𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐤𝐞𝐲 ❀ 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬

i. "god, you got dorkier"

"ooh! ooh! he's right there!" travis said excitedly, rushing over to a black car.

the trunk popped as a blonde got out of the driver's seat. the moment of truth, i told myself. don't screw this up.

"duck!" travis said as we arrived right in front of him. "this is cooper!" the blonde boy stuck his hand out to shake.

"hi," i said shortly, ignoring his hand. what the hell is wrong with me? i promised i'd be nice.

he seemed a little taken aback, so i put on a big smile and tried again.

"i'm duckie, trav's friend from back home." better. "it's really great to meet you, he talks about you all the time."

cooper grinned, "i could say the same about you. it took a few weeks to realize duckie was your actual name and not a screen name."

blushing, i corrected him, "i mean, it's actually dorothy. but everyone just calls me duckie."

"as in oz?" he questioned.

"the very same."

travis closed the trunk and joined the conversation, "do you wanna know how she got the name duckie, though?"

i sighed, "please say no."

"fuck yes, i wanna know," come on, not the story. please.

travis gave a giggle and told cooper about the time a duck chased me around the petting zoo during a field trip in second grade.

"oh, no!" he laughed. "you really never lived it down, huh?"

way to be an asshole, bud. "no. i didn't."

sensing the shift in my mood, travis suggested we get going, and we all got in the car.

my phone buzzed as we tried to make small talk.

t-man

t-man:
are u ok?

yeah, just tired. sry.

t-man:
promise?

yeah, sorry trav
i just need a nap i think

t-man:
if u say so
im glad ur here

me too :)

i snapped back into the conversation; dinner and grocery shopping. thanksgiving is in three days and the boys hadn't had the foresight to start buying ingredients.

"ooh, trav," an idea popped into my head. "we should try to make your nana's stuffing recipe! it would be so fun."

his family is like my family, and his nana always went on about how i was one of her grandchildren. she was the sweetest.

my best friend winced. "actually... noah's in charge of stuffing. maybe something else?"

"yeah, maybe." i shrunk into myself, going back to my phone.