Chapter Text
Howard Weinerman’s signature smile is the last thing Debbie expects to see when she slams her locker door shut.
Even more surprising is his lack of Randy.
She turns her head, but finds no tuft of purple hair. She turns back to Howard and looks past him. Still nothing.
By this point, he’s still smiling, but the corners of his mouth have fallen a little, and his brow has settled low on his forehead.
“Can I help you?” she asks, pointedly angling her body away from him.
“Well, maybe.” He leans against the lockers, bracing himself with one arm. His free hand goes into his pocket. “Depends what you’re doing this evening.”
She breaks eye contact with him again, glancing into the distance to run through her mental to-do list. “Well, I was going to do a little reading on McFist Industries’ toxic dump sites, but that’s more for personal research than anything. Why do you ask?”
He pulls two tickets out of his pocket, holding them up near his face. “I’ve got two tickets to the old drive-in, and one of ‘em’s got your name on it.”
She’s laughing before she can even try to stop herself. Her eyes squeeze shut and she almost drops the books she’s holding. When she catches her breath, Howard is frowning at her. The tickets are still fanned out in his grasp, but he’s standing up straight with one hand on his hip.
“Oh — oh, you’re serious?” She’s done laughing, but not done smiling.
“No, I just felt like getting laughed at in the middle of a hallway on a Friday afternoon.” He rolls his eyes.
“How many people turned you down before you landed on me?”
His mouth falls open at that, but he snaps it shut and recovers. “Nobody. Jesus, is it so hard to believe I’d ask you out?”
“Honestly, yeah. I never would’ve guessed.” She starts to walk away, shutting down the conversation before it can go anywhere.
But of course Howard falls into step with her. “I’m full of surprises.” His pace quickens so he can face her, shoving a ticket at her. “Look, I even picked a movie I thought you’d like.”
“Blades Bared ? That’s one of the best mystery movies of this decade.” Debbie stops, just in time for him to walk face-first into a door. “Not bad, Howard. Not bad.”
He steps closer to her, putting on a very good impression of a guy who did not just walk face-first into a door. “I do my research when it counts. So, are you in?”
“Just because you picked something I’m interested in doesn’t mean I’m sold. It’s a popular movie. The odds were already in your favor.”
“Oh, I get it.” He pockets the tickets and becomes very interested in picking his nails. “You’re scared.”
She rolls her eyes, starting to walk again. “That’s a weak play, even for you. Not gonna happen.”
“No, I understand! You don’t know what I’ve got planned, you don’t know if you can handle it.”
“You have the capacity to plan ahead?”
“Again: I put in the work where it counts. But hey, if you think you’re not worth the work…”
She raises an interested eyebrow in spite of herself. “That’s quite the angle you’re spinning there.”
“I like to think I know my audience.”
“So what exactly would I be agreeing to?”
“It’s a surprise. Like me.” He flashes that shit-eating grin at her. “I can pick you up at eight and you can find out, or I can find someone to sell these tickets to.”
He pushes open the door for her, and she steps out onto the stairs, squinting against the sunlight. She looks out across the lawn, weighing her options. Next to her, Howard taps his foot against the concrete. To her knowledge, he wasn’t really the dating type… Three years into high school, and despite her network of contacts throughout their grade, she’d never heard of anyone going out with him — much less of him asking anyone out. At the very least, she’d get an interesting story out of it.
With a sigh, she turns toward him. “What else have I got going on tonight?”
He scoffs. “I’ll take that as a yes. But just you wait, Kang. It’s gonna be worth it.” He starts down the stairs, then calls over his shoulder, “Oh, and wear something warm! It’s supposed to be cold tonight.”