Chapter Text
Skyhigh - listen, i was thinking, we should meet or something.
I stare at my laptop screen in shock, Jared reading over my shoulder. “Listen, I was thinking, we should meet or something,” he reads in a dumb voice. “I don’t see what the big deal is,” Jared shrugs, back to his normal voice. “And ‘ranger rick’? The fuck kinda name is that ?”
Whirling around in my desk chair, I stare at him in disbelief. “What the- what the big deal is?” I nearly shriek. “The big deal is that I have to meet him! And.. and because I- I’m training to be a park ranger… and I loved the Ranger Rick magazines when I was a kid, so…”
He just raises an eyebrow, and taps the screen with his knuckle. “You can just say no ,” he points out, and I follow his eyes down to my fingers, poised above the keyboard.
“I can’t say no!” I protest, typing out a response. ‘Sure!’
Jared pats my shoulder, nodding. “Alright, good, send it.” There’s a pause, and he notices that I’m biting my lip. “Or not,” he adds, rolling his eyes.
Groaning in frustration, I delete the message, a blinking cursor in the text box, waiting for me to make up my mind. “He might not even like me! What if he meets me, and he hates me? Or, or he thinks I’m too much of a loser to hang out with, or what if he’s expecting a girl ?”
I’m met with laughter, which only makes me feel worse. “Dude, relax, he’s put up with your dorkiness for a couple of months, it’ll be fine. Plus, why would he think you’re a girl?”
Ignoring his slight insult, I sheepishly point to my profile picture. “Not many boys will have a Malus domestica flower as their profile picture,” I grumble, blushing.
He laughs again, punching my arm a little too hard. “He knows your name, doesn’t he?”
I nod, but still I’m nervous. “He- he could think it’s fake. I’ve never sent him a picture of myself, I’m too scared…”
There’s a loud sigh. “Alright, well, let’s tell him you’re a boy .” Before I can do anything, he snatches my laptop, quickly typing something.
“Wait!” I reach for it, and he gives it back, a proud smirk on his face.
“You’re welcome!”
What did he do? My eyes land on the message.
Ranger_rick - before I say anything i wanted to make sure you know im a boy even tho i have a flower as my prof pic
“Jared!” I’m about to add another message to try and fix it, but my computer dings.
Skyhigh - lmao of course you dumbass. I like the apple blossom, it suits you :)
I can hardly contain my excitement that he recognises the flower. It’s stupid, I know, but the fact that he knows it’s not just any old flower makes my heart sort of flutter.
Skyhigh - I used to go to this old apple orchard actually. They closed down, which sucks. It would’ve been cool to show it to you, you would’ve loved it! One sec, I wanna show a pic.
Jared picks up the computer, looking at the message. “So he’s a nature dork too, huh?”
“It’s.. not like that…”
There’s another chime, but before I can see what Connor sent, Jared begins to type away furiously again.
Frowning, I stand up, sticking my tongue out as I take my laptop back. Looking back at me is a selfie of Connor, sunlight shining on his face as he smiles broadly, and I can see magnificent trees behind him. I wish I could say I was focused on the trees, but I’m mostly drooling at the picture. It’s not fair that he’s gorgeous! That’s another thing, what if he meets me and thinks I’m ugly? And then I look down.
Ranger_rick - dayyyyuuuuummm u fiiiiine ;););) i cant wait to meet you and stare at that face
Blushing red, I quickly write more with one hand, flipping Jared off with the other.
Ranger_rick - I am so sorry, that was my friend Jared! He also sent that other message about the flower…
Skyhigh - pft i figured, it didn’t sound like you
Skyhigh - but I wouldn’t mind being stared at when we meet ;) or maybe I’ll be staring at your mysterious face
I look at Jared with wide eyes. “Is he flirting with me? Or-or no, he couldn’t be, I, I don’t understand! No, this must be a joke…”
Jared wiggles his eyebrows at me, poking my cheek. “ Someone’s blushing,” he teases. “Could you be crushing on him?”
“No!” I reply far too quickly. “No, no, no way.” Then it hits me. “Jared, Jared, oh my god, Jared, I’m gonna have to meet him now, look!” I repeatedly jab the screen with my forefinger. “I, I can’t do this, oh my god…”
“Dude, do you need a paper bag? You’re hyperventilating.” Jared crosses his arms, his lips quirking up in a smile.
“I’m not, I.. okay. I can do this.”
Ranger_rick - hahaha
Please just be joking, please, please…
Skyhigh- ;) À la mode tomorrow at 2 sounds good? Dress cute~
Shit. I’m crushing real hard. This isn’t good .
Ranger_rick - Perfect
Huffing, I close my computer as I watch the light indicate he’s gone offline. “Now what?”
“Now you meet the man of your dreams,” Jared says with a soft chuckle before he plops down on my bed.
I pout at him, throwing a plushie off of my desk at him. “Oh, be quiet!”
It smacks him perfectly in the face, and falls into his lap. Jared picks up the tiny stuffed kitten before setting it aside. “It’ll be okay,” he says, but I can tell he doesn’t really care.
Spinning in the chair, I put my head in my hands. “What if he’s actually a psychopath? And, and he’s lying about his identity?”
“He could be crazy,” Jared agrees. “Maybe he’s planning on kidnapping you.”
I whimper, picking at my nails. “God, you’re right…”
He scoffs, coming over to me. “Jesus christ, I was just kidding. It’ll be fine . Now relax and let’s play some video games, I dunno.”
However, I am hardly registering his voice as the panic creeps up inside me. “What if he sees me and doesn’t like what he sees so he walks out making me look like a fool and then everyone laughs at me? What if he’s fake flirting and then when we meet he says he’s not into me? Well, why would he be, I’m a mess…”
A hand rests on my shoulder, and Jared’s voice is gentler than usual, kinder. “Evan, come on, it won’t be like that. You’ve been talking to him for a while, it’ll be okay. You really think he’ll pull any sort of dick moves like those?”
“Yes!” I cry out, exasperated. “Anything can happen, god, Jared, what do I do?”
“What you do, is take a deep breath,” he instructs, putting his hands on his hips. “Come on, in and out, you can do it.”
In, out… In, out… In, out…
After a moment, he tilts his head. “So how do you feel?”
“The same,” I reply miserably. And it’s true. I’m still terrified . “What if, after letting him into my life, he decides to run?”
Jared hops up onto my desk with a soft grunt. “Evan, you’re scared. You’re being defensive, you don’t want to get hurt, and that’s understandable. But you gotta let him in, or else it’ll be even worse for both of you. You’re scared to fall in love, huh?”
I want to yell at him for suggesting that I might fall in love (even if it’s true), but instead I pick at my cuticles. “I’m just being cautious, is all,” I mumble. “What if he’s really mean?”
“I’m sure he’s n-”
“What if he likes me?” I scream, unable to stop the hysterical thinking from taking over. “Like, what if, what if he’s really nice and he’s totally into me, and I’m into him?”
He grins, swinging his feet slightly. “Then that’s good -”
“No, not good!” I’m starting to sweat now, and I feel tears in my eyes. Dammit! “What if he sweeps me off of my feet? I mean, I want to find someone who can love me for me, but it could all be a game to him, or maybe after I trust him he hurts me? I want love, but-”
“You’re scared,” Jared finishes, sighing. “Evan, you’re overthinking this. You’re literally just getting ice cream with the guy, it’s not like you’re going to some fancy ass restaurant. Plus, if you need me, I have a phone, so…”
I flop my head on my desk beside where Jared is sitting. “You’re right…”
“Now, let’s play something before you have a crazy panic attack, okay?”
“Okay…”