Brunch went fine. Dan turned back into his normal cheesy, smiling self within 10 minutes of being home. The mountain of pancakes and half pound of bacon didn't hurt anything either. I'm not gonna lie, I ate plenty myself, too.
The only thing that worried me was that Connie knew about me. She didn't say anything, but I just knew. I guess when Dan came out, she sort of figured out why we'd become such fast friends. I guess it's possible he told her, but I didn't think he would do that. But still, there wasn't a single doubt in my mind that she knew and that was scary. If I could have pulled her to the side and talked with her about it, I would have. Instead I chewed my bacon thoroughly and just let my worry fester.
School was rough I have to admit. It was one of those weeks where everything hits you at once. I had not only two tests sprung on me almost last minute, but also a new English assignment. The class was going to debate current issues in class on Friday. Since I couldn't participate, I got to write a 10-page paper doing both the pros and cons of an issue. It wasn't fair at all but I couldn't exactly argue with the teacher about it. The only good side was that I got to pick my issue. There is ONE good thing about switching schools so often; I had done something similar for an English class in Virginia last fall. I needed to dig up my paper on Transgender Rights and see if I could rework it. The public restroom issue was pretty hot at the moment, and I had done a lot of research on it already. I knew I had kept the paper and hopefully I still had my notes too; yay for being a packrat.
Between studying, writing, and speech therapy, my afternoons were pretty full. Dan had signed up for the spring play and had rehearsal Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons so we ended up seeing very little of each other that week. I saw him in the mornings on the way to school and a little during choir and everything was fine, but I missed him.
Friday afternoon I pretty much dropped my bag at the foot of the stairs and then barely managed to make it up and into my room before collapsing on my bed. I was SO done. I hadn't needed a weekend this badly in months. I realized, sadly, that this was the first weekend in awhile that Dan and I hadn't even made plans. He was still at rehearsal but I promised myself that I would text him as soon as 5:00 rolled around. And then I fell asleep. I didn't even roll over or get under the blankets and was completely out until my phone chirped.
Dan the Man: Want to watch a movie or something?
Dan the Man: It's not late yet.
Dan the Man: Or tomorrow?
Dan the Man: My place.
Dan the Man: Assssssssssssssssssssssssh!!!!!!
Dan the Man: Hahah ASSher. Hey, where ARE you?
Dan the Man: That's it, I'm coming over.
Dan the Man: Still ignoring me? I'm tired, can you come over here?
Dan the Man: Asher!
Asher: Hold on. Sleeping.
Asher: What time is it?
Dan the Man: tfw your life is slipping away sleepyhead. You're on your phone! 7:14
Asher: Crap no wonder I'm hungry. Let me find a parent. Two mins.
Asher: Ok, gonna eat real quick. Should I bring clothes and stuff?
Dan the Man: No, we'll talk about that. You have to go back home :(
Asher: Alright. Be there soon.
Dan: Yay! :)
Why did I end up with a ginormous cheesy smile on my face every time we talked? I went downstairs and thanked my mom for the plate she'd reheated for me.
"You were out like a light Asher, I thought you needed your sleep. You've had a rough week, haven't you?"
I nodded while shoveling food into my mouth.
"Staying at Danny's?" she asked.
No.
"Well maybe that's for the best, really. You can use some sleep. Don't be gone too late, okay? Text me when you're on the way home so I'll know when to expect you?"
I nodded, although really, what was she going to do if I took an extra 5 minutes walking home? Come looking for me with a baseball bat and pepper spray? It was all good though, it made her feel better.
"Don't forget that your aunt and uncle are visiting tomorrow."
I stopped mid-chew. Shit. I had forgotten, or rather I'd completely ignored it and hoped it would go away. My uncle Steve and aunt Mary were AWFUL human beings. Mom must have known what was going through my head.
"We're all going to dinner together. If you have a LOT of school work and need to be at Danny's for some of the afternoon to work on it, that's fine. But dinner is required. Okay?"
I knew it was as good as she could do. I nodded my thanks, then put my plate and fork in the dishwasher.
"Have fun dear."
I sighed. I'd thought I was done. I made it through two tests and a paper at school only to be faced with uncle Steve tomorrow. This week just would NOT quit. But, on the bright side, I was headed to Dan's. He had a TV in his room so we'd be away from prying eyes and could hold hands and whatever else. Hopefully I'd get a kiss or two..... or 20.