiled at the dreamy, thoughtful expression on her friend's face. Is he talking about Michael...? Well, duh, of course he is. But how can he not see that Mike's been pining after him for years?
Jeremy went on, oblivious to her reactions.
"Say there's this person that you thought you knew real Mel—er, well..."
He is totally into you!
"You thought that you had him pegged, but now you can tell, he's gone from a guy that you'd never be into, into a guy that you'd kinda be into! From a guy that I'd never be into, into a guy that I'd kinda be into... Is he worth it, Christine?"
Absolutely!
"I don't always relate to other people my age... Except over video games," he said, grinning, and Christine giggled. "And there are so many changes that I'm going through... And why'm I telling this to you? Guess there's a part of me that wants to—" He stopped himself and blinked, shaking his head. "Back to hanging with you... I know that it's weird, but it's totally true! The guy that that I'd kinda be into..."
"The guy that you'd kind of be into," Christine chimed in.
"Yeah, that—"
"Guy that I'd kinda be into," "Guy that you'd kinda be into," they sang together.
"Is... Michael!"
"I knew it!!" Christine squealed excitedly.