Jared's words echoed through Evan's head.
'Did you hear about the gay kid at school?'
Evan pursed his lips and considered pressing send. His anxiety curled around him and he squeezed his eyes shut and before pressing send. He slammed his laptop shut immediately after and tried his best to relax. Hands trembling, he got ready to sleep.
The next day, Evan woke to an email notification. With wide eyes, he snatched his phone and read the email.
Dear Blue,
Is your secret the same as mine? If so how did you know? And does anyone else know?
Sincerely, Little Prince
Evan scanned the email over again, releasing a soft breath before typing out his reply.
Dear Little Prince,
I haven't told anyone. And, honestly, I can't even really explain why. Deep down, I know my family would be fine with it. As for how I found out? I kept having this reoccurring dream about Daniel Radcliffe. And then proceeded to have it every night for a month. I was also obsessed with Panic! at the Disco. Then I realized it really wasn't about the music. How 'bout you? How did you know?
Sincerely, Blue
With a stupid little grin, Evan closed his laptop and got ready for school. He kept his phone close at all times through the day. As he was walking to his next class, he saw a notification. With a smile, he opened it, ready to read Little Prince's latest email.
"What's this?" Evan stiffened when his phone was suddenly snatched out his hands. The principal tsked and pocketed it. "No phones in the hallways Mr. Hansen." He chided.
"Mr. Howard," Evan pleaded. "P-please, there's an important-"
"You can have this after school." Mr. Howard said. "Now off to class with you. After the final bell, come to my office if you want this back."
Evan pursed his lips but refrained from arguing further. He could just check his emails at lunch. He just nodded at the principal and hurried away. Thankfully, his next class passed quickly and he managed to get to the library. Without wasting a moment, Evan logged into the computer and pulled up his emails. He grinned when he saw a new email from Little Prince.
Dear Blue,
I realized pretty quick. When my friends were all holding their breath waiting to see the Dragon Princess's boobs, I was crushing hard on Jon Snow.
Sincerely, Little Prince
The bell rang while Evan was typing out his response. Panicking, he gathered his things and hurried to his class. He didn't want to be late again.
He and Little Prince exchanged emails for weeks. Evan confided to Little Prince, revealing things he'd never told anyone. He found talking to Little Prince was soothing and liberating. He had known for a very long time that he was bisexual, but actually telling someone? It was the most freeing feeling Evan had ever experienced.
After three months of emailing, Evan started noticing little thing. At first, they were so small he didn't even give them a second thought. But then, when his friend Alana texted him, he realized that he felt excited every time he got an email notification. Whenever Little Prince emailed him, Evan's heart went into overdrive and it instantly made his day better.
A heavy feeling settled in his stomach when he realized he had a crush on Little Prince. Was that even possible? He had never met Little Prince before, hadn't even seen a picture of him. Could he really have a crush on a person he'd never seen? Though Little Prince did attend his school, maybe he had seen him and never known it.
Little Prince's identity occupied Evan's brain for weeks and left room for nothing else. Evan found himself staring at people as they passed, recalling every detail Little Prince had told him in hopes of figuring out his identity.
Finally, the curiosity overtook him and he hesitantly emailed Little Prince
Dear Little Prince,
The carnival is going to open soon, are you excited? The orchard always looks so gorgeous with all the lights and vendors. Going to the orchard are some of my happiest memories. Are you going? If so, would you like to meet at the Ferris Wheel, an hour before the carnival closes? I'll be wearing a blue striped shirt so you'll be able to recognize me.
Sincerely, Blue
Before he got the chance to second guess himself, Evan hit send.
He never received a reply. When the carnival finally came, Evan considered not going. His fear and anxiety over the email made him want to stay in bed and never leave. It took Alana and Jared spamming him with texts and then dragging him to the carnival for him to actually go. He was grateful to them in the end because he ended up having plenty of fun. Having his friends flank him on either side helped ease his crowd anxiety and the joy of the carnival pushed the thought of Little Prince away, if only for a moment. Though he still ensured he wore the blue shirt.
An hour to eleven and Evan had a decision to make. The carnival closed at eleven, so what should he do? Call it a day and head home? Stay and enjoy the hour with his friends? Or should he go to the Ferris Wheel and hope that Little Prince showed up.
The churning in his stomach made his decision.
"Guys? Um, I'm meeting up with someone in a few minutes. Do you mind if I go?" He stammered, twisting the hem of his shirt.
"You have friends beside us?" Jared exclaimed while Alana assured him it was alright.
Evan shot Jared a weak glare before saying thank you and rushing off to the Ferris Wheel.
"Blue?"
Evan's breath hitched and he spun around. There, standing in all his glory, was Connor Murphy. Connor was staring down at his shoes, spinning one of his many rings around. Evan's throat was dry. What was he supposed to say? There was no way Connor Murphy could be the funny, book nerd, and shy boy that Little Prince was. Connor Murphy was dangerous, he was unpredictable.
"I, um," Evan stammered. "You're Little Prince?"
Connor swallowed audibly and nodded. His fiddling increased and he began to shift his feet. "Y-yeah." He whispered.
Evan was at a lost for words. "Why Little Prince?" He managed to choke out.
Connor shrugged. "The Little Prince is my favorite book." He eyed Evan. "D-do you want me to go?" He asked softly.
Evan hesitated for a second and Connor's face fell. He turned to leave but Evan grabbed his wrist. "W-wait!" He stammered. "C-come on the Ferris Wheel with me?"
Connor stared at him with wide eyes before nodding. They sat in awkward silence. The seat was quite small, so their shoulders brushed every time they moved.
"I'm sorry I'm not what you expected," Connor whispered once they were halfway up. Evan stiffened and looked over. Connor was staring at his lap, a very sad look in his eye. Biting his lip softly, Evan hesitantly laid his hand over Connor's.
"It's okay." He whispered back. "I'm probably not what you expected either. Besides, everyone is different online."
It was still for a moment before Connor moved his hand and entangled their fingers together. Evan squeezed his hand and they sat in comfortable silence as the Ferris Wheel rose, revealing the beautiful forest in front of them.
