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All from a poster on a wall. They’ve been ambling around through the field after school, a special occasion - they’re off work. The same prom poster burned through their eyes, yada yada.
MAY 9TH - SENIOR PROM
Friday. There’s a badly photoshopped head of one of the staff slapped onto a PDF of a heart; it makes Jared and Aslam giggle, and they lean against the concrete wall with one loose leg each. Compared to Aslam, Jared squints a whole bunch in the sun, just looks angry the whole time at nothing in particular. Aslam keeps his head down or a pair of sunglasses.
“Tammy said Erin wants to ask you out,” Jared says, “and that I shouldn’t say anything.”
Immediately, Aslam turns. “I thought she got a boyfriend?”
“Oh, and that she broke up with him.”
“That’s rough.” Pebble. It’s kicked by his eager sneaker. “Don’t tell her I’ll say no.” Jared shrugs, mumbles something in thought, and shoves his hands into his pockets.
Is it this hard to speak up? For once Aslam doesn’t wanna knock some sense into Jared or scold him for being nosy. Rather, he does want to, but he can’t. Jared isn’t looking in his direction, unaware of the stuck look on his face.
Finally, he speaks (though it comes out painfully). “You should come with me.” Out in the air, it flies right into Jared’s face as he perks up.
“...Seriously?”
“You think I’m playing? Wanna bring my best dude. Have some fun. No boyfriend-girlfriend.”
“Well, shit, man, sure…” It’s their first instinct to immediately dap each other up, no questions involved. “I mean, if you’re not gonna get romantical on me.”
Aslam breathes out a laugh. “...Romantical.”
“Yeah, romantical.” And now his face’s red, all for Aslam to assume he’s embarrassed ‘cause it was dumb and not ‘cause he’s feeling romantical, like, actually.
“We’re gonna get platonical, man.” And now he’s walking off, something on his mind, something about whatever he needs to do because that’s all he thinks about. And now he says something to confirm it: “10 AM, you gotta meet me at the store ‘cause we’re gonna get some suits and you gotta tell me black or blue.”
Jared responds, “Uhh, black.” His limbs are frozen. Like a stick. A frozen stick?
Still, Aslam’s back is facing Jared as he waltzes. “See, I knew you’d say black.”
“Wait.”
Oh? “What?”
“If we’re going to prom together, can I get a kiss?”
A beat. Two beats.
Aslam bursts out in a brief fit of laughter, his hand loosely pointed in Jared’s direction. “I know you’re fucking lying.” It pains him to laugh; he doesn’t really want to laugh, but they’re on the field, outside, in daylight with God knows who to catch sight of them. It pains Jared to laugh with him, too.
“Yeah, joking.” They’re shoulder to shoulder now, pace slow.
“All that’s happening is you’re coming with me while neither of us have a date.”
“Sounds pretty similar to going to prom with you.”
“Were you joking or what?” He nudges Jared’s shoulder. “Our suits aren’t even gonna match.” Please counter my claim again.
Jared’s tone comes out defensive: “You don’t wanna match?” He is kind of offended they won’t be matching.
“Okay, yes, I wanna match.”
“...If you wanna match with me and we’re basically going to prom together, then we might as well call it going to prom together.”
Man, what am I supposed to say? “Call it whatever you want.”
“We’re going to prom together.” His heart’s been pounding against his chest for the past minute, and finally, it’s out of his mouth. In fact, he’s been holding everything in since the topic of prom even came up, and he now wishes Aslam would hold him as he falls. Instead, he slows down because he knows Aslam’ll go slow for him anyway. They walk until Jennifer spots them; the car ride’s awful quiet.
Thank God Jared has a porch for them to stay seated, all quiet, facing a plethora of trees as far as the eye can see—happy Mr. Sun peeks out, though not enough to blind them. The sight moves Jared enough to act stupid, admit he’s been a liar, and kiss Aslam on the lips. They’re going to prom together, and yes, their suits will match.