Ned Gets Stood Up

Chapter Twenty-Two

GRIFFIN

For the hundredth time since he linked up with Indie, Griffin tried checking the time on his phone. His hand would reach into his pocket and come up with nothing but air. He was really gonna miss that phone call with his parents.

Gruffly sighing, Griffin shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to follow Indie down the sidewalk. Indie never said where they were going, but that they weren't going to pretend they could find parking by the desired venue. It was a well-known street with bar after bar and explosive restaurants with live bands playing. It'd be the last night they'd have full hours with Christmas Eve fast approaching.

He'd know how fast if had his phone.

It was impossible using a fake ID around this place. Chad's dad was the fire chief, and everyone knew Chad wasn't old enough for these bars, even though Chad was the one who gave Griffin the fake ID in the first place. Maybe life was really just a big joke.

"Do you always have so much to do?" Griffin asked. He wasn't sure why he was asking so many questions. He never thought of himself as a riddle solving kind of guy. He usually just took things at face value and called it a day.

"It's a hard life being so popular," Indie sighed like a 1930s starlet exhausted by the limelight as they feigned a swoon.

Griffin rolled his eyes. Why does he set himself up like this? He always regrets asking.

"It's just all day, Indie, Indie, Indie."

"Is that a nickname?"

Indie turned with their brows up and expression wide. Mirroring Indie, Griffin was surprised by the question too. He never tried leading a conversation unless he wanted something out of it. Sure, he wanted his phone from Indie, but Griffin was already on his way to getting it.

He didn't need to be nice.

Indie already knew Griffin wasn't nice.

"Yeah," Indie said. "Actually. My name is Indiana."

Griffin's brow dropped. "Are you teasing me again?"

Indie laughed, all gums, teeth, and dimples. "No! I'm serious. My family is a bunch of nerds. I've got a cousin named Luke, you know Luke Skywalker, but as long as he doesn't tell people his middle name, nobody knows it. We've got a Ripley too."

Indie lifted their arm, keeping Griffin from crossing the road. He hadn't even realized he had a foot on the road with the signal red and cars beginning to crawl by them. Griffin's face warmed and he stepped backwards onto the sidewalk.

Indie shrugged. "When I came out, I knew I didn't want to change my name. I mean, it's just a name. Fuck it. Who cares, but like... I might not be named after someone, but it still feels like a family name if that makes sense."

Griffin stared at them for a moment. "So, Jones is your middle name? You're Indiana Jones?"

Indie grinned, their eyes practically sparkling as bright as the city lights. "That's right."

Griffin's bow remained furrowed. "Didn't they name the dog Indiana?"

With that, Indie threw their heads back with laughter. It was a huge sound like thunder rolling across the sky and reached somewhere deep inside of Griffin and made him shiver, like a cat getting the best neck scratches of their life. Somehow, together they got on the topic of old movies from all the 80s classics and Griffin was surprised to hear Indie had seen them all. Some movies Griffin hadn't even heard of.

And he let Indie talk.

And he just listened.

#