Beautiful Secrets (Cranksepticeye Fanfiction)

~9.24~ The Last Three Rows

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The more I thought about Friday night, the more nervous I got.  It wasn't a date, not officially - I knew that. But that was part of the problem. I wanted it to be. What do you do when you realize you might have feelings for a guy who will barely admit to being your friend? A guy whose uncle kicked you out of their house, and who isn't all that welcome in yours, either? A guy who almost everyone you know hates? A guy who shares your dreams, but maybe not your feelings?
I had no idea, which is why I didn't do anything. But it didn't stop me from thinking about Jack, and almost driving by his house on Thursday night - if his house wasn't outside of town, if I had my own car. If his uncle wasn't Macon Ravenwood. Those were the "ifs" that kept me from making a fool of myself.
Every day was like a day out of someone else's life. Nothing had ever happened to me, and now everything was happening to me - and by everything, I really meant Jack. An hour was both faster and slower. I felt like I had sucked the air out of a giant balloon, like my brain wasn't getting enough oxygen. Clouds were more interesting, the lunchroom was less disgusting, music sounded better, the same old jokes were funnier, and Jackson went from being a clump of grayish-green industrial buildings to a map of times and places I might run into him. I found myself smiling for no reason, keeping my earphones in and replaying our conversations in my head, just so I could listen to them again. I had seen this kind of thing before.
I had just never felt it.

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By Friday night, I had been a great mood all day, which meant I'd done worse than everyone in class, and better than everyone at practice. I had to put all that energy somewhere. Even Coach noticed, and kept me late to talk. "Keep it up, Nestor, and you just might get yourself scouted next year."
Mark gave me a ride to Summerville after practice. The guys were planning on catching a movie, too, which I probably should have considered since the Cineplex only had one screen. But it was too late for that, and I was past the point of caring.
When we pulled up in the Beater, Jack was standing outside in the darkness, in front of the brightly lit theater. He was wearing a purple T-shirt, with a pair of skinny jeans and thrashed black boots.
Inside the door, aside from the usual crowd of Summerville Community College students, the cheer squad was assembled in formation, hanging out in the lobby arcade with guys from the team. My mood started to evaporate.
"Hi."
"You're late. I got the tickets." Jack's eyes were unreadable in the darkness. I followed him inside. We were off to a great start.
"Nestor! Get over here!" Emory's voice boomed over the arcade and the crowd and the eighties music playing in the lobby.
"Nestor, you got a date?" Now Billy was riding me. Earl didn't saying anything, but only because Early hardly ever said anything.
Jack ignored them. He rubbed his head, walking ahead of me like he didn't want to look at me.
"It's called a life." I shouted back over the crowd. I would hear about this on Monday. I caught up to Jack. "Hey, sorry about that."
He whirled around to look at me. "This isn't going to work if you're the kind of person who dosen't want to watch the previews."
I waited for you.
I grinned. "Previews and credits, and the dancing popcorn guy."
He looked past me, back to my friends, or at least, the people who had historically functioned that way.
Ignore them.
"Butter or no butter?" He was annoyed. I had been late, and he had faced the Jackson High social stockade alone. Now it was my turn.
"Butter," I confessed, knowing this would be the wrong answer. Jack made a face.
"But I'll trade you butter for extra salt," I had. His eyes looked past me, then back. I could hear Emily's laughter getting closer. I didn't care.
Say the word and we'll go, Jack.
"No butter, salt, tossed with Milk Duds. You'll like it," he said, his shoulders relaxing a little.
I already like it.
The squad and the guys walked past us. Emily made a point of not looking at me, while Savannah stepped around Jack like he was infected with some kind of airborne virus. I could just imagine what they would tell their mothers when they got home.
I grabbed Jack's hand. A current ran through my body, but this time, it wasn't the shock I had felt that night in the rain. It was more like a confusion of the senses. Like being hit by a wave at the beach and climbing under an electric blanket on a rainy night, all at the same time. I let it wash over me. Savannah noticed and elbowed Emily.
You don't have to do this.
I squeezed his had.
Do what?
"Hey kids. Did you see the guys?" Mark tapped me on the shoulder, carrying a monster-size buttered popcorn and a giant blue slush.