Page 48 of The Friend Scheme
He has good taste, is all I’m saying.
“Have you played all of those?” I ask, pointing at them.
“Most, yeah.”
“Nice.”
As the game boots up, I make my way over to his bookshelf and scan his books. It’s smaller than his sister’s but still nearly full. He has a complete set ofHarry Potterhardcovers, and all the A Songof Ice and Fire books. He also has a rainbow section of books, including ones by Adam Silvera, David Levithan, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
He’s out, so he’s allowed to display them like this.
That’s pretty cool.
I’ve read a few gay books, but I hide them. If they’re obviously gay in any way, I borrow them from the library and hide them in my closet as I read them. I hide them well, too, just in case Dad snoops.
“Am I passing your test?” he asks.
“Only just.”
I look down and see he has all the Grishaverse books. I run my fingers along the spines. This is at least one good thing. It in no way makes up for how tragic the sports stuff is, but you know. It’s a start.
Right beside them is a little plastic Arcanine figure. I pick it up. Jason closes the door behind him. It dawns on me that I’m in a gay dude’s bedroom, with the door shut. It doesn’t mean anything, though. Two gay dudes can be just friends. I’m sure of that.
“I love this,” I say, lifting the figure.
Jason’s face totally lights up, and he smiles that super-cute smile again. “Me too. She’s my favorite.”
“Not to brag or anything,” I say. “But I can name, like, all of them. Even the new ones.”
“Are you trying to impress me?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Well, well done. I am impressed. Which is your favorite?”
“Oh, it’s tough. I like so many. Like Goodra is cool, and I like Chandelure a lot, as well. If I had to pick, though, I’d pick Umbreon. Specifically shiny Umbreon. I just made it my phone background.”
“Show me.”
He moves in so close that his arm touches mine. I don’t exactly hate how it feels.
I turn my phone and show him. It’s a picture I found on Tumblr of shiny Umbreon looking up at the night sky. I like it more than normal Umbreon because his circles are blue instead of yellow, and blue is my favorite color.
“That’s awesome,” he says. “I really like it.”
“Thanks.”
“Take a seat anywhere you want, by the way.”
I sit down onto his beanbag, breathless, and wait until he hands me my controller. As he does, he touches my fingers again.
I ignore it.
We start playing. I let him pick Pokémon Trainer, and I pick Pikachu Libre.
As we fight, I glance at him. He’s totally focused on the game, his stare intense.
It’s pretty hot. He lounges on his computer chair, with his legs resting on an ottoman. Weirdly, I find myself staring at the stretch of ankle showing. I know ankles were, like, scandalous in the olden days, which I’ve always thought was weird. But now I somewhat get it.
