Ned Gets Stood Up

Chapter Ten

"It's okay," Sam mumbled.

Ned buckled The Gregor into the middle seat with both straps. He held his hands up as if willing The Gregor to remain in one piece as if it could spontaneously explode.

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NED

With The Gregor in his lap, Ned rested his chin on top of his hat. He wished he didn't let words hurt him like sticks and stones. Words did stick to him like glue. Never getting picked off, super glued to his skin, so every harsh word was slathered on like another layer. The Flowers were thieves. There's nothing harmless about Ned Flowers. He was a freak.

And now, Ned was faced with what he was going to do next. He figured after he captured The Gregor, that would be it. He'd be done. He'd level up in life and add points to the courage category of his stats. But just like everything he did in his life, he was halfway from the finish line and too paralyzed to go on.

"Eat something," Sam instructed, pushing Ned's plate of hashbrowns and eggs at him. He handed him the bottle of ketchup too. Ned hasn't eaten hashbrown and scrambled eggs any other way since he was in elementary school.

One of the many local Waffle Houses was decked out in enough tinsel to cover a Christmas tree as tall as his house. A few of the staff even wore Santa hats. People were packed into booths, seated closely into tables too small for their party.

"I am," Ned said, taking his first bite of hashbrowns. He grabbed the ketchup and drenched everything on his plate in ketchup. He'd been doing it since he was a kid and didn't know how to eat breakfast any other way.

"So, are you just going to keep it?" Indie asked, pointing their fork at The Gregor.

"It's kind of a waste on me," Ned said. "I mean, I don't do anything. Ever. So why would I need luck?"

"Well..." Lena wasn't looking at Ned when she spoke to him, but she was obviously talking to him, about him, and over him all at the same time. Her words were so pointed it pricked at Ned's skin. "Maybe you can use him as inspiration and maybe, you can finish things."

Ned's brow furrowed. "Like comics?"

Lena sucked in her lips, trying not to give anything away. "Yeah, or whatever."

Ned's stomach tied another knot. He held onto The Gregor a little tighter. He didn't want to ask because he didn't want to know the answer. He'd rather avoid it until the problem was a distant memory.

Sighing, Sam shook out of his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. Ned was sort of mesmerized by it. By him. It had only been a few hours since Ned had seen Sam last... but in some ways, tonight has made Ned realize he's been looking at Sam through the veil of their preteen years. Sam's been trapped in what he was and looked like to Ned three years ago. Just as Ned hasn't moved from that spot either.

But Sam had gotten older.

Ned's eyes followed the line of Sam's chin to the curve of his lips.

And what started out as innocent had developed too. Ned wanted Sam like he's never wanted anything. And he was suddenly annoyed by the presence of his friends and the entire room. Life would be better if it could just be him and Sam all the time. Forever.

He caught Sam's eyes and quickly looked away. His face was a box of matches that caught a spark, bursting in quick wild flames. Curious, Ned glanced at him again. A third time made Ned realize Sam was actually staring at him too.

"What?" Ned grinned, leaning his arm into Sam's.

The side of Sam's lips pulled. "What?"

"You're staring at me."