“So, how was school?” Mom asked, taking a bite of the repulsive raisin, couscous on her plate.
“It was awesome!” Harry gushed, “This boy in my class got sent to office because he called the teacher a bad name!”
“What did he call her?” Lauren asked.
Harry smirked, “A fat bit…”
“Okay!” Mom interrupted, “Lauren how was your day?”
“Okay,” she shrugged, “I already made friends with this girl Sarah, and her brother Seth is like, super cute, so it’s a bonus.”
Mom rolled her eyes, “How about you Ash?”
“It was fine,” I answered.
“Just fine?” she pressed.
“Yeah,” I shrugged, “I met these two guys in my math class who are cool and these other guys, they invited me to have lunch with them this week.”
“How lovely,” Mom said excitedly, “See, I told you, you’d love it.”
Nodding I looked down at my plate and pushed around my uneaten spinach salad.
“Hey Mom?” I asked.
“Yes sir?” she replied, spooning more salad onto her plate.
“I don’t suppose you have a old plaid shirt of Dad’s or uncle Steve’s?”
“No honey, I’m afraid not,” she said, “Why do you ask.”
“No reason,” I replied, “Hey can I be excused.”
“Yeah sure,” she answered slowly, “But you barely ate your dinner are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, “I have a lot of homework?”
“After your first day?”
Poking at my napkin I nodded.
“Alright, go ahead,” she sighed.
Shooting her a grateful smile I rose from the table and cleared my place before heading upstairs to my room. Once inside I crossed over to my bed wear my backpack lay tossed and rummaged around inside until I pulled out the class list from my math class, and scanned the sheet until I found the name I was looking for.
Wondering if I was perhaps over stepping my boundaries but not really having any other option I punched in the phone number which correlated with the name on the list and waited several seconds until finally it began to ring.
“Please answer,” I mumbled to myself.
The other end rang again and then to my relief, it stopped.
“Hello?” a familiar voice asked on the other end.
“Harry?” I questioned nervously.
“Uh, yeah, who is this?”
Sighing in relief I sank down on my bed.
"Um.. this is Ashton, from school."
"Oh hey, Ashton from school. Is there a reason why you're calling me instead of texing because I'm not gonna like it's kind of akward."
“Uh, yeah, I was, uh… I was just wondering if maybe you could do me a favor.”
“I’m assuming that we’re not talking sexual favors?”
“Uh, yeah,” I stammered quickly, “I mean no, not at all! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, or that I don’t think you would be really good at it or um….”
“What do you want Ashton?” Harry laughed.
Blushing I picked at the hole in my sock, “I was wondering if I could borrow a shirt?”
“Really?” he spat, “Burrow clothes from the gay guy, that’s all he’s good for right?”
“What no!” I cried.
“So you don’t like the way I dress?” he snarled.
“No I do, I uh…. I think….”
“Calm down I’m kidding,” Harry laughed, “You’re so gullible it’s a miracle you haven’t been kidnapped yet.”
Sighing in relief I ran my hands down my face.
“So,” Harry chuckled, “What kind of shirt do you want?”
“I, uh, I was wondering if you possibly had a plaid one?” I mumbled.
“Why?” he asked slowly.
“You promise you won’t flip out?”
“No,”
“Fine, tomorrow’s Wednesday and….”
“You little shit, are you seriously following their stupid little dress code bullshit?”
“You guys are the ones that want me to get in with them aren’t you?” I demanded, getting annoyed.
“Yeah,” Harry chuckled, “I guess we are, but dude you are so whipped.”
“Can I borrow the shirt or can’t I?” I groaned.
“Fine,” Harry laughed, “I’ll meet you in the side parking lot ten minutes before class.”
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Yeah whatever,” he replied sounding amused.
Sighing I prepared to hang up the phone.
“Wait Ashton?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you do me a favor in return?”
“Uh… a sexual favor?” I mumbled, terrified.
“I mean if you’re up for it that’d be lovely but that’s not what I had in mind,”
Face palming I took a deep breath, “What?”
“Please burn that stupid purple shirt you wore today.”
Mildly offended I looked down at the said garment which still clung to my body.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.
“It is the sole ugliest thing I’ve ever seen,” he replied.
“Oh,” I mumbled.
“Oh yeah and Ashton?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d burn those stupid three quarter length shorts too.”
“Those were my uniform!”
“I don’t care, they’re hideous.”
A bit ticked off I looked down at my shorts, “Anything else?”
“Yeah, your shoes are kind of lame too.”
“What’s wrong with my shoes?”
“They’re ugly.”
“Well then what am I supposed to wear.”
“I’ll figure it out,” he replied, “See you tomorrow,”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, “see you,”
I waited for him to hang up first in case he thought of another item of my clothing he hated, however there was nothing left. Sighing in annoyance I flopped back on my bed and pulled out the small packet of homework which was due in math, before I fell asleep.
