Not Just Another Number

Setting Up The Trap

I breathe out my nose very slowly, opening my eyes, but it doesn't help. Now my eyes are blurry. I blink my eyes, trying to make the blurriness go away, and continue walking, but a little slower this time.

"Well not everyone can have your perfect hair." Dustin says, making me look up. What's going on now? Now, Dustin and Steve are walking side by side. Steve sighs.

"It's not about the hair. The key with girls is just...just acting like you don't care."

"Even if you do?" Dustin asks.

"Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts."

I scoff and speak up. "Dustin, don't listen to him. That'll just make us hate you." I shake my head. They ignore me. Great, listen to the guy who can't flirt to save his life and not the girl, who knows what she's talking about because she's a girl.

I groan. The headache comes back again, making me stumble. Shit! I put my arm out, trying to steady myself. I feel my nose start to bleed. I raise my hand, wiping the blood away. What the fuck is going on now?

Steve's POV

"And then you make your move." The leaves crunch under our feet as we throw meat ahead of us.

"And that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asks, making me put my hand out and shake my head.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down, Romeo. Sure okay, some girls, yeah. They want you to be agressive. You now, strong, hot and heavy, like a.... I don't now, like a lion." Dustin nods along. "But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a...like a ninja."

"What type is Sarah?"

"What?" I ask, dropping some meat back in the bucket. He shrugs. "What type is Sarah? You like her, don't you?"

I shake my head and look behind us to see if the girl in question is listening. She's behind us quite a bit, and she isn't even looking at us. She's looking at something on her finger.

I look back at Dustin and clear my throat. "Of course I like her, she's my best friend. I don't now what type she is. She's a mystery." I say, looing down at the ground.

"So she's special?"

"Yeah, she's really special."

"But this girl's special too, you now. It's just, like, something about her." He looks ahead, looking dazed and smiling. I've seen that look before, I've worn that look myself.

Dustin reminds me of myself, so I get this protective feeling when I notice his look. I hit his arm, making him stop. "Whoa, hey. You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?"

He blushes and shakes his head vigorously. "No, no."

"Okay good. Don't." I tell him as we start to walk again. "I won't." He reassures me.

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit." Suddenly, I feel something hit the back of my head.

"Hey losers, what's going on?"

Sarah's POV

"Hey losers, what's going on?" I call, trying to catch up. The headache finally lessened a little, to a bareable pain. I still feel a small bit of blood coming out of my nose, but I don't feel as dizzy anymore.

They both look back at me, Steve holding his head where I hit him. "Are you still giving him terrible advice?" I tease.

They both look awkward. What did I miss? They keep walking, Dustin looking a little sad. Neither of them tall for a while.