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"Hey, man. Prom is coming up. Thinking of anyone to ask?" inquired Clay, sitting next to his best friend.
Apollo swallowed his bite of sandwich. "Huh. I haven't really thought about it. It'd be kinda hard, though, finding someone. Everyone thinks I'm not attracted to anyone." Apollo had come out at asexual last year and everyone thought he was actually aromantic.
"Well, they're all just ignorant. I'm sure there's someone who'd be willing to go with you," he replied good-naturedly. "C'mon, can't you think of someone you'd want to take?"
"Um..." Apollo fiddled with his shirt collar. "Promise not to tell?"
"Pinky promise!" Clay held up his pinky finger. Apollo rolled his eyes at his friend's dorky gesture, but linked fingers anyway.
He leaned in to whisper in the other's ear. "Athena Cykes."
"Wait, really?" Clay leaned back and stared at Apollo. "Are you joking with me right now?"
"I know, I know," Apollo said miserably. "We've been friends for years. But recently...I feel like we could be more than friends."
"Well, don't let me stop you from doing what you want. Just...follow your heart, okay?"
Apollo smiled a little. "Thanks, Clay...I can always count on you to tell me the right thing." He stood up and walked off to throw away his trash.
I should follow my own advice... Clay thought, watching his friend's back.
After school, at astronomy club, Clay was pouring his heart out to Aura Blackquill, the club administrator and physics teacher. She also worked part-time at the space center near Clay's house, where he and Apollo had hung out as kids. He volunteered there every weekend as soon as Aura had said he could.
"He's just so oblivious!" Clay cried out, frustrated. "I've been dropping hints since freshman year!"
"Apollo's always had a thick forehead," Aura said, tinkering with a metal puzzle. "You have to come right out and say it, Daichi." Daichi was Clay's Japanese name. Only Apollo, Aura, and Clay's dad knew about it. They only called him that when they were alone because Clay didn't want to confuse anyone else.
"But what if he only sees me as a friend? What if he isn't attracted to guys? He's asexual, but I have no idea if he's completely straight or not."
Aura looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You're his best friend. You don't know this kind of thing?"
Clay sighed. "Yeah...I do. He's mentioned a few guys look cute here and there. But the problem is, I don't know if he sees me as a potential boyfriend or just best friend."
"Well, there's always a risk, you know?" Aura was back to fiddling with the puzzle, her slender fingers placing the different pieces into place. "You never know if they like you or not-that's part of the adventure. But the problem is whether someone else likes them or not, and if they'll get to them first." She took a deep breath in. "Or if they'll leave."
"You speak as if from experience, Aura," Clay noted.
Aura's fingers stopped and she sat stiffly. He had struck a nerve. Her eyes lowered to the ground. "Yeah. If there's one thing I've learned from all my years, it's to not wait around for something to happen. You have to take action yourself. Else...they'll slip through your fingers."
Clay placed his hand over Aura's as she violently battled the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Aura."
She gave him a wry smile. "The point of this pity party, Daichi, is that you should worry less about the what-ifs and more about the what-thens."
He puzzled over her words for the next week. While in Calculus, he thought about her hands placing pieces back into place with delicate precision. In English, he pondered what she meant by "what-thens". He should stop waiting?
Senior prom was in one week. He had to ask him soon.
On Sunday, after finishing up his volunteer work, he headed to the flower shop and bought a bouquet of red roses and carnations, Apollo's favorite color. He imagined himself getting down on one knee and asking Apollo to be his date for prom at his locker after school. He imagined Apollo throwing his arms around him and shouting yes! He imagined them picking out matching suits. He imagined them dancing to a slow song.
He wanted him so badly,
More than ever.
Monday morning. He took deep breaths. He was silent on the walk to school, telling Apollo he was just tired when asked if he was okay. He could barely focus on his classes. At lunch, a girl named Juniper approached him and Apollo.
"Hi guys!" she said cheerfully.
Clay grinned at her. She was a really nice person and a friend of both boys. "Hi, Juniper. What's up?"
"Nothing much," she replied. "I made a carrot cake yesterday and wanted to share it with some of my friends. Thena said she wasn't a big fan of carrots and Hugh and Robin said they were full. You guys don't normally sit with us, so I wasn't able to ask you earlier...Oh, I'm rambling. Would you guys like it? The carrots are fresh from my grandmother's garden."
"Oh, wow! This is really nice of you." Apollo beamed at her.
"Heck yeah, we'd love to have some!" Clay exclaimed, rejuvenated.
She smiled shyly and produced a small container. She opened it and the most heavenly smell flew into their noses.
"Oh, also, Apollo?" He looked up at her. "I-I have a few questions about our econ class. Would you mind coming with me to help me?"
"Of course! Clay, try to save some of the cake for me, okay?"
"No promises," he said through a mouthful.
Apollo sighed while Juniper giggled. They walked off to the econ room together while Clay stuffed his face.
A couple minutes passed and they still weren't back. Juniper had come near the end of the lunch period, so the lunch bell was ringing. Clay sighed and packed up the cake, saving it to give Apollo when they walked home together.
Clay went to his locker and grabbed the flowers he'd stored in there. He quickly stuffed them into his backpack and headed over to Apollo's locker. C'mon, man you can do it. You're fine! It'll be fine! It's Apollo Justice, your best friend in the whole world. Maybe he'll become more.
He rounded the corner and what he saw stopped his heart.
Apollo was on one knee in front of Athena, a bouquet of yellow roses and daisies held out to her. "Athena Cykes," he proclaimed. "Will you be my date to senior prom?" Clay imagined Apollo's beautiful brown eyes shining and full of earnest. His heart ached.
"Oh, Athena? No, she doesn't like Apollo. I think they'll be nothing but lab partners in her eyes. She told me she's liked Juniper for awhile."
Aura had told that to Clay last week and he hadn't had a good chance to tell Apollo. Now it was too late. He could see it in Athena's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Apollo...I already have someone in mind to go with."
Apollo's shoulders slumped. "Okay...I see." He stood. "I respect that. Are we still friends though?"
"Of course!" she replied cheerfully. She pat his shoulder. "And hey, if you need help finding someone to go with, don't hesitate to call me." She walked off after pulling him into a reassuring hug and patting his back.
Clay came up behind him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, man...are you okay?"
Apollo took in a deep, slightly trembling breath. "...Yeah. Surprisingly, yeah." He threw a small grin sideways. "It just wasn't meant to be. I see that now."
They walked home, arms thrown over each other's shoulders. About halfway through their walk, Clay pulled away. "I almost forgot!" He pulled out Juniper's carrot cake. "You never got to eat what Juniper gave us!"
Apollo stared at it, not moving. "Clay..."
"Hmm?"
"Juniper didn't need help with econ."
"What? What did she want then?"
"She...she asked me to prom."
"..." Clay was quiet. "Heh. Popular guy, eh?"
Apollo snorted. "As if." He looked down at his feet. "I guess you can already tell that I turned her down."
"Yeah...was she upset?"
He shook his head. "Disappointed, but she was all right with it. In fact, she said she was kind of relieved because there was another person she wanted to ask and didn't know if she should."
"You told her to go for it, right?" Clay asked. Apollo grinned and nodded. "Nice. Because Athena had a crush on her."
"Wait, what?!" Apollo whirled on him. "How'd you find out?"
"Aura told me. I was going to tell you today, but I kinda forgot till your whole fiasco."
Apollo groaned. "Man, you could have saved me so much embarrassment." He ran a hand through his spiked hair. "Well, at least I know why she turned me down."
"So who are you going to prom with now?" Clay asked. His chest burned with the question.
"I don't know...maybe with you?" Clay's heart nearly stopped. "We could go stag together. Who needs girls?" And then his stomach sank.
Prom night. Clay was a wimp. He hadn't told Apollo his true feelings yet...and they were going to prom together as friends. FRIENDS.
Clay took a deep breath and adjusted his tie. He gave himself a once-over in the mirror. His suit was dark blue, along with his tie. In a burst of inspiration, his dad and he had super-glued sparkles on the suit jacket's shoulders. He felt like he had the sky on his shoulders. Apollo wouldn't be able to resist him now...would he?
He glanced at the flowers in the vase. In a split second decision, he grabbed them and stuffed them into the plastic wrap they'd come in.
He thudded down the stairs, where his dad was waiting with a camera around his neck. "There he is!" Mr. Terran grinned. "The man of the hour. Where's your date?"
"Late. What a poor date he is." Both father and son laughed. At that moment, a knock came at the door.
"Speak of the devil." Mr. Terran pointed his head at the door, gesturing for Clay to open it as he prepared his camera.
Clay obliged and opened the door to a bashful Apollo. He felt his jaw go slack. His best friend's hair was slicked back instead of up and he was wearing a dark red tuxedo. He was the most beautiful person Clay had ever seen.
"Hey, Clay. Mr. Terran." Apollo rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he blushed. "S-sorry I'm late. Dad was too busy taking pictures."
"Ah, how has Phoenix been?" Clay's dad asked cordially. "He hasn't been showing up to any PTA meetings as of late."
"Oh, he's just been swamped with cases recently," explained Apollo. "Busy life, being a defense attorney and all." Mr. Terran nodded in understanding.
Clay suddenly remembered how to move and thrust forth the bouquet. "These are for you!" he burst out.
"Oh, wow! Really?" He smiled gently and took them. "They match my tux. Thanks, Clay." He pulled his friend into a hug.
Clay savored the hug and Mr. Terran took more pictures. "Alright, boys, I want to see some prom poses! Let's go, chop, chop!"
"Daaddd," Clay groaned in embarrassment, but Apollo just laughed, cheeks still pink, and posed with Clay.
Eventually, the two left for a hotel nearby, where prom was being held. The hotel staff at the door of the banquet hall checked their student IDs and ushered them in.
"It's really loud in here!" Clay shouted.
"What?" Apollo yelled.
They had been able to hear the music from outside of the hotel. It was eardrum-shattering now. It was also very dark, aside from a few lanterns scattered about and the colorful strobe lights moving across the walls and ceiling.
Clay grabbed Apollo's hand and dragged him across the room. "Let's get food!" he mouthed. Apollo nodded and handed him a plate with a grin. The two loaded up their plates with delectable treats and found a table. They sat there for a couple minutes in silence, shoveling food into their mouths and watching people dance.
Through a mouthful, Clay asked, "Do you want to?"
Apollo looked over at him. "Do what?"
"Dance!"
"What?"
"DANCE!"
"OH! Yeah, sure!"
They finished their food and went out onto the dance floor. Apollo awkwardly bobbed along to the music while Clay busted out a move or two, causing Apollo to crack up. They had fun making up goofy dance moves until both were hot, sweaty, and ready to take a break.
"Let's go outside," Apollo suggested, his mouth near Clay's ear. The latter nodded and they walked out to the back of the hotel, a sprawling green field. They laid in the grass and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky.
"Clay?"
"...Yeah?"
"I'm really glad you're my date."
"Me...me too, Apollo."
...
...
...
God, Clay...say something! Tell him you-
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Do you think this could be our first date?"
Clay shot up, wide-eyed, and stared at Apollo. The other boy didn't look at him and instead continued watching the clouds go by.
"I've liked you for a while now, Clay. I tried to repress them and convince myself that I liked other people...because I didn't want to lose our friendship. But I don't think I can hold back anymore. Seeing you in your suit, with the flowers...I've fallen too hard for you not to at least try and let you know how I felt." He rolled over and looked Clay in the eye. "So what do you say?"
Clay was shaking; he was so emotional. He pulled Apollo up and hugged him tightly. "Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" He laughed shakily. "I was actually going to tell you my feelings by asking you to prom...but I guess you made all the first moves."
"Well...not all of them." Apollo blushed and looked down. Clay knew just what he meant.
He leaned forward and kissed his best friend under the dark blanket of the sky.