Chapter 6: Co comparison

“Whatever it is you have to say, say it and stop beating round the bush.”

“Or I may lose interest.” She added, smirking.

He laughed nervously, and ran a hand across his face then he stopped, his smile dropping.

“Okay. Joan Michaels” he started, looking her directly in the eye, “Would you like to go on a date with me this week?”

*

Flashback…

“Joan Michaels, would you like to go on a date with me this week?”

She pretended to think about the question, her lips forming into a pout and her brows, furrowing.

“I don’t know, King Johannson. What does this date have to offer?” she questioned after a long moment of silence.

15 year old King blinked innocently, looking up at her.

“A lot, Joan Michaels.” He said, “A princess crown, the best dress ever made in this universe, specially prepared food and my heart on a platter of gold.”

She twirled her hair around her fingers, her left hand on her in a pose as she stared down at him, knelt down on one knee, a single rose held up in his two hands to her.

“King… King… King…” she drawled, taking the rose and sniffing it.

“Why do I get a princess crown when you’re King? Why do I not get a crown befitting a queen?”

“I am sorry, my queen.” He bowed, “I’ll offer you the best crown made for a queen.”

“Okay then.” She said, tucking the rose in her hair, “King Johannson, out of my unfathomable pity and compassion, I agree to go on a date with you this week. You may get up now.”

She had already started taking steps back as she spoke. When she finished speaking, she turned around, giggling, and ran away. He chased after her.

“You agreed to go a date with me, why are you running?” he shouted, out of breath and laughing as he chased after her.

“I’m your queen!” she shouted, glancing behind her to see him already catching up to her. She increased her pace, feeling the thud of her feet on the sand. They were in a park.

“I order you to stop chasing… ahhhh!” she shouted as a hand clamped down on her arm and yanked her backwards.

They fell unto the sand, she above him. They laughed as she collapsed against his chest, feeling the vibration of his chest as he laughed.

“Is this how you treat a girl after asking her out on a date?” she asked, trying to look stern but failing as she looked down at him.

“I wouldn’t know.” He replied, smiling up at her, “Since I have never asked any girl before you out on a date.”

She couldn’t help the blush that formed on her cheek.

“Its just a play date, anyway. Nothing special.” She said quickly, “ but it doesn’t mean you won’t make it look real.”

“Okay.” He agreed, still smiling.

“I'm serious.” She giggled, “This is both our first date. It has to be super unique.”

“Okay.” He agreed again. She wrinkled her nose at him. She didn’t like it when he went all solemn on her. They stared at each other. A deep intense gaze that neither of them could break.

Until someone spoke, “Children of nowadays.”

She jumped off him, her eyes immediately searching for the person. It was a passer-by that had already moved along.

She looked at him, he looked at her. They laughed.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes with your smile.” Koty spoke.

“Huh?” she blinked confusedly, focusing on his face to see him beaming.

She blinked again then her mouth formed into an 'O', remembering his question. She had gotten lost in past memories.

“I promise I’ll make it worth it. So your answer is a yes?” he asked hopefully.

“Uh…” she looked around then back at him.

“Koty…”

“I don’t like that tone.” He muttered, his smile disappearing. He looked down at his feet.

“Its not that.” She said quickly causing him to look back up at her.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go out with you.” She continued, “But it’s a date and me going out with you would be saying there could be more between us and I don’t want that. To be frank, I don’t encourage high school dating; ask my friends. I've never even dated anyone which I’m sure you've noticed and I don’t plan to. I think high school dating, teen dating is just… leads to immoral acts and is just plain useless.”

He stared at her.

“Is that all?” he asked when he saw she was done.

“All?” she questioned, beginning to get uncomfortable with his stares.

“Are those your only reasons for not accepting?”

His eyes didn’t have any emotion in them and it felt like she was staring into a black fathomless pit. She didn’t let it deter her; anything to make him let go. He would never succeed.

“I know you like me.”

He scoffed, glancing behind her. “Everybody knows.” He said when he looked back at her.

“Yes. I don’t want to raise your hopes up by going on this date with you because it would never get anywhere.”

“What if it’s just a friends get out? Go out like two friends and hang out?”

“I would have accepted if that was the actual case but we both know it’s not.”

“So?” he persisted, regardless, “What if you end up liking me, falling in love with me? Don’t you want to give it a try? Am I that bad?”

“No.” she sighed, taking his both palms in hers. He held on to her tightly.

“You’re not bad, Koty.” She spoke, looking meaningfully at him, “You are good, you are nice, you are kind, you have a good heart. You are different from your peers. You are not a playboy, you don’t sleep with girls, you don’t get drunk every Friday and have one night stands, you’re not a bully, you treat people like actual human beings and I am honored to have you like me. I really am and if things were different… perhaps, I I might have fallen for you, probably before you even ever liked me but…”

“Different? As in? What’s different?” he asked. His eyes were beginning to water and her heart broke. She had no idea he liked her that much.

“I can’t tell you but…”

“Is it because I am not like them? I am not badass and hot and…”

“No.” she cut him off, “If you were like them, you can be rest assured that we wouldn’t have even said two words to each other.”

A tear slipped down his face.

“But I noticed girls don’t like me, they don’t fight themselves over me or drop tons of love letters in my locker. They always go after Neil and Brandon and…”

“If they fight themselves over you and drop tons of love letters in your locker and you get the attention, then what? You'll change your personality just to make yourself feel good with fake pleasures. So you're telling me that you don’t get any love letters at all?”

He blushed, “A few.”

“A few?”

“A good number but that’s not the case. You should see Neil…”

“Stop comparing yourself to people.” She snapped, “You’re you, you’re the best of you. Value the people who like you for who you really are. Those girls flocking around Neil and Brandon are only after their money, their looks, their game and what they get on the bed; they don’t actually like them for them. One day, Neil and Brandon would get tired when they realize they have a lot of fakes in their lives, they would start to look for what you have; real friends, a stable life, true love. What they have currently won’t last, can’t you see that? Colton Adams, you are…”

She stopped when he began crying. She hugged him. She was sure phones would be out.

“I'm sorry.” He whispered, tearily, “I just… I’ve liked you for the longest so it didn’t bother me that I didn’t get a lot of girls. It took me a lot to ask you out and I felt really bad when you rejected. I don’t know how to cope knowing I have nothing to hold on to you with, I don’t know how to let you go and I…”

He stopped talking as his sobs increased. She patted his back, feeling bad. She began to wish she felt the same, Koty didn’t deserve this. She began to reconsider her stance, perhaps she could just…

Koty began to hiccup.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she pulled away from him. He wasn’t hiccupping but panting for breath.

“Ye… my….you…”

He struggled to talk and breath. She became alarmed, she looked to his friends to see them already running towards her.

“Here!” Francis threw something to her. She caught it. An inhaler. She removed the cap , putting it into Koty’s mouth and pressing rapidly.

After anxious waiting, he calmed down. He looked terrible.

“We’ll take him now.” Francis spoke, pulling Koty up.

“Wait!” she shot up from the floor after recovering from the shock.

“Avoid him from now on.” Beck warned, as all three of them shot her accusing looks. She glanced at Koty who couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

“I’m sorry… I …” she stuttered in confusion.

“Just do what I said.” Beck repeated harshly then they walked away. Beck and Francis supporting Koty on either sides. It was then she noticed they had a small audience gathered around, her friends included.

She watched helplessly as they moved farther and farther away from her.