Spotlights

The Importance of Words

Connor waited anxiously in the lobby of the doctor's office. He'd been planning this for months, and if something went wrong, it would cause chaos and embarrassment. And he was in no way prepared to deal with that right now. 

Evan and his mother would be here any minute. While Heidi was aware of his plan, Evan, of course, was not. And so Connor had done his best to come up with a viable excuse for why he was here. 

Unfortunately, his best was not enough considering he still had no reason for why he was standing in the waiting room, nervously glancing back and forth at the clock on the wall. 

It was almost twelve thirty, the time of Evan's appointment to get his cast off. As if on cue, Connor saw Heidi's car pull into the parking lot. 

Okay, okay it's going to be fine. Just don't fuck this up and it'll all go fine. 

He continued to reassure himself as Evan and Heidi entered the waiting room. Connor couldn't help but smile at the way Evan's face lit up when he saw him. Giving a nervous, incredibly adorable wave, the freckled boy glanced over to his mother. 

Heidi just nodded, giving Connor a knowing smile followed by an encouraging thumbs up when her son's back was turned. He simply smiled and rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Evan, who was now making his way towards him. 

Shit, okay calm down. Oh my fucking God no one has the right to be that adorable! 

Connor's internal screaming continued as Evan smiled up at him. 

"H-hey, I didn't know you were supposed to be here." Evan said, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Not that I'm complaining! I-I just didn't know-" 

Connor chuckled at Evan's behavior, trying to buy himself time as he thought of a response. His mind, however, was betraying him, as all he could think about was how cute Evan looked right now. 

"I have to work late again tonight, and so Connor volunteered to take you to rehearsal." Heidi said, seeming to come out of nowhere. Her presence was unexpected, though certainly not unwelcome. Connor silently thanked her for rescuing him, and she nodded in return.   

So far, so good. 

The fact that Evan had a rehearsal tonight had completely escaped Connor's thoughts when he was forming this plan. Ever since he'd landed the lead role in the play he'd auditioned for, Evan had been attending once a week rehearsals on top of the weekly classes. Connor had attended a few, and despite what Evan thought, he really did have a talent for acting. It's evident in his face when he performs, he truly enjoys it.                         

"Oh, well thanks." Evan said meekly, looking back up at the taller boy. 

"No problem."   

They all took their seats and waited as Connor watched the minutes tick by. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and oh what he wouldn't give to smoke right now. But, he'd promised Evan he would try and lay off the weed. And so Connor would have to deal with his nerves.  

They waited another ten minutes before the doctor came out into the waiting room, ushering Evan in. Heidi rose from her chair and Connor followed, trailing behind her. The doctor gave Connor a questioning look but let him through.                              

The room was rather boring, wall coated in beige paint, decorations and furniture kept to a minimum. Connor didn't know why he cared so much, the décor of the room probably wouldn't effect anything at all, but he supposed he'd expected something less... dull.    

Connor took his place in the corner, flopping into one of the darkly colored chairs that seemed to be in every doctor's office ever. He watched from his position as the doctor was spouting out some information about Evan's arm. 

His eyes then moved from the doctor to Evan. He was sitting on top of the weird table thing, hands dangling by his sides as his eyes flicked back and forth from his mother to Connor. 

Shit, he knew something was going on.

Connor took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Not knowing what else to do, Connor rose from his chair and walked over to Evan. He glanced at doctor before bracing his hands on the table and lifted himself up to sit beside the smaller boy. 

"Hey." he mumbled, not really knowing what else to say.  

"Hi." Evan smiled up at him, and the sight gave Connor some form of confidence to keep speaking. 

"You happy about getting your cast off?"  

"I guess. Though I'm a little reluctant to let go of it considering it's part of the reason we became friends in the first place." 

Connor smirked as he looked down at the faded letters of his name. The rest of the off white material was still blank, save for a few bumps and scratches.  He hummed in response, shoving his hand in his pocket and feeling around for the marker he'd grabbed  before he left. Closing his fingers around it, Connor held onto that marker like it was an anchor. To remind him that this was all real. That he was actually about to do this. 

Connor pulled out the marker and tapped on Evan's arm. He got the message, trying to hide his smile as he rolled his eyes and stuck out his arm. 

"Close your eyes." Connor said, returning the smile with one of his own. This earned him another eye roll before Evan obeyed. Connor took the moment to let it all sink in. He hadn't expected it to be this simple, such a small gesture. But feeling the weight of Evan's arm in his hand, staring at the beautiful boy who Connor somehow managed to fall in love with more and more each day, he couldn't imagine this happening any other way. 

Gently, he uncapped the marker with his teeth, not wanting to let go of Evan. His hand moved towards the material wrapped around the boy's arm, the tip of the marker hovering over it. Taking one more breath, Connor pressed it into the fabric, watching as four letters that would make or break everything appeared in thick, black ink. 

"Open your eyes." he whispered, and Evan did. His eyes quickly moved down to see the new markings on his cast. An eternity seemed to pass as Evan stared the scrawled writing before he sucked in a breath, preparing to respond. 

Written in a style that was messy and unfocused, as if the author had not been entirely present while writing the words, but undoubtedly Connor's, were four letters that would change everything for the two of them going forth. 

Prom?