"Are you ready for your big day?" Priscilla woke me from my temporary slumber on the kitchen island. I noticed that I was downstairs instead of hopelessly trying to fall back asleep in my comforting bed. My body must not have recognized that I was awake for a brief period of time.

"Noooo... kill me now..." I moaned, head pressed against the cold granite countertop.

"What's got your panties in a bunch? You should be excited for your date," she stood on the opposite side to focus on me.

"It's not a date..." I corrected. "I just don't want this to be a near-miss disaster like yesterday..."

"Yesterday couldn't have been that bad," She tossed while making some coffee.

"Priscilla, I almost threw up on him," I bluntly stated in a dead tone.

Yesterday, luckily after Ms. Blackwood's class was over, my stomach tricked me into thinking that eating was a good idea. Seong-jae stayed with me even after the last bell rang, but the warm taste in my mouth almost had other plans for him. If it wasn't for the bubbly melon soda that Grace had, I would have hurled onto them both. That would have been a disaster...

"Oh, dear..." she sighed. "Did you take your vitamins?"

"Priscilla, I'm old enough to realize that those pills aren't vitamins. But yes, I took them today," this left us with a somber atmosphere.

Oh, God. All of the late night trips to the hospital, the endless bloody rim of the toilet, my retched cries of agony. If I don't take my pills, the consequences will eventually kill me. But when I do take them, the side effects just complete the endless cycle.

"Things will be better this time, now that you finally took your pills. You just gotta be positive!" She chimed.

Popping pills shouldn't always be a positive thing...

I lifted my head and pushed the plate of eggs and toast away. I didn't really want to finish eating now that the topic of medication was on the table.

Priscilla could tell that the air was getting stale, so she changed the subject with, "Tell me what you've put together. We have some time before we go over to his house. It's only down the street."

Perking up, I made a stage in the walkway to the front door and exposed my long awaited attire. I spend most of the night trying to figure out what to wear, considering the fact that my dad may be coming home earlier than expected. Luckily, it's eight in the morning and there hasn't been word of him since last night. So! Wearing a dress was a good call.

"To start off, I wanted to wear something simple so I found this nice floral patterned dress and added a black cardigan sweater since its a bit chilly outside. Then I just had to wear my favorite red infinity scarf to tie it all together. Oh! And I found this cute leather shoulder bag with a bowtie on it in your room-- you weren't going to wear it anyway, and I really really wanted to wear the new boots you got me so yeah... I feel really cute, okay?" Exhaustion hung on my last word from talking so fast. My cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

She didn't say anything, she just smiled. Embracing me whole, "You're dressed up really nice for someone whose 'not going on a date.'"

"I gave up on caring about Dad..." I sighed.

"That's the spirit! Sorta... Don't let him get in the way of your 'not date'. Oh, no hair clips this time?"

"They kept falling out..." Seong-jae kept putting them back in.

"I like your hair this way, you should embrace your Scottish-Irish curls," she played with my hair.

"Scottish-Irish?"

"Because you have Scottish and Irish blood..."

"But Dad isn't Scottish or Irish..."

"..."

"..."

"Priscilla--"

"Whoops! We're running late, let's get in the car!" She panicked.

"But it's barely eight-thirty, there's still time..." she was already out the door with her coffee before I could protest any farther. I sighed and placed my eggs with toast in the fridge before following after her. It's going to take a lot of Vodka to get an explanation for that out of her.

Why does she like Vodka anyway? It's such a hard liquor. Reluctant taste, heavy hangover, I can't see how she can continue to drink that. People usually drink that only to forget something unforgettable...

>~<

"Seong-jae, your boyfriend's here!" A candied girl, who could only be Seong-jae's older sister, teased into the house.

I blushed as she motioned us to come inside. I heard Seong-jae say, "We're just friends, Hana," from the stairway.

I noticed the pairs of shoes near the front door and signaled Priscilla that we should discard our shoes. I placed my boots neatly beside Seong-jae's soccer cleats.

Their house was warm and cosy. Cushioned carpet in the living room, expertly painted creme walls, decorative framed artwork, cutely patterned curtains and a hint of cinnamon in the air. My first time here and I already love this place.

"Hey Devon, sorry if this is too early for you. Do you want some coffee?" Seong-jae came upon me in his soccer uniform, noticing my sleepy state. I almost forgot how to speak because his hight still boggles my mind. He's not super tall, but the way he looks down at me turns my limbs into putty.

"I-I'll be fine, thanks though," I finally answered.

He took a step back, only for me to realize to that he was studying me. Just like he was back at the coffeeshop. It must be from force of habit. Again, I didn't mind because he complimented me last time.

"I love your outfit, Devon. You look really cute," he said as he ruffled my hair. I could see a genuine smile appear as he continued to sift through my curls.

"Thank you... that means a lot..." Could my voice get any softer? Could it be any more obvious that I'm gay? Yes. Yes it can.

I didn't want him to stop, the feeling left a nice burning sensation. But his mom came out of the kitchen to greet us. Seong-jae really resembled his mom. Same misty gray eyes, same face shape, same midnight hair. The only difference was that Seong-jae had glasses. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore our school colors, sky and navy blue.

After she made acquaintance with Priscilla she turned to me, "You must be Devon. Seong-jae has told us so much about you."

I could tell that she was a little wary of me since I look, act, and dress like a girl. I'm pretty used to this. I've had lots of practice with many confused and cautious customers.

"Mom, I got this. Preferred pronouns?" Hana asked.

"He/him is fine," I happily aided.

After introductions were settled, I finally got some time to talk to Seong-jae after Priscilla left. She told me that she'd keep me updated on my father's whereabouts and if there's a change of plans. On a happier note, I remembered the deal that Seong-jae and I made.

"Weren't you supposed to tell me a secret?" I asked.

We were sitting on the floor in front of the flan-resembling couch as his mom kept the time. Hana went upstairs as the morning news echoed in the room.

"Yeah, I didn't forget," he laughed. He thought for a bit before speaking once more, "This may come as a surprise... but I'm actually a total geek. I basically live on the internet."

Don't we all?

A sympathetic smile tugged at my cheeks, "Oh really? How much of a geek are you?"

"I'm such a geek that I bought an ocarina to complete my Link cosplay. I can play it too," I could tell that he was serious.

"Seriously? That's actually pretty cool..."

"Thank you! It's nice to know that someone appreciates my independent decisions," he purposely spoke a little louder to get a reaction from his mom.

Ms. Min slowly resurfaced from the kitchen to give him a blank stare, only to laugh seconds later. "I was only mad because you wouldn't let me play it," she tossed.

"She made my ocarina sound like a dying cat," he whispered, laughing.

"I heard that!" She perked.

"Love you mom~" Seong-jae called sweetly.

"Love you too, son," she smiled back.

I could tell that they had a good relationship. A close relationship. One that I always wanted. There's always been this gapping void inside me because I never had that mother-son relationship. Maybe dad was right... maybe I should just forget about Mom.

Nope, nope. Fuck you, jealousy. This is not the time to be getting sentimental. Today is supposed to be a good day! You promised yourself three things: You won't cry, you won't throw up, and you won't embarrass yourself. Now keep those promises!

"You always act so cool around your teammates. Is there a reason for that?" I had to quickly change my mood. I couldn't let myself become somber.

"I was trying to fit in," he answered reluctantly. "I also have a hard time expressing myself around people," he ran his fingers through his hair.

"You seem pretty comfortable around me and Grace," I implied.

He paused, settling his voice more and easing up, "It's easy to talk to you guys... especially you."

"M-me? But I was a mess yesterday!" I only realized that I said what I thought until it was already in the air.

"No you weren't," he chuckled with enlightened eyes. "You were just being yourself. Something that a lot of people at school haven't been..."

I sensed dejection in his voice towards the end. I resisted the urge to hug him as he quickly straightened up, signaling for me not to worry.

"I just feel like I could tell you anything, you know? There's not a lot of people like that in this world. Is it bad to feel like that even though we only met a few days ago?"

"No, it's not bad. Because I feel the same way," I reassured happily.

We sat in comfortable silence as the moment settled in. It's true, it has only been about three days since we first met. But there's just something about his nature that makes me want to learn everything about him. Not only that, but his calming smile dissipates the worry of my eating condition. I really think that I'll be okay today.

"I guess I should tell you something about myself, huh?" I suggested.

"I'd prefer you not to remain a mystery," his hand found the depths of my hair. The burning sensation returned.

"W-well, I love to write. Nothing in particular, just anything in general. That was a secret... so now you know..." Already embarrassing myself, it didn't help that the potent hair ruffles caused my brain to freeze. My heart fluttered when I finally met his gaze.

"Do you want to work together for Ms. Blackwood's project? I could peer edit your work and you could help me with my English."

Is he already suggesting another date-- I mean, friendly get-together?? Is this eagerness or excitement? I don't want him to stop ruffling my hair, but at this point I won't be able to function! >~<

"Yes, I'd love to work with you. Your English is fine, though," I accepted as he released his hand.

"I want to learn more words though. English is such a... complex language," he stated.

I could have said something else, but time was against me. It was time to head to the school's soccer stadium. Seong-jae's Eevee hoodie made a comeback as Hana temporarily wore it. She complimented my Rilakkuma phone charm as we were headed out the door. Once we were settled in the 'soccer mom mini van', I got a text from Priscilla.

"Your father's plane just landed."

XxStoryRiderxX: Secrets are the best way to get to know someone. I have a feelings they will be sharing more secrets in the future. Thanks for being so patient with me! I can't fashion, but I made that collage happen... what do? Next chapter will have text messages, a movie, and insecurities. What fun!

［XxStoryRiderxX has signed off］