AARON
“Huh.” I turn my head to look through the space between two books on the bottom shelf. I arranged them, and every row after it, in such a way that I can almost see to the front. “That’s weird.”

Louis looks up from his spot on the window seat; light bleeds through the blinds. “What?”

“My school’s doing Hello Dolly! too. But the only reason I know that is because Erica tried to blackmail me into joining,” I smirk, remembering. “Oooooh…she tried.”

Louis frowns. “She did.”

I blink. “No, she didn’t.”

“I was there. She, she totally blackmailed you.”

My eyes narrow. “I don’t know where you were, but she unsuccessfully tried to blackmail me.” I lean back on the floor and sigh. “What’s the appeal of working in theater?”

Louis shrugs, and leans back against the windowsill. I know he thinks it’s uncomfortable because he keeps fidgeting, but he tries really hard to be nonchalant. “I have friends who work it, and they ask me for help sometimes. And I like helping out. It’s, in your words, ‘gratifying to me.’”

I give him a small applause. “Nice memory, Randolph,” I comment, and nod his way. “Humor me. How did Erica blackmail me?”

He finally sits up from the window and moves to a seated position in front of me. “We got food, she…kind of, introduced me, and then asked you to join. You said no – ”

I’m nodding. “Good so far.”

“ – and then she began telling me about something from McDonalds…?” He looks at me, and I am fucking fuming. Louis blinks and asks, “Was that the blackmail?”

My hands curl into fists. “God, fuck…” I groan and lean by head back. “Erica…shit, she successfully blackmailed me this time.” I lie back and cross my arms over my chest.

“Oh?”

I’m not looking at him. I’m talking to the ceiling. “Well, because, usually, I’m able to counter with any number of things she’s fucked up on, like, like the time she forgot an entire monologue from Les Miserablés, or, or the time she almost burned down her house.” Louis is watching me with wide eyes, and I add, “Long story – stories – short, stage fright, but still really funny and embarrassing, and she didn’t know how to use an oven.”

“…does she know now?”

I lean my head back. “No. Her family doesn’t let her touch it now.”

He sighs like he’s been holding his breath in anticipation, and it makes me grin. “Thank God.”

“Well, how’s your life been other than helping my friend blackmail me?” I ask.

He gets so excited and tells me about his friend, Chris, doing something exceptionally stupid in an attempt to secure a part in the spring musical for himself, except it isn’t funny to me. I’m tempted to just stop listening, but Louis is acting it all out in this amazing pantomime that I don’t stop him from laughing.

In fact, it’s kind of amusing to watch.

Louis inhales and catches his breath. “Long story short, he isn’t interested in auditioning for the show anymore.”

I was listening, but I’m certain I look zoned out. “Are you done now?”

“Were you listening?” Louis asks. “You were making you ‘I’m-not-listening’ face. It looks like this.” He produces this dead-eyed blank stare, as if the space behind my head is more interesting than what’s happening.

It’s an accurate depiction. But I insist I was listening. “Is the story over now?”

“Yes,” he insists, and leans back against the windowsill again. He inhales and sighs again. “I like this.”

LOUIS
“The library?” Aaron sits up on his elbows.

“No. This.” I gesture to everything around us. “I like that it’s just us. No one’s ever really here, like…like, it’s just us.” I smile, and I look at him.

Aaron smiles back. “This is nice, yeah. It’s like this quiet getaway from the world, right?” I nod. But Aaron looks away for a second, like he’s realized something. “What time is it?”

“Who knows? Who cares?” I ask.

“I ask because I want to know when the period ends.” He leans back and smirks. “I need to get away from you. You’re suffocating me.”

“Wow.” I go for my phone, but it isn’t in my pocket. I look around and try to find a clock, but there’s no one in sight. “Huh.”

“Don’t know?” He inhales, like he’s accepted his fate already. Closing his eyes, Aaron sighs. “Okay.”

My fingers tap against the padding on the window seat before I say, “Hey. I got a question.”

“Is that the question?”

“No.” I frown. “You don’t really seem like you…”

“No.” Aaron sits back up on his elbows. “You don’t get to ask stuff like that. So I’m going to stop you now and say don’t.” He leans back and closes his eyes. Aaron’s hands rest on his stomach.

I bite my lip. “Is there a reason – ”

“No.”

I slide off the window seat and sit down in front of him. Well, more like in front of his feet. “Why?”

He sits up. “I’m not having this discussion with you, Louis.” Aaron’s glaring.

“Fine.” I move back to my spot on the window seat and pull a book from underneath me.

“Oh my God,” he whispers, groaning. “What?”

I don’t answer. He said he didn’t want to talk to me. So I’m not talking to him. That makes sense, right?

“Louis.”

I turn the page. “You said you didn’t want to talk.” I shrug. “So no talking.”

He groans. “Look, Louis, I don’t want to talk about this shit because – ”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” I look at him. “I wanted to know something and you shot me down. Full stop. The end. And that’s fine.”

I hear Aaron clear his throat. “…that doesn’t bother you?”

I close the book. “I mean, sure. It does. I like learning about people’s shit. It gives me the chance to learn about where they came from.” I shrug again. “So I have to wait a bit for you to ope̲͆ͩ̎͂n̶̗̹͕͓͕̪͈̒̐ͤ̓̿̔̿ ̺ͥͅu͈͗ͯ͛ͤ́p͓͉̟ͫ͋͗ͬͩ͢.̻̀̓” I clear my throat and continue. Even Aaron seems put off. Whatever that was. “Look, I’m not gonna be that ass and torture you until you confess your fucking sins.” I go back to reading. Until I figure out the pages are blank. Then I just throw the book on the floor.

Aaron blinks. “Wow, this’s a first.”

“What?”

“And you’re, like…okay with me not telling you shit?”

“I mean, I do wanna know. Curiosity killed the cat all the time.” I look at him. “But I’d rather be friends with you than be an enormous dick to you.”

Aaron smirks. “Thanks.”

I smile back. “Sure.”

Aaron taps his fingers on the ground and sighs. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Hm?”

“That’s light stuff. Do you have any siblings?”

I lean back against the bookshelf. “Yeah. I, uh, I have an older sister. She’s a deadbeat.”

“Such love.” He looks away. “I got a little sister. She’s paying back a debt to me.”

I snort. “I could say the same to you. ‘Such love’.”

“Yeah, it isn’t love when I say she’s the reason I came out at all.”

“Oh.” My eyes look away for a moment before I ask, “Was it…bad?”

He purses his lips and shakes his head. “Just with my mom. But…that’s still a mess waiting to happen.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be. It’s my shit. I’ll take care of̤ͤͮͥ̌ ͔̙͖͋̊ͤ̿̊i͖͖̻̽̇̅̒̑̔͊ṫ̗ͤ̐́.̧͍͓̻̐ͫ̈ Woah.” Aaron leans back. “That was weird.”

“Wait, you can do it, too?”

“What do you mean, ‘you can do it ,̲͇̥̺̟̞͈ ͎͈͖̘͖͈̌́t́ͤ̆͂͋ơ̜̤̣͑ͮ̋ͬ̒ͯ̋o̳̞̠̞̰̭͗ͥ͗͌̍̑́̚ͅ'ͫͯ̾͏̠̝͙?ͨͣ͋̽̔͂҉̮̠̣"̷̿́̑͂͒ͮͫ

"͓̗̠̩͓͆͑ͅWͧͮ̀h͎̩͔ͪa̵̖̰̞̰̐̌̾ͬͯͅt̝̻̪͎̀̀ͧ͆ͨͅͅ?̗̓̌͒̐̑ͧ"̖̺̞͕̫̗͂ͦ

̧̳̱̯͙̤̑"̡̦̟̈̉͆͌Į̩̬ ̵͎͊ć͍͔̤͓̩̬͂̔̊ͅa͔͎̣̞̥̫̅ͩ͋ͫ̂n͓̞̱̖͗ͮ͛͝'̲͋̆ͅt̤̭͇̯͔͔ͤͪ͛̕ ̩̣̰͍͎̻̔͐̈́ͯ̔ẖ̰̫͈̜͉͢ͅȇ̵̽̇̓̅ͣā̠̙̺̜̔̉ͩr͎̱͚̘̐̍͒ͫ ͇

y͕̘̠̻̪̻͐̀̋ͭͬ̊̚͞ͅȯ̔̉͋͆̓͏̦͙̙͎̝u̝͇̘̥͓͑̅́,̣̺̳͍̙̺̻̃͂ͪ͒ͥ͊͊ ̲̠͛̄

L̒ͦ̔ͥ̊҉õ̟͙͈͔̂̿͛ͯu̽͑ͤ͒̂̂̓i̭͈̘͎̬͓̔͐̆̉͒͠s̺.̥̬ͦ̃̓ͫ"̸̳̠̦̠̜̂̒̔

̪͉̂͘"̯̘͚̘̦͖͝W͙̙̞͇̤̗ͨ̓ͣ̄̎ͬ̅̀ͅ ̹̩̘̪̣͚̮̆͂̿́̑͘a̮̖̝̗̣̲t̫̫̠̩͖ͮ͌̋?̵͎ͨ͂̂͑̑̽ͬ"͉̭̞͈̞ͪͅͅ

̠̦͇̞͙͖̤ͥ̑ͩ̿̐"̡̼̥̯̰̠̯N͉̅̓ ̼͍͕͒̓͒̕ ͍̫̉ ̥̦̓͑̍͝ ̤̩̰̮̞̔̒̅ͫͅ ͉̥̱͈̌t̵̟̩͈̱̬̩̿ͬ́̒ ̱̟̪̪̹͓ͯ̂ ̵̲̱̥̿̂̋̓͗ ͬ

̙͖̪͔͔͍ͬ̆ ̩͚͇ͮ̂̅̈́a̜͈̱̹͕͎̍͂̆͘ ̭ͫ̉̊̀ ̷̺͚̞͉̪̃͒̈ͤ̿ ̠̲ ̮̩̻͕͔ͭ̓̒̿ͬ ̰̱̬ͬ͆͑̋ͫ͒͞ ̻̪͔̰̠̪̱

͈͚ͭ͐͊̾̌ ̼̮̭̼͍̻̓͠ ̶̣̘̳̠͎̏̄ͦͥ̚ͅl̐̇̆͏̰̟̯̤̣̱̻ ̩̪̰̻̲̘̑̆̃ͅ ̥̙̳ͤ͛̐͛ͪ͂͗ͅͅ ̠̟͍̠̀ͤ̏ ̨̺̜̟ͩ̽ ̱̩͇̜̫̬ͤ̐ ̹͚̼͉͖͇̳ ̶̙̿

t̛̟̼͎̥̘͙̒̈ͭͫͮͩͣȟ̲̮̦̳͉̜̜͋ ̗̥̺̰̙̗̍ͩ̋͗ͦ ̜̙͕͜ ̻͔ͩͬ̅̌͑w̅͂̍̒̽

͓ͤ̓ ͎͔̯͒ͭ͊ͮ͐ ҉̝ ̢̬̉ͤͦ̒͒̚a̶̯͈͚̭t͙͓ͪ̒̀ͧͭͬ ͇͔̲̟̻́͊ͬͫ̾͗̈ͅͅ"̩ͣͣ̊̔͑

v̰̺̘̻̏̍͗̍̈r͔̯̫̝͓̿ͣ͒̽́p̹͖̪̗̤̠̥͐ͭ͒h̥͓͓̖̐ͣ́̐̀r̽͑̽͏̲̝̬q̫͟h̸̖̥̫̥͈̀ͫ ̜̖͓ͥͯ̓̎̔q͋͑̇͒͝ẖ͖̠͉̂ḫ̋́g͂͌ͭ͑͂̉͏͓͇v̴ ̗͎̩͈̲͗̉̈́̈͛w͛͐ͥ͘r̮̻̫̊̆̐̀ ͖̯z̜̩͘d̲͙ͪͩ̆ͤñ͕̟̮̦̟͔̥̓͢h̼̟̦̩̳̯̲͌ͨ̆͗̊͞ ̟͇͓͕̒ͩͧ̿p̖͚̳̏̑ͩ͊̊͐̿h͑͋̚ ̴̝̪̲̩̐x̻͕̘̺ś͚̥͍̰̩̣͔ͦ͋.̠͈̒ͦ̕ͅ